When people saw Haruichi being taken Out, they subconsciously thought of this.
The Ace pitcher from Kanetsu-Norin, Hoshitaru, was undoubtedly impressive.
Kominato Haruichi, a famous star player, had exceptional batting skills that were among the best nationwide.
But even Kominato, with his advanced batting techniques, failed to successfully bunt!
The Ace pitcher of Kanetsu-Norin, Hoshitaru, was truly eye-catching.
In such a situation, people couldn't help but wonder: if even Kominato couldn't pull it off, then who could successfully bunt against Kanetsu-Norin High's fierce defense?
For some reason, many fans in the stands remembered Eijun's previous nickname.
Especially the fans of the Great Demon King, who spontaneously began chanting these this word:
"BUNT!"
"BUNT!!"
When thousands of people in the stands were chanting it, the scene was incredibly shocking.
The fans were surprised at themselves for calling out like that.
The players on the field were even more stunned.
Sawamura was completely caught off guard.
He didn't know what these fans were thinking, or how they figured out his plan.
In this situation, it wasn't just the fans—Eijun himself was also thinking the same thing.
Sawamura really hoped to score a point first.
As for facing Hoshitaru, that could come later.
The Coach, Kataoka, gave Sawamura a signal to handle the situation as he saw fit.
No matter what choice Sawamura made, Kataoka would support him.
His only request was that they must score.
The Seidou High School baseball team currently had the initiative, but their advantage wasn't overwhelming.
Especially with the opponent showing strong abilities that weren't inferior to powerhouse teams.
In such a game, the team that scores first has a clear advantage.
Coach Kataoka, Sawamura, and the fans in the stands all simultaneously thought of the bunt.
Sawamura walked past Haruichi, who was about to leave the field.
At that moment, they heard the fans' chants.
"How does it feel?" Sawamura asked.
Without hesitation, Haruichi immediately spoke about his observations.
"The ball suddenly rose as it approached the strike zone. Even though I anticipated it and raised my bat, still..."
Haruichi didn't finish his sentence, but Eijun immediately understood what he meant.
A fastball at 150 km/h typically has some upward movement.
To hit such a ball, you must aim about two balls higher.
Different pitchers have varying amounts of upward movement on their fastballs.
The speed and the break of these pitches also vary.
'According to Haruichi's description, Hoshitaru's ball has a rapid upward break.'
'It also has strong backspin.'
'It rises suddenly as it approaches the strike zone.'
Without enough data, and being the first time Kominato faced Hoshitaru, it's no wonder he made a mistake with the bunt.
Anyone facing such a pitch for the first time would likely have an uncomfortable reaction.
One out, a runner on second.
Sawamura stepped into the Batter's Box.
There were faint calls for a bunt from the crowd.
The fans, eager to see the two teams clash head-on, wanted the players to go head-to-head.
With the fans so eagerly requesting it, how could Eijun refuse?
He took his position in the Batter's Box and adopted a bunting stance.
Seeing Eijun's move, the players from Kanetsu-Norin High almost cried.
This was Seidou, the team of legends!
And now, standing in the Batter's Box, was the Great Demon King, Sawamura.
The Great Demon King, who had defeated countless famous players from the strongest teams.
And now, he was about to bunt?
How shameless could they be?
'What should we do?'
Kuchiki looked up at his partner on the mound.
When the Great Demon King assumed a bunting stance, Seidou High's intentions were definitely serious.
If they didn't have a strong chance to score, making this choice would have been embarrassing.
Kuchiki thought they didn't have to face Sawamura directly.
If they weren't sure of Sawamura's intentions, they could play conservatively and intentionally Walk him.
Then, they could face Miyuki behind him.
Kuchiki's clearly conveyed this intention.
But Hoshitaru shook his head firmly. He didn't agree with this approach.
Now that Sawamura was using the bunt, if they didn't have the courage to face him head-on, they might as well give up the game.
They had to face him head-on, and they would.
Even if the worst-case scenario was allowing Kuramochi to advance to third base, the situation wouldn't be irreparable.
Hoshitaru's determination was clear, and Kuchiki knew better than to argue.
Moreover, Hoshitaru's decision wasn't wrong.
If the Great Demon King was handing them an out, they had no reason to turn it down.
There was no reason not to.
'Let's go!!'
Kuchiki gritted his teeth and crouched down.
Hoshitaru on the mound took a deep breath and threw the baseball with all his might.
Roaar!
The baseball shot out like a missile, arriving at the Batter's Box in the blink of an eye.
Hoshitaru's pitch was terrifying.
However, in Seidou's dugout, the players were not nervous.
They were all eagerly watching the changes on the field.
In the midst of everyone's eager anticipation, Sawamura, who had been preparing for a bunt, suddenly pulled the bat back. At that moment, everyone's hearts seemed to rise in suspense.
Had they guessed wrong?
The "Demon King" was not intending to bunt now; he simply wanted to hit the ball out of the park.
With that thought in mind, Sawamura switched to a full-power swing, and the likelihood of his success with this move was just as terrifying.
Under the watching eyes of the crowd, Sawamura calmly pulled back the bat, only to let the pitch fly by without making contact, landing in the catcher's mitt.
Boom!
"STRIKE!"
Sawamura fell behind by one strike.
This unexpected turn of events left everyone stunned. Even the opponent, the Kanetsu-Norin High School team, was baffled.
Sawamura had clearly shown his intent to bunt, so why didn't he swing?
"Nice Pitching!"
"Even Sawamura was suppressed!!"
"Let's keep the pressure on!!"
Although they didn't understand what was going on, Kanetsu-Norin's team was certain of one thing: In this confrontation, their ace pitcher, Hoshitaru, had the upper hand.
That was enough to cheer about. Everything else was secondary.
The Kanetsu-Norin team was excited, with one player shouting to encourage Hoshitaru on the mound.
"Is that guy's pitching really that sharp?" Nishiyama muttered.
On the big screen, they could see Hoshitaru's pitch speed.
152 km/h!
There were not a lot of pitchers in high school capable of throwing at that speed.
How sharp was that pitch? It was self-explanatory.
But Nishiyama felt that while such speed might trouble other players, it wouldn't be enough to faze Sawamura.
After all, this was Sawamura, the senior who had faced down players like Allen and Hongou.
There was no way such speed could defeat him, right?
No, this wasn't about the pitch speed; there must be another reason Sawamura didn't swing.
Could it be that Hoshitaru had other hidden abilities?
Nishiyama found himself with no answer. The situation was definitely not in their favor.
"Is Senpai alright?" Okumura muttered under his breath, worry in his eyes.
"Stop overthinking! Sawamura didn't swing because he's observing the pitcher's patterns," Maezono said irritably, giving the younger players an exasperated glance.
These guys were worrying about Sawamura now?
It was laughable!
Did they really think the "Demon King" title was just for show?
On the Batter's Box, Sawamura's eyes sparkled with realization.
No wonder both Kuramochi and Haruichi had struggled against Hoshitaru.
'The guy's power is frightening.'
Each pitch he threw was filled with his entire life as a pitcher.
That was a very physically taxing approach, and it put a lot of strain on the body.
Even Sawamura, with his naturally flexible joints, wouldn't dare to use such a style.
It was a way of exhausting one's future potential.
But, of course, such a sacrifice came with great rewards.
Hoshitaru had gained remarkable power through this approach.
The Pitcher was also puzzled.
When Hoshitaru saw Sawamura preparing for a bunt, he had been full of confidence, ready to use his pitching to face off against him.
He had put everything he had into the previous pitch, confident that even if Sawamura made contact, he could still handle him.
Getting him to bunt the ball wasn't easy.
But now Sawamura had let the first pitch go and was back in his bunt position.
Hoshitaru was starting to lose his focus.
'What was Sawamura up to?'
'Why did he let that good pitch go by?'
'It didn't make sense!'
As a variety of thoughts flashed in his mind, Hoshitaru shook his head and cleared them away.
He couldn't afford to be confused.
If he lost focus now, it would mess with his rhythm and might lead to a home run.
Just because Sawamura was bunting didn't mean he wouldn't hit.
Hadn't he done that before?
Taking a deep breath, Hoshitaru forced himself to calm down and threw another pitch.
It was fast, sharp, and well-placed.
Honestly, it was a high-quality pitch.
But compared to the first one, which had seen Hoshitaru put everything into it, this one had a slight hint of weariness.
Back at the Batter's Box, Sawamura calmly watched the incoming ball, still holding his bunt position.
He patiently waited for the ball to reach him, and then with him still making the bunt stance, he made a slight movement.
PAAK!
The ball flew off his bat with tremendous force, shooting high into the air.
"A high fly!"
The Kanetsu-Norin High School team was excited. A high-fly ball was the easiest to catch.
Now, they only needed to catch it to stop Seidou's attack.
They felt a surge of excitement.
The ball flew toward third base.
"Third baseman!"
Hoshitaru called out urgently, urging his teammate to catch it.
The third baseman leaped up to catch the ball, but it flew over his head and continued its trajectory, heading toward the outfield.
The ball flew past the shortstop and into the vast outfield.
Tak!
The ball landed safely in the outfield, and everything seemed predetermined.
"SAFE!"
Sawamura had successfully reached first base with a long-awaited Long Bunt.
Meanwhile, Kuramochi, with his cheetah-like speed, had already rounded third base and was heading back home.
...