"I must stop him!"
The usually calm Renji was rarely this excited.
It had to be said, the short time working with the "Demon King" Sawamura was enjoyable and memorable.
Even if they were still partners now, Renji had come to this realization.
Though he felt a bit guilty toward Hongou in the resting area, Renji didn't want to disappoint Sawamura's trust and expectations.
He had risked so much to secure this fair duel and even gained a significant advantage.
If under these circumstances, he still couldn't handle his opponent...
Then, even if Japan teammates didn't blame him, how could he face returning to Hokkaido?
I must stop him!
Not only for personal honor but also to live up to Sawamura's expectations.
At this moment, Renji was prepared to fight to the death.
No matter what Francis did, he would stop him.
I must stop him!
His firm belief gave Renji greater strength.
His senses sharpened, unwilling to miss a single detail.
As Francis charged, he faced such a prepared Renji.
A star catcher ready for battle, fully mentally prepared.
Burning all bridges!
When a person reaches such resolve, they shine in battle.
If ordinary people can do this, star players can do even more so.
Renji was exactly like this now, shining brightly.
Francis felt the pressure as he rushed.
The opponent's pressure was immense!
Even stronger than Francis had originally imagined.
'What an interesting team!'
Francis and most American players thought Japan's advantage was solely because of Sawamura.
In fact, during their confrontation, the power played by other American players was very small.
Many American players hardly felt threatened by the others.
Honestly, that was normal.
The real threat from America came from the Tokyo representatives.
This wasn't because their personal skills were good enough to threaten American players.
In fact, American stars were stronger individually.
Except for Sawamura and a few others, most players were at a disadvantage against their American counterparts.
Not just at a disadvantage, but to some degree, noticeably weaker.
The Japanese team could contend with America mostly because of teamwork.
Because they understood each other, their combined strength was greatly enhanced.
By contrast, the remaining players (except Sawamura and Renji) had few who could match American players individually.
They also could not compare in teamwork.
Plus, their condition wasn't good, only performing about 70-80% of their full strength.
After Mima's injury, many players were stuck in their own heads.
For these reasons, other players besides Sawamura and Renji could only barely perform at their full capacity.
They had no chance to exceed their limits.
Under these circumstances, it was natural for American players to see a path to victory.
Francis thought so too.
Watching game footage, he thought American players had some skill.
But in the real game, aside from Sawamura (their biggest enemy) and his partner Renji, the others were negligible.
Even Renji's presence was overshadowed by Sawamura's brilliance.
At least before, Francis never considered Renji a real opponent.
Though unwilling to admit it, the qualities Renji showed now...
Were enough to qualify him as an opponent.
Before challenging Sawamura, Francis had to defeat this obstacle first.
'Just wait and see!'
Facing Renji's close pursuit, Francis showed no sign of stopping.
He was like a wild dog unleashed, sprinting full speed to home plate.
Fans from Taiwan in the stands shouted in surprise.
Such behavior was normal in professional games but strictly forbidden in youth baseball.
You can't charge the catcher like this.
Even if you knock the ball from the catcher's hand, you won't score.
According to youth baseball rules, this is an illegal collision.
The run wouldn't count and would result in an Out.
'Here it comes!'
Francis's charging was like a speeding armored vehicle.
With boundless power and wild fury, seeming ready to destroy everything.
Faced with this gale-like charge, Renji clenched his teeth.
He knew the opponent's momentum was strong.
If he wasn't careful, he could be overwhelmed.
But even so, even if hurt or blocking with his body...
He would stop the hand in front of him.
Renji took a stance to brace for impact.
He was ready to make contact, clutching the ball tightly in his Mitt.
Although a direct collision would dash the opponent's dream of scoring...
Renji still refused to take that risk.
Or rather, deep down, he couldn't accept that kind of success.
To him, such a success was not victory but failure—a huge failure.
The two were about to collide.
Suddenly, Francis' body changed.
Just as Renji was about to make contact, Francis made a 360-degree spin.
'He Tricked Me!'
Seeing this, Renji immediately understood.
This reaction was an act.
This cunning guy never intended to collide head-on.
He wanted Renji to remain in a defensive posture, his body and Mitt tense.
In this state, all his strength was concentrated.
Suddenly pulling back that strength was bad for him.
It easily caused injury.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
The main issue was that in this extremely defensive posture, Renji found it hard to adjust.
Hard to shift his body and reach out his Mitt to intercept Francis' sudden direction change.
'Move! Move!'
In fractions of a second, the brain barely had time to react.
But Renji felt the time was enough.
He even yelled at his body to respond.
Years of intense training finally paid off.
Before Renji's brain fully processed it, his body had already reacted.
He barely extended his Mitt toward the suddenly changing Francis.
Doing this with a stiff posture was difficult.
But he managed it.
Unfortunately, Francis was too fast.
Even though Renji pushed himself to the limit, he couldn't stop the base-stealer.
"SAFE!!!
"SCORE!!!!!"
When Francis's foot slammed hard on home plate, this phase of the duel finally ended.
The game now truly entered the final closing phase.
The total score was 2-1.
The runner advanced to second base.
The situation began to tilt toward America.
After all this explanation, everyone basically understood how risky Sawamura's earlier choice was.
If the Japanese team got through the crisis smoothly, no one would say a word.
Their situation was improving; as long as Japan players didn't make mistakes late, it was almost impossible for America to turn the game around.
Sawamura's move looked risky, but if successful, the payoff was huge.
That's how gambling works.
Win, big rewards. Lose, big losses.
America's scoring brought more than just one run.
The whole team's mood changed—they were visibly excited.
Not only did Francis roar, but the runner at second also screamed wildly.
It seemed the American counterattack had finally arrived.
On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura showed no expression facing the situation.
He just opened his mitt, asking catcher Renji for the ball.
After receiving it, he took his pitching stance.
But just before pitching, he suddenly retreated, his body falling behind the mound.
Then he made a 180-degree turn, and at the same time, the baseball in his hand whistled forward.
SNAP!
Everything happened so fast, many didn't understand what was going on.
Even the American player on second base was completely stunned.
Then he saw a mitt appear on him.
"OUT!!!!"
...
T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!
See you Tomorrow!
Until then, take care!
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