Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, the characters go with their respective creators of diamond no ace and I do not claim ownership of the characters or the world. English is not my first language so I do apologize for spelling/grammatical errors, Thank you!

A/N: Shout out to Mela! Happy Birthday! Hope you have a wonderful day ahead! (wink) hope this brightens your day more 3

Chapter 33

Mei could sense a different kind of pressure from the batter's box, it was as if he is getting choked and the air surrounding him is thin making it hard to breathe. What the hell is going on with that guy, his pressure is different, this is so different, it is as if I am not going against a high school batter. As he glares at Sawamura, he watched as Itsuki position his mitt in the lower portion of the plate asking for his new pitch - the cutter. Narumiya took in deep breaths as he nod in agreement in regards to Itsuki's call. This guy… he is not the same as last year… Narumiya thought annoyingly as he did his windup and threw his new pitch, the cutter.

As the ball sailed towards the stretch Itsuki noticed that the ball did not break down but instead move towards an upward break. This upward cutter break pitch was the first thing that Mei polished the moment they decided to start using the cutter in his pitch sequence. Mei… don't tell me… your body instinctively move on a pitch you're body is comfortable and used too… did Eijun's pressure got to you… damn it, I totally forgot Eijun has been batting with BJ far longer than I did… his pressure can be the same with Towa san if his serious… as Itsuki immediately tries to move his mitt up the plate to catch the pitch and as if on slow motion, he noticed Eijun's bat made contact with the high cutter pitch creating a clean arc sending the pitch high up in the air. Itsuki threw his catching mask as he yelled "Back!"

Eijun started counting the moment he saw Narumiya did his windup, and as he reached the third count he swing his bat in the upper region of the plate, not caring if the ball would hit or not. But as the bat swing he felt a hard hit on the center of the bat as the ball was hit cleanly and flied up in a clean arc. He watched as the ball sailed up at the same time he heard Itsuki yelled to the fielders but his gaze did not leave the ball as it fly high towards the scoreboard, and for some reason he noticed a surprised look on Narumiya's face.

"A perfect clean hit" Shoji commented smiling the moment he heard the bat hit the ball. As he remembers the first time Sawamura came into the BJ facility introducing himself and the first time he had watched him do his batting bunts which was annoying but effective but still annoys him to his core. He remembered the time where the both of them would stay until the last minute of his practice in order to teach him his own batting style and now, seeing a clean hit, he felt proud that the young pitcher who he remembers crying his lungs out at the back of his catcher's car, the very same pitcher who was taken out in the final's fall qualification and was not able to play in the Fall Koshien was now able to fully utilize his own batting style.

"Mihashi you seem happy" Anzai teased as he could see the proudness in his companions eyes.

"You have no idea how hard he had train for this Anzai… you just have no idea…" Shoji answered proudly. His chest is tight seeming overjoyed in how far the young pitcher had grown in a short span of time. He knew that the kid only lack's the opportunity and now he was glad he did not hesitated in giving him that chance to actually show his kind of baseball. With a clean arc hit, he is proud to say this is Sawamura Eijun's baseball.

"Well then… it is good you have not given up on that kid then…" Anzai commented smiling as well as he turn his gaze back towards Seido's ace. "But you do realize that this is only the beginning especially if there team is able to go to Koshien"

Eijun was jogging around the field the moment he heard the announcer declared a homerun, Seido had erupted with cheers. They were leading, it is a 3-2 play but for some reason Eijun does not seem happy with it. The moment he saw the ball hit the scoreboard, making it a homerun he already saw Narumiya's shadowed looked at the same time Itsuki asking for a timeout. He knew at that moment that was not the pitch that Itsuki asked, thus it would only mean that Narumiya made a slip. Well it is expected since he has been pitching since the first inning in this hot day, but for the king… damn it… it does not sit well with me…I felt like I just lost… The moment he was able to reach home plate and walk towards their own dugout he was greeted with cheers, but his attention was with Inashiro, as he look back towards the mound and notice that every Inashiro player in the field were near the mound and it seems that coach Kunimoto also sent a messenger.

"Sawamura? You good?" Miyuki asked as he noticed Eijun was not responding to their congratulations and as if his attention was towards Inashiro.

"Huh… ahhhh… yes cap…." Eijun answered dumbly "Just a bit thirsty, seriously it is a hot day… hahahaha…" he answered briefly ignoring the observing gaze of his captain.

"Huh… then get yourself inside the dugout and get some drink Sawamura!" Maezono yelled making the other players laugh on their co-captain antics.

Eijun smiled but a few of the regulars noticed that Eijun's smile did not reach his eyes. Plus it is weird that Sawamura does not seem boastful and loud considering it was his second homerun and they are now leading. "Hey… Miyuki something is off with Sawamura… I think you need to check on this asap… the game is not yet over" Kuramochi commented quietly as he prepare to move towards the batters box.

"Yeah… I know…" Miyuki answered seriously as he watched Sawamura moving in the dugout. "We are leading anyways, but I guess this is the time we need to not let him get his bearing back huh…" Miyuki added as he turn to look at Kuramochi meaningfully and the latter smiled evilly as he started walking towards the batter's box.

"Hey… Tohru… was that a meatball?" Sagato asked confusingly as they watched the huddled players of Inashiro in the mound.

"It does not seem like one… but I am not sure too… was it Tohru?" Towa asked as well curious.

"I did notice that Tadano had his mitt in the lower side of the plate but that pitch break went up" Maki added.

"No… it could not be considered a meatball. Even though Eijun was able to have a clean hit on it, based from the difficult angle and ball speed, it is not considered a meatball" Tohru answered as he looked at Narumiya's pitch speed was 144 km/h.

"Then I guess that kid might be getting tired… he was pitching since the first inning and since it's the summer tournament, the heat on the field is different" Miro commented.

"I don't think that is the case Miro" Tohru answered as he noticed the sad look on Eijun when he went around the diamond field.

"What do you mean Tohru? Did Sawamura practically targeted a high pitch?" Asano unable to stop himself asked curiously. "I mean I did noticed he was already using his pinpoint batting, but no one is telling which angle to target too, so does that mean Sawamura is finally able to perfect coach Shoji's batting style?"

"I doubt it… coach Shoji's batting style is effective for Sawamura but it is not something that is easily learned in a few months." Maki informs seemingly thinking deeply.

"I think the reason why Eijun was able to hit that pitch is because of the way we taught him how to do it." Tohru answered shortly earning a confused look from his teammates. "I mean… remember before when Sawamura was still working on his batting style, we told him that if it is a full count, always swing your bat on the upper region of the plate regardless what ever pitch is thrown" Tohru explains as he remembers the intense batting practice Coach Shoji put Eijun on since there coach is a batting maniac. Well they are not one of the best offensive team of the NPB league if not for that batting practice.

"Owhhh…. Yeah I remember… but I though that was when he was only playing with us since the only reason that we wanted Sawamura to swing hard on the upper plate is to put pressure on the pitcher making it easier for the next batter." Maki asked confused.

"Yeah… but have you guys not noticed, Sawamura has been using our teachings in this whole game. We are already in the 8th inning, if there are no more extra innings that means only two innings left." Miro answered.

"Aside from that, I think Narumiya is the one who made a mistake." Tohru added as he was looking closely at the huddled players on the mound.

"Narumiya? Ehhh as in Narumiya Mei made a mistake? That Narumiya Mei? The one being scouted by like what 90% of the NPB teams? You sure we talking about the same Narumiya Mei" Asano asked surprised.

"Hahaha… 90%... what the hell Asano… what is the 10%? Us and what?" Maki asked laughing hard hearing the surprised tone from Asano.

"Hey I am serious here… It's Narumiya Mei… they are the defending champions for crying out loud… he is like the pitcher version of captain of Daiki… Narumiya Mei has a reputation of being the best pitcher in his generation you know, the great south paw king of West Tokyo" Asano added making the other BJ players think deeply.

"Now that you mention it… I think that is true…" Maki answered briefly.

"But for Narumiya Mei to make a mistake… that is quite surprising." Towa commented looking at the huddled players.

"I heard from Tadano, that new pitch he was working on is a cutter, closely resembling Eijun's original cutter. The one that jams batters in an upward break, I think Narumiya Mei made a pitch that his body instinctively memorized, so I am guessing Seido was already pressuring him even before Eijun was up on bat, and this is the result of it" Tohru looked at Tadano's expression seemingly a bit tense talking to his pitcher.

"Ahhh… you mean Seido's press huh… the pressure they used against that other team Sankou. And since Sawamura has been training with us, I guess he unintentionally added the pressure to Inashiro's ace and we are just now seeing the result of it. Quite risky for a strategy if it is being effective only in the 8th inning" Miro commented.

"True… but honestly I think on this round Tadano won against Eijun. If Narumiya pitched in the lower part of the plate then he would have been striked out. So in between Tadano and Eijun it is a tied 1-1 battle." Towa commented. Other commented in regards to the ongoing bet between the young BJ players however Tohru was closely observing Eijun demeanor because it seems he was more affected on that pitch compared that of the Inashiro ace.

"Sawamura get yourself hydrated!" Higasa remarked as he handed a cup of water.

Eijun smiled brightly as he accepted the water, "Thank you Higasa sempai…" at the same time he move at the back end of the dugout obviously ignoring Yui and Okumura's observing gaze. Damn it why am I feeling like this… that guy should have not missed… but why… I felt like that was not the right pitch. Eijun though as he drinks the whole cup of water at the same time crumpling the now empty cup.

"Sawamura…" Miyuki called out as he handed him a towel at the same time sitting beside him.

"Owhhh… thanks cap!" Eijun answered briefly accepting the towel and wiping his face not noticing the observing gaze from his other teammates.

"That was a strong hit Sawamura… it has helped our team lead in the game" Miyuki commented softly.

"Ehhh… you think so cap… well I am glad" Eijun commented in a muffled tone since he was still wiping his face.

"Yeah… the only thing I am confused about it is since when did you have the ability to make strong hits like that? And why does it seem like you were not happy about it" Miyuki did not hide his irritation on his tone as he noticed Eijun flinch and slowly put down the towel he was holding.

"Ehhh what do you mean cap… I am happy we are leading" as Eijun put on his most dubious face, however ignoring Miyuki's question in regards to being able to hit strong, but this time Miyuki was not having it.

"Don't give me that… we have been battery partners since your first year, don't think you can act your way out of this. You knew that pitch is not what was being asked by the Inashiro catcher, though if it's a bystanders watching the game, it may look like they were asking of a high pitch, but as I was looking at Inashiro's catcher mitt, it was obviously in the lower end so it is either a low fastball, another changeup or if I am the catcher I would be asking for Mei's new pitch. You knew that… but Mei threw a high pitch, it is not a meatball pitch but you were still able to hit it cleanly so why the hell are you depressed like we are about to lose the game." Miyuki was not someone who intends to sugar coat his wordings and right now he does not intend to play nice either. He was not talking as a captain, but more of a catcher, because right now he cannot read Sawamura and having him as a pitcher where he could not grasp his mood swings is detrimental for their team.

"That's not it cap…" Eijun tried to answer, however he tries to avoid the captain's observing look.

"Are you connected to someone in Inashiro? Do you need to tell us something Sawamura. You have been hiding something from the whole team. Don't' play it like we have not noticed but we did, we just tolerated it, but if you are going to let Inashiro…" However before Miyuki could even finish his sentence Sawamura immediately grab Miyuki's shirt giving him a angry glare.

"Don't you dare Miyuki Kazuya say that I intend to let Inashiro win. Seido will be the one who would go to Koshien… I don't intend to lose to anyone… that includes Inashiro"

"Owhhhh… interesting" Miyuki did not back down from Sawamura's glare as he grab his hand to remove it from his shirt. Since they were sitting in the back end, only a few players noticed the tension between the both of them. Those few include includes Okumura and Yui who was obviously getting tense themselves. "Then can you explain yourself Sawamura?" Miyuki asked slowly as he felt Sawamura's hold loosening at the same time he watched as Sawamura gaze moved down seemingly dejected.

"When I was about to get walked, I kind of said something to the Inashiro catcher… I told him to trust the arsenal of his pitcher. I did not mean to offend him or anything, I just felt like that guy, Narumiya Mei would not let someone like me be walked and waste his pitches." Eijun grumbled as he fisted his hand.

"Ehh…" Miyuki was floored. He was expecting something worst but Sawamura offending and instigated the Inashiro catcher was not something he was expecting. "You told the Inashiro catcher to trust his pitcher? Just now? During your at bat?" Miyuki asked again, because honestly being a catcher himself that felt like a big blow to his ego being a catcher, being unable to trust his pitcher and worst part is that pitcher is none other than Narumiya Mei.

"Yes… I mean… I did not mean it in a bad way or anything… I just felt like when I was watching Narumiya, he does not seem to be happy with the idea of me being walked." Eijun added seeming upset. "But I was not expecting that Narumiya would make a mistake, I know that pitch was not the pitch he wanted to throw, I noticed it when I was able to hit it. Damn it… why did that guy made a beginner mistake like this…"

Miyuki's jaw drop, he knew Sawamura is not really the brightest fish in the pond but him hearing he was mad at Narumiya Mei because Mei made a mistake in a pitch. In a pitch where they scored a home run? Is he for real? Miyuki could not cope up with it as he looked at Sawamura. "You are mad at Mei because he made a mistake in regards to the pitch he threw?"

"Well yeah! His supposed to be the best… his the freaking king and the best pitcher in Tokyo right… how could I beat him if he makes stupid mistake like this… this is not how I want to beat him!" Eijun answered honestly not seeing Miyuki's flabbergasted expression.

"Sawamura… ahm… not to burst your bubble but Mei is human too… he is not a perfect person that would not make mistakes. He had been pitching since the first inning, we have also been pressuring him during our turns at bat, it may not look like it on your end, but all of Seido's batters are giving him pressure. He could make mistakes from time to time you know… as annoying as he can be, he makes mistakes all the time." Miyuki answered still looking at Eijun fisted hands.

"I know he is not perfect, but he is the best pitcher in Tokyo. I don't know what pitch is being asked but I knew the moment I hit the pitch that was not the pitch he wanted to pitch. He is someone I want to beat, I want to be someone as cool as him, someone respected, a real ace, not just a backburner pitcher like me."

Miyuki was listening intently then it hit him, Sawamura was idolizing Narumiya Mei, he sees Mei as an ace he strives to be. A ace that the team intends to look up to, Sawamura see Mei as a rival he needs to beat in order to be called a real ace for Seido. Then he remembered during the spring tournament against Sankou when Eijun mentioned he knew what his role was when he was sub in in order to save them, in the first game in the summer tournament when he mentioned he was pulling the team back when he was pulled out in the 4th inning. It all makes sense now, Sawamura feels that he does not fit in as Seido's ace and if he beat Narumiya Mei now, then he would truly be Seido's ace. He fisted his hand as he felt that there are some things that he might have done to make Sawamura feel the way he does with Seido, but right now they are in the finals, and he intends to go to Koshien since their real goal is a Koshien title, not just the summer rep title, and in order to do that they would need Sawamura. "Sawamura I know you might be upset about this, but I think the most upset person about this whole thing is none other than the person who actually pitched the ball right?" as Miyuki gestured towards the mound where Sawamura could see Narumiya's annoyed expression as his teammates where all crowding him. "I would say Inashiro is a strong team, it is not just Mei who keeps the team glued, so if Mei makes mistake, he has his whole team to back him up. They are the defending champions after all. We only have a single run lead, and we are only in the 8th inning, they can still catch up to us if we are careless."

Eijun looked closely towards Itsuki and noticed that he was grinning. The tension he saw when he was jogging around the field a while back was already gone. The team was laughing at Narumiya as he was obviously getting irritated by something. He was suddenly reminded of BJ, whenever he gave up a run or two in there practice games, he was confident enough that there BJ captain or Tohru would get those runs back, because they have his back and right now he can see it in Inashiro.

"You know Sawamura, I know there are somethings that we most probably would need to apologize and have a long talk about, but can we do that after we actually win this game, but right now…" as Miyuki stood up handing Sawamura's baseball mitt, "we need to show them what kind of pitcher you really are without holding back"

Eijun looked up at Miyuki and saw his bright boyish good looking smile, suddenly giving him chills running down his back as if something sinister is about to happen and at the same time as if he made a big mistake somewhere along the line of there plays. He accepted the mitt eagerly at the same time nod in full agreement and immediately move up towards the railings avoiding the confused look of Miyuki and to watch Kuramochi battle it out with Narumiya Mei.