Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

"SAFE!"

Sprinting at full speed, Kuramochi moved as swiftly and nimbly as a hunting cheetah.

In just over four seconds, he had covered the distance to home plate.

By the time his foot touched the home base, Tobuyasu High School's outfielder had only just picked up the ball and was preparing to throw it back.

The players from Tobuyasu looked tall and sturdy, with impressive appearances.

But unexpectedly, they were nothing more than paper tigers.

If the same play had been directed toward Seidou High School's defense, even if they couldn't guarantee stopping Kuramochi, they would have at least thrown the ball back in time.

Unlike Tobuyasu, whose players, despite their good looks, clearly lacked the skill to match.

The score now stood at 1:0, with Seidou taking the lead.

Meanwhile, Sawamura seized the opportunity to dash to second base in one go.

The situation shifted to one Out, with a runner on second base.

The female spectators watching the game were already losing their minds.

Ignoring the disheartened expressions of their own team's players, they cheered enthusiastically for Sawamura.

Several first-year players who had come along with the team gazed at him with admiration.

Though they were star rookies in their own right, compared to Sawamura, they were simply not on the same level.

The gap in skill was stark, so vast that even they could clearly feel it.

Yui Kaoru's face was flushed with excitement.

He couldn't wait to form a battery with Sawamura.

In these practice games, Coach Kataoka planned to experiment with various combinations.

This gave Yui a chance to pair up with Sawamura, which only heightened his enthusiasm.

The other first-years each had their own thoughts.

For Nishiyama, he felt incredibly fortunate to have chosen Seidou High School.

If he hadn't, how could he have met Sawamura? How could he have observed such an outstanding pitcher up close?

To Nishiyama, Sawamura was like a beacon standing tall before him, showing him the path he should follow.

For Yuuki Masashi, the realization was different but no less profound.

He understood how overwhelming raw power could be. Even if the swing wasn't perfect, sheer force could still dominate.

The previous hit by Sawamura, for example, clearly hadn't been optimal.

If it had been, the ball would have flown out of the park.

Yet even with a suboptimal swing, the ball had powerfully pierced through the defense.

Sawamura knew how to use his body perfectly. Even with a wacky swing, he could still redirect most of the power in his body to his bat. And Masashi even felt like there was more to it than he saw.

The skill level of this swing is higher than it even looks.

It was this fully committed swing that sent the ball flying so beautifully.

Lee-Hyun, on the other hand, was replaying coach Ochiai's advice in his mind.

"You know almost nothing about baseball yet. Focus on watching how your teammates play. Imagine if you were on the field—what would you do?"

Lee-Hyun didn't fully understand why Coach Ochiai had assigned him such a task, but he knew one thing: he had to follow through.

Since he didn't know much, he decided to watch, think, and ask questions as much as possible.

"Fourth Batter, catcher, Miyuki."

With one Out and a runner on second base, it was Miyuki's turn to bat.

As Seidou's cleanup hitter, Miyuki was arguably the team's most threatening batter, especially when there were runners on base.

Miyuki didn't possess some magical skill pack to boost his batting success when runners were on base.

His prowess came down to his unique batting style: he relied heavily on prediction.

At this moment, Miyuki focused intently on Senzo, Tobuyasu's pitcher, and observed the opposing defense.

The defenders remained in their usual positions, showing no sign of anticipating a bunt.

"Whoosh!"

Tobuyasu's Senzo, sensing the pressure, sped up his pitching rhythm.

The ball flew over in the blink of an eye.

Caught off guard, Miyuki hastily swung his bat.

Ping!

"FOUL!"

The ball was Fouled off to the side.

'A low fastball.'

'If so, then the next pitch is... '

Before Miyuki could analyze further, the ball came flying again.

This time, Senzo used a submarine-style pitch.

'So fast? '

Miyuki's eyes narrowed.

It wasn't the speed of the pitch but the abnormal rhythm that threw him off.

Without any time to think, Miyuki aimed for the upper strike zone.

But the ball didn't rise—it sank into the lower strike zone instead.

Pop!

"STRIKE!!!"

Miyuki stood frozen.

Senzo's sudden change in rhythm left him little time to strategize.

With two Strikes now against him, Miyuki had no choice but to act quickly.

From second base, Sawamura noticed his teammate's predicament and decided to take action.

He moved stealthily toward third base.

The moment Sawamura shifted, Tobuyasu's catcher signaled for a pickoff attempt.

Without hesitation, Senzo turned and threw the ball to second base.

"Die!"

Despite the secrecy of the move, Sawamura, anticipating it, dove back to second base.

Snap!

"SAFE!!"

Sawamura's hand touched the base just before the tag.

Frustrated but helpless, Tobuyasu's players could only grit their teeth.

The game briefly entered a deadlock.

Tobuyasu tried to pick off Sawamura three more times, each unsuccessful.

'Focus on the batter first!' the catcher signaled reluctantly.

Still, Senzo was unwilling to let Sawamura off the hook.

Each time, Sawamura edged further from the base, and each time, Senzo narrowly missed catching him.

Finally, after one particularly close call, Sawamura stayed close to the base, seemingly cowed.

Satisfied, Senzo turned his attention back to the batter.

With two Strikes ahead, he prepared to end the at-bat with one more pitch.

As he released the ball from a high point, the white sphere flew with a downward trajectory, like a snowball rolling off a hill.

'Here it comes!

Miyuki remained calm in the Batter's Box.

He stepped forward and swung before the ball could dip into the strike zone.

'A sinking Curveball.'

Before it could fully drop, Miyuki slammed it.

PING!!

The ball soared high, like a rocket, flying past the outfield fence and landing beyond the field.

A no-doubt home run.

A two-run homer.

With Miyuki's hit, Seidou extended their lead by two more runs, bringing the score to 3:0.

In just the first inning, Seidou High School had taken a commanding three-run lead, leaving Tobuyasu High School players, fresh off a runner-up finish in the Kanagawa Spring Tournament, completely stunned.

'Was Seidou truly this strong?'

Tobuyasu wasn't some weak team—they were Kanagawa's second-best.

How could the gap between them and Seidou be so vast?

The towering wall of Seidou's dominance felt insurmountable.

***

The practice match between Seidou High School and Tobuyasu High School reached the bottom of the third inning.

The score remained 3:0 in favor of Seidou High School.

In the first inning, Seidou High School had maintained a lead throughout. Almost everyone present thought the match would turn into a complete rout.

But things didn't unfold that way.

It seemed that the playboy-like Senzo Shiki, after giving up a home run, showed a strong sense of shame and responded with greater courage.

Thanks to his strong pitching skills and solid defense, he easily recorded the final two Outs, stopping Seidou's lineup at the sixth batter.

In the second inning, it was time for Tobuyasu High School's core lineup starting from the fourth batter.

Many Tobuyasu players saw this as their chance to turn things around—at least they might manage to hit one of Furuya's pitches, right?

But unfortunately, even their cleanup batter couldn't make contact with Furuya's pitches.

Roaar!

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

The small ball seemed to enter their hands like an unknown monster, emitting a deafening roar.

Such a terrifying sight completely rattled the batters, and they couldn't perform at their usual level.

As a result, it was a complete disaster.

One by one, they were effortlessly dispatched, with no one even coming close to touching Furuya's pitching, let alone getting a hit.

Six Straight Strikeouts!

Even the members of Seidou's baseball team were left dumbfounded by the spectacle.

"Furuya's really on fire today!"

"In the previous practice match, we saw the freshmen doing great, and with Sawamura still strong as ever, Furuya must have felt motivated."

"Tobuyasu's guys are just too unlucky!"

Kanemaru looked at Tobuyasu's team with sympathy.

During the Spring Koshien, Seidou's match against the formidable Komadai Fujimaki High School made Furuya, the fastest pitcher in high school, famous overnight.

From then on, whenever the best high school pitchers were mentioned, Furuya's name was always in the conversation.

The members of Seidou's baseball team, familiar with Furuya's strengths, didn't see him as an overwhelming force in the same way others did.

However, one fact they all acknowledged was Furuya's immense talent.

Whenever he was in top form, he was undoubtedly among the best in the country.

There was no denying that.

Tobuyasu High School didn't need to face Furuya directly. They should have been able to score two Runs easily, considering their own decent strength.

But now, it seemed highly unlikely...

If Furuya's top shape had truly unlocked, he wouldn't be so easy to break.

Bottom of the second inning.

Seidou High School was on offense.

Senzo continued his strong performance, maintaining the same level of control as before, and Seidou's lineup was swiftly retired in order.

The score was tied as the game entered the third inning.

Top of the third inning, Tobuyasu High School at bat.

This inning was almost like a repeat of the previous two. The only improvement was that someone finally managed to make contact with Furuya's pitches.

But that was only in the form of making contact with the ball.

After the ball was struck, it soared high into the air.

Catcher Miyuki calmly stood up, catching the ball with his Mitt.

Eight Strikeouts in the first three innings!

Furuya's performance had completely shut down Tobuyasu's players, leaving them with no answers.

They could only watch helplessly as Seidou put on a show.

And so, the game reached the bottom of the third inning.

Seidou's offense had been more successful with several hits, and the lineup had cycled back to the top.

The game was proving more difficult than they'd initially anticipated. However, Tobuyasu High School, as the runner-up in the fiercely competitive Kanagawa region, wasn't to be underestimated.

The members of Seidou's baseball team quickly adjusted to this reality and formulated a new offensive strategy.

Overall, they still felt confident.

Although their opponents were tougher than expected, defeating them was still within reach.

This was the original thought in the minds of Seidou's players, but soon, this would change.

Ping!

First up was Kuramochi, who hit a high fly ball. The ball soared and landed right above the second baseman.

Snap!

"OUT!!!"

Kuramochi, who had previously opened up the game, was now easily solved.

Before the members of Seidou's baseball team could regain their composure, the second batter, Kominato Haruichi, was also retired.

Despite Senzo's imposing stature, he wasn't the kind of brute force pitcher like Furuya.

He was a pitcher who relied on skill!

Although he didn't rely mainly on breaking balls, his pitching overall was carefully controlled.

Against such an opponent, Kominato should have had the upper hand, as he was well-suited to handle skilled pitchers.

But the result was far different from what everyone had imagined.

The ball, after being struck, bounced off the ground and perfectly landed in Senzo's mitt.

Kominato Haruichi was thus cleanly solved.

As the primary and second batter in Seidou's lineup, being so easily taken Out created a certain pressure on Seidou's baseball team.

The worst part, however, was yet to come.

Ping!

The ball was hit high into the air, flying toward deep right field.

Sawamura, sensing danger, was trying hard to hit a home run.

But things didn't go as planned.

Tobuyasu's outfielder, for reasons unknown, was stationed all the way in the back of the field.

The ball that Sawamura hit into the deep right field was caught cleanly by that player.

"OUT!!"

The unstoppable Demon King Sawamura was also retired.

In just a few minutes, Seidou's powerful upper hitters had been solved in order!

"Damn, I thought he could hit a home run just now."

"I thought so too."

The spectators were left stunned.

Sawamura furrowed his brows.

'Something felt off—very off.'

For some reason, he had a strange feeling, like he had walked into a trap set by someone else.

This wasn't a feeling Sawamura had never encountered before. He'd felt it before in a Koshien game against Seihou when they faced the genius Akutsu.

They almost lost because of it.

Tobuyasu's regional players, though looking strong, were really just average.

They weren't strong enough to make Sawamura feel threatened.

'As for a player like Akutsu...'

Sawamura carefully scanned Tobuyasu's dugout.

He shook his head in frustration.

There didn't seem to be anyone like that on their team.

A team with someone like that would stand out. Although Seihou's players didn't exactly like Akutsu back then, he was undeniably their mastermind.

But Tobuyasu didn't seem to have anyone with that kind of status.

This was strange.

The game continued, moving to the top of the fourth inning.

Sawamura's ominous feeling started to prove accurate.

Facing Furuya once more, Tobuyasu's batters clearly had a different mindset.

They no longer swung recklessly at the pitches, waiting patiently for Furuya to self-destruct.

Roaar!

The terrifying pitch came with a crushing pressure that weighed heavily on the opponents.

But if such a pitch didn't land in the strike zone...

The pressure turned into a joke.

Snap!

"BALL!!"

Snap!

"BALL!!!"

Two consecutive Balls made the atmosphere on the field grow tense.

Catcher Miyuki frowned slightly.

His sharp eyes were still locked on Furuya.

'Has he realized the problem?'

'If he had, there was still time to adjust.'

Roaar!

Furuya had indeed realized something was off with his form, but he attributed the issue to not putting enough force into his pitches.

If he threw harder, he was sure he could push the ball into the strike zone.

He was sure of it!

With this unshakable belief, Furuya threw the ball with all his might.

The batter, watching the ball come in, didn't flinch.

"You've all gotten used to that terrifying speed, haven't you?"

"Now, just wait until there are two Strikes, and don't swing at anything too wild."

"And after that?"

"Forget about the corners. Just focus on the balls near the center of the strike zone. Got it?"

This was Tobuyasu's strategy.

It had to be said, that the strategy was simple and brutal.

And it seemed to be working effectively.

"BALL!"

"BALL!!!"

"Walk!"

The more Furuya tried to pitch Strikes, the harder he threw, subconsciously using more force.

The more force he used, the worse the ball would float and miss the strike zone.

Now, the once-invincible Furuya had turned into a joke, issuing consecutive Walks.

No Outs, runners on first and second.

Furuya threw two consecutive four-pitch Walks in this inning.

…

T/N: That's it for now.

Thank you all guys for reading!!

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