Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 129: Schemes

The first pitch went straight down the middle.

The batter, not planning to swing at first, realized it was too late to react by the time they saw the ball.

Not only that, but the pitch Sendo requested was a straight ball with no significant arm speed, essentially a pitch with almost no movement. It made Sawamura silently think, "This guy is insane."

"Just watching it? ...Sendo, are you for real? That was such an easy pitch to hit!" Sawamura was in disbelief after seeing the outcome.

"That's why I said—just follow my signs and pitch!" Sendo thought to himself, seeing Sawamura's expression from 18 meters away.

"So, are you finally planning to swing? Keep going, but…" Noticing the batter's readiness to swing, Sendo subtly licked his lips.

"I see it now, you bastard!"

"Another straight pitch down the middle? I've got this!" The batter hesitated for a moment but didn't let it affect their swing.

Ping!

"Damn, I didn't hit it well!"

Pop!

The ball turned into a weak pop-up to second base.

"Out!"

"That pitch was at least 10 km/h faster than the previous one, right?" commented a player sitting beside Coach Takei.

The batter, with a high leg kick, couldn't notice the increased floating movement of the pitch and assumed it was just a trick of speed variation.

"Not just that," Coach Takei observed. "Last year's strange pitches didn't show this level of movement. Plus, the added speed difference is disruptive."

Although Coach Takei had no clear solutions, he could at least offer some advice to his batters.

He called back the second batter and instructed all his hitters not to lift their legs during their swing.

This would enhance stability and allow them to read the pitch trajectory more accurately.

Whether this adjustment would work or not, he wasn't confident.

Coach Takei had limited knowledge about the pitcher, but he understood Sendo very well. Initially, his goal was to study Sendo to gather data and uncover weaknesses.

However, the more he learned, the more he realized how terrifying Sendo was.

Neither he nor Coach Nakani could figure out how Sendo read the batter's intentions, but they knew he had the ability to do so.

Sendo had never explicitly stated how he judged a batter's actions through their body language.

Beyond that, Takei could only analyze his opponent's behavior and psyche based on their actions during the game, similar to what Chris did.

But unlike straightforward observations, such psychological analysis was far more complex.

It wasn't as simple as glancing at a batter's overall performance to predict their target.

Takei knew that once the batter focused on a particular pitch, Sendo would immediately pick up on it.

The first pitch observed by the leadoff hitter served as Takei's test to confirm the accuracy of his intel.

Coach Nakani's descriptions had seemed too surreal, but seeing it firsthand, Takei realized his team could only go head-to-head against Sendo.

The only consolation was that the pitcher didn't throw breaking balls.

After giving some brief instructions, the second and third batters prepared to enter the batter's box.

The game resumed.

When the second batter avoided the high leg kick, Sendo abandoned his previous idea of deceptive pitches, such as using straight balls as pseudo-breaking pitches to disrupt the batter's rhythm.

"Being a catcher is exhausting. Seriously, who even enjoys this position?" Sendo muttered as he squatted down. "Let's just end this quickly!"

Pop!

"Strike!"

The batter didn't swing. It wasn't because they were observing the pitch but because they were startled by the speed.

"This pitch is at least 130 km/h, right? At this speed, it's already hard to hit, and with those weird movements, it's even tougher!" the batter thought.

Pitch speeds are rarely consistent, and even with the same trajectory, control issues often lead to varying landing points.

This is why people say that if you can hit 80-90% of pitches from a machine with the same speed and trajectory, you're qualified to face pitchers with similar speeds.

Machines lack the variability of real pitchers.

Even though this was just a straight pitch down the middle, a speed of 130 km/h was already fast for middle school softball.

Ping!

"Foul!"

Sendo, noticing the batter hadn't swung at the first pitch, pressed the attack with another straight pitch down the middle to keep up the pressure.

After gaining the upper hand, Sendo subtly moved one step in the opposite direction of the batter.

Sawamura saw the glove signal and followed it without question, delivering the pitch.

"Same trajectory?"

Ping!

…

Pop!

"Out!"

"Damn, a grounder to third!"

What the batter thought was the same trajectory was, in fact, a pitch that shifted slightly to the left.

Aiming for a base hit, the batter's angle resulted in the ball going toward third base.

With that subtle shift, unless the ball hit the sweet spot, it would either result in an easy flyout or a groundout.

What was most remarkable was that nobody, not even Sawamura standing directly in front of Sendo, noticed his slight movements.

For Sendo, pitch calling didn't require learning technical theories.

All he needed was to understand the trajectories of fastballs and breaking balls to create space and use speed variations to make the batter uncomfortable.

Once he understood these basics, he could analyze the batter and adapt as needed.

This was Sendo's current understanding of baseball.

The third batter was also dealt with easily, as if being toyed with.

Sawamura's pitching remained steady without any major control issues.

The inning ended without any trouble.

Compared to Akagi's offense, Seiwa's batters looked completely lost, as if being played with.

Even so, Coach Takei had no solution. He believed Sawamura couldn't maintain this form forever.

Not even experienced coaches like Sakaki Eiichiro or Nakani could figure out what Sendo was thinking or planning, let alone Coach Takei.

Experience and conventional strategies were useless against someone as unconventional and unpredictable as Sendo.

But this inning wasn't about defense anymore. It was Sendo's turn to bat, and everyone except Akagi's players knew this at-bat would decide the game.

If Sendo had a bit more passion for baseball, he might have noticed something was off.

But in this practice match, he didn't even bother observing the opposing bench or their players.

In the previous inning, while waiting in the on-deck circle, Sendo hadn't paid much attention to the pitcher's throws. His focus was clearly scattered.

Even the details of the pitcher's breaking balls were relayed to him by his teammates.

"Damn it! He's underestimating us!" Fujiwara, seeing Sendo casually stroll to the batter's box, wanted to devour him alive.

But as Sendo stepped into the box, something clicked in his mind. He noticed the catcher didn't stand up, meaning even if they were aiming to walk him, there was still a chance for a "good ball."

To Sendo, a "good ball" meant one that landed right in the sweet spot of his bat.

Realizing this, Sendo decided to play along. His relaxed demeanor didn't change, but he was fully prepared.

Sendo's batting stance, which didn't involve a leg lift, made it nearly impossible to detect any unusual behavior.

Thus, in this battle of wits, Seiwa's pitcher and catcher delivered their first pitch.

Pop!

"Ball!"

It was a pitch that veered far from the strike zone, an inside pitch that came dangerously close to Sendo's body.

Sendo didn't flinch, but Sawamura lost his temper.

"That's too dangerous! Watch it!"

The pitcher feigned an apologetic gesture by removing his cap.

But Fujiwara, confident in his control, was certain he wouldn't hit Sendo.

At that moment, Sendo, now fully embodying his role as a "performance emperor," let out a loud yawn.

The yawn enraged Fujiwara.

"You'll pay for underestimating us, you bastard!"

"Great! Now they should believe we're going to walk him!" The catcher was thrilled after seeing Sendo's reaction.

Even Coach Takei shook his head repeatedly at Sendo's attitude, a testament to the perfection of his acting.

Second pitch!

Pop!

"Ball!"

The pitch was again inside, but slightly farther from the batter than the first. It seemed almost like an apology for the previous close call.

Still, the ball was far off the strike zone. Regardless of how much Sendo appeared to underestimate them, his true skill was undeniable.

Sakura, aware of this, knew that against such a batter, even when deciding the duel, they could only aim for the corners.

If the count turned unfavorable, they would have to walk him anyway.

After the second pitch, Sendo rubbed his eyes, looking as if he hadn't slept well.

Fully committing to his act, he didn't even glance at the pitcher.

After all, they were still students, and competitiveness could easily be seen in one's demeanor. However, showing that would expose his intentions, wouldn't it?

Third pitch!

"Hmm? An outside pitch? In the strike zone? Let me bait them a little," Sendo thought as the pitch came his way.

Ping!

"Foul!"

A weak pop-up foul ball behind him.

The pitch wasn't a strike but a slider, which Sendo had predicted.

The trajectory before the ball broke was too good to be true; the opposing pitcher wouldn't be foolish enough to give him a home-run ball.

"So, he's underestimating us! He fell for it so easily!" The catcher became even more convinced of Sendo's "carelessness."

"Same trajectory! Fastball!" The catcher finally signaled for a pitch in the strike zone.

"Gotcha!" Sendo thought as he saw the pitch coming.

Pop!

"Strike!"

Coach Takei watched as Sendo let a perfect strike pass and felt even more disappointed in his attitude.

Sendo, ever the performer, raised an eyebrow in response.

"Not bad. So, you want to settle this with me?" he said to Sakura, feigning innocence.

"It's just a control issue," Sakura replied bluntly.

"Is that so?" Sendo said with a look of disbelief.

Had Sendo pretended to believe him, it would have contradicted his cunning persona, exposing a weakness. His response was perfectly calculated.

Sakura didn't expect Sendo to believe him anyway; his comment was merely to deflect. But if Sendo had shown a hint of trust, even Sakura would have sensed something was amiss.

Feigning ignorance required finesse—knowing when to act clueless and when to reveal just enough intelligence to stay within character.

The most effective deception lies in weaving nine truths with one lie, crafting a logically sound narrative. Sometimes, the liar even convinces themselves of the story.

Although Sendo could have hit that strike for a home run, he deliberately refrained. It wasn't time to reveal his hand; he wanted to play along with their strategy.

If Sendo couldn't see through their intent to duel him on this pitch, it would betray his calculated, shrewd character.

Sendo's goal was the next pitch. If his guess was correct, any hidden breaking ball would be revealed. It would likely land outside the strike zone to bait him into swinging, and most probably, it would be a curveball.

Despite being behind in the count, the initiative was entirely in Sendo's hands. Whether or not he could hit it on the first try didn't matter.

If he missed, he simply wouldn't swing—it would still be a ball. Even if the pitcher saw through all his deception and threw a straight pitch in the strike zone, Sendo's reflexes would allow him to hit it out. The opponents likely understood this and wouldn't risk a fastball.

Thus, it was the pitcher who was truly cornered.

Their lack of anxiety made it evident they had completely fallen for Sendo's act.

The only slim possibility was a breaking ball with an identical trajectory to a fastball, like a forkball, capable of countering all of Sendo's bluffs.

But Sendo deemed that unlikely in practice, despite its theoretical feasibility.

Sendo's overactive mind was working through endless scenarios, overly complex but brilliant.

And so, the final pitch came amidst Sendo's internal battle of wits and self-entertainment.

Its trajectory? Clearly a curveball!

PING!

In that instant, all calculations reached their conclusion.

Left-field home run!

"Yes!!! Another consecutive home run!" The Akagi bench erupted in celebration.

The reference to "consecutive" was because Sendo's previous at-bat against Fukasawa also ended in a home run, excluding the intentional walk.

Why didn't Sendo swing at the easy pitches earlier and instead target the potential hidden breaking ball?

The answer was simple: he had absolute confidence in himself. Furthermore, the game had just begun, and by revealing the opponent's hidden pitch, he not only prepared his teammates but also undermined their confidence in the curveball.

"Unbelievable! He hit that ball despite the blatant disrespect toward us?" The home run left the pitcher and catcher shaken.

Even Coach Takei couldn't detect anything unusual.

After all, who would have guessed that someone as smart as Sendo would concoct such convoluted schemes?

"Is this pure talent domination? Nakani-sensei! Sendo-kun…!" Coach Takei was in awe, unable to believe his eyes.

He knew geniuses could succeed without effort, but to hit a first-time curveball—one outside the strike zone—into a home run with such a lackadaisical attitude was beyond extraordinary.

Though the misunderstanding was vast, Sendo had achieved his goal.

But because of this home run, the opponents would now certainly avoid any direct duels with Sendo.

Just like last year, their pitcher and catcher seemed lost, almost disillusioned.

Some of them might even be thinking, Forget this baseball dream. Give me a bat; I just want to go home.