Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

In the dugout of Senku High School.

Coach Oda felt that his eyes were already moist.

If it weren't for his pride, he would have really wanted to cry out loud at this moment.

Today's game was incredibly frustrating.

No, the game is not over yet.

Actually, it's really just the beginning.

But the result is already almost as bad as the end.

After Miyuki hit a home run, Seidou High School scored four runs in one go.

To be honest, Coach Kataoka was already satisfied at this point.

In fact, he had already mentally planned out the rest of the game.

With the initiative completely in their hands, who should be sent in next to get familiar with the rhythm?

There are too many new players to train, which is a hassle in itself.

But the players of Seidou High School were not content.

On the contrary, each of them was fired up, ready to make their own mark.

After the catcher of Senku High School called for a timeout, it's unclear what kind of strategy he employed, but in any case, the Senku pitchers seemed to have gotten their spirits back.

Facing Shiratsu, who was extremely skilled in hitting, the battery team of Senku High School used a risky tactic. They managed to get Shiratsu to hit a flat fly ball toward third base.

He was caught Out.

Next, the sixth batter, Maezono, hit a high fly ball to the outfield.

Senku High School got two Outs in a row.

It seemed like after giving up two home runs and four runs, they had suddenly regained some momentum.

Now it was Toujou's turn to bat!

Just as the opponent was trying to find a way to deal with Toujou, he exploded!

This gentle young man, as soon as he stepped onto the field, immediately displayed a terrifying aura.

Ping!

After the small ball was hit, it fell into the gap in the defense.

Toujou ran to second base.

At this moment, the battery team of Senku High School was taken aback.

'He was able to pull the ball from the outside corner to the third base side so abruptly!'

'The batters of Seidou High School are truly surprising.'

Just thinking about the fact that such a player was only the seventh batter of Seidou High School, they couldn't calm down.

Fortunately, they had already gotten two outs, so they weren't completely helpless.

"Two Outs!"

"Two Outs!!!"

Just one more Out and they could finish this inning.

Thinking about this, the battery team of Senku High School found their fighting spirit renewed.

Not to mention, the opponent they were about to face next was a first-year student.

Seidou was too arrogant!

Did they really think that just because they dominated the country twice, they were invincible?

How dare they put a first-year player on the field in a tournament like the Kanto Tournament?

"Let this first-year underclassman see what high school baseball is really like."

The catcher of Senku High School made this signal.

But soon, he regretted it.

The first-year player he had looked down on calmly swung his bat and sent the ball flying.

"SAFE!"

Toujou, at second base, was one of the top five fastest players in Seidou High School.

A clean hit was enough to send him all the way back home!

Just like that, Seidou High School extended their lead to 5 runs.

Following that, Kanemaru, the ninth batter, hit a clean hit and sent Nishimura Kibo home.

Seidou High School added their sixth run.

Kanemaru performed exceptionally well.

Especially after Takatsu was promoted to the first string, Kanemaru seemed to have awakened, becoming more and more reliable.

Not only had his defensive skills improved slightly, but his offensive performance had also gotten much better.

Yui in the dugout shook his head emotionally.

"It seems like it won't be easy if I want to take a main number from these Senpais…"

The seniors of the Seidou High School baseball team were all terrifying in their own right.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!!"

There were already two Outs, and just one more out would end the inning.

But this final out felt like the moon on the horizon.

The players of Senku High School couldn't seem to reach it.

Watching their opponents struggle hopelessly, Kuramochi felt particularly satisfied.

He didn't mind playing the role of the villain and pushing them into the abyss and then stepping on them.

Ping!

Another clean hit.

The situation changed to two Outs, with runners on first and third.

Now it was Kominato's turn to bat.

If this were an anime, Kominato Haruichi's eyes would be glowing a devilish red at this point. (Luckily, it is!)

Seeing the flying baseball, he unceremoniously hit it.

Paak!

The ball landed behind the shortstop and pierced through the entire outfield.

A super long hit!

Kanemaru on third base and Kuramochi on first base ran back to home plate one after another.

Seidou High School's lead expanded to a terrifying 8 runs.

Two Outs, a runner on second base.

It was under these circumstances that Sawamura stepped into the Batter's Box for the second time.

The battery of Senku High School was clearly intimidated by Sawamura's home run.

Just thinking about the fact that he could hit a home run with a pitch outside the strike zone made them feel like no matter where they threw the ball, Sawamura could hit it.

Of course, that wasn't the case.

After some hesitation, they changed their tactics.

They chose to Walk Sawamura and send him to first base.

The situation became two Outs with runners on first and second.

Seeing this, Sawamura shook his head helplessly.

The Walk didn't really help. He knew who was coming up next—there were runners on base, and that player was invincible.

Sawamura had seriously underestimated Senku!

The players of Senku High School also knew that Miyuki wasn't a pushover. They didn't even intend to face him directly.

They also Walked him.

Compared to the monsters, Sawamura and Miyuki, felt they had a better chance against Seidou's fifth batter.

Two Outs, and bases loaded.

The battery of Senku High School chose to face Shiratsu head-on.

This was the beginning of their tragedy.

Ping!

Shiratsu, with an expressionless face, assassinate-I mean slammed the ball.

The ball flew and landed deep in the center field.

It wasn't loud, but it was a killer move.

Shiratsu, who didn't seem very flashy, actually possessed such terrifying power.

A deep hit to the outfield!

The ball was enough for all the runners to make it back to home plate.

Shiratsu scored three runs in one go.

Originally, Seidou High School had eight points, and after these three runs, they now had a total of 11 points.

In the dugout of Senku High School.

Coach Oda was really about to cry.

Before the game, they knew there was a gap between them and the reigning champion, Seidou High School.

But wasn't this gap just too big?

They had given up 11 points in the first inning.

I don't even know if there has ever been such a huge gap in the first inning in the records of the Kanto Tournament.

Even if there had been, it would be extremely rare.

One can imagine that after today's game, Senku High School would definitely become famous.

"And famous for all the wrong reasons!!!"

***

Outside the stadium, a figure slowly walks toward the entrance.

He is dressed in a suit and leather shoes, with a scruffy beard.

The temperament of his clothes and his face seem very mismatched.

As he approaches the stadium, he can already hear the deafening cheering from inside, like a tsunami crashing through the mountains.

"SAWAMURA!!"

"SAWAMURA!"

"SAWAMURA!!!"

"SEIDOU!!"

"SEIDOU!!!"

The man pauses for a moment, and a relieved smile appears on his face.

"This brat is still as popular as ever!"

When he was in school, he hadn't felt it so directly. Sawamura was just Seidou High School's Ace, a relatively reliable junior.

But after graduation, it's different!

People around him always inquire, intentionally or unintentionally, about Sawamura. Even the Coach, during private meetings, would subtly ask about Sawamura's situation, and about his relationship with Sawamura.

While he is proud of his Kohai, all of that is making him more and more annoyed.

It wasn't bad being part of a team originally, everyone was one entity. Although he envied that guy's popularity, he didn't feel much else.

"But now, hehe…"

After a sigh, the man shakes his head and walks toward the stands.

Looking down from the entrance, he sees a sea of people, truly a massive crowd.

Especially Sawamura's two fan clubs, now their numbers have reached a terrifying level. Among the over 30,000 spectators, they take up a substantial proportion.

"Even when our team plays, the scene may not be as lively!!!"

'It's still better to be in school!'

Everyone can play without any worries, not having to think about all the mess.

Looking up at the score on the field, the corner of the man's mouth lifts, and he smiles in satisfaction.

"These kids really know what they're doing."

The game is nearing its end, and all of Seidou High School's main players have been substituted.

Including Sawamura, Miyuki, and Kuramochi, none of them remain.

Previously, even when the situation was favorable, Seidou would leave someone behind when making substitutions, just in case.

But this time, Coach Kataoka didn't even consider leaving a fallback player.

He dared to do this, of course, for a reason.

The reason is simple: their opponents are now powerless.

The game has reached the fourth inning, and the score is 18:1!

Seidou High School are, of course, leading.

With such a large score gap, not to mention Seidou High School's first-string substitutes, even the second-string players are enough to handle them.

What's most interesting is that 12 of these 18 points were scored in the first inning.

In other words, today's game was essentially over after the first inning.

The lineup on the field was probably changed immediately after that.

Under the sunlight, the man with the beard looks more defined.

If there were any second or third-year players from Seidou High School here, they would definitely recognize the person in front of them.

Isashiki Jun, the fifth batter of Seidou High School's main lineup. He was drafted by the Saitama Lions earlier this year.

Now he is a legitimate professional player.

To sum up Isashiki Jun's high school career, it was actually quite brilliant.

He played as a main player for a prestigious school, and during his last summer, he went all the way and eventually dominated the country.

After graduation, he participated in the draft and was directly selected by a professional team, becoming a professional player.

A proper baseball career!

But for some unknown reason, this 'winner of life', at the start of the season, had time to travel all the way to Gunma Prefecture to watch an unimportant Kanto game.

"They said those little guys lack hitting power, but now it seems it's completely the opposite."

Isashiki Jun grumbled.

He couldn't understand what the media was thinking; they were always talking nonsense.

'To make money, they really would do anything.'

Looking at how the substitutes are handling the opponents, it's clear that while their opponent's strength isn't very high, it's not bad either. From the second inning until now, six points have been given up in three innings. Their defense isn't strong, but it's not weak either.

To score a full 12 points in one inning against such an opponent...

Now Seidou High School's offensive ability is undoubtedly very formidable.

"However, it's still a long way to go! When we meet later, we must teach them a good lesson."

"Hehe."

Thinking like that, Isashiki is really getting a little excited.

After joining the professional team, he immediately became the youngest player on the team. He was used to shouting and bossing people around at Seidou High School, but suddenly he became the Kohai in a professional team, which feels quite awkward.

Although he's used to being scolded by his Senpais now, he wouldn't mind finding an opportunity to vent on his former Kohais.

The players on the field have no idea about Isashiki Jun's current thoughts.

Two Outs, with runners on second and third base.

A very good scoring opportunity.

Ping!

Yamaguchi hits the ball high.

The baseball flies to the back of the outfield, and the Senko High School outfielder easily catches it.

Seidou High School's offense ends here.

In the dugout, Sawamura and Miyuki look at each other and both see helplessness in the other's eyes.

They never expected that their opponents would be this tenacious.

After giving up so many points in the first inning, they didn't collapse. On the contrary, they fought even harder.

"The previous points were a bit of a fluke. The opponent's strength is not as weak as we thought," Miyuki said objectively.

"A team that can make it to the Kanto Tournament can't be that easy," Sawamura said emotionally.

Despite being in Gunma Prefecture, Seidou High School really had the advantage of time, location, and personnel in this game.

They are very strong.

In this situation, Seidou High School's strength has increased by much.

Originally, the gap between the two teams wasn't small, but under these circumstances, the gap has widened significantly.

Given Sawamura and Miyuki's initial thoughts, it would have been no surprise if the opponent had completely collapsed. Playing with substitutes might have resulted in a complete loss.

But the reality is different.

When the substitutes were substituted in, except for the second inning, when the opponent was still unsteady, the substitutes managed to score four points in one go.

In the remaining two innings, they only managed to score two points thanks to a home run by Yuuki.

For the rest of the time, the two teams were fairly evenly matched.

They even managed to hit consecutive hits off Kawakami, scoring one point.

This is quite embarrassing.

A flawless game suddenly took a bloody turn.

"Anyway, this game is in the bag," Miyuki shook his head.

Sawamura nodded as well.

If the opponent knew they had a 17-point lead and were still not satisfied, they might roll up their sleeves, pick up a bat, and chase after Seidou's players with bloody eyes.

But in fact, Seidou is not satisfied at all.

At least, Sawamura and Miyuki are not satisfied.

In the top of the fifth inning, Senko High School attacks.

…