Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

One Out, no one on base.

Yakushi High School leads 3-0 against their opponent.

In the dugout, Todoroki Raizou smiled smugly.

"See that? This is my precious son. The best batter in high school!!!"

It was as if he was giving a sales pitch, constantly gesturing toward the stands.

Clearly, he knew that there were scouts from professional teams in the audience. Most of them had come to see his precious son, and some had come to scout Sanada.

Todoroki Raizou was very positive about this.

He had become the high school Coach precisely to provide a stepping stone for his son.

Now, his precious son wasn't quite of age yet, but once he was, Todoroki Raizou wanted to take Raichi directly into professional baseball.

Raichi had already made it to Koshien, showcasing his abilities in front of the national audience.

All the goals Todoroki had set for himself had been achieved.

Now, if not for the fact that he still had some ties to the players under his current team, Raichi wouldn't even have graduated.

He couldn't think of any reason to stay on the team.

But since he was staying, everything had to be done perfectly.

In the next year or so, he planned to continue leading the team to greater glory.

After all, the better the high school achievements, the higher the starting point for Raichi's entry into professional baseball.

"Stupid boy, just keep performing like this!!!"

Todoroki Raizou looked at his precious son with immense pride and anticipation, as if he could already see endless piles of money rushing toward him.

Yakushi High School scored four runs in the first inning.

At that very moment, Todoroki Raizou did something that surprised everyone on the scene.

He made a substitution.

Just after the first inning, he replaced the team's ace pitcher with a rookie first-year player.

Number 11, Igarashi Sora.

When the massive figure of Igarashi Sora, nearly two meters tall, stood on the mound, the atmosphere in the stadium suddenly peaked.

As a former national team pitcher, the 'Great Samurai' Igarashi Sora had many fans.

"Sora! Sora!!!"

They screamed his name hoarsely as if to transfer their energy to the players on the field.

The Seidou High School baseball team members in the stands exchanged looks.

"Is this guy that popular?"

"And this scene… it seems so familiar."

When Sawamura first joined Seidou High School, something similar had happened.

An exhilarating scene.

Sawamura, standing beside Nishiyama, grabbed his shoulder and gave a serious lecture, full of annoyance.

"You're the Ace of the national team, yet why does he seem much more famous than you?"

"Yeah, it is almost like people didn't know you. Were you really the Ace of the national team?" Kuramochi added from the side.

"It makes one's mind wonder."

"Are you sure guys we got the real one?"

Nishiyama almost spat out blood from all the arrows his Senpais shot at him.

'You guys, standing and talking like that is easy.'

'You know, Igarashi was famous even before he entered the National team. While I was picked up because the National team's Coach had a good eye.'

'Not to mention, that guy Igarashi has plenty of reason for people to go crazy.'

'At only 15 years old, standing nearly two meters tall, he had already become one of the tallest pitchers in high school.'

Normally, players like that tend to have poor physical conditions.

But Igarashi was an exception.

He wasn't just tall; he was incredibly muscular as well.

Standing there, he looked like a Titan, imposing unmatched pressure on everyone around him.

And we haven't even talked about his pitching…

"Yakushi High School really struck gold with this guy."

Miyuki shook his head with emotion.

In terms of talent, Igarashi might even be better than Nishiyama.

The reason Igarashi had been overshadowed by Nishiyama in previous games probably stemmed from something lacking in his mindset.

Due to his outstanding talent, Igarashi had become extremely proud.

Pride and arrogance are the most lethal poisons that prevent a player from improving.

Once he can overcome these, his future achievements will undoubtedly be great.

As soon as Igarashi took the mound, he began pitching.

The players from Oikaze High School were left dumbfounded after seeing his first pitch.

Whrroosh!

The small ball shot down from high above like a missile, giving them no time to react, and it broke straight through their defenses.

In the blink of an eye, it was already right in front of them.

'So fast!!'

A top-down pitch felt even more terrifyingly fast.

Facing such a ball, the batter could only grit his teeth and swing the bat.

Being able to swing without flinching was already an accomplishment in itself.

In this situation, just being able to swing the bat was a victory!

Ping!

After the ball was hit, it bounced high into the air.

The baseball didn't travel forward even an inch. Instead, it flew up over the catcher and then came down.

Akiba effortlessly caught the ball in his mitt.

Snap!

"OUT!!!"

The Seidou High School team members were speechless at the sight.

A ball falling from that height, even a basic fastball, would likely become a very dangerous weapon.

Not to mention, the opponent's pitch speed was above 140 km/h with precise control...

"Yakushi High School really found a gem!"

After seeing just one pitch, Miyuki gave this evaluation.

It seemed they were going to have a tougher time when they faced Yakushi High School.

"In this Kanto Tournament, Yakushi High School has made significant adjustments to their lineup. They've promoted as many as five new players from the first year."

"If Superintendent Todoroki Raizou can fully integrate this new talent, Yakushi High School's strength will undoubtedly rise to another level!!!"

Yakushi, which was already a formidable team, now seemed even more formidable.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

In less than five minutes, Yakushi High School had racked up three Outs.

Igarashi Sora, who had just entered the game, displayed terrifying strength like no other.

The Seidou High School team, watching from the stands, was deeply impressed.

And this was not the end. When it came time for Yakushi to attack, Igarashi Sora also showed an unparalleled sense of presence.

"I didn't expect that a casual invitation would bring such a player! I'm really lucky!!!"

In the dugout, Raizou was almost bursting into tears with joy.

Previously, compared to Seidou High School and Inajitsu High School, Yakushi High School had one major weakness that couldn't be ignored: their pitcher.

Although Sanada Shunpei could be considered one of the top pitchers in high school, his endurance, coupled with previous injuries, had seriously affected his performance.

He couldn't be compared to true top pitchers in the country, like Sawamura and Narumiya.

As a result, whenever they faced these two teams, Yakushi High School was at a clear disadvantage.

But now, the team had suddenly gained such a strong newcomer.

Their pitching squad had become a lot more flexible.

Although Yakushi High School's pitching squad still couldn't compare with Seidou High School and Inajitsu High School, they had now leveled the playing field. Pitching was no longer their Achilles' heel.

"You guys need to work hard, don't let the first-year kids surpass you," Raizou turned to Sanada, who was beside him.

After the first inning, Sanada had been directly replaced.

"Don't worry, that guy is still very raw," Sanada Shunpei said, his face calm, showing no pressure at all.

Igarashi Sora's potential and strength were indeed outstanding, but Sanada Shunpei was absolutely confident that he wouldn't lose.

Moreover, with Igarashi's help, Yakushi High School's future looked even brighter.

Before, whether facing the mighty Seidou High School or Inajitsu High School, Yakushi High School had always been at a disadvantage from the start.

The reason for this was that their ace pitcher was full of problems.

First, his stamina was much worse compared to the Aces of the other two teams.

In other words, they had no chance of winning in extra innings. Once the game went beyond nine innings, Yakushi High School was sure to lose.

With such a heavy psychological burden, the players of Yakushi High School always felt much more pressure than their opponents when facing those two teams.

Now, with the addition of this new player, Yakushi High School's players had gained more confidence.

With this newfound confidence, the overall strength of Yakushi High School had improved by at least 20%.

When facing those two teams, they could now properly compete.

Who would be the true king of the West Tokyo area?

Sanada Shunpei, already in his third year, had made up his mind to go all out. He was determined to have a good fight with those two teams before he graduated and went to college.

He was both happy and relieved.

The game continued, and before long, it was time for Yakushi High School's offense.

Igarashi Sora, who had performed well on the mound earlier, now stood in the Batter's Box from the start.

The fans around him were cheering wildly.

In the stands, Sawamura asked Yui Kaoru and Nishiyama Kibo, who were beside him:

"How's this guy's hitting strength?"

Just looking at his terrifying physique, it was easy to guess that this guy's hitting would definitely not be easy to deal with.

"Very strong!" Nishiyama thought for a moment and gave a brief two-word evaluation.

Yui added one more word than him.

"Better than me!!"

Sawamura nodded.

This made things trickier.

A player who can perform well both as a pitcher and a batter is definitely a troublesome opponent.

Yakushi High School had really found a big treasure this time.

If they used him well, Yakushi High School might undergo a complete transformation.

"This is getting more and more interesting!" Sawamura tapped the brim of his hat rhythmically with his fingers.

This was a sign of the strength he had accumulated.

With his current ability, he of course hoped to face more challenging opponents.

Yakushi High School could already threaten Seidou. After this, their strength would probably rise even more.

They might become a team that could pose a major threat to Seidou's senior players, like Inajitsu High School.

Thinking this way, Sawamura didn't feel the slightest bit of fear or nervousness.

On the contrary, he was full of fighting spirit.

If it were a different anime, his fighting aura might have already erupted.

The game continued, and Igarashi Sora, strong and fit, smashed a clean home run with his oversized bat.

Such a stunning performance seemed to inject the entire audience with a burst of excitement.

They became flushed with excitement, lifting everything they could hold and cheering in unison.

After Ace Sanada left the field, Yakushi High School, led by the mighty Samurai Igarashi Sora, erupted with astonishing fighting power.

This national youth baseball pitcher had a wealth of experience.

He knew exactly how to secure a win.

So in the next two innings, they didn't allow a single point.

Instead, Yakushi High School's offense soared, led by his powerful home run.

Although they didn't score four points in a single inning like the first, they still added runs steadily.

They scored two points in the second inning and three points in the third.

By the end of the third inning, the gap between the two teams had reached nine points.

The score on the field was 9:0.

Yakushi High School was now on track to win this game.

The Kanto Tournament is not like the Koshien Tournament. Because the schedule is more packed, the organizers allow games to end early.

As it stands now, Yakushi High School could win if they scored just one more point before the fifth inning.

Yakushi High School looked likely to finish the game early.

In Yakushi High School's dugout, Raizou's face was flushed with excitement.

"Refreshing, really refreshing."

He hadn't expected the Chiba Prefecture champions to be so easily defeated by them.

Looking back at the first-year players who had just been promoted, he saw it as a harvest year for Yakushi High School, with many promising newcomers.

'These newcomers wouldn't be able to grow quickly without opportunities.'

'This was a great chance, leading 9:0.'

'Even if the game didn't end early, playing a few more innings wouldn't matter. It would be a good opportunity for the players to practice.'

With this thought, Raizou stood up.

"Substitution! Substitution!"

This time, it wasn't just one player being replaced, but all of them.

All Nine Of Them!

Pitcher, catcher, infielders, outfielders.

Yakushi High School sent all their substitutes onto the field.

There was a huge gap in the game, and whether the substitutes were rookies or seasoned players, they were all very capable.

Raizou believed they could have some fun and show their opponents what real strength looked like.

…

T/N: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

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