Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

PIIIING!!!!

Takatsu, the first batter to step up to the plate, easily secured a hit.

The ball he struck was like a falling shooting star, not giving his opponent any chance to recover.

The fielder, despite trying to block the ball, was unable to do so.

By the time their brains processed the situation and their bodies acted on reflex, the small ball had already flown past them.

There was no way to stop it.

In the dugout of Seidou High School, Takatsu's performance amazed his teammates.

"This guy seems to have suddenly unlocked his Kaioken, he's really incredible!"

"Did you notice? His batting style just now seemed really familiar!"

"That's right, it's very similar to Tetsu-san's…"

The teammates whispered among themselves.

It's no surprise that they were making such a commotion. Takatsu's batting style resembled that of Seidou High School's former Captain, Yuuki Tetsuya, too closely.

Not to mention his strength catching up to Tetsu's, if Takatsu can show even just half of Tetsu's abilities, Seidou's batting power would definitely rise to the next level.

Yuuki Tatsuya's home runs may not have been as numerous as Sawamura's, but in the hearts of his Seidou High School teammates, he's always been an inspiring figure.

As long as he was on the team, everyone felt a sense of security.

The players in Seidou's baseball team were already eager for this possibility.

A powerful newcomer, combined with the second coming of Yuuki Tetsuya, the strongest lineup in the country was calling to them. How could they not be excited?

The second batter was Kominato Haruichi, still on the field as one of Seidou's trump cards.

The recent game where Oikaze High School counterattacked Yakushi left a lasting impression on the players of Seidou.

It was again that the players of Seidou realized that in baseball, anything could happen on the field.

In order to prevent such a tragedy from happening to their own team, they had to be foolproof.

Even when their Ace was resting, they needed to make perfect adjustments.

Just like now, Haruichi cleanly sent the ball to the outfield.

PAAK!

Kominato didn't possess overwhelming power, nor did he have the kind of swing that crushed everything.

But he was the best hitter in all of Seidou High School.

He struck the ball cleanly, sending it behind the third baseman.

Though the outfielder tried his best to catch it, he missed the ball's first drop.

The ball rolled to the far end of the field.

It became a super long hit!

Taking advantage of this, Takatsu, who was on first, smoothly returned to home plate.

His performance was outstanding, and in this round of offense, he was just as impressive as the main player, Kuramochi.

Sawamura, sitting in the dugout, patted Kuramochi on the shoulder with a worried expression.

"Senpai, it looks like your spot is in danger!"

"Shut it!" Kuramochi scoffed in response.

This had been a period of explosive growth for him, and his confidence was at its peak.

Though Takatsu had performed well, the idea that he could replace Kuramochi was absolutely unbelievable.

Kuramochi had absolute confidence in his own abilities.

Seeing the smug look on his face, Sawamura felt helpless.

But it had to be said, that Kuramochi's attitude was a good thing.

It meant he had truly grown up.

A player who truly understands his own abilities and develops confidence in them shows signs of maturity.

Kuramochi had always had strong skills, but he hadn't fully understood his own strengths and weaknesses before.

As a result, his form fluctuated greatly during games.

But now, he had completely corrected his past issues and become truly confident.

Sawamura was certain that if Kuramochi decided to pursue professional baseball, he would definitely do better than Isashiki Jun and the others.

Isashiki and Masuko!

They had chosen to enter professional baseball with the support of Seidou's dominance, and that had been their lifelong dream.

Just like Maezono, now in the team.

As long as there was an opportunity to join professional baseball, the young man would never give up.

But that wasn't enough.

Professional baseball was a much more brutal competition than high school baseball.

It wasn't the paradise people imagined it to be.

Many thought that joining professional baseball would mean everything would go smoothly, but in reality, it would be a tough road.

Fortunately, the two Senpais had a strong mindset. After realizing their shortcomings, they immediately calmed down and began honing their skills again.

Sawamura believed that after some time, he would hear their names loud again.

"Third batter, outfielder, Shiratsu-kun."

With Sawamura not playing, the position of the third batter was given to Shiratsu.

This was probably the best arrangement for now.

Shiratsu didn't disappoint Coach Kataoka's trust, and without a change in expression, he swung his bat and hit the ball.

Ping!

The ball landed in the gap of the defense, earning him a hit.

The situation on the field now had no Outs, with runners on first and third base.

That's not all—earlier, Takatsu had already returned to home plate.

In other words, Seidou had taken the lead right from the start.

The score was 1:0.

Miyuki Kazuya now stood in the strike zone.

His bat was raised high.

He stared at the pitcher without blinking, as though he could see straight through his opponent.

The battery of Oikaze felt like they were on the verge of tears.

To be honest, at the start of the game, they were still full of ambition.

With great efforts, they counterattacked and defeated Yakushi, one of the top eight teams in the Spring Koshien.

Although their victory had a few elements of luck, they had made a stunning comeback, scoring 14 points in five innings.

Their confidence was sky-high.

When they faced Seidou High School today, they carried that same feeling, thinking that their strength was pretty good.

As long as they performed well, they could at least give Seidou a tough fight.

But unexpectedly, right from the start of the game, Seidou started raining them with hits.

They were quickly brought back to reality.

The truth of the world was much harsher than they had imagined.

Their previous victory wasn't because their strength surpassed that of their opponents—it was because Yakushi had their own problems.

Oikaze High School wasn't a weak team, despite how they looked, they were Chiba's champion.

But to Seidou High School, this opponent was at best a top-eight team in West Tokyo or the top sixteen in Tokyo.

Ping!

With someone on base, the Miyuki Kazuya protagonist correction showed its strength again, hitting the ball beautifully to the back of the outfield.

He clearly made a super long hit!

The two runners on base sprinted back to home plate, and even Miyuki reached third base.

The situation was now no Outs, with a runner on third base.

Seidou High School extended their lead to three Runs.

From the very start of the game, it was one-sided.

In the dugout of Seidou High School, Sawamura sat leisurely, his legs crossed.

Although he didn't play today, he felt that his promise to Raichi had been fulfilled.

Given the current situation, it was clear that Seidou High School was going to crush their opponent.

Should he text that guy after the game and have a good chat?

After hesitating for a while, Sawamura decided against it.

After all, Oikaze High School had already defeated Yakushi High School.

If they got completely destroyed by Seidou today, it would be too much for Yakushi High School to handle.

Oikaze defeated Yakushi, and Seidou defeated Oikaze—this felt more reasonable.

But if they destroyed Oikaze entirely, it would feel awkward.

Just like Seidou had wiped the floor with Yakushi before.

Though the idea was tempting, it probably wasn't the outcome Yakushi hoped for.

"Fifth batter, pitcher, Furuya-kun."

At this point, it was Furuya's turn to bat.

The team expected him to strike decisively and crush the opposition, but the game was about to take an unexpected turn…

"As expected of Seidou!"

After their initial victory over Yakushi High School, the Coach of Oikaze began to feel a bit of ambition.

This is a normal human, after defeating Yakushi, it wasn't just Oikaze High School's players who became cocky, but their Coach as well.

However, right from the start of the game, Seidou High School delivered a hard slap in the face.

They made it crystal clear how high is the sky?

What level of strength do the top teams in the country truly possess?

The game continued.

Ping!

Furuya, batting fifth, hit a slow high fly ball to the outfield.

Naturally, he will be caught Out.

Miyuki, standing at third base, stared at the more than 50 meters distance, struggling with his thoughts.

'It was extremely dangerous to run to home base from this distance, but given the current state of Oikaze High School, they were highly likely to make a mistake.'

'If Oikaze made a mistake, it would surely lead to their downfall.'

'But if they defended successfully, it would greatly boost their players' confidence.'

Considering the current situation of the Kanto Tournament, the sooner the game ended, the better for Seidou High School.

The players' stamina could be preserved, and they could analyze and collect data on their opponents more calmly.

'The pros outweighed the cons!'

Although the risk was high, the potential reward was also great.

With this judgment in mind, Miyuki gritted his teeth and took off running.

He believed that at this moment, taking a risk was necessary.

The Coach in the Oikaze High School dugout.

When he saw Miyuki in motion, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He had been closely watching Coach Kataoka's actions. If Coach Kataoka had given any signal at this point, it would have meant that the players from Seidou High School would definitely take action.

With that mental preparation, he would be able to give his own players a signal.

'But Coach Kataoka didn't move at all—so why were the players of Seidou acting on their own?'

'This was way too reckless!!!'

He couldn't understand it, and neither could the players of Oikaze.

However, as the champions of Chiba, they had also practiced a lot.

Although they couldn't guess what Miyuki was thinking, they knew what they should do.

After receiving the ball, the outfielder immediately threw it back to home plate.

The ball flew more than 50 meters in the blink of an eye.

However, due to the long distance, the throw was slightly off.

Fortunately, the catcher from Oikaze High School was skilled. He sprinted to catch the ball in his Mitt and quickly moved back to home plate.

At this moment, Miyuki was already close to home plate.

The two were inevitably on a direct collision course.

The catcher of Oikaze High School seemed as if he had divine help.

He turned sideways and extended his Mitt.

His only goal was to make contact with Miyuki.

Miyuki, however, was determined. He turned sideways to avoid the Mitt in a very nimble maneuver and then confidently placed his hand firmly on the home plate.

"SAFE!!"

Like a bolt from the blue, Miyuki's action shocked his opponents.

The players of Oikaze were completely stunned.

Could someone please explain what's going on here?

Just attempting to steal a base like that would almost certainly result in being tagged out.

How dare the players of Seidou do this?

Do they not fear making a mistake at all? Or do they completely disregard their Coach's orders?

Unable to figure it out, they couldn't understand it. Their Coach, too, couldn't comprehend it.

The score was now 4:0.

This, of course, was a heavy blow to Oikaze High School.

But what struck them even harder was that they couldn't understand Miyuki's thought process at all.

…