Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

The overall score is 5:5!

3 runs this inning with two consecutive Home Runs!!!

Sawamura's home run not only helped Seidou High School tie the score but also boosted the momentum of the King, Seidou High School.

As the baseball flew out, the entire Jingu Stadium turned into Sawamura's personal fans.

Tens of thousands of fans in the stands shouted Sawamura's name in unison.

It felt as if Seidou had already won.

The reporters kept pointing their cameras at the fans, as though nothing less would express their shock.

Fans watching the live broadcast on TV must also have been stunned by the scene before them.

"King Seidou!!"

"The Demon King!"

"Sawamura!!!"

"It's truly amazing!"

Owada Akiko clapped her hands excitedly. If Fujio hadn't been keeping a close watch, she might have stood up with the other fans.

"Yes, it really is incredible!"

Fujio himself also acknowledged this.

Although in this era, excellent players are emerging constantly…

This era belongs to Sawamura Eijun.

'Maybe not just this era, but even in the future…'

"The game isn't over yet. What are you cheering for?"

Such is the world—while some are happy, others are naturally not.

Todoroki Raizou-san was not happy at this moment.

He stood up angrily, signaling for a substitution.

Mishima knew his time on the mound was up. No matter how generous Coach Todoroki was, he could not allow Mishima, who had been hit by consecutive home runs, to stay on the mound any longer.

It wasn't the Ace pitcher, Sanada Shunpei, of Yakushi High School who took the mound, but Todoroki Raizou's beloved son, Todoroki Raichi-kun.

What could he do? Good pitchers are just too hard to find.

Raizou had no choice but to turn to his trusted students.

'But this situation wouldn't last long—after all, two promising newcomers had joined the team.'

And both newcomers were pitchers.

Once those two newcomers fully adjusted, Yakushi's final weakness would be filled.

For now, though, Todoroki Raizou had to rely on the few players he had. After all, he wasn't as cunning as Coach Kataoka, who had kept two slots open from the beginning.

In fact, it was Coach Kataoka. Any other team coach would've filled those two positions as soon as they returned from Koshien.

After all, having one more player means one more strength.

Coaches like Kataoka, who are patient enough to wait for newcomers to grow, are rare.

Raichi, who took the mound, demonstrated monster-level pitching ability.

First, his ball speed exceeded 140 km/h, which is typical of a fastball.

But that wasn't the most troublesome part. For the players on Seidou High School's baseball team, a 140 km/h fastball wasn't considered particularly fast.

What made it tricky was the way he lowered his body weight when throwing. This made the overall drop of his pitch quite low.

It made the players of Seidou High School uncomfortable.

And to make matters worse, this guy didn't have pinpoint control…

There are advantages to having accurate ball control, but there are also advantages to not having accurate control.

Like right now—no one knows what kind of pitch Raichi will throw next.

His own teammates don't know, so how could the opponents know?

This made the situation very difficult, and for a while, the players of Seidou High School were helpless.

Ping!

"OUT!"

Ping!

"OUT!!"

Ping!

"OUT!!!"

Soon, Raichi got three Outs.

They could hit the ball, but it wasn't easy to hit it well.

Yakushi High School's defense had been honed through many practice games, especially those against top teams.

All of those three Outs were due to their defensive skills.

Seidou's offense was finally halted for a moment, and the tides began to shift. Now it was Yakushi High School's turn to retaliate.

At this point, Yakushi's lineup reached their second batter.

Sawamura threw the same Moving ball again.

Facing such a pitch, the players of Yakushi High School were also quite helpless. If they didn't swing, they could only watch as Sawamura got Strikes and Outs.

If they swung, Sawamura's Moving ball was designed to lure them into swinging…

Two roads—either way, it's a dead end.

Yakushi's players had no choice but to fight, even knowing that their struggle might be in vain.

They wouldn't let Sawamura get an easy Put.

The batter raised his bat high and swung hard.

Ping!

'He hit it!'

Although the ball had a lot of movement, he was lucky enough to make contact.

The ball flew after being hit.

"Shortstop!"

Sawamura on the pitcher's mound never took his eyes off the ball after releasing it.

Watching the ball fly out, he immediately called for the shortstop to cover.

Actually, there was no need for him to remind them. A blue streak had already started moving.

Kuramochi, as fast as a cheetah, quickly arrived at the landing point of the ball, caught it, and threw it to first base.

His movements were so fast that even his opponents didn't have time to react. The ball was already at first base.

Snap!

"OUT!"

"YOSHIAAA!!!"

"Hyaa-ha-haa! Nice pitching you kid!"

That's how the batter was eliminated.

The second batter of Yakushi High School was Out before he even had a chance to drop his bat.

"Sharp!"

"Seidou!"

"Seidou!!!"

Cheers from the stands erupted.

In the corner, Fujio, a senpai reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, nodded in admiration.

"Sawamura's Moving ball is truly remarkable. Especially when paired with Seidou's defense, the result is far more than just 1+1 equals 2—it's something far greater."

Fujio even boldly stated that even if Sawamura only relied on his Moving ball and Seidou High School's defense, he would still be a very formidable pitcher.

Even if he's not the best in the country, at least he's among the top…

One Out, no runners on base.

At this point, it was Mishima, the third batter from Yakushi High School, who was up to bat.

Mishima had been burning with fury ever since Sawamura hit a home run against him.

He didn't care about ideals or anything else. The most important thing was to get the score up as quickly as possible.

Even if it was his favorite player, there was no such distinction on the field.

Mishima set up to battle fiercely.

Sawamura didn't dare to take anything for granted.

If his partner were Miyuki Kazuya, Sawamura would completely ignore Mishima and strike him Out without hesitation.

But with Ono as his partner, Sawamura couldn't be careless.

At Seidou, the current pitcher and catcher duo, Sawamura and Ono, were not as well-practiced together as Sawamura and Miyuki.

Even Seidou's own players had doubts about their pairing.

There was no choice—Sawamura's breaking balls were just too many and too sharp. So, during regular practices, he mostly worked with Miyuki.

Though Ono also hoped to catch Sawamura's pitches, after all, who doesn't have ambitions?

Even though he knew that the chances of becoming the main catcher were almost zero, Ono never gave up on the idea.

But, after all, this was just his own plan, and he could not disregard the team's interests for his own desires.

Sawamura was the Ace pitcher, and his partnership with the main catcher was the most reasonable arrangement.

That wasn't the most important part, though. The most important part was that Sawamura himself was very busy…

As a pitcher, even during practice, there's a limit to how many pitches he can throw.

On top of that, Sawamura had to practice defense, familiarize himself with new breaking balls, and try out new ones…

During the time Miyuki was about to leave, Sawamura spent most of it working closely with him.

On the one hand, it was for the needs of the team, and on the other hand, it was for Sawamura's own growth.

Ono could not delay Sawamura's progress because of his own wishful thinking.

That would be highly inappropriate…

Speaking of which, this was the first time Sawamura and Ono were officially paired as pitcher and catcher.

They knew each other very well, what pitches were good to throw, and what pitches were not.

Sawamura felt restricted, like he was shackled, and his pitching was severely limited…

In this situation, facing a batter of Mishima's caliber was not going to be easy.

Peace of Mind!!!

Ono had a look of guilt, though he wasn't sure what he felt guilty about.

In fact, Sawamura should be the one feeling guilty, for not communicating better with his senpai.

But still, he gave Ono a reassuring signal.

'Trust me, it's okay.'

Ono didn't doubt him.

Seeing the signal from Sawamura, Ono nodded.

For some reason, a surge of courage filled his heart.

Hadn't he already rehearsed this scenario many times in his mind?

Now, there was no way to back down.

In the Seidou High School dugout, Coach Kataoka suddenly turned to Nishiyama and said coldly:

"Pay close attention to how Sawamura handles this situation!"

"Yes!" Nishiyama responded without hesitation.

This was already the third time someone had said this to him.

"You should be able to learn a lot from watching him," Coach Kataoka added with a slight nod, then turned his attention back to the pitcher's mound.

Sawamura's Moving ball has significant limitations...

Firstly, because of the nature of the pitch, Sawamura is not certain about the direction or the movement of the ball once it's thrown. So, there's a certain probability that the pitch will turn into a regular straight ball, which is easy for the batter to hit.

In addition, when facing batters who are particularly good at contacting, Sawamura has to be extra cautious with his Moving balls.

The Moving ball has random breaks, but the break usually is not big, and there's a high chance that it will be swept away by the batter's powerful swing.

Unluckily, the next two batters from Yakushi High School were the type with very powerful swings.

The monster batters Raichi—needless to say. Even Mishima in front of him had a terrifying swing.

Not only does he have very deep skills, but he also swings with full power, making it very likely that the ball will be driven out of the park.

For Sawamura, the best option right now is to use a sharp breaking ball. The problem, however, is that Ono doesn't catch all the sharp breaking balls...

After a long sigh, Sawamura made a decisive decision in the face of this difficult choice.

He raised his right leg high and then brought it down sharply like a battle axe.

As his body shifted weight, his mitt moved in front of his body, like an invisible wall was ahead of him.

At the same time, his left hand whipped forward like a lash, throwing the ball in his hand with great force.

Whrroosh!

The ball broke through the layers of air and in the blink of an eye, reached the batter's eyes.

'Inside corner, fastball!'

Seeing the ball coming, Mishima's eyes narrowed.

He had been waiting for this pitch for a long time, and now, at last, it was here.

He bit his lip so hard it seemed as though his teeth might draw blood.

His eyes locked onto the incoming ball, and without blinking, he timed his swing and decisively took a big slash.

PING!

The ball was hammered and flew out of bounds.

"FOUL!"

Mishima's face in the Batter's Box darkened.

The ball that came at him was not a regular fastball, but a cutter.

'As expected of the Maou, his pitches were as sharp as ever, making them impossible to predict.'

'Impressive! Truly impressive.'

Despite falling behind in the count, Mishima did not show too much frustration on his face. Instead, he appeared energized.

Maybe, deep down, he had always thought this way.

This is how it should be, Sawamura is his ideal, after all!

If Sawamura were easily solved...

Wouldn't that mean Mishima was blind?

'This is great!'

This way, it gives Mishima the chance to surpass Sawamura Eijun.

'Bring it on!!!'

Mishima's eyes lit up, fiery red, like a bull provoked by a matador.

'Good!'

Seeing his performance, Sawamura on the mound, instead of feeling troubled, was actually quite pleased.

As long as he was willing to swing.

Sawamura pulled back into his windup and threw his second pitch.

Whrroosh!

The ball flew straight to the upper inside corner.

'Here it comes!'

As the small ball came flying in, Mishima felt his entire body surged with excitement.

He sharply focused on Sawamura on the mound and the ball flying from his hand.

'NOW!'

He timed his swing perfectly, giving it everything he had.

PING!!

The ball was struck again and flew high, high, and higher after being hit.

Sawamura, on the mound, opened his mitt unhurriedly and stood motionless.

The ball hit high into the air, and landed precisely in Sawamura's mitt, as though guided by a precision navigation system.

SNAP!

"OUT!!"

The stunning scene was witnessed by the audience at Jingu Stadium, sending them into an even greater frenzy.

"SAWAMURA!"

"SAWAMURA!!!"

The roars around him grew louder than ever before.

Most of the people watching the final today were true fans.

Of course, a few had simply come to check out the excitement.

These people were dumbfounded, looking at the frenzied fans around them and asking in confusion:

"What just happened?"

At first, they thought the amazing play was just a coincidence, but looking at the reactions of the crowd, it seemed like this was not the case at all.

Could it be that something like this could actually be planned?

Nearby, a hardcore supporter of Seidou High School rolled his eyes at the question.

"Of course, it was planned! This is the legendary stunt of the Maou, 'Swallow's Homecoming'!"

"Really?"

The audience, having received a clear answer, stood there stunned.

They had originally thought the fans cheering for Sawamura were a little crazy.

'He's just a high school player, isn't that over the top?'

Now it seemed like they were the ones who had underestimated him—such a player truly deserves the attention.

The game continued on the field.

The efforts Sawamura had made in private, the decisions he had considered, and the challenges he faced were things no one else could truly understand.

Only Sawamura himself knew.

And all of this was what Sawamura had wanted. He wanted to give the impression that he was exactly the same as he was before.

Two Outs, no one on base.

At this point, Yakushi High School's lineup reached their cleanup hitter.

'Raichi!'

A true super monster, an opponent that even the current Sawamura couldn't easily handle.

In fact, there was no way to solve him.

The breaking balls that could work against Raichi were almost all unreliable for Ono-senpai now.

Sawamura felt really helpless.

Instead, it was Ono, the catcher, who, after witnessing Sawamura's previous performance, had complete faith in him.

"Keha-ha-haa! Keha-ha-ha-haa!!"

Raichi's laughter was sharp and loud.

Sawamura could clearly feel that Raichi had changed.

'Ordinary breaking balls seemed unlikely to affect him now.'

'And now, his fighting spirit was strong, and his focus was fully charged...'

'No openings could be seen.'

Intuition told Sawamura that if he threw the ball into the strike zone, it would definitely be hit out.

Sawamura can change his rhythm. But to disrupt his opponent's rhythm with different timing.

Raichi was far too simple-minded.

It was hard to distract someone like that. His eyes were locked on Sawamura, showing no signs of relaxation.

"Pitcher!"

The umpire stretched out his hand, indicating that Sawamura had taken too long to prepare for the pitch.

Shaking his head, Sawamura pushed the unrealistic thoughts aside and decisively threw the first pitch.

Whrroosh!

The ball zoomed straight toward Raichi's knee.

Facing the ball that was about to hit him, Raichi didn't budge, not even a step back.

SNAP!

"BALL!!"

The ball missed the strike zone.

From his position behind the plate, Ono looked at Sawamura in confusion.

He was puzzled, not understanding what Sawamura was trying to do.

In Yakushi High School's dugout, Mishima, who had just been eliminated, widened his eyes in surprise.

His eyes were as big as copper bells, ready to pop out at any moment.

As a fan of Sawamura, he was more surprised than anyone else that Sawamura had thrown a Ball.

Being a die-hard fan of Sawamura, Mishima knew his pitching style well. Sawamura Eijun never used balls, the Maou never thought to throw them.

This wasn't the first time Yakushi had played Seidou. In their previous match, Sawamura had cleanly dealt with Raichi.

'So why was he using balls now?'

Mishima was puzzled but vaguely had a few guesses.

There must be something happening that he didn't know about.

Yakushi's Superintendent seemed to understand the situation clearly.

"Could it be that a catcher's presence has weakened Sawamura this much?"

Raizou knew that if Miyuki wasn't in the game, Sawamura's strength would be reduced, but he didn't expect it to be this much.

Sawamura even hesitated to throw high-level breaking balls.

The Magic Ball, the Vanishing ball, and the Bunny ball...

These weapons that could counter Raichi were all unavailable.

'Heh...'

'Though it felt a bit malicious to think so, this was truly a great opportunity to defeat the Maou.'

"Raichi, don't hold back—swing with all you've got!!"

Todoroki Raizou shouted loudly.

Raizou, who had seemed a little disheartened earlier when Seidou had caught up, now showed an extraordinary fighting spirit.

'If Raichi could hit Sawamura's pitch here...'

It would be far more than just pulling the score back—it would have far-reaching implications.

Raizou had his hopes, but the next development greatly exceeded his expectations.

"BALL!"

"BALL!!"

"BALL!!!"

"WALK TO BASE!"

The supposedly unyielding Maou, Sawamura Eijun, had just issued a Four-Ball Walk.

Despite being an aggressive Walk, it was still a Walk.

'How could this happen?'

Not just Todoroki Raizou—everyone in the stands supporting Seidou was speechless.

…