Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

By Yui Kaoru, Okumura Koushuu!

After Nishiyama Kibo and Yuuki Masashi were promoted to the First String, all the remaining freshmen were undoubtedly led by these two.

Both of them are well-known players, and the other freshmen present had, more or less, heard of their names before.

Everyone was well aware of their skills.

Moreover, both of them had been Captains of their respective teams and had good leadership skills. Before Kataoka was assigned an acting coach, the freshmen were willing to follow the arrangements of these two.

Although not everyone was okay with it, even those freshmen understood the basic truth that a team cannot function without a head.

In the absence of a better alternative, they were willing to support the leadership of these two.

In the Senpais dugout:

Seeing that the newcomers had so quickly decided on the starting lineup, a flash of approval flashed in Sawamura's eyes.

Everyone says that this year's Seidou freshmen are of a very high caliber. And that statement is certainly true.

From the moment just now, it's not hard to see that the level of the freshmen is indeed very high.

To win the acceptance of everyone this fast, both prestige and ability are indispensable.

It has only been one month since Yui and Okumura entered Seidou High School, and yet, they already possess such charisma.

'When I retire, I can rest assured that I can pass on the responsibility of Seidou to them.'

The opponent's response was quick and calm.

This made Sawamura very satisfied. But unfortunately, now they are on opposing sides. No matter how satisfied Sawamura Eijun may be, he would never be polite when it's time to take action.

"The opponent's first pitcher is Kuki. That kid is good, but his pitches are not the type that can't be hit. While the opponent is still unsteady, let's strike hard!" 

Before the game started, Kataoka gathered all the players together for a meeting.

"I'm sorry! With the time constraints and the numbers. I cannot give every player an equal chance. I hope that the ones who remain are those who can challenge for a spot on the First String…"

When he said this candidly, instead of feeling depressed, the players seemed energized.

They understood that it wasn't possible for everyone to get an equal opportunity. The ones who truly had the qualification to play were still the players who made up the Second String.

If there was no hope of making the First String, playing would only be a waste of time.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't mind standing on the field and enjoying the game. But now it was the Orientation game, the time to show the strength of the second- and third-year Senpais.

Players who considered themselves inadequate would never actively request to play.

After giving the main frame of what he wants, Kataoka left the rest for Sawamura.

The main lineup had already been arranged, with Takatsu batting fourth.

Sawamura gave Takatsu a deep look. He didn't offer any words of encouragement, nor did he show any special leadership attitude toward Takatsu.

He knew he couldn't just come out of nowhere and start bossing the second and third-string players.

So he decided he would just stay silent unless he had to do something and leave the play to the players themselves.

Seeing Takatsu have this much trust from the players, Sawamura simply said quietly, "I leave it to you next."

"Oh!" Takatsu replied, nodding in agreement.

Such an equal dialogue made Takatsu feel very comfortable.

On the other side, in the first-year freshmen team:

Compared to the imposing second- and third-year players, many first-year players were still not fully in the game. Fortunately, they had many players, and as long as the excellent ones stepped up, that would be enough.

Five minutes before the game began, Kataoka, as the umpire, changed his gear and made his official appearance on the field.

In the past month, the freshmen had very little interaction with Coach Kataoka. This was probably their first close encounter with him.

If they could show their strength during this orientation game, they would leave a deep impression on Coach Kataoka.

The chance of being promoted within the team would naturally be much higher in the future.

Therefore, Kataoka being the referee was actually a great opportunity for the freshmen.

Takuma also saw it that way, and he was eager to get onto the field.

The top rookie players, who would play in the first round, were Kuki Youhei and Kagami Kouta, who was batting fourth.

Others, like Mogami Takashi, were second-tier players.

As a first-string player, Seto Takuma was quite disappointed when he didn't get to play in the first inning.

"In the Seidou High baseball team, there are 20 spots for the First String, 20 spots for the Second String, and the Third String is irrelevant!" Seto Takuma said.

"According to the Senpais, if you want to play more practice games, you have to make it to the Second String. Before the Summer Tournament, even if the main players are selected, they're mostly chosen from the First and Second Strings. So our primary goal must be to make it to the Second String first!"

The young man was full of fighting spirit.

Among the current freshmen, two players had been promoted to the First String: Yuuki and Nishiyama.

Another player, Yui Kaoru, had been promoted to the Second String, and he was one of the current acting coaches among the new students.

Takuma, who believed his strength wasn't much worse than theirs, naturally also wanted to move further up.

"Don't underestimate our Senpais!"

The blond boy Okumura, however, wasn't as optimistic as his friend.

"In this team, even those who haven't made it to the First String are still working hard behind the scenes. Their swing speed and power are incredible, and it won't be so easy to rack up Outs. From their perspective, we may not be much different from a still target." 

Okumura was right, his guess was spot on.

Many second- and third-year players saw the freshmen as targets to shoot at.

Sawamura too, who was acting as the coach in the dugout.

Originally, he was unmotivated, thinking that the freshmen were just a disorganized bunch and defeating them would have no value.

But with the leadership of Yui and Okumura, this seemingly scattered group had come together.

And that made all the difference.

Sawamura suddenly became interested and now wanted to have a good game with these freshmen.

The game officially began.

The first batter for the Senpais stood at the plate.

Kuki Youhei, who was the first to step onto the pitcher's mound, immediately opened his arms and called to his teammates behind him.

"The Defense Behind Me Is Up To You Guys!! So In Advance, Thank You Very Much!!!"

This attitude surprised the Senpai of Seidou.

From this young man, they could vaguely see the shadow of Sawamura Eijun.

Sawamura was more dominant on the mound, but the two shared a certain style.

"Interesting!" Sawamura smiled faintly, of course, he knew about Kuki Youhei.

He knew that this kid was born with an unyielding spirit.

Kuki, standing on the mound, was indeed no ordinary player. There was no hesitation as he threw the ball, and the small ball sped toward the batter in the blink of an eye.

It was clear that he had confidence in his pitching. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the fighting spirit of the second- and third-year Senpais.

The first batter of the Senpais changed the play to a bunt.

A slight smile appeared at the corner of Sawamura's mouth in the dugout.

'Nice.'

'The freshmen, still unsteady, would surely think the Senpais would face them head-on.'

But sorry, in a real game, no one is obliged to be kind to the other side.

If you see a weakness, you attack it fiercely.

Just like now, the freshman team lacked cooperation and mental preparation.

It was easy to take advantage of them.

Ping!

The small ball rolled forward after being knocked.

The first batter dropped the bat and sprinted to first base.

No Outs, man on first.

The Senpai players stared at them, like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey.

The freshmen hadn't felt it as clearly until now, but now they could sense the Senpai players' serious attitude.

This left many freshmen feeling disoriented.

'It's just a regular practice game. Do the Senpais really need to take it this seriously?"'

They couldn't understand, and thus, couldn't prepare properly.

But the Senpais certainly had a reason to be serious, because this might be their last chance.

At catcher's position:

Matsumoto frowned slightly and signaled for a timeout.

The first to catch was Matsumoto.

While his catching skills were superb, his overall strength was slightly weaker compared to others. Among the three catchers, he was the weakest in overall ability.

And so, he was assigned to go first.

Unexpectedly, this usually unnoticed player would be the first to call for a timeout.

Considering the game had just started…

…