Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 22: Training Before Summer Break

The progress on the second day was encouraging. It's often said that beginners improve quickly, and these players, aside from Sawamura, weren't slow learners—they were thoughtful and willing to think through their actions.

They were also passionate about practicing, although Sendo wasn't fully aware of this.

In fact, each of them practiced swinging the bat at home, including Sawamura, though his practice was a bit more chaotic.

"Sendo!"

"Hm?"

"Uh, could we borrow some of those basic books from you? We want to study the proper batting form and other techniques."

"Oh, that was my oversight. After school today, if you guys want to practice, I'll grab them for you. Thinking for yourselves is a good habit!"

"Good habit, huh…" the group muttered softly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Exactly. Since I'm also a beginner, there's no way I can think of everything in just a few days. It's really good that you're willing to use your brains and think things through on your own. Let's keep up the good work together—just don't be like that idiot!"

At this point, someone who had been eavesdropping immediately stood up.

"Idiot? Did you just say idiot? Talking bad about someone behind their back isn't cool, you know! Hey, you!"

"Yeah, I said idiot, but I never said who it was!"

"Uh!" Sawamura began to sweat.

"Could it be that you just admitted it yourself? Hahaha, calling yourself an idiot, huh!"

"Hahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter, amused by this playful and familiar interaction.

These two always bickered, and every time Sawamura was provoked, he would end up losing.

"Hmph!" Sawamura, a little sulky, turned back to his seat, which made everyone laugh even more.

...

At 3 PM, school was out.

"I'm heading home first. You guys keep practicing like you did yesterday."

"Got it!"

"Hurry up, Ei-chan! Otherwise, we won't wait for you!"

Even as Sendo stepped outside, he could still hear his teammates shouting after Sawamura.

"Let's head home," Sendo muttered to himself, an idea forming in his mind.

After greeting his family as usual, Sendo grabbed some basic baseball textbooks and notes on proper techniques from Coach Nakani and rode his bike to the field.

However, he didn't go directly to the field. Instead, he observed from a distance, hiding his presence. Getting Sendo to stay put with them was a tough task—he was always one to sneak in a bit of laziness when he could.

"Ohno's doing a great job as a hitting coach. And Eijun is actually obediently running laps. In a few days, I'll teach Ohno to hit fly balls. Then we won't have any more defensive issues… Maybe I can head home early?" Sendo muttered to himself from a distance.

"Yeah, yeah… but that wouldn't be right. I guess I should keep an eye on them for now… Maybe I'll sneak off later."

If Sawamura had heard this, it would have triggered yet another argument.

After observing for a while, Sendo finally rode his bike onto the field.

"Don't mind me. Just take these books home with you later."

"Ohno, pick up the pace!"

After shouting a few instructions, Sendo sat down on the sidelines.

"Not bad at all! Everyone's enduring the tedious practice—this is good, very good."

After a while, Sendo checked his watch. It was already 4:30. He stood up and made an announcement.

"I'll take a turn at bat! Ohno, you can head back to the group."

"I'm going to speed things up, so be prepared!"

With that said...

Ping!

The ball shot into the field with a speed not much slower than an actual game.

"Come on, you're too slow. Speed it up."

"Even if you can't catch it, maintain the correct posture."

"Your body and hands need to get used to the speed."

Sendo continued hitting ground balls, offering guidance based on the players' performance.

After two days of training, the players were getting used to the correct posture. Now, they needed to let their bodies adjust to the speed of balls hit by middle schoolers.

With a few more days of adaptation, they would get used to it. Then, it would just be about increasing their success rate while maintaining the correct posture.

Although it's only been a few days, middle school baseball isn't particularly fast. Soft baseball teams, after all, are still school clubs, and there's a huge gap between them and the professional training young players receive. Even in youth leagues, very few players hit balls so fast that others can't react in time.

Middle schoolers focus more on the correctness of their individual techniques and normal player development.

At this level, their defensive skills were sufficient. Increasing the intensity wasn't just unnecessary—it could lead to injuries for kids at this age.

When the speed was suddenly increased, less than 10% of the players managed to successfully catch the balls. But it was clear that they had the capability to do so; now, it was just a matter of more practice.

In fact, Akagi Junior High School's baseball team's training was already quite intense. After practice, they still went home to swing their bats. They hadn't developed their bodies much before, so there was still potential to tap into, and the intensity was manageable.

Soon, the sky started to darken.

"That's it for today. When you go home, keep practicing your swings. If you feel anything's off, stop increasing the intensity. It's hard for your bodies to handle so much added pressure at once. Try again after some time."

"Okay!"

"Thanks for your hard work!"

"Good job, everyone!"

Time flew by, and before they knew it, nearly a month had passed.

The baseball team members studied the books Sendo gave them and discussed techniques together on Line.

They were waiting for an opportunity to test their swing practice in a real game, but without a pitching machine, they didn't have that chance yet.

As for their defense, they had improved quickly in the first few days, but their progress soon leveled off. However, a month was enough time for them to stabilize their basic movements.

About a week later, Sendo added fly balls and line drives to their training.

After a month, Akagi Junior High School's defense was at least passable. Well... better than a team that loses in the first or second round! In reality, Sendo had just opened the door to the world of professional baseball for them.

He had introduced them to various professional resources, showing them how baseball should really be played.

"We're pausing baseball club activities starting today. Exams are next week, so don't fail. After summer break, we'll be going to a training camp," Sendo announced after school one day.

"Where's the camp, Sendo?"

"My family has a small villa in Tokyo. It's where I lived before I came here. And recently, I asked my dad for some money and got my coach to help buy two pitching machines. Then, we can practice bunting and batting."

"Wow, amazing!"

"Alright, that's it! Go on, scram!" Sendo waved off the group that had gathered around his desk.

"Finally, I can rest for a few days! My lovely bed, my lovely manga! Ahh!" Sendo sighed internally, reflecting on how he had planned to slack off but ended up not doing so.

In the end, he had actually trained with the group for a whole month, even if most of the time, he was just watching from the sidelines.

Looking back, Sendo found it hard to believe he'd done that.

Scary!

----------------

If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21