Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 38: Return to the Wildcats

Three days had passed since joining the outfield training.

From the very first day, Sendo had been working on building the team's foundation.

He hadn't yet introduced the rigorous physical training that middle school players typically undergo.

Although the basic skills of these Akagi teammates might be better now than his previous middle school peers, the physical difference between them was still significant.

However, Sendo didn't intend for his team to be like everyone else.

After all, he had access to resources most people could only dream of.

"This is the team where Sen-chan trained? So cool!"

"Looks amazing!"

"Alright, no more chit-chat. It's time to start practice. We're already at the agreed time!"

"Come with me to change."

Sendo and his team of eleven had arrived at the Wildcats' base, known as the "Cat's Nest" in the Kanto region.

Wakana went to change first, followed by Sendo's teammates.

Afterward, they waited in the hall.

The so-called "hall" was actually a medium-sized meeting room, where Sendo had previously chatted with Coach Nakani.

The room was filled with various trophies and certificates of achievement, though Sendo wasn't particularly interested. However, his teammates were another story.

"This is the championship certificate from the Kanto Little League Tournament?!" Takada exclaimed.

"What? Really?"

"This one too!!! And this one!!! How many championships do they have?"

"Wow, so impressive!" The expressions of his teammates grew more and more amazed, and Sendo could only sigh.

Had Takada not said something, Sendo might have forgotten. He had never really paid attention to the Wildcats' previous achievements or to the room full of trophies. Even now, he wasn't particularly interested.

"And look, the years are consecutive!"

"You're right!"

"One, two, three, four… thir- thirteen consecutive championships?"

"No way! The last one was just this year, and it wasn't that long ago. This team is way too strong! Seriously, this is crazy!"

As his teammates became increasingly excited, Sendo only grew more sleepy. He was always a kid who could never seem to get enough sleep.

"Wait a minute. That means… Sendo was once the ace and cleanup hitter for this famous team?" Ohno suddenly remarked.

"..."

"No way!!!" Sawamura shouted, then looked over at Sendo.

"Huh?" Sendo, still drowsy, glanced at Sawamura.

"This can't be true!" Sawamura shook his head wildly, refusing to believe it as he stared at Sendou's lazy demeanor.

"It's true! He was once the ace and cleanup hitter of the Wildcats, and it only took him two weeks to learn baseball!" At that moment, an older man entered the room, his voice warm and friendly.

"O-san, who are you?" Sawamura asked innocently.

"Idiot!" Sendo covered his face in embarrassment.

"Haha! I'm Nakani Taisei, the coach of the Wildcats!" Coach Nakani introduced himself kindly.

"Whoa, so this guy is the coach! That's awesome!"

"Thank you. And you must be Sendo's teammates, right? I look forward to working with you from today!"

"We're the ones who should be saying that. Please take care of us!" Everyone except Sawamura quickly bowed in response.

"Huh? Oh, yes, please take care of us too!" Sawamura, slightly dazed, quickly followed suit and bowed as well.

"So, Sendo, how is it that you're still this sleepy every morning?" Coach Nakani asked, waving off the formalities and turning to Sendo.

"There's nothing to do, so sleeping is the best! Besides, I stayed up late last night," Sendo replied.

"Yeah, staying up late is probably the real reason!" Coach Nakani teased.

"Mind your own business!" Sendo muttered under his breath, pouting slightly.

"Alright, everyone, my players are ready. It's a good time for you to warm up, and you can use the field for some practice. Today, we'll start with batting practice. You're welcome to watch if you'd like. After an hour, I'll have you step into the batter's box."

"Yes, sir!!!"

"Their voices are way louder than usual! Oh well, it doesn't really matter," Sendo thought to himself.

"Since we're here, let's just observe their training for now. We can practice later," Sendo suggested as both Coach Nakani and the rest of the team looked at him expectantly.

"Yay! Awesome!" Everyone was excited by the idea.

With time to spare before participating in the training, they decided not to rush into their warm-ups and instead followed along to watch the batting practice.

Coach Nakani had already made arrangements before meeting with Sendo and his group, so the area was bustling with the sounds of bats hitting balls. No one paid much attention to the newcomers as they entered.

"The atmosphere here is really great!" said Fumino, who had accompanied them.

"Why do you say that, Fumino?" Wakana asked.

"They noticed us as soon as we walked in, but they just glanced at us and continued focusing on the players practicing," Fumino observed. As expected of the ever-observant Fumino, she had picked up on the details right away.

"You're right! It's almost like watching professional players. And they're all just elementary school kids, fourth and fifth graders at most. This is incredible!" Wakana agreed, and the rest of the group nodded in approval.

Well, except for one person, who was too busy watching the Wildcats' players with wide, admiring eyes.

"They're so fast! This is even faster than the pitches we've practiced with. Are these around 130 km/h?" Ohno estimated as he watched the pitching.

"That's right. Though only a few of them can hit balls at that speed, the rest are practicing with pitches around 120 km/h," Coach Nakani explained from the side.

"Takada, everyone, look at that kid's legs and stance. Watching carefully is also a form of learning!" Sendou chimed in, yawning as he did so.

The group didn't respond but focused their attention on observing the players, just as Sendo had suggested.

From time to time, some players hit long balls or even home runs.

Compared to players from Sendo's generation a few years ago, the current Wildcats players were of fairly good quality, and several of them showed great potential for the future.

The others had solid foundations as well.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Everyone take a break! You can let your players practice a bit too," Coach Nakani announced.

"Really?" Before Sendo could respond, Sawamura excitedly jumped in.

"Of course! We're a bit short-handed, so having you here is a big help. Plus, you're my disciples too!" Coach Nakani smiled.

"Come on, make sure you warm up properly so no one gets injured!" Sendo reminded them.

"Awesome!" Everyone cheered in excitement.

"However, you guys might just get beaten by elementary school kids!" Coach Nakani teased.

"So what? We're just beginners!" they replied nonchalantly.

"Don't worry! There's no one in the Wildcats who would mock others. And it'll be good to have a lively atmosphere here," Coach Nakani assured them.

"That's right, Coach!" a voice chimed in.

"Is that so? What's up?" Sendo responded.

"Um, excuse me, are you Sendo-san?" the speaker asked, clearly a bit excited.

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