Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

'Did he actually make it to first base?'

Looking at Mima Soichiro, who safely reached first base, Kuramochi's eyes were full of shock.

His eyes were wide open, and he stared in disbelief at the scene before him.

'What's going on?'

'How did that happen?'

A big question mark was spinning around in his mind.

The pitch that Sawamura threw definitely wasn't bad. The bat had clearly not hit the sweet spot. The small baseball landed between third base and the shortstop's fielding position.

Kuramochi is the best infielder in high school, and his own fielding speed is absolutely not slow. He had already calculated the time and position where the baseball would bounce off the ground and was waiting to catch it and throw it to first base.

The entire process was lightning-fast, leaving no time for any batter to get on base.

Theoretically, Mima Soichiro should not have reached first base.

How did he make it safely to first base?

Even though it was a matter of mere millimeters, based on Kuramochi's own calculations, Mima's speed just now surpassed his own.

'How fast is this guy running?'

'Four seconds?'

'Or even faster?'

Such a speed was something Kuramochi had never imagined. Based on his own experience, aside from his Kohai, the anomaly Han Lee-Hyun, no one in the world should have such speed.

Mima Soichiro!

Both of his parents were outstanding track and field athletes, with strong genes and proper training from birth...

Kuramochi was aware of this, but he had never been willing to accept it before.

He believed that with his own effort, he would never lose to people like Carlos or Mima.

At least, in terms of speed, he would not lose.

But the world is wide.

His speed was fast, but there were people even faster than him. As the saying goes, "The sky is always higher."

This country is too large, and the world is too vast. Who knows what other incredible talents are hiding in some corner?

Just like his Kohai, Lee-Hyun. Before meeting Lee-Hyun, Kuramochi had never believed that anyone could be that fast.

That speed was frighteningly fast, to the point that people had no time to react.

The shock was not only felt by Kuramochi Yoichi, but many of his teammates at the Seidou High School Baseball Club also felt the same way.

They knew that Mima Soichiro was fast, but they never expected him to be this fast.

Now, the most dangerous runner, Mima, had successfully reached first base.

This was a huge challenge for Seidou High School's defense or even a massive crisis.

What now?

This was a big question.

Based on the speed Mima just showed, even with Sawamura and Miyuki teaming up, they probably couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't steal a base.

In the rest area of Hakuryu High School.

Sasaki, the Coach, finally showed a slight relief on his face.

The strategy they had planned from the beginning had finally succeeded.

The battery of Miyuki and Sawamura was terrifying. When they were on the mound and behind the plate, runners almost never had a chance to steal a base.

They were always firmly stuck to their base, unable to move an inch.

As far as Sasaki could remember, there were only one or two instances where someone successfully stole a base.

'The success rate was less than 10%.'

'That's why some people referred to them as the "No-Steal Zone."'

'But no matter how low the probability was, it always existed. There had been successes before.'

'If someone had succeeded before, then it wasn't impossible to do.'

'Go, Soichiro!'

Sasaki's hand, holding the stopwatch, unknowingly tightened. The veins on his hand were visible.

No one knew the immense pressure he was under facing Seidou High School, the reigning champion.

Especially now, with Hakuryu High School being the host, losing was simply not an option in front of so many hometown fans.

So they had to win, no matter how difficult the process, he had to take the final victory.

'Go!'

Sasaki looked eagerly at Mima on first base, hoping Mima would make his move.

Mima himself wanted to move, but he couldn't do anything now. Sawamura was there, watching him intently. His eyes never left first base.

Mima knew very well that as soon as he made a move, Sawamura would throw a pickoff.

Some people said that Sawamura was just a media-created monster, a baseless hype, with real strength that didn't amount to much.

Maybe he had some ability, but it was just for show.

If Mima could see those people, he would certainly slap them without hesitation.

These people were just the type who talk big without understanding what's really going on.

'Those who have faced Sawamura up close would know just how terrifying this "monster" was.'

As long as he was standing on the mound, no one could step over that line.

Even Mima knew this.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Sawamura, but his body instinctively told him that if he moved, he might get Out.

Of course, Mima wasn't intimidated by his instincts.

If it felt dangerous, he wouldn't move, but if he didn't move, Sawamura would just get him out.

So, no matter how dangerous it was, he still had to do what he needed to do.

He quietly left first base and began moving toward second.

Sawamura, from the pitcher's mound, remained calm and gave no reaction.

He understood Mima's intentions, but he was helpless.

At this moment, even if Sawamura threw a pickoff, it would be useless.

Mima Soichiro had the highest level of dynamic vision in high school. His eyesight was far superior to the average person's imagination.

By the time Sawamura's pickoff was thrown, Mima would have already reacted.

At that point, it would be nothing but a wasted effort.

So, Sawamura stopped trying unnecessary moves.

As long as Mima wasn't too far from the base, it was fine.

Once Mima had moved a certain distance toward the second, he wisely stopped.

In fact, Mima had another set of base-stealing techniques—a very smooth set of skills that fit his talent.

He could adjust his speed and position according to the pitcher's rhythm, and in those situations, Mima Soichiro was practically unbeatable.

However, he was unfortunate to have encountered Sawamura.

As a result, Sawamura's continuous pickoffs disrupted Mima's rhythm.

Now, Mima had learned from his past mistakes. He no longer tried his flashy techniques but instead engaged in a straightforward battle with Sawamura.

To be fair, Sawamura's presence was a great catalyst for the top high school players in high school.

It was precisely because someone like Sawamura stood as a target, that the top players in high school felt the need to surpass themselves.

Humans are strange creatures. When they realize there is no opponent left around them, they unconsciously slow down.

It's rare for someone to keep pushing themselves and searching for their limits in such a situation.

But once someone stands ahead of them, giving them a target to surpass, they become like people who will fight to the death.

From this perspective, all the top players who have faced Seidou High School should be grateful to Seidou.

If Seidou High School didn't stand in front of them, if there wasn't someone like Sawamura, their motivation wouldn't be as high as it is now.

Back to the game.

As Mima prepared to steal a second, Sawamura didn't know what to do for a moment.

Although Mima was using the normal technique now, often, the more mainstream the methods are the more effective they become.

Baseball has been introduced to this country for over a century, and in that time, many strategies have changed.

Many tactics have been phased out by history.

In such a context, those tactics that have survived, even if they seem plain, must have their value.

Just like Mima's base-stealing technique, Sawamura knew exactly what he planned to do next.

But he was still helpless.

At this point, they had no choice but to rely on pure strength.

Sawamura got ready to pitch.

Sure enough, Mima Soichiro immediately took off, sprinting toward second!

Miyuki, seeing this, stood up and moved his body out of the strike zone!

This way, he could fully stand up during the catch and smoothly throw the pickoff.

From the mound, Sawamura noticed that Miyuki had moved away from the strike zone, and immediately understood what was happening.

He threw the ball directly to the place where Miyuki had moved.

Snap!

After Miyuki caught the ball, he aimed to throw a pickoff.

However, when he lifted his head, he was surprised to find that Mima, who had been preparing to steal second, had somehow returned to first base.

'Shameless!'

It was clear what the opponent was trying to do.

Miyuki was furious but helpless.

Sawamura's pickoff was an extremely powerful tool against ordinary runners.

But when facing Mima Soichiro, it felt like he was powerless.

Mima's speed was too fast, and he was so agile that even if he ran a few meters away, he could return instantly.

He didn't leave them any breathing room.

'What should we do now?'

Miyuki felt like he had a headache.

Mima had already been difficult to deal with at the Batter's Box, but now he was even more challenging on base.

'Trying to get him Out was not an easy task.'

Miyuki scratched his head.

Sawamura from the pitcher's mound also wasn't in a better position.

He had felt something was off earlier but couldn't confirm it.

Now, it was clear—Mima Soichiro definitely had something planned.

Or rather, Hakuryu High School had something planned.

And then Mima successfully got on base! After he reached base, Hakuryu's follow-up moves were also quite interesting.

It seemed as though they had predicted every possible scenario in the game and had already set up traps, waiting for Seidou's players to walk right into them.

No Outs, runner on first base!

Hakuryu's players knew that a long night could bring many dreams, so after gaining the advantage, they didn't give Seidou and Miyuki any time to think. They immediately adopted an aggressive offensive stance.

But they had overlooked one thing—right now, it wasn't Hakuryu controlling the rhythm of the game; it was Seidou High School.

'Speed up the pace!'

Miyuki quickly gave instructions to Sawamura.

When he noticed something was wrong, he decided to overwhelm them.

Sawamura naturally nodded in agreement.

Though he wasn't as sensitive as Miyuki, he could roughly guess what was going on. This situation was unusual.

From now on, the pitching would need to be cautious. At this point, any move by Hakuryu wouldn't be surprising.

After they had discussed it, they immediately put their plan into action.

Hakuryu's batter clearly didn't expect their reaction to be so fast.

Without much hesitation, Sawamura's second pitch flew in.

Mima who was on first base, had originally planned to keep pressuring Sawamura, but he had underestimated the situation.

In that brief half-second of neglect, Sawamura's pitch was already on its way.

Without any warning, the baseball darted inside.

At that moment, Mima, even if he had intended to steal the base, was already too late.

'Fast!'

He stared at Sawamura in disbelief. He had thought that he had put a limiter on Sawamura's actions, but he never expected to encounter such a slip-up.

'This guy was truly extraordinary.'

At that moment, Mima's gaze toward Sawamura became much more cautious.

Every time he faced Sawamura, he felt a completely different experience.

During this period, he had grown, and Sawamura hadn't stayed stagnant either.

Now, the two were back to square one.

"Interesting!"

Mima, in his bones, was similar to Sawamura. He never feared challenges. Even if his opponent was Seidou High, he had never been afraid.

He genuinely hoped both sides could show their true abilities and play an intense match.

He got his stance ready, his eyes locked onto Sawamura.

The moment Sawamura made his move, Mima was ready to run.

Miyuki quickly noticed this!

Miyuki was best at guessing the opponent's intentions.

And the higher the level of the opponent, the more accurate his predictions became.

Mima was a top player nationwide.

Miyuki could predict his moves with ease.

Next, Mima was preparing to steal the base!

'Leave him to me, focus on the batter.'

Miyuki's suggestion was one that Sawamura actually wanted to refuse.

Mima's stealing speed was too fast!

If they weren't careful, Mima could disappear in the blink of an eye.

Choosing to directly stop him was a huge risk.

To prevent a runner, it was impossible for just the catcher to do it alone. The pitcher had to cooperate and provide support.

If Sawamura didn't provide that support, all the pressure would fall on Miyuki alone.

Even though Sawamura had great confidence in his partner, he didn't want to leave all the responsibility to him.

'That guy's intentions are obvious to everyone.'

Miyuki's attitude, however, was firm.

He only came up with this idea out of necessity.

Mima was very alert.

Even if he took the stance to steal the base, if things didn't look right, he would immediately retreat.

This made Sawamura's situation quite unfavorable in their duel.

It required his full attention and drained his energy. Meanwhile, Mima was looking for opportunities in every exchange.

It was truly a method that served multiple purposes.

If every player at Hakuryu had this level of skill, Seidou wouldn't even need to play today.

Fortunately, such top-tier players weren't common, and Mima Soichiro was the only one like that on the team.

Given the situation, it would be better to let him take second base and focus on getting Outs.

Of course, ideally, they would prevent Mima from advancing altogether.

Miyuki was also calculating his next move and gave Sawamura a decisive sign.

When Miyuki took the all-or-nothing stance, Sawamura had no other choice.

His only option was to support his partner.

Sawamura gave Miyuki a slight nod before decisively throwing the ball.

During this process, although he tried to keep Mima in check with his gaze, it wasn't very effective.

Because Sawamura quickly assumed the pitching position.

When Mima saw that Sawamura was about to pitch, his eyes lit up.

This was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

'NOW!'

Almost in sync with Sawamura's pitch, Mima took off, sprinting toward second base!

Miyuki, while receiving Sawamura's pitch, half-squatted down.

With this posture, he could quickly throw the ball to second base after receiving it.

At the shortstop position, Kuramochi reacted quickly, running to second base to cover.

Everything was set, but unexpectedly, just at that moment…

Something surprising happened.

The batter, who had shown no signs of action before, suddenly sprang into action.

They extended their bats and swung with force.

Ping!

The baseball was hit and flew between the shortstop and third baseman.

"Shit…"

Kuramochi, who had been advancing to second base, noticed the gap.

The ball dropped, and in an instant, it was heading toward the outfield.

On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura was in a panic. He hadn't expected the batter to use a hit-and-run at this moment.

As a result, he threw a fastball, which was promptly intercepted by Hakuryu's batter.

'These guys weren't just about clever tactics—they had also made significant technical progress.'

'If the ball dropped and flew out of reach, this could cost us a Run.'

Mima's speed was too incredible, and he had already started running early.

At this point, no one was confident they could stop him.

As the ball was about to leave the field, a figure suddenly dove at third base.

The figure seemed to spring up like a swordfish from the sea, appearing out of nowhere.

He rushed to the ball's landing spot and caught the rebound in one swift motion.

With that, he yanked Seidou back from the brink of disaster.

Snap!

After rolling twice, the figure stood up, glancing at second base.

By then, Mima had already reached second base, and there was no chance to get him out.

"TSK!"

He mumbled under his breath, then quickly threw the ball to first base.

At first base, Maezono raised his mitt high as he caught the ball.

"OUT!"

The batter was immediately retired.

Although Mima Soichiro had advanced to second base, overall, this result was acceptable for Seidou.

The players' faces remained relatively calm.

Just then, a loud shout came from the catcher's position.

"NOT YET!!! THROW TO THIRD BASE!!!!!"

Miyuki's voice sounded a little hoarse.

…