Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Seidou High School, the Kings of the field, had completed the comeback.

When Hakuryu High School's players were beginning to feel tense, they received a fatal blow from their opponent.

Kominato Haruichi made a clean hit, sending Kuramochi Youichi, who was on second, home, and breaking the deadlock in the score.

The score was now 2-1.

In the stands.

Fujio, a senior reporter from Baseball Kingdom magazine, was holding a small notebook in one hand and a pen in the other.

He was scribbling something down.

Curious, Akiko leaned over to see.

She saw the following note:

"Although it was anticipated that Seidou High School might make a comeback, no one expected it to happen so quickly!"

After all, at the beginning of the game, Seidou High School was being thoroughly targeted by Hakuryu High School, and the situation seemed perilous.

They originally thought that, even if Seidou High School managed to turn things around, it would take some time.

But they had no idea that Seidou High School would regain control of the game so quickly.

And this wasn't the end…

With one Out and a runner on first, Seidou's offense wasn't over; it was just beginning.

Up next were the third and fourth batters, Seidou's most reliable hitters—Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya!

Both of these players were nationally renowned superstars in their own right.

When they stood together, the pressure they exerted on their opponents was unprecedented.

Hakuryu High School was facing the greatest crisis of the game so far.

Faced with such an urgent situation, Coach Sasaki could no longer stay seated in the dugout.

"Messenger."

He immediately sent a player onto the field to relay instructions.

In such a sudden situation, Coach Sasaki didn't have many good solutions.

However, he still thought it was necessary to act.

Even if he couldn't come up with a way to counter Seidou's players, at least he needed to disrupt their momentum.

Otherwise, if Seidou High School continued this wave, they would really be in danger.

In the center of the field, all of Hakuryu High School's players had gathered around. Not just the infielders, but even the outfielders were coming together.

The nine players gathered and began to discuss something with the messenger.

Next to the Batter's Box, Sawamura was making a few training swings.

He didn't know what Hakuryu High School was up to, or what kind of tactics they might come up with.

But, honestly, he wasn't too concerned.

He was well-versed in every pitching detail of Ouno Shintarou.

He had confidence against this opponent.

Even if Haruichi were not on base, Sawamura had confidence he could score on his own.

Today, Hakuryu High School has indeed done a lot of work behind the scenes, and Sawamura didn't deny it.

But so what?

As the King and the reigned Champions, they were expecting that from the get-go.

They too came up with countermeasures in the face of such situations.

So what is left now is to see who will stay true to their strength, and show their power the most.

As long as the opponent dared to throw the ball in the strike zone, Sawamura had the confidence to hit it, no matter where it was pitched.

Just recently, Sawamura felt that his hitting had probably crossed a threshold, but he had never had the chance to verify it.

Without any warning, he suddenly understood many vague things he only knew before, and everything fell into place naturally.

It was as if Sawamura's mind had suddenly clicked.

Until today's game, Sawamura was fully sure that he had indeed crossed that threshold and become a true power hitter.

For now, this breakthrough might not help his performance as much as others expect.

But it represents a path.

A path leading to infinite possibilities in the future.

The players from Hakuryu High School are still chattering away, discussing something, but for Sawamura, it no longer matters.

On the other side, the players from Hakuryu High School had spent over a minute on the mound discussing their tactics.

Only then did they finish discussing everything.

Usually, a timeout might be for discussions, but there's no need to pass a message...

The message was nothing more than a signal from the Coach, expressing his instructions more clearly than signs.

Once the tactics were given, they could immediately return. It's not that complicated.

But Hakuryu High School did not do that, and they spent more than a minute discussing it.

In such a situation, every second felt like the players could clearly hear their own heartbeat.

It didn't seem like much time, but for the players on the field, it was an immense challenge to their patience.

Sawamura, who was a bit elated, didn't even notice it.

The rhythm of the game had unknowingly changed...

Although the change was subtle.

But it had changed!

The confrontation on the field officially began.

Hakuryu High School, with their well-discussed tactics, and Sawamura, who had just broken through in his hitting, were both on high alert.

In this confrontation, both Hakuryu and Sawamura were confident that they would achieve victory.

And they firmly believed in it.

The players returned to their positions and Sawamura entered the Box as his 'Abarenbou Shogun' resumed in the stands.

With his two fan clubs singing along with the brass band, it felt like the whole stadium was singing!

Sawamura let out a long breath in the Batter's Box, then took his stance and raised his bat.

Although he felt a little elated inside, his years of experience in competition prevented him from being careless.

Having been a relief pitcher in the Major Leagues for over a decade, Sawamura knew one thing very well.

In a baseball duel, every small mistake is deadly.

Especially when facing a team like Hakuryu High School.

Any small mistake is absolutely unacceptable.

If he makes a mistake, he will definitely be eliminated in the end.

Therefore, emotions had little impact on Sawamura's performance.

Even though he felt very happy, Sawamura could still bring his full strength to bear.

He looked at his opponent and raised his bat high, slightly swaying it.

He used every tactic he had to disrupt the pitcher.

This was far from a fair and square tactic, but it was extremely effective.

It was a trick that Sawamura had developed and perfected over many years.

It had naturally affected Ouno, the pitcher from Hakuryu High School.

Every time he pitched, he couldn't help but be distracted.

Just like now.

Whoosh!

The baseball flew toward Sawamura, and it seemed like Ouno had put all his strength into the pitch.

But Sawamura could tell that the ball wasn't as fast as he expected.

'The pitch wasn't as tricky either.'

'Although it came in at a low course, the location was actually a little high.'

'This pitch wasn't hard to hit.'

At least, it wasn't difficult for Sawamura.

'Then I won't hold back!'

Without hesitation, he opened his stance and swung the bat with all his strength.

Buzzzzz!

In the process, Sawamura used every bit of strength in his body.

In this extraordinary state, although Sawamura couldn't make his power explode in a special, doubled-up way like Super Saiyan, he could hit the ball more precisely, and his swing became smoother.

In other words, his hitting effectiveness had noticeably increased.

If he really hit the sweet spot, this wouldn't just be a single—it could even be a home run.

As he swung, Sawamura was filled with confidence.

He believed he could send the ball flying out of the park.

He was determined to give his opponent a solid lesson.

Let them know what kind of team Seidou High School is, and who exactly Sawamura Eijun is as an opponent.

'Although it might seem a bit harsh to Ouno, this is a game, and I have responsibility for the team and myself.'

They had gotten along well before, and could even be called friends, but now, on the field, there was no room for friendship.

Now, they were opponents.

The team from Hakuryu High School was a team Sawamura had to beat.

Once he adjusted his mindset, everything else became easy.

But what Sawamura hadn't expected was that just as his bat was about to make contact with the ball, the baseball suddenly dropped.

What looked like a low-angle fastball suddenly dropped.

This was a very typical Splitter.

Sawamura, who had been full of confidence, changed his expression at that moment.

'How could Ouno throw a Splitter now?'

'It didn't make sense.'

Before this match, Hakuryu High School had faced Inashiro Industrial High. Although they won that game, they hadn't had a clear advantage at the start.

In fact, at the beginning of that game, Hakuryu High School was under heavy pressure and seemed like they might fall behind.

Even facing such a crisis, Ouno hadn't shown any new pitches. So why, in this match, with such a relatively unimportant situation, would he suddenly pull out a sharp Splitter?

Could it be that Ouno suddenly evolved in the last day or two?

Sawamura, despite being a bit reckless, would never make such a wild guess.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.

The once-unshakable Sawamura now hesitated for a split second.

'No.'

As soon as the negative thoughts appeared, Sawamura quickly dismissed them.

He knew his current state was positive. If such a pessimistic attitude took over, it could break his momentum.

That would be disastrous.

Sawamura would absolutely not allow that to happen.

For those who aren't seasoned athletes, it's hard to understand just how precious an athlete's growth phase can be.

It's like when we were younger, and never really appreciated just how beautiful youth was. Even though we might have faced troubles, confusion, or helplessness back then…

But when we look back after some years, everything seems so beautiful.

For an athlete, this growth period is very similar.

Sawamura's pitching may be at a bottleneck, but his hitting is breaking through like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon.

If he were to be defeated or back down now because of a small Splitter from Ouno…

After the game, Sawamura would seriously consider buying a bag of marshmallows and choke himself to death.

Now, nothing else mattered. He was determined to hit that ball, no matter how it changed.

Even if he had never seen a pitch like this, he would still hit it.

In the swing, Sawamura adjusted his hitting position forcefully, chasing the ball's break and sending it flying.

PING!

Even with the unexpected Splitter, he was able to subtly adjust his hitting technique.

In the current Seidou High School baseball team, only Haruichi and Toujou had such capabilities.

This was a technique only skillful hitters could master.

And Sawamura pulled it off!

The baseball, after being struck, flew just above the ground for nearly 30 meters at very fast speed, passing through Hakuryu's defense and into the outfield.

Sawamura successfully reached first base.

Haruichi, who had been on first, smoothly passed second base and advanced to third.

The fans supporting Sawamura in the stands went wild.

They had always believed their Ace, the Maou, was unbeatable.

"HE DID IT!"

"DID YOU SEE THAT!"

"AMAZING!"

"I Got It On Camera!!"

"Let Me See It!"

 "SAWAMURA!!"

"DEMON KING!!"

 "So What If He Didn't See The Pitch Before? He Still Managed To Hit It!"

"Though It Wasn't Hit Perfectly, He Still Made Contact..."

"In the end, the result was what matters."

Now, the situation was one Out with runners on first and third.

The sponsors who had been coaxed into coming by Robert were all gazing at the game with excitement, their eyes sparkling with thoughts of money.

In professional baseball, it may seem like hitting a home run is easy, but that's a misconception.

When you actually break it down, home runs are much rarer than people think.

Sawamura's previous home run was certainly impressive, but it also made some people uneasy, given that Sawamura wasn't known for being a power hitter.

Is his hitting technique really up to par?

That might sound like nitpicking.

But the truth is, when a player is already at a high level, any improvements they make won't seem as flashy.

The key is to be well-rounded, without any weaknesses.

Otherwise, the opponent will only exploit those weaknesses.

Sawamura is very well-rounded—he is practically perfect.

So far, there's no obvious flaw in his game.

Athletes like him are rare and hard to come by.

He's a star, one of a kind.

"Mr. Robert, we sponsored this event. I don't know if you're Sawamura's agent, but perhaps we could discuss a contract in private?"

Some people, unable to hold back, brought up the topic of a contract with Sawamura.

Robert almost burst into tears.

But after thinking it over, he realized it might not be a bad thing.

Sawamura didn't have an agent yet. If he could negotiate a sky-high contract for Sawamura, the player would likely be very interested.

However, the draft system in Japan is a huge pain.

No team can be certain they'll get their top pick.

Even if they negotiate an agreement beforehand, the team still has to pick Sawamura in the draft.

…

T/N: Well, That's it for now!

As always, Thank you all for reading guys!

Have a good day!

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