Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

The team returned to school in silence.

"Meet in the conference room after dinner!"

After Coach Kataoka finished his instructions, he left with a few coaching staff members.

The players of the Seidou baseball team took a bath first and then went straight to the baseball club's strategy meeting after dinner.

By the time Sawamura arrived at the conference room, most of the attendees were already there.

"It's all your fault for dawdling; we're late again!"

Kuramochi, who was the last to finish eating, insisted on buying a drink afterward.

Sawamura was forced to accompany him and was immediately blamed upon entering the conference room.

He shot a fierce glare at Kuramochi!

He really wanted to beat this Senpai of his, but he knew he couldn't.

Coach Kataoka's sharp gaze swept over them, causing both to hurriedly lower their heads.

" "Sorry we were late!!" "

In the end, Coach Kataoka said nothing and only nodded, and the two took their seats as if granted amnesty.

They are seasoned veterans on the team; as long as Coach Kataoka didn't reprimand them at that moment, they were in the clear.

"Alright, let's start the meeting and summarize the last game!"

After giving his instructions, Coach Kataoka sat down. A young man seated next to him stood up.

This person was naturally Watanabe, the current scouter of the Seidou High School baseball club!

Watanabe stepped up to the projector and began analyzing today's match against Sankou High School.

"Everyone played very well today! Most importantly, Sawamura held the situation, preventing us from giving up any points. This created immense pressure on our opponents and allowed our lineup to break out…"

Watanabe wasn't just flattering Sawamura; he was stating facts.

In the match against Sankou High School, the players performed exceptionally well. The fact that the game could end early after seven innings wasn't due to Sankou High School's shortcomings. The main reason was that the players from Seidou High School performed brilliantly today.

"Of course, there's an issue here: the opponents did not shy away from dueling with our batters. If we faced a different type of pitcher, it would have been difficult for us to score so many points today."

In today's game, the hits were primarily concentrated around Sawamura and Miyuki.

If they had faced another opponent that didn't actively engage these two…

The result might have been a bit different. But the collapse of the opponent Ace was a given, due to how much pressure the lineup was putting on him coupled with Sawamura's pitching.

After discussing Seidou's performance, Watanabe held a small reflection session for a few players who underperformed.

Now it was time to focus on the main point of today's meeting.

Seidou High School's final opponent: Yakushi High School!

"Originally, simply making it to the finals of the spring tournament granted eligibility for the Kanto Tournament, so the two teams reaching the finals generally wouldn't fight too fiercely and give the opportunity to sharpen the subtitles with a final-like experience…"

Watanabe began by describing the annual tournament conditions.

This was all foreshadowing; the key point lay ahead.

"But!"

Anything prefaced by "but" often signifies a reversal.

The players of the Seidou High School baseball team were well aware of this routine, so they showed no surprise when Watanabe exclaimed "But."

"This year's spring tournament finals have changed in significance!"

If they face another prestigious team in the final, that team will likely choose to take it easy too, as is customary in finals.

However, this does not apply to dark horse teams like Yakushi High School.

A dark horse team rises suddenly, having no prior history or achievements.

When such a team sees a Championship within reach, will they willingly take it easy?

That seems unlikely.

But it's hard to say for sure.

After all, compared to the upcoming Kanto Tournament, the Championship of the spring tournament is somewhat insignificant. Revealing their strength too early could hinder their performance in the Kanto Tournament, which isn't a good strategy for the team.

This kind of reasoning is laid bare, yet no one knows how the opponent will choose.

It's not impossible to make a guess.

Typically, you can infer an opponent's choice based on the character of their Head Coach.

Unfortunately, that only applies to ordinary coaches. The situation changes with Todoroki Raizou from Yakushi High School; how he would choose remains a mystery.

"The guys from Yakushi are like a bunch of lunatics; who knows what they're thinking?"

Kuramochi grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Compared to those unpredictable players from Yakushi High School, Kuramochi would rather face Teito in the finals.

Though Teito High School is also very strong, Seidou High School at least knows their routines, unlike Yakushi High School, where they can't read their intentions at all.

After analyzing all this, Watanabe quietly sat down on the chair.

Tomorrow is the final, and they must finalize the starting lineup and strategies today.

Of course, that's the responsibility of Coach Kataoka and the coaching staff; it doesn't concern him.

Coach Kataoka gazed at his players, and after a few minutes, he finally spoke.

"Whether you are a main player or a substitute, I have great confidence in your abilities. I believe that no matter who plays, it will certainly lead the team to victory."

"Tomorrow's game will see rapidly changing situations; everyone must be prepared from the start to play at any time…"

"Yes!"

Coach Kataoka's words startled the players of the Seidou High School baseball team.

What he meant was that tomorrow's game would be challenging.

If the opponent sends out a strong player, then Seidou High School will also field a strong player. If the opponent sends a substitute to conserve their strength for the Tokyo region, naturally, Seidou High School won't bully them and will use substitutes to challenge them.

Such tactics seem sound on the surface, but there's a premise: will the main force or substitutes be the first to appear?

Baseball differs from basketball in that players who are replaced cannot re-enter the game.

So, whether Seidou High School sends out their main force or substitutes at the start is a significant question.

Clearly, Coach Kataoka has considered this and seems to feel he has no other choice.

"Tomorrow's starting lineup will be a mix of main and substitute players; the starting pitcher…"

When Coach Kataoka called out for the starting pitcher, everyone around listened carefully.

This is the crux of the matter.

Coach Kataoka's gaze swept across Sawamura, Furuya, and Kawakami's faces.

Finally, he focused on first-year newcomer Nishiyama.

"For tomorrow's starting pitcher, I intend to have Nishiyama pitch!"

When Coach Kataoka said this, all the players in the Seidou High School baseball club were taken aback.

'Did Coach Kataoka lose his mind?'

Tomorrow's game is the finals of the spring tournament.

Even if that Championship isn't that prestigious, it's still a Championship!

Is it a bit rash to directly send in a first-year rookie pitcher in such a crucial game?

However, Coach Kataoka didn't provide any explanation and left immediately after giving his order.

Superintendent Kataoka left, but the members of the Seidou High School baseball team remained in the conference room for a moment.

They curiously examined Nishiyama, unable to guess what Superintendent Kataoka saw in him. Could he be Kataoka's long-lost son?

If not, it was hard to explain the current situation. Superintendent Kataoka treated Nishiyama with such importance that, in tomorrow's match, even if Sawamura didn't play directly, it would be Furuya or Kawakami taking the mound instead.

How could a rookie help Seidou compete for the championship in the finals?

Kataoka was thirty this year, while Nishiyama was only fifteen.

Age-wise, it is close, but that would be an interesting scanda…

"What the heck?"

Nishiyama felt a bit embarrassed under the gazes of his teammates; it was quite stressful being watched by so many upperclassmen.

As a Senpai in the same dormitory, Sawamura naturally wanted to stand up for his Kohai.

He took the initiative to stand up and patted Nishiyama on the shoulder.

"Don't pay attention to those guys; their minds are filthy! Everything here is what you deserve and earned with your performance. If you feel uneasy, repay the Superintendent with your actions!"

"Yes!"

Nishiyama glanced at Sawamura gratefully.

Before joining Seidou, he thought someone like Sawamura would be incredibly haughty. He was surprised to find that was not the case at all.

Sawamura had a very good personality, especially caring towards his Kohai.

He was like a legendary hero.

Having such a Senpai in a prestigious team was truly fortunate.

"Oi! Who are you calling dirty-minded?"

Kuramochi tilted his head and scrutinized Sawamura.

Sawamura shot back a glare without hesitation.

"Who was just thinking about filthy gossip?"

Kuramochi's skin wasn't thick enough to withstand being called out by Sawamura, and he felt embarrassed.

"Tsk, whatever."

With a huff, he left. Though he was still thinking about what he was going to teach Sawamura in their next martial arts lessons.

Sawamura humphed in dissatisfaction, not knowing what misfortune was going to befall him later.

His Senpai never showed mercy when it came to playing tricks on his Kohai.

As people trickled out, many stole glances at Nishiyama.

From their perspective, Sawamura's words were not particularly pleasant.

But honest words are often difficult to hear.

Even if they felt a bit uncomfortable, they had to admit that Sawamura was reasonable.

Nishiyama was highly regarded by Superintendent Kataoka because he deserved it; his previous performance warranted such respect.

Near the bridge, the lone wolf Okumura was swinging a bat.

Despite appearing detached most days, he harbored lofty ambitions. He was determined to take the position of starting catcher from Miyuki before he left the team.

However, one fatal flaw stood in his way.

In addition to being the main catcher, Miyuki was also the cleanup hitter.

To completely replace Miyuki, Okumura needed to improve not only his catching skills but also his batting ability.

Okumura's hitting was fairly good. However, when compared to other newcomers, he didn't stand out.

First was Nishiyama!

That guy came with a champion's aura, boasting excellent hitting skills. Not only did he perform well in practice, but he also shone on the field.

When the new team is formed, he might secure a starting number due to his performance.

One of the numbers from 1 to 9.

The other standout newcomer was Yuuki Masashi!

His performance was equally dazzling; he had already hit a grand slam as a freshman.

Although Yuuki was not as practical as Nishiyama, he gradually found his place on the first string and secured a foothold.

Others included Yui Kaoru, who had joined the second string for training, and Hirota, who remained in the third string like him…

Their hitting abilities surpassed Okumura's.

Compared to the freshmen, he didn't rank highly, let alone against the senpai of the Seidou High School baseball team.

'If I want to compete for the starting catcher position, I must improve my hitting skills!'

With this determination, Okumura kept practicing his swing.

After about ten minutes, Takuma, who had been inseparable from him, finally arrived.

"Hey, Koushuu, I have big news! Want to hear it?"

Okumura didn't respond and continued practicing.

Sure enough, Takuma still told Koushuu.

He raised his voice excitedly.

"Did you know? Nishiyama is starting tomorrow! You've been interested in his pitching; maybe tomorrow will be a good opportunity!"

Takuma said enthusiastically.

Okumura, however, had a noncommittal expression.

"By the way, why are you interested in that guy's pitching? His strength is formidable, but his pitching doesn't seem advanced, right? Compared to Sawamura-senpai and Furuya-senpai, he doesn't even come close."

Okumura shot a cold glance at his friend.

"Don't look at me like I'm an idiot, or I'll turn my face!"

Takuma said.

Okumura turned his head back, muttering while practicing his swing.

"it is not because I am particularly interested in him, it just something doesn't add up about him."

"Eh? What is it?"

"His nickname, Kousoku."

"What about it?"

"Although Nishiyama's pitching looks impressive, among his peers, his ball speed isn't the most remarkable. The fastest pitch in the last World Series was thrown by Igarashi Sora, his substitute. But his nickname is the Young Samurai, which has nothing to do with pitch speed. On the other hand, Nishiyama, whose ball speed isn't as high, is called the Kousoku..."

Takuma wasn't stupid; Okumura's explanation was clear. If he didn't understand, he'd be a fool.

"You mean?"

"This guy must be hiding something!"

"The Orientation game!" Takuma quickly reacted.

"He might have thought that way at first, but it seems that now it won't work! Or rather, it's unnecessary."

"What do you mean?"

"He has a more suitable stage and a better opportunity!"

The finals of the Tokyo Spring Tournament.

This game was significant, for both the Seidou's baseball team and the entire Tokyo high school baseball community.

Its outcome would directly affect the upcoming Kanto Tournament.

According to past practices, teams from Tokyo usually wouldn't compete too fiercely, likely sending out substitutes.

But even a game played entirely by substitutes holds value for scouting.

In such a game, both teams would send substitutes, which means their tactical style would be easier to see.

This would better reveal the tactics and style of the team.

Such a match would inevitably attract many scouts and analysts.

The attention would undoubtedly be substantial.

To deliver an excellent performance in such a game...

Nishiyama wouldn't need to wait for the Orientation game to make a splash.

"I initially thought we were the only ones thinking this far ahead, but it seems I was wrong." Takuma shook his head with emotion.

To be honest, he didn't expect that even Nishiyama, who had already joined the first string, was quietly preparing for the Orientation game.

He wondered how many others had similar plans in secret.

According to the Senpais, the Orientation game at Seidou High School was extremely important.

It would determine, to a great extent, whether there was a chance to advance to the first team before the Summer Tournament began.

Based on past practices at Seidou High School, players who performed well in the Orientation game were generally promoted to the second string and might even be elevated directly to the first string.

Only by joining the second string could one compete for a starting number.

If you can't even join the second string in the Orientation game…

Sorry, there's no way you'd be promoted to the first team before the summer tournament.

In short, the purpose of the Orientation game is to evaluate the achievements of the freshmen.

To see if you have potential. If you do, you'll be promoted; if not, you'll continue training.

This year's freshmen at Seidou include many smart individuals, who have already inquired about the details of the Orientation game.

So they began preparing for this assessment early!

Okumura and Takuma are just two of them.

"We shouldn't concern ourselves with first-string matters. Let's focus on honing our skills When the Orientation game comes..." Okumura spoke up.

His mind was still replaying Sawamura's pitch that he couldn't catch…

Takuma next to him also took out his bat and practiced alongside Okumura.

During this time, the third-year players and some first-year freshmen trained very hard.

In contrast, the second years, who were the mainstay, had been relatively lazy lately; aside from a few dedicated players, hardly anyone insisted on extra practice.

…