Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

"Our Ace pitcher isn't playing. As the reigning champion, do you dare put your Ace pitcher in?"

And as long as Sawamura stayed off the mound, Raizou wasn't concerned about anyone else.

It came down to which team had the stronger offensive power and who could break through the opponent's pitching lineup the quickest.

It's hard to say in general, but when it comes to offensive strength, Yakushi High School has never feared anyone.

"So, Mishima, you've got to do well!"

Yakushi High School placed their hopes on their backup pitcher, Mishima.

Mishima had been a talented pitcher in middle school and had always dreamed of replacing Sanada as the ace of Yakushi High School. While he hadn't fully replaced Sanada, he was given the chance to start as a pitcher, and he performed enthusiastically.

His talent as a pitcher wasn't bad, and the quality of his pitches was good.

But unfortunately, his opponent was Kuramochi!

In recent times, Kuramochi's overall abilities have undergone a complete transformation.

Although Yakushi High School adopted a defensive strategy from the start, filling the infield tightly, they were wary of Kuramochi Yoichi's speed. Whenever possible, they didn't want to give Kuramochi any room for a bunt.

But sadly, such a blockade could only stop the "old" Kuramochi, not the evolved Kuramochi.

Facing the flying baseball, Kuramochi didn't feel troubled at all—instead, he was filled with fighting spirit.

It was a strange sensation, as though he was confident that he could hit the ball. If asked why, he couldn't explain.

In any case, it was just a feeling.

Today, that feeling was particularly clear.

He aimed at the incoming pitch, swung his bat, and struck the ball with power.

Ping!

The white ball, once hit, drew a beautiful arc and landed in the outfield guarded by Yakushi High School.

Through continuous practice games and the experience gained at Koshien, Yakushi High School had become far stronger than the pushover team they once were.

Their outfielders reacted quickly and arrived at the drop point of the ball as it descended.

Unfortunately, it was still just a bit too far, about a meter away. The ball dropped just in front of the outfielder. The Yakushi outfielder could only watch as the ball zipped past him.

'A Long hit!'

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

Kuramochi let out a strange laugh as he ran past first base and reached second base.

The situation suddenly turned into no Outs with a runner on second.

This brilliant play left Yakushi High School in stunned silence.

Though the team had a lively and high-spirited style, they were taken aback when Kuramochi reached second base. They realized how problematic it was to let the most dangerous player advance to second base so easily.

Kuramochi Youichi's presence on the base was completely different from his presence at the plate. Once on base, the probability of Seidou High School scoring increased dramatically.

Yakushi High School had just scored two points. If Seidou High School caught up in this inning, it would mean a huge loss.

The momentum they had built up would disappear.

The shock from Raichi's home run would be neutralized…

'No! '

This wasn't something they could let happen. Yakushi's players understood this, so they couldn't bring themselves to smile.

It wasn't that they didn't want to stop Seidou from scoring; it just felt like they couldn't stop it.

Kuramochi was standing on second and with no Outs…

Seidou High School had too many ways to score. Yakushi's players could come up with a dozen tactics, but none of them seemed to work.

Which one would Seidou choose?

Just as Yakushi High School's players were tangled in thought, the action on the field continued.

Kuramochi, who had been standing on second base, suddenly decided to steal third.

Akiba Kazuma, Yakushi High School's catcher, noticed this immediately. He tried to stop it, but it was too late.

By the time he passed the ball to third, Kuramochi had already safely touched the bag.

"SAFE!!"

That lightning-fast speed had the audience screaming in awe.

"What was that just now?"

"That was so fast!"

"As expected of the Cheetah Kuramochi. Once he's on base, his whole demeanor changes!"

"His speed may not be the fastest among all high school students, but his base-stealing skills are truly transcendent…"

Kuramochi basked in the praise but appeared indifferent. Deep down, he was overjoyed.

After all the hardships he had endured at Seidou High School, Kuramochi had finally risen to become a star player.

Paak!

The next batter to step up was the second hitter, Kominato Haruichi.

Given that Sawamura Eijun and Miyuki Kazuya weren't playing, these two players should have been moved to the core lineup.

However, there was no better spot for them than first and second! After some hesitation, Coach Kataoka decided not to change the batting order.

Ultimately, this lineup arrangement for the final was temporary. In future games, Seidou High School would return to its usual order.

In this case, there was no real reason to switch the positions.

Kominato Haruichi employed a hit-and-run strategy and successfully brought Kuramochi home.

"SAFE!"

Not only did Kuramochi score, but Kominato also reached first base.

The situation now had a runner on first with no Outs.

The score on the field became 2:1.

So far, Seidou High School's offense wasn't anywhere near over, and they still hadn't used their three outs.

Surprisingly, Mishima's notorious luck acted up again and he dealt with the next two batters albeit barely.

Seidou's third batter, Shiratsu, got a hit straight to the outfielder's mitt.

"OUT!"

Then came the fourth batter, Maezono, who also couldn't get a hit.

"OUT!!"

From this lineup, it was clear that although Seidou had retained Sawamura and Miyuki, they had also sent most of their main force to the field.

They were determined to win the Spring Championship.

What they didn't expect was that Yakushi was even bolder, sending out all their main players with no substitutes.

Two Outs, a runner on second base. (Haruichi had taken advantage of the Outs to advance to second.)

Next up was Nishiyama, Seidou High's fifth batter.

It must be said, that Nishiyama's batting was extraordinary.

Just like now, he used his bat to redeem himself.

Ping!

The white ball soared in a perfect arc, landing behind the first baseman.

Kominato, who had been on second, ran past third and scored.

"SAFE!!"

The score was now tied 2:2.

Although Seidou High's core battery wasn't playing, the rest of the team had shown solid skill.

They managed to hold their own against the powerhouse team Yakushi High School.

"SEIDOU!!!"

"KING SEIDOU!!!!"

The first inning had ended, and the score was now 2:2.

Seidou High School, who had only sent half of their starting lineup, managed to go toe-to-toe with Yakushi High School, who had sent out their full team.

For the supporters of Seidou High, the scene before them was quite satisfying. The powerhouse Seidou, sending only half their regulars, was able to battle to a draw against one of the top eight teams in the Spring Koshien, Yakushi High.

How could the Seidou fans not get excited? At first, they had some reservations about Seidou's Kataoka sending a rookie like Nishiyama to the mound in such a critical game.

After all, their opponent wasn't some weak team, but one of their strongest rivals in the region, Yakushi High.

There was a real possibility that Seidou could lose this game.

But now, looking at how the game was unfolding, all their worries seemed completely unnecessary.

Even with half of their team made up of substitutes, Seidou was still able to handle Yakushi as if they were being dominated.

"SEIDOU!"

"SEIDOU!!"

Nishiyama had some reputation in middle school, but in high school, his fame had not yet fully spread.

Seidou High's fans didn't know him all that well yet.

Even though they were impressed by his performance on both the mound and at bat, they couldn't immediately shout his name.

But it didn't matter—since he was Seidou's pitcher, they simply cheered for Seidou.

In the stands, tens of thousands of fans went wild, continuously chanting Seidou's name.

Only those in the stadium understood the situation. For the people outside the Jingu Stadium who could hear the cheers, they might have thought Seidou had already locked in their victory.

"With these cheers, Seidou has already won?"

"No way, the game just started!"

"Anything's possible! After all, it's Seidou!"

For many fans, they were already used to Seidou winning in the end.

But putting the excited and crazy fans aside, let's focus on the next inning.

In the second inning, both teams displayed impressive levels of play, especially their pitchers!

In the top of the second inning!

After allowing two runs, Nishiyama completely went all out.

At this point, he showed his exceptional pitching skills and got Yakushi's batters to go down in order.

Even Seidou's baseball team members were incredibly excited about this, not to mention the fans in the stands.

In the Jingu Stadium stands all Seidou supporters were going absolutely wild. It felt like they were floating in the air like they were on cloud nine.

Mishima too did not want to lag behind a first-year rookie and gone all out too.

Despite holding nothing back, he struggled to suppress Seidou's batting lineup.

Although some runners reached even third base, they didn't score.

Their opponent was Yakushi after all.

The second inning ended with no team scoring.

In Yakushi's dugout.

Raizou, lying lazily on his bench, was surrounded by the roars of Seidou supporters chanting their team's name.

At this moment, the corners of his mouth curled into a cold smile.

'The opponents were getting too haughty!'

'It seemed like they really were underestimating us.'

"That kid over there is getting too carried away. Shouldn't someone teach him a lesson? Don't let that rookie show off like that, especially in front of their first-year juniors."

After hearing Raizou's words, the players from Yakushi had a fierce glint in their eyes.

They were already the type to play loose and wild, and even without Raizou's provocation, they were not the type to back down easily.

Now that their head coach had given them a push, they certainly wouldn't let the opportunity to attack slip by.

...

T/N: As always, Thank you all for reading!!

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