Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Sawamura, the one who is called the Demon King, actually Walked someone? 

No matter how you look at this, it feels completely subversive. Even the supporters of Seidou didn't know what to say for a moment. 

Sawamura himself had an indifferent attitude. He warmed up and continued pitching. 

The surrounding teammates also quietly breathed a sigh of relief but still cheered for Sawamura Eijun! 

"TWO OUTS!"

"TWO OUTS!"

"LET THEM HIT!"

"WE'LL DEFINITELY STOP THEM!"

Although Sawamura Eijun didn't face Raichi directly, it did surprise them a bit. 

But they had to admit, they felt a sense of relief in their hearts. 

Originally, they had full confidence in Sawamura's abilities, no matter who the opponent was. They believed that their Ace pitcher could definitely handle anyone. 

But the current situation was a little more complicated. 

Everyone in the Seidou High School baseball team knew that Ono couldn't catch all of Sawamura's breaking balls… 

In other words, the strength that Sawamura could exert was actually limited. 

No one could guess how big was this limitation. 

With that, the players in the Seidou High School baseball team couldn't help but feel uneasy on the pitcher's mound. 

It wasn't until they saw Sawamura decisively Walk Raichi that their hearts finally settled. 

No matter the situation, their Ace pitcher still had everything under control. He knew exactly what to do… 

This didn't quite match the invincible image of Sawamura that they were used to, but it didn't hinder their trust in him. 

And it was true. After Sawamura walked Raichi, the confidence in the players' hearts grew stronger. 

This showed that their Ace pitcher wasn't troubled by the opponent in front of him, and he was still thinking of the team's best interests. 

It also meant that he knew exactly what his trump cards were. 

Nothing was more reassuring than this! 

The game continued, and now it was Sanada Shunpei's turn to bat for Yakushi High School. 

He was also one of those who were shocked. Sanada couldn't understand why Sawamura would choose to walk his opponent at this moment. 

'This guy really knows how to surprise people!'

As a rival in the same region, Sanada originally thought he had studied Sawamura thoroughly. Now, it seemed that the Sawamura he had studied was just the surface. 

What kind of performance would the real Sawamura show? He had no idea. 

This feeling was frustrating but also helpless. 

Such an opponent made Sanada Shunpei feel both awe and excitement. 

Speaking of which, the players from Yakushi were really a gathering of monsters. This wasn't entirely because of their strength, but also because of their personalities and behaviors, which were truly baffling. 

Generally, teams don't want to face particularly strong opponents because it means danger and challenge… 

But the players from Yakushi High School didn't seem to care at all. 

They weren't afraid of danger, nor were they afraid of challenges. 

In fact, they were addicted to that feeling and couldn't extricate themselves. 

'What a bunch of monsters!'

On the pitcher's mound, Sawamura sighed with emotion, then got into his stance and threw the ball in his hand. 

During this process, he noticed that his partner Ono seemed to have a lot on his mind. 

Fortunately, Ono was also a battle-hardened player, having undergone severe training at Seidou High School. Even if he was confused, it didn't affect his performance. 

Sawamura's ball successfully bypassed Sanada's swing. 

SNAP!

"STRIKE!!"

From the very beginning of the duel between the two, Sawamura kept using breaking balls. 

He was well aware of Sanada's traits. If he threw a straight ball now, the threat this guy could unleash would be just as dangerous as Raichi's. 

So, no need to be polite, just implement the breaking strategy directly. Although Ono couldn't catch the high-level breaking balls, the general ones were fine. 

For example, the Cutter, the Moving-up, the Change-up… 

PING!

Finally, Sanada swung at the Moving-up and missed, his face full of bitterness. 

'Really determined!'

The Demon King Sawamura truly lived up to his name. 

Once he implemented the breaking ball strategy, there was nothing Sanada could do. 

Sanada was completely convinced. He had no countermeasures against Sawamura Eijun's pitching and could only barely get the ball out. 

The ball flew high and landed in the direction of the second baseman's defense. 

"Haruchi-kun!"

Sawamura turned around and shouted, reminding his friend to guard. 

Actually, he didn't need to remind him. Kominato Haruichi had already positioned himself early and easily caught the ball. 

"OUT!"

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange. 

Unlike the aggressive atmosphere at the start, the supporters of Seidou now shouted much less. 

Their great king, Sawamura Eijun, actually chose to Walk the opponent… 

Though they had beautifully secured three Outs, the audience still felt somewhat uneasy. 

Even the supporters and fans of Seidou felt this way, not to mention Ono, one of the parties involved. 

After the fielding ended, he kept his head down, gloomy. 

He wanted to ask Sawamura what he had been thinking. Did he not trust him? 

Although Sawamura's tricky breaking balls were indeed unstable for Ono to catch, it didn't mean that he couldn't catch any of them. 

In other words, it wasn't completely impossible. 

Under these circumstances, Sawamura chose to Walk Raichi… 

"Sawamura!"

Back in the dugout, Ono called out to Sawamura directly. 

Sawamura paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile. 

'Here it comes. '

Although Ono's presence in the current Seidou wasn't very strong under Miyuki's shadow, That didn't mean he was someone without a temper. On the contrary, he had a rather stubborn one. 

"Is something wrong, Senpai?"

Sawamura didn't try to brush it off. This kind of principled question couldn't be solved with a few laughs and jokes. 

If he couldn't give his partner a reasonable explanation, it could even become a knot between them. 

Of course, Sawamura Eijun didn't want that to happen, so he answered seriously. 

"I know I'm not as good as Miyuki, but I can catch the tricky breaking balls! And I can definitely catch them!"

When he said this, Ono's attitude was very firm. 

In response, Sawamura could only smile bitterly. 

He couldn't even refute Ono's words, or the blow to the guy might be even greater. 

After hesitating for a while, Sawamura said frankly, 

"It would be a lie to say that there were no concerns at all. I do have concerns, but Walking Raichi isn't all because of that."

Sawamura's honest explanation made Ono feel at ease. 

This just showed that what Sawamura Eijun was going to say next was the truth, not just a perfunctory answer. 

Ono listened attentively. 

"Yakushi's entire lineup has concentrated its energy on Raichi. If we could defeat him head-on, that would be the most ideal result. It would definitely deliver a heavy blow to Yakushi's overall strength..."

"But I have to admit, this approach is risky. It's very likely we'll be hit out by Raichi. That would be more harmful than good..."

"On the other hand, Walking him now means the opponent has power but can't use it. This will give the opponent a much heavier blow and deepen their despair."

Sawamura's explanation was very convincing. Even Ono had to admit this… 

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense. Compared to the extremely risky head-to-head confrontation, Walking Raichi seemed like the safer option. 

"But what about you?"

Ono didn't ask this question in the end, but Sawamura understood what he wanted to ask. 

After all, Sawamura was the Demon King, the top pitcher in the country. It felt somewhat disgraceful to Walk the opponent like this. 

"I consider the team's interests first!"

Sawamura gave his direct answer. 

"If Miyuki had been the catcher just now, what would you have done?" Ono finally asked this question.

It might have already become his internal struggle. 

Without hesitation, Sawamura answered directly. 

"I would have confronted him head-on!"

'As expected…'

Ono's face showed a hint of dejection. 

"No need to dwell on that. If I were with Miyuki-senpai, I'd think facing Raichi directly would have a higher chance of success. So I would have chosen to face him head-on..."

"Right now, my partner is you, and that's the best arrangement!"

Now, my partner is you!

Sawamura's words felt like a warm spring, flowing into Ono's heart. 

Yeah, he wasn't Miyuki, and there was no need to be exactly like him. 

He just had to become the best version of himself. 

"Alright!"

Ono felt a huge weight lift from his heart. 

It was great that Ono had figured it out himself. 

Next, they needed to focus on how to completely crush Yakushi! 

After persuading Ono, Sawamura began to think about against Yakushi.

The score on the field was still 5-5, with the situation evenly matched.

Although Sawamura stood on the pitcher's mound and immediately stabilized Seidou's defense, preventing any further runs, the opposing team had substituted Mishima. The new pitcher, Raichi, showed equally impressive pitching skills, and with the help of his defense, he also managed to keep Seidou from scoring.

As a result, if Seidou High School wanted to secure a win, it would become more difficult.

'Must find a way to score first!' Sawamura thought to himself.

Without realizing it, Sawamura seemed to have returned to his middle school days. During that time, he was also the leader of the team...

Not only did he have to look out for himself, but he also had to look after his teammates.

Next, Seidou went on the offense.

Seidou High's batting lineup had returned to the top of the order.

In the previous few innings, their lineup had already cycled through twice.

At this point, it was the third time Seidou's top batters were up to the plate.

If they were still facing the same opponent, this would be a good opportunity for Seidou to crush the pitcher.

Unfortunately, although it was still the same game, the opponent had changed.

The current opponent was no longer Mishima, but Raichi.

This was a brand-new opponent, one that made people feel the heat of competition.

Raichi hadn't pitched much at Yakushi, but that didn't mean his pitching wasn't troublesome.

Even Kuramochi didn't have an easy time with him.

After struggling with a few pitches, he finally managed to hit one.

Ping!

The ball was struck and flew high into the air.

The outfielder from Yakushi seemed prepared, already positioned at the baseball's expected landing spot.

Snap!

The outfielder easily caught the ball.

One Out, no runners on base.

Yakushi High's defense continued!

It didn't look like they were defending at all; rather, it seemed like they were on the attack.

Next, it was Haruichi and Shiratsu's turn, and their situation was even more tragic.

Both were typical technical batters and for such players, hitting often involves a degree of guessing the pitch.

Their entire batting system relied much on predicting the pitch.

However, Raichi's control was unpredictable. Even if they guessed the pitch correctly, it didn't necessarily mean that pitch would come.

As a result, Seidou was caught off guard, and the players could only reluctantly swing and make weak contact.

Thus, they were quickly shut down.

In the blink of an eye, there were three Outs, and the offense and defense switched.

Next came Yakushi High's offense. The game had unknowingly reached the halfway point, entering the fifth inning.

Sawamura once again displayed his superb pitching skills, using his Moving ball to easily secure three Outs.

When the power of Sawamura's Moving ball was fully unleashed, it was truly frightening.

The players from Yakushi found themselves in a dilemma. They could either not swing and watch as the balls kept entering the strike zone, falling behind in the count, or they could swing, hoping to hit the ball.

Both options were like thirsting for water, but the second option seemed slightly more reliable.

This was the option Yakushi's players chose.

They kept swinging their bats, constantly hitting the balls out of the park, and then getting out one by one...

Sawamura completely took control of the rhythm and toyed with the opponent.

This spectacle left the other scouts from top teams in the stands in awe.

The gap was huge!

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Seidou's offense began.

Maezono was the first to step into the Batter's Box. He looked like an enraged King Kong, putting immense mental pressure on the pitcher Raichi.

Facing this scary FACE Maezono, Raichi started to get startled and visibly hesitated.

Sawamura's eyes suddenly lit up.

He had just realized that Raichi, who seemed fearless before, was actually showing signs of fear when facing Maezono.

'Wow, what a surprising and unexpected discovery.'

Sawamura immediately became interested...

Raichi had always given off the impression of a fearless monster. But in fact, anyone who knew him slightly would realize that his true nature wasn't like that.

In private, Raichi was a very introverted and shy person. It was only when he held a bat in his hands that his wild inner self fully manifested.

Raichi had a special kind of confidence when it came to his bat. He was confident that, with that bat in hand, he could clear all obstacles.

This confidence was instilled in him by his father, Todoroki Raizou. They had lived in poverty since childhood, enduring freezing winters and hunger.

But it all really happened. If Raichi hadn't worked part-time jobs delivering newspapers since he was a child, relying on his meager earnings to support himself, who knows if he would have even survived?

Since then, Raizou instilled this philosophy in his son.

"Want to eat? Want to eat meat? Want to make a lot of money? Want to get ahead?"

"If you do, practice your swing!"

If you want to change your life, you can only do so with the bat in your hand.

It was from that moment on that Raichi decided on his future path.

He wanted to change his life with the bat in his hand.

With this awareness, Raichi and his bat became inseparable.

He placed so many of his dreams, emotions, and struggles against fate onto that bat...

So much so that now, Raichi with a bat in his hand and Raichi without a bat had become two completely different people.

With a bat in his hand, Raichi was aggressive, manic, and actively pursued his dreams.

He was the high school's premier power hitter!

But without a bat, Raichi was an introverted and somewhat timid boy.

That didn't change until high school when he officially joined the baseball team. From that point, the 'Thunder Beast' began to mature.

If Raichi had a bat in his hand right now instead of a baseball...

He would never fear Maezono!

He wouldn't be intimidated by Maezono's aura...

Sawamura's eyes lit up as if he had discovered a new continent.

He suddenly realized that this could be a good opportunity, but it was not guaranteed.

"Zono-san, come on!!!"

Standing in the on-deck circle, Sawamura raised his hand high and cheered for Maezono!

Maezono's expression remained unchanged, still wearing his wrathful look. His eyes locked onto Raichi on the pitcher's mound, as if he wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him...

On the mound.

Raichi felt an inexplicable nervousness. He swallowed hard, and the corners of his mouth awkwardly grinned.

He wanted to continue his previous laughter, but couldn't. The terrifying pressure, like a mountain, weighed heavily on him. It slowed his actions unconsciously...

It wasn't until this moment that Raichi realized how terrifying high school baseball could be.

It was so scary!

In his mind, the image of his pitch being hit kept flashing before him.

That sense of honor was no weaker than when he hit a home run earlier.

Even though his personality was a little introverted, that didn't mean Raichi lacked heart.

He knew very well how hard it had been for the team to get to this point.

Although the score on the field was still 5-5, and the two teams were still tied, Seidou High School had made a dramatic comeback. They had fought back from a 5-2 deficit, scoring point by point.

Their momentum was much stronger than Yakushi High's.

If Shunpei Sanada didn't return to the mound soon, it seemed that Yakushi's chance at winning would be gone.

Unexpectedly, a change occurred earlier—Sawamura Eijun intentionally walked Raichi.

On the surface, this seemed like the safest move, but everyone could see the truth.

Sawamura had retreated on purpose.

This subtly exposed many of Seidou's weaknesses and caused the situation on the field to shift.

For Yakushi High, who seemed to have no hope, any change on the field was an opportunity for a counterattack.

In this case, it was even more so.

They, who had no hope at all, suddenly saw a spark of hope.

Right now, it was just a small spark, no sign of a big blaze.

But who could guarantee that, with the right wind, this spark wouldn't grow into something great?

So Raichi had made up his mind: no matter what, he had to get the outs. He couldn't let these small hopes be crushed in his hands.

Shaking his head, he pushed aside the terrifying pressure from Maezono.

Raichi gritted his teeth and threw his first pitch.

Whrroosh!

The ball seemed to accelerate like a rocket, and in the blink of an eye, it reached the strike zone.

...

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

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