Diamond No Ace: Echoes Of The Ace

Chapter 21: Gathering

When Masuko returned, he was greeted by Eijun sobbing like a child. He frowned disapprovingly at Kuramochi.

"As a senior, you shouldn't bully your juniors all the time."

Kuramochi looked aggrievedly at Masuko, who held up a note with a stern expression.

This time, Eijun's tears weren't his fault—well, maybe he cried from being moved, but how could that be blamed on him?

Yet, considering Kuramochi's usual antics, Masuko wasn't inclined to believe him.

Left with no choice, Kuramochi swallowed the bitter pill.

Still, for the sake of Eijun calling him "Onii-chan," he decided to let it go this time.

However, if Eijun dared to sink into despair so easily again, he would absolutely face serious consequences.

After receiving some comforting words from Kuramochi, Eijun's mood improved significantly.

Though still a little stifled, he vented all his feelings during practice.

As all the new students gathered, the real challenge began.

During the ability test, Eijun noticed Furuya, someone who had caught his attention before, and unconsciously began comparing himself to him.

In the long-throw competition, Eijun's 113-meter throw lost to Furuya's 120 meters.

Frustrated by the loss, Eijun spent the rest of the day brooding, determined to surpass him.

"Hello, Grandpa Tanaka?"

"Oh? What is it, Eijun, calling so late?" The old man, a bit sleep-deprived, let out a big yawn.

"I met someone in Seidou with an incredibly fast pitch, probably reaching 150 kilometers per hour. He's also a first-year, like me." Eijun's tone, though trying to sound composed, carried traces of frustration and unease.

On the other end of the line, Grandpa Tanaka picked up on Eijun's unspoken feelings.

He had noticed this about Eijun when the boy first asked him to teach him baseball.

Despite his sunny and cheerful demeanor, Eijun lacked self-confidence.

Though others had praised his talent, three consecutive first-round losses in junior high school tournaments had left deep scars, eroding his belief in himself.

If not for his naturally optimistic and persistent nature, Eijun might have already faded into mediocrity.

Emphasizing his talent too much would only make Eijun feel patronized. So instead, Grandpa Tanaka said,

"Eijun Sawamura, remember this: Effort never betrays. Whether or not you have exceptional talent might be important, but even if you work ten times harder and still can't surpass someone who barely tries, are you just going to give up?"

"There are many geniuses in the world, but they often don't have the chance to achieve greatness. You, however, have Coach Kataoka's recognition and a hand extended to you."

"Seize this opportunity. In Tokyo's fiercely competitive district, geniuses are everywhere. You don't have time to wallow in self-pity. Nobody survives here on talent alone—they all work hard."

"If your talent isn't enough, then the only option left is relentless effort. Eijun, keep moving forward, and the path will appear beneath your feet. Oh, by the way, I've prepared a new training plan for you—work hard and complete it, okay?"

After hanging up, Eijun sat alone in his room, thinking for a long, long time.

"Hmm... I still can't accept it," he muttered, opening a pudding cup. He took a huge bite, cheeks puffed as he chewed, then swallowed and calmed down.

"Tomorrow, I'll train with Haruichi and Kariba."

Coach Kataoka gazed through the window at the dimly lit field, where someone was training relentlessly, day after day.

Reflecting on the upcoming matches, he made a decision.

The next evening, after practice, Coach Kataoka gathered the second and third teams and announced an intrasquad match for the weekend.

First-year students would face off against the second string, with him serving as the chief umpire.

The second string players were thrilled by the news.

After all, each match brought the possibility of moving up to the first string.

For those demoted from the first string, it was a chance to reclaim their position.

The atmosphere among the second string grew fiery.

In stark contrast, the first-years wore grim expressions—except for Eijun, who was buzzing with excitement.

His teammates, Haruichi and Kariba, couldn't help but admire his nerves of steel.

"Sawamura-kun, you're amazing. Just thinking about competing against the seniors makes me so nervous I don't even want to participate."

"Yeah, I'm a bit nervous too. But if we're competing, I don't want to lose—to Eijun-kun or the seniors."

"Haruichi, you're amazing too!"

"Huh? Really? Being praised by Kariba makes me a little embarrassed."

"Haru, Kariba, what are you two talking about?"

As Eijun approached, Kariba explained,

"We were discussing the weekend's match. Competing against the seniors puts us at a disadvantage in terms of both stamina and experience."

"Yeah. To them, we're just tools for their showcase. Their expressions aren't exactly friendly. Athletes really change once it's game time."

Hearing their analysis, Eijun paused.

Immersed in his excitement about the game, he hadn't considered this.

After some thought, he said,

"If we want to compete with the seniors, we can't do it alone. Baseball is a team sport, after all. Haruichi, Kariba, I have an idea."

"What are you planning, Sawamura? Calling us all together like this?" Kanemaru asked impatiently. "The match with the seniors is coming up. We should be training now."

"Sorry for disrupting everyone's individual practice, but I wanted to hear your thoughts about the intrasquad this weekend."

"Thoughts? What can we say? Just try not to get crushed."

Tension from the upcoming match made everyone's words sharp. Seeing their serious faces, Eijun grinned.

"Is this attitude really okay? If we're this pessimistic, losing by 100 runs isn't out of the question!"

"What did you just say?!"

"If you all think you can't beat the seniors, then why are you still here? Why are you in such a rush to train on your own?"

"Surely none of you are planning to just muddle through until your third year, hoping to be pitied and handed a spot on the roster out of sympathy."

"Even if that's what you were thinking, unfortunately, Seidou isn't that kind of place."

"Otherwise, the second string wouldn't have so many third-year players. This time, Coach Kataoka himself is the head umpire. Do you understand what that means?"

Eijun paused deliberately, watching the others deep in thought, a sly smile creeping across his face.

"The seniors are so excited about the intrasquad match. We're just freshmen—probably not even qualified to serve as practice opponents for them. Yet their eyes are filled with determination."

"That's because this performance impacts their chances of moving between the first and second strings."

Hearing this key point, the expressions on everyone's faces became complicated.

Initially, they thought it was just a simple practice match designed to show them the strength of high school baseball.

But now it was clear that this wouldn't be an easy task.

If they went into the game with their current lineup, they might truly get obliterated by the seniors.

After all, their objectives were completely different, as were the stakes.

"If we perform well in this match, there's even a chance of making it to the first string. Even if it's not enough, leaving a strong impression on Coach Kataoka could make a big difference."

"When the opportunity arises, those who've caught his eye will have a better chance than anyone else—especially with a coach who likes to promote freshmen like Coach Kataoka."

Just as Eijun's words started to excite the group, a cold voice cut in.

"That may be true, but we're still targets. Compared to us, the seniors are even less likely to let this chance slip away."

Eijun looked at Takatsu, who hadn't been swayed by his speech, and felt a sense of relief.

If everyone became overly excited, the match would turn into chaos.

Takatsu's words provided the perfect opportunity to clarify the situation further.

If all Eijun wanted was to boost morale, there wouldn't have been any need to call everyone together.

Building on Takatsu's comment, Tojou added another heavy blow.

"Exactly. And don't forget, Tanba-senpai from the first string was recently demoted to the second string. That means we'll be facing Seidou's ace pitcher."

Seeing that the timing was right, Eijun spoke again.

"So, how do we survive against the seniors? How do we avoid becoming mere props for their showcase while also making a name for ourselves?"

"As we are now, we can't do it alone. Unless someone here can hit a home run off the ace's pitches or catch every ball hit by the seniors, we can't expect the coach to notice us."

"But none of us can do that, right? Baseball is a nine-person sport, whether in defense or offense. We're already outmatched in individual skill, and if we can't display teamwork, we'll truly have nothing. That's why we need to get to know each other and understand our opponents."

"But the seniors' teamwork is definitely better than ours," someone pointed out.

"Between someone who understands collaboration and someone who blindly goes it alone, who do you think the coach will choose for the team?"

At this, the freshmen fell silent.

"Even though we haven't known each other for long, we all have some understanding of each other, right? So we need to deepen that understanding and communicate."

"Words are bridges. Let's start by introducing ourselves—our names, defensive positions, playing styles, ranges, and batting abilities. The more detailed, the better. I'll go first, okay?"

Before anyone could react, Eijun began,

"I'm Sawamura Eijun, a pitcher. I like throwing straight balls and facing batters head-on. Although I want to strike out opponents cleanly, the truth is my pitches are still easy to hit. But they're also easy to field. As for batting, I'm not very good, but I'm confident in bunting. During games, I'll do my best to advance the runners and run the bases."

After Eijun finished, there was a moment of silence. Unable to bear the awkwardness, he gave Haruichi and Kariba a pleading look. Picking up on the signal, the two quickly backed him up.

"I'm Kominato Haruichi, a second baseman. I'll do my best on defense. I use a wooden bat, and my batting average in middle school was .635."

Haruichi's brief introduction ended with a jaw-dropping statistic that stunned everyone.

"I'm Kariba Wataru, a catcher. While I can't guarantee catching every ball, I'll do my best to keep the ball in front of me. In middle school, I also practiced preventing stolen bases. I'll fully support the pitcher. As for batting, I think I'm okay, but I've never tried bunting."

"I'm Kanemaru Shinji, a third baseman. My defensive range is about three meters around me, but I'm not great at covering towards the backup positions, so I hope the shortstop and outfielders can assist me. My batting is slightly above average—I'm good at hitting fastballs but not breaking balls. I've never tried bunting either."

As the freshmen slowly began introducing themselves, Eijun's expression softened, resembling that of a proud parent.

Now that communication was established, they could move on to practical training, strategies, and gathering intel on the seniors.

Not to mention integrating the freshmen who hadn't shown up yet.

There was still so much to do, and time was running out. But Eijun was determined to tackle these challenges head-on.

--------------------

If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21