Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

The top of the fourth inning—Seidou High School was on fire.

Azuma Kiyokuni had just launched a towering two-run homer, instantly becoming the center of attention at Jingu Stadium.

Even with his big belly, fans couldn't stop calling him handsome.

Back in the dugout, the team swarmed him.

Those two runs were huge.

With a three-run lead now on the scoreboard, Seidou's players were riding high.

Even though Inashiro Industrial had yet to show any signs of mounting a serious counterattack, the Seidou players weren't naïve enough to believe they could shut out their opponent completely.

They knew—Inashiro would almost certainly score at some point.

So when the lead was just one or two runs, the players hadn't let themselves feel too secure.

But now?

Now they were up 3–0.

As long as they could limit Inashiro to two runs or less, they were walking away winners.

That realization electrified the dugout.

Then, as if to keep the momentum going, Chris slammed a double into the gap.

Another scoring opportunity!

The stadium atmosphere surged with energy.

"Crush Inashiro!!"

But down on the field, Inashiro's Ace Yuki wasn't flustered.

Even after giving up two runs and with a runner on second, he took a deep breath and dug in.

He fired a pitch.

Yoshida, up next for Seidou, judged the pitch and swung hard.

"Ping!"

The ball bounced sharply off the ground.

Inashiro's second baseman charged in, scooped the ball cleanly, and rifled it to first.

"Out!"

Three outs.

Seidou's inning was over.

The mood shifted slightly.

Seidou's players and fans had expected more.

They thought the inning would snowball into a blowout.

But they had to settle for three runs.

Still—three runs against Inashiro was nothing to scoff at.

Now came the bottom of the fourth.

Inashiro Industrial was up to bat.

Their hitters were making their second trip through the order.

"First batter—Hanaki!"

Hanaki walked to the plate, replaying his earlier showdown with Zhou Hao in his head.

Even now, he had to admit—Zhou's Spiral Ball was no joke.

"Don't rush. Wear him out," he reminded himself.

But just as Hanaki got set, something unexpected happened.

A player switch.

But no one came out from the dugout.

Instead, Zhou Hao left the mound and swapped places with Yoshida in the outfield.

"The real Ace of Seidou steps in!"

That was the buzz in the stands.

Inashiro's players and fans were momentarily stunned.

Then... many of them breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

They might not say it aloud, but deep down—they were glad.

"We don't have to deal with that Spiral Ball anymore..."

Still, Coach Kunimoto of Inashiro wasn't celebrating just yet.

He furrowed his brow.

"He's not out of gas yet…"

That's what worried him.

Zhou Hao had been pulled early—not because he was exhausted, but because Seidou was strategically saving him.

He could still return later.

And Kunimoto knew—if Zhou came back in the final innings, and they hadn't scored off Yoshida yet, it could spell doom.

He would've preferred to burn Zhou out now, to prevent that from happening.

"We need to score in these middle innings—before Zhou comes back."

Thinking quickly, Kunimoto issued a signal to Hanaki.

"Swing at the first pitch!"

Yoshida was strong—but only after he found his rhythm.

Early on, he was vulnerable.

In other words: if you were going to get to him, now was the time.

Hanaki nodded and stepped into the batter's box, eyes locked on the mound.

Across from him, Yoshida sneered.

"I know exactly what you're planning…"

He could almost hear what Inashiro's dugout was whispering.

"That Yoshida guy? He's soft. Let's go after him early."

Truth be told, Yoshida understood his weakness.

In most games, he couldn't stay in that "on fire" state.

He struggled to stay hyped.

But today?

Today was different.

"I've been ready since the very first inning."

In truth, Seidou had planned this game with Yoshida as the starter all along.

Zhou Hao's appearance had been a surprise, yes—but Yoshida had always been the core of their pitching plan.

He clenched his fist and declared to himself:

"I am the true Ace of Seidou High!"

Whoosh!

The pitch zipped across the plate.

Behind it, Chris—catcher and team leader—smiled.

That pitch was clean. Crisp.

"Yoshida-senpai... you came in at just the right time."

If Seidou could keep this rhythm going, Inashiro wouldn't get another chance.

"We're going to win this."

Hanaki swung decisively.

"Ping!"

The ball soared into the air—high, but not far.

Seidou's third baseman, a big-bodied powerhouse, got under it.

"Leave it to me!"

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