Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

By the eighth inning, Yui Kaoru was replaced by Okumura Koushuu.

Before today's game, the three rookie catchers had significant differences in their status in front of the coaching staff of Seidou High School, including Coach Kataoka.

Everyone has an internal scale, just as people in their hearts will weigh the importance of these three catchers.

Before, the catcher with the highest status was undoubtedly Yui Kaoru. This was unquestionable.

Whether it was due to his achievements in middle school or his performance after joining the team, Yui Kaoru was undoubtedly the top catcher.

Although Okumura and Matsumoto had good performances, compared to Yui, the difference between them was still quite apparent.

Second place went to Okumura, followed by Matsumoto.

Of course, this was just everyone's first impression. Neither Coach Kataoka nor the other coaches had the shallowness to judge a player's real abilities based solely on this.

However, because training time and focus were limited, the team could only focus on the most important and secondary players.

Every period of time required a round of testing.

Seidou's testing methods were very simple and direct.

They looked at the players' performance in practice games and the internal matches.

The coaching staff would evaluate the players based on their performance, and those who scored higher naturally got the opportunity for promotion.

Today's Okumura was a result of this.

For the other players, their performance on tests and the coaches' assessments didn't differ much.

The coaches of Seidou High School were known for their sharp eyes. They rarely made mistakes in their judgments.

A player who was capable would be seen as capable, and someone who wasn't wouldn't be.

Of course, exceptions existed.

Take Okumura for example.

In previous tests, there was still a noticeable gap between him and Yui Kaoru.

However, in today's game, what Okumura showed was more dazzling than Yui Kaoru's performance.

This even caught the attention of Coach Kataoka and coach Ochiai.

Originally, Yui Kaoru was supposed to play the entire game today, but they changed their minds.

In the final two innings, Okumura would team up with Nishiyama.

Nishiyama didn't mind the change.

Although he personally preferred partnering with Yui Kaoru, it wasn't that he had any issues with Okumura. It was just that he was more familiar with Yui Kaoru.

They had better chemistry because they had played together before.

In contrast, playing with Okumura didn't come with those advantages.

"Please take care of me!"

Okumura raised his head stubbornly.

He was someone who hated losing, and he was very determined about it.

If Yui could team up with Nishiyama, then he could too.

"Please take care of me!"

Nishiyama responded with a smile.

At least on the surface, their teamwork seemed to be good.

How effective they would be, though, could only be revealed in the game.

In the top of the eighth inning, the rookies were up to bat.

With Okumura stepping up, the rookie batting lineup was adjusted. Although Okumura's batting ability wasn't weak, it still wasn't quite on the same level as the players in front of him.

So, he was moved to the fifth spot.

The others were moved up in order.

The leadoff hitter remained the same, still Takuma.

Although Takuma had gotten on base previously, he was ruthlessly shut down by Sawamura. As a result, the rookies hadn't had any effective base runners yet.

Without effective baserunners, the lineup had to start over.

"Got to hit it out!"

Takuma usually appeared all smiley and easygoing, but in reality, he had a very strong personality. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become such close friends with Okumura.

Takuma and Okumura seemed to have very different personalities, but deep down they were the same type of people. Both hated losing.

Thus, Takuma was determined to hit Sawamura's pitch out of the park.

Just as he made this decision, Sawamura's pitch came flying toward him.

Whrroosh!

Seeing the baseball coming, the pitch wasn't in a tricky spot.

Takuma realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Without hesitation, he swung his bat and sent the ball flying.

Ping!

As soon as the bat made contact with the ball, Takuma snapped back to reality.

What had just happened? Was he out of his mind?

'Sawamura-senpai wasn't a push-over. How could he have thrown a pitch that easy to hit?'

The only reasonable explanation was that it was a trap.

Snap!

The ball bounced in front of the pitcher's mound.

Sawamura effortlessly caught the ball in his mitt and threw it to first base.

"OUT!"

No questions, Takuma was cleanly Out.

Next up was Nishiyama. After Yui Kaoru left, Nishiyama took over the second spot in the lineup, feeling a lot of pressure.

Previously, Sawamura had been throwing mostly for strikeouts, but in this inning, he had changed his approach to focus more on fishing for weak contact.

This shift in strategy meant that Nishiyama couldn't expect the same kind of pitches that had come to him before.

First, he had to figure out his opponent's rhythm.

What kind of pace did Sawamura want to pitch at?

With this in mind, what kind of pitch was most likely to come next?

It was like solving a math problem. You had to gather the right information to deduce what Sawamura would do.

This was a tough puzzle.

It was like asking a middle school student who had just learned algebra to solve a calculus problem.

Nishiyama had potential, but he wasn't at the level of a top catcher. His mind wasn't sharp enough to fully predict Sawamura's next move.

So, he couldn't know what pitch Sawamura would throw next, and he couldn't anticipate the speed or type of pitch either.

Whrroosh!

By the time the ball came flying like a laser, Nishiyama gritted his teeth and confirmed it.

'A fastball!'

But by the time he confirmed, it was already too late. He had missed the best opportunity to swing.

Swinging too late, he could only manage to make weak contact with the ball.

Ping!

The ball was hit high into the air.

"First baseman!"

Sawamura immediately signaled to his teammate in the infield.

Snap!

"OUT!!"

Although Sawamura caught the ball, he didn't look pleased.

Kariba wasn't Miyuki, and with him as a catcher, Sawamura's pitching was greatly limited.

Even his fastball couldn't be thrown with full power.

Sawamura's fastball was one of his trump cards.

If he could throw it with full force, Sawamura was confident he could make Nishiyama miss.

But since he couldn't go all out, he couldn't guarantee that Nishiyama would swing and miss.

Luckily…

'I finally got him Out.'

Sawamura was almost embarrassed to have been so troubled by such a young player.

When facing Yuuki Masashi, he had even shown part of his true power by striking him out.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!"

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

The game moved to the bottom of the eighth inning.

Sawamura, once again, hit a HOME RUN, completely suppressing Nishiyama's confidence.

On the mound, Nishiyama felt like crying.

This was the second time he had felt like this.

The first time was against Yakushi High School's Raichi, and now against Sawamura.

This feeling was horrible!

For most players, it wasn't surprising to feel like this.

After all, there are always those who are simply beyond compare.

But Nishiyama wasn't just any player.

He was the World Series runner-up pitcher.

Before coming to Seidou High, he always believed he was one of the best players in his age group.

He wasn't arrogant enough to think he was number one in the world, but he did believe his skills were at the top level.

After entering high school, he realized that wasn't the case at all.

Even players a year or two older than him had far surpassed him.

In a small place like Tokyo, he had already run into two opponents who far out-leveled him.

'Todoroki Raichi, Sawamura Eijun!!!'

'How many more players like them were there in the country?'

'In the whole world?'

The young man had finally realized the vastness of the world.

Luckily, his strong mental fortitude helped him keep his focus and complete his defensive duties.

He didn't let any more runs score.

But, by the time the match reached the ninth inning, the score on the field was still overwhelmingly one-sided. 

57:6!

The Senpai team led by a full 51 points.

Although the freshman team had managed to score six points, their performance was undoubtedly the most competent in the history of the orientation games.

However, conceding 57 points, especially for these proud freshmen, was incredibly difficult to bear.

Back in their middle school days, in their respective youth baseball teams, they had all been main players.

Not to mention that the teams they belonged to were generally strong.

Since they began playing baseball, they had never experienced such a crushing defeat. 

Now, facing this almost insurmountable score, they were each helpless.

In the past, they had only seen Sawamura's performances from the stands or on TV. But after personally facing him, they realized that…

His nickname was not given for nothing.

The title of 'Great Demon King' was truly deserved.

In any sport, those who can defeat someone with a nickname like Demon King are few and far between, and they are all invincible in their own right. 

Sawamura Eijun was no exception.

These freshmen had finally seen what it meant to face a true Demon King.

They now understood what true high school baseball was like.

Not only for ordinary players but also for those rookie stars, this was a good baptism.

The position they held was different, and the world they saw was naturally different. For those rookie stars, they would never look down on the second-string.

Their eyes were always focused on the first-string of Seidou High School! 

In other words, the top players in the entire high school.

Half of the first-string players of Seidou's baseball team were the two-time champions of Koshien.

They represented the best talent in the country.

Thus, for those players who joined Seidou High School's baseball team, their goals were clear. As long as they became the best in Seidou's first-string, they would naturally be among the best in the entire country.

Sawamura's presence made them realize how far they still had to go to reach this goal.

The top wall in the country was far more formidable than they had ever imagined. It was not easy to break through.

This was Sawamura's second goal in this game.

On one hand, it was a gift for the third-year Senpais; on the other, it was to teach these freshmen a lesson.

Let them know what it means to understand how wide and deep the world is.

The more promising these freshmen were, the more they needed to be careful of their mentality.

Otherwise, their talent could very well become the biggest obstacle to their progress.

By the time the game reached the ninth inning, Sawamura had completely achieved his objective.

The third-year Senpais had all participated in the game, and even Watanabe, who had become a semi-manager in the team, had fully enjoyed the game.

The freshmen had also realized their own immaturity.

They believed that in the future, they would surely surpass themselves.

Eijun was satisfied.

As a player on Seidou High School's baseball team, he had done everything he could.

Whether from the perspective of a Senpai or a junior, his actions were flawless.

By the time the ninth inning arrived, Sawamura wanted to wrap up the game quickly.

The sky was gradually darkening, and continuing would serve no purpose.

This 18-inning game had lasted nearly four hours, from the afternoon to dusk.

To be honest, he was starting to get a little hungry.

Only three Outs to go! 

Just three more Outs, and the game would be over.

Sawamura focused his attention on his current opponent.

It was Hirota, who had been moved to the fourth batter spot after the lineup was adjusted.

His performance today had earned him the recognition of all the freshmen in Seidou's baseball team.

In terms of batting ability alone, he was not inferior to Masashi.

Along with players like Yui, Nishiyama, Okumura, Matsumoto, Kagami … 

An incredibly strong lineup had already begun to take shape.

Facing his own Deshi, Sawamura was still relaxed.

Hirota understood him well, after all, he had been training with him for a long time. If he didn't understand his own coach, that would be absurd.

But Sawamura also knew Hirota well.

Half of Hirota's current skills had been taught to him personally by Sawamura.

So, he was confident in dealing with his Kohai.

Whrroosh!

Without hesitation, Sawamura Eijun threw the ball.

It was as if an adult were teasing a child, easily controlling the opponent.

Sawamura threw the ball with that mindset.

And then, he was taught a lesson.

'Senpai!'

Hirota gazed deeply at Sawamura on the pitcher's mound.

'You only know the past me.'

'This year, I have never relaxed in my self-discipline.'

'Now is the time to show my new strength.'

BUUZZ!!!!

The sound of the bat swinging was like thunder.

Behind the plate, the catcher, Kariba, felt his heart tighten.

Watching Hirota's swing felt like seeing something unbelievable.

'How could he be so strong? '

Just like Yuuki Masashi before, without even seeing the result, you could tell the batter's power just from the swing.

Ping!

Sawamura's strange pitch skillfully avoided the sweet spot of the bat.

In other words, Hirota's bat had failed to hit the ball's center.

Hirota noticed this, but he didn't mind. Instead, he continued to swing his bat with brute force, using sheer strength to launch the ball into the air.

WHRROOSH!!

The ball flew out faster than it had come.

Sawamura on the pitcher's mound wore a satisfied smile.

It seemed like Hirota's performance didn't surprise him much.

"Outfielder!"

He simply reminded the outfielder to be prepared.

However, the ball came so fast that it far exceeded the outfielder's capabilities.

"Back up! Don't let the ball pass through you!"

Sawamura calmly issued his instructions.

This was inevitably a hit, but the most important thing was not to let it become a long hit…

As long as they kept Hirota at first base, Sawamura had plenty of ways to handle him.

The outfielder quickly understood Sawamura's intentions and backed up to catch the ball after it bounced.

"SAFE!"

At this point, Hirota was at first base.

The situation had changed to no Outs, with a runner on first base.

Although he had allowed a hit, Sawamura wasn't particularly surprised. His Moving ball was a double-edged sword, and this kind of situation was possible.

But it didn't matter. It actually gave him a chance to show off.

With no runners on base, how could he not showcase his fielding skill?

Just as Eijun was eager to figure out how to handle the fifth batter, Okumura, the freshman team made a change.

Hirota at first base suddenly raised his hand.

"Request for a substitution!"

His action was baffling to both teams.

The Seidou High School players, despite their wide experience, had never seen anything like this: a batter hits the ball, then requests a substitution.

The umpire, Kataoka, felt his authority as head umpire was being greatly challenged.

Both the freshmen and Senpais had completely let loose in this game.

They played however they wanted, without any regard for the umpire.

"You want to substitute who?"

Though angry, Kataoka asked.

"Han Lee-Hyun!" Hirota said naturally.

Lee-Hyun, who had thought he had nothing to do with the game, was suddenly called up.

He stood up in a daze, not understanding what was happening.

Kataoka, originally not intending to entertain Hirota's request, was intrigued. He himself was curious about how Lee-Hyun would perform in this scenario.

"Fine."

Kataoka agreed.

Sawamura on the mound wore a slightly stiff smile.

'Boss!…Boss!…Isn't it time to wrap things up?'

Lee-Hyun, dizzy and confused, changed his gear and took the first base.

The situation now was no Outs, with a runner on first base.

The batter on the field was Okumura!

He was a very skilled offensive player.

The runner was Lee-Hyun.

He was the super monster who ran 100 meters in under 11 seconds during the freshman speed test.

Even though this was just an orientation game against the freshmen, these two opponents gave Sawamura Eijun a serious feeling.

He was acutely aware that if he made even the slightest mistake, the outcome could very well be disastrous.

"This is interesting!"

With the rest of the first string, Kuramochi narrowed his eyes dangerously.

His gaze was fixed on Lee-Hyun at first base.

'The opportunity had arrived.'

Without even a contest, Kuramochi knew his speed was no match for Lee-Hyun's.

It could even be said that they were not in the same league.

Lee-Hyun's speed was a pure talent.

The second time Kuramochi saw him was at night when Lee-Hyun was practicing base running alone.

As he ran, his hair flew behind him, and his shirt stretched out behind him.

Every detail showed his extraordinary speed.

The boy seemed to have grown up in the wind, and when he started running, he became a completely different person.

Sometimes Kuramochi feels like this too, when he runs so fast like he is in a different world.

Kuramochi was drawn to this version of Lee-Hyun, which is why he made time to coach him.

They had spoken privately before, and Kuramochi had warned Lee-Hyun:

"But when the opportunity comes, never miss it."

'The youth in the wind, the opportunity had arrived.'

'Now, it was time for you to soar high, flying with the wind!'

…

T/N: This Game and this Volume will end Tomorrow.

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