Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

"Aurora Blue Creek High School, or ABC High School for short."

"ABC? Is it a high school or a Kindergarten?"

"Did you see a kindergarten kids this big? Also, they were chosen by the organizers, so they should be strong right?"

Since Robert had chosen this school as one of their exchange game opponents, the school's strength must be decent.

Because of language barriers, the two sides couldn't communicate before the game. American etiquette wasn't as rigid as Japan's, and there were no complicated rituals like bowing to each other before the game.

Out of respect for local customs, the Seidou High School baseball team skipped the formalities.

Once everyone was in position, Miyuki and the opposing team captain played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would bat first.

After returning, Miyuki was excited and raised a victory sign.

Although he looked like a harbinger of misfortune, he seemed in a good mood because he won the rock-paper-scissors.

The nickname "harbinger of misfortune" was given to him by Kuramochi.

When it was first used, it was quickly embraced by almost all of the Seidou High School baseball team.

Miyuki had terrible luck when it came to rock-paper-scissors.

He never won in any critical matches. Even in less important ones, his chances of winning were rare.

Because of this, the two vice-captains often suggested to Coach Kataoka.

They suggested that while Miyuki could stay as the captain, they shouldn't let him participate in rock-paper-scissors. Instead, they thought Sawamura should take his place.

Sawamura not only had great skills but also had ridiculously good luck.

It seemed like he never lost in rock-paper-scissors.

"Well, maybe I did lose a couple of times!" Sawamura humbly responded.

The reason he lost so few times wasn't because of superior skill, but because he played rock-paper-scissors so infrequently!

With everything prepared, the game officially started.

For today's match, Seidou High School sent a team even weaker than the last one.

However last time, the core players like Sawamura and Miyuki didn't play, reducing the team's strength by half.

Add to that the absence of Kominato, Kanemaru, and others…

Seidou High School had essentially sent a team with half of its main lineup missing.

That's why they were so badly beaten by the Texas team at the beginning.

It wasn't just a loss—it was a complete mess.

If it hadn't been for Lincoln, who messed up the rhythm at the start, and if Seidou's players hadn't taken advantage of this at the end…

There was no way they would have won that match.

After that lesson, everyone thought Coach Kataoka would surely make some adjustments this time.

Seidou High School's exchange games were meant to accumulate experience, not to suffer like this, right?

But no one expected that their coach was even MORE Ruthless than they had imagined.

The starting lineup for this game was so bad that Sawamura could hardly bear to watch.

The pitcher was Furuya.

The catcher was Ono!

The rest of the lineup included Yamaguchi, Kijima, Kanemaru, Takatsu, Yuuki, Nishiyama…

'I can't believe it, Boss!'

The 'brilliance' of this lineup left Sawamura completely speechless.

He really didn't understand what his Coach was thinking.

Sending out this lineup for a match?

What was Coach Kataoka thinking?

"He clearly doesn't care about winning or losing anymore," Miyuki quickly figured out the situation.

"How so?"

"The summer tournament is about to start, and after we get back, we'll have just over a week to train. We'll be facing exams and group formation soon…"

Sawamura wasn't dumb. As soon as Miyuki started explaining, he quickly grasped the point.

"So you're saying our coach hasn't treated this match as an exchange game at all. Instead, it's more like an exam for selecting the main players and training them?"

Sawamura couldn't believe it as he said this.

Even though he was the one who figured it out, it still felt unbelievable.

How could Coach Kataoka dare to do that?

You know the game was being broadcast live to all of Japan.

Even if not everyone was interested in Seidou High School's American trip…

As the Champions of Koshien and the dominant team in Tokyo, Seidou High School represented more than just their own team now.

If they performed poorly in an exchange game, Coach Kataoka would face huge pressure.

Only someone completely insane would do this!

But after thinking about it more, Sawamura wasn't so sure.

If it were anyone else, they would never do something like this.

'But if it was Kataoka…'

It seemed totally possible.

You see, in the past, before the summer tournament, Coach Kataoka used to push all the players to the limit during training, then have them play against top teams from across the country.

He wanted them to face a hellish start before gradually moving toward success.

This new approach might seem crazier, but the general idea was the same.

If Kataoka really did this, it wouldn't be surprising at all.

However, were Sawamura and Miyuki's guesses correct?

Let's rewind time a little, to last night, in Coach Kataoka's room.

The team won!!!

At that moment, there was no one more excited than Coach Kataoka.

Originally, he had expected this match to be an automatic loss.

He wanted to see who among the players could truly showcase their style and strength in such a desperate situation, and who could only perform in favorable conditions, immediately shrinking when faced with adversity.

To Coach Kataoka, the players of Seidou High School's baseball team were like his own children.

Deciding who should stay on the main roster and who should be dropped was a tough problem.

If the players performed well and ranked high in the team, Coach Kataoka wouldn't have to worry too much—he could just pick the best and put them in.

But not all choices were that simple.

For example, there were many positions that had more than one suitable player, and their abilities were quite similar!

Take left field, the backup center fielder, shortstop, or third baseman…

The players who could fill these positions were all performing well. But there wasn't just one or two.

So who should stay? Who should leave?

It was all a hassle.

In this situation, Coach Kataoka could only try his best to ensure fairness and impartiality and make things difficult for the players. He wanted to see who could burst forth with their true strength in times of adversity.

Naturally, he was more inclined to promote players who could show such resilience.

As for the results of this exchange game, to be honest, Coach Kataoka hadn't placed too much importance on it. For him, the main goal was to help his team mature and for the players to grow more skilled.

Everything else was secondary.

Out of eight exchange games, winning three or four was enough.

Winning five or six would be a huge victory!

There was so much room to maneuver in this regard.

As long as the final match, against America's Dream Team, didn't end in disaster, everything else was acceptable...

However, his proud students gave him a huge surprise.

Despite being behind at the start, the players managed to turn the game around with a burst of energy.

What made Coach Kataoka most pleased wasn't Sawamura's rampage on the field.

After all, the Japanese opponents weren't like the American players who had less knowledge of Sawamura. They were much less likely to face him directly.

When they arrived in Japan, Sawamura would be heavily restricted. It would be very difficult for him to dominate as he did now.

What made Coach Kataoka most excited and thrilled was the growth of other players in this match.

Kuramochi, Kominato, and Yuuki!!!

They shone like dazzling diamonds, starting to emit their own brilliant light.

Even if Sawamura was restricted, these players could still bring their own strength to the table.

And they gave Coach Kataoka and the Seidou coaching team a huge surprise!

"Our strategy was right—forcing the players to explode in adversity!"

Such a result strengthened Coach Kataoka's belief.

He discussed the matter with Ochiai and Takashima, and they all agreed that the strategy was sound.

As for the match win rate?

They could afford to lose the first two games, it wasn't a big deal!

Coach Kataoka still had a lot of confidence in the team he was leading.

He believed that as long as his students could fully unleash their strength, even American college teams wouldn't be their match.

The clash against the Texas team had already proven this.

With Sawamura on the mound, steady as a mountain, how could they lose?

This was the confidence that led Coach Kataoka to make his decision.

He had already discussed strategies with coach Ochiai and Vice-President/coach Takashima.

If they found themselves in a passive situation, how should they adjust?

If any player encountered problems, how should they replace them?

Coach Kataoka and coach Ochiai had already prepared for everything.

Then they began to take the game seriously.

The ABC team was the former top 8 in Texas.

They were said to be very strong, with a very unique style.

The most important thing was that this team wasn't like other American teams.

Most American teams relied on individual player skills, backed up by simple, efficient tactics.

This team, however, was different. Their style resembled that of Japanese teams, where the players' individual strengths complemented the team's strategy for better results.

Coach Kataoka and Coach Ochiai were quite excited to see such a uniquely styled team.

Miyuki chose to bat second!

This would give the team more time to adjust.

From this, it was clear that Miyuki had a good grasp of Coach Kataoka's and the coaching team's mindset.

The game began!

On the mound, Furuya took the hill and, before throwing the ball, looked at Sawamura.

That gaze was like a declaration of war.

This was something Sawamura didn't expect.

Recently, Furuya has been quite humble.

He looked much more polite than usual.

Sawamura had thought that Furuya had accepted his fate. After all, if the difference between them was small, Furuya still had hope of catching up.

But now, seeing how big the gap between them had grown, Furuya had naturally come to terms with being the backup pitcher.

What Sawamura didn't expect was that Furuya had no such intentions.

He hadn't withdrawn from the competition; in fact, he was just holding back to unleash even greater power later.

He wasn't going to give up on competing with Sawamura!

Roaar!

On the mound, Furuya took a stance and threw the ball hard.

The players on the ABC team had been a little disappointed that they hadn't gotten the chance to face Sawamura directly.

Things were different now. Despite Seidou only having played one game, the word had already spread in the online world.

Sawamura had defeated two big American teams—Los Angeles and Texas.

Rumor had it that MLB Coaches were very interested in him now.

Facing such a player in a direct confrontation, the ABC team's players were very excited.

However, they didn't expect Seidou to send a substitute pitcher.

From the information they had gathered, they knew that although the substitute was strong, he couldn't compare to the ace!

They thought they had a chance to hit the ball!

"Destroy him and force out their Ace!"

Before taking the field, the ABC Coach had given the players this order.

The players were highly motivated.

But on the mound, it wasn't Sawamura, nor the solid backup pitcher from yesterday.

To the ABC players, this was a great opportunity.

They were eager to attack and face Furuya's pitch!

The fastball, exceeding 96 mph(155 km/h), zoomed past like a racing car speeding through the air.

The first batter from ABC dropped to the ground in fright.

"Oh My God!!"

Even American players who usually excelled with fast pitches had never seen a pitch this fast.

He had just felt like that ball was heading straight for his body.

If it hit, it could seriously injure him.

"The F*ck…?!?!"

'Dude! I Didn't Sign Up For This!!"

In that instant, the batter had lost all will to fight.

Not just the player on the field, but those in the ABC dugout too.

They watched Furuya as if he were some alien creature from another world!

...

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

See you Tomorrow!

Until then, take care!

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