Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

The Aurora Blue Creek High School players looked at the pitcher's mound as if they were staring at a dinosaur from the ancient ages!

Even though they were the top eight from Texas, they had never encountered a monster like Furuya.

It was like seeing a ghost!

Even in America, this was the first time ABC High School's players had met a pitcher like Furuya. They had occasionally heard of such exceptional talents, but those were from the nation's very top leagues.

Students of ABC High School were, at their core, disciplined students who focused on their studies first.

Their baseball achievements were the result of a combination of luck and their inherent intelligence.

After all, baseball is a team sport; it's not enough for a player to just have skill.

The players from ABC High School were just like that, with decent skills and clear thinking.

So, even when facing opponents stronger than them, they could still close the skill gap through their own unique style.

But there is a limit to this.

The players from ABC High School were looking at Furuya in just this way.

It was like a three-year-old child facing off against an adult; even if you gave them a wooden stick, they had no chance of winning.

The two sides were simply on different levels!

In the Seidou High School's dugout, Kuramochi Youichi-kun was extremely excited.

"This is how it should be!"

At this point, the Seidou High School baseball team had a good idea of what Coach Kataoka was thinking.

Even if they didn't fully understand his reasoning, they could tell that their Coach wasn't planning to make things easy for them during this exchange game.

The players from Seidou High School, one and all, were at that age where they were rebellious and eager to prove themselves.

When they realized their coach wasn't going to make things easy, they were fired up to slap their Coach in the face with their performance.

Furuya did an excellent job!

"Let's keep the pressure on them from the mound and then score during the offense."

Thinking of this, Kuramochi glanced sideways at their Coach.

If Seidou High School wins without adjusting the lineup in this game, Coach Kataoka's face would surely be something to behold.

"These guys are the top eight from Texas, they can't be that weak, right?"

Miyuki frowned and said.

When it came to facing American players, Miyuki had enough experience.

Whether it was the previous games against Tokyo and Los Angeles or the match between Seidou High School and the Texas team,

Miyuki had been an important participant in both.

Although they had won both games,

'It would be a big mistake to underestimate the American players because of that!'

Frankly speaking, their strength was still considerable, and each of them had their own style.

If they unleashed their style, Seidou's backup players would likely struggle to contain them!

The match between Seidou and the Texas team proved this.

At that time, Seidou still had half of its main players, and yet, they were utterly defeated within four innings.

Even though this team from Texas might not be as strong as the Texas team from earlier, their ranking showed that they weren't weak either.

It was like comparing Tokyo's top eight teams to the Tokyo champions.

If you made a team from Seidou's first years and substitutes play against Tokyo's top eight,

Miyuki thought it would be quite a challenge.

So, despite Furuya's stellar performance, Miyuki didn't fully relax his vigilance.

He still saw potential in this match.

After all, even in Tokyo, Furuya often stunned opponents, but the opposing team didn't crumble, did they?

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

Even though Miyuki still felt a bit uncertain, the game was leaning heavily in Seidou's favor.

Facing Furuya's fastballs over 96 mph (155 km/h), the audience was dumbfounded.

ABC High School's players were lost!

Some savvy reporters and scouts from America had already started calling for speed guns.

They couldn't wait to test the speed of Seidou's pitcher.

While it took time for the audience and insiders to truly grasp the magnitude of Sawamura's strength,

Furuya's power was immediately clear from the way he threw.

You could tell just by watching him pitch that this guy was exceptional.

Seidou High School's exchange games in America might be beneficial to others in different ways,

But it was definitely a huge boost for Furuya.

Originally known only in Japan, he would surely make a splash in America after this appearance.

After all, players of his age in America who could match his pitching velocity were few and far between,

and every one of them was a huge talent.

To have such a genius emerge in a foreign land, it was impossible for American reporters and fans not to be excited.

They were going wild. As Texas's top eight, ABC High School's adaptability still impressed Seidou's team.

When it was their turn to defend, ABC High School, with their superb pitching and teamwork, managed to get three quick Outs, leaving Seidou's batters to go down one after another.

Just as Coach Kataoka predicted, being one of Texas's top eight with their unique style,

ABC High School was indeed a strong opponent.

But that was all—just strong.

They still had a long way to go compared to Seidou's players.

Coach Kataoka had seen this too!

The hope that they could force Seidou's team into a corner seemed unrealistic.

The two teams went back and forth, neither giving an inch.

With Furuya leading the charge, Seidou High School kept putting pressure on ABC High School's players.

In just three innings, Furuya had recorded seven Strikeouts, one high flyout, and one infield pop-fly.

On the other side, ABC High School's players weren't backing down either.

They also showed their resilience through precision teamwork and determination.

By the fourth inning, they didn't let any of Seidou's batters reach base.

"I didn't expect the game to unfold this way!"

In Seidou's dugout, coach Ochiai stroked his small chin beard, muttering to himself.

He glanced at Coach Kataoka.

He couldn't figure out what Kataoka was thinking.

Originally, Kataoka had planned to push his own players to the brink,

But now, his prized students were performing so well that not only had they not been pushed to the edge,

It looked as though they were taking control of the game instead.

This turn of events was completely different from what he had expected.

It was as if Coach Kataoka had been lightly slapped in the face by his own players.

'You thought we'd falter without Sawamura and Miyuki, without our main lineup, didn't you?'

'Hehehe!'

'Well, Sorry Boss!'

'You see! We're doing just fine!'

'By the time we finish this, those ABC kids won't even recognize their own mothers!'

"The game has just begun, we'll have to see what happens next…"

Despite being challenged like that by his own students, Coach Kataoka's expression didn't change.

He simply focused on the game, awaiting his players' performance.

…

T/N: His players are as stubborn as him. XD