Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

'Very strong damn it!'

'We are so screwed!'

Although they managed to retire the New York Manhattan team's players in order, everything went smoothly.

However, neither Sawamura nor Miyuki looked relaxed.

Though their confrontation with the New York Manhattan team had only just begun, the opponent's strength was already becoming apparent.

'Very strong, really strong.'

If it weren't for Sawamura's understanding of these opponents, it wouldn't have been easy to take them down.

But this kind of intelligence support wouldn't last forever. During the first round of encounters, it hadn't been an issue, but by the second round, they were sure the opponents would come up with a countermeasure.

"We must score first!"

Once back in the dugout, Miyuki immediately suggested this to Sawamura.

Sawamura of course agreed with the idea.

After all, the New York team was incredibly strong, and there were too many variables that could affect the outcome of the game…

Without a certain amount of points as a cushion, Seidou High School could easily be defeated by their opponents in a sweeping fashion.

At this point, it was better to score as many points as possible.

"The game has just begun, let's strike while their footing is unstable, and force an offensive…" Coach Kataoka in the dugout also gave the same advice.

He too felt that their current opponents were exceptional.

There were too many uncertainties in the game.

In the bottom of the first inning, Seidou High School's offense began.

Kuramochi, tasked by Coach Kataoka with a crucial mission, was the first to step into the Batter's Box.

Seidou intended to seize the initiative, but things wouldn't be that simple.

From the intelligence they had gathered on the "Son of Baseball" from New York...

That man, who was born with a talent that made others envious, was incredibly strong!

"Let me see for myself!"

Looking at Allen on the pitcher's mound, Kuramochi Youichi raised his bat high, his eyes sharply focused on his opponent.

If Allen showed even the slightest opening, Kuramochi wouldn't hesitate to deliver a thunderous blow.

Kuramochi stood ready at the plate.

On the pitcher's mound, Allen, however, didn't seem to be paying much attention to his opponent.

His eyelids drooped, and he couldn't even spare a glance toward Kuramochi.

Once everyone was ready, without waiting for the catcher's signal, Allen took action on his own.

VROOOOOOOO!

He reached out, took a step, and pitched!

This series of movements flowed seamlessly, and the baseball shot out like a rocket.

It accelerated and gained speed as it climbed in the air.

In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Kuramochi.

It was as if a flash of lightning, the baseball sped toward him.

During this process, Kuramochi didn't even have time to react.

KABOOM!

"STRIKE!"

When everything settled, Kuramochi stared with wide, incredulous eyes and turned to look at the baseball in the catcher's mitt.

'Eh…?'

He couldn't quite understand.

Kuramochi had certainly faced fastballs before, as Seidou High School had its own pitcher, Furuya, whose top fastball speed reached 158 km/h. (98 mph)

But from Kuramochi's feeling just now, Allen's pitch...

The speed was far beyond Furuya's.

In the Seidou High School baseball team's dugout, they had brought a radar gun to measure Allen's pitch speed before the game.

From the very first pitch, they had been tracking Allen's velocity.

Coach Kataoka's face darkened, and he turned to the student holding the radar gun.

"What was the speed of that last pitch?"

The student's hand was trembling, his voice shaking.

It was as if he himself couldn't believe the speed he had just seen.

"What was it?"

Ochiai, who was standing nearby, asked impatiently.

"161 km/h!" (100 mph)

"That can't be right, the radar must have malfunctioned!"

"How could an 18-year-old have that kind of speed?"

"That's right. If someone that young could throw over 160 km/h, it would have made the news."

Even in a foreign country like Japan, they would have heard of it.

"The previous record was 159 km/h(~100 mph). It's been a few months since then, so it's not surprising to see such improvement."

Ochiai stroked the small beard on his chin, thinking carefully.

He didn't pay attention to the panicking players.

Coach Kataoka nodded.

He also believed what Ochiai said.

But that meant it would be even harder for the Seidou High School players to hit Allen's pitches.

At the Batter's Box, Kuramochi gritted his teeth.

His opponent's strength exceeded his expectations.

To be honest, he had never imagined the opponent's strength would be this overwhelming.

But now that he was in this situation, there was no turning back.

No matter how strong his opponent was, he had to hit the ball.

Only then would he not let down his Coach's expectations.

Although it was a good thought, executing it was far from easy.

With a pitch speed of over 160 km/h, the ball traveled from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's Mitt in just 0.3 seconds.

In the blink of an eye.

'To hit such a ball, you had to swing early.'

Otherwise, just a slight delay would cause you to miss the ball.

The opportunity was fleeting.

You had to make your decision immediately.

When the next pitch came, Kuramochi gritted his teeth and swung his bat.

The bat passed right by the baseball, and neither of them made contact.

KABOOM!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!"

Without any doubt, Kuramochi was struck out cleanly.

In recent times, Kuramochi has been improving quickly. Now, he was undoubtedly the third strongest player on the team, after Sawamura and Miyuki.

Though he wasn't known for his hitting ability, his teammates all recognized his strength.

Now, even Kuramochi had been easily taken care of by the opponent.

This left the Seidou High School team in a bit of a panic.

When Kominato stepped up to bat, he was inevitably affected by the previous events.

VROOOOOOO!

He swung too hard during his at-bat.

Paak!

He managed to make contact, and perhaps he thought that if he didn't swing with enough force, he would never hit the ball.

But the result of overexerting was that he couldn't maintain his timing.

The baseball was hit and bounced off the ground, easily intercepted by the first baseman of New York.

"OUT!!"

Two Outs in a row.

The Seidou High School offense was suddenly at a standstill.

Two Outs, no one on base.

Now, it was Sawamura's turn to bat.

'They are all very nervous!'

Whether it was in batting or fielding, they made mistakes they wouldn't have made before.

This left Sawamura speechless.

He knew his teammates would be nervous, but he didn't expect them to be nervous to this extent.

First, Kanemaru made an error during a throw, and then Haruichi's performance at bat was off...

In the past, while they might not have performed well at times, mistakes like these were almost nonexistent.

After all, they were members of the Seidou High School baseball team, who had dominated both the Summer and Spring Koshien tournaments for two consecutive years.

In terms of both mentality and experience, they were far beyond the average player.

It was supposed to be impossible for them to make mistakes due to nerves, no matter the size of the stage they were facing.

After all, they had seen it all before...

This was what Sawamura originally thought, but now, he realized he had been too naive.

The reason why his teammates didn't get nervous in the past was probably because the situations they faced weren't big enough.

This wasn't Koshien; this wasn't Jingu Stadium.

To put it bluntly, this wasn't the familiar place his teammates from Seidou High had known before.

There were 60,000 pairs of eyes around them, some black, some blue, some white, some red...

The stadium itself was entirely unfamiliar!

'And this pitcher's strength is so freaking overwhelming!!'

Under this immense pressure, even the Seidou High teammates were inevitably affected.

That was why they were underperforming.

Now, Sawamura stood in the Batter's Box.

According to Coach Kataoka's instructions, he was supposed to seize this opportunity to score.

Sawamura was eager for a showdown with Allen.

Whether in his past or this lifetime, Allen had always been an obstacle that Sawamura had to overcome.

Before entering the Major Leagues, this encounter with Allen was something Sawamura had long looked forward to.

Who could know how excited Sawamura was inside at this moment?

However, no!

As a member of the Seidou High baseball team, Sawamura knew that today's game wasn't something he could win alone.

If he disregarded everything and only focused on confronting Allen directly...

Then the defeat of Seidou High was only a matter of time.

Even if he was lucky and managed to score, it wouldn't be enough!

The American Dream Team's strength was on an entirely different level compared to the opponents Seidou High had faced in the past.

The opponents Seidou had faced before could be overwhelmed by Sawamura's powerful abilities.

'But this opponent was different.'

They were not the kind of team that Sawamura could suppress on his own.

Even if Sawamura gave his all and Seidou managed to gain a temporary lead...

'In the end, the team would still face defeat.'

Sawamura let out a long breath, and in his heart, he had made up his mind.

As the Ace of Seidou's baseball team, Sawamura had to take action to show his teammates.

The opponent wasn't unbeatable.

No matter how many legends there were about the "Incarnation of Baseball" or the "Dream Team," they were just human beings, flesh and blood, just like the players of Seidou High.

Emptying his mind, relaxing his body, and sharpening his focus, Sawamura carefully observed the pitcher's mound where Allen stood.

When Allen faced off against Kuramochi and Haruichi, he appeared detached, as if he was sleeping, sluggish and unmotivated.

In Sawamura's mind, this guy always seemed to have this kind of attitude.

A haughty demeanor, as if no one was worth his attention.

Sawamura didn't like it!

But he wouldn't underestimate his opponent just because of this dislike.

Sawamura knew very well that this was just Allen's style.

But now, oddly enough...

That unmotivated guy seemed to have suddenly woken up.

When he looked at Sawamura, it was as though he had seen a kindred spirit.

There was a sense of mutual recognition, but also an instinctive distaste.

'Crazy!'

Sawamura couldn't decipher or understand the complex look Allen gave him.

He instinctively thought that the guy must be abnormal, otherwise, why would he have such a strange look?

After sizing up Sawamura for a while, Allen on the pitcher's mound finally took action.

VRROOOOOO!!!

With one smooth motion, he took his stance and hurled the baseball.

Sawamura's concentration was at its peak.

So, when the baseball came at him, he entered the Zone.

In that state, even a 160 km/h fastball seemed to slow down.

However, even though the 160 km/h fastball began to decelerate, in Sawamura's vision, the ball still seemed fast.

'Not enough!'

His focus wasn't sharp enough.

Sawamura knew this well, but he felt helpless. After all, improving his dynamic vision wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight.

Relying solely on that state to fully solve Allen's pitching was impossible.

Thus, the only things left to rely on were experience and instinct.

At this moment, Sawamura was resolute.

When he realized that he couldn't easily solve the situation, he didn't hesitate to trust his instinct.

'Hit It!'

Focusing intently on the target, Sawamura decisively swung his bat.

PAAK!

The bat made contact with the baseball, sending it bouncing behind the catcher.

"FOUL!"

"OOOOOHHHH!!!"

"He to made contact!"

"And it is a Foul!"

"These Japanese kids aren't half bad!"

This showdown, like a clash of sparks, attracted the attention of everyone in the stadium.

All eyes were glued to the battle, eagerly awaiting the outcome of this confrontation.

Perhaps because they were so focused and expectant, many people even forgot to cheer or shout.

They were simply staring, captivated by the confrontation between pitcher and batter.

Allen, who had looked half-dead earlier, suddenly seemed to come alive.

His eyes seemed to shine as if he had found a worthy opponent in Sawamura.

He was clearly excited.

This feeling was rare, something that only a strong opponent like Sawamura could bring.

A good opponent was hard to come by.

Especially one like Sawamura.

Allen's eyes gleamed like a hungry wolf spotting its prey.

He took his stance and threw the ball with force.

VRROOOOOO!!!!!!

At this point, Sawamura had already given up on the idea of hitting a home run.

After all, if he swung with all his might, the chances of being struck out or hit directly were not small.

To show his teammates that the opponent was not invincible, Sawamura had to hit the ball and get a base hit.

Thus, he chose the most reliable approach.

PAAK!

The powerful rebound force from the bat almost caused Sawamura to lose control and send the bat flying.

Luckily, he managed to stabilize it and barely made contact with the ball.

Whoosh!

Though the baseball didn't travel far, its placement was perfect.

Tak!

Despite the fielders being quick, they couldn't stop the ball in time.

By the time they reacted...

The baseball had already passed through.

"SAFE!"

In this way, Sawamura secured a solid base hit.

'It worked!'

Although this base hit didn't have any significant impact on the game at the moment, Sawamura had shown with his actions that the opponent was not unbeatable!

…

T/N: The Big Game Starts!!!

Oh, and Seidou is in big trouble.

Anyway, Thank you all for reading!!

Have a good day people!

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