Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

On the stands in Gunma Prefecture, over 36,000 spectators are in an absolute frenzy.

They excitedly shout the names of Seidou High School and Sawamura Eijun, celebrating the arrival of this grand event.

For many of the loyal supporters, this scene is the norm.

Their Great Demon King has finally unlocked his Final Form and can now truly compete with his opponents.

If the previous shakiness continued any longer, they might have suffocated from anxiety.

Now, it's all good. Sawamura Eijun is back to his prime.

The mighty Seidou High School is still as powerful as ever.

On the Hakuryu High School bench, Superintendent Sasaki, with a refined appearance and wearing glasses, looks nothing like a team leader or decision-maker. He resembles a university student who is still studying.

He himself had only recently graduated and, at 27 years old, had been managing Hakuryu High School for a bit over three years.

In terms of Coaching experience, he's not exactly a rookie, but he doesn't have much more experience than one either.

Such a person, with an academic demeanor, despite having engaged in intense games against Seidou High, seemed more like a researcher than a Coach.

But now, the academic demeanor is completely gone from Superintendent Sasaki's face. His expression is almost contorted, with his face giving making a hard look.

His gaze toward Seidou is no longer calm, as it was when the game began, but instead filled with bitterness and frustration.

At this point in the game, the outcome is already clear.

And because of that, Sasaki is even more unwilling to accept it.

All the preparations had been made before the game started.

The necessary practices had been completed to perfection.

During the time leading up to this, Hakuryu High had endured hardships and intense training.

He had personally witnessed Hakuryu High reach this point step by step.

It made him feel a deep sense of regret.

'Have all the efforts we made been in vain?'

Sometimes, Sasaki couldn't help but doubt.

'Was it talent? No, Seidou's previous generation is well known for being a talentless punch. And this generation—save for a few players—is the same.'

'Seidou's training style is good for making monsters!'

'So, is it really the gab in styles? Was Seidou's Baseball Style is that better than Hakuryu's?'

'Was this really the case?!'

Otherwise, with all the efforts they had made, why did the scales of victory not tip in their favor?

Instead, Seidou High School, in this game, has only grown stronger.

'Especially Sawamura Eijun.'

Standing on the pitcher's mound, he looks invincible.

'This shouldn't be the case. This shouldn't be happening!'

Sasaki thought to himself.

He's unwilling to accept this outcome, and neither is anyone at Hakuryu High School.

When a person is filled with denial, they will not give up easily. Hakuryu High School is just like that right now.

Even if it's futile, they are determined to make a final stand.

They are going all out.

But before Hakuryu High could even make a move, Seidou High School had already exploded.

Sawamura Eijun, though he had helped Seidou regain their dignity on the mound, still hadn't brought the score back to even.

The current score is still 3:2, with Seidou High leading by just one point.

This result is something the players of Seidou High absolutely cannot accept. So they cannot let it end here.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the first to step into the Batter's Box for Seidou High is their lead-off hitter, Kuramochi Youichi.

So far, Seidou High has accumulated nine effective hits.

Considering their opponent is one of the top schools in the nation, having nine hits by the sixth inning is already impressive.

Seidou's players have worked hard, and the results have been decent.

But compared to before, their ability to score has been much less efficient.

In the past, a few hits could almost always translate into runs for Seidou.

The Players have faced many powerful pitchers, and they had to master this skill if they want to survive.

But now, with nine hits, they've only scored three runs.

This includes Sawamura's home run.

Seidou's ability to convert hits into runs in this game is disappointing.

For Seidou's baseball team, this is something they cannot stomach.

So, they intend to make a statement.

This is the fourth round of batting for Seidou High's lineup against Hakuryu High's defense.

Kuramochi, with sharp eyes, carefully assesses the pitcher's mound and Hakuryu's pitcher, Ouno.

His mind is full of ideas, though none of them are pleasant.

'So far, the Hard Face Ouno has thrown over 70 pitches. He is nearing 100.'

'His peak form has passed, and though he's still managing to maintain his pitch power, it's going to be hard to keep that up.'

It's not a nice thing to take advantage of someone's weakness, but that doesn't apply to Kuramochi-kun, as this is his bread and butter.

'I'll see if your stamina is as unchanged as your face!'

Whoosh!

The expressionless Ouno throws another sharp pitch.

Even though his pitch count is nearing 100, his form still looks strong, with no signs of weakness.

'Really tough!'

Kuramochi muttered, letting the first pitch go by.

He had to admit, that Ouno's toughness exceeded his expectations.

Behind the plate, Hakuryu's catcher, Itou, glares at Kuramochi with a dissatisfied look.

He understands what Seidou's players are thinking, but he couldn't care less.

'If they think they can watch Ouno fail, they are mistaken.'

Though Hakuryu's players are strong, they are far from being as deep as Seidou High, especially when it comes to their pitching.

Aside from Ouno, their other pitchers, though capable, can't stand up to the competition at this level.

Unlike Seidou High, whose pitching squad is deep enough to be equal to a whole region, Hakuryu knows their own limits well.

To avoid being specifically targeted by the opponent, they've worked hard to strengthen their pitchers.

Ouno, in particular, has been their main focus in training.

First and foremost, stamina.

Ouno can throw 150 pitches a day with no issues.

'If Seidou thinks they can wear him out, they are wrong.'

At least, that's what the people at Hakuryu believe.

And Kuramochi Youichi has noticed this as well.

He too realized that trying to tire Ouno out through sheer stamina would be difficult.

So, he decided to meet Ouno head-on.

Since his third year began, Kuramochi has never stopped working on his batting.

Before the previous third-year seniors retired, he even asked his senior, Isashiki Jun, for batting advice.

"Jun-san, no matter how hard I try, my batting doesn't seem to improve. Do you have any tips?"

For Kuramochi to ask this, it was clear he had made a big decision.

Isashiki, like his little beard, impatiently replied.

"You don't seriously expect there to be some special method that suddenly improves your batting, do you?"

"No?"

"Idiot, of course not. If there was, would I let Tetsu get ahead of me?"

"Oh!"

Kuramochi's tone was full of disappointment.

Isashiki, seemingly unable to watch him like this, offered a final piece of advice.

"If you're not satisfied, just keep swinging your bat! This is what Coach taught me: if you keep doing something persistently, one day, it will bear fruit. This is what the 'Sweat doesn't lie' means"

Just like water constantly dripping from a mountain stream, eventually wearing away the stone beneath.

This natural wonder also exemplifies the simplest truth of the world.

From that day on, Kuramochi practiced swinging his bat almost 500 times every day.

After becoming a third-year student, with his heightened awareness and the results of his hard work, his batting skills improved significantly.

Without needing any tricks, he simply watches the ball and hits it.

Now, Kuramochi has developed this kind of skill.

He takes a step forward and swings his bat fiercely at the incoming baseball.

PING!

The baseball is struck and flies high into the air.

The baseball draws a perfect arc before landing in the gap in the defense.

The first hit of the inning.

No Outs, and Kuramochi safely reaches first base.

As the catalyst for Seidou High's offense, Kuramochi reaching first safely is hugely significant for Seidou High.

"Kuramochi-san is amazing!"

"So cool!"

Following him, stepping into the Batter's Box, is Haruichi Kominato. Looking at Kuramochi's back, he says with deep admiration.

After becoming a main player, Kominato teamed up with Kuramochi to form the second base duo, replacing his older brother Kominato Ryosuke in the process.

In the past, Ryosuke guided Kuramochi, and now Kuramochi is returning the favor by training Kominato.

The bond between them is something that can't easily be explained.

In any case, their relationship has only grown stronger through this strange legacy.

Now, seeing Kuramochi's good performance, Kominato genuinely feels happy for him.

"Since you've done so well, I can't let you down…"

At the same time, Haruichi made a firm decision to hit the ball.

To continue the offensive hope.

Continuing it for Eijun-kun, and continuing it for Captain Miyuki.

Hakuryu's strategy has already become clear to them.

It was nothing more than using Walks to avoid facing Eijun-kun.

The more they do this, the less they can let them get away with it.

They have to force them into facing Sawamura and Miyuki.

Before Captain Miyuki steps up to bat, they must fill the bases.

With this resolve, Kominato steps into the Batter's Box.

...