Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Three Outs, offense and defense exchange.

In the first inning, Seidou High School and Hakuryu High School went back and forth, ending in a tie.

In the second inning, both sides continued to compete evenly, giving no extra opportunities to the other.

Before long, the game moved to the third inning.

In the top of the third, Hakuryu High School was on offense.

Sawamura easily recorded two Outs.

With two Outs and no runners on base, he was facing Mima Soichiro once again.

"Give and take!"

Previously, Hakuryu High School made a strategic decision to have Mima Soichiro lead off.

At the beginning of the game, it indeed caught Seidou off guard, and they even managed to score first.

But now, they had to face the consequences of their choices.

With two outs and Mima Soichiro facing Sawamura, there was no way to expect much.

Even if Mima reached base, it wouldn't change much.

In this situation, Sawamura and Miyuki didn't need to worry about a runner on base; they could focus entirely on the batter.

Mima's star power had completely dissipated.

The developments were even faster than everyone expected.

Mima's dynamic vision was incredible.

Using Balls against him was meaningless.

So, Sawamura and Miyuki had to take the risk and use breaking balls.

That way, they might throw even more sharp breaking balls and possibly a Ball outside the strike zone.

But this strategy also gave them more confidence in getting the batter Out.

They couldn't use this strategy against everyone, but for just Mima, it wasn't a problem.

Ping!

"FOUL!"

WHRROOSH!!

Ping!

"FOUL!!"

After two Foul balls, Sawamura used a sharp Cutter Kai to end Mima Soichiro.

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!"

Mima walked off the field, still in disbelief.

When he thought about the pitch that Sawamura threw, Mima couldn't help but question himself.

With his dynamic vision, the ball seemed to disappear as it approached.

'How sharp was that breaking ball?'

When he calmed down, Mima understood the pitch's movement, but he still couldn't shake the cold sweat.

The pitch was so sharp that it had completely surpassed his expectations.

'But next time, I will hit it!'

The game continued.

The bottom of the third inning came, and Seidou was now on offense.

In the stand, the second and third strings along with the brass band were singing Train! Train!

With one Out and no runners on base, it was now Seidou's leadoff batter, Kuramochi Youichi.

"Hyaa-ha-haa!"

With his hitting march in the background, Kuramochi was in great form, looking full of energy.

And indeed, he was.

With Sawamura and Miyuki leading the way, Seidou had already passed the danger point of Hakuryu High School's second-round offense.

On the other hand, Seidou was just getting started.

Kuramochi Yoichi, the first to step into the Batter's Box, was the kryptonite that could destroy Hakuryu High School.

Kuramochi had confidence in himself.

Hakuryu High School was well-prepared, but when they saw Kuramochi, their entire strategy adjusted on the fly.

But Kuramochi didn't care.

Their tactics weren't much different from before.

'Do you really think Kuramochi-sama can trip over the same stone twice?'

Kuramochi mocked.

He lifted his bat high, and with a powerful swing, the ball was flying over the field.

Ping!

The baseball wasn't struck cleanly, and it landed on the third baseman's side.

However, the players from Hakuryu had made significant adjustments to their positions, so this seemingly easy catch was not as simple as it appeared.

It wasn't that difficult, if they truly wanted to catch it, they could.

Honda, the third baseman of Hakuryu retreated, and just before the ball went to the outfield, he caught it securely.

Tight defense still has its weaknesses. If Kuramochi found that weakness and hit the ball away, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

Fortunately, that tragedy didn't happen, and the ball was caught.

Next, as long as he threw the ball to first base, everything would be settled.

Turning around, the third baseman from Hakuryu was about to throw the ball to first base when he saw something incredibly surprising.

'Why is he there?'

Kuramochi had somehow already reached nearly first base.

Honda, unable to hide his astonishment, immediately used all his strength to throw the ball.

Snap!

Just before the baseball reached the first baseman's mitt, Kuramochi's foot landed on first base.

"SAFE!"

And just like that, Kuramochi safely reached first base.

For the players of Hakuryu, this was a huge problem.

If we were to ask which player from Seidou High would be the hardest for Hakuryu to let get on base, Kuramochi would undoubtedly be the number one choice.

Seidou High's cheetah.

This nickname wasn't just popular within Seidou High's baseball team; it was known nationwide.

Once this guy gets on base, the intimidation he brings far exceeds anyone's imagination.

"See? A hit can be made just like that!"

Kuramochi's expression was completely relaxed.

The most dangerous part was already over!

As long as he was on base, the rest didn't need to be worried about.

Now it was Kominato Haruichi's turn to bat.

One was applying pressure on the opponent from first base, while the other was making the opponent uncomfortable in the Batter's Box.

A pincer attack.

This directly left Hakuryu's Ouno confused.

He looked one way, then turned to look the other. In the end, he didn't know what to do.

In such a situation, the two players wouldn't show mercy.

First, Kuramochi, during Ouno's pitching, immediately dashed toward second base.

He was like a blue lightning bolt.

Kuramochi ran at full speed, giving Hakuryu no time to react.

He dashed straight for second base.

The players of Hakuryu weren't surprised at all. They had already predicted that something like this might happen.

So they were prepared from the start.

When they saw Kuramochi steal a second, Itou, the catcher of Hakuryu flashed a cold glint in his eyes.

Although he knew it was going to happen, it didn't mean he was going to watch Kuramochi do it.

'He was so arrogant, completely disregarding the catcher.'

Snap!

After catching the ball, Itou stood up straight and threw it to second base.

Because he was well-prepared, his actions were faster than ever.

The ball landed precisely on second base.

The shortstop, after catching the ball in his mitt, prepared for the tag.

But something unexpected happened.

Kuramochi, running toward second base, suddenly made a slide.

He opened both hands, leaning back, avoiding the tag, and landed his foot on second base in a miraculous display of his agility.

"SAFE!!"

Without any surprises, Kuramochi successfully reached second base.

One Out, runner on first. It became one Out, runner on second.

This was a huge shock to Hakuryu's defense.

Even though they had put in all their effort, and had even exceeded their usual abilities, they still couldn't stop Seidou High from advancing.

A huge sense of danger weighed on them, one that wouldn't easily go away.

In the Batter's Box, Kominato Haruichi, who had generally been quite calm, narrowed his eyes.

His instinct told him this was a golden opportunity.

He wasn't sure why he had this feeling, but he trusted his instincts.

Kominato took his stance, preparing to wait for the ball to come.

He couldn't wait to hit it.

Whoosh!

Without much waiting, the baseball came straight toward him.

Seeing the incoming ball, a sharp gleam flashed in Kominato's eyes.

It was exactly what he had expected.

'The pitch was indeed an easier one to hit.'

The opposing team was beginning to strain, and the pitcher's control had been affected.

'This was a golden opportunity.'

Kominato's eyes looked like those of a devil returning from hell, glowing with crimson light.

He saw through everything and showed no mercy.

He swung his pitchfork-I mean bat fiercely at the ball.

Paak!

The baseball, after being hit, spun and flew toward the left field.

The outfielder of Hakuryu rushed toward the ball's landing spot.

In the end, he was just a step too late, watching helplessly as the baseball flew out of his reach.

"YEAAAAH!!!!"

"It got through!!"

This scene greatly boosted the morale of Seidou's cheering squad.

They all jumped up and down as if they were on fire, thrilled by the moment.

This scene was just too spectacular!

Victory seemed to be waving at them.

Although the game had just in the third inning and the score was still tied, the current developments in the game gave them a completely different interpretation.

As they thought about it, their bodies couldn't help but tremble.

It wasn't from fear, but from excitement.

Everyone eagerly watched the game, waiting for the field to present something extraordinary.

Seidou High's players didn't disappoint them.

Kominato, who hit a single, successfully reached first base.

Nothing too surprising there.

The key player was still Kuramochi on second base.

Since there was only one out, and Kominato's hit was a bit high, Kuramochi hadn't started running early.

After all, with players like Sawamura and Miyuki behind him, he had a good chance of returning home.

Rash actions weren't necessary.

Only when he saw the ball's trajectory and judged that it might go deep did Kuramochi start heading for third base?

This slowed him down a little, making it harder for him to return to home plate in time.

"…GO!!"

Ono, the third-base coach, hesitated but still signaled for him to keep going.

'It was 60 meters, and the Hakuryu outfielder had just gotten the ball!'

'There was a chance!'

Seeing the signal, Kuramochi clenched his teeth and sprinted forward without hesitation!

At the same time, Miyao, the Hakuryu outfielder had already picked up the ball.

"Don't Overestimate Yourself!!!!"

He immediately threw the ball to home plate.

The throw, over 60 meters, flew like a laser, covering the distance in an instant.

At this moment, the blue streak Kuramochi and the white laser beam ball seemed to be racing against each other.

Both were very fast, dazzling the audience!

However, a winner is necessary.

In the end, in this speed contest, Kuramochi, with his indomitable will, emerged victorious.

He reached home plate just before the ball.

"SAFE!"

The crowd erupted in astonishment.

The score was now 2-1, with Seidou High leading.

But this wasn't the most important part. The most important thing was that Seidou High's offense had just begun.

Next up to bat was Sawamura, who had previously hit a home run.

If he hit another home run, Seidou High would almost certainly lock in the win.

From the start of the game, Hakuryu had taken an unexpected lead.

Now, Seidou High was turning the tables.

The rapid change was catching everyone off guard.

…

T/N: Kuramochi's hitting march is TRAIN-TRAIN by Blue Hearts.