Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Repaying kindness!

A drop of water given should be repaid with a fountain of water.

In the traditions of China, this sentiment is deeply ingrained in the culture.

The vast majority of the Chinese people still uphold this. If someone does me a favor, I will repay it when I have the opportunity.

As long as it is within my ability and does not cause me too much harm, I will repay it.

At least 99% of Chinese people would repay kindness.

A thankless person, a wolf who bites the hand that feeds it, not only cannot get past their own conscience, but they are also unlikely to survive in a society like China.

Yoh Shunshin is exactly the kind of person who embodies this.

Before coming to Japan, he had a rather average view of the people there. What he admired was only the players working hard on the Koshien baseball field.

However, after coming to Japan, because everyone around him showed him great care, and because he saw an entirely different world here compared to his own, he became incredibly grateful.

When others needed him, he didn't mind showing all that he had learned during his high school years.

With such cultural influence, it is no surprise that Yoh Shunshin didn't mind burning himself out in this event.

Whoosh!

The baseball, like a missile with its trajectory set, accurately struck the outside corner.

If the batter, Reinhardt, the third batter for the American team, didn't swing at this ball, it would have been called a Ball.

Because according to Japan's standards, this pitch had already fallen outside the strike zone.

However, according to American standards, this pitch was 100% a Strike. Based on their strike zone, this ball was still within it.

If you really look into the differences between the two countries' strike zones, the gap is actually very narrow.

And Yoh Shunshin's ability was to place the baseball precisely into that narrow gap.

Paak!

Facing the ball that landed in the strike zone, Reinhardt naturally didn't let it go. He swung his bat and hit the ball.

The baseball was struck and flew into Foul territory.

"FOUL!"

Before anyone realized it, Yoh Shunshin had already gained a 2-Strike lead.

At this moment, Inui couldn't help but admire Miyuki deeply.

'No wonder he was the best catcher in high school.'

Normally, Inui believed his own craftiness was quite good. But compared to that sly fox Miyuki, they were not even in the same league.

How was that guy's mind shaped? Such insidious and vicious ideas were able to come from it.

Now that the fish had been caught, what they had to do was very simple.

Just reel in the hook.

'Next pitch: a low inside corner curveball.'

Seeing the signal that Inui gave him, Yoh Shunshin did not hesitate for a second.

He smoothly threw the ball in his hand.

Whoosh!

The baseball shot like a laser, heading straight for the inside corner.

Reinhardt in the Batter's Box frowned slightly.

'Another one of these ambiguous inside pitches.'

'This pitcher was so annoying, always looking for ways to take advantage like this.'

"I can't let you keep getting away with it!"

Earlier, the coach had given instructions to not let any of these borderline balls go by. No matter what, treat them all as Strikes.

Reinhardt made up his mind and directly swung at the ball.

Just as his bat was about to make contact with the baseball, the ball suddenly slid and veered wildly off the strike zone.

'A Curveball!'

This clearly surprised Reinhardt. He had been waiting for the swing to end, but the bat still failed to make contact with the ball.

Snap!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

A Shutout, and two Strikeouts.

If they were to put Sawamura Eijun or Narumiya Mei on the mound at this point, they probably wouldn't have done any better than Yoh Shunshin.

This really surprised everyone.

"Is this guy's strength really that impressive?"

The small group from Inashiro Industrial whispered among themselves.

They hadn't faced off with Akikawa before, so they had no idea how strong Yoh Shunshin's pitching was.

But based on the previous matches they had seen against Seidou and Yakushi, this team was indeed formidable, that much they were sure of.

Even the members of the All-Tokyo team were shocked.

Not to mention their opponents.

In the American team's dugout, complaints about Yoh Shunshin had reached a fever pitch.

"This Guy Is Too Sneaky!"

"He always throws these corner pitches, never straightforward."

"Honestly, most of the Japanese pitchers in the big leagues are like this."

"This is their style man!"

Although there were plenty of complaints, everyone still recognized Yoh Shunshin's pitching ability.

Standing on the mound, Yoh Shunshin had caused great harm to these players.

Even the Coach of the Wind Youth Academy team didn't deny this.

"Precise control, good velocity, and an unyielding spirit. He also uses corner breaking pitches for the final showdown!"

"This pitcher's skill level is already very high! If he is polished well, he could be a treasure to any Pro team."

"Don't be discouraged. He's probably the strongest pitcher in Japan. Just be patient, and you'll eventually find his weakness."

The game began, and Yoh Shunshin helped the All-Tokyo team get off to a perfect start.

The game moved into the bottom half of the first inning.

It was Tokyo's turn to bat, but things didn't go exactly well.

 "The opposing pitcher doesn't look that impressive! Why can't we hit well?"

The assistant coach helping with the training is the assistant coach of the Inashiro baseball team. He had worked alongside Coach Kunitomo for many years and the two of them were very in sync.

This time, Coach Kunitomo took the lead and specially asked him to come help.

They had only spent about two and a half days together. In such a short time, it was impossible for Coach Kunitomo to fully understand the characteristics of all the players on his own.

So, he brought in some helpers.

The assistant coach standing here was one of them.

He knew at least a bit about the abilities of most players. Naturally, he was very familiar with the players from Inashiro Industrial High School.

Because of this understanding, he was even more confused.

Carlos and Shirakawa were definitely the top players on the Inashiro Industrial High School team.

Even among the nation's star players, their abilities were certainly not weak.

If the American pitcher displayed some unparalleled talent, then that's just how it is. They lost fair and square.

But from the assistant coach's point of view, the American pitcher's abilities seemed rather average.

His fastball was sharp, no doubt, but it wasn't the kind of pitch that was impossible to hit.

'Why did Carlos and Shirakawa struggle so much?'

The assistant coach just couldn't figure it out.

He looked eagerly at the players around him, hoping they could provide a perfect explanation.

Carlos and Shirakawa both looked at the mound, deep in thought.

Clearly, they were reflecting on why they had failed earlier.

At this moment, they couldn't even consider the assistant coach's confusion.

Meanwhile, the next batter, Sawamura, was warming up and putting on his mitts.

Upon hearing the assistant coach's question, he smiled lightly.

"The opponent's style is typical of Major League Baseball. They're used to high school baseball, so it's natural that they can't adjust right away."

Sawamura's words were very casual.

To him, it was just a small, obvious matter.

However, what he didn't realize was that his words caused the players around him to view him in a different light.

After spending some time together, everyone had acknowledged Sawamura's skills.

They were no longer as opposed to him being the fourth batter of the team.

People in the world of sports were ultimately simple.

What mattered most to them was the player's strength, not other things.

As long as Sawamura could show his strength and lead the team to victory, they would naturally recognize him more.

But recognition didn't mean they were willing to accept Sawamura's mockery.

Saying they couldn't adapt to the Major League style was something they had already felt deep inside.

But to have it pointed out to their faces was still embarrassing.

Shirakawa pouted.

"If you're so good, then why don't you take a turn?"

Carlos beside him grinned and made a "please" gesture.

They couldn't wait to see Sawamura's showdown with the American pitcher.

However, it seemed that fate wasn't ready to give them that opportunity.

With no one on base, Miyuki's batting looked completely out of sync.

Whoosh!

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

After struggling through two pitches, he barely managed to make contact and hit the ball.

Paak!

The baseball flew high into the air, only to come down sharply.

It finally landed in the first baseman's mitt.

"OUT!!!"

Miyuki was thus caught Out.

Three up, three down!

After Yoh Shunshin's perfect start, the American team didn't back down either.

Their starting pitcher, C. Weede, also threw a very solid opening.

At the end of the first inning, the score was still 0:0.

Both starting pitchers had performed admirably, not giving their opponents any chances.

In this round of testing, both teams realized that their opponents were no easy targets.

In the top of the second inning, Yoh Shunshin faced the American team's fourth batter, R. Carlyle.

SHUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!

With a powerful swing, it was like a wild wind gathering dark clouds, ready to sweep away the sky.

The force of the swing was so immense that even Yoh Shunshin felt his breathing quicken.

In Japan, Yoh Shunshin had seen many powerful batters, but not many like this one.

While he was struggling to figure out how to counter him, he suddenly remembered what Inui had told him earlier.

'If it worked against other players, there's no reason it shouldn't work on the fourth batter.'

"FOUL!"

"FOUL!"

With that resolve, Yoh Shunshin started using corner pitches as bait. After getting two Strikes, he decisively threw a pitch to the inside.

'Here it comes!'

Although the pitch wasn't particularly fast, Yoh Shunshin's pitching rhythm was top-notch, making the ball feel faster than it actually was.

Seeing the baseball coming toward him, Carlyle didn't hesitate and swung his bat.

That swinging motion was like tearing apart everything in the world.

PAAK!

After making contact, the ball flew between the second baseman and shortstop.

'He hit it?'

Yoh Shunshin on the mound stared in disbelief.

According to his plan, the American players weren't supposed to hit the ball.

He never expected that Carlyle actually managed to do it.

Just as Shunshin's heart jumped, he caught a glimpse of someone moving out of the corner of his eye.

'Who was it?'

It wasn't until that figure reached the spot where the ball was about to land and made a forceful catch that Shunshin realized who it was.

The person who saved him wasn't anyone else but the current second baseman, Sawamura Eijun.

How was Sawamura on offense?

That wasn't clear yet, but his defensive abilities were truly surprising.

Who would have thought that Sawamura would have such impressive strength skills as an infielder?

The American team was also left bewildered.

"How could that kind of ball be caught?"

"Can he see the future?!"

They found it hard to understand.

Paak!

"OUT!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

With the help of his teammate, Shunshin successfully got two more Outs.

Once again, he sent the American team down in order.

Three Outs, offense and defense exchanged.

Unknowingly, the game had reached the bottom of the second inning.

It was now Sawamura Eijun's turn to bat, the fourth batter for the All-Tokyo team.

…

T/N: Diving right into the game!

And, sorry about yesterday guys, my younger brother collapsed suddenly, and I had to take him to the hospital.

I usually have extra chapters for emergencies like these, but I haven't stocked anything since the New Year Holidays.

This is an extra chapter today, I will see if I can update more later.

Anyway, Thank you all for reading!

I hope you all have a nice day!

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