Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

During the testing of batting strength, the players from the Inashiro baseball team were greatly shocked.

Home runs were flying everywhere, and super-long hits were the norm.

They had never realized that there were so many talents hiding in the Tokyo area.

These guys didn't even know how these players practiced on a daily basis; each one of them was as strong as a monster.

If anyone could remain calm, it would probably be the Coach of the Inashiro baseball team, Kunitomo.

He wasn't particularly surprised by the impressive performances of the players in front of him.

The majority of the selected players were the fourth batters from their respective teams. It was only natural that they would have such strength.

On the contrary, if these players didn't perform like this, Kunitomo would have been very disappointed.

If the best players from the Tokyo area performed at such a level, what would be the point of playing against the American team?

He would just make a white flag at home and surrender.

"Has the result come out?"

Once all the tests were completed, Coach Kunitomo turned to ask his assistant coach.

Since multiple groups were conducting the tests simultaneously, Kunitomo couldn't oversee everything. He needed to wait for all the statistics to come in so that he could compare them.

This was one of Coach Kunitomo's strengths.

The players eligible to participate were all monsters, the pillars of their respective teams, the super talents.

These players also competed privately with one another.

The lineup arrangements were like a fuse—something might go wrong at any time.

To prevent that, the best solution was to rank players based on their batting strength.

It's easy to tell who's stronger by putting them to the test.

Rank the batting order based on strength.

Such a result would be hard to dispute.

If someone is dissatisfied, then perhaps they didn't measure up when the competition took place.

There is no first in writing, but there is no second in martial arts.

Once the comparisons were made, the strength differences between the players became apparent.

The assistant coach, holding the list, looked very conflicted.

Kunitomo observed with a frown.

His assistant was usually calm and collected.

What was going on now?

This was too disappointing!

"Let me see it!"

After a moment's hesitation, the assistant coach handed the list to Coach Kunitomo.

The rankings on the list were detailed, recording each player's scores and even describing their performance in the batting zone clearly.

Kunitomo nodded approvingly as he looked through the list.

The work was thorough and commendable.

However, the assistant's mentality was lacking and needed to be improved.

Considering how many formidable players were gathered, the results they produced had to be impressive.

If they couldn't handle this pressure, then what were they doing here?

Scanning the list, the scores of most players weren't much different.

Sometimes, the differences were just by one point.

Without the detailed performance descriptions, determining rankings would have been quite difficult.

The top rank was occupied by one player, and the second rank had four.

There were seven players in the third tier.

Aside from the necessary positions, the main lineup of the team could be selected from this pool.

After nodding, Coach Kunitomo turned his attention to the first place.

Without this test, it would be hard to determine who had the best strength.

Now, the results were laid out clearly, and it was easy to see who stood out.

However, when he saw the name and score of the first-place winner, Kunitomo's expression grew odd.

The first place wasn't anyone else but Sawamura Eijun.

His overall rating was 13 points out of 15, an incredibly high score.

He hit three clean home runs in five at-bats.

This was already a super performance.

Sawamura's more amazing feat came afterward.

He also hit two super-long hits.

The distance was impressive, and the speed was incredible.

They almost flew out of the park.

If those hits had been in a real game, all the runners on base would have made it home.

This was the performance card that Sawamura delivered.

Before seeing this result, Coach Kunitomo already knew that Sawamura's batting skills were at a rank beyond high school.

Before the test, Kunitomo had predicted that Sawamura would perform very well.

But he never expected Sawamura to perform this well—so much so that it was shocking.

Keep in mind, that the test wasn't just conducted by a rigid pitching machine.

Even if a player was familiar with the pitching machine, they wouldn't score that highly.

Aside from two pitching machines, three players from Inashiro Industrial High School were also helping with the tests.

They were very skilled pitchers, not quite on par with Kawakami from Seidou High School's rotation.

But at the very least, they could be compared to players like Mishima or Toujou.

Their real skills likely exceeded those of many other pitchers.

In this scenario, the players were facing such pitchers for the first time, and getting a high score wasn't an easy task.

Yet Sawamura managed to do it perfectly.

The four players ranked second had 11, two points less than Sawamura.

This gap was staggering, and Coach Kunitomo understood it very well.

The four players in the second tier with 16 points weren't unexpected to Kunitomo.

They were Inuigo Inui from Teito High School, Carlos from Inashiro Industrial, Yamaoka Riku, and Hoshida Mamoru from Sankou.

These players were all powerful hitters, pillars of their respective teams.

Other stellar players, like Miyuki, Narumiya, Shirakawa, Umemiya, and Yoh Shunshin, all scored 10 points, placing them in the third tier.

Although their styles differed, their scores showed that they could be considered in the same tier.

Strictly speaking, the gap between the second and third tiers wasn't very obvious, especially since luck played a role...

Still, they could be considered at the same level.

The only one who stood out was Sawamura Eijun.

Kunitomo observed Sawamura with a complex gaze.

He knew Sawamura was strong—he had known this for a long time.

In fact, Kunitomo had already considered Sawamura as the biggest rival to Inashiro Industrial High School.

Facing such an opponent, Kunitomo had always viewed Sawamura highly.

He thought he had placed Sawamura in the highest regard.

But now it seemed that he, Still, underestimated the 17-year-old before him.

Despite his usually harmless smile and unassuming demeanor, no one should forget that Sawamura was called the Demon King.

Among all the players in his year, he was the most famous.

Such a player could never be overestimated.

Kunitomo silently raised Sawamura's threat level a notch.

At this point, he vaguely understood why Seidou High School's baseball team had been so invincible and unbeatable.

Everyone thought they had fully recognized Sawamura's importance.

But now, it seemed they had underestimated how crucial it truly was.

Only when Sawamura was regarded as the key to victory or defeat would they fully understand Seidou High School's strength?

That national champion!

"The fourth batter will be Sawamura Eijun!"

Soon, Kunitomo announced the batting order.

At this point, no one could argue with the arrangement, even if they were dissatisfied.

After all, Sawamura had taken first place.

If you're not satisfied, go ahead and try to get first place yourself!

Miyuki, standing next to Sawamura, could only smirk at this.

Sawamura responded with a wry smile.

'Everyone around is staring at me with intense eyes.'

Had he known that winning first place would lead to so much trouble, Sawamura would have held back a little.

Actually, thinking about it, it was kind of thrilling.

If he had held back, he might have ended up as the ninth batter in the team.

'Just imagine playing against the American team from that position.'

'It would have been an interesting surprise.'

While Sawamura was lost in thought, the next task arrived.

"All pitchers, report to the bullpen!"

The defensive positions and batting order had already been decided.

Now, it was time for the pitchers' and catchers' assessment.

This one will depend on the Coach's judgment, and no one else could influence the evaluation.

"It's time for the main course!"

Though these were all geniuses from various schools, some things were universally acknowledged.

For instance, who was the strongest catcher among them?

Without a doubt, there were two candidates.

One was Miyuki, the main fourth batter and current captain of Seidou High School.

The other was Inui from Teito High School, who was also the captain and fourth batter.

The selection for the catcher position would come down to these two.

Since many of the players were future rivals from the same region, it was impossible to have them freely pair up for practice.

The two catchers would practice separately.

To avoid letting players from the same region form a battery, Kunitomo worked hard to make sure this didn't happen.

The top pitchers who came to the training camp were divided into two camps.

Sawamura and Narumiya, along with Inui from East Tokyo, practiced together.

Miyuki from West Tokyo, along with Umemiya from East Tokyo and Yoh Shunshin (who wasn't likely to play in the official games), practiced in another group.

These four were now the most reliable pitchers on the team.

If nothing unexpected happened, these four would take the mound in the game against the American team.

"Who will go first?"

Narumiya and Sawamura are currently sharing a battery.

Narumiya actually asked for Sawamura's opinion, not acting as he pleased.

Sawamura smiled slightly and made a gesture as if to say, 'After you'.

"You are the Senpai and this is your home turf, so you go first!"

Narumiya was very satisfied with this answer, but just as his smug smile hadn't fully disappeared, he furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Strange, you never seem to be this respectful with me."

It must be said, that Narumiya's intuition was quite sharp.

For example, when talking to other members of the Inashiro baseball team, Sawamura would habitually use honorifics and formal.

But when communicating with Narumiya, his attitude was very casual.

It didn't feel like he was talking to a senior; it felt more like talking to a long-time pal.

"Really? I have always been respectful to you Mei-san"

Sawamura said, half-joking, half-serious.

"TSK, as if! And for your information, you are not allowed to see my Change-up up close!"

"What?! This is not fair!"

"Oh, so you want to see it! Well, how about you let me see your new Cutter up close too!"

Narumiya immediately responded with a playful, prideful remark.

He turned away, preparing to pitch.

The confusion from earlier was already forgotten.

There's always a reason behind anyone's success.

For example, take Narumiya Mei. Although he often acts childish and carefree, like a big kid, with none of the imposing aura one would expect from an Ace pitcher…

Once he stands on the pitcher's mound, his entire demeanor transforms in an instant.

On the mound, Narumiya is like a warrior stepping onto the battlefield.

Even when he hasn't made any moves yet, his aura and spirit are palpable.

This can be difficult to perceive from the perspective of an observer, but standing behind the catcher, it's especially vivid.

Kengo Inui, the Captain of Teitou High School, one of the top two catchers in the Tokyo region, was squatting behind the plate, watching Narumiya pitch.

'A person's name precedes their shadow.' Kengo Inui already had thoughts in his mind before even receiving the pitch.

He knew that Narumiya Mei's pitch would surely be extraordinary.

A pitcher who could be compared to the great Sawamura Eijun couldn't possibly be a push-over.

Not to mention, Teitou High School and Inashiro Industrial High School had already faced off before.

Although he had never caught Narumiya's pitch, he had faced it in a batter's role and knew just how terrifying his power was.

Now, squatting behind the plate, he was taking extra care.

With his eyes locked on Narumiya, he was waiting for the baseball to be thrown.

"First, a fastball!"

Since this was just practice, there was no need to hold anything back. Narumiya directly announced his pitch type, and at the same time, his body started moving.

Like flowing water, Narumiya's entire motion was incredibly smooth, and flawless in every way.

The timing of his actions, the moment he released the pitch, was perfect.

The baseball shot like a laser beam, instantly covering the short distance of less than 20 meters, landing in Kengo Inui's Mitt.

Snap!

The ball landed perfectly in the Mitt, and Kengo Inui was in shock.

He stared in disbelief at Narumiya on the mound.

The speed of the pitch was clearly over 150 km/h, but that wasn't even the most terrifying part. (93 mph)

'The ball seemed to have a life of its own, and after landing in the mitt, it refused to be caught and struggled fiercely.'

'How strong was the tail of that pitch?'

Inui felt as if his brain had been struck by lightning. (Lightning-kun Is Here!!!)

Narumiya's pitching completely shattered his worldview.

Compared to his partner, Mukai Taiyou, they were completely different types of pitchers. The only similarity was that both of their pitches were unique, making them nearly impossible to hit.

"Not bad!"

Seeing Inui catch the pitch flawlessly, Narumiya smiled contentedly.

A legend is only born through real skill!

Before, when Inashiro's previous seniors graduated, Narumiya Mei had teamed up with his current junior, Tadano Itsuki.

Tadano Itsuki was also an exceptional talent.

When he caught Narumiya's pitch for the first time, although he managed to catch it, it wasn't as smooth as Inui's catch.

…