Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

Yamamoto's pitch just now only received an average evaluation from Zhou Hao.

The others in the dugout couldn't believe their ears when they heard that—they all stared at the boy in front of them, thinking, Zhou Hao really dares to speak his mind.

But on Kataoka's usually stern face, a rare smile appeared.

"Good, that's the spirit. Go!"

Hearing Kataoka's words, Zhou Hao's eyes lit up.

"Coach, does that mean I can pitch now?"

If he wanted to gain experience, he had to stand on the pitcher's mound.

Although Zhou Hao was participating in the game now, he was playing as an outfielder. No matter how well he played, he wouldn't gain any pitching experience this way.

"No."

Coach Kataoka decisively shook his head.

This felt like an emotional letdown to Zhou Hao, who then turned around and ran to the outfield.

Once the Seidou High School baseball players took their positions on the field, an aura of elite confidence naturally radiated from them.

There was no helping it.

That's how it is for athletes on the field—sometimes they don't even need to show their skill. Just by standing in position, their presence speaks for itself.

Hachioji High's leadoff batter was a short, slightly-built young man.

Back in the dugout, he had been fired up by his teammates' encouragement.

Their ace had spoken boldly earlier. As teammates, how could they afford to fall behind?

They had to back up their ace with action.

It's just one run, right?

If they gritted their teeth, they might just pull it off.

But as the leadoff batter stepped into the batter's box, he was immediately stunned.

All around him…

The Seidou players looked like a pack of wolves, all eyes locked menacingly on him.

Especially the pitcher on the mound—Yoshida—who was grinning wide, baring his teeth as he chuckled.

He felt great.

But in the eyes of the Hachioji batter, the pitcher grinning at him looked more like a demon.

"These guys… are terrifying."

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Yoshida unleashed his first pitch.

Whoosh!

The white ball appeared before him almost in the blink of an eye.

So fast!

The Hachioji batter felt his legs trembling.

This was completely different from what they'd seen in the videos.

Watching footage was one thing—facing Seidou's controversial ace in real life was a whole different level. His pitch quality was insanely good.

A pitch that fast… and he could still locate it on the outside corner?

The batter had no time to react.

Pop!

"Strike one!"

"Strike two!!"

"Strike three!!!"

"Batter out!!!"

It was swift and clean, without any hesitation.

Yoshida had easily taken down Hachioji's leadoff hitter.

The players in Seidou's dugout stood up to applaud Yoshida.

The fans in the stands also erupted in cheers.

"Man, I'm in great shape today!"

Yoshida's grin stretched nearly to the back of his head, his big teeth in full view.

Fired up by the applause, his pitching only got more intense.

When Hachioji's second batter stepped up, the opponent looked even more terrifying than before.

When the pitch flew toward him, he genuinely thought it was going to hit him in the head.

But then—unexpectedly—it curved sharply and landed squarely in the strike zone?

Pop!

"Strike!"

Chris, the catcher, nodded repeatedly after receiving the pitch.

Yoshida-senpai's pitching was incredible—almost magical.

If he could maintain this form, he would absolutely be among the top pitchers in the nation.

Unfortunately…

Thinking this, Chris gave Yoshida a confirming smile.

"Great pitch! One more!"

Their ace was the textbook definition of a high-maintenance player.

As long as he received positive feedback, he could perform at a national level.

But unfortunately, this ace had two fatal flaws.

The first: his emotional high didn't last long.

Three innings—four at most.

After that, Yoshida's performance would start to dip.

The second flaw: he was extremely erratic.

When he was doing well, it wasn't obvious. But once his condition dropped, his pitch quality would fluctuate wildly.

There was no consistency.

Of course, for now, Chris didn't need to worry about that.

His job was to deliver a shock to Hachioji's lineup.

Whoosh!

Still dazed from the last pitch, the second batter barely registered the next one coming his way.

He instinctively tried to dodge.

But this pitch landed right down the middle of the strike zone.

Pop!

"Strike two!!"

He missed a meatball right over the plate?

The Hachioji batter felt like drowning himself in a teacup.

He couldn't believe it.

Their ace had fired them up, the opportunity was right in front of him—and he let it slip through his fingers?

Before he could process it, Yoshida's final pitch was already on its way.

Whoosh!

The batter gritted his teeth and swung.

Crack!

The ball made contact, but weakly dribbled forward.

It was a mis-hit, clearly.

There was no way Seidou's defense would just let a ball like that result in a base hit.

The third baseman quickly scooped it up and fired it to first.

Pop!

"Out!"

Two outs, no one on base.

Now it was Hachioji's third batter's turn.

As soon as he stepped up, the pressure hit him like a wave.

Yoshida, having taken out the first two batters back-to-back, had become a demon on the mound.

His pitches were fast—and had powerful late movement.

Even when a batter made solid contact—

Crack!

The hit didn't travel more than ten meters before bouncing off the ground.

Seidou's first baseman had to run up, glove it, and then retreat back to first.

"Out!!"

Three up, three down.

Side retired.

The first inning ended with both teams evenly matched.

The score: 0–0.

Seidou's supporters in the stands frowned at the sight.

They had read reports about Seidou's dominance this year.

Hadn't they crushed a strong team like Gogen with overwhelming force?

So why weren't they performing against Hachioji?

Just as everyone was wondering…

The second inning began—Seidou on offense.

Stepping into the batter's box first was Seidou High's cleanup hitter:

Azuma Kiyokuni!

-----------------

POWER STONE?

Support me at patrêon com/DaoOfPeeking