Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 202: The Curtain Falls

However, things didn't go as planned. That single pickoff attempt from Tachi ended up exposing his pickoff speed, allowing Sendo to take an even more aggressive lead off first base.

At that moment, Tachi didn't even feel like pitching anymore, let alone enjoying the game.

Sendo's exaggerated lead off first base caused Tachi's eyes to constantly drift toward him.

Even though his teammates shouted at him to ignore it, their words barely registered.

"Devil!" Even Jun-san from Seidou couldn't help but blurt this out.

Beside him, Tanba nodded in agreement. As a pitcher, and one with a similarly delicate mentality, this kind of situation was incredibly frustrating.

Even though they knew they couldn't stop it, they still couldn't ignore it.

This kind of distraction could seriously affect the quality of Tachi's pitches.

"Seriously? Me? My body is already exhausted, and now I'm doing something this tiresome. Do I have a masochistic streak or something?"

"Just thinking about it gives me chills. No way I'm like that. That scheming glasses-wearer is the real sadist."

"Wait, which one is the one who enjoys tormenting others, S or M? I have no clue!"

On first base, Sendo, whether to focus or distract himself, used self-deprecating humor in his mind to suppress the fatigue from training. His eyelids felt so heavy.

"Just let him take second base!"

"But this guy… he's showing no signs of swinging or bunting!"

"Tachi is already so shaken. If he throws a mistake pitch, it'll be bad."

"This batter's power is no joke," thought Kiryuu's catcher as he weighed the pros and cons.

They had already decided to let Sendo take second base; otherwise, their ace wouldn't be able to focus on pitching.

Still, even though they wanted to let Sendo advance, they had to pitch, and deciding what pitch to throw was a headache.

If they made a mistake and the batter connected, it would likely be another home run. A pitcher conceding three home runs in a single game isn't something they can easily recover from.

"Alright, let's go with this," the catcher thought, signaling Tachi.

Tachi didn't hesitate. Sendo's lead off first base was like that of an annoying little demon!

He couldn't help but keep glancing at him.

Even before pitching, he had looked at Sendo several times, leaving Sendo confused and wondering if another pickoff attempt was coming.

Finally turning his gaze back to the batter, Tachi prepared to pitch to Masuko, raising his hand and delivering the ball.

"Stealing!" the first baseman shouted dutifully.

"I know he's stealing! Just ignore him!" Kiryuu's catcher muttered internally.

Pop!

"What?"

"Ball!"

"Safe!"

When the catcher received the pitch, something felt off. Looking up, he realized Sendo was still on first base. It was a fake steal.

The unsettling feeling was due to the umpire's "safe" call coming from an odd direction.

"Damn it! That guy must've done this on purpose!"

"We were giving you second base, but you chose to stay on first just to mess with us?"

"Idiot! Baka! You jerk!"

Kiryuu's catcher couldn't help but unleash a mental barrage of Kansai-style insults at Sendo.

"Devil! He's a literal demon!" Jun-san ranted from the dugout.

"Haha! That bastard. He really is the best at messing with people's minds!" Miyuki laughed beside him.

"I can take second base whenever I want."

"But if staying on first can disrupt the ace, why would I leave?" Sendo thought mischievously, noticing the glare from Kiryuu's catcher.

Only someone for whom stealing second base was as easy as breathing could afford to use such an extravagant tactic. Not even Kuramochi or Carlos would try this.

As Sendo predicted, his presence on first base made it impossible for Kiryuu's catcher to signal Tachi to pitch properly.

"Tachi!" Coach Matsumoto called out, seeing his pitcher flustered once again.

"Hey, hey! Old man! The game is just starting to get interesting! Don't ruin it for us!" Sendo silently complained in his mind, realizing that the coach was about to intervene again. At this point, his disruptive efforts on first base might lose their effectiveness.

If it were a certain tsundere prince on the mound, they might not be entirely immune to Sendo's antics.

However, the third-year pitcher in front of him was just too straightforward and pure.

Sure enough…

"Do you remember what I said earlier? These are the kinds of opponents you face at the national level. Times like these create bakemono like him!"

"Baseball is not a one-man battle; one or two runs don't matter. What matters is the will to fight until the end, and for the entire team to strive for victory together!"

"Fighting against monsters like this makes for the best kind of game, doesn't it?"

Coach Matsumoto admitted that Sendo on base was practically unbeatable.

From his two previous starts, it was clear that stopping him was next to impossible for their battery.

So, the priority became awakening their ace's sense of teamwork—instilling in him the idea that even if they gave up a run, it wouldn't matter.

With the help of the "old fox" coach, Tachi's smile returned. Especially after hearing the final words, the thought of battling a monster like Sendo became an exhilarating challenge.

"Ugh! This is bad! He's just boosted their ace's confidence!" Sendo muttered helplessly.

"Hahaha! How unlucky!" came a gleeful voice from the on-deck circle—none other than the scheming Miyuki.

"But really, as expected of Coach Matsumoto!'

"What will you do now, Sendo?" Miyuki shouted, while pondering inwardly.

"What will I do? Isn't it obvious?" Unknown to everyone, Sendo's stubborn streak was now fully ignited.

"Yes! That's it! That smile! With a smile like that, there's nothing to fear," Kiryuu's catcher thought, likely imagining something many others might find cringeworthy—perhaps even comparing Tachi's smile to something inspirational.

If this scene were in the original story, countless readers would probably scream about their eyes being "blinded."

With a snap of the fingers, the pitcher-catcher duo confirmed their signal.

Whoosh!

"Strike!"

"A borderline inside pitch! Tachi's back in form!"

"After enduring so much pressure, he's still able to pitch like that?" Miyuki observed, already strategizing their next move.

Sendo's presence on base was almost ignored as everyone focused on the pitch. After all, they knew stopping him was futile. As long as he didn't head straight for third base, there was no point in paying him much attention.

But the real battlefield wasn't on first—it was closer to third, near the catcher.

Or was it?

"Steal!"

This was a race of pure speed!

Hearing Sendo's decision to steal, Tachi instinctively threw the ball wide of the strike zone.

Pop!

"Damn it!"

"Safe!"

"So fast!"

"Nice base running, Sendo-kun!" chirped Haruichi.

"That bastard!!!" grumbled Kanemaru under his breath.

"What?! This bakemono...!"

"I've never seen someone steal third base purely with speed, without the batter's help! And without even sliding!"

"That guy's base running speed must be under three seconds!" Even Kiryuu's side couldn't believe it, yet they could do nothing about it.

"How enviable, Coach Kataoka! This kid is truly perfect!" Coach Matsumoto thought as he watched Sendo, who was panting slightly on third base, his heart filled with admiration.

And their pitcher—he also had the potential to become a star in the future.

The time between pitches was brief but just enough for Sendo to catch his breath.

After catching his breath, Sendo's bold lead off third base once again caught everyone's attention.

"Hey, hey! That guy's lead is still so exaggerated!"

"Even though it's shorter since he's facing the pitcher directly, without anyone on first or second, does he really plan to steal home?"

"What nonsense! No matter how fast he is, that's impossible!"

"You can say whatever you want, but I'm getting this run!"

"Masuko-san, no infield fly balls, as long as it's not an infield fly, I'll make it back to home plate for sure!" Sendo thought resolutely as he locked eyes on Masuko in the batter's box, completely ignoring the murmurs from the spectators.

"Sendo-chan!" Masuko felt the determination radiating from Sendo.

Ping!

"The rest is up to you, Sendo-chan!" Masuko muttered softly as he hit a high fly ball to the outfield, clearly aiming for a sacrifice fly.

The moment Sendo saw the ball soar, he understood Masuko's intention. If he was going to score, he'd do it openly and in Seidou's style.

Standing on third base, Sendo was unusually calm.

"GO!"

"Ku! Ku! Ku! Ku! Ku!"

"Damn it! This is way too much!" Kiryuu's left fielder fired a throw straight to home plate.

Pop!

"Safe!"

"Yes! Another run! We're just four runs behind now! Keep it going, Miyuki!"

Watching the seemingly insurmountable deficit caused by nurturing Furuya gradually close, it was impossible not to feel shocked.

"This year, we absolutely have a chance! This lineup is terrifying!"

"That Sendo—he's like a completely different person compared to the Kanto tournament!"

And with no one on base, there was no way Miyuki, that scheming fox, wouldn't continue the assault…

...

Facing a fully unleashed Tachi, Miyuki was quickly shut down.

"Well, just enjoy the game!" Miyuki said casually to Sawamura as he returned to the dugout.

"How can you act like nothing just happened?" Sawamura retorted.

"Seriously!" Sendo added, putting on his cap with a helpless expression.

With the score narrowing, the atmosphere in the dugout lightened considerably.

"Apologies, but we're making a substitution! We're taking Furuya off the mound and sending Sawamura in!" announced Coach Kataoka in the top of the sixth inning.

"What? They're taking out a pitcher who's just found his rhythm?" Coach Matsumoto, who had been squinting, now opened his left eye in surprise, leaving him with one eye open and the other closed. Truly, an interesting person.

"Furuya, head straight to left field! We'll be using this rotation setup during the summer qualifiers, so prepare to handle both pitching and fielding," Coach Kataoka instructed.

He also swapped out Shirasu for Furuya in left field and moved Jun-san to right field. After all, Jun-san was the team's versatile plug, filling any gaps that appeared.

Since this was just a practice game, and Furuya was a key part of Seidou's summer roster, the plan was to keep him on the field as much as possible.

In modern high school baseball, which increasingly mimicked the Major Leagues with right-field pull hits and strategic baserunning, left field tended to be less active.

"Sawamura! Just… well, do your best on the mound!" Miyuki, seeing Sawamura so nervous he could barely stand straight, decided against lecturing him to avoid impacting his performance.

"Wow, such low expectations!"

"Don't say that out loud!"

"If we didn't believe in you, you wouldn't even be on the bench!"

"Ugh!"

"You've got your own style. Just trust yourself and pitch your game!"

"This time, that scheming glasses guy is right!"

"Stop calling me 'scheming glasses'!" Miyuki protested weakly.

"I'll let them hit it, so I'll leave the defense to you!" Sawamura shouted, delivering his usual catchphrase—though he bit his tongue mid-sentence, prompting Kuramochi to tease him again.

Coach Matsumoto, noticing Kataoka treating his team as practice for first-years, wasn't exactly pleased—especially since three first-years were now on the field.

This inning proceeded almost exactly as expected. While Sawamura's pitching surprised the opposing team, it started off shaky.

A balk caused collective frustration, and his pickoff attempts, which essentially handed free steals, left everyone speechless.

From the dugout, Sendo's sharp eyes caught a moment where Coach Matsumoto's true colors slipped through. Sendo couldn't help but laugh to himself—it was just too funny!

...

In the end, Sawamura managed to hold the opposing team scoreless, but the rollercoaster process was nerve-wracking.

As the game progressed, Sawamura's good fortune didn't last, and he began to give up runs.

By the time the game reached the fourth cycle through the batting lineup, Yuuki drew an intentional walk, but both Sendo and Masuko were caught out.

Yuuki's aggressive base-stealing forced Miyuki to focus intensely, which finally led to his first hit of the day.

The real showdown came during the fifth cycle of the batting lineup, with the score standing at 14-9.

Throughout the game, numerous defensive plays stood out—Yuuki at second base, Masuko at third base, Sendo in center field, and Jun-san in the outfield.

Sendo, in particular, made several game-saving plays. Due to Furuya's subpar defensive skills, Sendo had to shift his focus toward left field.

Fortunately, Jun-san, who once had exceptional range as a center fielder, partnered with Sendo to cover over three-quarters of the outfield.

The two essentially turned the outfield into an impenetrable wall, saving everything within reach unless it was truly unavoidable.

Unsurprisingly, Sawamura gave Jun-san a new nickname, calling him "Bearded Senpai," which nearly got him punched.

The fifth batting cycle, during the final inning, gave Kiryuu a scare as Seidou's lineup erupted.

The score closed to 14-13, nearly filling the hole created by Furuya in the early innings. However, Kiryuu ultimately managed to hold on for the win.

Notably, Yuuki's patient approach at the plate resulted in a walk that set up Sendo's second two-run homer of the game.

After the game, having pushed himself to the limit with that same stubborn determination during the fifth inning, Sendo collapsed for the sixth time.

As the driving force behind Seidou's comeback, Sendo was the standout performer. Over five at-bats, he recorded three hits, including two home runs that accounted for four RBIs and one run scored, for a total contribution of five runs. His defensive plays were equally astonishing, with multiple game-saving efforts that even left Coach Matsumoto dumbfounded.

Even Coach Kataoka and Sendo's senior teammates, who knew his personality well, couldn't help but wonder if he had taken the wrong medicine—or perhaps a performance-enhancing drug.

Seidou's first-years left Coach Matsumoto envious, with Sendo and Sawamura standing out the most in his eyes.

Finally, Sendo unintentionally served a big dose of "dog food" to both teams' single players.

During the post-game farewell, Fumino handed him something, and even though everyone knew they were just childhood friends, the singles couldn't help but feel envious of Sendo.

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