Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

Seidou High School has started to get serious!

This is what many people at the scene were likely thinking, aside from the members of Seidou's baseball team themselves.

From the perspective of the audience, the pitcher from Shonan High School was not strong enough to be unbeatable, yet Seidou High School still couldn't score.

The only reasonable explanation for this is that Seidou, the reigning Champion, had underestimated their opponent!

They probably didn't take this unknown young pitcher seriously, which caused them to relax their guard and think they could score easily with just a casual swing of the bat.

As a result, reality sucker-punched them in the face.

As supporters of Seidou High, thinking this way might feel a bit unsporting.

However, there was no other way to interpret the situation; this was the only logical conclusion based on the outcome. They were simply making reasonable guesses and analyses.

If it weren't for that, they wouldn't have come up with another explanation.

Shonan's substitute pitcher was obviously inexperienced, so why couldn't Seidou's batters score?

The supposed prestige of Seidou High was nowhere to be seen.

The audience didn't care about what kind of opponent Seidou's players were facing; they only believed in what they saw.

Take Kuramochi's easy base hit, for example. In their eyes, it was a perfectly reasonable outcome.

It was because Seidou had finally gotten serious about the game after realizing they couldn't break through against that pitcher.

They stopped swinging carelessly and began to think carefully about how to score.

Finally, they returned to their Champion style.

As for Kawaki…

There was no doubt the young man had talent. Even though Seidou's players had been a bit careless, they were still the core strength of the reigning champion Seidou High School.

Their power was real and unshakable.

In Shonan's dugout, Coach Matt's face was serious.

If the average viewer could see what was happening, of course, the Coach would notice too.

Matt had also noticed the direction the game was taking. He realized that Seidou's players had started to play seriously.

Under these conditions, Seidou's players would definitely go all out and do everything to score.

To avoid being passive, they also had to take action.

Though they hadn't yet reached a fully tense situation, Matt sensed it was coming soon.

The situation had come faster than expected.

The score was 2:0. It looked like Seidou High only needed to hold onto that lead to secure the win.

But would Seidou's players be satisfied with just this score?

The answer, of course, was no.

'These elite players would never be content with only two runs. If there was any chance, they would try everything to keep scoring.'

So, Seidou's final furious counterattack was approaching.

For Shonan High's players, this wasn't necessarily something they couldn't accept.

In fact, it might even be an opportunity for them.

If the game continued in this back-and-forth style, the final result was easy to predict.

Seidou, with a two-point lead, would inevitably be the final victor.

There was no doubt about it.

In such a situation, the best outcome would be for Seidou's players to actively change the stagnant game dynamics.

This was exactly what Shonan High's players were hoping for.

If they could perform well in defense and raise the team's morale, the result would be even more perfect.

Then, they might seize the chance to show Seidou's players something impressive.

The players of Shonan High were thinking very optimistically.

Despite being at an absolute disadvantage in the game, the changing circumstances brought them excitement, not despair.

Because as long as the situation changed, they still had a sliver of hope. If things remained the same and continued calmly, Shonan High would lose their last chance to turn the game around.

They wouldn't be able to find a way to change the situation.

But the reality was often harsher than they imagined.

When Kuramochi got on base, it was as if he came alive all of a sudden.

He had already been quite impressive while batting, leaving a strong impression.

This guy was no pushover.

While he was generally energetic, it was nothing compared to his demeanor after getting on base.

On the field, Kuramochi looked like a completely different person.

Once on first base, Kuramochi wasn't planning to stay idle.

He started moving towards second base, acting like he was going to steal.

Shonan's battery duo, considering Kawaki was just a rookie, initially didn't bother with Kuramochi. 'Let him run; he's just going to second base anyway.'

But while saying it was easy, actually doing it wasn't so simple.

Kuramochi, ready to steal, stood there, almost bouncing like a kangaroo.

'How could I not care?'

Kawaki repeatedly shifted his gaze from the batter to Kuramochi on base.

But Kuramochi didn't acknowledge him at all, not even bothering to fake a return to first base.

This lit the fire under the prideful pitcher.

Kawaki, after all, was a promising new pitcher who had already made an impression in this game.

Seeing Seidou's player discarding him like this, his temper flared like boiling water, uncontrollably.

When people get angry, they often do irrational things.

Usually, Kawaki, while not the sharpest, would understand the situation.

With just one more Out to go, he wouldn't care about the runner on first base, focusing solely on getting the batter Out.

Once the batter was Out, it wouldn't matter if the runner on first had already crossed home plate.

But now, Kawaki couldn't think clearly due to his anger.

Looking at Kuramochi on first base, was like staring at a thorn in his eye.

It was as uncomfortable as could be, and he was determined to get rid of him.

"Die!" he muttered.

Without any fakes, Kawaki threw a quick pickoff pitch.

It was fast and threatening, but only if it was aimed at the right person.

To Kuramochi, the self-proclaimed 'Cheetah', such a pickoff attempt was like child's play.

Before the pitcher even had a chance to act, Kuramochi had already started heading back to first base.

By the time the ball returned, Kuramochi had already easily stepped back onto first base.

It was effortless.

Seeing this, Kawaki felt like his lungs might explode from frustration.

But he still had no way to stop Kuramochi on first base.

Kawaki had never been more regretful.

Why hadn't he trained pickoffs more seriously?

If his pickoff skills were better, even if he couldn't get this irritating guy Out, he would at least have been able to intimidate him.

Now, the pickoff had no effect at all.

Instead, the joke was on Kawaki for trying.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!'

If curses could kill, Kuramochi would probably be dead by now.

Kawaki's annoyance reached its peak.

But no matter how angry he was, he still couldn't do anything to Kuramochi.

"Focus on the batter!" The catcher, Noma, signaled.

Noma couldn't watch his teammate fall apart like this.

At the critical moment, he had to step in and help.

Kawaki was still unwilling but had no other choice but to pitch.

As expected, the moment he acted, Kuramochi on first base sprinted toward second.

"Fast!"

Like a predator seeing its prey, Kuramochi's speed surged to the maximum.

In the blink of an eye, he was at second base.

Shonan's catcher, no slouch himself, immediately prepared to throw to second.

But when he looked up, he was stunned.

Kuramochi had already reached second base, just a few meters away.

He didn't have time to make the play!

When he threw the ball, Kuramochi had already stolen the second base.

"SAFE!"

An unlucky missed throw at this moment only made the situation worse.

Noma stood there, dumbfounded.

Facing Seidou, who had gotten serious, Shonan High attempted resistance.

But their resistance seemed too weak, at risk of collapsing at any moment.

…