Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

When Miyuki's turn came to bat, Shonan High School made a substitution.

Trailing by two Runs, their chance of a comeback seemed almost impossible.

But no matter how slim the chance, there's always a chance.

If Seidou High School continues to score, Shonan might not even have a chance anymore.

So their task now is to stop any more runs.

In this situation, the responsibility was given to first-year pitcher Kawaki.

Seeing Shonan High School's move, everyone in the Seidou High School baseball club was taken aback.

In the face of such a major crisis, the opponent didn't trust their Ace pitcher and instead replaced him with a first-year pitcher.

What does this mean?

Coach Ochiai stroked his chin and made a decisive conclusion.

"Either the coach of Shonan High School has given up on the game, or this first-year pitcher is actually their true Ace."

The score difference is only two points. It's too early for Shonan to give up.

So, the only possibility left is that the freshman pitcher in front of them is actually Shonan's real Ace.

When Kawaki took the mound, he indeed demonstrated ace-level performance.

Ping!

Miyuki, facing him for the first time, actually hit a pop-fly.

This made Sawamura, who was about to steal the base, break into a cold sweat.

"OUT!"

Miyuki, returning to the dugout, was given a bad look by every player on Seidou High School's bench.

It was clear that even though their attack had failed, the Seidou players were still very relaxed.

They had no doubt that the final victory would be theirs.

As for Miyuki, it was entirely his own fault. Miyuki's usual foul-mouthed nature and bad attitude meant that he wasn't well-liked on the team, and there were many who hated his attitude.

Seeing his poor performance, while the Seidou players felt some pressure, they couldn't help but tease him.

Miyuki was really good at baseball.

"You're the fourth hitter on the team, can't you avoid embarrassing us like this?"

Kuramochi also wore a look of frustration.

Originally, their third years didn't have as much momentum as the second years, but thankfully, Miyuki and Kuramochi were keeping up the pace.

Now, the third-year Captain, Miyuki, was performing so badly, it was really a blow to the pride of the third-year players.

After Kawaki got Miyuki Out, he also dealt with Furuya and Shiratsu.

Sawamura, who had stayed on second base, couldn't advance to third.

Such defensive performance was truly amazing.

Shonan's supporters were so excited they seemed to have won the lottery.

They cheered as if Shonan High School had turned a defeat into a victory.

But not everyone was like that.

A boy sitting in Shonan's dugout didn't say a word.

He sat quietly as if he didn't exist.

Yet, his eyes never left Sawamura.

With the offense failing, no trace of disappointment could be seen on this boy's face.

If Sawamura saw him, he would instantly recognize this boy.

He was Sawamura's biggest rival in middle school and one of the twelve rising talents.

His name was Uesugi Ken!

"Life is truly unpredictable!" Uesugi Ken murmured.

This sentence is difficult to understand unless you were someone who had reached the peak of the softball league in middle school.

Looking at Uesugi now, he's reduced to a substitute at Shonan High School, someone whose name is almost forgotten, a small supporting character.

But back in his middle school days, Uesugi Ken was a renowned, top-tier figure.

He was known as one of the Twelve Rising Talents, a young man who stood at the pinnacle of the entire softball league.

It's hard to imagine what this guy has gone through after entering high school.

However, the glory he achieved in middle school is undeniable.

Although he is now only a rotation pitcher for the team, his position is similar to Kawakami in the Seidou High School baseball team.

But his vision and bearing are definitely beyond what ordinary players can compare to.

How can you tell if someone is truly mature? Sometimes, it's not about their intelligence or talent.

It mostly depends on what they've experienced.

If you've been through it, you might have figured it out long ago. If you haven't, then living a few more years won't help.

Although his talent isn't top-notch, Uesugi Ken is a man who once stood at the top of the nation.

If we were to go into detail, a personal biography of at least 100,000 words could be written.

But we won't waste that time…

To put it simply, Uesugi Ken once won the championship during his middle school years.

At the time, he was at Yokozuna Middle School. When Sawamura led the Akagi Middle School baseball team to rise, Yokozuna Middle School was the biggest roadblock for Akagi High School.

To defeat Yokozuna, Eijun and his teammates racked their brains and finally came up with some strategies.

Even so, Sawamura and his team only managed to win the Championship twice. In between, Yokozuna won the championship once.

During the time Sawamura, the Demon King, was making his rise, it was no easy feat to snatch a championship from them.

And Uesugi Ken and his teammates managed to do it.

And they did it very well!

Not to mention, they had already done it before Sawamura and the others became famous.

There is a fundamental difference between players who have competed in national competitions and those who haven't.

These differences are not technical, but mental.

How to play in adversity, and how to relieve tension in big moments?

If you don't experience it yourself, you'll never learn it.

Even though Uesugi Ken's strength doesn't shine in the current Shonan High School, his vision and aspirations are far beyond what ordinary players can match.

For example, his ability to read the game is unmatched by anyone on his team.

But that's not the most important thing.

As a former direct competitor, Uesugi Ken knows Sawamura better than anyone.

Sawamura's expression just now—it was one Uesugi is all too familiar with!

It was a confident expression.

No matter what strategies Shonan High School comes up with in the end, Sawamura has the confidence to suppress them.

It's only at moments like these that Sawamura shows such an expression.

Confidence!

Not the kind that's shown on the surface, but the kind that radiates from the bones.

Right now, Sawamura exudes confidence.

It seems like he can easily face all of Shonan High's offensive strategies and never lose a Run.

Of course, not many people share this belief. Apart from Uesugi Ken himself, there are likely no others.

After all, Kawai, who had just been substituted earlier, performed so well that everyone subconsciously placed their confidence in him.

They don't think the two-point gap is insurmountable.

Uesugi Ken is helpless about this. If he were to make a judgment on this matter, he would say that his team's fans are too naive.

"So naive!"

Uesugi Ken's thoughts represent only himself. He was a direct competitor with Sawamura Eijun during their middle school years, and when it comes to understanding Sawamura, he likely knows Sawamura as well as the players who graduated from Akagi Middle School.

As the saying goes, the people who know you best aren't necessarily your family or friends, but often your enemies.

Only your enemies will go to great lengths to study you.

From this perspective, Uesugi Ken's thoughts are quite convincing.

Unfortunately, not many people can see this now.

Seidou High School scored two consecutive points in the bottom of the fourth inning, completely breaking the deadlock on the field.

After that, Shonan High School also substituted their true ace, the first-year super rookie, Kawaki! He used his superb pitching skills to face a desperate situation with no Outs and a runner on second base.

He didn't give up a single point!

This unexpected performance successfully ignited the atmosphere of the field. Judging from the current situation, although Seidou High School has a certain advantage, they still have a long way to go before securing victory.

The game continued, and in the top of the fifth inning, it was Shonan High School's turn to bat.

At this point, Superintendent Matt in the Shonan High School dugout was no longer as calm as he had been at the beginning.

His expression had become very serious.

As the Coach of Shonan High School, he understood the situation on the field better than the spectators.

The crisis at Shonan High School was far from over.

Although Kawaki had successfully filled the gap in defense and pulled Shonan High School back from the abyss of despair.

The problems Shonan High School was facing had not been completely solved. First, now that they had given up points, even if they managed to keep a clean sheet, they couldn't win.

Additionally, although Kawaki had successfully dealt with several strong batters of Seidou, it could also be attributed to Seidou High School being unfamiliar with him as this was the first time they faced him.

Just like with Aota before, when he faced Seidou High School's batters for the first time, didn't he also not give up a single point?

How long could Kawaki maintain his current form?

This was also a huge question mark.

In short, there were too many uncertain factors. There was simply no way to predict the direction of the game.

The situation had completely exceeded Matt's control, and now he could only take things step by step.

He hoped to get a score soon.

Matt adjusted his scope to its maximum magnification. If people saw what he was looking at through the scope, they would be left speechless in surprise.

Normally, such a straight telescope would have four times or eight times magnification, which would be considered very good. But Matt's telescope was different—32 times, and it was high definition.

Even from tens of meters away, he could clearly see the expressions on the faces of Seidou High School's players.

When Seidou High School returned to the field, their players appeared very disciplined. Their faces were serious, and their movements were cautious.

It looked as though they were ready to defend at any moment.

'Hmm?'

This scene surprised Superintendent Matt.

He looked up at Seidou High School's dugout.

Matt had considered the possibility that Seidou High School's players would soon come up with a way to counteract him. After all, they were the reigning champions who had dominated Koshien for years.

It was clearly unrealistic to expect to completely solve Seidou High School with such small tricks.

Although he had anticipated it, Matt was still very surprised when Seidou actually responded this fast.

It was only in the previous inning, the top of the fourth, that Matt had just begun to apply his set of offensive tactics.

Yet Seidou High School had already responded by the top of the fifth inning, and their response was very correct.

'They had already figured out that I was reading the players' expressions to determine where they were throwing the ball.'

'That is impressive!'

Matt's previous tactics are like this.

He was an expert in reading facial expressions, able to judge a person's thoughts based on their subtle movements.

For an average pitcher, the fielders' actions are random. This tactic would be relatively effective in such cases.

But for a pitcher like Sawamura, who can control the direction the batter hits the ball to some extent—meaning, a pitcher with precise control—this tactic is highly effective.

As long as Matt could see which position a player was more nervous about, he could almost deduce the position of the pitch.

This is why Sawamura had been hit consecutively earlier.

Because the opponent had already guessed where he was likely to throw the ball.

This tactic also kills two birds with one stone.

Because Sawamura's control was so good and he had great chemistry with his teammates, he could easily communicate his thoughts to them, such as the general direction the ball was likely to land.

The teammates who received the hint would naturally begin preparing to catch the ball early.

Knowing where the ball would land, versus not knowing where it would land—how could their expressions be the same?

Once Matt figured this out, he could make accurate judgments and give instructions.

Unfortunately, Seidou High School had already caught on.

All the fielders on the field wore serious faces, but they showed no expressions.

Now, they had to look closely and see what other tricks the coach from Shonan High School could come up with.

'Well, that is also okay,'

But surprisingly, this didn't faze Matt.

Seidou High School's actions, though unexpected, had still greatly underestimated him.

Matt wasn't just an expert in reading facial expressions; he was an expert in micro-expressions.

A person's expression can be faked, like a skilled actor who can portray a person's emotions.

It all relies on facial expressions.

But a person's micro-expression—the subconscious reflex action they make—is impossible to fake.

Even if someone can disguise it, they must go through special training, such as in undercover work, espionage, or special forces. Only professionals in these fields can master such skills.

For ordinary people, it's very hard to hide their micro-expressions.

Even though Seidou High School's fielders were all wearing serious faces, their micro-expressions betrayed them.

Kanemaru, at third base, narrowed his eyes, looking very restrained.

'There was no aggression at all.'

But in reality, the situation was probably completely opposite,

'His expression indicated that he was the most likely to receive the ball.'

Before people attack, there is often a moment when they appear especially relaxed.

This reaction is actually very psychological.

It's like a punch having more power when you retract it and then throw it.

The players' performance showed this.

'He was ready to give it his all!'

'As long as the ball flew in, he would stop it at all costs.'

This didn't escape Matt's eye, and he quickly made a judgment.

'The general direction of the pitch should be on the inside corner!'

'Such a pitch would most likely catch the first baseman off-guard. As long as the conditions allowed, it wasn't too difficult to try to hit it towards the first baseman.'

After giving the order, Matt began to patiently wait for the result.

He appeared calm, and not in a hurry.

It was unclear whether he was deliberately faking it or if he truly had these thoughts in his mind.

…

T/N: As always, thank you all for reading!!

See you Tomorrow!

Until then, take care!

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