Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

In the New York Manhattan Academy team's rest area.

Bill, with his braided hair, returned to the rest area, and a group of people immediately gathered around him.

"Bill missed his swing?"

For the players of the New York Manhattan Academy team, this was an unimaginable scene.

But this scene appeared in reality.

The players' eyes were fixed on Bill, hoping to hear from him what had just happened. Bill closed his mouth, not saying a word. He sat in his chair, ignoring everyone.

Only when their Coach approached did Bill stand up.

In America, there was no culture like in Japan, no strict rules about respecting teachers.

Bill's behavior clearly showed that he had complete respect for the man standing before him.

"What happened?"

Walter, the Coach asked in a low tone.

To them, the pitch that Sawamura had just thrown seemed perfectly normal.

So why did Bill miss his swing?

"The ball suddenly moved inward when it was close to my hands. And suddenly the ball just seemed to disappear!"

"What kind of pitch was that?"

"It should be a variation of a Cutter. Of course, every pitcher's cutter is different. Maybe that kid's Cutter was like that!!"

Walter got the answer he was hoping for.

He refocused his gaze on Sawamura.

Since the start of the game, Sawamura had been continuously surprising him.

From Sawamura, Walter saw the future!

And this future looked even brighter than the one he had seen in his most favored student, Allen.

Having struck out the Fourth Batter, Sawamura, and Miyuki were not exactly at ease.

While they had managed to turn the atmosphere around on the field, the trump card—Sawamura's Cutter Kai—had already been revealed.

They talked about it before going up to the field.

"Once Bill returned to the rest area and explained what happened to his teammates, facing those three batters with dynamic vision again, that cutter might not be as effective anymore!"

"Is it that serious?"

Miyuki asked, feeling a little reluctant.

"More serious than you think!"

Sawamura understood their abilities well. For them, breaking balls wasn't a challenge.

A pitch like the Cutball Kai used for the first time, might still have the element of surprise.

But using it a second time might not have the same effect!

Breaking balls, despite their advantages, had their weaknesses.

For example, even when Sawamura threw a breaking ball, he couldn't make the speed of the breaking ball match that of a fastball.

Even if he threw with the same power, any excessive movement in the ball would slow it down…

Once the speed drops, all kinds of fatal issues arise.

Against a regular opponent, the impact might not be so large.

But facing the cleanup players of the Dream Team…

It would be a different story.

Just like the opponent Sawamura was about to face next.

Mike O'Connor, the fifth batter of the Manhattan Academy team.

He was also one of the three musketeers of the Dream Team.

And he possessed top-tier Dynamic Vision.

To play against such an opponent, not only did Sawamura need to have good control of his pitches, but his body and mind also had to be sharp.

Before pitching, there could be no carelessness.

Otherwise, one slip-up and he might fall into the opponent's trap.

Every genius player had an extraordinary growth path, and Mike was no exception.

To others, baseball might seem like a very sacred and difficult sport. But for Mike, baseball was just a game he played on a whim.

For some reason, he was just naturally good at it.

His teammates, who worked harder than him during practice, couldn't match his skill when it came to actual games.

It was at that time that Mike heard his Coach tell him:

He possessed one in a hundred thousand talent.

It was called dynamic vision!

To others, the path of the baseball was a smooth line, without any interruptions in the air.

But to Mike, everything that flew towards him seemed to be split into frames, like a film reel.

He could easily see what was in each frame!

With this ability, it became easier for him to hit the ball.

Before entering high school, Mike had even thought he was the chosen one.

It wasn't until he was selected for the New York team that he learned what 'The sky is high' really meant. It was at that time that Mike realized he wasn't the only one with top-tier dynamic vision.

Since then, Mike's bad temper has calmed down a bit.

He had become more humble.

But these changes didn't change the fact that Mike still considered himself the best, at least in his team.

No team, no pitcher, could stop their offense.

This belief had firmly rooted itself in Mike's mind and was growing stronger.

But now, someone had destroyed the belief in Mike's heart.

That person was Sawamura.

Even Jack and Bill, who also had high Dynamic Vision, couldn't do anything against Sawamura.

Naturally, this made Mike curious about what kind of magic Sawamura had.

How could his performance be so amazing?

Standing in the Batter's Box, Mike stared at Sawamura, waiting for the pitch.

O'Connor's calm and composed attitude made both Sawamura and Miyuki glance at each other in surprise.

The New York Manhattan Academy team truly lived up to its "Dream Team" title.

Every player was incredibly strong.

Just like Mike, the fifth batter for the New York Manhattan Academy team.

He exuded the demeanor of a star player.

His own fourth batter had been struck out, yet Mike wasn't the least bit affected.

It was unbelievable!

Sawamura and Miyuki exchanged glances, reading caution from each other's expressions.

But the more it was like this, the more they couldn't back down in the face of such an opponent.

It was as though they had been forced into a corner, and from the moment they stepped up, there was no turning back.

Sawamura was bold and fearless!

For the first pitch against Mike, Sawamura threw the most ordinary fastball.

When Mike saw the pitch, he hesitated for a moment.

Based on their previous encounters with Sawamura, they believed they had a general understanding of his strength.

There was no doubt that he was the top pitcher in the world for his age group.

'Such a pitcher wouldn't make mistakes, would he?'

Mike couldn't convince himself, so he decided to let the pitch pass.

He wanted to see what break this pitch might have.

SNAP!

"STRIKE!"

The plain, unremarkable pitch came through without any obstacles.

Seeing this, Mike felt his nose twitch with anger.

'These Fu*kers!'

The players from the Seidou High School baseball team were truly pushing him too far!

How dare they play him with such a basic fastball?

'Are they messing with me?'

Mike's reason vanished in an instant.

This scene unfolded before Miyuki's eyes, making him secretly sigh in relief.

'Despite the formidable strength of the New York players, they all had explosive tempers.'

Whenever the situation didn't go their way, their tempers would flare like firecrackers.

Facing such an opponent was, relatively speaking, simpler.

'The fish is on the hook. Let's continue!'

After receiving the first pitch, Miyuki decisively signaled Sawamura to continue.

Without hesitation, Sawamura threw his second pitch.

WHRROOSH!

The small baseball quickly reached the batter's hand.

This caught Mike a little off guard.

'This Fast!'

It wasn't just the rhythm of the pitch; even the speed of Sawamura's pitch seemed to have increased, at least in Mike's eyes!

This increase in speed was not due to Sawamura's pitching form.

It should be noted that Mike had a top-tier dynamic vision. Sawamura's tricks couldn't deceive his eyes.

What Mike saw was that the ball's speed had genuinely increased!

The small baseball was like a laser beam, instantly appearing right in front of Mike.

Facing this pitch, Mike could no longer stay silent. The Strikeout of Bill earlier had taught him a big lesson.

When facing Sawamura, one couldn't afford to wait too long. Otherwise, once Sawamura took the lead in pitch count, or they got behind, Sawamura might immediately throw a game-winning pitch.

And the fact was, even they had trouble hitting Sawamura's decisive pitch the first time.

To avoid getting into such a predicament, it was necessary to hit the ball before the pitch count caught up.

So no matter what, Mike couldn't afford to let this pitch pass.

PAAK!

Mike's eyesight was sharp, and his swing was right on target.

The bat made solid contact with the small baseball, sending it flying.

Tak!

"FOUL!!"

The baseball, spinning, landed just outside the first base foul line.

Seeing this, Mike in the Batter's Box froze.

At this moment, he realized he might have fallen for a trap.

The spin on the ball was even more than he had anticipated, so even though he made contact, the ball didn't land in the field.

'Oh no!'

Mike silently cursed in his mind.

At this point, if he didn't realize he had unknowingly stepped into Sawamura's trap, then he might as well have given up.

As expected, after getting two Strikes, Sawamura decisively used his winning shot.

Whrroosh!

The Cutter Kai!!

Once the Dream Team players gathered together and shared their observations, Sawamura believed they would eventually come up with a plan to counter his Cutter Kai.

So, before this breaking ball lost its effectiveness, it was necessary to maximize its use.

At this point, Sawamura was calculating his strategy in his mind, hoping that if everything went well, he might be able to win the game using just three different game-winning pitches.

If it worked, it would be a perfect ending.

Otherwise, Sawamura would have to think of other ways.

Once the ball was within the strike zone, the suddenly disappearing breaking ball.

Even Mike, who had seen countless pitches before, had never encountered anything like this.

When facing it for the first time, he was completely stunned.

He could only watch helplessly as his bat missed the ball.

SNAP!

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!"

And just like that, Sawamura struck out both the fourth and fifth batters of the New York Manhattan Academy team.

"…"

"…"

"…"

The stadium fell silent.

The fans who had specifically come to watch the Dream Team play could hardly imagine such a scene.

They never expected that the team they thought was nearly invincible, the Team only exists in Dreams, would one day find themselves in such a situation.

Being dominated by the opposing pitcher.

It was unimaginable!

But the reality was this cruel.

At this moment, no one in the Dream Team's rest area dared to underestimate Sawamura anymore.

They were all discussing seriously how to overcome this powerful opponent.

With two outs and no one on base, it was time for the American Dream Team's "Son of Baseball" to bat.

Facing this nearly invincible man, Sawamura showed no mercy.

After using his tricky pitch to get two strikes, Sawamura again used his killer move.

"STRIKE!"

"STRIKE!!"

"STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!!!"

Although it was the third time using the Cutter Kai, its effectiveness was unquestionable.

Whether it was Bill, Mike, or the current batter Allen,

All of them were cleaned up in a very neat and efficient manner.

There was no hesitation whatsoever.

Nine pitches, three Strikeouts.

Everything a pitcher could demonstrate, Sawamura showcased it perfectly.

Many of the Dream Team's loyal fans in the stands were stunned at this moment.

Since they had been following the American Dream Team, they had never seen them in such a humiliating situation.

At this point, many fans could be heard murmuring to each other, looking at Sawamura.

"Has this guy entered the cheat code?"

How else could he do it?

…