Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

Second round of the West Tokyo tournament.

The match between Seido High School and Yonex High School has officially begun.

[The match has begun!]

With the referee's whistle, the highly anticipated match officially began.

"Hey, it's number 10..."

Kuramochi Yoichi stood in the batter's box, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

"It's not that left-handed ace."

He stared at the opponent's pitcher's mound, quickly analyzing the situation in his mind.

"and……"

"It turns out he's a player who uses a low-shoulder side-pitch..."

Kuramochi's eyes were fixed on the opposing pitcher, trying to find a weakness in him.

Chris revealed the pitcher's information: "Number 10, Nanping Defender, third year."

"I played as a pitcher in my first year, but I haven't pitched in a competitive game since then."

"Although it's hard to believe, we can only assume that he spent two years specifically learning the low-shoulder side-shot for this year's summer season."

[Referee: The match begins!]

"Kuramochi, attack!"

"Make a scene with your own two feet!"

The cheers from his teammates filled the air, giving him strength.

"So, what should we do...?"

Kuramochi gripped the bat tightly, his eyes sharpening.

"The primary task of a batter is to reach base safely."

He was very clear about his responsibilities.

"However, it's also risky to throw a pitcher you know absolutely nothing about..."

Kuramochi quickly weighed the options in his mind and cautiously chose to observe.

"nice shot!"

The referee's voice rang out, and the first ball was thrown.

"So slow!"

Kuramochi was startled; the opponent's ball speed was slower than he had expected.

With Lin Xiao on the team, Seido is truly different. Their pitching squad is now incredibly strong, with each pitcher delivering amazing performances. Lin Xiao, a first-year player, had a pitch speed approaching 160 kilometers per hour when he first enrolled.

However, Lin Xiao wanted to better control the ball's trajectory when throwing.

This prevents the ball from deviating from its intended trajectory and sacrificing its speed.

Although he lacked ball control, the speed of the ball was an undeniable talent.

Not to mention Furuya, whose pitches can easily break the 150 km/h speed barrier.

Compared to this pitcher, their pitch speed is truly fast!

"His body position when he pitches is even lower than Kawakami-senpai's."

He carefully observed the opposing pitcher's movements.

"Did the ball rise briefly before sinking again?"

A knowing glint flashed in Kuramochi's eyes.

"Plus, the ball speed is low, making it even harder to play."

He felt a bit uneasy.

"Did you see their expressions?"

In the rest area of ​​Mimonshi High School, Coach Junichi Chiba smiled smugly.

"Those guys from Seido are completely at a loss in the face of this unknown situation."

He seemed to see the dawn of victory.

"Chiba School, the first ironclad rule of victory—"

Coach Chiba's voice was strong and clear.

"Regardless of the form, strike first!"

His eyes were full of confidence.

"Because it was their first match, their movements and reactions were very stiff."

Coach Chiba continued his analysis.

"Anything that can make them waver even a little bit is excellent."

"So low! But the ball's trajectory is right next to the edge of the strike zone!"

The second pitch was thrown, but Kuramochi still didn't swing.

"Two strikes!"

The referee's voice rang out again, and Kuramochi found himself on the defensive.

"Hey, this isn't like you, Kuramochi!"

"Swing more aggressively!"

There was a hint of anxiety in his teammates' shouts.

Lin Xiao observed the situation on the field: "Oh, the opposing coach caught us."

"Damn it, there's no turning back."

Kuramochi felt a sinking feeling in his heart, sensing the pressure.

"This way, even balls in bad positions will have no choice but to be swung."

He knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.

"After all, we still need to let everyone know what kind of pitcher the other side is."

Kuramochi gritted his teeth, preparing to swing the bat.

"Curveball? Or slider?"

As the third ball was thrown, Kuramochi's eyes were fixed on its trajectory.

"The attackers have started running!"

"The ball speed is too slow, I can't tell!"

Kuramochi was anxious, but he still swung the bat decisively.

"Out!"

The referee's voice ruthlessly announced his elimination.

"Strikeout right off the bat..."

Kuramochi lowered his head in frustration.

"Just because he hesitated, which was unusual for him..."

"The catcher can handle even bouncing balls calmly and properly."

"One person is out!"

"One person is out!"

The referee's voice rang out again.

"These two are definitely not a hastily put-together duo."

Kuramochi watched the opposing team's seamless coordination between the throwers and catchers and sighed inwardly.

"I'm sorry, Senior Liang."

Kuramochi apologized to his senior, Ryosuke, who had gone to the batter's box.

"Being able to observe that changing ball is enough."

Ryosuke-senpai comforted him.

"Aim for the easiest shot."

"Lin Xiao, go warm up," Yu Xing greeted him.

"Coming right away."

"Bad ball!"

Ryosuke's first pitch was a bad one.

"This guy never shoots low balls."

Coach Chiba looked at Ryosuke and analyzed the situation in his mind.

"Anyway, let's just throw the ball around the outside corner first."

He gave the catcher a signal.

"Idiot! The shot is too easy to hit!"

Coach Chiba's expression suddenly changed, and he shouted loudly.

"Too bad, he was caught and tagged out by the third baseman!"

"What bad luck!"

"Too late to swing!"

The teammates' voices were filled with regret.

Cowshed.

I saw Kominato Ryosuke being killed.

"Looks like God isn't on our side today," Lin Xiao sighed.

Miyuki was confused.

"Mimenshi High School's starting pitcher is a mysterious pitcher with no information available, which has disrupted Seido High School's offensive rhythm."

"After our three-in-three-out strategy in the first game failed, it's clear that Izashiki-senpai has no chance in this game," Lin Xiao explained.

"I didn't expect you to be so smart."

"Of course, I'm not some idiot who only knows how to go up to the pitcher's mound."

Sawamura and Furuya sneezed for no apparent reason.

Sawamura: "I have a cold? I'm not even cold."

Furuya touched his nose: "My nose is a little itchy."

"Is everything alright?"

"They were eliminated so easily in just the first game."

"You must be nervous."

People started to get a little worried.

"Isashiki, you'd better fight well!"

"Roar, you silky-haired dogs of Seido!"

The teammates started cheering for Jun Isashiki.

"Who's the silky dog?!"

Jun Isashiki roared and swung his baseball bat.

"nice shot!"

The referee's voice rang out, and it was Jun Isashiki's first pitch; the opponent had thrown a good shot.

"Calm down, Izashiki."

The voices of his teammates rang out again.

"Did he hear that...?"

Izashiki Jun muttered to himself.

"His outside corner shots, when viewed from the right side of the strike zone, give the illusion that they are far off."

Jun Isashiki carefully observed the opponent's pitch.

"Well done! It's flying!"

Jun Isashiki finally hit a good shot.

"Run, Izashiki!"

The teammates shouted excitedly.

"What?"

Jun Isashiki's smile froze on his face.

"Three people have been eliminated in a row!"

"They managed to defend right field that far."

"It seems that the opponent has carefully studied Seido's playing style."

"How infuriating! Is he planning to decide the game with outside corner kicks all the time?"

Seido High School's first inning attack ended in a surprising three-in-three-out.

"You three! Stop this already! You can't even get to first base, do you even want to win?!"

Lin Xiao stood in the cowshed warming up, hands on his hips, and mocked the three people who had just come off the field.

"Huh? What did you say, kid?!"

Isashiki Jun instantly flew into a rage, veins bulging on his forehead, and roared at Lin Xiao.

"Golden Retriever, don't get agitated. You might get sick from getting angry and then you won't be able to compete."

Lin Xiao, not to be outdone, continued to add fuel to the fire.

"You bastard!"

Izashiki Jun was so angry that he was trembling all over, wishing he could rush up and punch Lin Xiao right away.

"Alright, alright, Lin Xiao, just say less."

Rei Takashima arrived just in time to stop the impending conflict.

"Yes, Sister Xiaoli."

Lin Xiao immediately put on a docile expression and obediently picked up his equipment.

"Tch, you're lucky, kid."

Izashiki Jun glared at Lin Xiao fiercely, then turned and walked away.

"Hey Lin Xiao, why are you so afraid of Xiao Li?"

Miyuki Kazuya walked up to Lin Xiao and asked curiously.

Lin Xiao looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "She's my cousin. She looks a lot like my mom. She was most afraid of my mom at home, but now she's most afraid of her. You guys don't know how terrifying women can be."

"What?!"

Everyone stared at Lin Xiao in shock, as if they had heard something unbelievable.

Lin Xiao looked at everyone with a puzzled expression: "You guys don't know? I thought you all knew."

"How would anyone know if you didn't tell me!"

Everyone said in unison.

"Isn't that obvious?"

"You're obviously a big idiot."

"that is."