Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

On the baseball field of Seido High School, after several days of intensive and fulfilling practice, the tacit understanding between Lin Xiao and the first-team members was like vines growing vigorously in spring, quickly and firmly intertwined. During their breaks, they would always playfully tease and joke around with great energy.

"Kuramochi-senpai, your running form isn't quite right!" Lin Xiao said with a laugh, deliberately imitating Kuramochi's running style.

Kuramochi glared at him, feigning anger as he retorted, "You little brat, how dare you joke about your senior? Are you asking for a beating?"

"Watch my invincible speed, you brat!"

Miyuki chimed in from the side, "Lin Xiao, don't underestimate Kuramochi-senpai. He's Seido's fastest runner. When he runs between bases, his opponents can't keep up with him."

Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow confidently: "I think I'm faster. After all, I'm tall, and long legs give me an advantage when running."

Upon hearing this, Kuramochi was secretly annoyed, thinking, "This brat, he's so arrogant just because he's tall and has long legs. I'll find a chance to teach him a lesson and let him know that Seido's speed isn't just talk." He said aloud, "Hmph, you little brat, height alone doesn't mean anything. Let's find a time to have a race and see who's the real king of speed. Don't make excuses if you can't outrun me."

In this relaxed yet spirited atmosphere, Coach Kataoka decided to hold a practice match between Lin Xiao and the first team. The news, once released, was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples throughout the entire Seido High School baseball team.

Upon hearing the news, Sawamura, Kominato Haruichi, Furuya Satoru, and the second team members rushed over like bees attracted by nectar, crowding the court three layers deep and making it impossible to pass.

Standing to one side of the field, Lin Xiao looked at the bustling scene around him and thought to himself, "This practical exercise is a major test for me. I must go all out and not slack off in the slightest."

Since Miyuki was also going to participate in this actual battle, the key responsibility of the catcher was handed over to Chris.

Chris was unfortunately injured, but after a period of careful recuperation, his body is gradually recovering.

Coach Kataoka is always thorough in his considerations. He knows that Lin Xiao is quite strong and that under normal circumstances, he would not subject Chris to too much exercise, which would affect his injury recovery.

Lin Xiao was concentrating on the upcoming challenge when a clear "ding" sound suddenly rang in his mind.

[Random Check-in]

[Award: National-level Carter Ball]

Lin Xiao was overjoyed, thinking excitedly, "Fantastic! I've actually acquired the Carterball skill! Combined with the national-level Fast Forkball from last time, I now have three ball types. It seems the system is really powerful. With this ball type, my arsenal is even richer. I'll bring unexpected surprises to everyone in this match."

Chris said to Lin Xiao, "Lin Xiao, tell me which ball games you know how to play."

"Okay, Chris."

"Currently, I've mastered the straight shot and the forked shot."

"Oh, right, there's also the Carterball."

"What? You've mastered two different types of balls in such a short time?" Chris looked at Lin Xiao in shock.

"It's from practicing every night after training sessions," Lin Xiao said, scratching his head sheepishly.

"It seems you're working quite hard. But remember to stretch properly and avoid injury," Chris said earnestly.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Xiao and Chris huddled together and began exchanging secret signals.

just now.

Lin Xiao's arsenal already contains three types of balls: the four-seam straight ball, the fast forkball, and the newly acquired Carterball.

Once ready, Lin Xiao strode confidently to his pitching position with steady, powerful steps. Behind him stood guard the team, all carefully selected players from the first team; their strength should not be underestimated.

The batter of the first team is Kuramochi.

Kuramochi stood in the batter's box, thinking to himself, "Lin Xiao's pitches are fast, he's not easy to deal with. But I can't show weakness either. After all, I'm the first batter in the first team, and I have to get a good score to set a good example for the others."

Chris gave the signal, "Lin Xiao, Kuramochi is the first batter, and short-hitting is his specialty. Stay calm."

Lin Xiao nodded in satisfaction upon seeing the code. "High-speed straight shots are my specialty. Let's use this shot to test Kuramochi-senpai's skills first."

Then, Lin Xiao raised his leg and swung his arm to gather strength, and then suddenly burst out, throwing the first ball.

The ball shot out like a cannonball, its momentum unstoppable.

"boom!"

With a whoosh, it hurtled toward home plate at incredible speed. The astonishing speed of the ball instantly stunned Kuramochi and caused the other spectators to gasp in astonishment.

Kuramochi watched the ball rapidly approaching and was startled: "This ball is too fast, even faster than I imagined. I need to concentrate and not panic."

Chris quickly retrieved the ball, tossed it to Lin Xiao, and exclaimed, "Great shot! Very powerful! One more!"

"Phew, feels good." Lin Xiao relaxed his shoulders.

The second goal.

Chris thought to himself, "Lin Xiao's four-seam fastball is in excellent form. Let's continue using this pitch and see how Kuramochi responds." At the same time, he made a signal with his hand, still indicating to Lin Xiao to throw the four-seam fastball.

Seeing the signal, Lin Xiao exhaled, steadied himself, and mentally encouraged himself: "Keep in shape, I have to throw this one well too." He made the throwing motion again, his body quickly turning and his arm forcefully swinging out, the ball flying out like lightning once more.

call out! ! !

"boom!"

Kuramochi gritted his teeth, his eyes wide, staring intently at the incoming ball, and swung his bat with all his might, yelling "Ah!!!"

With a roar, he tried to hit the ball hard.

With a "ping!!!" sound, the bat finally hit the ball.

Kuramochi reacted quickly, throwing away his bat and sprinting towards first base.

Lin Xiao kept a close eye on the ball's trajectory, and when he saw the ball flying towards him, he quickly raised his glove.

With a "snap," he caught the ball steadily.

Kuramochi was running when he caught a glimpse of the ball landing steadily in Lin Xiao's glove out of the corner of his eye. Helpless, he stopped and slunk back to the rest area.

Kuramochi ran over to Kominato Ryosuke and sighed helplessly, saying, "Sigh, the ball speed is too fast, I can't even hit the right spot. This kid's strength is not to be underestimated."

At this moment, Chris ran to Lin Xiao's side and said, "Kominato is a skill-based hitter who is good at catching the ball's trajectory and rhythm. We need to be careful."

Ryosuke Kominato is a technical batter who, as Seido's second batter, is mainly responsible for wearing down the pitcher's stamina and reducing the number of pitches.

He is a very tough fighter.

Lin Xiao must take this seriously.

Lin Xiao nodded earnestly in agreement: "Yes, I understand, Senior Chris."

Chris returned to home plate.

"Come on, Kominato-senpai, I'm ready."

Lin Xiao adjusted his state, raised his leg, swung his arm, and released the ball in one smooth motion, sending the white ball flying out like a shooting star.

call out! ! !

"Brother..." Kominato Haruichi looked at Kominato Ryosuke with a worried expression.

"A fastball?" Ryosuke Kominato watched the ball fly towards him at high speed and instinctively swung his bat. However, just as the ball approached home plate, it suddenly changed direction, curving in a very clever arc and deviating from its original path.

"Carterball!!!" Ryosuke Kominato shouted in surprise, his bat missing completely, his face full of shock.

Chris was overjoyed to see this and thought to himself, "I didn't expect Lin Xiao to have mastered Carterball so quickly. I originally just wanted to use this fan to fool Kominato, but I didn't expect it to become a powerful weapon in actual combat."

"This guy, he actually had this trick up his sleeve." Kominato Ryosuke was both surprised and angry. He didn't expect Lin Xiao to suddenly use this move.