Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

V7_Chapter 5: The Finals

Seidou High School, which was expected to play a leading role, was unexpectedly eliminated in the third round of the competition. This outcome significantly dimmed the excitement around the Tokyo Fall Tournament.

Nevertheless, by the time the championship and runner-up battles arrived, Jingu Stadium was still packed with spectators. The stadium’s manager even had to open the outfield stands to accommodate the massive crowd.

“The people from Teito are here!”

“Sankou are here too!”

“Ugumori are sitting there.”

“I think I saw the people from Seiko sitting somewhere.”

“Look the people from Sensen!”

Like a well-coordinated plan, famous star players from the Tokyo area arrived one after another to watch the games.

Even though Seidou remains a strong team in the Tokyo area, their elimination before the finals made the Fall Tournament less popular compared to the summer's fierce battles. Despite this, no team dared to underestimate Seidou High School. They were still the top team in Tokyo and had recently claimed the National Championship.

This, however, did not dampen the fans’ enthusiasm for the two teams currently playing.

If any teams could challenge Seidou High School’s dominance, it would undoubtedly be the two teams on the field: Inajitsu High School and Yakushi High School. Both posed a significant threat to Seidou High School.

With the fate of these two teams aligning, they naturally attracted a lot of viewers.

“Damn, if Seidou were here, all the top 16 teams in Tokyo would be gathered.” One fan murmured.

“They should be coming too.”

“The game is about to start. Why haven’t they arrived yet?”

“The main characters always make their appearance at the crucial moment.”

Before the fan could finish speaking, a group of about a dozen people appeared at the entrance of Jingu Stadium’s stands.

Leading the group were Sawamura, Miyuki, and Kuramochi, followed closely by all the main players from Seidou High School.

After half a month, their internal wounds had healed, and they now appeared normal.

“Seidou is here!”

The moment they stepped into the stands, the entire stadium erupted into excitement. Fans quickly turned their attention, cameras, and phones towards them.

The clicking of cameras was nonstop.

“Damn, it’s like being a zoo exhibit. Are we here just to be stared at?” Kuramochi grumbled angrily.

If it weren’t for him posing to look cool, Sawamura might have believed him.

Despite Kuramochi’s tone being filled with dissatisfaction, he must have felt quite delighted inside.

“To be honest, I don’t think there’s any need to come and watch the team that defeated us,” Maezono said.

After the competition, his position suffered a major setback. Once an irreplaceable core player, he was now competing with Yamaguchi for a spot. Thankfully, he had a good mindset after the setback and continued to train hard. He believed that after some time, he would rise again.

The third-year Senpais were quite displeased with Superintendent Kataoka’s actions.

“The coach has become too lenient!”

Back when they were training, any mistake would result in an immediate replacement. If the mistake was significant enough, being demoted to the second string was not out of the question.

It was unimaginable for a third-year Senpais to retain their position after a mistake like Maezono’s.

In truth, Kataoka couldn’t be blamed entirely. With the pressure of getting to Koshien, his patience was very limited at the time.

Of course, players were not allowed to make mistakes.

Now that they had advanced beyond their previous status and become the new National Champions, Kataoka had grown more confident. And was more willing to give opportunities to his players.

This was why Maezono was not completely pushed out.

Despite his previous lackluster performance, there weren’t significant mistakes. His main issue was that he lacked the strength to be the core batter for Seidou High School.

“Even though we were eliminated by this team, I still believe our strength is not weak. There aren’t many teams that can truly threaten us. The two teams in front of us have that kind of quality. It’s beneficial for us to watch their game if we want to avoid repeating the mistakes of two weeks ago,” Miyuki said.

There had been some internal conflicts within the team. Especially after their elimination, small disagreements had surfaced.

Even in a team like Seidou High School, differing opinions were inevitable. Miyuki, newly appointed as captain and lacking experience, was at a loss for how to handle these emergencies.

In the end, it was the third-year Senpais who managed to get everyone in line.

This included Maezono.

Isashiki spent an entire afternoon talking to him, explaining his responsibilities as vice-captain and how to continue improving his skills.

With the selfless help of the third year, all the minor conflicts within Seidou High School were resolved.

Now, they were united and ready to face the upcoming challenges.

Following their loss in the Fall Tournament, the players of Seidou High School faced an unusually long offseason.

Originally scheduled for one week of intense training, Coach Kataoka extended it to two weeks.

The second-year and Sawamura, who had experienced the grueling training of the winter camp before were terrified.

They had a profound fear of undergoing the winter hell training again.

The first-year players, however, were clueless and thought the seniors were overreacting.

Seeing them so unprepared, Sawamura felt like he was watching a group of cows and sheep heading to the slaughterhouse.

‘Sometimes, naivety can be a good thing.’

Seidou High School had paid little attention to the semi-finals and quarter-finals of Inajitsu. While the opponents were strong, they were not considered a serious threat to Inajitsu.

With the outcome anticipated, they naturally had little interest.

But the final was different.

Yakushi had previously defeated Inajitsu in the summer. The players were eager to see the strength of both teams for themselves.

Especially with Narumiya Mei playing against Todoroki Raichi!

This showdown was particularly thrilling and full of anticipation.

***

The finals have begun, and Yakushi is the first to attack.

Cheerleaders on both sides roar with equal fervor.

Nevertheless, the players on the field are locked in a desperate struggle.

Yakushi is the first to attack!

Narumiya Mei, who previously seemed like a mere spectator, is now on the mound.

Facing Yakushi High’s fierce lineup, Narumiya is resolute and unyielding.

“STRIKE!”

“STRIKE!!”

“STRIKE! BATTER OUT!!!”

The pitches, seemingly accelerated, continue to come from Narumiya’s hand.

Against fastballs exceeding 150 km/h, the batters look utterly helpless.

The first two pitches didn’t even allow him to swing, and on the third pitch, he managed to take a swing but missed.

The batter is unceremoniously Struck Out.

One Out, no one on base.

Now it’s time for Akiba Kazuma, the second batter.

He is one of Yakushi’s three first-year powerhouse hitters and was personally handpicked by Todoroki Raizou.

Even he fails to connect with Narumiya’s pitches.

With a sharp forkball, Narumiya Strikes him Out.

Two consecutive Strikeouts have completely stifled Yakushi High’s offensive momentum.

In the stands, the Seidou players are watching closely.

Kominato Haruichi frowns and says, “The opponent’s rhythm feels so familiar!”

Of course, he’s referring to Inashiro!

Narumiya Mei’s pitching style is strikingly similar to Sawamura Eijun’s.

“Seizing the initiative! It seems Inashiro is also wary of Yakushi,” Miyuki remarks.

“Well, they have lost to Yakushi before,” Sawamura adds.

Although he hasn’t seen Yakushi’s entire game, Sawamura can still sense a change in their behavior. In the summer, Yakushi High seemed like a volcanic eruption—intense and explosive. While formidable, it wasn’t overly frightening. While a volcano’s eruption is dangerous, if you avoid the initial blast, you’re safe.

Now, Yakushi High feels more restrained—like a dormant volcano.

A dormant volcano is even more terrifying because you can’t predict when it will erupt or how powerful it will be.

Eijun’s lips curl into a smile as he glances at Raizou.

Despite Raizou’s poor financial skills, his coaching, especially with players, is impressive—comparable even to Kunitomo.

“This game is going to be exciting!”

As Sawamura predicted, Yakushi isn’t being easily dispatched.

Their third batter, Mishima Yuta, manages to draw a walk after a few tough pitches.

Yakushi’s reputation for having a powerful lineup isn’t solely due to Raichi. Players like Sanada, Mishima, and Akiba are also top-notch.

Two Outs, with a runner on first base.

The game has begun with a clash as intense as a volcanic eruption.

The ultimate confrontation has arrived.

Tokyo’s King, Narumiya Mei, faces off against Yakushi’s Thunder Batter, Todoroki Raichi.

“Keha-ha-ha! Keha-ha-ha-ha!!!”

Accompanied by a sharp laugh, Raichi aggressively steps into the Batter’s Box.

He holds his bat high, ready to hit the ball at any moment.

‘Come on! Come on!!!’

Raichi’s eyes, sharp as a hungry wolf, are fixed on Narumiya.

He’s eager to test his pitching again.

In a previous practice game, he hit a home run off Narumiya’s pitch.

But this doesn’t satisfy Raichi at all.

In their past encounters, both Raichi and Narumiya have had their share of victories and losses.

Raichi is eager for another round with Narumiya.

In the dugout, Raizou’s eyes seem to burn with intensity.

“Defeat your opponent here with one powerful hit. If you can hit a home run, the game will fall into our rhythm.”

On the mound.

Facing Raichi, who has previously hit one of his pitches out of the park, Mei remains calm.

Through his matches with Seidou, Narumiya has learned an important lesson.

‘Games are determined by scores.’

Everything else is secondary. As long as your score is higher than your opponent’s, you win.

“Okay!”

Against the aggressive Raichi and the moving Mishima, Narumiya remains composed. He first gazes to control Mishima, then focuses on the Batter’s Box.

Roaar!

Releasing his pitch, Narumiya’s ball is like a sharp beam of white light.

BUZZ!

Raichi, unfazed, swings his bat with full force.

Ping!

The ball is hit so high it seems almost unbelievable. It takes a full 10 seconds for the ball to fall back to earth.

During this time, the audience holds their breath, stunned by the incredible hit.

Snap!

The ball finally lands in shortstop Shirakawa’s mitt.

Three Outs—defense and offense switch.

To an outsider, this might seem like mere amazement at Raichi’s powerful swing.

How strong does a swing need to be to hit the ball that high?

These spectators can’t know or guess.

In the corner of the stands, Sawamura watches with a knowing smile.

“Inashiro’s catcher seems to have some clever strategies up his sleeve.”

“With each game, their strength improves. Today’s Inashiro is noticeably stronger compared to when we played against them. The synergy between Mei and Tadano is also improving. By next spring, when all teams have adjusted, it will be hard to assess their true strength. But given the current situation, Inashiro is likely to go far in the Jingu Conference in ten days.”

Miyuki’s assessment is based on solid reasoning.

Other top teams, having just come out of the summer competition, will struggle to regain their summer strength in such a short time.

Inashiro, even if not fully recovered, is already very close. No team adjusts faster than they do.

…