Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 149: The Final Summer

After the practice match with the Sakura Girls, on the way back:

"Such a shame!" Fumino exclaimed.

"What do you mean, shame? It was a complete loss! We only managed three runs!" Sendo shrugged.

"I'm not talking about the match!"

"Huh?"

"I'm talking about you not having a chance to shine!"

"Shame? That has nothing to do with it."

"But still, I feel like you were itching to bat!"

"Maybe."

"Still, it's hard to believe! Even with a significant gap in individual abilities, baseball can make it impossible to secure a win! Only baseball can do that, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know much about different sports, but I've heard that even in team sports, if one player is overwhelmingly strong, they can carry a team of beginners to beat a strong team. But baseball seems to limit individual abilities to such an extent, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Sendo admitted openly. It was impossible not to feel frustrated after this match.

"By the way, are you sure it's okay? You're staying in Nagano tonight? Classes start tomorrow," Sendo asked again, concerned about Fumino staying until the last day of Golden Week.

"It's fine, it's fine! I'll just get up early tomorrow and take the Shinkansen back. It only takes less than two hours to Tokyo!"

Sendo wanted to say, How early do you have to wake up for that?

Can't you just go back tonight?

But seeing Fumino's cheerful, triumphant smile, he held back. He swore it wasn't because he found her current expression cute.

This woman could be terrifying when she got angry!

The others didn't dare interrupt their conversation.

Even Sawamura wouldn't dare to cut in while Fumino was talking.

This game had been an eye-opener for Sendo.

He had always known that in baseball, even if one person was extraordinarily strong, it was hard for them to singlehandedly determine the outcome when the overall team strength was vastly different.

But to score only three runs despite Sendo's monstrous ability as both a batter and a base runner was deeply frustrating.

Sendo was shackled by a simple yet effective tactic.

His speed and stealing ability were unparalleled, and Sakura Girls had no way to stop him except to stack runners ahead of him.

This made it impossible for Sendo to fully utilize his speed, as he had to run in tandem with the slower players ahead of him.

To neutralize Sendo, the Sakura Girls even intentionally walked Kondou, the batter before him, to ensure there were always runners ahead of him. As a result, even though Sendo's ability to steal bases remained a threat, he couldn't act freely.

Ultimately, Akagi managed to score three runs: one through a bases-loaded walk and the rest from other players' hits.

However, with Sakura Girls boasting a stellar lineup—several members being selected for Japan's national softball team, despite playing hardball—they overwhelmed Sawamura's pitching by the final innings.

While Sawamura initially held them scoreless, their relentless lineup eventually broke through, leading to a flurry of runs.

...

That evening, to Sendo's surprise, Fumino didn't ask for tutoring. Instead, the two sat under the stars, chatting idly.

Without realizing it, both fell asleep. The next morning, Fumino woke up to find herself holding Sendo's hand.

"Maybe I had a nightmare," she thought, brushing it off.

As she looked at the still-sleeping Sendo, memories of the previous night surfaced—Sendo's hand gently patting her head. Impulsively, Fumino leaned down and kissed his forehead.

Then, she hurriedly left. To spend one extra day in Nagano, she now had to catch the Shinkansen before dawn.

...

A Week Later

"The match brackets are out!" Sano announced in the team room, holding up the chart.

"It doesn't matter who we face, right? Our goal is to beat every team and make it to nationals! Hahaha!" Sawamura declared dramatically.

Even though Akagi won the championship in the fall tournament, it was more of a warm-up competition.

As a result, Akagi wasn't seeded for the summer tournament.

While the team didn't think much of it, having grown used to such situations, the powerhouse teams in Nagano were less than thrilled when they realized the implications during the draw.

After all, Akagi wasn't just any spoiler—they were a championship-level, chaos-inducing force! With Akagi unseeded, the strong teams now faced the very real possibility of clashing with them early in the tournament.

And sure enough, one unlucky team—a familiar opponent—was drawn to face them.

"Our second match is against Tokumei Academy!"

"Talk about bad luck for them!"

"Tokugawa in the quarterfinals, then Susabano in the semis. It's not the best draw, but Susabano's still a bit lacking. Beat Tokugawa, and we're basically guaranteed a shot at nationals!"

While the others pored over the bracket and offered their opinions, Sendo suddenly froze.

"What's wrong, Sendo?" Sawamura noticed and asked. His question silenced the others, who all turned to look.

"This is bad luck. Truly terrible luck!" Sendo shook his head in dismay.

"Sure, the draw isn't great, but we're strong enough to pull through, aren't we?" Aoki said earnestly.

"No, it's just... why do we have to face them again?" Sendo ignored Aoki and muttered to himself.

"Huh?" Everyone followed Sendo's gaze to the bracket.

"A strong opponent," Sendo said with a sigh. As the team realized who their first-round opponent was, they collectively froze in shock.

The opponent? None other than Kirinishi Junior High.

The reason for their stunned reaction?

"This unbelievably strong team again, and in the first round, no less!" Sendo exclaimed in frustration.

The team remembered Sendo's similar reaction last year.

Kirinishi's cheer squad, entirely made up of girls, had completely overwhelmed them.

Their short skirts and spirited cheers had left Akagi's players distracted and flustered in the opening innings.

As Sendo continued to rant, the others ignored him and returned to analyzing their upcoming opponents.

Still, the memory of last year's grueling match against Kirinishi lingered in their minds, bringing back mixed feelings of dread and frustration.

Meanwhile, both Tokugawa and Tokumei were lamenting their luck.

Tokumei, in particular, was furious about having to face Akagi in the second round.

A prestigious school like theirs, forced into an early exit because of Akagi's unseeded chaos, felt utterly unfair.

...

The week passed quickly, and the day of the match arrived. For the second year in a row, Akagi faced Kirinishi in their first-round game.

"Hu-way! Hu-way! Kirinishi! Hu-way! Hu-way! Kirinishi!"

The cheer squad chanted loudly, dressed in familiar short skirts, unbothered by the occasional glimpse of their undergarments.

"This has to be psychological warfare!" Sendo muttered, eyes glued to the cheer squad. His tone was both envious and dead serious.

"Mm-hmm!" This time, a few teammates nodded along, having been influenced by Sendo's antics over the past year. Wakana, their manager, facepalmed in exasperation.

"Turn that frustration into strength and fight!" Ohno declared.

"Yeah!!!" Surprisingly, Takada, usually preoccupied with food, responded enthusiastically.

"Even Takada?! What happened to him?!" Sendo was incredulous.

Gee, I wonder whose influence that is... Wakana thought, resisting the urge to smack someone with a paper fan.

The game began in this strange atmosphere. Despite their earlier distractions, Akagi transformed once on the field.

Ohno got on base as the leadoff hitter, Aoki followed with a solid hit, and Kondou... unfortunately hit a line drive straight into the third baseman's glove.

The biggest transformation, however, came from Sendo.

Gone was the distracted puppy; he became a ferocious tiger.

As he stepped up to bat, his presence silenced even the cheer squad's chants.

The next moment, he delivered a powerful home run, clearing the bases.

But then Sawamura struck out in a flashy display, shifting the momentum briefly.

The lower half of the batting order struggled, succumbing to the distractions of the cheer squad.

Still, thanks to the strong performances from the top of the lineup, Akagi ended the game early in five innings, winning 11–0.

...

After the game, Wakana dragged the flustered "cheer squad admirers" away, leaving Sendo and the rest to reflect on their performance.

The sight of Kirinishi's tearful cheerleaders left them with a bittersweet feeling, as if they'd committed some unforgivable act.

"I told you, our draw was terrible! Kirinishi is just too dangerous as an opponent!" Sendo lamented after the game.

"Mm-hmm!" The entire team, Wakana included, nodded in unison.

"But man, I'm so jealous of their players! They've got it so good!" Sendo added, earning nods from his newly corrupted teammates.

If anyone had handed Wakana a paper fan at that moment, she would've shown them exactly how to straighten out a team of distracted boys.

Despite the dramatic and comedic nature of the game, the scouts from other schools noticed a key takeaway: Akagi's batting lineup had grown even stronger.

While they couldn't pinpoint the exact reason for the improvement, something about Akagi felt distinctly different.

No one looked more despondent than the players of Tokumei Academy.

Their second-round match was set for tomorrow, and the pressure was immense.

If Sendo could hear the thoughts of Tokumei's scouting team, he would undoubtedly quote a line.

"Haha! Didn't see that coming, did you?"

And if the scout was familiar with the game, he'd probably respond with another line from the same character:

"I really didn't see that coming!"

...

In any major tournament, the first match is crucial.

The team's performance and morale during their opener often set the tone for the rest of the competition.

For Akagi, their dominant victory in the first round was cause for celebration. Fireworks were bought, and the mood was festive.

However, the players who had performed poorly didn't escape unscathed; Sano personally lectured them about their lackluster showing.

Meanwhile, Tokumei Academy endured an agonizing day, accepting the reality that they would soon face Akagi. All they could do was prepare to unleash their full strength.

...

The Second Round Begins

The next day, the second-round match arrived without fanfare, but the atmosphere at the stadium was electric.

Since Sendo's debut in the fall, his perfect batting average had become a spectacle, drawing crowds that rivaled high school regional qualifiers.

What made it even more astonishing was that, aside from the supporters of their opponent, the audience had come primarily to watch Sendo.

He had never let them down, and today was no exception.

Tokumei Academy was up to bat first.

Despite being prepared for Sawamura's powerful pitches, their hitters were helpless.

One by one, they were struck out, leaving them utterly shocked and without answers.

Tokumei's defense managed to hold Akagi off in the first inning, but the second inning was when things truly began to unravel.

...

Leading off the second inning was none other than Sendo, Akagi's cleanup hitter.

As he stepped into the batter's box, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers.

It was a scene reminiscent of a superstar returning to their home ground, and the sheer intensity of the support visibly shook Tokumei's players.

For most of the Tokumei team, this was their first experience with such an overwhelming environment.

The spectators felt like an additional player on Akagi's side, amplifying Sendo's already intimidating presence.

With their spirits already wavering, Tokumei's catcher made a bold decision: intentional walk.

He stood up without hesitation and signaled for a free pass.

But the chaos didn't end there.

...

As soon as the first pitch came, Sendo made his move:

First pitch: Stolen base!

Second pitch: Stolen base again!

Within two pitches, Sendo had turned a walk into a runner on third with two strikes on the batter.

For Sawamura, the count was irrelevant; he executed a textbook bunt to bring Sendo home.

The moment the ball made contact with the ground, Sendo was already sprinting toward home plate.

...

What is the definition of "lightning speed"? Watching Sendo was the answer.

From a lead-off over five meters away, he covered the remaining 20 meters to home plate in just 2.5 to 2.8 seconds.

If someone had timed it with a stopwatch, they would have been left speechless.

As Sendo himself might say:

"Why don't you just fly over there?"

Indeed, with his explosive start and unparalleled acceleration, it looked like he had flown across the basepaths.

...

For Tokumei Academy, this was just the beginning of a nightmare that would play out inning after inning.

With Akagi firing on all cylinders, their chances of mounting a comeback seemed as fleeting as a gust of wind.