Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 211: Temporary Battery (Pitcher-Catcher Pair)

"These signals will do!" Miyuki said as he turned to walk back.

"Hey! Let me emphasize something: perfectly replicating You Shunshin's level of control is impossible. While control improves when not throwing with full power, at best, it's just barely enough for a nine-square grid."

"Don't give me overly precise signals!"

"Also, the pitch velocity might drop, but I'll try to make up for it with spin."

"I don't know who you're planning to mess with, but I won't take responsibility if it fails," Sendo called out, covering his mouth with his glove before Miyuki could fully walk away.

"Huh? Are you worried about me?" Miyuki turned around with a grin.

"No! Just don't blame me if things go wrong. I'm already prepared to be hit constantly, so it doesn't matter."

"I never arrogantly thought that these pitches would work on the seniors, and it's impossible to match You Shunshin's pitches at the same speed."

"This is just practice."

"What's that? Don't worry. That guy has plenty of tricks up his sleeve!" Miyuki replied, looking slightly disappointed.

"Plenty, huh? I see. Just as I thought."

"Wow, you guys talked for quite a while, Miyuki! I didn't think you'd be so serious!" Kuramochi teased when Miyuki returned to home plate.

"Nothing much. Unlike those two guys, signals for precise control naturally need to be more complex. You should be glad that jerk managed to memorize so many signals in such a short time."

"Then I guess I'll have to enjoy this to the fullest!"

"Please do!" Miyuki signaled as they exchanged a few more words.

"I didn't expect to form a temporary battery with you! Let's see this genius pitching!"

"First pitch—outside low! Skim the strike zone. Even if it's a ball, just avoid an easy-to-hit pitch and confuse the batter."

"Let him hit it!"

"Go, Sendo!"

"Oh ho! The pitcher is nervous!" Sawamura chimed in, teasing.

Kuramochi stood ready to bat while the substitute fielders in the infield subconsciously moved forward.

After being teammates for so long, it's impossible not to know Kuramochi's strengths.

Even Rei had come to watch from the sidelines, and Coach Kataoka occasionally glanced over as well.

The substitute umpire was none other than Ota—can you believe that?

Everyone seemed highly interested!

With more than a hundred pairs of eyes watching, Sendo began his pitch.

"The first pitch should just be for observation. Miyuki might be planning to mess with me somehow!"

Pop!

"Though the speed isn't fast, the angle is tricky! It looks so far away!"

"And the spin rate is incredibly high—this pitch doesn't look like it was thrown without full effort." Kuramochi swallowed hard.

"What's this about having worse control than You Shunshin? He's throwing pretty accurately!"

"Maybe he's just exaggerating the difference, making it seem bigger than it actually is?"

"This level is already impressive—no need to aim perfectly every pitch."

"But seriously, how did this guy train? This level of control can't be achieved just by holding back force."

Miyuki was in an unusually good mood; his smile could hardly be hidden by his protective gear.

"Strike!" Ota's call was hesitant—the pitch was razor-sharp. With his lack of expertise, it was hard to decide whether the ball barely grazed the strike zone or not.

In truth, his call was correct. Any unbiased umpire would have deemed it a strike.

"Not good! I'm getting fired up a bit!'

"If he can pitch like this, the second pitch should be a bit more outside, about a ball's width away—just avoid hittable pitches."

"I didn't expect Sendo's control to be this good!"

"This makes the practice much more meaningful."

By comparison… sigh!" Chris sighed lightly from the side, glancing at Sawamura, who was intensely focused on the duel. After a brief silence, he sighed again.

"Hey, hey, hey! What's wrong, Kuramochi-senpai? Hit it!" Sawamura, ever the troublemaker, continued his antics.

"Just wait till I beat you up!"

"How could I swing at such a tricky pitch without preparation?"

"Keep getting frustrated! Against a pitcher with precise control, the more anxious you are, the worse you'll hit!" Miyuki cast a sidelong glance at Kuramochi but quickly got serious again as Sendo prepared for his next pitch.

Whoosh!

"The same pitch route?"

Ping!

"Darn it!"

Kuramochi barely managed to make contact with the bad pitch, producing a weak, slow ball.

Pop!

The ball traced a gentle arc and landed right into the third baseman's glove, who only had to lift his hand slightly to catch it.

"Even though it wasn't perfect, the ball only missed my target by half a ball's width. That's practically pinpoint accuracy!"

"That jerk!"

"Let me enjoy this to the fullest!"

"Amazing, Sendo! Two consecutive pitches perfectly landed in the catcher's glove!" Ota exclaimed with his mouth wide open, astonished at Sendo's performance on the mound.

Seeing the unfavorable pitch, Kuramochi quickly left the batter's box, seemingly afraid Miyuki would taunt him.

However, Miyuki had already lost interest in Kuramochi—his focus had shifted to the second batter, a difficult opponent.

Though lacking power-hitting abilities, he had exceptional batting techniques. Unless faced with an unhittable pitch, he was hard to take down.

He shortened his grip on the bat, aiming for clean contact, ready to entangle himself with the pitcher thoroughly.

Compared to his younger brother Haruichi, who could hit solid singles, they were of different types.

Meanwhile, after stepping off the field, Kuramochi dragged Sawamura away to do some "unspeakable" things.

Hearing Sawamura's cries, Sendo felt unusually delighted.

However, that didn't mean Kuramochi was going to let him off either.

...

Ping!

"Foul!"

"Ball!"

"Foul!"

"Foul!"

"What precise control!" Even though Ota didn't fully understand baseball, he knew how rare this level of control was at the high school level.

Since Sendo couldn't increase his pitch speed, the power of his pitches was limited. Furthermore, Ryousuke had the best pitch-spotting ability on the team. Miyuki had no choice but to target the edges, hoping to force him into a mistake by increasing the pitch count.

Miyuki couldn't help but admire their team's strong lineup.

"Ball!"

Pop!

"That's three balls! You have no room to retreat now, rookie!"

"…Um, strike! Batter out!"

"Huh?"

"A strike?"

"What happened, Kominato?" Manager Ota, noticing Ryousuke's frown, asked with concern.

"That was actually a ball," Miyuki clarified.

"Huh? Sorry about that!" Ota apologized immediately.

"This is fine," Coach Kataoka suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.

"This is fine! Official game umpires are more professional, but You Shunshin's control is also better than Sendo's."

"We must mentally prepare for situations like this!"

'Manager Ota, since you've already ruled it a strike, any similar pitches should also be counted as strikes from now on."

"Got it!" Ota agreed earnestly.

"This makes my pitch-calling more flexible! What a big help! I never thought a pitcher with good control could achieve something like this!" Miyuki silently saw hope for continuing the duel.

"There's a setting like this in the original story, huh? Talk about a lucky break," Sendo muttered to himself.

"Come on, you bastard!" Hearing the voice, Miyuki recognized it instantly—it was time for the Fox-senpai to bat.

Pop!

"Strike!"

In reality, it was an outside ball.

"That's a strike too? With the strike zone expanded, this is really troublesome!" Jun muttered anxiously as pitches that were clearly off the plate started being called strikes. To make matters worse, the one squatting behind the plate was Miyuki, who knew them inside and out.

Miyuki's excellent framing skills further influenced Ota's calls.

"The outside pitch was perfect, but Jun is the type of batter who swings at anything he thinks he can hit. No need to hold back!"

"If I get beaten up for this, it's not my problem!" Sendo thought to himself as he prepared to pitch, reading Miyuki's signal.

Whoosh!

Seeing the pitch's trajectory, Jun suddenly tilted his head back in surprise.

Pop!

"Ball!"

"Where are you throwing, you idiot?! That almost hit my face!" Jun shouted.

In reality, the pitch had merely veered off the inside corner and wasn't close enough to hit him, though it was intimidating.

"Jun-senpai! This has nothing to do with me!" Sendo immediately tried to distance himself from the blame.

Jun glared viciously, causing Miyuki to shiver slightly.

"You see? If you get beaten up, it's not my problem!" Sendo silently mourned for Miyuki.

However, that pitch proved highly effective.

"Targeting just the edges, huh?" Jun remarked grimly from the side.

What had started as targeted practice had turned into a serious showdown. If they didn't have a rest day tomorrow, they wouldn't dare to play like this.

...

"Next pitch—right here!"

Whoosh!

Ping!

"Foul!"

"Another low outside pitch! Miyuki is fully exploiting the expanded strike zone. Even Yuuki can't hit cleanly?"

"But the real trouble is just beginning! What now, you scheming glasses?" Sendo smirked at Miyuki.

"Hey, hey! Don't just sit there laughing at me!" Miyuki snapped, annoyed by his partner's amusement.

He knew well enough—the real challenge was still ahead. Getting Yuuki out was never easy.

In fact, Miyuki had no expectations for it. Whether they succeeded or not would be entirely up to luck.

...

Ping!

"Center field hit!" The first to shout was none other than Sawamura, who had somehow fully revived with boundless energy.

Ping!

"A bunt?"

Masuko knew very well that the day after tomorrow's match would be far harsher than this practice against Sendo. You Shunshin could throw breaking balls, so it was wise to practice bunting early in the game.

If You Shunshin solely relied on breaking balls, this match against Sendo wouldn't have much value.

However, according to the scouting report, You Shunshin used breaking balls primarily to gain favorable counts and confuse batters, but he often sealed the deal with fastballs.

Of course, every new effective breaking ball a pitcher masters results in exponential improvement in their abilities.

Thus, the real test of today's practice would come in the upcoming match.

One thing was certain: the players would adapt faster to mixed inside and outside pitch strategies.

For these passionate baseball boys, no one questioned why they'd go through such a hassle for an uncertain improvement. At Seidou, even rare scenarios were practiced meticulously because any form of progress mattered, no matter how small.

Otherwise, why would so many players still practice endlessly with pitching machines?

Afterward, Kuramochi received special "attention" from Miyuki, forcing him into repeated confrontations with Sendo while the rest started occasional bunt practice.

It was no secret that Kuramochi's batting wasn't exceptional, but he excelled at getting on base through bunts with his speed.

Even if he succeeded, it would only be a single chance. So that afternoon, Kuramochi was pushed to his limits.

Miyuki's reasoning left Kuramochi with no room to refuse.

In one word: miserable!

When Sendo's pitch count exceeded 100, the day's training gradually approached its conclusion.

After three rounds against six batters, the seniors voluntarily called it off.

They let Sendo rest while everyone else moved on to individual practice.

Though Miyuki didn't do much practice himself, he was undoubtedly in the best mood of everyone.

Teaming up as a temporary battery with Sendo, Miyuki found catching his pitches incredibly comfortable. And having tormented Kuramochi thoroughly, he was unusually satisfied.

And it was "free torment" at that!

Why did Kuramochi hate You Shunshin so much?

Because his batting ability was largely ineffective against You Shunshin—unless he guessed the pitch correctly.

As for the inevitable hits given up to Ryousuke, Isashiki, and Yuuki, neither Sendo nor Miyuki cared much.

...

After training ended, Sendo dragged Sawamura off to "explore life goals."

Judging by Sawamura's screams, it was clear his experience was... unforgettable.

Naturally, it wasn't possible to go too far during an official competition, so in reality, Sendo resorted to his usual massage technique—a treatment that left Sawamura in a blissful but tormented state.

Jun, who accidentally witnessed the process, felt an immense sense of relief.

He was extremely grateful that he had never let Sendo massage him. It was, without a doubt, one of the wisest decisions he'd ever made.

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