Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 3: Talent (2)

When the ball was hit, Coach Nakani immediately realized his mistake and quickly apologized, allowing Sendo to step off the field.

"Damn it... but this kid's reaction is seriously fast. If it were anyone else, even a sixth-grader, they probably wouldn't have reacted at all to a ball like that," Coach Nakani thought, feeling guilty about his lapse in judgment.

But the way Sendo's eyes never left the ball only reinforced his belief in the boy's extraordinary dynamic vision and reflexes.

Even though Nakani wasn't particularly familiar with other sports, he knew that the human reaction time couldn't go below 0.1 seconds.

The best hitters in the world typically had a reaction time of around 0.15 seconds, and that was after years of specialized training and natural talent.

Having such a level of reflexes essentially meant that one was already qualified to step onto the threshold of becoming an elite batter.

Sendo hadn't reached that point yet, but the fastest reaction times in humans usually peaked around the third year of middle school to high school, around age 15.

"He's not even fully developed yet," Coach Nakani thought, watching Sendo with eager anticipation.

Since they were elementary students, even professional training only lasted for about one or two hours, so the practice wrapped up around 5 p.m.

Sendo, who hadn't yet purchased his own baseball gear, packed up his borrowed cleats and headed home.

"I'm back!" Sendo called out the typical greeting as he entered his house.

"Oh, you're back! Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner," his mother called from the kitchen, where she was preparing dinner.

"Got it!" Sendo drawled as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Is Dad not coming home again?" he asked after washing up.

"Yeah, he's been busy with a new project lately," his mother replied.

"I see."

"How was your first day of practice? Did you get along with the other kids?"

"The training was simple, but the other guys I went with were pretty clumsy," Sendo answered without any awareness of his own talent.

"Well, keep it up! Have you decided what position you'll play yet? Your dad mentioned that the gloves and gear depend on the position, so we'll need to buy the right stuff for you."

"Not yet. We'll figure it out later. For now, I'm just borrowing the team's equipment, and it works fine," Sendo replied.

With just the two of them, life was simple. After dinner, Sendo headed back to his room to read some manga.

In the first few days of Little League practice, the focus was on learning the basic rules of baseball and simple drills like catching and throwing. They hadn't even touched a bat yet.

Sendo's father had mentioned that the coach and owner of this team used to be a famous professional player, who started this Little League team after retiring. He was said to have joined the youth league because of his love for the sport.

Due to his reputation, many local kids came to train with him, and the team's professional approach had earned them impressive results.

How strong the team actually was remained unclear, as Sendo's father had only heard bits and pieces.

All he knew was that the Wild Cats were one of the most famous Little League teams in Tokyo and even in the entire Kanto region.

Little League baseball was a niche interest, so outside of the parents, hardly anyone paid attention to it.

For now, Sendo wasn't all that interested in baseball, seeing it as a way to keep himself occupied.

The only thing that kept him going was the sense of satisfaction he had felt the last time he took a swing, and his desire to experience that again.

Thus, his days passed in a routine of school, practice, and home.

On the third day, Coach Nakani told the older students to practice on their own and gathered the new recruits on an empty field.

"By now, you should all have a good understanding of the basic rules," Nakani said. "So today, I'm going to test each of you and assign positions. If you have a specific position you want to try, speak up. We'll start with testing for pitchers, then move on to physical assessments. Anyone want to be a pitcher?"

"I used to pitch for my school team, so I want to try!" one kid said, followed by two others who raised their hands, showing decent arm strength.

"Alright, those who want to be pitchers are Sai, Oda, and Sasaki. Sendo, you haven't decided on a position yet, right? Then you'll try out for all of them. And you'll go first," Coach Nakani concluded.

Sendo didn't respond initially when Coach Nakani called his name. It took a nudge from someone next to him for him to snap out of his daze and look over at the coach.

"As expected, Kano-san mentioned you have trouble with attention and focus," Coach Nakani sighed, "But don't space out during roll call!"

"Yes coach! So, what did you want from me?" Sendo asked, still somewhat confused.

"Come up and try pitching practice. You said you didn't know what position suited you, right?"

"Oh! I understand now."

To be fair, Sendo wasn't exactly hyperactive.

He just had a habit of scanning his surroundings, whether in class or anywhere else.

It was true, though, that he had difficulty focusing, something that had followed him even from his past life.

When he truly got absorbed in something, his concentration could surpass others by a mile, but that kind of focus was hard to reach.

After Sendo stepped forward, Coach Nakani began instructing him on proper pitching form and technique.

Nakani's guidance emphasized protecting the elbow, a priority for someone with his background as a professional player, especially since he had been a catcher, the tactical nerve center of the game.

His experience, combined with working closely with team trainers, meant he knew exactly what pitching mechanics would safeguard the arm and body.

After receiving the instructions, Sendo practiced the form a few times to let his body adjust.

Then Coach Nakani took out his catcher's glove and squatted down at a pitcher's mound distance from him.

"Your form looks about right. Throw a couple of balls and let's see how it feels," Nakani said as he tossed the ball to Sendo.

Despite being somewhat absent-minded, Sendo caught the ball effortlessly, which made Coach Nakani mentally note, once again, how impressive his reflexes were.

"When you pitch, you need to hold your stance on the pitcher's plate for at least a second before throwing; otherwise, it's a violation. Just imagine the mound under your feet and throw."

"Got it!" Sendo replied, though he didn't seem too energized. Still, he followed the standard form and prepared to pitch.

Swish!

Thud! The ball hit the glove with a dull thud.

"Don't worry about my glove's position. Just throw it as hard as you can. I can catch it," Coach Nakani said with a frown.

"Okay!" Sendo replied, though he didn't really put his full power into the throw.

After all, throwing with full force at someone made him a bit nervous, especially since it was only his first try.

Swish!

Pop!

"Not quite. You're not following through enough with your arm. Think of your arm like a whip, and your body as the handle. Swing your arm all the way through," Nakani instructed.

"Got it..." came the half-hearted reply from Sendo, though mentally he was starting to shift his focus.

Just as Nakani was about to frown again at Sendo's tone, he noticed that the boy was already adjusting his form.

Swish!

Boom!

As a professional catcher, Nakani knew how to catch the ball in a way that would amplify the sound of impact, a technique that often pumped pitchers up.

"Wow, that easily went over 100 kilometers per hour. Is this kid really in fourth grade like the rest of us?" The other children watching on the sidelines were stunned.

Coach Nakani was just as shocked.

Even for a kid with a strong arm, this kind of speed usually appeared at the end of fourth grade or into fifth grade.

Though kids nowadays were getting faster, this was on a different level.

Even more impressive was that while Sendo didn't hit the exact target, the ball landed close enough that a slight adjustment would have caught it.

"Nice ball! Let's keep going. I'll position the glove lower this time—try to keep the ball down."

Sendo didn't respond verbally this time, simply nodding and preparing for his next pitch.

Boom!

The ball sailed toward Nakani, but this time, it was kept low, just as instructed.

"We've got ourselves a real prodigy here!" Nakani thought to himself, thrilled with the discovery.

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