Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

"How do you feel?"

Standing beside the bespectacled boy was a gentle-looking middle-aged man.

His demeanor was calm and refined, making him seem more like a scholar than a baseball coach.

Yet appearances could be deceiving.

This mild-mannered man was none other than the Head Coach of Akikawa High School.

Earlier that morning, Akikawa had successfully won their match and advanced to the Top 16.

In three days, they would face the reigning powerhouse, Seido High School.

The boy filing his nails was Akikawa's ace, Yang Shunchen.

Originally, he had wanted to bring his teammates to watch Seido's game in person.

However, their coach had stopped him.

"It might be better if those guys take the field without seeing Seido beforehand."

At the time, Yang Shunchen hadn't understood the reasoning.

But after witnessing Seido's performance with his own eyes, he finally understood.

If his teammates saw that level of strength firsthand, they might lose their fighting spirit before the game even began.

By then, they wouldn't be facing Seido as opponents.

They would be facing them as victims awaiting judgment.

It sounded exaggerated.

Yet that was the reality.

The current Seido High School Baseball Team was simply too powerful.

Powerful enough to make people feel despair.

And this was with Zhou Hao still sitting on the bench.

The nation's number-one player hadn't even stepped onto the field yet.

If he did...

The pressure would only become even more overwhelming.

Both Mishimon and Seido's second-round opponent had been respectable teams.

Either one possessed enough strength to reach the third or even fourth round of the tournament.

Especially Mishimon.

They had even hidden a secret weapon before facing Seido.

Under normal circumstances, that hidden ace should have become the center of attention.

And for a brief moment, he did.

Unfortunately, that moment was so short that it was practically meaningless.

Compared to those teams, Akikawa's overall strength wasn't significantly better.

A score like 33–0 was more than enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

If Akikawa's players had witnessed every moment of that game, some of them might have given up before ever stepping onto the field.

Just like ordinary people standing before a natural disaster.

No matter how strong an individual was, they were powerless against an unstoppable force.

In the end, all they could do was surrender to fate.

That was precisely why Akikawa couldn't allow such emotions to take root.

If they wanted any chance of defeating Seido, they had to enter the game in the best possible condition.

"What do you think?"

Akikawa's coach looked toward his ace.

More than anyone else, he wanted to hear Yang Shunchen's thoughts.

To be honest, even he had entertained the idea of giving up after watching Seido's performance.

Not because he was weak.

Not because he lacked courage.

But because Seido had displayed strength that bordered on the unreasonable.

The gap between the two teams seemed impossible to bridge.

The only reason he hadn't abandoned hope was because of the boy standing before him.

Yang Shunchen.

If even Yang Shunchen gave up...

Then the coach would simply tell his players to enjoy the game.

Winning and losing wouldn't matter.

The important thing would be showcasing the results of their hard work and gaining valuable experience against the nation's strongest team.

After all, opportunities to challenge a powerhouse like Seido didn't come often.

Even in defeat, they could learn something.

But if Yang Shunchen still wanted to fight—

Then he would support him wholeheartedly.

Because once that decision was made, everything would change.

The team's mindset.

Their preparation.

Their goals.

Instead of simply enjoying the game, they would step onto the field determined to win.

And those were two completely different things.

Thinking about the challenge ahead, the coach's expression grew serious.

The Seido they had just witnessed looked nearly unbeatable.

"We still have a chance."

Yang Shunchen finally spoke.

His voice remained calm and steady.

The confidence in it immediately drew the coach's attention.

"Although it's extremely difficult, I don't think victory is impossible."

"The key lies in scoring runs."

Scoring runs?

The coach frowned slightly.

Against Seido?

Against a pitching staff that included Zhou Hao?

Yang Shunchen understood exactly what he was thinking.

"If Seido sends Zhou Hao to the mound from the beginning, our chances of scoring are practically zero."

He paused briefly.

"Less than one in ten thousand."

The coach silently nodded.

That estimate was probably accurate.

"So our opportunity only exists if Seido continues doing what they've been doing."

"You mean..."

Yang Shunchen adjusted his glasses.

"If they start the game with one of their substitute pitchers."

Only then would Akikawa have a chance.

The coach's eyes gradually brightened.

"Our overall strength is probably similar to Mishimon's."

"Perhaps slightly stronger because of you."

"If Seido judges us using that standard..."

"They'll likely send one of their first-year pitchers to start."

The coach quickly followed his train of thought.

"And if that happens..."

"There will be an opening."

Yang Shunchen nodded.

Even after witnessing Seido score more than thirty runs in one game and twenty-five in another, he still believed he could suppress their lineup.

That confidence was astonishing.

One had to remember—

Their opponent was Seido High School.

The reigning national champion.

Yet Yang Shunchen spoke as though defeating them was merely difficult rather than impossible.

Looking at his ace, Akikawa's coach suddenly felt inspired.

Perhaps they couldn't truly overthrow the national powerhouse.

Perhaps they would lose badly.

But so what?

How many teams in the country would dare challenge Seido head-on?

Simply having the courage to try already set them apart.

A smile appeared on the coach's face.

"Then let's do it."

"If we're going down, we'll go down swinging."

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After advancing to the Top 16, Seido's players gathered together as usual.

Following team tradition, no official evening practice was scheduled after a game.

Years of experience had helped Seido develop a mature training system.

The coaches pushed players to their limits when necessary, but they also understood the importance of recovery.

Especially during tournaments.

Improving strength was important.

Keeping players healthy was even more important.

An injury during regular training was troublesome enough.

An injury during the Summer Tournament could destroy an entire season.

That was why so many people had been shocked when Seido held a Red-White Scrimmage during the tournament.

For a powerhouse team like Seido, a Red-White game was far from friendly.

The starters and reserves competed with complete seriousness.

Sometimes, the substitutes were strong enough to challenge the starters directly.

Even so, the first two rounds had been too easy.

The players barely felt as though they had broken a sweat.

Many of them felt their bodies hadn't even fully warmed up.

As a result, everyone voluntarily stayed behind for some light extra training.

Nothing excessive.

Nobody wanted to risk injury.

After finishing their workouts, the players naturally shifted their attention toward their next opponent.

"Has the next matchup been decided?"

"Yeah."

"It's Akikawa High School."

Several players looked surprised.

Based on the tournament bracket, many had expected a different team to advance.

Only Zhou Hao remained completely calm.

As if the result had been obvious from the beginning.

He casually glanced toward his teammates.

"Akikawa?"

"The team with that impressive pitcher, Yang Shunchen?"

"That's right. It's them."

"I remember their ace. His control is ridiculously precise. People even call him the 'Precision Machine.'"

"Yeah. He can consistently paint the edges of the strike zone, and his command barely wavers from pitch to pitch."

The moment Yang Shunchen's name came up, the atmosphere in the room became noticeably more serious.

The Seido players were no strangers to him.

For a national powerhouse like Seido, the players they remembered generally fell into two categories:

Strong teams.

Or exceptional individuals.

Even if they never ended up facing each other, outstanding players naturally attracted attention.

The gap between Seido and many other schools might be enormous in terms of overall team strength.

But that didn't mean individual players couldn't pose a threat.

Especially for Seido's role players and supporting members.

Against elite aces from other schools, even Seido's lineup couldn't guarantee complete dominance.

If they were careless, they could easily find themselves embarrassed.

That was why preparation was so important.

And Yang Shunchen was exactly the type of opponent who demanded special attention.

"Let's watch the footage."

"The recordings should already be back. They probably haven't finished editing the highlights yet, though."

Several players nodded.

At the same time, they felt a little regret.

As Seido's reputation continued to rise, their freedom became increasingly limited.

In the past, they could simply go watch future opponents in person.

Now things were different.

As the reigning national champions, every action they took attracted attention.

For example, they could have easily attended Akikawa's game.

The timing worked perfectly.

After all, Yang Shunchen himself had come to watch Seido play.

But Seido couldn't do the same.

The moment they showed up at another school's game, it would send a message.

It would tell everyone that Seido considered that opponent worthy of special attention.

If the opponent were Inashiro Industrial or another established powerhouse, no one would think much of it.

But Akikawa wasn't that kind of team.

Their recent results had been impressive.

Their practice-game record was particularly outstanding.

Even so, they hadn't yet reached the level of an elite powerhouse.

If Seido publicly treated every opponent as a major threat, they would eventually become a laughingstock.

People would accuse them of being overly cautious.

Of lacking confidence.

The Seido players themselves didn't care much about such criticism.

But they represented more than just themselves.

They represented Seido High School.

They represented Coach Kataoka, the school administration, and countless supporters who believed in them.

Because so many people supported them unconditionally, they felt obligated to uphold Seido's image.

Fortunately, not attending games personally didn't mean neglecting preparation.

Every opponent's game was carefully recorded.

Multiple cameras captured different angles.

The footage was sent back to the school, where players and coaches studied it repeatedly.

Akikawa was no exception.

In fact, Yang Shunchen's reputation alone was enough to earn special treatment.

Even Seido's core starters were paying close attention to him.

Naturally, the rest of the team was even more interested.

There wasn't just one recording available.

Besides Akikawa's most recent game, Seido had also obtained footage from their previous match.

That was one of the advantages of being a national powerhouse.

As West Tokyo's premier team and the defending national champion, Seido possessed an extensive network of connections.

Many schools were more than willing to cooperate.

From their perspective, maintaining a good relationship with Seido came with plenty of benefits.

Even if they couldn't defeat Seido, simply arranging practice games against Seido's reserves was already a valuable opportunity.

As a result, acquiring game footage wasn't difficult.

The results of Akikawa's previous matches immediately caught everyone's attention.

One victory had ended 7–2.

The other, 4–1.

Neither score was particularly eye-catching.

But that only made Yang Shunchen's contribution stand out even more.

Everyone understood where those victories had come from.

Akikawa's ace had been the decisive factor.

Even without detailed analysis, the Seido players knew he wasn't someone to underestimate.

Excluding Zhou Hao, none of Seido's pitchers held a clear advantage over him.

Furuya's velocity was superior, but his control wasn't.

Sawamura's pitching style was more unique, but his consistency couldn't compare.

As for Tanba, while he was well-rounded, his mental stability wasn't on Yang Shunchen's level.

From that perspective alone, it was easy to see how troublesome Akikawa's ace could be.

Even so, none of Seido's players looked worried.

Troublesome didn't mean unbeatable.

Against ordinary teams, Yang Shunchen's precision pitching was enough to dominate games.

But Seido wasn't an ordinary team.

Against Seido's lineup, whether he could fully display his strengths was another matter entirely.

"We still can't afford to be careless."

Takashima Rei adjusted her glasses and spoke seriously.

"Anyone who reaches the Top 16 of West Tokyo is a legitimate contender."

"There are no weak teams left at this stage."

"To get here, they've already defeated three or four opponents in succession."

"That alone proves their strength."

The room gradually quieted.

Even the more confident players straightened their expressions.

Takashima's words weren't wrong.

The further the tournament progressed, the stronger the competition became.

Every remaining team possessed something special.

Coach Kataoka silently observed his players.

After a brief pause, he stepped forward.

Then he opened the lineup sheet in his hand.

"It's time to announce the starting lineup for the game against Akikawa."

The moment those words were spoken, every player in the room instinctively sat up straighter.

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

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