Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, the characters go with their respective creators of diamond no ace and I do not claim ownership of the characters or the world.
Chapter 26
It was the start of the bottom of the sixth inning, and Inashiro's is on offense. Yabe, Inashiro's 7th batter was preparing to move towards the field when the announcer made an announcement in regards to Seido High's substitution making Itsuki and a few spectators look out towards the field with anticipation. "Seido High School is making a substitution. Replacing pitcher Furuya-kun is Sawamura kun. Batting ninth, pitcher Sawamura kun."
"So they finally decided to enter there ace huh…" Carlos commented looking out towards the field making Narumiya scoff on the remark.
"About time… now I can definetly crush Seido…" Narumiya commented proudly, making Tadano sigh, however he refrained himself from commenting anything.
"They should have let Furuya pitch all the way… he was in good condition after all…" Yamaoka commented as he was watching Sawamura jog towards the mound.
"Well I guess we will find out now if Seido made a mistake in there pitcher relay" Coach Kunimoto commented seriously as he turn to look at Tadano meaningfully and the latter nodding as if there was a silent exchange between there regular catcher and the coach.
"Hey! Is there something I am not aware of?" Narumiya inquired as he noticed the slight nod from his catcher Itsuki and the meaningfull gaze of there coach.
"It is not something you need to worry about Mei san…" Itsuki commented as he move close to Yabe who was about to move towards the field before the announcement was made.
"Yabe san… be careful with Seido's ace, though I am guessing his hand are still not in full condition due to his last at bat. I think it would be best to take advantage of it" Tadano informs seriously to there 7th batter.
"Understood Tadano… I will make sure to get in some runs…" Yabe answered with determination as he seriously moved out the field towards the batter box.
I wish that would be as simple as you say… Eijun is not the same old pitcher that every one knew. I wonder how there catcher would handle him now… Itsuki smiled on the thought as he remembered the first time they actually formed a battery in a game.
Eijun jog towards the mound the moment the announcement of the substitution was made. He was actually quite surprised Boss had trusted him to handle the sixth inning and most likely to close the game as well considering Furuya's pitches were in good condition. As he look back towards the dugout, he could clearly see the displeasure in the face of coach Ochiai and the serious look of there head coach. I guess they did not have a unanimous decision in letting me pitch. Well considering my unknonwn condition… as he looked down on his pitching hand. Though it was no longer red or swelling for that matter, his finger sensation was still not back. I guess I should depend on muscle memorization huh… since I am not sure how my pitches will go…though this is going to be so much fun… he grinned widely as Miyuki came close towards the mound to hand over the baseball ball.
"Why the hell are you grinning… you are the ace… you are expected to play any time without any single notice… How is your hand?" Miyuki commented though he was seriously looking and observing Sawamura's condition. He was actually quited surprised when coach Kataoka decided to let Sawamura handle the 6th inning and most probably going to close the game as well. At the same time he found out from Kuramochi that it was Sawamura who have informed them about Inashiro's catcher game calling because if he remembers correctly, Sawamura was not the most diligent student when it comes to his classes of pitch sequence and game calling yet he was aware of the changes right away.
"Ehhhh I am good cap… you really need to stop nagging" Sawamura complained as he accepted the ball, and put up his mitt to hide his mouth.
"I am not nagging… I am making sure our ace is in good condition" Miyuki informs though he also gave a knowingly smile. "It is about to begin… our long awaited revenge from last summer" he added as he also put up his mitt to hide his mouth.
Sawamura nodded in agreement, as he could clearly remember the time they lost and the dead ball he had thrown to Inashiro's second batter Shirakawa. "We will win this cap…" Sawamura informs with full determination making Miyuki grin from ear to ear.
"Well said ace… let us go slay some monsters" Miyuki answered as he raised his mitt and Sawamura responded with tapping his own mitt to his captain/catcher mitt.
Eijun watched as Miyuki jog back towards the catcher's position and at the same time notice the Inashiro's 7th batter moving towards the batters box. He slightly made a quick glimpse towards Inashiro's dugout and he could clearly see all eyes were on him including Tadano making his grin grew wider. He inhaled all the air he could on top of the mound and yelled out as loud as he could "We are now entering the finals of the summer koshien tournament, and now it is time to fully show what each players is really capable of without any restrictions or holding back!" as he slightly glance towards Tadano making the other wrinkle his forehead. "There are nine players of each team on the field, and we intend to show what we are really capable of doing… so I would just like to say I would be pitching aggressively so balls will come flying so fielders thank you in advance for your back up!"
As Sawamura yelled out his usuall catchphrase the whole crowed within Meiju Jingu Stadium goes wild cheering for Seido ace. "Well this is quite unexpected, it seems that guy is indeed quite popular…" Kohata commented as he was closely watching Sawamura stance on the mound.
"That kid is a people person…" Daiki commented making the other WK players turn towards his direction. They all could notice Daiki serene expression which was a first for them.
"The hell is going on with that kid… I want to meet him personally… Hey! Daiki introduce us!" Takahashi excitedly informs as he got more and more intrigue with the young BJ ace.
"In your dreams Takahashi…" Daiki sourly commented.
"That is only the tip of the iceburg, wait till you see him pitch Taiga… that kid is insane" Sagara commented while also focused on Sawamura on the mound.
"Don't you guys have anything to do… or like I don't know watch something else than our kid player?" Daiki asked curiously as he notice Sagara's excited expression focus towards the field.
"You are just worried we would steal your ace away…" Takahashi teased making the other players tensed on there ace pitcher remark however Daiki just ignored it. "To bad Takahashi… Sawamura is not that kind of guy…" Daiki confidently answered grinning as he watched Sawamura on top of the mound hearing his usual catchphrase. He could remember the promise that Sawamura made when they visited him the other day to cheer him on making him smile wider. He could not wait the moment that Sawamura could officially sit in the dug out and play there own games.
Miyuki notice that the Inashiro's 7th batter was stepping quite close towards the outward portion of the batter plate, most likely targeting Sawamura's moving fastball. Miyuki made a quick look in Inashiro's dugout and he could notice the tense and serious atmosphere at the same time the focus towards there Ace. Miyuki look back towards the mound and was a bit taken back when he noticed Sawamura's expression, all serious at the same time his eyes are like glowing gold only focus towards him, giving him chills. This is the same feeling I had when we were in the bullpen session before… what the hell… let us do this Sawamura… as he remembered Sawamura's remark after the Sankou game "All I'm gonna do is just throw my best pitches into your mitt! So better brace yourself" making him grin wider behind his catcher mask, I guess he really mean it when he said brace yourself huh… He took a deep breath in, and positioned the mitt in the lower center portion of the plate. He wanted to see what is Sawamura's condition after the at bat in the last inning, and since he was not given the chance to check his condition in the bullpen, he asked for his new pitch, his numbers, number 9.
Sawamura took a deep breath in after seeing the sign and position himself on top of the mound. As he grips the ball that is on his pitching hand, he remembered Yukime's teachings when he was starting to train for the improvement of his pitching. "It is quite interesting how you have a sort of tight form, the wall you are thinking of with your right hand and raising your knee high enough to cover your pitching hand, making it difficult for batters to see the ball until you release it… however there are still a bit of adjustment…" Yukime commented in the bullpen watching Sawamura show his pitching form. Sawamura stood straight looking at Yukime seriously. "It took me a while to actually get use to this form, at first it was a bit hard however it sort of work out when I think of the right hand wall, and when Chris sempai mention that when stepping in I need to point my feet forward" Yukime smiled and move towards Eijun side. "Go into the motion in raising your knee" she advised, and as Eijun raised his knee, Yukime hold Eijun's shoulder and tapping his back for a bit. "The moment you do your pitching motion, take into consideration the position of your left shoulder and flex your back, but do not be to stiff. When you raise your knee high, the position you would be showing is that your have a strong center core, and straight pitching form hiding your pitching hand up until the last minute you release the ball" tapping Eijun's abs, letting Eijun release the air he had took in breathing it out. "Ehhhh… that is a bit hard…" he complained making Yukime laugh for a bit. "At first it would be quite difficult, however with practice and a bit of adjustment from here and there you would get use to it. It would be beneficial for you in terms of going head to head with strong batters at the same time if you are unable to get your rhythm. You can think of it as this form as a improvement of the pitching form you learned from Seido, an advancement if you think about it, you just need to start working on your lower muscles, legs, thigh, including your core, it would help in increasing your strength and at the same time the power in releasing the ball on your pitching hand." Thus that is one of the many reasons Eijun had started doing muscle training after the holiday break. Eijun took a bit of air in as he nod in agreement to Miyuki's sign at the same time he gather his thoughts about his new pitching form. I miss you sister Yukime… I wish you were here… I want you to see how I have completely improve and totally solidify my pitching form, however since you are not… as he start his windup, he raised his knee a bit high that usual keeping his body position tight at the same time gather his strength the moment he step in and threw his number 9 splitter directly towards Miyuki's mitt. I will make sure to reach Koshien for you to see me pitch since you are the only one who had believe in me… he though the moment he had release the ball from his hand at the same time remembering the smile of the woman who had totally change his baseball life.
As Yabe was positioned to hit any fastball, he totally froze the moment he notice Sawamura's slight change in form at the same time his serious expression. There was something different from Seido's ace and he cannot seem to pinpoint what it was, though he was getting a bit nervous. The moment he watched Seido's ace did his windup, he had already raised his bat getting ready for the long hit, however he was surprised when the ball was already sailing straight right to his face, thus he made the bat swing but totally miss the ball where it directly landed in the lower portion of the plate. "Strike!" the umpire yelled, and Yabe could clearly hear the umpire call at the same time the sudden cheers of the crowd, however that is not what bothered him, he felt like there was a bit of pause or a lag moment whe the pitch was thrown out and it had made him curiuos. What the hell was that… he gravely thought.
"Nice pitch Sawamura!" Miyuki yelled out as he threw the ball back towards Sawamura where the latter nod in agreement. Miyuki crouched back down as he notice Inashiro's 7th batter Yabe return back to his batting position. The course of the pitch is a bit off, however Yabe swing late, making Miyuki smiled, I am guessing he still has not put enough power on that pitch, it was lighter than usual, however for some reason his solid form makes the batter see the ball late. He positioned his mitt a bit towards the inner center of the plate, making a sign for his 4seamer, I know it is quite early… however I want to see what is the condition of your number right now Sawamura… are you going for it? As Miyuki watched Sawamura's seriously as if challenging him more.
The moment Eijun saw Inashiro's 7th batter swing late, he had that sudden feeling of excitement rising from the bottom of his stomach. Now Miyuki sempai was also asking for his number 4 directly towards the batter chest area, making him grin. He knew that the course of his pitch was still a bit off too yet he was already asking to fully utilize his number in this early part of the game at the same time he was confident that Miyuki sempai would be able to catch it. He realy does make aggressive calls… well I do trust you can catch what ever I throw so let us go Miyuki sempai… as he nodded in the sigh given.
Yabe was closely watching as he saw Seido's ace nod in agreement with what ever sign was given. He grip his bat tightly chocking it, getting ready to swing as he watched Sawamura raise his knee doing his pitching windup, however as he was anticipating to get ready for the swing, the ball was already released and had passed him directly on his chest making him unable to swing the bat. "Strike!" the umpire yelled again, making Yabe wrinkle his forehead… what the hell is going on… I know his pitches are not fast… but what the hell is this… I am unable to time it… he complained as he again look towards Sawamura confused.
"Two strikes Sawamura!" Kuramochi yelled as he watched Sawamura catching the ball from Miyuki.
"You can do this Eijun!" Haruichi added though at the moment he could notice the confused face of Inashiro's batter making him curious on what he was seeing in Eijun's pitches at the moment.
Eijun grinned widely showing two fingers as if a peace sign to Kuramochi the moment he heard the remark he made. Then he move his attention towards Inashiro's batter, who was obviously confused… hmmmm I guess going at 70% percent of my strength is still to early, how about we go down at 60% for me to be able to go all out to Inashiro's top batters. He took a deep breath in as he watched Miyuki sempai give a sign for his number 9 splitter again. He nod in agreement, and made the position for his pitching windup and throwing his splitter directly towards Miyuki's mitt. As the ball sailed towards the plate, he watched as Yabe tried to make the hit however it still completely missed the ball as it made a sinking motion directly landing in his catcher's mitt. "Strike batter out!" the umpire yelled making Eijun smile inwardly. So I guess it is true what Daiki sempai mentioned about my solid form in pitching… it would be hard of highschool batters to figure out my timing this way. "One out!" Eijun yelled as he raises his mitt making the other players in the field respond.
A/N: Hello everyone... I would like to use this opportunity to sincerely apologize for the late upload at the same time the irregular updates. Honestly speaking I though I could be able to have my regular update back but fate is not cooperating. Anyways I just wanted to let everyone know that my laptop is officially in comma and the hard drive also got corrupted (sad) so I am going to re-write this story up until the end. But I do not intend to stop... so dont worry about that... We will all see our favorite pitcher battle it out with Narumiya (wink) and many more... Hope everyone would not stop reading... I swear once i got my schedule in check... I hope to get my regular update back... Thank you for everyone who had not stop reading. Stay healthy everyone! and peace out! (smile)