Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

Chapter 436 - 436: The Peak Showdown of the First-Years!

The pitching duel of the Seido High School Baseball Team had entered its final stage.For his second round, Sawamura Eijun stepped onto the mound.

Just as he was about to take position—

Kuramochi Yoichi suddenly raised his hand.

"Coach, can I go out on defense?"

He had already batted twice.

And both times—

he'd been retired cleanly.

If he had taken it easy like Kominato Ryosuke, maybe it wouldn't have been so embarrassing.

But he hadn't held back at all.

He had gone all out—

and still failed to get a hit.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.

There was no way he could just sit and watch.

He wanted back on the field.

Kominato Ryosuke and Isashiki Jun clearly felt the same.

With Zhou Hao and Yuki Tetsuya already playing defense—

how could they stay out?

Coach Kataoka Tesshin's expression softened slightly.

"Since you're all ready—get out there."

For Sawamura's final evaluation, what mattered wasn't the defense behind him—

but his pitching.

Still, their eagerness to step onto the field spoke volumes.

Ambition. Pride.

The desire to fight.

Before heading out, Miyuki Kazuya glanced at Sawamura.

"Feels reassuring, doesn't it?"

Behind him stood:

Yuki.

Kominato Ryosuke.

Kuramochi Yoichi.

Zhou Hao.

Even Miyuki had to admit—

this was an infield you could trust completely.

As long as the ball stayed within reach—

nothing was getting through.

Sawamura grinned, eyes blazing.

"My blood's already boiling!"

Back when he watched Seido from the stands…

this was the exact scene he dreamed of.

Now—

it was real.

This was what it meant to be a First String pitcher.

The players took their positions.

Looking at the determined figure on the mound—

both Zhou Hao and Coach Kataoka felt a quiet sense of pride.

The boy they once met—

had completely transformed.

Now, Sawamura could stand on the mound and challenge Seido's core players head-on.

The first batter stepped in:

Masuko Toru.

The pressure on him was immense.

So far—

every third-year had been shut down.

No hits.

No exceptions.

If he failed too—

then the only ones to get hits would be second-year Shirasu Kenjiro and first-year Oshima Shin.

That would be humiliating.

"Uga… uga!!!"

Masuko gripped his oversized bat, eyes locked onto Sawamura.

From the mound—

Sawamura delivered.

Whoosh!

The pitch came in fast and heavy.

Just as everyone expected Masuko to observe—

he moved.

A sudden step forward.

A violent hip twist.

"Uga!!"

BOOM!!

The bat roared through the air—

Ping!

The moment the ball flew off—

Miyuki's heart sank.

We've been tricked…!

Masuko had been waiting for the Jerk Pitch.

Miyuki had considered the possibility—

but trusted in Sawamura's pitch.

Even with a heavy bat, it shouldn't have been easy to drive cleanly.

But Masuko didn't hesitate.

That step forward—

combined with his overwhelming strength—

was enough.

The ball soared high—

seventy, maybe eighty meters—

before dropping.

Snap!

Masuko sprinted.

Second base.

No outs.

Runner on second.

"UGA!!"

Standing on second, Masuko raised both arms high.

The third-years weren't done yet.

Isashiki Jun clicked his tongue.

"With you doing that… doesn't it make us look bad?"

After thinking it through, he realized the truth.

They had underestimated Sawamura.

They hadn't held back—

but they also hadn't treated him like a true threat.

They hadn't studied him thoroughly.

Masuko was different.

As roommates, they knew each other inside out.

He had prepared.

And that preparation turned into a clean double.

They should've realized it earlier—

from the welcome game.

And there was one more thing:

Masuko might seem simple—

but he wasn't stupid.

He knew exactly what he could do.

And when it mattered—

his presence in the batter's box was just as intimidating as anyone else's.

That was Masuko—

Seido's reliable cleanup support.

The game continued.

Sawamura had just given up a long hit.

Now—

he faced Shirasu…

and Oshima.

Previously considered the weaker links—

but after what they showed against Kawakami?

No one dared underestimate them anymore.

Their presence alone carried weight now.

Unlike Kawakami—

who had allowed hits but no runs—

Sawamura was in a far more dangerous situation.

If he gave up a hit here—

it could easily turn into a run.

And once he allowed a run—

no matter how well he pitched otherwise—

the decision to promote him would be questioned.

That was reality.

Cold. Unforgiving.

And understood by everyone on the field.

The tension spiked instantly.

"If Sawamura loses… does that mean—?"

Several first-year players whispered among themselves.

Anyone with eyes could tell—Sawamura's pitching was on an entirely different level.

"That's something for the Coach and the others to worry about. We just need to watch."

No one could give a definite answer.

After all, a duel was a duel.

Seidou High's baseball team had its own standards for judging players.

The duel continued as Shirasu stepped into the batter's box.

Even though he understood Sawamura's situation, he had no intention of going easy.

That simply wasn't who he was.

"Sorry, junior!"

Whoosh!

The white baseball tore through the air.

Shirasu, who had been silently apologizing, suddenly turned serious.

Fast!

With the release point obscured, the pitch felt like it appeared out of nowhere.

In the blink of an eye, it had already crossed the plate.

Before Shirasu could react, the ball snapped into Miyuki's glove.

Snap!

"Strike!"

The count quickly tilted in the pitcher's favor.

Only then did Shirasu realize—

Sawamura wasn't affected at all.

His pitching was still powerful, still dominant.

First-years these days are terrifying…

Though he didn't say it out loud, his guard rose even higher.

Ever since changing his form, Sawamura's pitches had clearly gained strength.

Balls that used to be manageable were now extremely difficult to deal with.

Still, Shirasu finally found a small opening.

On the third pitch, he barely managed to track the ball's trajectory.

Ping!

The bat connected.

But the ball dropped weakly, bouncing into the infield.

Snap!

The moment it hit the ground, two figures were already there.

Kuramochi and Zhou Hao.

One relied on instinct and explosive agility.

The other could predict the landing point in advance.

Either of them could handle it easily—

But they nearly collided.

"Mine!"

Kuramochi called it first.

Zhou Hao immediately pulled back.

Snap!

Without hesitation, Kuramochi scooped the ball and fired it to first.

"Out!"

One out. Runner on second.

Sawamura cleanly secured the out.

Now, only one opponent remained.

Oshima Shin.

If there was one standout among this year's first-years, it was undoubtedly him.

A former middle school superstar, Oshima had chosen Seidou for its atmosphere and because he believed he could achieve greatness here.

He had never regretted that decision.

For the first time, the always-dominant Oshima had found people he wanted to chase… and surpass.

Zhou Hao.

Yuki Tetsuya.

Sooner or later, he would overtake them both.

To Seidou, his arrival felt like a gift from the heavens.

Naturally, expectations for Sawamura Eijun were just as high.

Now, the two most anticipated first-years were about to clash.

Excitement surged through the crowd.

To put it bluntly—they were here for the show.

"This is basically the ultimate first-year showdown, right?"

Hearing that, the second- and third-years suddenly realized something they had overlooked.

This year's first-years… were terrifying.

Aside from Zhou Hao and Yuki, the six batters on the field had all been carefully selected.

And Oshima had been chosen as their representative.

What did that mean?

It meant the team had already, tacitly, accepted one thing—

Oshima was qualified to represent Seidou's batting strength.

And what about Sawamura?

Based on his performance so far, expectations for him as a future relief pitcher were just as high.

Two first-years.

Less than a month since joining.

Already competing for spots on the first string.

And there was a very real chance both would make it.

It felt almost unreal.

"These first-years are seriously something else…"

Even Isashiki Jun couldn't help but mutter in amazement.

But emotions aside—the duel continued.

On the mound, Sawamura glanced at the sign from Miyuki Kazuya.

Don't underestimate him. Go all out.

No matter what, don't treat Oshima like an ordinary rookie.

He's dangerous.

As someone who had also been recognized early for his talent, Miyuki understood better than most just how quickly Oshima was growing.

Seidou had never lacked strong batters.

Yet Coach Kataoka had still promoted Oshima directly.

That alone spoke volumes.

Even Miyuki didn't have enough data to fully guide Sawamura.

"Then bring it on. I'm not afraid of anyone."

Sawamura had come to Tokyo carrying the hopes of his hometown.

At first, he had been nervous.

But that hesitation was long gone.

Now, there was only one thought in his mind—

Catch up.

No matter what, he had to make the first string.

And right now, everything started with the batter in front of him.

His glove extended like a wall.

His body spun forward like a windmill.

His arm snapped like a whip.

Without forcing it, powered by his lower body, the ball flew out naturally.

Everything felt effortless.

In that instant, Sawamura seemed to enter a mysterious state.

From third base, Zhou Hao felt it immediately.

He turned his head sharply, eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Sawamura.

How was this possible?

How could Sawamura reach something so close to a perfect pitching state?

Even Zhou Hao himself had only approached that level with the help of the Sharingan.

And he knew—

It still wasn't enough.

He had once thrown over 160 km/h in practice.

But never in an actual game.

Which meant there was still room to grow.

So how… could Sawamura reach this?

Almost instinctively, Zhou Hao activated his Sharingan.

His eyes locked onto Sawamura's form, copying every movement.

He had a feeling—

This might be the step he needed to reach the next level.