Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 187: Spotlight Moment!

In Seidou High School Baseball Team's dugout,the players' expressions had turned extremely serious.

Even before this game started, the Seidou players had a gut feeling — this match was not going to be an easy one.

Just how strong was Ichidaisan High's baseball team?

After their loss in the 1/8 finals, many people had dismissed Ichidaisan as nothing more than a shadow of their former glory.

How could one of the top three powerhouse teams in West Tokyo lose to a dark horse?

No matter how you looked at it, the outcome was hard to believe.

Because of this, many began to question Ichidaisan's actual strength.

But was this team really as weak as everyone imagined?

As a long-time rival in West Tokyo, Seidou's players had faced Ichidaisan numerous times before.

Without a doubt, they were the ones most qualified to speak on the matter.

And they could say, without hesitation, that the reality was far from what people assumed.

Ichidaisan was strong!

Even Seidou's players, when facing this familiar rival, had to approach the game with utmost caution.

Otherwise, they might find themselves humiliated on the field.

This was the true Ichidaisan High!

They still had the strength of a top-tier team on a national level.

Yet, this formidable team had been defeated by Yakushi High School?

Even if there were numerous coincidences involved, the result made it clear that Yakushi had the ability to challenge the best.

Before the match, Seidou's players had analyzed every detail and considered every possibility.

Their conclusion? They were confident they could defeat their opponents.

Now, on the field,

Seidou had taken a commanding 6-0 lead.

Their performance proved that their analysis was not mere wishful thinking.

This was reality!

They truly possessed such overwhelming strength.

And yet, because of Ichidaisan's prior defeat, a lingering doubt and uncertainty remained in Seidou's minds.

Looking at the current situation, it was clear their earlier concerns were not unfounded.

This opponent could indeed create significant challenges for them on the field.

"A cutter, combined with a fastball and a bullet spin pitch! This guy might seem like a fiery hothead on the surface, but in reality, he's a meticulous breaking ball pitcher."

And his breaking balls weren't slow either.

Just look at the atmosphere in Yakushi's dugout.

The players' spirits were sky-high, their excitement palpable.

Each of them radiated energy and enthusiasm, their confidence soaring.

It was obvious that they were genuinely fired up and brimming with passion.

"What should we do?"

Despite being 6 points behind, their opponents remained relentlessly energetic on the field.

The Seidou High players gathered together, recognizing that they couldn't stay silent any longer.

If they allowed this momentum to continue, who knew how far Yakushi's players would ride their confidence?

Having played against Yakushi for this long, combined with their pre-game analysis, Seidou's players might not know every detail about their opponents, but they understood them well enough to predict their wild tendencies.

They were fully aware of just how audacious Yakushi could be.

If given too much leeway, Yakushi's players could become completely unrestrained.

"If we let Sawamura take the mound now…"

Ota, the baseball team's manager, began to speak but quickly fell silent, realizing how inappropriate his suggestion was.

After just switching pitchers, regardless of the current situation, it was impossible to make another change so soon.

Moreover, Sawamura had been performing well on the mound.

Replacing a pitcher who was doing fine would only help their opponents.

Theoretically, this was undeniably true.

Yet, no one in Seidou's dugout refuted the implication behind Ota's unfinished statement.

Everyone knew what he meant:

If their ace, Furuya, were still on the mound at this moment, no matter how high Yakushi's morale might be, their ace could crush that confidence with his overwhelming pitches, leaving the opposition completely stifled.

Such was the terrifying, undeniable strength of Furuya.

He possessed a level of dominance that left opponents utterly powerless.

Just the thought of it sent chills down anyone's spine — at least, from the perspective of Yakushi's players.

For Seidou, however, Furuya's presence on the mound was their team's greatest pillar of strength.

With him there, everything would be fine.

Sawamura, for all his simplicity, wasn't blind to the situation.

Seeing the reactions of his teammates, he quickly understood what they were thinking.

A faint, bitter smile crossed his face.

As a relief pitcher, no matter how well he performed on the mound, the trust in him could never rival the confidence placed in their true ace.

What could he do about it?

Throw a tantrum? Give up?

Coming all the way from the countryside of Nagano Prefecture, leaving behind his old teammates to pursue baseball in a place like Tokyo—

Did he come here to give up?

If he chose to abandon himself now, could he face himself, his supportive family, or the friends who believed in him?

"I know everyone doesn't trust me!"

Sawamura suddenly spoke up, his voice firm.

Hearing this, the first-string players of Seidou High were all visibly surprised.

They had a fair understanding of their first-year teammate.

Based on their previous impressions, Sawamura's way of thinking was often childish, or at least juvenile.

Hearing such mature words from him felt entirely out of character.

"Hey, brat, who taught you to talk like an adult?"

While the others held back their reactions, Kuramochi, Sawamura's roommate and senior, showed no such restraint.

He immediately shot back, clearly curious about what had triggered this sudden change in Sawamura.

"Please, senpai, let me finish!" Sawamura pleaded.

"I know you're worried, but I promise—no matter what happens in the rest of this game, I'll give it my all!"

The boy, who usually made bold and overconfident claims, didn't boast about shutting down the opponents or guaranteeing three outs this time.

His teammates could even picture him with his usual over-the-top, hands-on-hips confidence.

But he didn't do that now.

Instead, he solemnly assured everyone of his dedication to the game.

This moment of earnestness warmed the hearts of his teammates.

Unknowingly, their younger teammate had grown up.

He was now mature enough to handle the pressures of the field.

"Don't get too worked up. Just focus on showing your ability," Chris, holding a pen in his hand, said with a small smile.

Although he couldn't return to the field himself this summer, his protégé was bound to make his mark in this tournament.

"Go get 'em!"

Meanwhile, Yakushi High was brimming with confidence.

Sanada's stellar performance had revived the team's fighting spirit.

The players stood tall, exuding a belief that they could win the game.

From the stands, fans cheered loudly, fueling their energy.

"What's so special about being the Kanto champions? Let's show them Yakushi's determination!"

"That pitcher's just a first-year kid! Swing hard and send his pitches flying!"

Encouraged by the spectators, Yakushi's players became even more aggressive.

The cleanup hitter, standing in the batter's box, bared his teeth in a menacing grin at Sawamura.

"You think you're like Furuya? Bring it on, and I'll hit you so hard even your mom won't recognize you!"

The umpire frowned slightly at the audacious behavior.

At the start of the game, he hadn't noticed, but now Yakushi's players' poor sportsmanship was becoming glaringly obvious.

It was truly frustrating.

In contrast, Seidou's players, despite being elite athletes from a prestigious team, displayed a commendable level of humility on the field.

Just as these thoughts crossed the umpire's mind, the boy on the mound began his motion.

His glove thrust forward like a solid wall, his body shifted seamlessly, and his arm whipped through the air like a coiled spring.

The Yakushi batter, still grinning mockingly, was momentarily stunned.

His childish intimidation tactics seemed utterly ineffective against the intensity of Sawamura's pitch.

It didn't matter how childish or immature it seemed—as long as it worked on the field, he didn't care.

What mattered to him was whether he could hit the ball.

The cleanup hitter initially felt reasonably confident.

Even though their team's three strongest first-year players had all been struck out, at least they had managed to make contact with the ball.

This substitute pitcher for Seidou was undoubtedly formidable—that was a fact.

But he wasn't invincible or unbeatable.

If they could just pinpoint a weakness, if luck tilted slightly in their favor, there was still a good chance he could smash the pitch solidly.

That was his mindset before stepping into the batter's box.

But the moment he saw Sawamura's actual pitch, everything changed.

His pupils dilated, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.

"Why can't I see the release point at all?"

Due to Sawamura's unique mechanics and how his body shielded the release point, batters simply couldn't see where the ball was coming from.

He had heard of this before.

But hearing about it and experiencing it firsthand were entirely different things.

Now, standing in the batter's box, he realized just how terrifying that boy on the mound really was.

Before he could process his thoughts, the white baseball had already zipped toward him.

Whoosh!

The ball's speed was unreal, reaching him in what felt like the blink of an eye.

The batter instinctively swallowed hard, his body frozen in place.

By the time he regained control of his limbs, the baseball had already flown past him.

Pop!

"Strike!"

The umpire's call echoed through the stadium.

The crowd, which had been enthusiastically cheering Yakushi moments before, suddenly fell silent, their faces blank with shock.

They all knew that Seidou's players weren't easy opponents, not even the substitute pitchers.

But no one had anticipated that when Sawamura got serious, the intensity of his pitch would be so overwhelming.

The white ball shot toward the plate like a bullet, leaving the batter no time to react.

The Yakushi dugout was filled with frustrated murmurs.

Regardless of whether he could hit the ball or not, wasn't he supposed to at least swing the bat?

After all, the first lesson Yakushi players had learned from their coach was to swing aggressively.

Only by swinging could you hope to connect.

If you didn't even swing, then no matter what pitch came at you, the outcome was already decided.

Watching his teammates grow increasingly agitated, Akiba, one of Yakushi's mainstays, let out a wry smile.

"It's not that easy to take a swing," he muttered.

Seidou High's substitute pitcher might not have the same overwhelming presence as their ace, Furuya, but that didn't mean he was easy to handle.

Sawamura, with his peculiar pitching form and quirky breaking balls, was a different kind of threat altogether.

Even a monster hitter like Raichi Todoroki, if caught off guard, had fallen victim to Sawamura's tricks and been struck out.

For Yakushi's lineup, unless their players were mentally prepared and fully focused, they stood little chance against this unconventional pitcher.

It was harsh, but that was the reality.

Whether they liked it or not, the fact remained that Sawamura was a force to be reckoned with.

Top of the 5th Inning: Yakushi's Turn at Bat

Yakushi's players stormed onto the field with unwavering determination. Their aim was clear—at least score a run to narrow the gap.

But standing tall on the mound, Sawamura faced their aggression head-on.

He had promised his teammates that he would give it his all, and he did just that.

In just over two minutes, he delivered a stellar performance: two strikeouts and a quick groundout.

Three outs. Side retired.

As Sawamura walked off the mound, his face was flushed red, a mix of exertion and pride.

He could feel the shift in the atmosphere.

The way his teammates looked at him had changed.

Without realizing it, this once-immature first-year had grown into a reliable member of Seidou's roster.

"Nice pitching!"

"Keep it up!"

The cheers from the dugout brought a wide grin to Sawamura's face.

From the sidelines, Miyuki glanced at Furuya, smirking playfully.

"Looks like you might not get a chance to pitch today, Furuya."

Furuya shrugged, his expression unbothered.

"As long as the team wins, that's all that matters," he said calmly, spreading his hands.

His words carried a maturity that matched the team's steady progress. The shared goal of victory outweighed individual ambitions—a sentiment resonating across the entire Seidou bench.

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