Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 189: Outburst – The Monster's Roar

Without realizing it, the game had already reached the seventh inning.

Seidou High School's baseball team was becoming more and more impressive.

The score on the field was 6-0.

Seidou High held an overwhelming advantage.

The large gap in the score was only part of the reason. What truly left the players of Yakushi High School, and their supporters, feeling desperate was something else entirely.

Up until now, their proud offensive strength had had no effect on the field.

Not at all.

If the opponent had been Furuya, Seidou High's ace and the so-called "monster," that might have been understandable.

Even if Yakushi's players were unwilling to accept it, they could at least resign themselves to the fact.

Whether in the Kanto Tournament or the Tokyo Regional Competition, Furuya had always been unbeatable. Even the top-tier teams across the nation couldn't do anything against him.

In such a situation, Yakushi's players might have been frustrated, but they would have accepted their fate.

However, the problem was that Seidou High didn't send the "monster" they were familiar with.

Instead, it was another player—also a first-year student—who hadn't really made a name for himself before this game.

When Yakushi High researched their opponents, they looked into this first-year pitcher.

Objectively speaking, they acknowledged that the player had some skill on the field.

But that was it.

With Yakushi's formidable offense, they believed that getting a hit or scoring runs off their opponents would be easy.

But the reality?

Since the player named Sawamura took the mound, their team had been completely suppressed.

To the point that, up until now, not only had they not scored a run, they hadn't even gotten a single hit.

Seidou High had used two pitchers over the six innings, and it was these two players who had tightly controlled the game, giving Yakushi no chance at all.

Each of them pitched for three innings, and their coordination was flawless.

By now, the players of Yakushi High had lost their will.

They had no idea what their opponents would do next.

"Do we need to continue switching pitchers?"

On the surface, Seidou High was cruising.

Their pitching strategy was going perfectly.

But some could see the underlying issue for Seidou High.

On the surface, everything seemed fine.

Especially their strategy of alternating pitchers, which so far had been flawless.

But what about after this?

Would they continue this strategy? That had now become a difficult question.

Earlier, Seidou High had made the risky decision to pull Furuya from the mound.

While it was dangerous, it was also understandable.

After all, as the true ace of Seidou High's baseball team, and with his unique pitching style, they couldn't just leave him on the mound indefinitely.

That wouldn't just be irresponsible to the team, but also to Furuya himself.

But now the situation was different.

ESawamura had been performing excellently, while the next pitcher for their team either lacked strength or had just recovered from an injury.

Putting either of them on the field could completely change the dynamics of the game.

The players of Yakushi High were the type who could shine with just a little opportunity, turning even the smallest chance into a scoring spree.

If they got a hold of an opening, they could quickly rack up runs.

As for not switching pitchers and continuing with Sawamura, that wasn't impossible, but it would require a shift in the strategy they had originally planned.

Moreover, this was Sawamura's second time facing Yakushi's batters directly.

The risks were also high.

As Fujio, a senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom magazine, put it, this was a dilemma.

The key now was what Seidou wanted to do.

Coach Kataoka turned to look at Kawakami.

He was surprised to see that the player, who should have been ready to step onto the field, looked fearful.

Kawakami seemed unwilling to take the mound at this moment.

Kataoka glanced once more at the batter's box, where Raichi stood.

The issue likely lay with this player.

The rest of Yakushi's team might have been different, but facing this "monster" was clearly not something Kawakami wanted to do.

"Let Sawamura continue pitching. Let him finish this inning!"

Coach Kataoka made his decision.

Sawamura, who had thought he would be coming off the mound, now seemed as bright as a high-wattage lightbulb.

"Thanks, Boss! I'll give it my all!!"

His voice rang out loudly.

The fans near the stands could clearly hear him.

"What did he say?"

"He called his coach 'Boss'?"

"How embarrassing!!!"

In the Seidou High dugout, Ota was stunned by Sawamura's choice of words.

It was over!

This time, their team was truly done for.

Kanto Tournament champions, one of the nation's top schools, a prestigious baseball academy...

Ota felt as though those shining reputations were slipping away from them.

Coach Kataoka, however, maintained his composure.

He only gave Sawamura a look, signaling that they would deal with it after the game.

Sawamura, however, didn't seem to care.

Being able to stay on the mound, with the opponent being Raichi, was all he needed.

The young man felt every cell in his body filled with excitement.

"Don't get too worked up, especially make sure to watch for my signals!"

Miyuki kept reminding him.

After having learned his lesson the first time, Sawamura nodded obediently.

On the other side, Kawakami quietly sighed in relief.

The performance of this second-year senior was clearly observed by Furuya.

Kawakami's instincts were sharp.

He was reluctant to step onto the field, likely because he felt he couldn't handle facing Raichi.

However, once a pitcher begins to show signs of hesitation, it becomes difficult for them to rise in the future.

On the other hand, there was Tanba.

Despite facing off against a first-year "monster," he showed no signs of fear.

In fact, he was already mentally prepared to take the mound.

That serious gaze, that unwavering stare.

"Interesting!"

While Furuya was observing quietly, the senior with the little mustache suddenly grabbed him by the arm.

"What are you looking at? It's our turn to go out!"

"Right!" Furuya awkwardly responded.

He had been so focused on observing others that he forgot his own responsibilities at that moment.

Now, fully geared up, he stood in the outfield, ready for his turn.

In the top of the seventh inning, Yakushi High School's offense began.

The first batter to step up to the plate was their leadoff hitter.

The third baseman, Raichi!

This player had already been up to bat twice, but his results didn't seem particularly impressive.

Twice at bat, twice getting struck out.

Up until now, this so-called "monster" of the batter's box hadn't shown any real performance.

By normal logic, after two failed attempts at batting, the fans' expectations of him would have definitely diminished.

But reality was different.

Even though he had failed to achieve anything in his last two at-bats, and despite the situation for Yakushi High School now being precarious, when he stepped up to the plate, a murmur of excitement still rose from the stands.

There were still many fans, full of enthusiasm, cheering him on wildly.

"Hit the ball out, monster!"

Miyuki, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but feel a sense of caution rise within him.

The fans in the stands might not be able to describe baseball or a player's strength the way professionals could, but they had their own sense of judgment and intuition.

They knew who was playing well, and usually, those players really were good.

Take Raichi, for example.

Even though, just like the other players on Yakushi, he hadn't had any standout performances up until now, the fans still felt that he was special.

As long as he was on the field, there was a chance that he could create a miracle.

"Let's do this, a head-on confrontation!!"

Miyuki believed that the fans wouldn't be cheering for someone unless they truly believed in their strength.

The "monster" Raichi was undoubtedly one of those players who had the raw potential that could not be underestimated.

When facing a monster like him, they had to give it their all.

Seeing Miyuki's signal, Sawamura threw the ball without hesitation.

"Whoosh!"

The white baseball whizzed through the air.

In the Yakushi High School bullpen, Coach Raizou stared intently at the confrontation between the two.

When watching game footage earlier, he had underestimated the young pitcher standing before him.

Only in the heat of the game did he truly realize how strong this first-year from Seidou High School was.

With his unique pitching stance and quirky pitches, two already difficult weapons combined had completely baffled the Yakushi High School batters.

To this point, the players of Yakushi High School were filled with a sense of dread.

Previously, they might have been able to accept facing Furuya, but now, even against a substitute from Seidou High, their minds were filled with doubt.

How could they keep playing like this?

Not only were they trailing by six points, but even if they were leading, in this situation, they likely wouldn't be able to win.

"Son, you should understand, if you make a mistake this time, the game could end very quickly."

Raichi at the plate, of course, didn't know what his father was thinking.

When he saw the baseball coming, he didn't hesitate and took his swing.

"Boom!!!"

Accompanied by a sharp crack, his bat struck the ball like thunder, sending it flying.

Miyuki, crouched in the catcher's position, felt his heart jump when he saw that swing.

They had faced each other three times already today, but even then, he couldn't help but think how incredible that swing was!

Not just within Yakushi's team, but even nationwide, it was rare to find a high school player with such a powerful swing.

"Ping!"

The baseball flew off the bat and rocketed through the infield like a missile.

"Crash!"

The ball eventually landed out of bounds.

The players and supporters of Seidou High were all taken aback.

This guy was really something else!

Miyuki, crouching behind the plate, furrowed his brow slightly.

He had intentionally called for a tricky pitch, but even with that, this quirky pitch was still hit by the opponent.

"What a terrifying guy!!"

The confrontation didn't end there. Miyuki quickly signaled for a second pitch.

However, that pitch, too, couldn't escape the batter's swing.

"Boom!"

"Ping!!!"

The white baseball flew off the bat again.

This time, it even reached the outfield stands.

"Foul ball!"

If it hadn't veered off the foul line, that would have been a legitimate home run.

"Foul!"

At first, it was just the supporters of Yakushi High School, but by this point, even the players in the Yakushi High bullpen couldn't sit still anymore.

They all stood up, eagerly watching.

Just as Coach Raizou had hoped, to ignite his team's fighting spirit, they needed a fair and square confrontation.

If his son could hit the ball out of the park in a direct confrontation, their team's morale would surely skyrocket.

"This is the one chance. Don't mess it up!!"

The players of Yakushi High were all in a heightened state of tension.

But Miyuki remained calm.

"It's fine. No matter what happens, we've already forced two balls to be bad. Right now, we're in the lead. For this last pitch, throw it to this spot! Use your momentum to bait him into swinging. Once he swings, we can strike him out in one go."

Upon seeing Miyuki's signal, Sawamura gave a firm nod.

"You idiot, your moves are too obvious!"

Although Miyuki teased him, he knew it was too late to stop the pitch now. He could only pray that Sawamura would get this one right.

"Whoosh!"

Sawamura took his stance, his arm moving like a whip. After a series of pitching motions, the white baseball shot out.

As the ball flew towards the batter, a glint of satisfaction flashed in Miyuki's eyes.

Though it wasn't exactly the pitch he had wanted, Miyuki was still satisfied. The ball was clearly outside the strike zone, but the force behind Sawamura's pitch had an effect.

Raichi, standing in the batter's box, was affected by the pitch's sheer momentum. He swung his bat.

"Boom!!"

The swing was powerful, the force behind it as overwhelming as thunder.

From Miyuki's perspective, though, he didn't think this bad pitch would actually be hit.

Just as Miyuki thought that, the thunderous swing of the bat connected solidly with the baseball.

"Ping!!"

Despite his awkward hitting stance, Raichi unleashed an unexpected amount of power.

The ball, which seemed impossible to hit, was sent flying.

"Ha ha ha, ha ha ha!!!"

As he watched the ball soar, Raichi let out a manic laugh.

"You idiot, why aren't you running?!"

In the Yakushi High bullpen, Coach Raizou felt his insides boil with frustration.

He had never seen a son this foolish before!

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