Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 190: Coach Kataoka's Trust

"Ping!!"

When the baseball was hit and sent flying, everyone on the field froze in disbelief.

They watched wide-eyed as the ball soared high into the sky, unsure of where it might land.

Standing in the batter's box, Raichi seemed very pleased with his hit.

He even stood there smiling until his father's reminder snapped him out of it. Only then did this clueless boy realize what he should do next.

He hurriedly dropped the bat and sprinted toward first base.

"Is this guy an idiot?"

From the stands, Seidou High's baseball team members asked the same soul-piercing question as Raizou, Raichi's father.

They had never encountered an opponent like this before—a seemingly clueless fool who somehow managed to hit such a massive shot.

The mere thought of it made Seidou's players burn with frustration.

"Outfielders!"

Not only Sawamura but many of Seidou's teammates kept their eyes locked on the soaring white ball.

Their emotions were conflicted.

Though an ominous premonition loomed in their hearts, everyone in the Seidou dugout and their devoted fans sincerely hoped the ball would fall sooner rather than later.

Furuya, with his sharp instincts, had already started retreating before Raichi even made contact.

While he hadn't moved all the way to the deepest part of the field, he was already positioned far enough back to reach the wall in time.

Jun Isashiki, sporting his signature mustache, loudly called out as the ball approached its descent.

"This one's deeper than expected—move back!!"

As long as the ball fell within range, they still had a chance.

Neither Seidou's players nor their die-hard fans ever doubted this.

Their trust in Furuya had long since reached unparalleled levels.

They firmly believed that if the ball came down, Furuya would catch it.

Every Seidou player and fan shared this unwavering conviction.

Such was the confidence their current ace, Furuya, inspired in them all.

Even Sawamura was no exception.

The moment the ball was launched into the air, his unease was plainly visible.

Coach Kataoka had placed immense trust in him.

According to their pre-arranged strategy, Sawamura should have already retreated to the dugout by this point, leaving the mound for someone else.

But Coach Kataoka had not made that call.

Even Seidou's other players seemed to wholeheartedly believe Sawamura could turn the situation around.

And yet, under such circumstances, he had let them all down.

His pitch had been mercilessly crushed.

It was only natural for him to feel anxious.

It wasn't until his gaze landed on Furuya that Sawamura felt a slight sense of relief.

Although the two were, in a way, rivals vying for the same position, Sawamura never doubted that Furuya would give his all in this moment.

And he firmly believed...

As long as the baseball came down, that monster of a player would undoubtedly catch it.

Under the intense anticipation of the crowd, Furuya realized that the ball's landing spot was farther back than his current position.

Quickly, he turned and sprinted toward the rear.

From the perspective of the other players, it was impossible to judge whether the ball would land inside the wall or beyond it.

But Furuya was different.

Being so close to the ball, he could see it more clearly than anyone else.

The ball's trajectory had already crossed the wall.

If he did nothing, it would be a definitive home run.

And such a home run would significantly impact the progression of today's game.

"I can't let it fall!"

Resolving himself, Furuya accelerated just meters away from the wall.

With a burst of speed, he planted his foot on the wall, using the momentum to propel himself upward.

At the same time, his glove stretched desperately toward the ball.

By now, the spectators had realized that the ball would land beyond the wall.

To put it plainly—

The ball was heading for the outfield stands, becoming an undeniable home run.

It was a devastating blow!

And yet, this massive hit now carried an air of suspense.

Furuya's glove held the hopes of everyone watching.

All eyes were glued to his glove as it reached for the ball, only to fall short by mere inches.

Furuya failed.

The white baseball sailed past his glove and landed in the stands.

"Pop!"

The ball bounced off the stands, and a quick-witted fan snatched it up.

The fan raised the ball in triumph, beaming with excitement.

In stark contrast, Seidou's players and supporters wore grim expressions.

The game had reached a critical point, and Seidou had been on the verge of sealing their victory.

There had even been a good chance they could end the game early.

But at this pivotal moment, the opposing team delivered a brutal counterstrike.

The scoreboard now read 6-1!

The game's commentators, who had been somewhat lifeless earlier, were now bursting with excitement.

Perhaps it was because the game had been too one-sided up to this point.

While both teams had played exceptionally well and demonstrated their skills, the match's lack of tension had left much to be desired.

Who wants to watch a game where one side completely dominates the other?

If the roles had been reversed and an underdog had crushed a powerhouse, the crowd might have been even more electrified.

But that wasn't the case. Instead, the powerhouse team was suppressing the underdog.

A game so devoid of drama or twists wasn't appealing to anyone.

Even the commentators had struggled to sound enthusiastic earlier.

No one could have predicted such a sudden shift in the game's momentum.

The previously downtrodden Yakushi team suddenly erupted with energy.

And their leadoff batter had launched a thunderous home run!

Because of the overwhelming disparity between the two teams earlier in the game, this single point might not have seemed all that significant.

But was that truly the case?

Of course not.

The real importance of this point wasn't in the run itself—it was in the momentum it brought to the Yakushi High School baseball team.

Previously, when they were being dominated by Seidou High School, no matter how strong their mental resilience was, the Yakushi players couldn't deny an undeniable truth:

Their morale was low.

Compared to their previous match against Ichidaisan High School, Yakushi's spirit and energy in this game were severely lacking.

Originally, the underdog Yakushi team might have had a chance.

But being pushed to the brink, it was clear they weren't in a position to seize any opportunities.

But now, everything had changed!

With that unexpected home run, the mindset of every Yakushi player shifted dramatically.

And this shift wasn't minor—it was monumental, to the point of being almost frightening.

...

In Seidou's dugout, the players couldn't find fault with Furuya's recent performance.

That kind of daring, last-minute attempt at a save had such slim chances of succeeding in the first place.

No one could accuse Furuya of not trying hard enough.

In fact, just attempting such a play was already remarkable.

As for Sawamura, there wasn't much wrong with his pitching either.

While the fans in the stands, watching from a distance, only saw the end result, Seidou's players understood more of the details.

Though they didn't witness the entire sequence, they caught enough of it to grasp the key moments.

Sawamura's pitch hadn't even entered the strike zone.

The plan between him and Miyuki was to throw a ball outside the zone and bait Raichi into swinging.

Everything had gone as planned.

The pitch's location and the intended result aligned perfectly with their strategy.

Sure enough, Raichi took the bait and swung at the pitch.

But what no one could have anticipated was this:

Despite hitting a ball outside the strike zone, Raichi not only managed to put it into play but also sent it flying for a home run.

"He turned a bad pitch into a home run?"

If they hadn't witnessed it themselves, even Seidou's players wouldn't have believed such a thing was possible.

And yet, it had just unfolded before their eyes.

The players in the dugout were shocked, to say the least.

Even Miyuki was stunned. The entire sequence had played out almost identically to how he had envisioned it in his head—except for the unexpected result.

He never imagined that a pitch like that could actually be sent flying.

"Incredible!!"

Watching Raichi's maniacal laughter as he rounded the bases, Miyuki couldn't help but marvel once again.

But admiration aside, Miyuki knew exactly what needed to be done at this moment.

The pressure was too immense, and Sawamura would never be able to handle it all by himself.

As the ace catcher of Seidou High's baseball team, Miyuki stepped up to take responsibility.

"It's my fault for calling that pitch. Your pitching wasn't the problem."

What Miyuki said was true.

The rest of the Seidou team quickly followed suit, standing up one by one to support their teammate.

"It's alright! Don't worry about it!"

"Keep calm and focus—just pitch like you always do."

"Your power hasn't dropped at all!"

The second- and third-year players on the team rallied behind Sawamura, their encouragement heartfelt and warm.

However, in the Yakushi dugout, Raizou didn't believe this show of camaraderie would help much.

In fact, he thought it might even make things worse.

"The more those upperclassmen comfort him, the more guilt he'll feel, wondering if he could've pitched better to prevent this. Not every first-year has the resilience of someone like Furuya. The weight on his shoulders must be crushing, huh?"

Raizou's sharp gaze locked onto Sawamura as if he could see right through him.

Even though Yakushi was still in a very unfavorable position, Raizou didn't seem concerned at all.

On the contrary, he was convinced that the tide of the game could still turn.

The current score was 6-1, with Seidou in a commanding lead.

There weren't many innings left, but Raizou firmly believed that a five-run deficit wasn't impossible to overcome.

"Alright, Akiba! This is your moment! Land a solid blow!"

Yakushi's second batter, Akiba, stepped up to the plate with unwavering determination.

Ping!

Akiba sent the ball flying cleanly with a solid hit and charged all the way to second base in one go.

No outs, runner on second.

"Haha! Finally, it's the genius's turn to shine!"

The next batter up was Mishima, who puffed out his chest proudly, exuding immense confidence.

In that brief instant, his fighting spirit seemed to explode.

As the pitch came his way, Mishima swung without hesitation.

Ping!

The ball was sent soaring into the outfield.

Despite the quick reaction of Seidou High's fielders, they were still a step too late.

Pop!

As the ball hit the ground and bounced, Akiba dashed home to score, while Mishima advanced to first base.

With that, the score became 6-2.

The gap between the two teams had narrowed to just four runs.

It was clear that something was wrong with Sawamura's pitching.

Everyone was convinced that Coach Kataoka would immediately call for a pitcher change.

Yet, he didn't.

He seemed to maintain unwavering faith in Sawamura's abilities.

His intention to nurture the young pitcher was evident for all to see.

It wasn't until Yakushi's cleanup hitter sent the ball flying again, with it bouncing after hitting the ground, that the situation escalated.

The game now stood at no outs with runners on first and third.

Not only were the three first-year prodigies from Yakushi starting to connect with Sawamura's pitches, but even their other batters were managing to make solid contact.

At this point, Coach Kataoka could no longer hold back.

He signaled for a pitching change.

"Seidou High is switching pitchers. Sawamura is stepping down, and Kawakami is taking the mound!"

A completely dejected Sawamura returned to the dugout, his spirits visibly shattered.

Coach Kataoka frowned.

"As a first-year pitcher, no one expects you to be perfect, to pitch a flawless game without allowing a single hit. All you need to do is showcase your abilities to the fullest on the field. Especially after your pitches get hit..."

Even at this moment, Coach Kataoka continued to patiently teach him.

His high hopes for Sawamura Eijun were evident.

But right now, Sawamura was in no state to listen.

Consumed by guilt after giving up two runs, his mind was spiraling.

"Why did this happen?"

The young pitcher was stuck in his own head, unable to figure it out.

Seeing this, Coach Kataoka didn't press further.

Some things, Sawamura would have to work through on his own.

With Kawakami now on the mound, Kataoka's attention shifted back to the game.

While he didn't immediately notice the changes on the field, he was acutely aware of the shift in the stands.

The fans were furious.

"What's going on? Things have already gotten this bad, and you still won't let the ace return to the mound?"

"Furuya! Bring back Furuya!!"

The Seidou High fans seemed on the verge of revolt.

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