Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 196: A God-Powered Super Fastball!

"Second batter, Akiba!"

No outs, runner on first base.

The original ace of Seidou High's baseball team had returned to the mound.

Yet, his partner Miyuki still found it hard to accept.

Miyuki kept glancing at their coach.

However, Coach Kataoka remained silent from beginning to end, showing no special reaction.

He stood with arms crossed, as cold and composed as ever.

"Truly impossible to read!"

Unable to grasp their coach's intentions, Miyuki chose not to dwell on it.

This was his habit, as well as a consistent principle for Seidou High's baseball team.

Their philosophy was clear — even if confusion arose during a game, don't overthink it.

Everything could be discussed and reviewed after the game was over.

Just like now.

Miyuki didn't obsess over why Kawakami had been substituted.

At this moment, he had more pressing matters at hand.

Such as securing the final three outs to decisively end the game.

"I don't understand why the coach pulled Kawakami. But I'm sure you know exactly why you were brought to the mound at this moment, right?"

Miyuki's unwavering gaze was fixed on Furuya standing on the mound.

Some things didn't need to be explained in detail; they could already guess most of it.

The decision to send Furuya in wasn't to play games with the opponent.

Their coach had only one goal:

To cleanly and decisively crush the opposition without any unnecessary fuss.

To bring this tumultuous game to a perfect conclusion.

Furuya nodded slightly on the mound.

The crowd in the stands had reached a fever pitch.

They roared Furuya's name loudly.

It felt as though he had already defeated the opposing team, and victory was in their grasp.

The massive shift in the atmosphere on the field couldn't escape the notice of the Yakushi High players and coach.

However, their reactions were starkly different.

The Yakushi players looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.

From the moment Furuya appeared, unease thumped in their chests like a relentless drumbeat.

Thud, thud, thud...

The game wasn't completely over yet; they still had a chance to fight back.

But the moment Furuya stepped onto the mound, a profound sense of despair washed over many Yakushi players.

They knew full well — they stood no chance against this guy.

So how were they supposed to continue this game?

Yet their coach, Raizou, didn't see the situation as difficult at all.

From his perspective, things were far from over.

Although his players were still desperately fighting on the field, their determination remained fierce. They would never give up until the game was truly over, fighting relentlessly until the very last moment.

Such a fighting spirit was, of course, admirable.

However, realistically speaking, just because Yakushi's players refused to accept defeat didn't mean they could actually make a difference on the field.

These were two completely different concepts.

To put it bluntly, in the current situation, unless Seidou High made mistakes themselves, it was nearly impossible for Yakushi to create any waves — even finding a chance would be extremely difficult.

On the surface, Furuya's return seemed to worsen Yakushi's already dire situation.

Yet, it was also an opportunity.

As long as Seidou's true ace wasn't on the mound, both the Seidou players and their supporters harbored a belief:

They hadn't even gone all out and were already holding an advantage over their opponents.

With such a mindset, the players naturally performed more relaxed.

But without that belief, Seidou would inevitably suffer setbacks in future confrontations.

It was under these circumstances that Raizou firmly concluded that Yakushi had no chance of turning the tables.

Not even the slightest.

However, the situation had now changed.

Seidou's mental edge had vanished.

Their ace had returned to the mound.

With Furuya's comeback, Seidou's previous safety net had disappeared entirely.

Now, in the final moments of the game, Seidou was choosing to go all out.

For Yakushi's players, this was a heaven-sent opportunity.

If they lost in a direct showdown with Furuya, the result would merely be the same as before — elimination.

But if by some miracle they won the confrontation, the narrative would be completely different.

Even though victory would still be difficult due to the large score gap, there was at least a sliver of hope.

For Yakushi at this stage, even the slightest chance was worth fighting for with everything they had.

"Face it bravely! Opportunities like this don't come twice!!"

Raizou himself began stirring up the spirits of his players.

The spectators in the stands couldn't help but laugh when they heard Todoroki Raizou's shout.

The coach of Yakushi High was certainly an interesting character.

This subtle shift in mentality brought about a noticeable change in the atmosphere of the stands.

Miyuki, crouching behind the plate, shot a surprised glance at Raizou.

He vividly remembered how both the spectators and Yakushi players had reacted when Furuya first stepped onto the mound.

It had been deeply imprinted in his mind.

Yet with just one sentence from that coach, the atmosphere had shifted significantly.

Many fans had begun to hope for a different outcome.

If even the spectators harbored such expectations, what about the opponents currently playing against them?

Akiba, the batter now stepping up, wasn't as famous as Raichi, nor did he exude the same aura as Mishima.

But that didn't mean he was easy to deal with.

Compared to other Yakushi players, Akiba's skill level was clearly a cut above the rest.

Even when compared to Seidou's main lineup, he held his ground.

He was a batter on par with, if not slightly stronger than, Shirasu.

"Facing an opponent like this, we can't afford to be careless! And Furuya just returned to the mound..."

From both timing and situational perspectives, Seidou held no advantage at this moment.

"What will you do?"

Unlike Sawamura, Furuya had his own ideas and opinions on the mound.

As long as his thoughts didn't greatly conflict with strategy, Miyuki was more than willing to trust his partner.

This trust was built through countless games together.

Furuya met Miyuki's gaze and nodded.

No retreat — a direct confrontation!

Miyuki felt his heart skip two beats in succession.

The rhythm and speed of his heartbeat were noticeably faster than before.

"As expected of you, Ace!"

Bring it on!

Miyuki chose not to interfere with Furuya's decision. He placed his trust in his partner.

He believed in the ace of Seidou High's baseball team.

On the mound, Furuya's eyes locked onto Miyuki's open glove.

To him, that glove seemed to possess a mysterious power, igniting his desire to pitch.

"Fate may have guided me here, but I have to say — coming to Seidou and meeting you was truly the best thing that ever happened!"

As he spoke, Furuya lifted his leg and brought it down heavily.

His pitching style was entirely different from Sawamura's.

Sawamura, after mastering his deceptive pitching motion, exuded an enigmatic aura with every throw, as if there was something extraordinary hidden in his delivery.

But Furuya was different.

There was no mystique — only raw, overwhelming power.

When he prepared to pitch, he was like a whirlwind on the field — no, more like a full-blown tornado.

From the moment he began his motion, it felt as though the ground was shaking and the sky was splitting apart.

The ball left his hand, tearing through the air with a piercing sound.

Boom!

The deafening roar was so powerful that even the umpire, standing several meters away, heard it clearly.

"This kid's pitches are still terrifying!"

Despite sitting out the previous innings, Furuya's explosive power was as astonishing as ever when he returned to the mound.

Standing in the batter's box, Akiba had faced Furuya before.

Logically, he should have been accustomed to it.

Yet when he saw Furuya's pitch, an overwhelming urge to flee surged through his body.

"So terrifying!"

This monster—every time Akiba faced him, he felt an overwhelming urge to retreat.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, if they weren't standing here in direct confrontation, Akiha would have found it impossible to believe that a player of the same grade could pitch with such speed.

He wanted to swing the bat.

Whether it was a desperate struggle or just a test to gauge their gap, it was crucial for his future at-bats.

But he didn't even have the chance.

By the time the thought flashed through his mind, the white ball had already zipped past him.

Pop!

"Strike!!!"

The spectators in the stands immediately did a complete 180 in their attitude.

Earlier, Raizou's playful remarks had captivated their attention, even planting thoughts of potential twists and turns in the game.

A bit of drama during the match would be interesting, wouldn't it?

But now, their minds were consumed by Furuya's utterly dominant pitching.

"Whoa! How fast was that pitch?"

"Is there a radar gun?"

"Yes! 151 km/h!!"

"No way!!!"

A pitch clocked at 151 km/h was a rarity, even among high school players.

Yet, even with that reading, the fans in the stands refused to believe the speed was only that fast.

How could it be?

What they witnessed with their own eyes felt significantly faster, more overwhelming.

Even Sawamura, seated in Seidou's dugout, muttered in disbelief, "Why does it feel so slow?"

Like the others, he sensed that the pitch should have been much faster.

Multiple fans in the stands were holding radar guns.

Sure, one or two might have inaccuracies due to posture or other factors.

But with so many readings from different angles, they couldn't all be wrong, right?

The speed was indeed 151 km/h.

Akiba was left utterly dumbfounded.

If even the spectators couldn't believe it, how could this key player from Yakushi High possibly accept it?

Raizou had clearly noticed this as well.

He chuckled softly, though there was a trace of bitterness on his face.

"It feels faster than the actual speed, huh? That means this kid may have already mastered something even scarier than raw velocity..."

If that were the case, then Akiba was in deep trouble.

As this realization dawned on Raizou, Furuya's second pitch was already on its way.

He didn't just have an impressive pitch speed; his entire pitching rhythm was extraordinary, leaving no room for his opponents to react.

Either of these qualities alone would be enough to become a pitcher's trump card. Yet, Furuya possessed both.

When the baseball left his hand, it felt like a force of nature, moving at lightning speed.

The white ball streaked through the air like a flash.

This time, Akiba didn't just stand by and watch.

Despite the immense difficulty, he swung his bat with all his might.

However, his swing timing was significantly off.

By the time he gritted his teeth and managed to swing, the ball had already passed by him.

It was too late.

All he could do was watch helplessly as the baseball landed firmly in the catcher's glove.

"Pop!"

"Strike!"

Two strikes—Akiba was now cornered.

Behind the catcher's mask, Miyuki's eyes flickered with admiration.

Since joining Seidou High School's baseball team, he had worked with several ace pitchers.

Especially this year, with two outstanding first-year recruits joining the team, Miyuki's experience as a catcher had become even more fulfilling.

Even so, he had to admit—calling pitches for Furuya was by far the most thrilling experience.

This guy always managed to surprise him.

Though it meant fewer moments for Miyuki to shine as a catcher, the sheer dominance Furuya displayed made up for that minor regret.

Akiba wasn't weak.

This was evident from his batting stance alone.

Yet despite his formidable skills, he was still outclassed when facing Seidou's ace.

Even if he managed to predict the pitch, he would still miss.

"Here it comes, the final pitch!"

"Boom!"

Just as Miyuki predicted, the outcome was exactly as expected.

Even though Akiba gave it everything he had, using every ounce of his ability, his bat still missed by five centimeters.

The bat and ball brushed past each other, never making contact.

The baseball buried itself into Miyuki's glove.

"Pop!"

"Strike!"

"Out!"

One out, with a runner on first base.

Seidou High was now just two outs away from securing the win.

However, for the spectators, after witnessing Furuya's pitching, it seemed inevitable—the game was as good as decided.

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