Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 200: The Ultimate Challenge in History - Kataoka vs. Furuya!

"You all need to calm down!!!"

Upon hearing Tanba's roar, the members of the Seidou High School baseball team showed no signs of concern.

"Oh, he's angry!"

"This is the kind of dominance a top player should have!"

"Haha, hahaha…"

Before they knew it, the entire carriage was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Furuya couldn't help but smile.

To be honest, he really loved the current vibe of the team.

In reality, everyone was under a lot of pressure. Could they lead the team to Koshien? How could they improve their skills? And some players were worried about their positions in an increasingly competitive environment.

These issues were giving everyone a headache.

Yet despite all this, the atmosphere among them remained joyful and positive.

It was as if no challenge they faced could hinder their progress.

The kings of the Seidou High baseball team would undoubtedly have their glorious return someday.

As Seidou finished their match, the other semifinal teams began to emerge.

Of course, the team they paid the most attention to was their old rival, Inashiro Industrial.

Unlike other opponents, this team was not only strong but had actually faced Furuya in a match.

It was because they couldn't conquer Furuya that Inashiro lost that game.

Over the past two months, the players of Inashiro had probably considered every possible strategy they could think of.

When they hit the field, they were sure to surprise Seidou and Furuya greatly.

Fortunately, they didn't need to worry about that yet.

If all went well, the two teams would meet in the finals.

In the semifinals, Seidou's opponent was the traditional powerhouse, Sensen.

This team was also quite formidable, consistently making it to the top eight and occasionally reaching the final four.

In this summer tournament, they had fought their way to the semifinals as well.

The last team was Sakurazawa, who was about to face Inashiro.

When the name of this school was mentioned, the members of the Seidou baseball team were stunned.

No matter how hard they racked their brains, they couldn't figure out who they were.

"Isn't that some school known for good academics?"

No one could recall a baseball powerhouse by the name of Sakurazawa.

However, they had heard of a school with similar naming that was traditionally known for its high graduation rates.

"It must be a dark horse!"

"The Sakurazawa you mentioned is unbelievable; I know some people from that school, they're just a bunch of bookworms!"

The teammates were in lively discussion.

"This has nothing to do with us; let's focus on our own opponents instead!"

Cautious Chris didn't believe that they would face this suddenly emerging dark horse in the finals. That simply wasn't realistic.

Therefore, considering their opponent wasn't very meaningful at this time.

From a timing perspective, they first needed to focus on their semifinal opponent; they would think about the finals after defeating Sensen.

In terms of strength, everyone, including Chris, clearly didn't think that this sudden dark horse could contend with Inashiro.

There was absolutely no possibility of that.

They might be unclear about other teams.

But with Inashiro being their arch-rival, they had shared thrilling battles before.

The members of Seidou High School baseball team definitely understood them well.

For this reason, they would never believe that Inashiro would stumble unexpectedly.

If such a miracle actually happened,

it would surely make the members of Seidou High School baseball team burst into laughter.

After the bus returned to school, Coach Kataoka quickly gathered everyone in the conference room due to the tight schedule.

"We have a game the day after tomorrow, and there's no time to waste! Let's hold a meeting now, and tomorrow we will focus on targeted practice. Chris, please give everyone an overview of Sensen."

After Coach Kataoka finished speaking, he stepped aside.

Chris stood up and pulled out his notebook.

"This team has an average of 80 to 100 players and is a well-known powerhouse in West Tokyo! Their track record over the years has been impressive, especially in the last two years when they frequently made it to the top eight and four."

Chris's introduction was, as always, very detailed.

The Sensen High School baseball team is like a condensed version of a prestigious program.

Their training is incredibly rigorous, and with a large pool of athletes, the players who get selected to compete are the elite of the bunch.

With the guidance of their coach, this team's overall strength is absolutely comparable to that of elite teams.

If it weren't for being in West Tokyo, and if they didn't have to face the three major powerhouses of West Tokyo, this team would even have a chance to aim for Koshien.

However, to this day, the coach and players of the Sensen High School baseball team have not given up on their dream of reaching Koshien.

"Everyone, adjust your mindset! This game won't be easy!!"

"Especially their ace, Maki, who stands over 190 centimeters tall and has impressive pitching speed. His curveball, with that kind of drop, makes it very difficult for batters to hit!"

From Chris's words, it was clear they needed to be very prepared for the semi-finals.

But after their coach spoke, all the members of the Seido High School baseball team understood that Chris's comments were merely formalities.

From the lineup arrangements, it was evident that the coaching staff didn't see this opponent as particularly troublesome.

"Considering the upcoming finals, I don't plan to put Furuya on the mound during the semi-finals. Save your strength..."

Compared to the Inashiro Industrial baseball team, the threat posed by Sensen High School was clearly a few levels lower.

So much so that Coach Kataoka openly told everyone that their ace wouldn't be pitching.

After saying that, he looked at the other three pitchers.

"Our strategy will be the same as before; the game will be managed by the three of you, using a rotation system. Tanba, you'll be the first to take the mound; this is your debut, right? Are you feeling fit?"

Coach Kataoka had clearly remembered Tanba's earlier comments in the bus.

Initially, he had hesitated about whether to let Tanba play.

But now, it seemed he had made up his mind.

Even if Tanba was no longer their ace, he didn't want to give up on developing this player.

Tanba stood up and exclaimed, "I won't let you down!!"

For this hard-earned opportunity, the former ace of the Seido High School baseball team seemed to cherish it immensely.

The second and third-year players of Seido High School all wore smiles on their faces.

Seeing their former ace return from adversity brought them great comfort.

"Sawamura will go second, and Kawakami will close! You two need to warm up in advance to be ready to pitch at any moment!"

This was a matter of course according to Coach Kataoka.

In today's match, both of these kids were actually overwhelmed.

However, Coach Kataoka seemed completely unfazed and continued to trust them.

Sawamura Eijun's eyes were red.

Since joining the Seidou High School baseball team, he had always felt that the coach didn't like him and was constantly targeting him.

To his surprise, even after making a mistake, the coach was still willing to give him another chance?

"Coach, I…"

"Winning and losing are part of the game; it's the same for the players on the field. You must learn to absorb the lesson to grow into a better version of yourself. If you lack that confidence, I can have Furuya ready instead!"

As a first-year rookie, Sawamura had already performed exceptionally well.

As long as he wasn't compared to Furuya.

Even with Coach Kataoka being so strict, he really couldn't point out any significant issues with Sawamura.

"I have confidence!"

Sawamura eagerly assured him.

Upon hearing this, his teammates burst into laughter.

They had to admit that this younger teammate of theirs was always entertaining.

"Then make sure to show it!"

"There aren't many monsters like Raichi, even on a national scale. Losing to him isn't something to be ashamed of; you don't need to take it too hard. Even Furuya, in his match against him, ended up giving up hits, which isn't surprising."

Miyuki chimed in, trying to console Sawamura.

Furuya, caught in an unnecessary mention, couldn't help but roll his eyes at his partner.

Wasn't this just stirring trouble for himself?

Yet, Miyuki pretended not to see and continued to comfort Sawamura.

"Didn't Chris-senpai tell you when he was training you? The most important thing for a pitcher is to have a strong inner self! Even when facing setbacks on the field, you must be able to instantly let it go. Otherwise, it will affect your performance in the subsequent games!"

Once Miyuki finished speaking, the Seidou High School baseball team immediately broke into enthusiastic applause.

This was spot on!

And it applied not just to pitchers but to all players.

Only those who can adjust their mindset quickly after facing difficulties can truly be called strong.

If you can't do that, then you are just a coward on the field.

"I understand!"

Sawamura replied with a firm nod.

It must be acknowledged that his ability to self-regulate was already outstanding.

Following Miyuki's guidance, he would surely become stronger on the field.

While Miyuki was advising Sawamura, Kawakami nodded quietly to himself.

Wasn't he also avoiding confronting the same setbacks that Sawamura faced?

The trauma left by the monsters of the Yakushi High School baseball team was immense.

Not only Sawamura, but even Kawakami chose to run away.

In the last moments, Coach Kataoka did not let Kawakami pitch until the end but substituted in Furuya.

This was the reason!

They had initially been set to secure victory; even if they conceded a few hits or a few runs, it wouldn't matter.

The key was to show their strong presence on the mound.

Kawakami chose to avoid it!

Even though they ultimately won the match, the impression they left was that they narrowly escaped their opponent's pursuit.

Coach Kataoka disliked that feeling.

The teammates of the Seidou High School baseball team couldn't accept such an image of themselves either!

A night passed in silence.

By the next morning, the Seidou High School baseball team woke up early to exercise, as per their usual routine.

Then they had breakfast and attended classes.

After everything had settled down, around three in the afternoon, they gathered at the baseball field as scheduled, ready to start a new day of practice.

According to the plan set by Coach Kataoka, they would be practicing against high-arc curveballs.

Soon, everyone noticed something different.

The pitcher's mound had been raised by an additional layer of soil.

It was about 30 centimeters high.

Seeing this scene, the members of the Seidou High School baseball team felt a warm current in their hearts! These players had been busy training, so it was clear they hadn't done this.

Who did it?

There was no doubt that it was the senior players from last year's team who had already graduated.

"Hehe, we wanted to contribute too!"

"Even though we couldn't make it to the first team, we still want to join you all in Koshien!"

It was a few of the third-year seniors who had done this.

They had left the team behind to focus on their college entrance exams.

By all accounts, they no longer had any ties to the baseball team.

Yet, when the team faced challenges, they were still willing to come back to help. Even after Coach Kataoka and the staff had advised them multiple times, their enthusiasm did not wane.

In their own words, being on the field made them feel secure.

"Everyone, salute!!"

Under Coach Kataoka's command, all the players bowed in respect to these dedicated third-year seniors.

Even Furuya was no exception.

The atmosphere within the Seidou High School baseball team was truly wonderful.

While there were also many tough memories here, it was undeniably a place that left a lasting impression.

If it weren't so, why would the graduated seniors still appear here from time to time?

"Alright, everyone start practicing. A height increase of thirty centimeters is enough to compensate for the difference in height and arm span! You need to hit over two hundred curveballs with high drops!!"

Coach Kataoka's words invigorated the team.

Just thinking about this simulation training that was so close to real combat brought excitement.

However, there was one problem.

They couldn't possibly use a pitching machine for this practice, could they? A pitching machine simply couldn't simulate high-arc curveballs.

"Who is our opponent? It can't be Tanba, right?"

If there was anyone in the team who excelled at high-drop curveballs, it was undoubtedly Tanba.

Tanba himself didn't seem opposed to the idea.

But that was definitely unrealistic.

He still had to pitch in the upcoming game against Sensen, and if anything went wrong, Seidou High School's baseball team would be shooting themselves in the foot.

While everyone was puzzled, Coach Kataoka had already stepped onto the pitcher's mound.

"Your opponent is me!"

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