Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 160: A Stunning Strikeout!

Furuya had just hit the ball.

However, when the ball flew out, the ace pitcher of Akikawa High School's baseball team didn't even turn his head.

He was absolutely certain that the ball would ultimately go foul.

And indeed, that was the case.

Despite Seidou's players and supporters anxiously watching the ball, hoping for a miracle, miracles aren't so easily granted.

If miracles were so common, would they still be called miracles?

But when this particular ball flew out, the ace on Akikawa High School's mound could no longer maintain his composure.

You Shunshin turned his head to follow the ball's trajectory and shouted urgently:

"Outfielder!"

The fans in the stands also noticed that the ball's landing point seemed to be within fair territory.

The Seidou supporters, who had almost lost all hope, suddenly perked up.

They focused intently on the ball, watching as it traced a beautiful arc in the sky before finally landing in the outfield.

Akikawa High School's outfielders sprinted desperately toward the ball's landing point.

Their speed was unquestionably fast, but it was no match for the ball's velocity.

Even though they gave it their all, they could only watch helplessly as the ball bounced on the ground right in front of them.

Not only that, they failed to stop the ball from advancing further immediately.

When the ball escaped the encirclement of Akikawa's outfielders, Seidou's players and their supporters erupted with excitement, raising their arms in triumph.

"That was incredible!!"

"An amazing hit!!"

"I told you, you're unstoppable!!"

The fans in the stands were overjoyed and couldn't contain their excitement.

Meanwhile, in Akikawa's dugout, the players were dumbfounded.

Watching the duel between the two earlier, they were utterly convinced that their ace had completely suppressed Furuya.

Taking care of Seidou High School's ace batter seemed like nothing more than a matter of time, barring any accidents.

But who could have imagined this outcome?

To be honest, they couldn't understand or accept it.

But it was all happening right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to face reality.

In Seidou's dugout, the shock among the players wasn't any less than their opponents.

Furuya had actually managed to hit the ball?

Even though he only made it to second base without scoring a home run, his performance still left the second- and third-year players of Seidou stunned.

"What kind of monster did we recruit this year?"

The same thought popped into the minds of his teammates simultaneously.

"That was absolutely incredible!!"

Meanwhile, in the press box, Fujio, a senior reporter for Baseball Kingdom magazine, gave a very fair assessment of Furuya's performance.

"Senior, even the glasses guy lost?"

Akiko, clearly upset, struggled to accept the result.

As a die-hard fan of players with glasses, she found it difficult to accept this outcome.

"I'm just as shocked! Judging by their earlier matchup, I couldn't imagine Furuya managing to hit the ball."

This was the truth.

Compared to regular fans, Fujio, who specialized in baseball, was undoubtedly far more professional.

He had watched the duel between Furuya and You Shunshin very closely.

Precisely because of that, he could confidently state that the probability of Furuya successfully hitting the ball was almost negligible.

There were plenty of factors at play: their first face-off, the clash of their personalities…

Considering all of this, Fujio made his final judgment.

And it wasn't just his own opinion; many people at the scene shared the same thoughts.

But in the end, those expectations were shattered.

What seemed impossible was achieved by Furuya.

He successfully hit the ball and even made it to second base.

Though the current situation was still not favorable for Seidou High School, his hit was nothing short of remarkable.

Two outs, a runner on second.

Next up to bat for Seidou was their eighth batter.

Furuya's powerful hit earlier might have marked the end of this surge, but even so, what did it matter?

He had secured a hit, proving one key point—the ace pitcher of Akikawa High School was not invincible.

Not only that, but Furuya also managed to push the lineup forward.

In this situation, if Akikawa's pitcher or any of their players faltered, the consequences could be catastrophic.

If things went wrong, a team like Akikawa, already slightly weaker than their opponent, might completely collapse.

"Will they be able to hold on?"

Fujio shifted his gaze to the pitcher's mound. He was eager to see how Akikawa's ace pitcher, You Shunshin, would react now that he faced this challenge.

On the mound, You Shunshin raised two fingers.

"Two outs!"

"Two outs!!"

The players of Akikawa High School echoed their ace, raising two fingers and shouting loudly across the field.

Despite the crisis they were in, Akikawa's morale seemed to soar even higher.

In Seidou's dugout, even Ota, their usually reserved team manager, scratched the back of his head in frustration.

"They're so hard to deal with!"

Earlier, Akikawa's ace had performed so well that, by normal logic, the team should have been shaken when You Shunshin faced adversity. Shouldn't the rest of the team have started worrying too?

But their current reaction defied all expectations. Faced with a crisis, their fighting spirit only intensified.

"What kind of bizarre response is this?"

Seidou's players couldn't make sense of it.

They could only feel a bit regretful, thinking that Furuya's previous hit might not amount to much.

Just as this thought crossed their minds, the next batter stepped up to the plate. Without hesitation, he swung at the incoming pitch.

Ping!

On the very first pitch, the batter made contact, sending the ball flying.

"My god!!"

"This is unbelievable! Talk about making a statement!"

The moment the ball soared into the outfield, a collective gasp came from Seidou's dugout.

It was a scene no one had anticipated.

"Well done, senpai! Huh?"

Sawamura had unknowingly moved to the front of the dugout.

When he saw the ball land in the outfield and bounce off the ground, he found it impossible to stay calm.

The root of it all was that swing—the sheer power and precision of the batter's hit.

Sawamura had intended to praise his senior wholeheartedly.

But as soon as he saw the man's face, a string of question marks popped into his head.

He recognized this upperclassman, had seen him around the team, and had a vague impression of him.

But what was his name?

For the life of him, Sawamura couldn't recall.

And he wasn't alone in this predicament.

In the stands, Seidou's loyal supporters were thrilled to see the eighth batter make such a clean and decisive hit.

They wanted to cheer for the player who delivered this clutch hit, but they soon encountered the same issue as Sawamura.

The player looked familiar, but… what was his name?

"Who just hit that ball?"

"That swing was amazing!"

"Come on, don't look so clueless! He's one of Seidou's regulars, just a bit on the low-key side. His name is Shirasu…"

Yes, the one who hit the ball was Shirasu.

Though he had a reserved demeanor and lacked a strong presence, his batting skills were top-notch.

For someone like Shirasu, who became a regular for Seidou in his second year, it shouldn't be possible to have such a low profile.

But what could he do? The other two second-years on the team were so outstanding that they overshadowed him.

As a result, Shirasu ended up being the least noticeable among the three.

"Nicely done, senpai!!"

Shirasu's hit flew into the outfield, bounced off the ground, and created a perfect opportunity.

Furuya wasn't about to let it slip.

Moreover, Akikawa High School's players weren't exactly the strongest overall.

For instance, their outfielders didn't have the arm strength to throw directly to home plate from 60 or 70 meters away.

They needed a relay to return the ball to home.

This delay gave Furuya more than enough time.

With ease, he ran past third base and then sprinted to home plate.

"Safe!!"

With Furuya's run, Seidou High School took the lead, scoring the first run of the game.

The scoreboard now read 1-0.

Anyone who had watched You Shunshin pitch couldn't help but praise his skill.

He was undoubtedly a very talented pitcher.

Yet, even against such a pitcher, Seidou High School managed to score first.

What's more surprising was that the score didn't come from Seidou's core lineup.

Seidou's two key scoring points were typically their powerhouse 3-4-5 combination and the teamwork between their 1st and 2nd batters.

As long as the leadoff batter got on base, Seidou's chances of scoring would skyrocket.

Even for a top-tier powerhouse like Seidou, having two reliable scoring groups was already impressive.

Though their lower-order batters were also skilled, they couldn't compare to the team's core hitters.

But today, that rule seemed to be rewritten.

In this game, the first score for Seidou didn't come from their 1st and 2nd batters, nor from their 3-4-5 core hitters.

Instead, it was two lower-order batters who turned the tide with two outs.

"This offensive power is terrifying!"

A player who had specifically come to watch Seidou's game muttered to himself while recording the game with his camera.

Logically speaking, even for players from a top-tier powerhouse team like Seidou, the lower-order batters are typically no match for the upper-order or core batters in terms of skill.

This gap is often quite evident.

But this rule doesn't seem to apply to Seidou High School's baseball team.

Furuya's impressive batting had already turned heads.

Now, with Shirasu stepping up and delivering, the two of them effortlessly secured a run.

It was undeniable—their lower-order batters were not to be underestimated.

And that's not even mentioning the upper-order batters, core hitters…

…and Miyuki, batting sixth.

While Miyuki's batting often drew criticism for being average when the bases were empty, wasn't this a case of high expectations?

If you were to carefully study Miyuki's batting average as Seidou's No. 6 hitter, you'd be surprised to find just how fearsome his hitting truly was.

The players of Akikawa High School were now experiencing this firsthand.

Earlier, they had rallied their team's morale.

But now, it seemed to have evaporated once again.

What was most difficult for Akikawa's players to accept was the fact that the player who had struck them so hard wasn't one of Seidou's star players.

It was Shirasu!

A name so low-profile that it was practically invisible.

Before this game, Akikawa High School had done extensive research on Seidou's lineup.

As expected of a top-tier powerhouse, Seidou's strength was terrifying.

Especially their fearsome lineup—speedster Kuramochi, the relentless Ryousuke Kominato, the tough-as-nails Jun Isashiki, one of the Big Three power hitters Tetsuya Yuuki, and the powerhouse Masuko…

Not only these players, but even Miyuki and Furuya had been included in their analysis.

Though these two hadn't yet fully developed their unique batting styles, their prior performances were more than enough to warrant attention.

Akikawa's players had imagined countless scenarios of facing these monsters.

But never in their wildest dreams did they think the one to deliver the decisive blow would be Shirasu, the player they had overlooked.

This hit would leave Akikawa's players in a daze for a long time.

The game continued, and You Shunshin gritted his teeth to hold on.

They finally managed to get the third out against Seidou's batters.

Three outs, and the sides switched.

The game moved into the top of the third inning, with Akikawa High School's batters looking to attack.

But their ambitions were quickly crushed by reality.

Boom!

The ball roared through the strike zone and into Miyuki's open glove.

Pop!

"Strike!"

Seeing this, Akikawa's batters were dumbfounded.

So fast!

So powerful!

So overwhelming!!!

Their minds were filled with disbelief.

And while they were still reeling, the ball flew past them over and over.

"Strike!"

"Strike!!"

"Strikeout!"

"Strikeout!!"

"Strikeout!!!"

"Three outs, and the sides switch again!!"

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