Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 205: Leadoff Batter—Furuya's Stunning Opening!

The West Tokyo Regional Tournament, First Semifinal Match.

The game between Seidou High School and Sensen High School was about to begin.

For today's match, Seidou High School would be on the offensive first.

To the fans in the stands, they expected a rather ordinary start.

Seidou's batting order was already well-known to everyone.

In fact, even with their eyes closed, they could easily recite the names of Seidou's top hitters.

One longtime supporter eagerly introduced the lineup to his companion.

"Seidou's leadoff hitter is known for his incredible speed. Though he's not a superstar, his batting performance has been solid! Most importantly, his speed is a game-changer…"

Just as the longtime supporter was enthusiastically introducing Kuramochi, a thunderous cheer suddenly erupted from the crowd.

His companion looked puzzled.

"Is this the 'not-so-famous' player you were talking about?"

Would a low-profile player from Seidou really cause such an uproar?

The longtime supporter turned his head, completely baffled.

"Since when was our team this popular?"

"And since when did Kuramochi have this kind of star power?"

But as he turned toward the field, he realized something—

The player in the batter's box wasn't Kuramochi at all.

It was Furuya.

The fans in the stands went absolutely wild at the sight.

The longtime supporter stood there, dumbfounded.

"What the hell is going on?"

Even the two journalists from Baseball Kingdom Magazine exchanged stunned glances.

Even for casual fans, this sudden lineup change was baffling.

"Did Coach Kataoka make a last-minute switch to intimidate the opponent?"

Hearing Akiko's speculation, Fujio immediately nodded.

They had seen this tactic before.

It was the same strategy used by Yakushi High when they moved their cleanup hitter, Raichi Todoroki, to the leadoff spot.

It was a move to send a strong message right from the start!

However, in Furuya's case, the usual counter-strategy might not work—he was simply too dominant.

But even if Seidou wanted to pull a bold move, wouldn't it have made more sense to put Yuuki as the leadoff hitter?

"Why Furuya?"

"It's unbelievable!"

"His batting style isn't suited for the leadoff spot. And for a powerhouse team like Seidou, they usually focus on precision and discipline. Would they really make such a reckless decision?"

"I don't get it at all!"

Fujio was completely lost.

It wasn't that he didn't understand the tactical implications—

He just couldn't figure out what was going through Coach Kataoka's mind.

At the same time, Inashiro's players, who had come to scout the match, were just as stunned.

Despite the explosive energy in the stadium, they couldn't make sense of Seidou's strategy.

"Furuya as the leadoff batter? This has to be a joke!"

"Are they crazy?"

"And look at their starting pitcher—Tanba?"

"Hasn't he been out with an injury for ages?"

"This is insane—Seidou High School has completely lost their minds!"

As a potential opponent in the finals, Inashiro Industrial High School's players couldn't find any joy in Seidou's bizarre decision.

They had lost to Seidou in the Kanto Tournament finals.

From that moment on, every single player on their team had sworn to redeem themselves on the field.

But if they ended up defeating a reckless, out-of-control Seidou, Would that even feel satisfying?

Even bystanders were reacting so strongly—

So one could only imagine what Sensen High School was feeling as Seidou's current opponent.

...

Sensen's head coach was a plump, middle-aged man, well past fifty.

His face was so full that his neck and body seemed to merge into one, making it look as if he had no neck at all.

He had a habit of muttering to himself, but under his leadership, the team's performance had improved year after year.

To put it bluntly—

Despite his quirks, his ability to lead a team was undeniable.

Now, as he watched Seidou's unexpected lineup, his eyes were filled with confusion.

"What exactly are they trying to do?"

Seidou's first-year phenom, Furuya, had always been seen as unstoppable.

It didn't matter who his opponent was—

He dominated them.

But that was as a pitcher.

When facing hitters, he overwhelmed them with his pitches.

However, as a batter against an opposing pitcher, that was an entirely different scenario.

While Furuya's batting was still impressive,

It wasn't on the same level as his pitching.

His hitting was exceptional, but nowhere near his utter dominance on the mound.

"Do you really trust your first-year ace that much?"

"Or have you already decided that you won't let him pitch in this game at all?"

The Sensen coach didn't believe that Kataoka had lost his mind.

But he still thought that Seidou's coach was too inexperienced.

Kataoka trusted his players too much—

almost to an obsessive degree.

"I would never put all my hopes in my players alone like that."

"After all, they're just teenagers. Their form, their mentality—it all fluctuates."

"Are you really that sure this first-year will deliver?"

"Based on his past batting results, he's not particularly good at handling fast-breaking pitches."

With this realization, the Sensen coach didn't hesitate for a second.

He immediately issued a command to his team.

"Crush them. No mercy!"

No matter what Seidou's plan was, As long as Sensen shut them down, They could seize full control of the game.

They had already analyzed Seidou's starting lineup weaknesses in detail.

Furuya was a monster.

Even as a hitter, he was still a freak of nature.

The coach and players of the Sen泉 High School baseball team, after careful analysis, believed that if they faced off against Furuya Satoru,

they wouldn't be entirely without a chance.

The key would be how they played.

"Alright, show me the results of your special training!"

The coach of the Sensen High School baseball team had clearly made up his mind, signaling his players with a hidden cue.

The team stood ready, fully prepared for battle.

Especially Maki, who stood on the pitcher's mound with his eyes locked onto Furuya.

He was a second-year student, while Furuya was a first-year.

Not only that, but his opponent wore the uniform of the Seidou High School baseball team—with the number 1 on his back.

"How envious."

Few people knew that the ace of the Sensen High School baseball team, Maki, had once dreamed of joining Seidou.

But the Seidou recruitment team had never reached out to him.

Now, Furuya had not only been admitted to his dream school but had become a pitcher far beyond his reach.

A first-year ace.

Even at Sensen, such a thing was incredibly rare.

For a national powerhouse like Seidou to have a first-year ace?

And not only that—they had placed him in the leadoff spot as well.

Just how much do they value him?

It was obvious.

Maki felt his jealousy and longing burning so fiercely that they were about to consume him.

At that moment, their coach gave him another signal—telling him not to back down but to face his opponent head-on.

For their coach, making such a decision was no easy feat.

But he had done it anyway.

Clearly, he believed that even in a direct confrontation, Maki had a high chance of winning.

"Let me see for myself… just how good the ace of Seidou really is!"

Maki made up his mind and took a step forward.

As his body shifted and his weight transferred, the baseball in his hand shot forward with a fierce roar.

"Whoosh!"

The white baseball left his fingers, and every player on the Sensen team widened their eyes in excitement.

They could feel it—this pitch was something special.

"Pop!"

The ball slammed into the catcher's mitt.

Furuya stood in the batter's box, seemingly stunned by Maki's pitch—he didn't react at all.

The Sensen High School players erupted with excitement at the sight.

"Did you see that? Even a Seidou player couldn't do anything!"

"Maki, your pitch is the best!!"

The team was visibly thrilled, their enthusiasm infectious.

Even their coach squinted with a satisfied grin.

"That's it! Maki's condition today is really good."

As he had always said, players were humans, not machines.

Since they were human, their performance on the field would fluctuate.

Take their ace, Maki, for example. His previous game had been underwhelming—at best, he had pitched at a six-out-of-ten level.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have barely scraped by with just a one-run lead.

But today, Maki felt like a completely different pitcher.

Even if he wasn't at a perfect ten, he was at least at a nine.

"If he can maintain this form throughout the game, maybe, just maybe, we really have a shot at a comeback."

The Sensen coach allowed himself a moment of optimism.

Before this game, they had run countless simulations.

While they weren't completely without a chance, they had to admit—there was a significant gap in strength between the two teams.

A gap that wouldn't be easy to bridge.

If they wanted a miraculous comeback, they had to minimize mistakes and seize every opportunity.

What exactly was Seidou planning?

They had no way of knowing.

But that wouldn't stop them from taking advantage of any openings.

As long as they could capitalize on opportunities, they could disrupt Seidou's momentum.

"Let's keep pushing forward in one go!"

With the full support of his coach, Maki seemed unstoppable.

He fired another pitch.

This one was even faster.

But this time, Furuya didn't remain silent.

He adjusted his stance and swung.

"Ping!"

The ball made contact—but flew out of bounds.

In Seidou's dugout, his teammates collectively sucked in a sharp breath.

Two pitches in, and Furuya was already cornered.

The situation was far from favorable.

No one knew exactly what their coach, Kataoka, was thinking.

Was he really insisting on sending Furuya out just for the sake of this matchup?

As confusion spread among the players, Kataoka suddenly stepped forward.

He fixed his gaze on Furuya and spoke with firm conviction.

"Stick to your own rhythm. Stop trying to predict his pitches!"

The words struck Furuya like a jolt of electricity.

Up until now, his batting had followed his usual habits.

He had been trying to guess Maki's pitch.

Furuya hadn't thought there was anything wrong with that approach.

But hearing his coach's words, he suddenly realized—how naive and foolish he had been.

He had completely forgotten why Coach had put him in the leadoff spot in the first place.

It wasn't because of his past batting success.

It was because of what he had shown yesterday—something that had truly shocked the coach.

As that realization sank in, Furuya let out a wry smile.

Furuya wanted to tell Coach Kataoka that relying on instinct to hit was incredibly unpredictable.

In other words, just because he swung that way didn't mean he would always succeed.

There was an element of luck and coincidence involved.

But he knew—his coach probably wouldn't listen to a single word of that reasoning.

So, he had no choice but to go for it.

Don't overthink it. Empty your mind…

Rely on his body's instincts and wait for the ball to come.

Their opponents had no idea what was going through Furuya's mind.

With two strikes ahead in the count, instead of throwing a decisive pitch, they planned to bait him with a bad pitch—

Lure him into swinging.

As long as he took the bait, Sensen would win this exchange.

"Whoosh!"

The ball left Maki's hand, clearly missing the strike zone.

But then—something completely unexpected happened.

Furuya swung?!

"That's a ball!!"

The Seidou dugout erupted in panic.

Even from their angle, they could tell the pitch was out of the zone.

How could Furuya fall for that?!

It was over.

Or so they thought.

But just then, Furuya took a step forward.

A ball he normally shouldn't have been able to reach—this time, he made contact.

"Ping!"

Everyone watched in shock as the white baseball soared through the air, tracing a breathtaking arc—

Then dropped deep into the outfield.

The Sensen outfielders had never expected the ball to reach their territory.

They weren't prepared at all.

By the time they realized what was happening and scrambled to chase it down, it was already too late.

"Pop!"

The ball bounced off the ground.

Seidou's players and supporters erupted into thunderous cheers.

"WOOOOAH!!!"

"As expected from the Monster Boy!!"

"He turned a bad pitch into a monster outfield hit!!"

"It went through!!!"

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