Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 159: The Man Destined to Lead the Era!

The stands on Seidou's side suddenly fell silent.

This strange scene was immediately noticed by Akiko Owada.

"You-kun, you're amazing!"

He had managed, through his own performance, to make the die-hard supporters of Seidou High's baseball team quiet down obediently.

Anyone familiar with Seidou would know their relentless cheering squad all too well. Their boundless energy could give anyone a headache.

But now, the entire stadium was silent.

Even Fujio, the senior reporter from Baseball Kingdom magazine, noticed this change. Although he didn't fully agree with his assistant's obsession with "the guy with glasses," he had to admit her instincts were sharp.

At this moment, Akikawa High's ace pitcher had, to a certain extent, subdued his opponents.

Seidou's momentum, along with the players' confidence, had all been shaken to varying degrees.

"Although Akikawa High may limit You Shunshin's future potential, his abilities have already fully matured!"

Even under such disadvantageous circumstances, You Shunshin managed to perform at this level.

The skill he displayed could already rank him among the nation's top pitchers.

It wasn't just the reporters from Baseball Kingdom; other journalists in the stadium were also busy jotting down You Shunshin's performance on their notebooks or phones.

From their perspective, while the odds of Akikawa High pulling off a comeback were slim to none, this game was still worth writing about.

The stronger the opponent, the stronger Seidou would look in defeating them…

Such is the logic of baseball.

The game continued on the field.

In Seidou High's dugout, the players had already begun warming up and switching gear.

Outwardly, they would never admit it.

But deep down, every Seidou player knew that the odds of Furuya managing to hit the ball were frighteningly low.

Akikawa High's ace was, by every measure, no ordinary opponent.

His pitching—especially his control and understanding of the game—allowed him to command the mound as one of the nation's top pitchers.

Furuya's batting fundamentals were far from solid!

On top of that, this was his first direct confrontation with You Shunshin.

It was no wonder Seidou's teammates didn't really believe he could hit the ball.

In fact, at the beginning of their face-off, Furuya was indeed at a severe disadvantage.

Whoosh!

Standing on the mound, You Shunshin threw his first pitch with an expressionless face.

As the ball flew toward him, Furuya didn't hesitate for even a moment and swung his bat decisively.

With his naturally powerful physique, Furuya's swing was terrifying.

The sound of the bat cutting through the air was so sharp it startled Akikawa High's catcher and even the umpire behind him.

The two of them nearly fled the scene on the spot.

However, despite the sheer force of Furuya's swing, he didn't even graze the ball.

Akikawa's ace seemed to have anticipated Furuya's move and deliberately pitched the ball outside the strike zone.

The pitch, already on the edge of the strike zone, now veered further outside…

Caught off guard, Furuya inevitably fell into his opponent's trap.

Pop!

"Strike!"

Furuya was down one strike.

In Seidou's dugout, his teammates furrowed their brows one after another.

To be honest, they had anticipated this kind of scene.

But when it actually unfolded before their eyes, the players still found it incredibly difficult to watch.

"Has You-kun completely seen through Furuya's personality?"

Because You Shunshin predicted that Furuya wouldn't let any chance to swing pass him by, he deliberately threw a ball outside the strike zone for the first pitch.

That previous pitch, despite Furuya's intimidating swing, was ultimately futile. Everyone understood it was just a wasted effort…

Furuya had already fallen into his opponent's trap and was now playing entirely to You Shunshin's rhythm.

This was especially apparent to Chris and Miyuki, the two "prophets" of Seidou High's baseball team, who seemed to have already foreseen Furuya being struck out.

"They're simply not on the same level!" Miyuki remarked.

Though the game so far had been a battle of the pitchers, the match had evolved into a brutal pitcher's duel.

Both teams' pitchers had showcased outstanding abilities, far beyond ordinary reach.

However, their styles were vastly different.

Seidou's ace dominated the field entirely through his extraordinary pitching talent. A pitcher capable of throwing over 150 km/h, so long as their control was decent, was undoubtedly a rare gem.

You Shunshin's talent was not lacking either. But compared to Seidou's ace, there was a noticeable gap in raw ability.

It was a harsh truth, yet undeniable.

What made You Shunshin truly terrifying was his mastery on the mound. He had refined his pitching to perfection, and combined it with a sharp, intelligent mind.

It was the synergy of these traits that made You Shunshin the unstoppable force he was now.

Watching such a polished pitcher, Seidou's two catchers couldn't help but envy him.

Their ace, while talented, required so much effort to handle.

The thought of forming a battery with Akikawa High's ace seemed so appealing—effortless and enjoyable.

Just imagining it brought a smirk to Miyuki's face, one he couldn't suppress no matter how hard he tried.

Meanwhile, the battle on the field continued.

After successfully setting up Furuya with the first pitch, You Shunshin wasted no time delivering the second.

The ace of Akikawa High maintained an excellent pitching rhythm. Once he gained control, he kept attacking relentlessly, with no intention of slowing down.

Whoosh!

The white ball flew toward the extreme edge of the outside corner.

Furuya saw it.

But by the time he recognized it and swung his bat, he was clearly a fraction too late.

Boom!

With a fierce and imposing swing, Furuya's bat connected with the ball.

From the stands, the audience watched as the white baseball was sent flying high into the air.

In that moment, Seidou's die-hard supporters and Furuya's fans felt as though their hearts had stopped beating.

What did it mean to feel utterly hopeless?

In that instant, they truly understood—feeling as if the world before them had turned gray.

But unexpectedly, the miraculous Furuya didn't crumble under pressure as they feared.

In the second round of their duel, Furuya successfully made contact with the ball and sent it flying without hesitation.

"As expected of you!"

For Seidou's die-hard supporters, this moment felt as if they had found a renewed hope for survival.

Even though this hit didn't result in a base hit, just seeing Furuya send the ball flying was enough to give them some reassurance.

The white baseball soared into the sky, traveling a good 60 to 70 meters before descending.

Akikawa High's outfielder wasn't able to reach the landing spot in time, leaving him helpless as the ball landed and bounced right in front of him.

"Foul!"

As the ball landed and bounced out, Akikawa High's outfielder looked as if he was about to cry. He felt like he had let his teammates down.

But Lady Luck once again smiled upon Akikawa High's side.

"Corner him!"

"Keep pushing and take him down in one go!"

In Akikawa's dugout, the players stood up excitedly, cheering on their ace pitcher on the field.

In their eyes, their ace was invincible.

Even though the opponent was undeniably strong, they firmly believed they still controlled the game.

Over in Seidou's dugout, Miyuki and Chris exchanged glances.

From each other's eyes, they could see the same question forming.

"Was that just bad luck?"

"Or was it something more deliberate?"

These thoughts flashed through their minds for a brief moment before they both shook their heads simultaneously.

"How could it just be luck? There's no way there are so many coincidences."

Despite the excitement in Akikawa's dugout, their players on the field remained calm and composed—a stark contrast to their teammates.

And then there was You Shunshin. Even when Furuya sent the ball flying, with the ball clearly heading far behind him, You didn't even turn his head.

What did that mean?

It was undeniable—Akikawa's ace pitcher was entirely confident.

He knew from the start that the ball wouldn't stay fair.

"He's completely figured out Furuya's approach."

There was no way You Shunshin could have pulled this off without thoroughly analyzing Furuya's movements.

And yet, here he was, executing his plan flawlessly, leaving no room for doubt.

Not only that, but he had clearly studied all of Seidou's batters in great detail.

Whether Seidou's players were willing to admit it or not, it was an undeniable reality.

This pitcher was one of the most formidable opponents Seidou High's baseball team had ever faced.

"We need to come up with a solid plan."

Even Seidou's two anchors, Chris and Miyuki, couldn't see much hope for Furuya turning the tide at this point.

If it was clear to the spectators, how could Furuya himself, standing in the batter's box, not understand?

He had already experienced two pitches firsthand and faced You Shunshin in a proper showdown.

Furuya knew better than anyone just how tough this "precision machine" really was.

"With my current batting skills, there's no way I can predict his pitches and hit the ball with precision…"

Despite also being a high school baseball player, people like You Shunshin and Miyuki had a far deeper understanding of the game than Furuya could even hope to match.

Their understanding of baseball was on a completely different level.

In this kind of contest, Furuya naturally had little chance of winning.

When Furuya realized this issue, he made a decisive choice to empty his mind completely.

If he couldn't hit the ball no matter how seriously he tried, then there was no point overthinking it.

Instead, he resolved to rely purely on his instincts to swing!

As absurd as it might seem, many top-tier professional batters employ a similar approach.

It's like highly nearsighted basketball players shooting three-pointers.

Even if they can't clearly see the hoop, their natural instincts allow them to make the shot effortlessly.

This is the hallmark of elite athletes: intuition.

In baseball, Furuya naturally possessed the talents of a top-tier player.

Until now, he had showcased that talent mainly through his incredible pitching speed.

But now, to go up against You Shunshin, Furuya decided to give it his all!

Raising his bat high, he locked his gaze firmly on his opponent.

Here it comes!

You Shunshin's pitching rhythm remained steady, but Furuya stood motionless in the batter's box as the pitch approached.

Pop!

"Ball!"

The pitch missed the strike zone, and the count shifted to 2-2.

Akikawa's starting catcher frowned slightly at this development.

From his perspective, this outcome likely stemmed from the batter guessing their plan to use a ball outside the zone as bait.

"Why is that muscle-bound baseball gorilla suddenly acting like he knows how to think?"

The catcher was clearly annoyed and signaled to his pitcher for a direct confrontation.

"The trap is set, and the bait is in place. Time to reel him in!"

On the mound, You Shunshin gave a subtle nod.

The last pitch didn't really matter.

Whether Furuya swung or not, it wouldn't change the outcome much.

If he had swung, the best he could've managed was a foul ball.

If he didn't swing, the trap was already in place.

This was the moment to take Furuya down!

Whoosh!

The white baseball flew out again, this time aimed at a corner.

Not only that, but this pitch was in a completely opposite location compared to the last one.

"It's over."

In Seidou's dugout, Miyuki shook his head as soon as he saw the pitch.

He knew exactly what a pitch in that spot meant.

However, just as Miyuki was shaking his head, Furuya suddenly moved in the batter's box.

There were no warning signs; he just abruptly swung his bat.

With a deafening roar, the bat sliced through the air.

Boom!

PING!!

The bat connected squarely with the ball, sending it flying.

Whizz!!

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