Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 135: The Unstoppable Furuya Satoru!

The game has reached the 4th inning, and the score remains 0-0.

The grueling special training prior to this match has left Seidou High's players noticeably fatigued, preventing them from performing at their peak on the field.

Because of this, several scoring opportunities have slipped by.

However, this isn't the only reason for the stalemate; Osaka Kiryuu High's players are exceptionally skilled.

Their ace pitcher, Tachi, stands on the mound like a demon, casting an oppressive presence that unsettles his opponents.

With his precision and difficult pitches, even Seidou's batters are struggling to find any openings, adding to their frustration.

But Seidou's opponents aren't faring much better. Osaka Kiryuu's players are equally frustrated, baffled at the peculiar state of their usually fierce competitors.

Initially, they couldn't understand why their coach seemed so confident that they'd secure victory.

However, as the game progressed, they started to notice something odd: Seidou's players appeared drained, as if they'd already exhausted their energy in an intense run.

It dawned on them that Seidou High had entered this game in a negative state, as if using this match to test themselves rather than go all out to win.

This realization left Osaka Kiryuu's players indignant. To them, it felt as if Seidou was treating them—the "Cosmic Team" of Osaka Kiryuu—as nothing more than training fodder.

The audacity!

Out of respect for their opponents, Osaka Kiryuu couldn't simply walk off the field.

But knowing the truth, they were determined to give Seidou a lesson they'd never forget—to make it clear that the Cosmic Team wasn't a squad anyone could look down on.

However, despite their newfound resolve, Osaka Kiryuu's players quickly found that things weren't so simple.

The monster pitcher Furuya was proving to be far more formidable than they had imagined.

His blazing fastball? They could hit that!

His change-up? They were ready for it, too!

Osaka Kiryuu's players had prepared meticulously for this game, even though it was just an exhibition.

Unless Furuya was pitching over 150 km/h, they didn't feel they needed to exert this much effort.

After all, there's a world of difference between an exhibition and an official match, and they were well aware of this.

But even with all their preparation, Osaka Kiryuu couldn't gain any ground against Furuya.

Just as they thought they had him figured out with two pitching styles, he introduced a third.

The scariest part wasn't the dive on his breaking ball but how he seamlessly blended all three pitches into a single rhythm.

By the 4th inning, Osaka Kiryuu's hitters were up for their second round in the batter's box.

They knew that if they failed to capitalize on this turn at bat, there might be no other chances to break through against Furuya, even if he stayed on the mound until the end of the game.

"Come on, get it together!" Coach Matsumoto shouted in frustration. "The guy's clearly running on fumes. Can't you wait for your pitch and then take a solid swing?"

Even Coach Matsumoto couldn't help but give a thumbs-up to Furuya's pitching performance.

As the coach of one of the nation's top powerhouse teams, Matsumoto had encountered numerous talented players—not only those within his own team but also formidable opponents the Osaka Kiryuu had faced over the years.

He even had more experience with pitchers who could throw over 150 km/h than most coaches nationwide.

Some of his own former players had been capable of such speeds, and he had encountered similar pitchers among their rivals.

Coaches with Matsumoto's level of experience are rare.

Because of his familiarity with players like Furuya, he understood all too well what troubled pitchers of this type the most: their stamina.

No matter how developed a high school player's body may seem, they're still not fully matured.

While high schoolers might appear close in height to adults, in terms of overall athletic qualities—strength, speed, and endurance—they are still in a different league.

That's why major sports competitions divide players by age, with 23+ marking the true beginning of the adult category.

Furuya is only a 15-year-old teenager.

The other two speed-throwing pitchers Coach Matsumoto had previously observed were similar, both around 16 or 17 years old.

These young players rely on sheer drive and adrenaline during games.

As long as they're running on that initial rush, their performance is remarkable.

But over time, their overall pitching quality, especially their intense fastball speed, inevitably declines.

Furuya, being a similar type of pitcher, was no exception.

He too relied on sheer will to maintain his over-speed fastball throws.

But this pitcher was also quite an anomaly.

He seemed very aware of his own strengths and weaknesses and had deliberately adjusted his approach on the field.

He wasn't solely chasing intimidating speed.

He valued his stamina and adaptability, using change-ups and sudden breaking balls to keep his opponents off balance.

This was not a one-dimensional fastball pitcher.

"This kid is as mature as a pro," thought Matsumoto with a mix of awe and unease.

Despite his shouts to motivate his players, Coach Matsumoto knew deep down that he was merely pushing them to do their best.

He also understood that the current situation his team faced was not the fault of his players.

The Osaka Kiryuu was as eager as ever, but Furuya's skill was pushing them to their limits.

Especially after the second round of batters from the Osaka Kiryuu took their turn at the plate, their intentions to hit Furuya's pitches became all too obvious.

"If you can't figure it out, just focus on hitting one type!"

The Osaka Kiryuu players were still impressive.

Even though they couldn't yet fully decipher Furuya's breaking ball, which dropped unpredictably, that didn't stop them from coming up with a strategy to face him.

Ping!

At the start of the fourth inning, the Osaka Kiryuu seemed to have found an opportunity to hit Furuya's pitches. But it wasn't smooth sailing—they were met with serious challenges.

As the ball soared through the air, the infielders and outfielders of the Seidou High School baseball team finally got their chance to shine.

When they stood still, they appeared unassuming, but the moment they moved, they were faster than lightning.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the ball's landing spot and snatched it from the air.

Thud!

Some made direct catches, while others threw the ball to first base, tagging the batter out.

"Two outs, keep focusing on your pitch!"

In that moment, the Seidou High School baseball team had truly become a unified force.

Seeing their opponents' performance, the Osaka Kiryuu players were nearly bursting with frustration.

No matter what they had thought earlier, at this point, the Osaka Kiryuu players finally realized how tough their opponents were.

"We've faced them before, but why didn't we notice how hard it is to deal with Seidou's players back then?" one of the Osaka Kiryuu players panted.

As the game continued, even their breathing became uneven.

"They're a top national powerhouse too, and their coach is incredibly thorough in training them!"

"Right now, those players you're facing are a hundred times more exhausted than you," Coach Matsumoto said sternly.

"By all logic, they should've made mistakes by now. But up until now, they haven't made any significant ones. This shows that their defense has become second nature."

When a ball came to a Seidou player's fielding zone, their bodies naturally moved without needing to think, effortlessly going for the catch.

This kind of ability could only be forged through relentless training.

"Now, about why Seidou's team wasn't as terrifying before?" Coach Matsumoto's gaze shifted to Furuya, who had just secured two outs.

"It's simple. Even though Seidou High was already remarkable before, they always had one glaring flaw. And because of that flaw, it was easy for us to score against them. When we were easily putting points on the board, we never paid much attention to how tight their defense was."

But clearly, Seidou High School had transformed completely.

With the emergence of the new ace, the Seidou High School baseball team had effectively closed the massive gap that once existed.

It was only with this kind of team that they now had the qualification to fight against the top-tier powerhouses in the country—like Osaka Kiryuu!

Thinking of this, Coach Matsumoto could feel his anger rising within him.

"Give me a break, don't embarrass the Osaka Kiryuu!"

The famous Coach Matsumoto seemed to have reached his breaking point. It almost felt as if, in the next second, he would storm onto the field and give his players a thorough scolding.

The batter from Osaka Kiryuu High, standing in the batter's box, could clearly sense the coach's fury.

As a member of the Osaka Kiryuu, he knew exactly what they should be doing on the field right now.

They had to take decisive action and hit that small white ball out of the park with all their might!

But the question was—could they do it?

The players had certainly made numerous attempts. They kept trying various methods to get a hit off Furuya's pitching.

In the end, the proud sons of the Cosmic Team had no choice but to pin their hopes on the elusive hand of luck.

They focused only on the change-up pitch!

Or sometimes, just on Furuya's ultra-fast fastballs.

But even with these adjustments, they still hadn't gotten a single hit.

That's right—not even one clean hit.

It was as if no matter what they did, the result would never change.

As the proud members of the Osaka Kiryuu, the batters on the field couldn't accept this.

"We're all human, aren't we? I don't believe we can't hit your pitch!"

Determined, the batter raised his bat above his head, clearly ready to give his all.

It seemed like he was aiming for the ultra-fast fastball.

But from his crouched position, catcher Miyuki noticed something off. The batter's posture clearly suggested he was targeting a fastball.

However, judging by the way the batter was gripping the bat, Miyuki was certain—he wasn't targeting a fastball at all.

"Your job is almost done here! Now, let's finish this off with a final burst," Miyuki signaled with a subtle gesture.

Furuya, though sensing the end was near, felt a twinge of reluctance in his heart.

He knew very well that continuing to pitch wasn't a good idea for his body, but he was loath to leave the mound.

He hadn't had enough of this stage yet.

Perhaps it was his intense unwillingness to give up that drove him to push harder in the final three pitches, each one faster than the last.

"149 kilometers per hour!"

"151 kilometers per hour!"

"153 kilometers per hour!!!"

With three consecutive strikeouts, the batter was sent back to the dugout.

Although Furuya didn't manage to surpass 155 kilometers per hour, his fastest pitch, the 153 km/h fastball, was more than enough to amaze everyone in the field.

The Seidou High supporters in the stands were ecstatic.

"Even in this situation, he still managed to ramp his speed up to 153 km/h?"

"Just wait—this guy is definitely going to make history!"

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