Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 17: A Peculiar Pitch Appears!

"Is it really him?"

The mustachioed senior was in disbelief.

The other first-string players also instinctively widened their eyes.

Catcher Kariba, who had just barely recovered from Furuya's powerful pitches, spoke with a trembling voice. "What pitch are you planning to throw? Let's figure out a sign."

It was their first time working together, and Kariba wasn't sure if just deciding on a sign would be enough.

Sawamura's eyes widened as he replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "I always go for a straight pitch down the middle. That's my way of pitching."

A straight pitch?

Hearing that, the rookie catcher instinctively glanced at Furuya. The memory of Furuya's straight pitch, which had left a deep impression on him, was still fresh. The thought of experiencing something similar again made his legs start to tremble involuntarily.

Where did these guys even come from?

They had no previous reputation, yet each one was insanely confident. They acted as if they were the protagonists of their own stories.

"If you get hit with a home run, don't expect me to bail you out!" Kariba growled, seemingly having forgotten his fear. He wasn't buying into the idea that Sawamura could be anything like Furuya.

A pitcher like Furuya was a rare find—one in a thousand, across all 4,000+ high schools in the nation. That Seidou High had even one was already a stroke of incredible luck.

If their school were to produce two such prodigies in a single year, the school gates might as well explode from the sheer impossibility of it all.

"Let's do this!"

Kariba returned to his position behind the plate, crouching down to prepare for the catch.

The second-string player at bat frowned slightly. He had heard Sawamura's loud declaration crystal clear.

Only straight pitches down the middle?

Was this first-year brat underestimating the older players, or did he have some sort of trick up his sleeve? Could it be that he was just bluffing?

These thoughts flashed through the batter's mind, but in the end, he decided to play it safe and observe the first pitch. While hitting the ball right away would demonstrate the upperclassmen's strength, this game was too important to be hasty.

How many of them from the second string would make it onto the first string? That was still unknown. On the other hand, the first-year rookie, Furuya, had already secured his spot.

There was no way they would let another first-year take a spot from them without a fight.

"Bring it on. I won't underestimate you!"

The batter's eyes were wide open, fully focused and ready to observe the pitch.

On the mound, Sawamura took his stance and released the ball.

"Whoosh!"

The white baseball flew towards the batter, not particularly fast, and right down the middle.

"A straight pitch down the middle?"

A flicker of surprise flashed across the batter's eyes.

The batter had originally planned to observe the first pitch and then decide. However, given the situation, letting a hittable straight pitch go by was risky; there might not be another chance. As a skilled batter, passing up such a pitch would not only be hard for him to accept but also reflect poorly on him in front of the coach and team.

Without hesitation, he swung his bat.

Ping!

With the skill of a second-string player from Seidou High, hitting Sawamura's pitch was relatively easy.

Kariba, crouching behind the plate, noticed a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

"I told you it wouldn't work!"

As one of the most promising new catchers, Kariba had spent the most time on the field. Thus, he was more aware than anyone of the formidable prowess of the upperclassmen. The freshmen's struggle wasn't solely due to their underperformance but also because the second- and third-year players were significantly more skilled.

The real reason was the gap in overall ability between the new players and the seasoned upperclassmen. Even with Sawamura's pitch speed of around 120 to 130 kilometers per hour, a straight pitch at this speed was nothing more than a sitting target for the seasoned Seidou High players.

"Even if you end up crying, I'm not going to comfort you!" Kariba thought grimly, already envisioning a scenario where Sawamura was thoroughly dominated.

However, what happened next left everyone stunned.

The ball, after being hit, seemed to have neither speed nor force. The placement of the hit appeared almost deliberate.

The freshman second baseman, watching the ball come toward him, instinctively reached out with his glove.

Thud!

"Out!"

The ball landed in the freshman second baseman's glove, and Sawamura secured his first out.

"This luck is incredible!"

"One out, one out! This game is getting interesting."

The spectators outside the field, though not fully understanding what had happened, were still thrilled and eagerly engaged.

The excitement in the stands grew as the game became increasingly engaging. Regardless of the freshmen's chances, the spectators rallied behind the new players, turning the event into a lively and energetic spectacle.

The atmosphere on the field shifted noticeably. In the dugout, the batters who had just faced Sawamura were frustrated.

"What's going on? The game isn't over, and you're letting the newcomers off easy?" They questioned, clearly agitated.

"That guy's pitching is strange!" the batter who had just returned said with a frown.

"No matter what, we need to crush him. This is our lesson for the new guys!" The determination to defeat Sawamura remained unwavering.

The second batter faced similar challenges as the first.

Ping!

The ball rolled directly to the first baseman after being hit.

The first baseman easily picked it up.

"Out!"

Two outs with no runners on base. Although the spectacle wasn't as dramatic as Furuya's earlier performance, Sawamura's efficiency was undeniably impressive.

"Was that just luck?" someone wondered.

"Lucky streaks don't happen twice in a row. This clearly isn't a coincidence..." another answered.

"This kid has an extraordinary pitching talent that's hard to comprehend!"

Not only the spectators but also the Seidou High players were in awe of Sawamura's performance.

In the left field, Furuya shook his arm and murmured in a low voice, "So this is what they call a quirk ball..."

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