Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 219: The Dignity of Seidou's Kings!

Seidou High School's baseball team took the lead in the attack, with Kuramochi stepping up to the batter's box first.

At the start, Inashiro Industrial High School's players didn't pay too much attention to him.

Not only were Seidou's players well-acquainted with Inashiro, but Inashiro's players were also just as familiar with Seidou's lineup.

After all, in the final of the Kanto Tournament, they had faced Seidou head-on and suffered a bitter defeat.

Seidou had snatched the championship trophy from their hands, a painful lesson that had left a lasting mark on Inashiro's players.

Since then, Inashiro's players had been holding onto a single obsession—getting their revenge in an official match.

Now, they were in the finals of the Koshien qualifiers.

Whoever won this game would secure a ticket to Koshien.

Inashiro's players had been preparing for this moment, waiting for their chance to settle the score.

Given the stakes, they had thoroughly studied every strength and weakness of Seidou's lineup.

As Seidou's leadoff hitter, Kuramochi's greatest weapon was his speed.

In other words, as long as they could keep him off base, his threat to them would be minimal.

Both Narumiya Mei, standing on the pitcher's mound, and the rest of his teammates held the same thought in their minds.

From his position behind the plate, Harada signaled to Narumiya.

"Don't overthink the opponent! Stick to your own pitching style…"

But just as they were forming their strategy, they were surprised to see Kuramochi stepping into the left-handed batter's box.

While it was well known that Seidou's leadoff hitter was a switch hitter, capable of batting from either side of the plate, their research had shown that Kuramochi had a significantly higher batting average when hitting from the right side.

With the match so tense, logic dictated that he would choose the side where he had a better chance.

So why was he opting for the other?

"Could it be… he's just trying to look cool?"

The thought barely surfaced in Harada's mind before he dismissed it.

Seidou's players wouldn't be fooling around in a game of this magnitude.

Every decision they made had a clear purpose.

Narumiya, standing on the mound, had obviously noticed this as well.

"The left-handed batter's box is closer to first base, huh?"

Inashiro's pitcher-catcher duo quickly caught on to Kuramochi's intent.

Realizing this, there was no need for further discussion. Narumiya immediately went into his pitching motion.

Whoosh!

With a seamless delivery, the baseball left Narumiya's hand, causing the spectators in the stands to gasp.

Everyone knew how strong Inashiro's ace was, but witnessing it in person was an entirely different experience.

The white baseball came screaming toward the plate.

Kuramochi, standing in the batter's box, barely had time to react—he could only watch as the ball zipped past him.

The massive electronic scoreboard displayed the pitch speed clearly:

146 km/h!!!

While it couldn't quite compare to Furuya's fastball, it was still an impressive speed.

In the entire high school baseball scene, there were only a handful of pitchers who could casually throw at such speeds—you could count them on one hand.

Not only that, but Narumiya Mei's control was among the best in high school baseball.

Even if he only excelled in one of these areas, it would already be astonishing.

The combination of both left the spectators in the stands completely awestruck.

They stared at the pitcher in disbelief, their eyes filled with shock.

It took a while before someone in the crowd finally let out an admiring sigh.

"As expected of Tokyo's Prince!!"

The fact that he had earned such a nickname showed just how beloved Narumiya was among the fans.

However, despite the brilliance of the pitch, the end result was somewhat underwhelming.

The white baseball, carrying an intimidating force, surged forward—

But in the end, it missed the strike zone.

"Pop!"

"Ball!!"

The fans in the stands didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a coincidence.

But behind the plate, Harada didn't miss a single detail of Kuramochi's footwork.

He saw it clearly—just at that moment, Seidou's leadoff hitter took a slight step back.

Although Kuramochi quickly repositioned his stance, Harada was certain—he had intended to go for a bunt.

It was just that the pitch had been too fast, preventing him from acting on it.

"Good, we've pressured him! His intent to bunt is strong—let's go again!"

Seeing Harada's signal, Narumiya's eyes flashed with danger.

"Trying to trick me with a bunt? You're a hundred years too early!"

Determined, he fired another aggressive fastball.

"Pop!"

"Ball!"

"Ball!!"

"Ball!!!"

"Four balls, walk!"

No outs, runner on first.

The moment this happened, the Inashiro supporters in the stands were left dumbfounded.

They never imagined they'd see such a scenario.

On the mound, Narumiya let out an exasperated yell.

Kuramochi had clearly been preparing for a bunt.

And yet, that guy had stubbornly held back until the very end, refusing to swing.

"How could you let that last pitch go?!"

Narumiya simply couldn't understand it.

Neither could his teammates—especially Harada, crouching behind the plate.

The veins on his forehead were practically popping out.

"You threw another ball for the final pitch?! Who taught you that?!"

Sure, it had been their agreed strategy to throw out of the zone to handle Kuramochi.

But for the last pitch, to play it safe, he should have thrown a breaking ball within the strike zone.

Yet, Narumiya hadn't done so.

Instead, he had stubbornly thrown another ball—without the slightest hesitation.

This approach wasn't necessarily wrong.

However, given their current situation, Narumiya's decision had immediately put Inashiro on the back foot.

The very player they needed to be most wary of had now easily reached base.

Everyone knew that Kuramochi wasn't much of a direct threat in the batter's box against Inashiro.

But once he got on base, it was an entirely different story.

"Heh-heh!!"

With Kuramochi's terrifying speed, there was no way Inashiro could afford to ignore him.

After receiving the ball, Narumiya threw two consecutive pickoff attempts to first base.

Seeing no real effect, he shifted his focus back to pitching.

However, just as he wound up to throw, Kuramochi exploded into motion from first base.

"A steal?"

"Now?!"

The spectators were left utterly stunned.

The level of play these high school athletes were showing was simply incredible.

Watching these young players in action, the fans couldn't afford to blink—

They were afraid of missing even a second of the spectacle.

"Pop!"

Harada caught the ball, his eyes blazing with intensity.

"Don't underestimate us!"

Seidou's second-year leadoff hitter had actually dared to attempt a steal right in front of them?

There was no way he would let that go unanswered.

Without even standing up, Harada immediately fired the ball toward second base.

"Whoosh!!"

The baseball shot through the air at an incredible speed.

Seidou's players held their breath as they watched the scene unfold.

But no matter how fast the ball was—

The runner was faster!

Like a sleek, agile cheetah, Kuramochi charged toward second base without hesitation.

Inashiro's shortstop had already moved into position.

"Pop!"

He caught the ball first and swiftly reached out to tag Kuramochi.

However, just as Kuramochi was about to reach him—

He suddenly slammed on the brakes!

The unexpected stop caused the Inashiro shortstop to completely miss the tag.

"Safe!!"

No outs, runner on second.

The breathtaking steal left everyone in the stands completely dazed.

It wasn't until the umpire's call that they fully grasped what had just happened.

"Oh my god!"

"He actually pulled it off?!"

"That looked like a 100-meter sprint!"

The fans were in awe.

Meanwhile, Inashiro's players looked utterly grim.

Up until now, they had been doing everything in their power to prevent Seidou from scoring.

But at this rate, their opponents were steadily closing in on a run.

From the press box, veteran baseball journalist Fujio provided an objective assessment.

"It's not that Inashiro's players aren't excellent—they've played extremely well. But this is just Seidou's style…"

Whenever they saw an opportunity to score, they would do whatever it took to turn that opportunity into a reality.

Seidou's playstyle was pragmatic.

Even though their tactics seemed risky, everything was backed by rigorous practice and preparation.

Behind the scenes, Seidou's players had already trained for every possible scenario they might encounter.

No matter what unexpected situations arose on the field, Seidou always had a way to respond calmly.

Not only that, but their seemingly risky plays often had an exceptionally high success rate.

This was the result of their meticulous preparation and relentless practice.

However, outsiders wouldn't know this.

So when these strategies played out on the field, they always left a massive impact.

Right now, it wasn't just the fans in the stands who were shaken—

Even Inashiro's elite players couldn't avoid being affected.

Fujio confidently declared, "Seidou is almost guaranteed to score this run!"

Owada Akiko, the reporter beside him, frowned in confusion.

Would it really be that easy?

As she pondered the question, Ryousuke laid down a bunt.

"Ping!"

With his exceptional batting skills, even a bunt landed in a perfect spot.

Inashiro's infielders rushed forward, picking up the ball and making a quick throw.

"Pop!"

The fielder's movement was sharp and precise, but he was only able to throw out Kominato at first.

"Out!"

Meanwhile, Kuramochi took advantage of the play and sprinted to third base.

One out, runner on third.

Seidou was now just one step away from scoring.

Standing on the mound, Narumiya felt a pounding headache.

"Damn it, I can't stop them!!"

The frustration was unbearable for Tokyo's Prince.

He knew exactly what Seidou was planning—

Yet, he couldn't stop them.

"Damn it! Damn it!!"

Narumiya's eyes flashed with cold determination.

"If you can't hit the ball, let's see how you force a run now!!"

He knew what Seidou's next move would be—

But he still resolutely delivered his pitch.

The ball grazed the edge of the strike zone!

Behind the plate, Harada's forehead furrowed deeply.

"Idiot!!!"

Narumiya's strategy was sound, but this time, he had picked the wrong opponent.

Standing in the batter's box was Seidou's No. 3 hitter—Jun Isashiki, the mustached senior.

And the one thing this veteran batter excelled at was handling tricky pitches.

"You think I can't hit that? Screw you!!"

"Ping!!"

Even though it was a difficult pitch, Isashiki managed to scoop it up.

Not only that—

The ball hit the ground and bounced away!

"It dropped!!!"

The moment they saw this, Seidou's dugout and their die-hard fans in the stands lit up with excitement.

They all knew exactly what this meant—

Like a cheetah, Kuramochi dashed home without hesitation.

"Run scored!!!"

Seidou successfully secured their first run.

Even against a powerhouse opponent—

Seidou still managed to score in a dominant fashion.

"1-0!!!"

The fans in the stands watched in awe.

"No wonder they're the Kanto champions—this is insane!!"

And it wasn't over yet.

With that hit, Isashiki had also reached first base.

Now, the situation was—

One out, runner on first.

And stepping up to the batter's box next was none other than the player everyone had to watch out for—

"Batting fourth, No. 3, first baseman—Tetsuya Yuuki!"

Seidou's strongest cleanup hitter had arrived.

"Whoa!!"

"This offensive power is crazy!!"

"And their opponent is Inashiro, too!!"

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