Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 221: Awakening – Furuya Satoru in Demon King Form!

When Carlos stepped into a bunt stance, the crowd was left in utter disbelief.

Both sides—Inashiro fans and Seidou supporters—knew Carlos well. No one doubted his skill as an extraordinary hitter and a national-level speedster. His presence on Inashiro's roster was undeniable and formidable.

Yet, because of his pride, Carlos rarely resorted to bunts, despite being well-suited for them. He preferred a straightforward battle of power rather than subtle maneuvers.

Fans often compared Inashiro's leadoff hitter to Seidou's first batter. While they had similar technical styles, their hitting capabilities were worlds apart. In blunt terms, Carlos outclassed Seidou's Kuramochi by at least two to three tiers.

Although Carlos couldn't yet rival the top three sluggers in West Tokyo, he stood on equal footing with the next tier—players like Hoshida and Miyagawa from Ichidaisan, or Seidou's own Miyuki and Furuya.

Seeing Carlos step up against Furuya, fans eagerly anticipated a clash of titans. What they didn't expect was for Carlos to start the matchup in a bunt stance. Even Seidou's bench, including coach Ota, was stunned.

"What is the opponent thinking?" Ota wondered aloud.

Chris, analyzing his notes, said firmly, "It's simple. They're doing whatever it takes. Inashiro knows that without getting past Furuya, they can't win this game. Carlos's bunt might just be the opening move."

Everyone knew that Inajitsu's strategy would be aggressive and unrelenting. Carlos, who usually relied on his sheer power, was suddenly aiming to play small ball, proving just how desperate they were to break through Furuya's pitching.

Miyuki, crouched behind the plate, saw through their intent. "Their desire to score is pretty obvious," he remarked. "Let's not fall for it."

Even with Carlos hinting at a bunt, Miyuki remained confident. "Furuya's pitches aren't something you can handle with a simple bunt."

Furuya nodded, fully understanding his partner's message. "I won't hold back."

Taking his full wind-up, Furuya fired his pitch. With his velocity and power, he doubted Carlos could successfully blunt the impact.

Even if Carlos managed to get the bat on the ball, Furuya was far from worried. After all, this wasn't a one-man show. Furuya had his entire team behind him.

Even if the ball flew out, his teammates would find a way to intercept it.

Furuya never doubted this. He had unshakable faith in the upperclassmen behind him.

Yet, just when he thought he'd take down his opponent, something completely unexpected happened.

Carlos, who had been in a bunting stance, suddenly pulled the bat back.

"A fake bunt!"

The abrupt change startled Seidou's players. They had no idea what Carlos was up to. Standing in the batter's box, his face twisted into a fierce grin.

"Did you really think I'd bunt?"

Carlos had trained countless times for this matchup against Furuya. Despite all his preparation, though, he still couldn't handle Furuya's breaking balls. With pitches over 150 kilometers per hour, just making contact was a challenge—let alone hitting balls that also had movement.

Carlos had thought long and hard about how to force Furuya to throw a straight pitch, ideally one with a predictable location.

After much consideration, he came up with only one solution: fake a bunt. If he showed a bunt stance, Furuya would likely respond with his signature fastball, aiming to quickly end the at-bat.

At such high velocity, landing a bunt and controlling its force would be extremely difficult.

Carlos knew Furuya understood that too, which was why Furuya would throw a pitch to put him in an almost impossible position.

With a loud whoosh, the pitch came hurtling in, but Carlos remained unfazed. He had simulated this scenario countless times with a pitching machine.

"If it's a specific fastball, and if it's in a predictable spot, I can definitely hit it!"

Ping!

Carlos swung with all his might, solidly connecting with the ball and sending it soaring.

"Success!"

As the ball flew, Carlos dashed full speed past first base and reached second.

"No outs, runner on second."

In the stands, Seidou's loyal fans were utterly dumbfounded. They knew Carlos was a formidable opponent, but they never expected him to open with a double—especially against Furuya.

On the mound, Furuya frowned slightly. Behind the plate, Miyuki's face darkened.

It was only now that Miyuki realized they had been outsmarted. Inashiro's players had clearly studied them thoroughly. What seemed like a risky strategy was, in fact, methodical and well-planned.

Carlos had calculated each of their moves and devised a counter-strategy, practicing it repeatedly in private. His success was no accident.

"Looks like ever since the Kanto Tournament ended, these guys have been working on how to score off Furuya."

Miyuki now saw that their previous approach had been too conservative.

They had relied on Furuya's reliability, forgetting that their opponents would anticipate this. "Maybe starting with Sawamura or Tanba would have been better," Miyuki briefly thought.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. While it sounded logical, it wasn't without its own risks. Would those two really have been able to stop Inashiro's offense?

Probably not.

After all, Inashiro's players weren't just focused on Furuya; they were elite athletes in their own right.

Even without a targeted plan, they would still give Sawamura or Tanba a tough fight. Who would come out on top in that scenario? It was anyone's guess.

And from Seidou's perspective, sending in those other pitchers wouldn't provide nearly as much reassurance as relying on their ace.

"Don't let it get to you. Just keep throwing your game, and we'll take care of them!"

Miyuki signaled to calm Furuya down.

Even without Miyuki's encouragement, Furuya already understood what he was facing. "That's more like it. Let's go!"

Truth be told, the surprise that Inashiro's batters had prepared was no small matter. It had caught Furuya off guard for a moment.

However, he quickly adjusted. If the opponent was going all out to counter him, then he'd simply change his own approach.

When Inashiro's second batter, Shirakawa, stepped up, Furuya intentionally altered his pitching rhythm.

Whoosh!

The once-blazing fastballs suddenly slowed down. Standing in the batter's box, Shirakawa was visibly unprepared.

"Damn, a change-up!"

This wasn't part of the scenario they had envisioned. But since he had already started his swing, Shirakawa had no time to adjust fully. He could only force his stance.

Ping!

As the ball flew off the bat, smiles broke out on Seidou's players and supporters.

"Second base!"

For the Seidou players, there was no more reliable position. Balls hit to second base never got through—this was their trust in their second baseman.

That second baseman was none other than Ryousuke Kominato, Seidou's infamous "devil batter." Of course, he wasn't just a hitter. His skills across the board were among the best on the team. In terms of defense, he was Seidou's top player.

Everyone believed that this out was practically in the bag. But then, without warning, an error occurred.

Just as Kominato moved to field the ball, his actions seemed to slow…

Though he struggled with all his might, the ball still slipped past his glove by mere centimeters.

Thud!

As the ball hit the ground and bounced away, the Seidou supporters in the stands were dumbfounded.

This was nothing like what they had anticipated.

Ryousuke making such an error? They

couldn't believe it.

While they wanted to ask how this happened, they ultimately decided against criticizing the player for a rare mistake.

They fell silent.

In Seidou's dugout, however, Coach Kataoka frowned deeply.

Kominato's error was disastrous for the team.

Because the ball had gotten through, Carlos—who was on second—raced all the way to third. But he didn't stop there. He kept going for home.

"Get out of my way!!"

The upperclassman, rushing in to back up the play, managed to stop the ball just in time and unleashed a laser-like throw.

The white baseball streaked toward the plate like a shining beam of light and arrived at the catcher's mitt in an instant.

Snap!

Miyuki received the ball and immediately swept his glove across the plate.

But he was just a fraction too late. Carlos, with his blistering speed and long reach, slid headfirst and touched home plate with his outstretched hand.

"Safe!"

Inashiro had answered back almost immediately after Seidou's earlier score. The game was now tied at 1–1.

The Seidou faithful in the stands were stunned. They stared at the field in disbelief, their minds spinning.

"Furuya actually gave up a run!"

Fujio, the senior writer from Baseball Kingdom magazine, offered a measured response to the surprising turn of events.

"This is completely unexpected!"

From his perspective, the scene unfolding on the field was genuinely unusual.

"Whether it's Narumiya or Furuya, these are two of the top pitchers not only in Tokyo, but in the entire country. Before this game, neither of them had allowed a single run. And now both of them have cracked under pressure!"

There was no question about the talent of these two aces.

If anything, their current struggles only highlighted how powerful both offenses were—and how meticulously they had prepared to exploit any weakness in their opponents.

"These kids are just remarkable," Fujio exclaimed.

"In only a matter of minutes, they've completely captured the fans' attention."

"This might already be a game that surpasses the usual high school level," he added with conviction.

But just as he shared his thoughts, his assistant Akiko called his attention back to the field.

"Look, sir…"

Fujio turned in the direction she was pointing and set his sights on the pitcher's mound.

With no outs and a runner on first, Furuya, who had just given up a run, radiated a chilling resolve.

There were no outbursts, no exaggerated reactions. Yet in that moment, a single thought ran through everyone's mind:

"It's as if something terrifying inside Furuya has awakened!"

Even though Furuya hadn't made any overt display, the crowd couldn't shake the feeling that they were witnessing something ominous.

To them, Furuya now seemed like a demon king risen from the depths.

The era of the first-year monster was over—this was the awakening of the Demon King!

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