Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 8: A School-wide Sensation!

At Seidou High School, two baseball team managers were chatting while cleaning baseballs.

One of them asked curiously, "I heard our team hit the jackpot this year. Do you know which players are particularly outstanding?"

"Definitely! There's Tojo and Kanemaru from Matsukata Senior League. They were key players on a team that made it to the national top four, and they really shone during the freshman tests. It's said that even many second-year seniors aren't as good as they are."

"And then there's Takatsu. Though his power isn't as strong, his batting instincts are excellent."

"But most importantly, there's a huge dark horse!"

Furuya probably never imagined that his first claim to fame at Seidou would be through the gossip among the girls.

Not only were the baseball team members talking about him, but even many girls who weren't familiar with baseball were also enthusing about his performance during the freshman tests.

However, Furuya was unaware of all this at the time.

As the team began testing players for their throwing distances, each player stepped up one by one.

It must be acknowledged that the Seidou High School baseball team truly lived up to being a top-tier national powerhouse; their players' performances were nothing short of extraordinary.

Many players managed to throw over 50 meters.

Although this distance might not seem particularly far, it is actually quite challenging for someone without professional training.

Even not all baseball players possess such an ability.

Yet these newcomers to the Seidou High baseball team managed to do it.

Some performed so well they could throw over 70 meters.

The smiles on the faces of Director Oota and the coaches grew wider and wider.

It was undeniable.

Since Seidou High School's baseball team had not been able to make it to Koshien for several consecutive years, they had been at a significant disadvantage in recruitment.

The performances in the freshman tests over the past two years had been rather disappointing.

While there were one or two exceptional players, the majority did not inspire much hope.

The coaches at Seidou High School are known for their sharp judgment, and although players can be developed over time, those developed later often have limited potential.

The situation with this year's third-year students was practically like finding a needle in a haystack.

However, this year's first-year students were different.

Compared to the last two years, their performances could even be considered excellent.

Especially Hideaki Tojo.

Seidou High School's baseball team was in dire need of an outstanding pitcher.

He managed to throw the ball 87 meters!

Although the speed of his pitches was average, the distance showed that he had significant potential for the future.

Of course, these are just preliminary stats.

Whether this player can be effective on the field remains to be seen during actual games.

Furuya was the last to be tested, with Director Oota specifically arranging for him to go last.

This special attention naturally caught the notice of the other coaches on the team.

They couldn't help but be curious about what was so special about this young man that even caught the special attention of their baseball department head.

The coaches' attitude greatly influenced the other rookie players as well.

Kanemaru frowned.

His performance in the other tests had been good, consistently staying within the top three.

However, when it came to throwing, he fell short.

In addition to his friend Tojo, two other particularly strong students had better throws than he did.

He was currently in fourth place.

One of his main competitors, Furuya, who had been performing well up until now, was drawing a lot of attention.

"Who knows where this guy came from, acting all high and mighty," Kanemaru mumbled, though his words betrayed a grudging recognition of Furuya's abilities.

"It's likely a special recruitment, given how the director values him," Tojo nodded.

He didn't fully agree with his friend's sentiments.

Furuya's physical prowess was exceptional.

Someone like him, a diamond in the rough, was bound to be noticed.

In this context, it was understandable for Director Oota to pay special attention to him.

Tojo understood this well.

He was simply curious about what skills Furuya possessed to earn the director's favor to this extent.

With a baseball in hand, Furuya took a deep breath.

Truth be told, he hadn't held back during these rookie tests.

This was a crucial opportunity to get noticed by the coaching staff, especially Coach Kataoka.

Seizing this opportunity was key to moving forward.

From this perspective, Furuya knew his results in the freshman test needed to be as remarkable as possible.

Unfortunately, even with his best efforts, he never managed to secure the first place.

He constantly hovered between second and fourth place.

This highlights the level of competition within the Seidou High School baseball team.

And this was during the team's less successful era, where recruiting top players had been challenging.

During a normal recruitment year for Seidou, who knows how many incredible talents they could attract?

With these thoughts, a slight smile formed on Furuya's lips.

Thinking of the word "monster," Furuya realized that he was indeed one of those monsters—and the strongest one at that.

With a seamless motion, he raised his leg, stepped forward, and executed his throw.

Even before Furuya released the ball, everyone sensed there was something extraordinary.

The overwhelming aura, as if nothing could stand in his way, was astonishing. It was as if there was no obstacle he couldn't crush.

At the moment the baseball left his hand, with his middle and index fingers guiding its release, Furuya seemed to channel all his strength into that tiny ball.

"Whoosh!"

The sound of the ball cutting through the air was like a splash of cold water dousing the minds of all the outstanding first-year players.

They experienced a collective tunnel vision.

It was over.

If there was any doubt before about who was the strongest newcomer, it no longer existed now.

Yes, it was him!

The white baseball traced an arc through the sky and landed far beyond.

Seidou High School's baseball team had prepared a measuring tape capable of measuring up to 100 meters.

However, this distance was clearly insufficient to gauge Furuya's limits.

The landing point of the ball was well beyond the end of the tape.

Several baseball coaches hurriedly fetched another measuring tape to check where Furuya's pitch had landed.

"131.4 meters..."

Upon hearing this number, all the newcomers participating in the test were deeply shocked.

Many of them couldn't even throw half the distance Furuya did.

To clarify, it wasn't because they lacked skill—many of them came from junior baseball backgrounds with professional training.

Yet, their results were still less than half of Furuya's.

This incredible feat spread like wildfire, creating an uproar throughout the entire Seidou campus.