Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 100: The Changeup, Revamped!

"Strikeout! You're out!!!"

The players of Seidou High School's baseball team watched in disbelief as their captain, Yuuki, was struck out by Inashiro's ace pitcher.

"This… how is this possible?"

Even though it had just happened before their eyes, Seidou's teammates were still unwilling to believe it.

Their captain, Yuuki, had actually been struck out?

On the pitcher's mound, Narumiya seemed to release all the frustration bottled up inside him, letting out a roar toward the sky.

"Yes!"

In that moment, Inashiro Industrial's ace pitcher displayed an aura of dominance that rivaled even Furuya's.

In fact, his presence was even more overwhelming than Furuya's.

"It's hard to believe—Narumiya actually pulled that off?"

There was a clear difference in velocity between the two pitchers, yet Narumiya was still able to achieve the same results.

This forced the reporters in the stands to reassess their view of Inashiro Industrial's ace pitcher.

"Someone once said he was the best in Kanto, and I didn't believe it. But now, it seems like he's not just the best in Kanto; even on a national level, Narumiya stands out as one of the top."

A reporter commented.

At this moment, it wasn't just the reporters; the spectators, too, were starting to reevaluate Inashiro's ace pitcher.

"Seidou's game just got a lot tougher!"

As the saying goes, extremes breed reversals.

Seidou had shown overwhelming momentum earlier, and their luck had been nothing short of astonishing.

But after everything that had happened, if Seidou still couldn't take control of the game, the situation was bound to turn against them.

The more people had believed in them before, the more uncertain they felt now.

On the other hand, Inashiro hadn't shown much momentum or luck. But despite that, their ace had still managed to get over ten outs without giving Seidou any opportunities.

Yuuki returned to the dugout.

The Seidou players rushed toward their captain in a swarm.

From an outsider's perspective, all they saw was the scene of their captain getting struck out.

But as for how exactly Narumiya had thrown that pitch?

They had no idea.

Yuuki, being a man of few words, knew that if he didn't share the information with his teammates at this moment, they wouldn't stand a chance in the upcoming plays.

"Just as the ball reached the strike zone, it suddenly dropped!"

Hearing their captain's words, Seidou's players were dumbfounded.

If it were any other type of breaking ball, it would be understandable, but a changeup? How could it drop so suddenly just before reaching the batter?

What made Seidou's players feel even more hopeless was that Narumiya's changeup didn't just have one new variation.

His original changeup was already a major headache, and it was one of his go-to pitches to secure outs.

"An already tricky weapon has become even more difficult to handle!"

"More than that! It's like it went from being a regular handgun to a Gatling gun."

Even though the players of Seidou High School's baseball team were unwilling to face the reality, they couldn't avoid it and had no choice but to figure something out.

"That pitch he just threw looked a bit like a screwball. It's very likely he combined two different breaking balls," Miyuki said, adjusting his glasses as he shared his observation.

As an outstanding ace, Narumiya's velocity, control, and ball movement were all top-tier. Even without using any breaking balls, he was already an exceptional pitcher.

If you add in his sharp breaking balls, Narumiya could even compete for the title of the best pitcher in the country.

Just this version of Narumiya alone was enough to give anyone a headache.

But it didn't end there.

Now, he had developed a new skill, which significantly boosted his overall strength.

"What should we do?"

In Seidou's dugout, the players exchanged anxious glances.

They were shocked to realize that, when facing such a powerful Narumiya, they seemed to have no solutions.

Even their coach, Kataoka, couldn't immediately come up with a good strategy.

"Let's just stay solid. As long as we don't give up any runs…" Ota, the team director, quickly offered reassurance.

In terms of baseball expertise, Ota was only passable. Compared to Coach Kataoka and Vice Manager Takashima, he fell quite short.

However, he had his strengths. Whenever Seidou faced a difficult situation, Ota could always lift the team's spirits.

But today's situation was different.

Although Seidou hadn't given up any runs yet, and their pitcher was performing even more dominantly than Narumiya, Seidou's players still weren't feeling confident.

They were satisfied with their pitcher's performance, but relying solely on a pitchers' duel to win against Inashiro?

That was something Seidou's players couldn't accept.

Furuya's pitching consumption was clearly greater than Narumiya's. In this situation, how could the Seidou players place all the pressure on just him?

There was no way Furuya could last.

Even if Furuya could hold out, Seidou's players wouldn't agree with that strategy.

After all, they were Seidou, a powerhouse known for their offensive strength. How could they put all their hopes for victory on a first-year rookie pitcher?

That's just not possible.

The game continued, and Seidou's fifth batter stepped up to the plate but was struck out without making any headway.

This time, Narumiya didn't use his changeup. Instead, he relied on a standard breaking ball.

Two outs, no runners on base.

Next up was Miyuki.

These two were old rivals.

Although Miyuki's batting wasn't the strongest, his observational skills were unparalleled within the Seidou team.

Naturally, Seidou's players stretched their necks, eager to see what Miyuki could do.

As they silently hoped for Miyuki to make a difference, he was also struck out.

Against his longtime rival, Narumiya didn't even use any breaking balls. He struck Miyuki out with three sharp, clean fastballs.

"Three outs, change sides!!!"

When this result came out, Seidou's players were stunned. This was far from what they had expected.

Even if Miyuki wasn't the best hitter, there was no way he should've looked so helpless on the field, right?

In the end, he didn't even make contact with the ball...

Top of the sixth inning, Inashiro Industrial's turn to bat.

Furuya took the mound once again.

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