Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 114: Score, Score!!!

Yuuki took his swing! However, at that moment, everyone, from the onlookers in the stands to the players and supporters of the Seidou High School baseball team, felt anxious and uncertain.

From their perspective, Narumiya's pitching speed was overwhelmingly fast! Yuuki didn't swing early, but waited until the ball approached his hand before he did.

This timing seemed questionable! Yet, against all odds, the seemingly impossible ball was hit?

"Crack!"

The white baseball flew out, like a beam of light, piercing through the ironclad defense set up by Inashiro Industrial High School's baseball team.

"Thud!"

It wasn't until the ball actually landed that Inashiro Industrial High School's players had no choice but to accept the harsh reality.

Despite their swift actions, they couldn't react in time.

"A hit!"

Yuuki successfully made it to base, leaving the announcers somewhat speechless.

The fans in the stands were equally astonished.

The players of Seidou High School, as well as their supporters in the stands, didn't bother to ponder what had just happened—they erupted into cheers.

"As expected of the captain! Incredible!!!"

"I knew it, those guys from Inashiro Industrial High School wouldn't hold up."

"No outs, runner on first!"

Yuuki successfully reached first base, even as the outfielders of Inashiro Industrial's team were retrieving the ball.

Narumiya, who had confidently promised that no unexpected events would occur in the game, was now blushing with embarrassment.

"To think that Yuuki-senpai saw through my pitch..."

On the other side, in the dugout of Seidou High School's team, after their cheering subsided, they started to reflect on the situation.

"How is it possible that Yuuki-senpai's swing, which was clearly late, managed to hit the ball?"

"I don't care, we finally got a hit, so don't waste this opportunity, kid!"

Isashiki Jun couldn't figure it out and decided not to dwell on it.

He turned around and glared fiercely at Miyuki.

"Masuko-senpai hasn't even batted yet…"

Miyuki grumbled.

At this point, the batter for Seidou High School was their fifth batter, Masuko Tooru.

The players of Seidou High School were obviously pinning high hopes on this player's swing.

Sawamura in the stands was even more excited, standing up and repeatedly shouting Masuko's name, cheering him on.

"Masuko-senpai, show them what you can do! If we swing with all our might, we could generate enough pressure to push the ball out!"

This wasn't just something Sawamura made up on the spot. Masuko had told him this directly in their dorm, and now Sawamura was repeating it.

However, what Masuko could say with credibility, Sawamura's smaller physique made the idea of using swing-generated air pressure to push the ball seem ridiculous.

The players around Sawamura, who were from Seidou's second and third strings, looked at him incredulously.

"Why are you all staring at me?"

Sawamura looked confused.

He instinctively touched his face, but there was no food from breakfast stuck on it.

"You're blocking my view, sit down!"

Chris said coldly.

As the game continued, Masuko stepped up to the plate, adopting a formidable stance.

He held his bat high, ready to swing at any moment.

While his swinging technique wasn't particularly exceptional, he possessed the top batting strength in the Seidou High School baseball team.

This meant that, even if his batting had some minor flaws, he was undoubtedly a formidable opponent.

Harada, crouching in the catcher's position, looked serious.

Just a moment ago, Narumiya's breaking ball had been read by Yuuki. At the precise moment when the ball's trajectory changed, Yuuki swung. This made his previously seemingly late swing perfectly timed.

This was how he managed to hit Narumiya's ball in one go.

Without a doubt, Yuuki's swing was brilliant.

Because of this, they needed to be even more careful with their pitching choices going forward.

After all, the next two batters were not to be underestimated.

Masuko's batting power was not only the best in Seidou, but could also rank highly in the entire West Tokyo region. As for Seidou's sixth batter, Miyuki, he had his own unique skills as well.

Facing these two formidable players...

Harada glanced up at his partner. The boy on the pitcher's mound wore a cold smile.

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Even though he had lost a round against Yuuki, Narumiya wasn't going to be defeated that easily. Despite the embarrassment he suffered on the field, he was determined to continue the game with a heart filled with vengeance.

Once the game is over, and if there's no chance for a comeback, Narumiya might find himself in a slump... but that's only natural. However, during the course of the game, this ace of Inashiro Industrial High School never knew what it meant to give up. Even now, his eyes still burned with a brilliant intensity.

Seeing their ace's determination, Harada's fighting spirit was ignited as well.

"This is the Narumiya Mei I know!"

To be honest, the performance of the Seidou High School baseball team in today's game astonished everyone. Now that a different player was on the pitcher's mound, Seidou seemed to have transformed.

But so what? The players of Inashiro Industrial High School remained confident in their abilities. In the end, victory would belong to Inashiro.

"Come on, show them what you've got. Don't worry about the runner; I'll keep an eye on him. You just need to focus on taking out the batter."

As the main catcher and captain of the Inashiro team, Harada was confident in their victory.

Seeing Harada's signal, Narumiya's eyes lit up with joy. Despite believing during his middle school days that Miyuki was the best catcher, thinking that if he had joined Inashiro with him, they would have formed the perfect battery pair.

"This is fine too. Miyuki, in the days to come, you'll quietly regret your decision back then!"

With this determination, Narumiya decisively hurled the ball.

"Whoosh!"

Even though the game was nearing its end, and despite having thrown many pitches, Narumiya still pitched as if nothing was amiss—his balls were as fast and fierce as ever!

Faced with such a fast and powerful throw, Masuko felt immense pressure. What was it with these Inashiro players? No matter what setbacks they encountered, they always quickly regained their fighting spirit. Waiting for them to lose momentum or make mistakes on their own seemed impossible.

Realizing this, Masuko decided not to wait any longer—he was going to swing! Gripping his bat tightly, Masuko's eyes burned with ferocity.

As the ball flew towards him, he swung decisively.

"Crack!"

There was a loud whooshing sound as Masuko's powerful swing made contact with the ball.

He hit it!

Both Masuko at the plate and the diehard supporters of Seidou in the stands reacted to the successful hit.

However, what happened next left everyone in shock.

The white baseball, after being hit, flew straight towards the pitcher's mound.

"Huh?"

The fans in the stands had seen this happen three times already, so they were somewhat used to it. This time, however, the recipient was the pitcher from Inashiro Industrial High School instead of Seidou's pitcher.

It was the players of Inashiro Industrial who were taken aback. For a moment, they even wondered if the Seidou batter had done it on purpose. After all, their own players had done the same thing twice before. Now, it was their turn to be on the receiving end.

But it only lasted for a moment. The Inashiro Industrial players ultimately believed that the Seidou players wouldn't do such a thing intentionally.

Just as Seidou hadn't suspected foul play when Tanba was hit, despite being competitors, they held a mutual respect for each other.

"Smack!"

As these thoughts flashed through everyone's mind, the ball landed in Narumiya's glove. The young pitcher's face beamed with confidence.

"If a first-year kid can do it, can't this genius do it too?"

"Out!"

The umpire's voice was particularly loud and clear. Narumiya wanted to replicate Furuya's earlier play, but Yuuki on first base hadn't moved an inch, making any play there pointless.

While he didn't achieve his full plan, the current situation was still impressive. The expression on Narumiya's face showed his satisfaction.

What made Narumiya and Harada even more pleased was that Yuuki, cautious of losing his hard-earned base, didn't dare to move at all. Didn't the Seidou team understand that fortune favors the bold?

Of course, they did. It was simply that their opponent commanded such respect that their actions were restrained.

Realizing this, Narumiya's smile grew wider on the mound. "Your performance isn't bad, but the rhythm of the game will still be controlled by this genius."

Narumiya was brimming with confidence.

With one out and a runner on first, Seidou's sixth batter came to the plate—catcher Miyuki. Seeing Miyuki stand in the batter's box visibly heightened Narumiya's excitement.

Even Harada paid closer attention to Miyuki. On the mound, Narumiya used all his strength, making it clear his aim was to take down the opponent before him.

Just as Narumiya was winding up for his pitch, Yuuki, who had been stationary at first base, suddenly took off.

"Look out!"

Inashiro's first baseman yelled a warning, hoping Narumiya would throw to first. But at that moment, Narumiya was too focused on the batter in front of him to listen. His heart and mind were set on facing Miyuki, determined to get him out. Nothing could deter him from this goal.

"Oh no, it's too late!"

For players at this high level, even the slightest mistake can be crucial. Inashiro's players realized this but were powerless to change the course of events.

Harada, noticing the situation too, was filled with intensity.

"Are you underestimating me?"

Harada was confident in his throwing abilities. Yuuki's current actions felt like a direct challenge to his dignity and limits.

"Smack!"

The moment he caught the ball, Harada was already preparing to throw it without even standing up. However, just then, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

Miyuki, who had been quietly standing in the batter's box, had swung his bat! But his timing seemed to be half a second late.

Not only did he miss the ball, but he also effectively obstructed Harada's attempt to throw.

"You underhanded guy!" Harada thought angrily.

Only after Miyuki finished his swing did Harada release the ball. Unfortunately, because of that split second delay, by the time he threw it, Yuuki had already reached second base.

"Safe!"

With one out and a runner on second, the players from Inashiro Industrial High School immediately protested, but they had done similar things in earlier parts of the game. Both sides executed their plays with such subtlety that the umpire couldn't find a clear infraction.

The umpire wasn't in a position to show favoritism towards either team. As a result, this incident was brushed under the rug, leaving everyone frustrated.

"Miyuki handled that perfectly. Yuuki's stolen base might just become the turning point of the game," murmured Coach Kataoka, arms crossed.

With all his hopes pinned on Furuya, Coach Kataoka was prepared for the worst.

What if something unexpected happened?

But now it looked like the anticipated mishap never occurred. Instead, they were faced with a golden opportunity.

With a runner on second, Miyuki's batting prowess was nearly equivalent to that of Yuuki Tetsuya.

"Crack!"

As Narumiya pitched his second ball, it was as if Miyuki had transformed. His timing and the angle of his swing were impeccable, making it look like he had already predicted what Narumiya would throw.

The ball soared high into the air, traveling about 60 meters before landing in the outfield.

Witnessing this, the diehard supporters of Seidou High School and their team members erupted with excitement.

"It went through!"

"Score!"

"Score!!!"

A spectacular long hit broke the deadlock in the game.

As Yuuki returned to home plate, the score changed to 1-0, with Seidou High School in the lead.

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