Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 142: The First Match – Furuya Satoru's Dominant Performance!

A night passed quickly.

The next morning, at 9:30 a.m., the summer sun rose high above the horizon.

Seidou High School's baseball team was ready to face their first opponent of this summer—Maimon West Public High School from West Tokyo.

As the opening match for Seidou, the game attracted a large number of fans. One entire side of the stands was nearly full, with several thousand people in attendance.

Seeing this, the players from Maimon West couldn't hide their envy, their eyes practically burning with jealousy.

"So, this is what it's like to be a powerhouse team?"

They couldn't help but be shocked. After all, such a grand scene was beyond anything they had ever experienced.

"These aren't just students from Seidou High; they're actual fans!"

Coach Chiba of Maimon West chuckled heartily as he noticed his players visibly shaken by the overwhelming support for Seidou.

"This is fantastic!"

His sudden reaction naturally caught everyone's attention, especially the teacher accompanying the team, who looked at him with utter confusion.

"Coach, what's gotten into you?"

With such a massive show of support for Seidou, why was their coach so excited?

"Don't you see? All these people are here to cheer for Seidou High's baseball team!" Coach Chiba pointed at the packed stands, his excitement evident.

"I know seeing all these fans might make you nervous, but think for a moment—don't you think the pressure on your opponents is even greater?"

Although his words were clear, the Maimon West players were still confused about what their coach was trying to convey.

"So many people are here to support Seidou. How could they be under pressure? Shouldn't they be full of momentum?"

"If Seidou's players dominate on the field, they'll certainly be unstoppable. But what if things don't go their way?" Coach Chiba said with a sweeping gesture.

"Overconfidence leads to downfall! As a team from a prestigious program, if they struggle against us or even suffer a setback, imagine the pressure they'll face from their fans."

Coach Chiba's passionate speech ignited a fire in his players.

When they thought about it, their coach's words made sense.

All those fans cheering for Seidou could become a double-edged sword.

The thought alone was enough to make the players' blood boil.

"We can do this!"

"We've worked just as hard as them. We're not inferior to players from a powerhouse school!"

The Maimon West players' morale soared.

At that moment, Seidou's players took the field, immediately drawing cheers from the stands.

"Wow!"

"Seidou High's players are here!"

The difference in popularity between the two teams was evident at a glance.

Captain Yuuki participated in the coin toss, and Seidou High was designated to bat first.

The team had anticipated facing Kikunaga, Maimon West's ace pitcher who had thrown complete games in their previous two matches.

Given the significance of the opening game, Seidou had thoroughly prepared for this opponent.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Seidou's batters were ready to crush their opposition right from the first inning.

However, to their surprise, Maimon West sent a completely different pitcher to the mound.

Instead of Kikunaga, it was someone they hadn't even considered a threat.

"Mamoru!"

The sight of this unexpected pitcher left Seidou's players visibly stunned.

Instinctively, they turned toward their bullpen—specifically, toward Chris.

The team had thought Chris's scouting report was already comprehensive, covering every possible scenario. But now, reality was proving more unpredictable than any anime storyline.

A public high school making it this far still had a hidden trump card?

"How is this possible?"

Chris explained, "This player, Mamoru Minamidaira, is a third-year. He pitched briefly during his first year but performed poorly, and hasn't appeared in an official game since. There's no record of him playing until now."

This revelation left the Seidou dugout reeling.

Could Maimon West be deliberately fielding a weak pitcher to throw them off?

The answer was obvious—absolutely not.

The only plausible explanation was that Mamoru was their hidden ace, carefully kept under wraps until this moment.

"Two years without appearing in an official game, and now he's their ace?"

"Does high school baseball really go this far?"

Even Seidou's starting players struggled to wrap their heads around it.

And yet, here they were.

Mamoru turned out to be an exceptionally rare low-sidearm pitcher, a style Seidou's hitters weren't familiar with. Their first three batters stepped up but couldn't make any headway against him.

Using his unique pitching motion and seamless coordination with his team, Mamoru managed to retire Seidou's batters in order, three up and three down.

"Ha! Are they dumbfounded now?"

Maimon West's coach, holding a rolled-up megaphone, repeatedly smacked it against the bench in sheer joy, unable to contain his excitement.

Though his players found their coach's antics a bit over the top, they had to admit he was spot on in his predictions.

Seidou's initial confidence seemed to have backfired.

Mamoru's sudden appearance had thrown their offense completely off rhythm, silencing even Seidou's most loyal supporters in the stands.

At least for this moment, Maimon West held the upper hand on the field.

Meanwhile, in Seidou's dugout, as Furuya was gearing up, he suddenly heard Coach Kataoka's voice.

"Let your speed explode!"

The entire team froze, questioning if they had just misheard.

Was that really their usually composed coach? Could such bold words truly have come from him?

----------------

If you want to read 20 chapters advanced.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Shu_21