Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 144: Shocked and Stunned!

156 km/h!

In the stands, many die-hard supporters of the Seidou High School baseball team held speed guns in their hands.

For them, watching Furuya pitch without a speed gun in hand felt like missing half the experience.

Admiring this young ace's terrifying fastballs exceeding 150 km/h and recording his pitch speed with their speed guns was a pure thrill in itself!

For this reason, even though the stadium lacked a large screen to display pitch speeds, they were the first to spread the number throughout the field.

156 km/h, surpassing Furuya's previous limits.

When the Seidou High teammates heard the news, they were dumbfounded.

During training, they had vaguely sensed something.

They could feel that Furuya's pitching had become even more fearsome.

Especially after the grueling hell training, his improvement was undeniable.

Still, they never imagined that he would shatter his pitching speed record so quickly.

"This guy is truly a monster!"

"Did you see their batter? He was so scared he collapsed!"

The leadoff batter from Maimon West High had undoubtedly lost face.

Some fans in the stands couldn't even contain their emotions and burst out laughing.

To be fair, Seidou's die-hard supporters were usually quite disciplined.

Even when opponents made a fool of themselves, they wouldn't laugh outright.

But today was an exception.

They tried to hold it in but failed.

As for the mockery, the players from Maimon West High seemed completely unaffected.

They were all deeply shaken by Furuya's pitching.

"What even is this guy?"

"His pitches are terrifying!"

Before the match, Maimon West's players had researched Seidou's team thoroughly.

They had reviewed game footage and analyzed data on their opponents.

They knew that Furuya had a blazing fast pitch speed.

But after all, Seidou's first-year pitcher was still just a rookie.

And he wasn't some pitching machine—he was a regular human being.

From this perspective, it was impossible for him to throw every pitch at top speed.

There had to be slower, hittable pitches among them.

As long as they stayed calm and identified those pitches, they could get a hit.

If that didn't work, they could try stalling for time.

In short, the players of Maimon West High had a meticulous plan.

So much so that the players themselves fell into a kind of illusion—they truly believed that when the time came to face Furuya on the field, they would have a chance to hit his pitches!

But in that very moment, the batters of Maimon West High began to doubt their earlier confidence.

Could they really achieve such a feat?

Reflecting carefully on Furuya's pitches and imagining the terrifying presence of that man, the players of Maimon West High were shocked to find that their previous confidence was wavering.

And this wasn't just any ordinary doubt—it was a profound and overwhelming sense of uncertainty.

It was the kind of doubt that overturned everything they believed.

As the players of Maimon West High sank into self-doubt, the game continued.

On the pitcher's mound, Furuya, like an ancient war god, unleashed the ball from his hand.

"BOOMM!"

The ball shot out of his hand like a cannonball leaving the barrel, its power astonishing.

The batter who had earlier collapsed in fear stood back up, filled with regret.

Even if he wasn't a match for Furuya, unable to hit the pitches of this monstrous first-year pitcher, he shouldn't have disgraced himself like that!

Determined, he gritted his teeth and swung his bat with resolve.

"I won't back down—not ever!"

His conviction was unshakable, his bat unyielding.

Yet, even with such determination, his bat failed to connect with the ball.

"Pop!"

By the time the ball landed in the catcher's mitt, his swing hadn't even completed.

"Wow, that's such a huge miss!"

The die-hard supporters of Seidou High in the stands were ecstatic, barely able to contain their excitement.

They knew the batter had swung late.

Such moments in the pitcher-batter duel weren't uncommon in baseball.

But this level of disparity? It was their first time witnessing such a stark gap.

Despite both being high school players—one a third-year and the other a first-year—their skill levels were worlds apart.

It was like watching an elementary school student face off against a high schooler, or even a professional player.

"Strike!"

"Strikeout!"

When Furuya went full throttle, he gave his opponents no time to react.

The batter couldn't even graze the ball and was struck out.

In Seidou High's dugout, Coach Kataoka, who had earlier instructed Furuya to give it his all, allowed a slight smile to tug at the corner of his mouth.

He was thoroughly impressed by his new ace's performance.

Admittedly, at the start of the game, Maimon West's players had given them a bit of a surprise.

The sudden appearance of their pitcher had managed to retire Seidou's first three batters in order.

Although this wouldn't ultimately affect the final outcome of the game, it was still a noteworthy feat.

However, it couldn't be denied that this unexpected situation would bring some trouble to Seidou High School's baseball team in the upcoming innings.

Furuya's dominant pitching not only helped his team regain control of the game but also intimidated both the fans in the stands and their opponents on the field.

Although Maimon West High's coach and players were still protesting noisily, their voices had already lost the vigor they had at the start of the game.

This was the power of having Furuya as their ace.

He was like a secret weapon—a game-changer whose mere presence always left everyone stunned.

"Three up, three down!"

"The opponent didn't even touch the ball!"

"Three strikeouts!"

In the stands, Seidou High's die-hard supporters finally felt relieved.

Even the smiles on their faces were noticeably brighter than before.

At the end of the first inning, the score was 0-0.

Of course, Seidou High's players couldn't accept such a result.

When the second inning began, it was Seidou's turn to bat.

One by one, their batters lined up, each with the hunger and intensity of a wolf, their eyes locked on Maimon West High's pitcher.

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