Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 167: Furuya's Prophecy!

"Although the outcome of the game seems predictable, missing such a great scouting opportunity would be a real shame!"

The person who said this wasn't just anyone; it was Chris, the record keeper of the Seidou High School baseball team.

How good is Chris at gathering intel?

In Seidou's baseball team, his skills are almost legendary. His judgments have rarely, if ever, been wrong.

Not only does he have confidence in his insights, but the other players on the team also clearly don't believe their old rivals, Ichidaisan High, will lose.

After all, Ichidaisan is a top-tier national powerhouse. Their performance in the Spring Koshien tournament just a few months ago was nothing short of excellent.

A team like theirs, capable of standing strong in the Koshien arena, losing to an underdog like Yakushi? Unthinkable!

Yet, as the team discussed this, Furuya, lagging behind the group, muttered with a wry smile, "That might not be the case."

"Huh?"

Sawamura, who was adjusting his uniform beside him, heard Furuya's remark and immediately asked, "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing," Furuya replied. "The game hasn't started yet. Who can say for sure who will win or lose?"

Furuya's statement left a significant impression on his teammates.

Even Chris, who had made such a definitive judgment earlier, looked at him thoughtfully.

Knowing Furuya well, Chris understood that he wasn't someone who casually made comments about such matters.

If he believed there might be an element of unpredictability in the game, then perhaps something unexpected really could happen once it began.

"Do you have any basis for that?"

"Just intuition!"

Of course, Furuya couldn't give any concrete explanation. Fortunately, during his previous match against You Shunshin, Furuya had discovered a foolproof excuse.

No matter what anyone asked, he could use this excuse to brush them off easily.

Just like now, he confidently told everyone that his judgment was purely based on intuition.

It sounded utterly irresponsible.

Yet, despite this, his teammates felt a sense of unease.

Other people's intuition might not be reliable, but their ace's intuition was a different matter altogether.

In the fourth game of the Round of 16 in the West Tokyo Regional Tournament, Yakushi High School faced off against the powerhouse Ichidaisan High.

Seidou's players sat in the stands, carefully observing the game up close.

Because of Furuya's earlier words, they watched the game with great seriousness.

Although they hadn't known much about Yakushi High School before, Furuya's statement made them believe that this team must have something extraordinary.

In the top of the first inning, Ichidaisan High went on the offensive.

Under Seidou's watchful eyes, Ichidaisan's batting lineup exploded with firepower.

They scored five runs in just the first inning.

The score was 5-0!

The stands erupted with cheers from Ichidaisan's supporters, as if they were celebrating a festival.

Even though Seidou had won their own match, Ichidaisan's fans had already heard that Seidou's victory hadn't come easily.

In the first three innings, Seidou managed to score only one run. It wasn't until their third time through the batting order that they finally broke through.

While they ultimately won 10-0, a respectable performance, compared to Ichidaisan's, it seemed lackluster.

Ichidaisan had scored five runs in the very first inning, leaving their opponents on the verge of tears.

"Though I feel sorry for our opponents, I'm afraid we can't afford to waste time with you. We have a very important game coming up!"

"Ichidaisan High will definitely dominate Koshien!"

The coach of Ichidaisan High's baseball team appeared brimming with confidence.

Clearly, he was more than satisfied with how things were going.

"Manaka Boy has fully recovered, and our team's batting power is among the best in the nation! Those springtime worries are a thing of the past—right now, the team is in very good shape!"

Though the game had just begun, Ichidaisan gave off the impression that they had already secured victory.

...

In the stands, Seidou High's players couldn't help but turn their gazes to their ace, Furuya.

"So, this is what you meant by 'not certain'?"

It felt as though Furuya's earlier statement had come back to slap him in the face.

Judging by the performances of the two teams, they weren't even on the same level.

Furuya's face showed a hint of awkwardness.

Ichidaisan's offensive prowess was on par with Seidou's, and Yakushi's ace, wearing jersey number 1, wasn't someone Furuya had even heard of.

How could someone like that possibly hold up?

"Just watch. The exciting part is yet to come," Furuya said, maintaining the calm demeanor of a prophet, attempting to soothe his teammates' doubts.

There was something almost magical about his words.

While Seidou's players still looked skeptical, they quieted down and continued watching.

...

The game pressed on, and it was Yakushi's turn to bat.

Manaka's pitching seemed to have returned to its former brilliance. His pitches were sharp, fast, and mixed with breaking balls.

He quickly secured two outs, giving the impression that he would wrap up the inning in no time.

"Two outs already?"

No matter how much Seidou's players trusted Furuya earlier, the current situation made them instinctively glance at him to see his reaction.

On the surface, Furuya appeared calm, but inside, questions swirled.

Ichidaisan's strength, combined with Manaka's pitching, had exceeded his expectations.

Was it possible that his presence, like a butterfly flapping its wings, had altered something in this timeline?

As Furuya's thoughts raced, an unexpected turn of events unfolded.

Yakushi's third batter sent Manaka's pitch flying, landing himself on base.

Now, with two outs and a runner on first, the situation shifted.

Ichidaisan's players didn't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation just yet.

They continued to cheer on their ace, assuring him that even the best players occasionally made mistakes.

However, standing on the mound, Manaka furrowed his brow slightly.

"Was that a slip-up?"

Based on his own pitching sensation, Manaka didn't believe he had made an error.

Instead, it felt like the batter had genuinely read and connected with his pitch.

"Mishima, first-year!"

Manaka turned and etched the name Mishima into his memory.

He had a feeling that this young player's name would shine brightly in the future.

"Now batting, the fourth hitter, third baseman—Raichi Todoroki!"

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