Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 168: The Birth of the Strongest Dark Horse in History!

"The No. 3 batter of Yakushi High School's baseball team has some impressive batting skills!"

"Even though he's just a first-year rookie, he could easily secure a spot on a powerhouse team."

Everyone had nothing but praise for Mishima's performance.

Though his physique wasn't ideal and his arrogance was borderline intolerable, overall, he left an uncomfortable impression.

However, the players of Seidou High School's baseball team weren't shallow like ordinary fans when evaluating someone.

While regular fans could let personal likes or dislikes dictate their opinions of a player, this was not the case for those who stepped onto the field.

For players, judgments were made based on a person's actions on the field—put simply, their demonstrated skill.

Mishima from Yakushi High School fit this criterion perfectly.

Even if he were to transfer to Seidou High School, he'd likely secure a spot on the First String—possibly even as a starter.

"These first-year players these days are terrifying!" Tanba muttered, shaking his head with a bitter smile, feeling his own position threatened.

"Not just him. I heard Yakushi's cleanup hitter is also a first-year rookie."

"No way!"

A rookie cleanup hitter, stronger than that first-year monster they just saw?

This idea was difficult to digest, not just for ordinary fans but even for Seidou's players.

It was at this moment that Raichi Todoroki stepped into the batter's box.

He appeared to be a simple and honest boy.

If not for his role as Yakushi High School's cleanup hitter, he wouldn't have stood out at all.

In fact, compared to his peers, he seemed a little dull.

"How is he the cleanup hitter?"

"The previous guy looked much more like a cleanup hitter!"

The Seidou players were full of questions.

But before they could voice them, they noticed that the boy seemed to transform the moment he stepped into the batter's box.

His aura surged dramatically.

Not only that, but an eerie, unsettling laugh began to escape his lips.

"Kehehe... kehehehehe!!!"

The jarring laughter startled everyone in the stadium.

Many fans in the stands even covered their ears.

"What's up with this guy?"

The crowd was baffled.

Furuya, however, frowned.

A laugh that sharp, yet powerful enough to travel so far?

"Just as the rumors said, this kid's a monster," he muttered.

Despite not being particularly tall or exceptionally muscular, Raichi exuded an overwhelming presence in the batter's box, as if he could destroy everything in his path.

This was Raichi Todoroki!

Raichi's intimidating aura inevitably irritated the pitcher on the mound, Manaka.

Manaka narrowed his eyes, sizing up his opponent.

"Another first-year brat? Don't think you can do as you please on the high school stage just because you've got some skills!"

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Manaka firmly decided on his next pitch and threw the ball with determination.

"Whoosh!"

The ball flew with speed, sharply dropping as it entered the strike zone.

"Boom!!"

Raichi's ferocious swing left the crowd in awe, but fortunately for Manaka, the bat didn't make contact.

The fans in the stands let out a collective sigh of relief.

"He gave me a scare! I thought he was going to smash that ball out of the park!"

"His swing speed is impressive, but it's all show and no substance..."

"Trying to challenge one of Koshien's winningest pitchers? Kid, you've got a long way to go!"

Despite missing the ball, Raichi, standing in the batter's box, was brimming with excitement.

"The ball swooshed down just like that, swoosh, swoosh..."

His words left both the umpire and Ichidaisan's catcher utterly confused.

They assumed Yakushi High School's cleanup hitter had been rattled to the point of incoherence.

On the pitcher's mound, Manaka took a deep breath.

While the supporters in the stands were confident in their ace's dominance, Manaka himself wasn't as optimistic about this matchup against Raichi.

This first-year phenom's swing was too fast, his power too great...

If he managed to make contact, the ball would undoubtedly fly a long way.

"Time to use the decisive pitch!"

The starting catcher for Ichidaisan High School's baseball team clearly recognized the danger and signaled for Manaka to use his best pitch.

Manaka gave a subtle nod before winding up and delivering the ball with full force.

"Whoosh!"

The white ball zipped toward the corner of the strike zone, exactly as Manaka intended.

The catcher, crouched behind the plate, felt a moment of satisfaction.

"That's it! As long as you pitch like your usual self, there are few batters nationwide who can touch you!"

But before the smile on the catcher's face could fade, a bat appeared in front of him.

"Boom!!!"

The bat sliced through the air with a deafening roar, impossible to ignore.

"PING!"

The sound of the ball meeting the bat was solid, and the next moment, the ball soared into the distance.

"It's out! It's out of the park!!!"

The commentator's voice was loud and electrified.

"Koshien's ace, Manaka, faces Yakushi High School's first-year rookie batter Raichi Todoroki! Against all odds, the victor of their duel is Raichi Todoroki!"

"Kehehe... kehehehe!!!"

Raichi stood in the batter's box, a look of complete satisfaction on his face as he watched the ball land in the stands.

It was clear that he was very pleased with the result.

In a corner of the stands, the players from Seidou High School turned to look at the electronic scoreboard.

The score on the field was 5–2.

From the numbers alone, Ichidaisan High School still held a significant lead.

But if you disregarded the score, the morale of the two teams had undergone a dramatic shift.

"You were right. This Yakushi High School team is no joke!"

"What's that first-year monster's name?"

"Raichi Todoroki!"

"He hit Manaka's decisive pitch directly? That kind of batting skill... even on our team, not many could pull that off."

"Ichidaisan is in trouble!"

"After a hit like that, their ace's pitching is bound to be affected."

"And they don't have a reliable backup pitcher..."

Even though Ichidaisan High School still led by three runs at this point, the outcome of the game was now uncertain.

Even Seidou, usually confident in Ichidaisan, found themselves falling silent.

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