Diamond Ace: Monster Slayer

Chapter 227 The Demon King of the North

Qingdao High School returned triumphantly to the hotel where they were staying, but everyone had worried looks on their faces and there was no joy of victory.

"They lost?"

"That shouldn't be the case. The news I saw earlier said that Seidou High School defeated Yamamori Academy."

"Then why do they have this expression?"

"who knows."

The two young ladies at the front desk began to talk.

Indeed, looking at the expression of Qingdao High School, it is hard to believe that they won the game.

In the face of the two people's whispering, the students of Qingdao High School didn't care even if they heard it, and went straight to the second floor to prepare for the meeting for the next round of competition.

There are many reds.

Once you become famous, it's hard not to be talked about.

This is part of their path to success.

"Everyone go take a shower first, and then we'll meet in my room."

Director Kataoka announced simply.

"Yes!"

Since there is no specific time, the students from Qingdao High School can also wash carefully.

They had just finished a competition and the stench of sweat on their bodies was already unbearable for them.

What's more, those infielders all flew over to catch the baseballs.

Their bodies would be even dirtier.

"Then Sawamura and I will wash first, can you and Haruichi wait for a while?"

After a simple tidying up, Zhou Hui and the other three began to discuss the order of bathing.

After the competition, Zhou Hui’s favorite thing was to take a hot shower, and he did it by himself.

But unfortunately, time is running out and he can't be so willful, so he has to reluctantly go with Sawamura.

"What? Could it be that Xiao Huihui, you..."

After hearing Zhou Hui's "tiger words", Sawamura's face turned red like a ripe tomato.

"What on earth are you thinking about? How could I be interested in you!"

Looking at Sawamura's expression, Zhou Hui held his forehead helplessly.

What kind of divine friend is this?
"That is to say, if you want to get Zhou Hui, you still need to get past Senior Guizi."

"Koharu!"

When four first-year students were together, there was nothing they were afraid to say and they all started making jokes that they normally wouldn't dare to make.

This caused Zhou Hui to suffer.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

……

After taking a shower and drying himself, Zhou Hui found a set of casual clothes and put them on.

He wore a white short-sleeved top and jeans, and looked very fresh and simple.

Wearing a pair of black slippers, Zhou Hui walked out of the room.

The previous outfit makes him look very sunny and energetic, but the last step makes him look a bit sloppy...

When Qingdao High School held a meeting, there was no mention of forcing students to wear team uniforms.

Many people choose to wear their own decent clothes.

Besides, they just finished a game, can they wear their team uniforms?

Pushing open the door of Supervisor Kataoka's room, the four first-year students walked in.

In addition, Director Kataoka, Chris and Watanabe sat in the main seats in the room, while Yuki sat next to the three of them.

As for the rest, no one came.

“It’s so quiet.”

After finding a good seat and sitting down, the four of them began to feel bored.

I originally wanted to chat with them, but seeing the serious expression of Director Kataoka, I persuaded them to leave.

Chatting now is seeking death!
After the four of them sat down, the others arrived one after another.

Everyone chose their most comfortable clothes, and Yuki even came in pajamas.

It makes people laugh.

"Is everyone here?"

Seeing that most people had arrived, Supervisor Kataoka ordered Shirasu to close the door.

All the students from Qingdao High School have arrived. The moment the door was closed, the whole room was filled with the scent of unknown shower gel and shampoo.

But Zhou Hui felt a little uncomfortable and even felt a little nauseous when he smelled it.

"We will now begin pre-match research on our next opponent, the Giant Giant Vine Scroll."

As he said that, Director Kataoka asked Chris to bring up the laptop, on which the game of Troll Daitojuan was being played.

The first to bear the brunt of course was their ace pitcher Hongo Masamune. As long as they dealt with him, the giant troll Daitojuan would no longer be able to threaten them.

“It’s ready to play.”

Chris nodded and pressed space to play Hongo's pitch.

The students of Qingdao High School watched very carefully.

"boom!"

Although Hongxiang's pitching looks ordinary, it actually has a lot of tricks.

The power is so great that it is a perfect example of violent aesthetics.

"It's so fast."

Sawamura's eyes widened.

For a pitcher who needs a special posture to throw the ball to 140 km, Hongo's pitching is really shocking.

"Are you confident you can hit it?"

Yuki asked Zhou Hui next to him.

Zhou Hui covered his mouth and shook his head.

"I'm not sure. Although his ball speed is not as fast as Furutani's, it's not easy to hit him."

Zhou Hui told the truth.

"How can you throw the baseball so fast and powerfully and accurately to the four corners of the strike zone?"

Hongo is indeed a very strong pitcher, even Zhou Hui cannot deny that.

If he heard that Zhou Hui recognized him, Hongxiang would definitely be extremely happy.

Who is Zhou Hui?
He is the number one hitter in Koshien!
A 100% batting average? Are you kidding me?
"The straight ball is not only powerful and fast, but also has a strong tail end."

Miyuki commented while watching Hongo's pitch.

The ball is fast, powerful, and has a strong tail!

An average pitcher only needs to master one of them to stand out from the crowd, not to mention that Hongxiang has mastered all of them.

So terrifying.

"Director Kataoka, can you play it again?"

Zhou Hui suddenly stretched out his hand and applied.

"It's this kid again!"

Isajiki Jun gritted his teeth.

In that case, has Zhou Hui already caught Hong Xiang's shortcomings?

I just watched one ball and it's really hard to imagine.

"Chris, play it for him again."

"Yes."

As he spoke, Chris pressed a button on the keyboard, brought the video back to the beginning, and played it again.

"boom!"

In Zhou Hui's eyes, Hongxiang's pitching posture began to slow down, as if it was being played frame by frame.

This is where Zhou Hui becomes the strongest hitter.

In his eyes, all pitchers seemed to have slowed down.

This is an advantage given to him by his unparalleled dynamic vision.

"One, two."

Zhou Hui pounded on the table and shouted the rhythm.

"What is he doing?"

"Shhh."

Yukichi quickly made a "hush" gesture.

Don't disturb him at this time.

Zhou Hui focused his eyes on the baseball, then hit the table with moderate force.

"The best time." As Zhou Hui finished his words, the video on the laptop also ended.

It is not difficult to tell from Zhou Hui's expression that he has seized the opportunity to pitch the ball.

“What’s the best time?”

Sawamura said he didn't understand.

No matter how he looked, he couldn't find the right time to swing.

"If you analyze it frame by frame, you can find the best time to swing the bat."

"Frame by frame?"

After hearing what Zhou Hui said, Sawamura was even more confused.

Are you all so weird when you talk?

"wrong."

Director Kataoka was also talking to himself, and it seemed that what Zhou Hui said made some sense.

He is neither bragging nor talking nonsense.

"Chris, quickly turn the video back and play it again. One frame at a time."

"Yes."

Coach Kataoka is a pitcher and has his own insights into analyzing the pitcher's balls frame by frame.

A batter who can analyze a pitcher's pitches frame by frame is not an ordinary person.

This is an advantage God has given them.

If the pitchers at the time had not been able to analyze Kataoka's pitches frame by frame, he might not have been the runner-up pitcher.

That batter now makes coach Kataoka feel like he's having a nightmare.

I didn't expect that my former nightmare would become my disciple.

It seems like there is a divine will in the dark.

On the laptop, Hongo's pitching began to slow down step by step.

"This is?"

Yukichi spotted the clue instantly.

If you really look at Hongo's pitching in this way, it is indeed easy to catch his balls.

It’s just that the average person’s brain is simply not capable of slowing down the speed of the ball.

"Yes, that's what it feels like."

Zhou Hui smiled happily.

Just now in his mind, this is how Hongxiang's pitching would be, there can be no mistake.

"Not everyone has the same superpower as you."

Yukichi covered his face.

Even though there are many strong players in Qingdao High School, there are only a few who have the same special ability as Zhou Hui.

Not everyone can see God's favor.

Although only Zhou Hui could do this, Director Kataoka found a way to win.

If all the players from Seidou High School cannot defeat Hongo, then it will be impossible for them to win.

But it's different now.

Zhou Hui can hit the ball in his hometown with his own special method.

As long as the pitchers of Seidou High School can give some effort, it will not be impossible for them to win.

"The next game still depends on you, Zhou Hui."

Director Kataoka said silently.

Then, Coach Kataoka took another look at the two first-year pitchers.

Sawamura, Akatsuki Furuya!

He would never have imagined that one day Qingdao High School would have to rely on three freshmen to have a chance to win.

This had never happened before in Qingdao High School.

"Keep watching."

Coach Kataoka clapped his hands to stop the discussion at Seidou High School.

The whole room suddenly fell silent, and Chris found the next clip about Hongo.

"Whoosh!"

"Snapped!"

The baseball flew out of Hongo's hand, entered the strike zone, fell a little distance, and went into the catcher's glove.

This is a fast fork ball!

There is still a clear difference between the fast fork ball and the fork ball.

The speed of the fast fork ball is very fast, not much different from the straight ball, but the opposite is that the range of change is not large.

The forkball has a large range of changes, but the speed is very slow.

The fast fork ball that Hong Xiang chose was also for his own style of play.

A 150km/h fast fork ball, no one can tell whether it is a changeup or a straight ball.

"Is the only changeup the quick fork ball?"

"Of course not, but this is the only changeup he threw on the Koshien stage."

Zhou Hui's pupils dilated, eyes full of disbelief.

In that case, his other changeups were recorded during the regional meet?

Isn't this a bit illogical?

Others show their prowess in Koshien and reserve their strength for regional tournaments.

But it's the other way around for you?

Who can understand what you mean?
However, they made it to the Koshien finals with the help of two types of balls, and they still had a record of zero points lost.

It's really hard to believe.

How can this be called a pitcher? Isn't this a complete monster?!

After seeing Hongo's performance, Zhou Hui didn't even dare to say that he was a monster.

"Put out his other balls right now and have a look."

Zhou Hui is always the most active one in the pre-match seminars.

Many times, many issues are raised that Director Kataoka has not noticed.

When it comes to understanding the opponent's strength, he has always been the most proactive one in Qingdao High School.

"Ah good."

Chris adjusted the laptop in his hand and found a video of another game in his hometown.

"This is the seventh inning of the Hokkaido regional finals, between the giant troll Daifujimaki and Nanhuali High School. This is the first and only time that Hongo threw a different changeup."

Even though he only had one record of taking action at the regional conference, how confident was he?
"Whoosh!"

After the baseball flew into the strike zone, it underwent a subtle change with the bat of the fourth batting captain of Nanhuali High School. Neither the baseball nor the bat touched each other and fell into the catcher's glove.

“Is this a slider?”

"Yes."

It’s getting more and more fun.

A big slider, an overspeed straight ball and a 150km/h fast fork ball.

Who can tell the difference between a native and a monster?

After seeing the ball type from his hometown, Zhou Hui also began to ponder.

Is he a match for his hometown?
Even the usually calm Captain Yuki began to get nervous.

He wasn't even sure if he could hit a home run against his hometown player.

"That's all the pitches from Hongo. Next, let's study the batting line of the giant troll Daitomaki."

After a comprehensive analysis of Hongo's pitching and finding nothing, Qingdao High School had to focus on the batting line of the giant troll Otomaki.

Compared to Hongo's pitching, the batting line of Troll Otomaki is indeed a little lacking.

But what remains unchanged is that the core is still their ace pitcher Masamune Hongo.

While his pitching is strong, his hitting is also not inferior.

Is this the strength of the best pitcher in the country?
From the audience's perspective, it is no exaggeration to say that Hongo is the best pitcher in the country.

"Too strong, but the more such opponents there are, the more interesting it is."

While being wary of Hongo, the students of Qingdao High School also began to get excited.

"That's right, an opponent like this is worthy of being our opponent in the finals."

"In the next game, we must fight our way through with blood and sweat!"

Zhou Hui didn't say anything, but just silently memorized Hongxiang's face.

The Demon King of the North, this nickname is definitely not just bragging.

……

(End of this chapter)