Diamond Ace's Passionate Swing

Seeing the pitcher so dejected, the players from Osaka Toyo shouted encouragement.

"Guangmei, don't be discouraged! This is only temporary."

"You've done enough. We'll face the rest of the games together!"

"That's right, Guangmei."

"Our team was the runner-up at last year's Koshien tournament; our strength speaks for itself!"

"Everyone believes in you. There's still a chance. Let's catch up!"

The team members chatted amongst themselves, their eyes filled with trust and encouragement for the Guangmei Museum.

Guan Guangmei looked up and saw the determined look in his teammates' eyes. A warm feeling welled up in his heart. He took a deep breath, nodded vigorously, and smiled again. It's okay to look a little ugly.

The match continued.

It was Miyuki's turn to bat.

"They're really tenacious!" Miyuki commented.

Hiromi Tate regained his spirits, stood on the pitcher's mound, and his fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes. He stared intently at Miyuki, adjusted his breathing, and raised his arm high.

The first ball was thrown.

This ball was incredibly fast, like a black lightning bolt heading straight for home plate.

Miyuki quickly judged the ball's trajectory and swung his bat, but the ball grazed the edge of the bat and flew past.

"nice shot!"

Hiromi Tate pressed her advantage, throwing several pitches in succession with unpredictable trajectories. Miyuki struggled to anticipate them and missed several times in a row.

Two good shots from the ball count.

Guan Guangmei knew this was a crucial shot. He concentrated all his energy, leaned back slightly, and then swung his arm forward rapidly.

They took an extremely tricky inside corner kick.

Miyuki couldn't react in time, and the ball whizzed past him.

"Strikeout!"

The Osaka Toyo team erupted in cheers as they rushed onto the court, surrounding Hiromi Shogi.

"Guangmei, well done!"

"That's it! Beat them all down!" The cheers of the Kiryu team members rose and fell.

The second half of the second set has ended.

Seido Rest Area.

Manager Kataoka stood with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed intently on the game. Miyuki, who had just been struck out, returned to the dugout with a slightly somber expression.

"Miyuki-senpai actually struck out..." First-year student Kominato Haruichi muttered under his breath.

Furuya stood to the side, his fingers unconsciously stroking the seams of the ball, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. His gaze occasionally swept towards Lin Xiao beside him, his fighting spirit already ignited.

"Lin Xiao, prepare the outfield equipment." Coach Kataoka suddenly spoke, his voice steady and leaving no room for doubt.

Lin Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then nodded respectfully, "Yes!"

"Furuya, you go." Kataoka turned to Furuya, his eyes sharp.

Furuya straightened up, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes: "It's finally my turn."

Manager Kataoka added, "You go to the pitcher's mound, Hayashi Sho goes to right field. Shirasu, you come off the field to rest."

Bai Zhou was somewhat surprised, but immediately understood the coach's intention and silently nodded as he walked towards the bench. Bai Zhou's striking was good, but it was still far inferior to Lin Xiao's.

Lin Xiao patted Furuya on the shoulder and said with a smile, "The pitcher's mound is yours now, do your best."

Furuya nodded coldly without saying anything more, but the fighting spirit in his eyes intensified.

The referee announced that the game would continue.

Furuya strode confidently toward the pitcher's mound, his first time standing on the mound in a competitive game in two weeks. Lin Xiao, in right field, watched Furuya go, a knowing glint in his eyes.

Across from him in the dugout, Coach Matsumoto frowned: "Seido changed pitchers? Who's that first-year pitcher?"

"Furuya, a first-year rookie. He's said to have a fast ball that can reach 150 km/h, but ball control has always been a problem," the assistant replied.

"It appeared at the Kanto Conference."

Coach Matsumoto mused, "Interesting. Was substituting Lin Xiao too confident?"

Furuya stepped onto the mound, took a deep breath, and felt the long-lost pressure and excitement. He glanced at the scoreboard: 9-0, Seido in the lead.

The ball in his hand seemed to be telling a story; he gripped it tightly, determined not to let anyone hit it.

Kiryu, the seventh batter, stepped into the batter's box, his eyes brimming with confidence. Furuya coldly stared at his opponent, assuming his pitching stance.

The first goal!

Furuya threw the ball with all his might, and it flew straight towards home plate like an arrow, with amazing speed!

"So fast!" exclaimed the spectators on the sidelines.

However, compared to Lin Xiao's pitch speed, the slowdown made it too slow for Kiryu's batter. He quickly hit the ball, which flew deep into the outfield!

It's no joke that the team's back muscles weigh 180 kilograms.

Haruichi Kominato quickly judged the ball's trajectory in left field and moved rapidly to the landing point, but the ball was too powerful, and he caught it. However, his return pass was a little slow.

A hit is made!

Furuya frowned, clearly surprised. He hadn't expected his most impressive fastball to be hit so easily.

The eighth batter came on, looking just as confident as ever.

Undeterred, Furuya threw another full-power fastball.

"Bang!" Another crisp sound of the ball hitting the ground rang out, and the ball flew towards the outfield once again!

Two RBIs single!

The score became 9 to 2.

"This new pitcher is fantastic," a jeer echoed from Kiryu's bench. "No need to worry at all, he can't control the pitch at all."

The Seido supporters on the sidelines began to stir: "What happened? How did that pitcher get beaten up like that?"

"The ball speed is fast, but it doesn't seem to have changed much!"

"They can even play like that?"

As Furuya listened to these doubts, his face grew increasingly grim. He tried adjusting his pitching angle, but ended up throwing consecutive bad pitches that went out of the strike zone.

Four balls, one player walks.

Another four balls, another walk.

Bases loaded!

"The ball has no power at all..." Furuya muttered to himself, his knuckles white from gripping the ball too tightly.

Manager Kataoka remained expressionless, as if he had anticipated all of this. Miyuki kept gesturing to Furuya at home plate, trying to help him get into the zone, but Furuya seemed lost in his own world.

Another bad ball, squeezing back a point! 9-3!

Boos erupted from the sidelines: "What?! This pitcher is terrible!"

"Switch back to Lin Xiao quickly!"

"That first-year student is in terrible shape!"

Lin Xiao, in right field, looked at Furuya on the pitcher's mound, his eyes revealing complex emotions. He could see Furuya's struggle—that obsession with conquering the entire field with only one weapon, that stubbornness that refused to adapt.

Completely unaware of the importance of ball control, and distrustful of the defense behind him. His mind was solely focused on striking out the opponent.

Coach Matsumoto observed the situation on the field.

The batter who came down replied, "The situation in Furuya is worse than I imagined."

"The ball speed is indeed amazing, but the distinction between good and bad shots is too obvious, so you can completely adapt to each move."

"That pitcher's pitch was fast, but the landing point was too easy to predict."

"Just wait for his ball to get into the strike zone, and you can hit it easily."

Coach Matsumoto's eyes lit up: "I see. Seido High School is having a training camp. No wonder most of the players look exhausted."

"Only Lin Xiao seemed unaffected, but now he's been substituted..."

"I don't know what you mean, Coach Kataoka..."

Coach Matsumoto turned to his players, his eyes gleaming with victory: "Go all out! Seido's not doing well, especially that first-year pitcher. We have a chance to take the lead!"

"Now that Lin Xiao has left the pitcher's mound, let's not hold back and beat them to a pulp!"

Furuya's bad shot gave away another point, making the score 9-4.

He stood on the pitcher's mound, his forehead soaked with sweat, and his breathing became rapid.

In the rest area of ​​the Seido track, the team members' worries became increasingly apparent.

"Even if the training camp is tiring... it shouldn't be this tiring, right?"

"Furuya's condition is really bad, the gap between him and Lin Xiao is too big," Department Head Ota couldn't help but say.

"If we throw it like that, what if Furuya gets blown up..."

"Coach, how about we switch Lin Xiao back?" Department Head Ota said worriedly.

Manager Kataoka shook his head: "Furuya must pitch all three innings!"

Manager Kataoka remained silent, his gaze never leaving the pitcher's mound. This was a test for Furuya; he had to understand the importance of control and why Lin Xiao was able to completely dominate the same batting lineup.

That's the difference. A difference in skill, a difference in mentality, and a difference in understanding of baseball.

Furuya, however, must learn all of this in his own way.