"What is going on with Inashiro's batters?"
"That pitch was only around 140 kilometers per hour!"
If those words were used to describe any ordinary pitcher, it would sound absurdly arrogant.
But this was Zhou Hao.
The nationally recognized number one pitcher.
The monster capable of throwing 160 km/h blazing fastballs.
Compared to his usual velocity, a 140 km/h pitch genuinely felt slow.
It was practically the equivalent of taking it easy.
Yet Inashiro Industrial's first and second batters couldn't even touch it.
At this point, not only the neutral spectators but even Inashiro's own supporters were beginning to look stunned.
How long could their lineup possibly endure like this?
Were they really going to be suppressed by Zhou Hao from start to finish?
"That's just an ordinary pitch!"
"Swing the bat already!"
"Don't disgrace Inashiro Industrial!"
The players themselves felt even more frustrated hearing the criticism.
Did they not want to swing?
Of course they did.
More than anyone else, they wanted to crush Zhou Hao's pitches and blast them into the stands.
But they simply couldn't do it.
Every time they prepared to make contact—
The baseball disappeared.
Even though they understood that the ball had most likely slipped into a blind spot in their vision for an instant, knowing the reason changed nothing.
Understanding it didn't mean they could hit it.
Inashiro's third batter slowly stepped into the batter's box.
Meanwhile, inside the dugout, the players' eyes were wide open as they urgently exchanged information.
"The ball should be dropping below the bat at the last moment."
"Our line of sight gets blocked by the barrel."
"That's why the pitch looks like it disappears!"
"When you swing against Zhou Hao's Breaking Ball, lower the bat slightly."
"The exact angle still needs testing, but lowering the bat should help you see the ball clearly."
Two consecutive batters had experienced the same phenomenon.
That couldn't possibly be coincidence.
Besides, Zhou Hao had used this type of pitch before, though very rarely.
Now, however, he seemed prepared to use it as his primary weapon.
The reason was obvious.
Both the Spiral Ball and the ultra-fast Fastball consumed too much stamina.
Even Zhou Hao had to be cautious.
More importantly—
He clearly intended to pitch deep into the game, perhaps even through extra innings.
After suffering that painful defeat last autumn, there was no way the national number one would allow himself to collapse from exhaustion again.
If Inashiro hoped to drag him into a stamina battle—
They were dreaming.
This time, Zhou Hao would absolutely outlast Narumiya Mei.
Standing in the batter's box, Inashiro's third batter repeatedly recalled the information Carlos and Shirakawa had just provided.
Lower the bat.
That way, maybe he could finally see through the mystery behind the disappearing pitch.
Just then, Miyuki Kazuya, crouched behind the plate, quickly flashed a signal toward the mound.
We've shown them consecutive Breaking Balls already.
Now let's hit them with something brutal.
The moment Zhou Hao saw the sign, he immediately understood Miyuki's intention.
He had to admit—
Miyuki Kazuya was truly vicious.
And Zhou Hao loved that side of him.
Toying with opponents like this was incredibly satisfying.
Zhou Hao lifted his leg and stepped forward.
Then the baseball exploded out of his hand.
Although his pitching form looked exactly the same as before, the speed was on an entirely different level.
BOOM!
The instant the ball left his fingertips, it erupted with a thunderous roar.
The audience froze.
Many spectators stared blankly, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
It was as if the baseball had suddenly been equipped with a rocket engine.
Before anyone could react, the ball transformed into a streak of white light and flashed past the batter's eyes.
Pop!
"Strike!!"
Inashiro's third batter was a nationally famous slugger.
Yet against this pitch, he failed to react at all.
He simply stood there like a fool, helplessly watching the baseball blow past him.
There was nothing he could do.
Inside Inashiro's dugout, the players felt as though their throats had been stuffed with straw.
And when they looked up at the giant electronic scoreboard—
Their shock deepened even further.
160 km/h.
No one understood the terror behind that number better than the players of Inashiro Industrial.
Just moments ago, Zhou Hao had been throwing seemingly slow Breaking Balls.
So how had he suddenly unleashed such a monstrous Fastball without any warning?
None of them could understand it.
On the mound, however, Zhou Hao didn't care in the slightest about their confusion.
After stealing the first strike, he immediately threw the second pitch.
This one was dramatically slower.
"It's here!"
The third batter's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Before this, he had convinced himself that Zhou Hao's blazing Fastball was only meant to distract him.
He couldn't let himself be affected.
He had to stay calm and focus entirely on the Breaking Ball.
And now—
The Breaking Ball had truly arrived.
Only then did he realize how naive his earlier thoughts had been.
Knowing something in theory and actually reacting to it were two completely different things.
As the baseball approached, his mind remained trapped by the memory of the previous 160 km/h Fastball.
Because of that lingering fear, his swing completely lost its rhythm.
All he could do was helplessly watch as the bat cut through empty air.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Two strikes. No balls.
Just like Carlos and Shirakawa before him, Inashiro's third batter had instantly been cornered.
The Inashiro supporters in the stands unconsciously held their breath.
The atmosphere had become unbearably tense.
So tense that many people could clearly hear their own pounding heartbeats.
Just how was Zhou Hao doing this?
No one could understand it.
The seamless transition between blazing Fastballs and slow Breaking Balls left the entire stadium stunned.
There was no adjustment period.
No change in rhythm.
It was as if Zhou Hao could throw any pitch he wanted, whenever he wanted.
And that was the most terrifying part.
Zhou Hao already possessed an absurdly large arsenal of pitches.
Now that he could switch between them so effortlessly, who in the world could possibly touch his baseball?
Inashiro Industrial's third batter was one of the team's core third-year sluggers.
Naturally, he had once believed he could handle Zhou Hao's pitching.
But now, confusion filled his eyes.
Were all his previous preparations really meaningful?
Perhaps the version of Zhou Hao from last autumn could still have been challenged through careful preparation.
But the current Zhou Hao—
The fully matured monster capable of freely controlling every kind of Fastball and Breaking Ball—
Was on an entirely different level.
Compared to him now, all those preparations felt like a joke.
"I can only wait for the slow ball…"
"And lower my bat once the Breaking Ball appears…"
Against Zhou Hao's 160 km/h Fastball, even Inashiro's cleanup hitter felt despair.
He simply couldn't react to it.
The only pitch he could hope to challenge was the Breaking Ball.
Even if the odds of successfully hitting it were tiny—
At least there was still hope.
Unlike the blazing Fastball, which was enough to make any high school batter feel hopeless.
Just as those thoughts surfaced in his mind, Zhou Hao began his next motion on the mound.
He raised his leg and fired the baseball decisively.
Whoosh!
The instant the batter saw the pitch, his eyes lit up.
A Breaking Ball!
The exact pitch he had been waiting for.
Without hesitation, he locked onto the baseball's trajectory and aimed his swing roughly two ball-widths beneath it.
Even if he failed to make contact this time, he at least wanted to clearly understand the movement of Zhou Hao's disappearing pitch.
For Inashiro's lineup, gathering information today was critically important.
But just as he believed his plan was finally working—
Something unbelievable happened.
His lowered bat completely missed underneath the baseball.
The ball sailed directly over the top of the bat.
This wasn't a Breaking Ball at all.
It was a slow straight Fastball!
At that instant, the Inashiro batter felt as though an earthquake had erupted inside his chest.
How?
How had Zhou Hao predicted his thoughts so perfectly?
And how could he manipulate hitters this casually?
His mind blanked entirely.
Unfortunately for him, nobody was going to wait around for him to figure it out.
All the audience saw was another empty swing.
Pop!
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!!"
Three outs. Side retired.
As Seido's players headed back toward the dugout, Miyuki Kazuya immediately walked up beside Zhou Hao with a grin.
"That last pitch was nasty."
"How did you know he'd be waiting for the Breaking Ball?"
The final slow straight pitch had completely humiliated Inashiro's third batter.
Zhou Hao had practically toyed with him.
Zhou Hao shrugged casually.
"He practically had 'throw me a Breaking Ball' written all over his face."
Even without the Sharingan, Zhou Hao would have been able to read the batter's intentions.
And during that at-bat, his Sharingan had been fully activated.
Every tiny movement and emotional fluctuation of the opponent had been reflected clearly in his eyes.
Under those circumstances, striking him out was only natural.
Meanwhile, inside Inashiro Industrial's dugout—
The players accepted the result of the three-up, three-down inning surprisingly quickly.
There was no helping it.
After all, their opponent was Zhou Hao.
Forget Inashiro—
Even if the so-called "Cosmic Team" came here, their batters would probably still look helpless against him.
Coach Kunimoto's eyes sharpened as he immediately analyzed the situation.
"He's deliberately conserving stamina."
"In the first and third rounds through the lineup, he'll likely use more high-speed pitches and Spiral Balls."
"Our best opportunity will come during the second round."
"Do you understand?"
Even in such an unfavorable situation, Coach Kunimoto calmly identified Zhou Hao's likely strategy.
During the early and late stages of the game, Zhou Hao would probably suppress them completely.
Only in the middle innings, when he intentionally reduced his reliance on high-consumption pitches, would Inashiro have a real chance to attack.
Of course, that didn't mean they could relax now.
On the contrary—
The more pressure they applied early, the more quickly Zhou Hao's stamina would drain.
"Hold them here first."
"We'll talk about the rest afterward."
As Inashiro's Ace, Narumiya Mei suddenly brought his hands together and bowed deeply toward his teammates.
"I'm counting on you guys!"
Facing Seido High School, even the proud "Tokyo Prince" had to give everything he had.
And he understood clearly—
He couldn't fight this battle alone.
Hearing Narumiya's words, the Inashiro players exchanged glances before nodding solemnly.
They would never let their Ace down.
Nor would they disappoint their Coach or supporters.
Even if their opponent was overwhelmingly powerful—
They would still fight with every ounce of strength they possessed.
"Go!"
Coach Kunimoto cracked his neck and signaled the team to take the field.
Bottom of the first inning.
Seido High School came to bat.
The first batter stepping into the box was second-year speedster Kuramochi Yoichi.
"Hyah-hah!"
He still wore his usual mischievous grin.
Even standing in the batter's box, his eyes darted around restlessly.
At the same time, he carefully observed Narumiya Mei.
What kind of pitches would Inashiro's Ace throw today?
Kuramochi was genuinely curious.
Inside the batter's box, he subtly leaned his body forward, clearly preparing for something.
On the mound, Narumiya immediately noticed the movement.
Although he couldn't guess exactly what Kuramochi was planning, one thing was certain—
Kuramochi's batting power wasn't particularly dangerous.
The real threat was his speed.
If Kuramochi reached base, Seido's chances of scoring would increase dramatically.
And that was something Narumiya absolutely refused to allow.
Without hesitation, he began his pitching motion.
Whoosh!
The white baseball exploded forward like a bullet.
The instant Kuramochi saw the pitch, his expression stiffened slightly.
Damn…
He clearly hadn't expected Narumiya's velocity to be this fast.
The pitch had easily surpassed 150 km/h.
That speed alone was already terrifying.
Even more frightening was Narumiya's control.
He could throw pitches at that velocity directly into the strike zone with pinpoint precision.
When Kuramochi first stepped into the batter's box, he had been full of ambition.
But now—
He suddenly realized something.
It might take until Seido's third batter before anyone could truly challenge Narumiya Mei's pitching.
As for himself?
He simply had no way to hit that ball.