Yuki was struck out.
One out. Bases empty.
"Fifth Batter, Outfielder, Isashiki Jun."
Inside the dugout of the Seido High School Baseball Team, the players all wore grim expressions.
Looking at the confident figure standing on the mound, a wave of helplessness rose uncontrollably in their hearts.
That had been a Changeup.
With Yuki Tetsuya's batting ability, if he hadn't misjudged the pitch, there was no way he would've swung early.
Against that kind of ball, he shouldn't have missed completely.
Even if he failed to get a Hit, he should at least have made contact.
And yet—
He hadn't even touched the ball.
What did that mean?
The Seido players understood it clearly.
If Narumiya Mei's pitching could fool even Yuki, then deceiving the rest of them would be even easier.
The only one who might be able to see through it was probably Zhou Hao.
But would Narumiya Mei ever give Zhou Hao that opportunity?
Even if the two of them dueled until the very end, the Seido players were certain Narumiya Mei would never dare use that Breaking Ball against Zhou Hao.
With Zhou Hao's batting insight, that pitch would become nothing more than a sitting duck.
He would swing without hesitation and crush it cleanly for a Hit—
Or perhaps even a home run.
Putting themselves in Narumiya Mei's shoes, the Seido players knew they would make the exact same choice.
Unable to think of any reliable strategy against Narumiya Mei, anxiety spread throughout Seido's dugout.
Meanwhile, standing in the Batter's Box, Isashiki Jun narrowed his eyes at the mound.
If even the dugout couldn't come up with a solution, there was no way he suddenly would.
But right now, he was the one facing Narumiya Mei.
"I can't wait for the Breaking Ball."
"If it's a Fastball, I swing immediately."
Making up his mind, Isashiki Jun gripped the bat tightly with both hands and raised it high.
At that very moment, Narumiya Mei made his move.
BOOM!
The baseball shot forward like a beam of white light.
A shock ran through Isashiki Jun's heart.
He knew this pitch was absurdly fast.
But because he knew that, retreating wasn't an option.
From the very beginning, he had been waiting specifically for this kind of pitch.
The instant the ball approached, Isashiki Jun unleashed his swing.
"Fly already, damn it!"
He practically roared the words through clenched teeth.
Facing a Fastball over 150 km/h, Isashiki Jun connected with precision.
THWACK!
The moment the bat collided with the baseball, his hands sank heavily.
The penetrating force of the pitch exceeded even his expectations.
But so what?
The fifth batter of Seido High School would never back down.
Even if his teeth shattered from grinding them together, he would force this ball through.
WHOOSH!
After the fierce clash, Isashiki Jun barely won the battle and forced the baseball into play.
The moment he made contact, excitement surged through his body.
Throwing aside the bat, he exploded toward first base.
The baseball bounced awkwardly after landing.
But the Third Baseman of Inashiro Industrial handled it effortlessly.
Without wasting a single motion, he scooped the ball into his glove and fired to first.
THWACK!
"Out!"
Two outs. Bases empty.
The spectators couldn't help gasping.
"What clean defense."
"As expected from the runner-up of the Spring Koshien."
"Their coordination is incredible."
On the mound, Narumiya Mei wasn't surprised at all.
He even stuck out his tongue playfully.
"Your opponent isn't just me, Mustache-senpai."
Seeing that smug expression only irritated Isashiki Jun further.
"I'll hit your pitches sooner or later!"
He silently swore that if he got another chance against Narumiya Mei, he absolutely wouldn't hold back.
Narumiya Mei, however, couldn't care less.
Although Inashiro Industrial's fame still fell slightly behind Seido's as the nation's top powerhouse, they were far from weak.
They had clawed their way to the runner-up position at the Spring Koshien qualifiers through sheer strength.
As Inashiro's Ace, Narumiya Mei had already offended countless opponents.
The number of people who wanted to beat him up probably stretched all the way from Tokyo to Koshien Stadium.
So what if one more person was angry?
The final Batter to step up was Seido's sixth batter—
Miyuki Kazuya.
The moment Narumiya Mei saw him, his excitement visibly increased.
The baseball flying from his hand seemed blessed by the gods themselves, reaching terrifying speeds.
BOOM!
Watching the incoming pitch, Miyuki Kazuya felt his heart rise straight into his throat.
He should have realized it earlier.
Just how terrifying was a fully fired-up Narumiya Mei?
But retreat wasn't an option.
Given the current situation, even if he had to grit his teeth, he needed to put the ball into play.
"I'm not scared of you."
THWACK!
The instant the bat touched the baseball, Miyuki knew things had gone wrong.
The sensation from the contact felt completely off.
The batted ball didn't even travel ten meters before bouncing weakly on the ground.
The players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team reacted immediately.
No one hesitated.
They rushed forward, fielded the ball cleanly, and threw to first base in one smooth motion.
THWACK!
"Out!"
"Three outs! Change sides!"
The score remained 0–0.
Even though the Batters from both teams knew the opposing Ace extremely well, neither side could manage a Hit.
The only explanation was simple—
The Ace pitchers of these two teams were simply too terrifying.
Top of the third inning.
Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team came up to bat.
The first Batter to step into the box was Inashiro's seventh hitter.
The moment he appeared, it was obvious he lacked confidence.
Although he held the bat high and forced a fierce expression onto his face—
The slight trembling throughout his body couldn't escape Miyuki Kazuya's eyes.
It was the kind of reaction only experienced players showed when they were under extreme pressure.
On the surface, he looked calm.
But internally, he was nervous to the extreme.
Facing Zhou Hao's pitching, he had no confidence whatsoever.
And yet—
He still forced himself to stand firm.
After nodding lightly, Zhou Hao threw the baseball without the slightest hesitation.
Whoosh!
The moment the pitch left his hand, the seventh batter of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team froze in surprise.
So slow?
Compared to ordinary pitchers, the speed of this pitch was still fairly fast.
But his opponent was Zhou Hao—
The pitcher with the fastest Fastball in the country.
For a pitch around 140 km/h to come from Zhou Hao's hand felt almost ridiculous.
I can't let this go!
If an opportunity never appeared, that would be one thing.
But now that such a chance had appeared right in front of him, there was no way he could simply watch it pass.
Stepping forward aggressively, the batter instantly swung the raised bat in his hands.
Although he was extremely nervous, his swing was still fundamentally solid.
THWACK!
The white baseball was launched high into the air.
Everyone followed the ball with their eyes as it traced a long arc across the sky before descending again.
The Third Baseman of the Seido High School Baseball Team, Masuko, caught it effortlessly inside his glove.
THWACK!
"Out!"
One out. Bases empty.
Only then did the seventh batter realize what had happened.
That pitch had merely been Zhou Hao's Eephus pitch.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"I should've known..."
"I really should've known earlier."
There was no such thing as free gifts falling from the sky.
And even if there were—
Zhou Hao would never be the one handing them out.
As long as that man stood on the field, he represented invincibility itself.
How could a nearly unbeatable pitcher casually hand his opponents an opportunity?
"I'm such an idiot..."
The batter felt deeply frustrated with himself, but surprisingly, Inashiro's coach didn't scold him.
"Don't dwell on it."
"If you think there's a chance, then swing aggressively."
"Against Zhou Hao, the ball won't wait for you."
Those words immediately eased the player's frustration.
That was simply the kind of pitcher Zhou Hao was.
The game continued.
Next up was Inashiro's eighth batter.
And his trip back to the dugout was even faster.
Once again, it took only a single pitch.
The ball he hit was caught directly by Zhou Hao himself.
THWACK!
"Out!"
Two outs. Bases empty.
Then came the ninth batter.
His patience was better, and he didn't fall for the bait so easily.
Unfortunately, his ending wasn't any different from the previous two.
THWACK!
The white baseball bounced sharply after being hit.
Seido's Second Baseman rushed forward to cover the play and cleanly fielded the ball into his glove.
Without hesitation, he fired the ball to first base.
THWACK!
"Out!"
"Three outs! Change sides!"
The applause in the stands immediately erupted.
"So cool!"
"The Inashiro players can't react at all!"
"Three outs in only five pitches—Zhou Hao is way too daring!"
The beautiful reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine couldn't help asking in confusion:
"Zhou Hao is playing far too boldly. What if one of those pitches gets crushed?"
"As long as the opponent makes contact, even pure luck could result in a Hit."
Beside her, Fujio lowered his voice.
"That's exactly why this is all within Zhou Hao's calculations."
"He's bold because he's confident."
"He only uses these pitches when he's certain he can get the out."
"But what if something unexpected happens?"
"Then he'll simply strike the batter out cleanly."
"Zhou Hao's fearlessness comes from absolute confidence in his own pitching."
Fujio's voice carried deep certainty.
Zhou Hao's title as the nation's number one player had never been an exaggeration.
He truly possessed the strength worthy of everyone's recognition.
"I see..."
The beautiful reporter blinked her large eyes and nodded thoughtfully.
She wasn't the only one confused earlier.
Many spectators shared the same doubts.
And perhaps because of those doubts, watching Zhou Hao dominate his opponents so effortlessly only made the audience even more excited.
Their admiration for him deepened further.
It was like watching someone ride a bicycle on a tightrope—
The greater the danger, the more captivating it became.
The game soon moved into the bottom of the third inning.
Now it was the turn of Seido's lower batting order.
The first batter up was Masuko Toru.
The moment Harada and Narumiya Mei saw his imposing stance in the Batter's Box, both became noticeably more cautious.
Facing a hitter like Masuko, they couldn't afford to relax in the slightest.
After all, his raw power was terrifying.
Even without hitting the sweet spot perfectly, he could still blast the baseball away through sheer strength alone.
Just thinking about it gave Narumiya Mei a headache.
Against Masuko, he needed to stay one hundred and twenty thousand percent focused.
Lifting his leg high, Narumiya Mei strode forward and completed his pitching motion in one fluid sequence.
The baseball exploded from his hand at maximum velocity.
BOOM!
Standing in the Batter's Box, Masuko didn't swing recklessly.
He calmly watched the first pitch pass by.
Only when the second pitch arrived did he grip the bat tightly and unleash his swing.
THWACK!
The batted ball flew high before landing behind the Home Plate Umpire.
"Foul!"
One strike. One foul.
Masuko was instantly cornered.
Now, no matter what Narumiya Mei threw next, he had to swing.
He had no other choice.
"WUGA!"
Masuko roared loudly.
His eyes widened like an enraged bull as he stared at the mound.
Then he saw Narumiya Mei pull back and release the baseball.
It wasn't a Fastball.
It was a Changeup.
The instant he realized that, Masuko's eyes widened even further.
There was no deception.
No deliberate concealment.
It was simply a straightforward Changeup.
Easy to recognize.
"WUGA!"
As the baseball approached, Masuko deliberately forced the bat downward with all his strength.
BOOM!
The swing exploded with overwhelming force.
At that moment, it felt like even a shot put could be smashed away by Masuko's bat.
However—
Just as the bat was about to connect—
The baseball suddenly rotated and sank sharply.
From Seido's dugout, Zhou Hao saw everything clearly.
His eyes instantly lit up with excitement.
"Sharingan... activate."
Nowadays, very few Breaking Balls interested Zhou Hao enough to copy them using the Sharingan.
In fact, he had been consciously trying to rely on it less and less.
He firmly believed that if he could completely free himself from depending on the Sharingan, his own strength would rise to an even higher level.
But occasionally copying a truly exceptional pitch?
That still wasn't bad.
Adding another trump card to his arsenal was always worthwhile.
THWACK!
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!!"
At that moment, a familiar system notification echoed in Zhou Hao's mind.
[New Breaking Ball recorded. Please name the pitch.]
As expected—
This was an extremely high-level Breaking Ball.
"Screwball Changeup."
[Screwball Changeup recorded successfully. Current Level: 1.]