The players of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team simply could not accept the reality unfolding before them.
They had clearly seen Zhou Hao's pitching decline.
His velocity had dropped dramatically.
The monstrous super-fast Fastball that had once dominated the field was gone.
The burden from those terrifying pitches had obviously taken its toll.
Otherwise, why would he stop throwing them?
Although Zhou Hao still possessed an arsenal of elite Breaking Balls, those pitches were undeniably easier to deal with than his overwhelming power Fastballs.
Even the spectators in the stands had noticed.
Earlier, when Zhou Hao was unleashing 168 km/h missiles, the crowd had been strangely restrained.
Not because they weren't excited.
But because they knew the truth.
No matter how loudly they cheered, their team's batters had virtually no chance of hitting those pitches.
At that point, cheering almost felt like mockery.
Now, however, things were different.
A flaw had finally appeared.
Even though many supporters still believed Zhou Hao was nearly impossible to overcome, they couldn't stop themselves from shouting encouragement.
The opportunity was simply too rare.
If they missed it now—
Who knew whether another chance would ever come?
For Inashiro's players, there was only one thing to think about:
Hit the ball.
Drive it into the field.
Everything else could wait.
Standing in the batter's box with exactly that mindset was Shirakawa Katsuyuki.
One out.
Bases empty.
As Inashiro Industrial's second batter, Shirakawa stepped up to the plate.
Among Inashiro's regular starters, he possessed the smallest frame.
He wasn't physically imposing.
He didn't have overwhelming power.
Naturally, that meant driving the ball deep into the field was more difficult for him than for most batters.
But so what?
As long as there was an opportunity, he would never let it slip away.
Against Zhou Hao's previous super-fast Fastballs, Shirakawa had been completely helpless.
Forget hitting the ball cleanly—
Making contact alone had been difficult.
But things were different now.
The super-fast Fastball was gone.
The Spiral Ball was unlikely to appear.
What remained were ordinary Fastballs and Breaking Balls.
And those were exactly the kinds of pitches Shirakawa excelled at handling.
Whether for Inashiro Industrial or for himself, he couldn't afford to relax now.
His eyes remained fixed on Zhou Hao.
His bat rested high above his shoulder.
Every ounce of concentration was focused forward.
The moment the ball left Zhou Hao's hand—
He would attack.
Without hesitation.
"You used overwhelming velocity to suppress me before."
"I couldn't do anything about it."
"But that doesn't mean I still can't."
With the velocity reduced so drastically, the power behind the pitch had to be weaker as well.
As soon as the baseball entered his hitting zone, Shirakawa planned to swing.
And he was confident he could make solid contact.
Behind home plate, Miyuki Kazuya watched carefully.
As fellow stars from the same generation, Miyuki understood Shirakawa extremely well.
He knew both his strengths and his weaknesses.
And because of that, he understood exactly how dangerous Shirakawa had become.
At this stage of the game, few opponents were more troublesome.
If they wanted to retire him, they would need a very specific plan.
Just as Miyuki was considering their options, he glanced toward the mound.
As expected—
Zhou Hao remained calm.
Almost frighteningly calm.
Even while facing a batter capable of punishing mistakes.
Even while pitching with clear physical limitations.
There wasn't the slightest trace of anxiety on his face.
He appeared as composed as ever.
So composed, in fact, that even Shirakawa briefly wondered if they had all misunderstood the situation.
Could they have been wrong?
Could Zhou Hao still be perfectly fine?
That doubt lingered only until the next pitch left his hand.
The moment Shirakawa saw it, his suspicions vanished.
There was definitely a problem.
A serious one.
Against other batters, Zhou Hao occasionally used bait pitches or Eephus pitches.
That made sense.
But against Shirakawa?
Someone who specialized in discipline and pitch recognition?
There was no reason to use such tactics.
In previous matchups, Zhou Hao had always relied on overwhelming velocity to overpower him completely.
Yet now—
Knowing full well how dangerous it was—
He threw an ordinary Fastball.
Shirakawa didn't swing.
He simply watched the baseball pass.
POP!
"Strike!"
After seeing that pitch, Shirakawa became even more convinced.
Zhou Hao was struggling.
And the problem was bigger than anyone realized.
He didn't know the exact cause.
But he knew one thing for certain.
His opportunity had arrived.
"At this speed…"
"Even if the pitch breaks, I can still see it."
"And if I can see it…"
"I can hit it."
That was Shirakawa's conclusion.
As long as Zhou Hao threw the ball into the zone, he believed he could put it into play.
This was already the third trip through the order for Inashiro Industrial's lineup.
No one understood the significance of that better than the players themselves.
If they couldn't score now—
They might never score at all.
This was their chance.
Their only chance.
And they absolutely couldn't let it slip away.
Shirakawa tightened his grip on the bat.
Veins bulged along his forearms.
Inside the Inashiro dugout, every player watched nervously.
Their eyes burned with anticipation.
As long as an opportunity appeared—
They would attack without hesitation.
The chance is here.
Right now!
As if responding to their expectations, Zhou Hao finally released the next pitch.
The second pitch looked almost identical to the first.
Ordinary velocity.
Nothing overwhelming.
Shirakawa tracked it clearly from the moment it left the mound.
Even with the drop in speed, Zhou Hao's Fastball was still faster than that of most pitchers.
But Shirakawa wasn't concerned about that.
His eyes locked onto the approaching baseball.
The moment he identified its path—
He swung decisively.
Then, just before contact, he noticed something.
The spin.
Without hesitation, Shirakawa released his top hand and adjusted the bat angle downward.
CLACK!
The baseball was hit and bounced into the infield.
Masuko, stationed at third base, immediately moved to field it.
"Wait!"
Someone shouted a warning, causing Masuko to hesitate for a split second.
The baseball grazed the foul line and continued rolling outside it.
Foul ball!
One strike, one foul.
In just a few pitches, Inashiro Industrial's second batter had been pushed into a difficult position.
The players and supporters of Inashiro Industrial found the result hard to accept.
Their eyes widened with frustration and disbelief.
Shirakawa had been so close to reaching base.
Standing in the batter's box, however, Shirakawa appeared surprisingly composed.
Even though the count was against him, there wasn't the slightest hint of anxiety on his face.
Instead, he radiated confidence, as if he had already figured out how to get a hit.
Miyuki, crouched behind home plate, noticed it immediately.
"Quite confident, aren't you?"
When facing a batter like that, the best solution was to crush that confidence completely.
Just because Zhou Hao couldn't rely on overpowering velocity didn't mean they had run out of options.
Miyuki lowered himself into position.
On the mound, Zhou Hao began his motion.
Whoosh!
The baseball tore through the air.
Watching its trajectory, Shirakawa remained motionless.
The pitch was clearly heading outside the strike zone.
Who would have thought that Zhou Hao, the nation's number one pitcher, would resort to trying to lure a batter with an obvious ball?
And who was Shirakawa?
He was a former middle-school star and one of the key players of Inashiro Industrial.
Given his physical limitations, earning a regular spot on such a powerhouse team had required tremendous effort.
For Zhou Hao to think an ordinary breaking ball could trick him into swinging...
That was nothing but wishful thinking.
A faint sneer appeared on Shirakawa's face.
There was no way he would bite.
But as the baseball drew closer, Shirakawa's pupils suddenly contracted.
Something was wrong.
An ominous feeling surged through him.
Unfortunately, before he could react, the baseball had already crossed the plate.
Pop!
Miyuki caught it cleanly.
"Strike!"
The umpire's voice rang out immediately.
"Strike three! Batter out!"
Two outs, nobody on base.
The final pitch had started outside the strike zone before breaking sharply back over the plate.
Shirakawa had already decided not to swing, and by the time he realized the ball was returning to the zone, it was far too late.
Just like that, Zhou Hao recorded his second strikeout.
The Seido supporters erupted with excitement.
This wasn't the overwhelming dominance of blazing fastballs.
Yet somehow, it felt even more satisfying.
Using nothing more than average velocity and incredible breaking balls, Zhou Hao had completely toyed with Inashiro's lineup.
The result was something none of them had expected.
At that moment, even without his trademark power pitches, Zhou Hao's image in everyone's hearts seemed to grow even larger.
He looked almost invincible.
"Just a bunch of clowns."
"You didn't really think you could shut down Zhou Hao, did you?"
For Seido's players, the sight before them felt almost unreal.
Earlier, they had all noticed that Zhou Hao seemed unable to throw his usual high-speed pitches.
For a moment, anxiety had spread throughout the dugout.
Over time, relying on Zhou Hao had become second nature.
A large part of Seido's confidence against Inashiro came from the simple fact that their Ace was standing on the mound.
As long as Zhou Hao was there, it felt like they could overcome anything.
But when it seemed that he could no longer rely on his greatest weapon, panic had inevitably surfaced.
Seido possessed several capable substitute pitchers.
Yet who among them could truly replace Zhou Hao?
The answer was obvious.
No one.
It wasn't false modesty.
It was simply reality.
Yet just when everyone was struggling with those thoughts, Zhou Hao had answered them in the most convincing way possible.
Without his blazing fastball.
Without his Spiral Ball.
Using only his extraordinary breaking pitches, he continued making Inashiro's hitters look completely helpless.
The sight filled Seido's players and supporters with immense relief and excitement.
So what if Zhou Hao had overexerted himself earlier?
So what if Inashiro thought they had found an opportunity?
They still couldn't hit his pitches.
They couldn't even come close.
"You're still far from challenging him."
"At this rate, you won't get your chance in this lifetime."
The Seido supporters voiced exactly what everyone was thinking.
In their eyes, Inashiro's defeat already seemed inevitable.
Meanwhile, Inashiro's third batter stepped into the batter's box.
The moment he arrived, he lifted his chin confidently.
Bat gripped tightly in both hands, he looked ready to launch the ball out of the stadium.
Facing him, Zhou Hao delivered another pitch.
Whoosh!
The instant the batter saw it, he decided not to hold back.
The pitch was right where he wanted it.
If he let this one go, he would only regret it.
Without hesitation, he unleashed a full swing.
Crack!
The white baseball shot off the bat.
Yet instead of celebrating, the players in Inashiro's dugout stared in disbelief.
Their expressions looked as though they had just seen a ghost.
The ball soared high into the air.
Far too high.
Waiting underneath it was Seido's shortstop.
"Leave it to me!"
He confidently settled beneath the descending ball.
Pop!
The catch was made cleanly.
"Out!"
Three outs.
Side retired.
Once again, Zhou Hao's performance shocked everyone in attendance.
No one had expected him to dominate so thoroughly under these circumstances.
Without relying on overwhelming velocity.
Without any special tricks.
Using only ordinary fastballs and devastating breaking balls, he had retired Inashiro's top three batters with ease.
This was already their third confrontation of the game.
Yet Inashiro still couldn't see even the slightest glimmer of hope.
And now, they would have to face Seido's counterattack.
Bottom of the seventh inning.
Seido High School's turn to bat.
Leading off was the team's second batter—
Kominato Ryosuke.