Shonan Gakuen's Ace threw a breaking ball that caused Kominato Ryosuke to swing and miss, sending a shockwave through the hearts of the Seido High School Baseball Team.
"Interesting!"
Yuuki, waiting for his turn at hitting, murmured with narrowed eyes.
For the usually quiet Seido captain to give such a comment, it showed how difficult Aoki's breaking ball was to deal with.
"Slider?"
The teammates in the dugout, with a clearer perspective as observers, more easily recognized Aoki's pitch type.
But recognizing it was one thing; dealing with it was another.
"To reach the finals in Kanagawa, the opponent certainly couldn't be without any skill."
It should be noted that Kanagawa could basically be considered a hellish division, second only to Tokyo.
Actually, before the game, the Seido High School Baseball Team teammates should have already guessed that their opponent today, although obscure and having never shown strength in major competitions before, must be quite skilled to have fought their way out of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Therefore, the Seido High School Baseball Team teammates were not surprised by Shonan Gakuen's current performance.
What surprised them was, could the pitcher they had easily dominated earlier be so formidable after recovering his form?
Miyuki once said that if this guy didn't have the weakness of an unstable start, he might have the strength to contend for the honor of the strongest pitcher of their generation.
Previously, the teammates thought Miyuki was exaggerating.
Now it seemed they were too overconfident.
This guy named Aoki really had a knack for it when he went all out.
Led by the third-year seniors, their perception of Aoki had changed; they believed Miyuki and Zhang Han's previous warnings were correct.
Little did they know, these two were also in a state of confusion.
Standing in the batter's box, Zhang Han looked at Aoki thoughtfully.
Compared to when they faced each other two years ago, this one in front of him was like a completely different person.
In fact, even Aoki's performance at the beginning of the game showed significant improvement compared to two years ago.
It was just that the Seido High School Baseball Team's hitting lineup was too formidable, so his progress couldn't be fully displayed and was heavily suppressed by the Seido High School Baseball Team's hitters.
But gold always shines.
After enduring the opening phase, Aoki's progress over the past two years was fully presented to the Seido High School Baseball Team.
Even with Zhang Han's current strength, his heart still trembled when he saw that breaking ball.
It would probably take some effort to deal with Aoki.
As long as it's a Fastball, just hit it first!
Zhang Han temporarily gave up on the idea of hitting that breaking ball.
Without a sure win, he decided not to touch it for now.
The team needed him to secure a hit more steadily right now.
With a plan in mind, Zhang Han aimed for the opponent's Fastball, ready to make his move.
Just as Zhang Han was poised, Aoki on the pitcher's mound also seemed to have made a big decision, choosing to confront him directly.
And his first pitch, judging by the wind-up, was the breaking ball he had just unleashed.
Zhang Han, who had not originally intended to swing at the breaking ball, coldly pursed his lips.
If there was a Fastball, Zhang Han would, of course, prefer to hit the Fastball he felt more confident about.
Although by current performance, Zhang Han had become one of the nation's top hitters.
But Zhang Han himself didn't actually have the kind of determination that a slugger would have to fight a decisive battle with the opponent's best pitch.
He wasn't that stubborn.
In contrast, he believed more in a simple, practical philosophy: it didn't matter how you got there, as long as you got results.
First and foremost, hit the ball and secure the victory.
On that basis, if there was an opportunity for an exciting showdown with the opponent's Ace.
For Zhang Han, that was a great enjoyment.
But enjoyable things, after all, were just icing on the cake, not essential.
Zhang Han was clear about this.
But if the opponent didn't intend to throw a Fastball, Zhang Han certainly wouldn't just give up.
He was unwilling to hit pitches he wasn't sufficiently confident in, but that didn't mean he couldn't hit such pitches.
These were two different concepts.
If the opponent threw two consecutive breaking balls, then for the third pitch, he wouldn't hold back.
Just as Zhang Han made up his mind, the ball had already flown over.
Zhang Han's pupils suddenly constricted.
The speed of this pitch was wrong.
"Pop!"
The baseball flew straight through and landed in catcher Akiyama's mitt.
Many of the Seido High School Baseball Team teammates sitting in the dugout had already stood up at this moment.
They couldn't sit still.
It was a Fastball?
Just now, this guy named Aoki actually threw a Fastball with the posture of throwing a breaking ball?
This was just too…
In Shonan Gakuen's dugout, Coach Mikura's smile was impossible to hide.
"After more than a year of hard work and adjustments, it's finally complete!"
To have Aoki throw a vertical slider with the motion of a Fastball.
Unfortunately, no matter how much effort they put in before, it was ultimately proven that they couldn't do it.
The adjustment of the arm angle and the direction of the grip were simply too different.
As long as the Fastball pitching motion was used, no matter what, the ball would not sink.
At that time, Coach Mikura changed his approach.
Since there was no way to throw a breaking ball with a Fastball motion, then throw a Fastball with a breaking ball motion.
Of course, this wasn't easy either.
To achieve this, Aoki and Akiyama, including Coach Mikura himself, put in a lot of time and effort and did a lot of practice.
Fortunately, hard work pays off.
After throwing tens of thousands of pitches, this almost impossible task was completed by them.
From this moment on, the history of high school baseball was destined to be rewritten.
The name of the nation's top pitcher would surely be added again.
"Go forth and shine; your potential and talent deserve more applause."
Coach Mikura had a sense of pride, like a father seeing his child grow up.
************************************
Upto 50 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123