"Boom!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!"
Three up, three down. Side retired.
Kuroda, who had already conceded a run earlier, now looked even more terrifying.
He unleashed three consecutive pitches—all clocked at over 150 kilometers per hour.
Chris wanted desperately to keep the momentum going, to help his team extend their lead.
But a 150 km/h fastball isn't something anyone can just hit.
Not now. Not him.
As the game entered the top of the fifth inning, Seidou High School made a bold move.
Yoshida, who had been playing in the outfield, was called up to the mound.
Zhou Hao, the starting pitcher, moved out to the outfield instead.
"That terrifying spiral ball, combined with his wide variety of breaking pitches, burns through stamina like crazy."
"The sweat on Zhou Hao's forehead and his heavy, uneven breathing… compared to the other Seidou players, it's obvious—he's exhausted."
"They had no choice but to make this change. I wouldn't be surprised if Zhou Hao comes back in two or three innings, though!"
The commentator's analysis hit the nail on the head.
Seidou's loyal supporters were still stunned. None of them had expected the opponent to push Zhou Hao this far.
"There's also the Koshien factor to consider."
Another commentator chimed in.
For Seidou, this wasn't just about the opponent. The weight of Koshien itself was enormous.
They hadn't made it here in years. Now that they had finally returned, every player carried an invisible burden.
And Zhou Hao? A first-year rookie, stepping onto Koshien's mound for the first time.
Every possible disadvantage stacked against him.
Sure, he had the raw power and talent to hold his own against Osaka Kiryu. But once the adrenaline wore off, the pressure and fatigue began to creep in.
That's what they were seeing now—his stamina giving way at the worst possible moment.
If Seidou didn't adjust, their rookie ace risked being crushed by Osaka Kiryu.
But those adjustments came with risks of their own.
In the Osaka Kiryu dugout, Manager Matsumoto Takahiro held up two fingers.
"My demand is simple—two runs! Just two. This pitcher might only last two innings, so those innings are your chance. Don't waste it."
Yet even as he said it, Matsumoto's lips curled in a wry smile.
Seidou's timing had been too perfect. They'd managed to avoid Osaka Kiryu's most dangerous sluggers, giving their reliever a real shot at surviving these innings.
Still, Seidou's strategy might've been too wishful.
Because this was Osaka Kiryu—the top powerhouse in the nation, the so-called Universe Team.
They weren't built on just a few star sluggers. The rest of their lineup was every bit as dangerous.
Top of the fifth. No outs, no runners.
Osaka Kiryu's number 6 batter stepped up. He tightened his grip and pulled his bat back, clearly going for a full swing.
On the mound, Yoshida licked his parched lips, eyes burning with excitement.
The legendary Osaka Kiryu—the national powerhouse, the dream opponent.
And now he was standing here, facing them head-on.
Heart pounding, Yoshida gave it everything he had.
"Whoosh!"
The ball blazed forward, cutting through the air.
"So fast!!"
The number 6 batter instinctively tightened his grip, fully aware of how sharp this pitch was.
This wasn't just some reliever. Seidou's Yoshida was something else.
Before he could react—
"Thwack!"
The ball smacked cleanly into Chris's mitt.
"Strike!"
Even Osaka Kiryu's lineup understood immediately. Yoshida wasn't just good. He was at his absolute peak.
Matsumoto Takahiro's heart thumped uneasily.
A bad premonition crept in.
Could they… actually fail to score against this guy?
Before facing Seidou, both Osaka Kiryu's players and manager had believed hitting Zhou Hao wouldn't be impossible.
But now…
It wasn't just difficult. Against both Zhou Hao and Yoshida, even putting the ball in play felt like a miracle.
If Osaka Kiryu wanted to win, they had no choice—they had to score off Yoshida.
Not for pride. For survival.
But as Yoshida fired his second pitch—
"Whoosh!"
The number 6 batter gritted his teeth and swung.
"Ping!"
The ball bounced sharply off his bat… only for Seidou's second baseman to snatch it with ease and whip it to first.
"Out!!"
One out. No runners.
Next up: Osaka Kiryu's number 7 batter.
The once-roaring crowd quieted, their cheers weighed down by nerves.
"Ping!"
The seventh batter swung hard at the first pitch.
But the ball didn't even make it past the infield, bouncing weakly forward.
Yoshida reacted instantly, scooping it up and firing it to Yuki at first.
"Out!"
Two outs. Nobody on base.
The Osaka Kiryu players and supporters sat in stunned silence, their confidence cracking.
When… had Seidou become this strong?
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