The main catcher of the Seibō High School Baseball Team was clearly no simple character.
Just by watching Zhou Hao's swing, he could already gauge his batting prowess.
It had to be said—the Ace of Seidou High School, famous throughout the entire nation, truly possessed extraordinary batting talent. Even on a national scale, Zhou Hao was considered a top-tier player. In previous games, he had repeatedly blasted hits, even home runs, helping Seidou seize momentum again and again.
That kind of ability was real, not coincidence.
Thinking of this, Ōishibashi, Seibō's catcher, showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, the corners of his lips lifted.
Clearly—this level of pressure was not something he found unacceptable.
"This showdown is simple enough."
From the perspective granted by the Sharingan, Zhou Hao couldn't misread a pitch.
The moment the ball entered the strike zone, he swung cleanly.
PING!
The instant bat met ball, Zhou Hao's eyebrows knit together.
So heavy!
His arms went numb for a moment as if the pitch carried overwhelming power, trying to rip the bat from his hands.
Gritting his teeth, Zhou Hao managed to blast the ball forward.
The white baseball soared high.
In the stands, Seidou's supporters shot to their feet, excitement brimming. They had seen this scene countless times—Zhou Hao hitting the ball cleanly, sending it deep into the outfield.
But today, the expected scene did not appear.
The ball flew fifty, sixty meters… then rapidly began to fall.
The Seibō outfielder moved easily into position.
SNAP!
"Out!"
Two outs, no one on base.
The Seidou supporters sighed regretfully.
"They actually caught it?"
"What a pity!"
"Next time, no way they get that lucky!"
To the fans, Seibō's defense had simply been lucky.
But inside the Seidou dugout, the mood was completely different.
Coach Kataoka's expression was grim. The players' faces were tight.
They didn't believe Zhou Hao had mis-hit.
Nor did they think it was luck.
If there was a reason—
It had to be the pitch's late break.
"The pitch speed is only 148 km/h, but the late break is definitely greater."
"It's similar to Kuroda's."
The mention of Kuroda, the Ace of Osaka Kiryu, still sent an involuntary shiver through the Seidou bench. His overwhelming pitching had left a psychological shadow on them.
If this Shirakawa from Seibō could produce even the same level of late break—
This game would be brutal.
When Zhou Hao returned, everyone looked at him, waiting for his evaluation.
"About the same," Zhou Hao admitted. "It felt similar. When I hit the ball, my arms went slightly numb. I couldn't exert full power."
His hit had fallen more than thirty meters short of his expectation.
He had originally thought he could blast the ball to the very back of the stadium. That seemed far too optimistic now.
He had underestimated Shirakawa's late break.
"Then next, we'll rely on Yuki and Azuma."
If power was needed, Seidou's Third and Fourth Batters feared no one.
Zhou Hao didn't reply, but he silently agreed.
Yuki stepped up.
Ōishibashi narrowed his eyes at Seidou's Third Batter—at his "annoying" waiting stance, and that cold, unaffected expression.
But once that man swung—
He became a thunderclap.
Ōishibashi gave the signal.
Shirakawa raised an eyebrow at the aggressive call.
But he didn't object.
Facing Seidou fired him up.
"Then let's go. I won't lose to anyone."
Shirakawa threw a breaking ball.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hao in the dugout wasn't idle.
He hadn't planned to copy the pitch at first—his own Spiral Ball was enough.
But after witnessing Seibō's strength, his thoughts changed.
Their batting lineup was frightening.
Their pitcher was terrifying.
Their team's overall ability was higher than Osaka Kiryu's.
If not for the Spiral Ball suppressing them earlier, Seidou might've been overwhelmed already.
And even Yuki—powerful, confident Yuki—was caught off guard by the sudden break.
Seidou's chance of winning… which felt like 70–80% before… had suddenly dropped.
Now it was 50–60%.
A near coin flip.
If improvement wasn't possible in a single game—
Then Zhou Hao had to shake Seibō mentally.
Under the Sharingan's replication, the pitch motion was becoming clearer.
But observing from the dugout was different from standing in the batter's box. Progress was slow.
I'll need to observe carefully next time…
Before he finished the thought—
BOOM!
Yuki swung, connected—
But not cleanly.
The ball bounced on the ground.
Seibō's shortstop fielded it cleanly and threw to first.
Out!
Three up, three down.
Seibō exploded in cheers.
"Three up, three down!!"
"Our Ace isn't inferior at all!"
Even now, Zhou Hao's earlier pitching still cast a shadow over them.
But Seibō refused to show weakness.
The top of the second inning began.
Seibō on offense.
Their supporters trembled with anticipation.
If their lineup could hit Zhou Hao—
The balance would tip in their favor.
Standing in the batter's box—
Seibō's Fourth Batter, captain, and one of the Seven National Star Batters—
Ōishibashi.
He crouched low, raising his bat, eyes burning into Zhou Hao.
Earlier, seeing the 151 km/h Spiral Ball, even the resilient Seibō lineup had faltered.
Their morale had dipped.
As captain, Ōishibashi had a responsibility.
Even if he couldn't blast the ball out—
He had to touch it.
He had to show his teammates:
Zhou Hao is strong—but not invincible.
Zhou Hao moved.
Windmill motion.
Explosion of power.
BOOM!
The pitch roared out.
Ōishibashi's eyes widened.
What was that sound?
Before the thought finished, the ball was already past him.
SNAP!
"STRIKE!!"
Koshien exploded with disbelief.
"Did a high schooler throw that?!"
"He's a first-year rookie!"
"A Spiral Ball—what the hell!?"
Ōishibashi stared up at the scoreboard.
151 km/h.
Not a mistake.
Not an illusion.
Reality.
"How… how can it be this fast?!"
Even though they knew from earlier, shock and disbelief swept through Seibō's players and supporters again.
And compared to Seidou's Ace—
Shirakawa still lacked something.