Harada and Narumiya Mei carefully analyzed all of Zhang Han's game data, including everything from this match.
Their final conclusion was that Zhang Han was strong—and tricky.
Judging from his past records, he wasn't inferior to Azuma Kiyokuni or Yuuki Tetsuya at all. For a first-year rookie making his debut season, Zhang Han's performance could be described as flawless. No matter how highly he was evaluated, it wouldn't be an exaggeration.
But did that mean Zhang Han's true strength was on par with Yuuki or Azuma?
Probably not.
At least, that wasn't the conclusion Harada and Narumiya Mei reached.
Take this game as an example. In the early innings, Zhang Han had made no offensive contribution at all. Nishimonji-senpai had practically suppressed him completely.
Why?
The reason was simple.
The biggest reason Zhang Han's previous performances had seemed so miraculous was because he had been a dark horse. Opponents had little to no information on him. That ignorance gave him a natural advantage, and when combined with his solid fundamentals, the results became explosive.
Once you analyzed it carefully, a clear pattern emerged. Many of Zhang Han's hits—and even his home runs—came from that advantage.
But once opponents grew familiar with his habits and began targeting his weaknesses, his shortcomings and inexperience would be exposed quickly.
Nishimonji-senpai had already proven this point earlier in the game, and the results showed that his approach worked.
As for the home run Zhang Han hit off Narumiya Mei, that could only be considered an extreme outlier—an isolated incident with little analytical value.
Because of this, Narumiya Mei and Harada reached a consensus.
They could face Zhang Han head-on.
And they had a good chance of winning.
It was worth trying.
If they succeeded, not only would they get an out, but they would also greatly boost the team's morale.
After all, their analysis was still theoretical. It hadn't yet been tested in actual combat.
The other Inashiro players knew nothing about this internal conclusion. In their eyes, Zhang Han was still a terrifying rookie monster, someone who could be mentioned in the same breath as Azuma Kiyokuni and Yuuki Tetsuya.
If they could get Zhang Han out, it would be a massive morale boost for Inashiro.
It would also lay the groundwork for their next offensive push.
The more they thought about it, the more worthwhile it seemed.
Narumiya Mei and Harada quickly reached an agreement and immediately adopted the same tactics Nishimonji had used earlier.
Zhang Han was good at hitting fastballs.
But he struggled with breaking balls.
Especially low, outside breaking balls.
And wasn't that exactly Narumiya Mei's specialty?
Using one's strengths to attack the opponent's weaknesses.
Narumiya Mei's ability wasn't inferior to Zhang Han's. There was no reason for him to lose.
"Whoosh!"
The white ball tore through the air.
Zhang Han hesitated slightly in the batter's box, then chose not to swing. He clearly knew what pitch was coming—and knew how difficult it would be to hit.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
After getting the first strike, Narumiya Mei's momentum surged. Without pausing, he took the ball and immediately delivered the second pitch.
An outside slider.
Not wanting to fall behind in the count, Zhang Han swung this time.
"Ping!"
Despite being a breaking ball, the contact carried significant force. The baseball shot off the bat and bounced out of bounds.
"Foul ball!"
Two strikes.
Zhang Han was now in real trouble.
Inashiro Industrial's supporters erupted. Some of them almost couldn't believe what they were seeing. Narumiya Mei was completely suppressing Zhang Han.
Zhang Han.
The rookie who had crushed a home run earlier, whose presence in Seido was considered no less than Azuma Kiyokuni or Yuuki Tetsuya.
And now, he was being overwhelmed.
Did this mean the out was guaranteed?
Did this mean Inashiro could safely take all three outs this inning?
If things continued like this, then even with a two-run deficit, Inashiro still wasn't without hope.
After all, Hidezawa's pitch count had already exceeded one hundred, and his fatigue was obvious.
Meanwhile, Inashiro's upcoming batting order consisted of power hitters. The thought of a final offensive showdown between Inashiro and Seido sent a ripple of excitement through the stands.
The supporters suddenly realized something. They didn't need to be so pessimistic.
Even though Inashiro had been suppressed for most of the game, they hadn't truly collapsed.
This was Inashiro—the king of West Tokyo.
They had strength. And more importantly, they had resilience.
In past games, similar situations weren't rare. Being suppressed for an entire match, only to flip the table at the very end—that was classic Inashiro.
And now, that same momentum seemed to be forming. As long as Narumiya Mei could get Zhang Han out cleanly, everything was still possible.
Under the intense gaze of countless Inashiro supporters, Narumiya Mei confidently threw his final pitch.
He had to admit that using a fastball to get Zhang Han out would be difficult. But that didn't mean his decisive pitch wasn't effective.
Even Azuma Kiyokuni and Yuuki Tetsuya couldn't say for sure that they could hit his forkball.
Zhang Han, whose overall strength was still below theirs, should have even less chance.
As the ball left Narumiya Mei's hand, a flicker of anticipation flashed through Harada Masatoshi's eyes.
This pitch—its speed, its angle—was perfect.
This was Narumiya Mei's best throw.
It's over.
Joy surged in Harada's chest.
In his judgment, this pitch was more than enough to get Zhang Han out. But just as the ball approached the strike zone, a bat suddenly appeared in its path.
It's useless.
Even though the bat met the ball, Harada remained confident. This wasn't a fastball.
It would drop.
The white ball suddenly sank sharply near the plate. The drop wasn't huge, but it was incredibly fast.
Got him.
Harada's heart leapt again.
But before the smile on his face could fully form, it froze. The bat came down almost vertically, perfectly intercepting the falling angle.
A golf swing?
How was that even possible?
Under Harada's stunned gaze, the bat struck the baseball solidly.
The ball soared.
Like a golf ball, it traced a massive arc toward deep outfield. Carlos sprinted desperately toward the landing point, but even he was a step too late.
"Thwack!"
The baseball hit the ground, bounced, and smashed hard into the outfield wall.
A super long drive.
Yuuki Tetsuya ran all the way from second base to home.
"Safe!"
The scoreboard changed.
5–2.
The lead widened to three runs.
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The last Chapter of the tournament got released in P@treon today. You could read Upto 20 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123