The bat had flown through the air—sent spinning by a single, unstoppable pitch.
At Koshien Stadium, tens of thousands of fans roared, and millions more watched via broadcast. This was no ordinary game: the returning champions, Seido High School, facing the nation's powerhouse, Osaka Kiryu High School.
And under the gaze of this immense crowd…
Kuroda, a national star and core of the youth team, had just lost control of his bat.
The umpire, ever vigilant, sidestepped instinctively, patting his chest as the bat and baseball flew dangerously past him. He had watched highlights of Zhou Hao before—but even seasoned experience couldn't prepare him for the raw, kinetic force he now witnessed.
"Foul ball!"
The batter remained cornered, unable to regain composure. Cheers and gasps swelled across the stadium. Seido fans were ecstatic—but their team was still trailing by a single run.
Even so, Zhou Hao's display at Koshien, in front of the nation, left hearts pounding with admiration. No one could deny it—this rookie pitcher had delivered a performance for the ages.
Kuroda stood in the batter's box, palms numb, arms heavy from the force of the last pitch. Even he, a top national slugger, could feel the futility of facing Zhou Hao.
No matter what he tried…
No one could hit this Spiral Ball.
He stared at Zhou Hao on the mound. Tall, but slender—nothing about his frame suggested he could throw a pitch with such devastating speed and rotation.
How could a body like that produce this kind of power?
As Zhou Hao prepared, the crowd fell silent once more. The baseball screamed out of his hand.
Boom!
Kuroda's swing was late.
Thud!
Strike!
Strikeout!!!
Two outs. No one on base.
Even Osaka Kiryu, champions of the nation, had abandoned hope of getting a hit. Their focus now was simple: get the outs, protect the one-run lead. Pride was secondary. Victory was primary.
The cleanup hitter, Sato, stepped up. Everyone expected resistance—Sato was their team's hardest-hitting batter, the one most capable of challenging Zhou Hao.
He swung with full momentum, determined to smash the Spiral Ball.
Boom!
But Zhou Hao remained calm, delivering the pitch cleanly, decisively.
Sato watched it approach—and realized, in an instant, what Kuroda had felt moments before. He couldn't stop it. He couldn't block it. He couldn't even hope to touch it.
Boom!
The baseball slammed into Chris's glove.
Thud!
Strike!
Strike!!
Strike!!!
Strikeout!!!!
Three outs. Side retired.
Seido High School had survived the top of the ninth. The scoreboard still read 2–3, but the real victory belonged to Zhou Hao's pitching mastery.
The nation's eyes were on him, and the legend was only beginning.
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