"They stopped it!!!"
The players of Seisho High School's Baseball Team reacted at lightning speed.
One fielder managed to keep the ball down with a single hand.
Normally, in that position, he wouldn't even be able to make a throw. By the time he got up and released the ball, Yuki's speed alone could've already reached first base.
But just then—another Seisho player rushed over to assist.
The fielder who had stopped the ball immediately tossed it to him.
"Pak!"
Catching it cleanly, the assisting player fired a throw to first base.
"Pak!"
"Out!"
Yuki was just half a step away from the base.
Three outs. Change of offense and defense.
The Seisho players and their supporters erupted in celebration.
"Amazing!"
"As expected of Seisho High!"
"Any other team couldn't have pulled that off!"
"We're the strongest!"
After witnessing Zhou Hao's pitching earlier, both Seisho's players and fans had felt an immense pressure in their hearts.
They couldn't help but ask themselves—
Do we even stand a chance against an ace like him?
Even they weren't sure.
They only knew that Zhou Hao had already performed legendary feats multiple times throughout the tournament. Under his leadership, Seidou High School had become a force that inspired fear.
But now, Seisho's players had proved with their own strength that they weren't inferior.
Especially when it came to their ace—Akutsu.
With such confidence, both Seisho's players and supporters firmly believed they were qualified to challenge Seidou.
"Whether it's a mule or a horse, you have to take it out for a walk first."
The game continued—top of the second inning, Seisho High School at bat.
Their cleanup hitter, the fourth batter Goto Ryuji, stepped into the batter's box.
A dark-skinned, powerfully built player, Goto Ryuji raised his bat high, his eyes filled with provocation as he stared straight at Zhou Hao.
If you've got the guts—throw it!
Seeing that provocative stance, Zhou Hao didn't get angry. Instead, he found it amusing.
He could easily guess what Seisho's intent was—it was just that their acting was a bit poor.
"Since you want to see it," Zhou Hao murmured with a grin, "then I'll let you have a good look."
He nodded, then gave Chris a small shake of his head.
That single motion meant—all restrictions are lifted. Any pitch can be used.
Of course, that referred only to pitches Zhou Hao had already shown before.
A flicker of concern crossed Chris's eyes.
Zhou Hao's pitching talent was too overwhelming—his arsenal too vast.
In the past, against certain teams, he'd only needed one or two pitch types to completely shut them down, leaving the opposing batters helpless.
But now, Zhou Hao was removing his limits.
"Is that really necessary?" Chris asked.
"It doesn't matter," Zhou Hao replied calmly. "By now, they've already studied every pitch I've shown. I might as well reassure them completely—make them give up for good."
Most of Zhou Hao's opponents focused their research on his Spiral Ball—and rightly so.
But his pitching wasn't limited to just that.
"You've requested it twice in a row," Zhou Hao smirked. "Fine. First pitch—Spiral Ball."
Originally, Zhou Hao and Chris had planned not to use the Spiral Ball in this game.
But after Akutsu displayed such dominant pitching, they couldn't afford to fall behind in momentum.
It was time to deliver a small shock of their own.
"Come on!"
Seeing Chris's signal, Zhou Hao understood immediately—his senpai was doing it on purpose.
But he didn't mind.
Taking his stance on the mound, Zhou Hao's posture immediately triggered a murmur in the stands.
Many fans familiar with him had a strong premonition the moment they saw that form.
They couldn't discern the details, but their instincts were sharp.
"It's coming…"
"With Zhou Hao's personality, it wouldn't be surprising if he did."
Even Goto Ryuji, standing in the batter's box, subconsciously frowned. A sudden panic rose in his chest.
Then Zhou Hao threw.
"Boom!"
The white baseball, spinning with tremendous rotation, sliced through the air.
So fast!
That was the only thought in Goto Ryuji mind.
Is this Zhou Hao's invincible Spiral Ball?
Before the game, Seisho's players had discussed how difficult this pitch would be.
They had boasted that, given the chance, they'd show Zhou Hao what real power was.
Even if they couldn't hit his early pitches, they'd wait for his stamina to drop—and then crush his Spiral Ball out of the park.
It was a solid plan.
But now, seeing it with his own eyes, Goto Ryuji realized—those were just fantasies.
No high schooler could touch a pitch like this.
"This is Zhou Hao…"
"This is the Spiral Ball!"
Goto Ryuji heart sank.
He wasn't even thinking about how to hit it anymore—only wondering how Kuroda had managed to make contact before.
How?
What he didn't know was that Kuroda had only ever faced Zhou Hao's Level 2 Spiral Ball.
Now, Zhou Hao's Spiral Ball had already evolved to Level 3.
Even if Kuroda himself stood there again, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Chris saw the shock in the batter's eyes and smirked slightly.
Although Zhou Hao possessed many incredible pitches, his Spiral Ball was still his most devastating weapon—once thrown, it was unstoppable.
"The shock's enough," Chris signaled. "Next, finish him with the fastball. Trust your Straight Ball."
Because Zhou Hao's breaking balls were so incredible, most opponents underestimated his fastball.
But was Zhou Hao's Straight Ball really weak?
Far from it.
Before the batter could even react—
"Swish!"
Zhou Hao's second pitch came flying in.
The image of the Spiral Ball was still fresh in Goto Ryuji mind. His body froze, unable to swing.
"Pak!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
Two straight strikes.
In the Seisho dugout, tension spiked.
They could accept the Spiral Ball being unhittable—but a fastball? That should've been hittable!
Why didn't their cleanup hitter swing?
Goto Ryuji himself was baffled.
Why had he just… watched it go by?
Before he could process it, Zhou Hao's third pitch was already flying.
"Don't overthink it. Just swing."
He gripped the bat tight and went all in.
"Fly out for me!!"
He swung with full power—but the ball never dropped.
His timing was perfect… yet the ball completely missed his bat.
"Pak!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!!"
One out, no one on base.
The Seisho dugout fell silent.
Just minutes ago, their ace had been dominant—and their fans arrogant.
Now, Zhou Hao had slapped them across the face in record time.
Their cleanup hitter hadn't even touched the ball—and Zhou Hao's last two pitches were just Straight Balls.
The next batter stepped up—the fifth in Seisho's lineup.
He already understood why this first-year rookie had become the biggest star of Koshien in such a short time.
As long as Zhou Hao stood on that mound, he was invincible.
And then Zhou Hao pitched again.
Same stride. Same arm swing. Nothing unusual—except the result.
"Straight Ball!" the batter confirmed.
He swung low, one ball below the fastball—just as their team had practiced.
"Ping!"
The ball connected!
He was shocked—he'd guessed right!
But the excitement died fast.
The ball flew high, then dropped barely twenty meters ahead.
Matsumoto stepped forward and caught it easily.
"Pak!"
"Out!!"
Two outs, no one on base.
Chris couldn't help but grin.
"You underestimate our Ace too much."
Seisho's analysis had been right—their timing perfect—but they had overlooked one key thing: Zhou Hao's Straight Ball also had wicked tailing movement.
Without a strong enough swing, even if they hit it, the ball wouldn't travel far.
Although it was an easy out, Chris's concern turned to Zhou Hao's stamina.
But when he looked at the mound, Zhou Hao was smiling confidently.
"What's got you so happy?"
"One pitch," Zhou Hao said simply.
With just one pitch, he'd retired Seisho's fifth batter.
A huge stamina save.
When Seisho's sixth batter stepped up, Zhou Hao used the same rhythm.
"Ping!"
The grounder bounced straight back to him.
He scooped it up smoothly and threw to first base.
"Pak!"
"Out!!"
Three outs. Change of sides.
Even better—Zhou Hao had finished the inning with just five pitches.
If he kept this up, he could easily pitch the entire game.
Bottom of the second inning—Seidou High's offense.
On the mound, Akutsu could still hear the crowd cheering for Zhou Hao.
From their reaction, it was clear—Zhou Hao was already seen as the main character of this match.
"It's not over yet!" Akutsu muttered.
"Fourth batter, number 5, third baseman—Azuma Kiyokuni!"
The first to bat for Seidou was Azuma Kiyokuni, drawing loud cheers from the stands.
"Blast that ball away!"
"Show them your monster strength!"
The Seidou supporters were fired up, eager to see their team score against Seisho.
But just as they shouted, Akutsu made his move.
"Boom!"
The baseball screamed through the strike zone like a bullet.
"Pak!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
Two quick pitches—Azuma watched one and swung through the other.
The crowd was stunned.
Their strongest slugger—suppressed so easily?
"How… how can that be?"
Before the fans could recover, Akutsu's third pitch flew out.
"Swish!"
Fast as lightning.
Azuma's eyes widened as he swung with everything he had.
"Take this!"
"Boom!!"
But the bat hit nothing but air.
"Pak!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!!"
One out, no one on base.
The once-boisterous Seidou fans went quiet.
It seemed that the match between Zhou Hao and Akutsu hadn't truly decided who was Japan's strongest pitcher.
Because today—
This game would.