"Smack!"
The baseball hit the ground, skipped sharply, and shot forward.
Seisho High's catcher felt his heart clench. The instant Yuki's bat swept through the strike zone, he had a terrible premonition.
He tried to comfort himself:
"Our Ace's late movement is unmatched. Even Seidou's monster slugger can't send a mishit ball flying… can he?"
But reality crushed him a second later.
The ball didn't just fly—it rocketed off the bat like a white meteor.
Seisho's fielders reacted immediately. As soon as they saw the hit, they sprinted toward what they estimated would be the landing point.
If they just reached it in time—
maybe they could still—
Too late.
They had only just gotten into position when—
Pop!
The baseball crashed onto the ground in front of them and bounced past.
Seisho's catcher felt his mind go blank.
It was over.
Completely over.
Even though the fielders were still chasing the ball with all they had, the result was already determined.
Zhou Hao Runs Like a Sprinter
Zhou Hao had been on second base.
The moment the ball hit dirt, he exploded forward like a track athlete.
He flew around third base, and before he even stepped on the bag, Seidou's third-base coach was already waving wildly—
"GO! KEEP GOING!"
Seisho hadn't even retrieved the ball yet.
Even if the throw wasn't far, their defender wouldn't have time to send it home before Zhou Hao arrived.
A cold, confident smile curved on Zhou Hao's lips.
Given the chance to score—
he never hesitated.
He charged toward home plate, cleats hammering the dirt.
Only after Seisho finally picked up the ball did the fielder realize:
There is no time to throw home.
He could only throw desperately to second base to stop Yuki.
"Safe!"
"Seidou High School scores the first run of today's game! A textbook pairing from the #2 and #3 batters—two clean hits and a flawless run. As expected of a national powerhouse!"
The commentator's passionate voice boomed across the stadium.
Seidou's supporters erupted.
"One run!"
"We broke the deadlock first!"
"Zhou Hao is unstoppable!"
"And Yuki's hit—absolute monster!"
A moment earlier, when Yuki unleashed his terrifying swing, everyone held their breath.
Now they realized—
he was still the same Yuki they knew: overwhelming.
The gap between him and ordinary players wasn't even a gap.
It was a canyon.
"Invincible Seidou!"
"We're the strongest!"
Their earlier win against Osaka Kiryu had already sparked this belief—
but now it burned even brighter.
Seidou had once again taken the initiative against a national powerhouse.
Seisho's Shadows Deepen
Seisho High, the third seed, one of the best teams in Japan—
yet their players now stood stiff, faces long and pale.
Their confidence had been shaken violently.
Zhou Hao's pitching was nearly unhittable.
Scoring even one run off him was a near impossibility.
Now that they had allowed Seidou to score first…
Danger loomed.
In a pitcher's duel, one run could decide the entire game.
Seisho's silence only fueled Seidou's momentum.
By now, the crowd could clearly see:
Akutsu was running out of answers.
The other two star pitchers were evolving—adding new weapons to their arsenals.
But Akutsu was different.
From beginning to end, he clung rigidly to one pitch:
The Bullet Ball.
He had pushed it to its absolute limit.
But now, it was being hit out—again and again.
As Seisho's supporters watched their Ace take blow after blow, a dangerous thought crept into their minds:
"He might be in trouble."
And Seidou's fans?
They didn't mind one bit.
Fourth Batter — Azuma Kiyokuni
One out. Runner on first.
Azuma stepped into the batter's box.
Seidou's supporters immediately focused on him.
If anyone could push through Akutsu's stubborn resilience besides Zhou Hao and Yuki—
It was Azuma.
They waited eagerly.
On the mound, Akutsu looked stunned—almost enlightened.
Zhou Hao and Yuki had both crushed his best pitch.
He couldn't pretend it didn't matter.
Then—
He suddenly laughed.
A low, unsettling, almost unhinged laugh.
Seisho's players froze.
"Is he okay?"
"Did the pressure break him…?"
But a moment later—
Akutsu's face reset.
Cold. Mechanical.
The perfect pitching robot.
Seisho exhaled in relief.
Seidou frowned.
"Seriously? He's fine after all that?!"
Even Seidou's players, proud of their mental toughness, doubted they could stay composed after watching two of their best pitches destroyed.
"His will is insane," someone muttered.
"Even cockroaches aren't this hard to kill…"
Chris stepped in calmly:
"This is Koshien. You meet monsters everywhere."
Akutsu vs. Azuma
Whoosh!
Another Bullet Ball.
Azuma gritted his teeth.
"You look down on me? Throwing the same ball after two hits?"
He swung—
Boom!
The ball soared upward—
—but died quickly.
"Infield pop-up!"
Seidou groaned.
Seisho was already beneath it.
Pop!
"Out!"
Two outs.
ShimoI followed with a ground ball—
Out!
Side retired.
Top of the Fifth
Seidou 1 – 0 Seisho
Despite the lead, Seisho had regained some breathing room by shutting down Seidou's 4th and 5th batters.
Akutsu still trusted the Bullet Ball.
Still fired it without hesitation.
And that created a creeping anxiety in Seidou's lineup.
On this stage, against this opponent—
their batting lineup wasn't invincible after all.
Coach Kataoka spoke firmly:
"The opponent's pitching level is extremely high. Don't force a breakthrough. Maintain your approach. The turning point will come."
His eyes moved to:
Zhou Hao. Yuki. Azuma.
Seidou's offensive core.
If they couldn't break the game open—no one could.
Before returning to the mound, Zhou Hao walked to Chris.
"Want to try something surprising?"
Chris stiffened.
Even with a one-run lead, nothing was guaranteed.
Akutsu's stamina? Unknown.
Zhou Hao's stamina? Also unknown.
The lineup's condition? Uncertain.
"What do you plan?"
"I want to use one pitch…
to completely crush Seisho's confidence."
Chris narrowed his eyes.
"And if you fail?"
"We go back to Straight Ball and Spiral Ball. Simple. We don't let them score."
Only Zhou Hao could speak that boldly.
Their opponent was Seisho High—
a national titan.
Chris inhaled, then nodded.
"Then let's do it."
Zhou Hao had never once failed him in a clutch moment.
He wasn't going to start now.
Seisho's 4th batter entered the box, gripping his bat tightly.
He repeated his plan over and over:
"Drag the at-bat out.
Wait for a pitch to hit.
Find a weakness."
But then—
Zhou Hao moved.
Same stride.
Same arm slot.
Same windup.
Until—
He released the ball.
Whoosh!!!
A piercing white streak shot toward the strike zone.
Seisho's 4th batter froze.
His pupils shook violently.
He knew this pitch.
He had seen it a thousand times from his own Ace.
"BULLET BALL!?"
How was Zhou Hao throwing Akutsu's pitch!?
He couldn't swing.
He couldn't breathe.
Pop!
Chris caught it cleanly.
"STRIKE!"
The stadium froze.
Zhou Hao had thrown the Bullet Ball—
Akutsu's special pitch—
perfectly.
The game would never be the same again.