When Coach Kataoka came over personally, Zhou Hao immediately understood—
He was expected to pitch the entire game.
Even though Seisho High's batters had been completely suppressed, that didn't mean they were weak.
In fact, the opposite was true.
As one of Japan's top powerhouses, Seisho's batting lineup possessed fearsome offensive strength.
The only reason they hadn't shown it was because they had been too focused on matching up against other elite teams earlier in the tournament.
Now, facing Zhou Hao, they had been completely dragged into his rhythm.
If Seidou were to replace him with any other pitcher—
Seisho's lineup would tear them apart.
Akutsu Keeps Fighting Back
"Ping!"
The baseball cracked off the bat.
Seisho's fielder caught it effortlessly.
"Out!"
"Three outs, side retired."
Seidou's supporters applauded Akutsu despite being the opponent.
He wasn't on Zhou Hao's level, but he was undeniably a top-tier Ace.
The game moved into the top of the sixth, with Seisho coming to bat.
Their seventh batter stepped into the box—
a lower-order hitter, yes, but still a dangerous national-level batter.
He looked determined.
But no one's attention was on him.
Everyone's eyes were on the mound.
For the first time in this entire Koshien run—
Seidou had not made a mid-game pitching change.
"The sixth inning and still no relief pitcher?"
"This means—"
Fujio, senior reporter of Baseball Kingdom, declared:
"Zhou Hao is going for a complete game."
Looking at the score—1:0—it made perfect sense.
Akutsu refused to break.
Seidou had no opportunity to safely substitute pitchers.
If they changed pitchers now and conceded even one run…
It could immediately turn into another Osaka Kiryu situation, where Seidou nearly lost after a mid-game substitution.
The players, the fans—
everyone remembered that trauma vividly.
Seidou absolutely could not risk it.
Especially since Zhou Hao's pitch count was surprisingly low.
At this pace, he could finish the game with seventy or eighty pitches.
A complete-game victory was well within reach.
Chris looked at Zhou Hao, debating strategy.
Last time, Zhou Hao struck out the bottom of Seisho's order with three consecutive Bullet Balls—
pure domination.
If Zhou Hao repeated that spectacle,
the stadium would erupt again.
And it would save his stamina.
But Zhou Hao shook his head.
"My stamina's fine. Doing that once is enough."
Seisho's lower-order batters were not weak.
And repeating the same trick could backfire.
Zhou Hao didn't want to risk it.
"We stick to our plan. We break them completely."
Chris accepted without hesitation.
He wanted to see Seisho despair.
He opened his glove.
Zhou Hao began his motion.
Lift the leg.
Stride forward.
Whip the arm.
Seisho's seventh batter watched closely—
And found nothing.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
"So why are our guys acting like they've lost their souls…?"
He braced himself.
"As long as it crosses the plate, I'll swing decisively!"
Against a pitcher like Zhou Hao, hesitation was death.
But the moment Zhou Hao released the pitch—
the batter's pupils blew wide open.
So familiar—?!
Before he could even process it—
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Chris smirked.
As expected—
another batter stunned beyond belief.
Using the opponent's Ace's signature pitch against them—
If a batter hit it out, Zhou Hao would look like a cheap imitator.
But if they couldn't hit it—
if no one ever hit it—
Then Zhou Hao wasn't copying.
He was dominating them with their own ultimate weapon.
That was the difference.
That was true cruelty.
That was true mastery.
The seventh batter growled, trying to pump himself up—
But Chris could see right through him.
He was terrified.
The louder he shouted,
the smaller he felt.
Zhou Hao fired the second pitch.
"Whoosh!"
This time the batter was certain:
It wasn't "similar."
It was identical.
"This can't be real… He can't… he CAN'T be throwing the Bullet Ball—!!"
He swung, desperate to deny reality.
"Ping!"
His palms went numb instantly.
This feeling—
This was Akutsu's Bullet Ball.
Exactly the same.
The ball dribbled weakly forward.
Zhou Hao scooped it up and tossed casually to Yuki.
"Out!"
One down.
Bases empty.
Seidou's supporters didn't know the specifics, but they saw the fear on Seisho's faces.
Zhou Hao had unleashed something devastating.
The eighth batter stepped in.
Saw the Bullet Ball.
Froze.
Two pitches.
No swings.
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!!"
Two outs, no one on.
Seisho's dugout was silent.
The fear had spread.
They started whispering among themselves—
"That's Akutsu's Bullet Ball…"
"The speed… the late break…"
"It's identical."
"Why can't we hit it—just like in practice…"
They had all trained against Akutsu's Bullet Ball countless times.
And every time, it left them in despair.
They believed their Ace was untouchable.
Now Zhou Hao had recreated the very pitch they feared most.
And they realized the cruel truth:
If they couldn't hit their own Ace, how could they hit Zhou Hao?
He could see his players collapsing mentally.
The moment to step in had come.
He addressed them firmly:
"Listen. I don't know why he can throw Akutsu's Bullet Ball. But he is human too. Humans get tired. Even if his pitch count is low, pitching under pressure burns stamina. Look at the scoreboard—only one run separates us."
"As long as we last until his stamina dips—even for a moment—we can turn this game around."
His words sparked something in them.
Their ambition reignited.
One run.
Just one.
They still had hope.
"Pop!"
"Out!"
"Three outs! Side retired!"
The game moved into the bottom of the sixth, with Seidou up next.
Their ninth batter would lead off, followed by Matsumoto and—
Zhou Hao.
And the game was far from over.