"Ping!"
The white baseball shot off the bat like lightning.
The players and supporters of Rokkaku High School froze in disbelief.
The speed of that hit was outrageous.
Could they stop it?
Everyone instinctively felt the answer was no.
Just as that thought flashed through their minds—something unbelievable happened.
A figure stepped forward and forcibly stopped the ball.
"Pa!"
"Out!!"
The players and supporters of Rokkaku High School stared blankly at the man who made the play.
"Mitai?"
How?!
He had just finished pitching—how did he have time to defend?
And against that kind of bullet-like hit?
Mitai himself was stunned.
"My body… moved on its own!!"
Rokkaku's head coach was nearly moved to tears.
"That's it! That's exactly it, Mitai!"
Top athletes possessed extraordinary intuition.
Combined with rigorous training, they could do things ordinary players couldn't even imagine.
Just like Mitai now—right after releasing the pitch, he stepped forward purely on instinct and intercepted the ball before he even consciously saw it.
"Two outs, runner on second!"
The Rokkaku High School players and fans celebrated as if they had won the lottery.
"We stopped him! We stopped that monster Yuki!"
Seido's three core sluggers had already reached national top-tier status. Their names alone had become legendary.
After Zhou Hao got on base, every Rokkaku player and fan held their breath as their Ace faced Yuki.
Even if they shouted bravely and acted fearless during the game, deep down they understood:
On this field, the true kings were from Seido High School.
But now…
Their Ace had dealt with Yuki.
This was hope—real hope.
"The Seido players aren't invincible. We definitely have a chance!"
With momentum on their side, Rokkaku High School's players—especially their Ace—looked completely different.
They were Koshien semifinalists too. There was no reason to think they were inferior.
Meanwhile, in Seido's dugout…
The atmosphere wasn't as relaxed as earlier.
They were still confident.
But they couldn't deny that a team capable of reaching the national Final Four, even with a bit of luck, had to be strong.
"We need to get our mindset right."
"Otherwise, even if we don't capsize, something unlucky might still happen…"
Just as they were thinking that, their cleanup hitter stepped up.
"Fourth batter, third baseman—Azuma Kiyokuni."
Rokkaku's catcher felt his breath catch.
Azuma Kiyokuni's physique was enormous.
Standing in the batter's box, he was like a mountain exuding pure pressure.
"Should we walk him intentionally and face the fifth batter?"
The suggestion wasn't cowardly. It was realistic.
These Seido core sluggers were nationally recognized monsters.
But Mitai on the mound saw the sign and shook his head immediately.
No.
If it were earlier, he might've considered it.
But after stopping that hit just now, Mitai felt it clearly—
No one was invincible.
Not even Seido's Fourth Batter, Azuma Kiyokuni—the man who had already smashed over fifty home runs.
"Taking him down is like taking down two sluggers at once. Seisho High was able to fight Seido last game because they suppressed these core hitters."
The opportunity was right in front of them.
He pulled back his arm and fired the pitch.
"Boom!"
The pitch exploded through the air.
Azuma Kiyokuni didn't react.
He didn't even move.
"Pa!"
"Strike!"
A 1-strike lead.
The Rokkaku players and fans were ecstatic.
They could already taste it—dealing with Seido's cleanup hitter in one go.
Then came the next pitch.
"Boom!"
Outside corner.
This time, Azuma Kiyokuni timed it precisely and swung.
"Boom!!"
The sound alone stunned Rokkaku's catcher.
So heavy!
So terrifying!!
"Ping!"
A foul ball down the first-base side.
It didn't fly far, but the power behind the swing sent chills down their spines.
Still—Mitai had a chance.
"Don't hold back!"
"Trust your pitch!"
"If you take him down, you'll be famous nationwide!"
It was the truth.
You don't become famous by beating weak opponents.
You become famous by defeating giants.
Mitai inhaled deeply and fired the third pitch—inside corner.
"Boom!!"
His control was unreal, sharper than ever before.
Even Seido's Ace Zhou Hao could only achieve nine-panel accuracy with his fastball, and Mitai was now pinpointing corners like a machine.
Azuma Kiyokuni grinned.
Everything about Mitai's intent was written plainly on his face.
"You're practically shouting 'inside corner' at me. Are you underestimating me?"
His massive arms flexed.
As the baseball closed in—
Azuma Kiyokuni unleashed his full strength.
"Fly, you bastard!!!"
"Boom!!"
The monstrous swing made even the catcher hallucinate.
Then—
"Ping!!!"
The bat connected squarely.
The baseball shot upward, soaring high into the sky.
"Oh my god!!!"
Over thirty thousand spectators watched as it arced through left field—
And crashed into the stands.
"Pa!"
Fans scrambled to grab the falling ball.
"I knew it would come here!!"
"I bought a ticket just for this spot!!"
A two-run homer.
Zhou Hao scored. Azuma Kiyokuni scored.
On the scoreboard:
2 – 0, Seido.
The Seido dugout erupted.
Even though today's opponent wasn't as terrifying as Seisho High…
They were still a Koshien semifinalist.
Scoring two runs right at the start—especially with Yoshida pitching today—was huge.
"We're the strongest!"
"National champions, here we come!!"
"Azuma!! You were so damn cool!!!"
"Your big belly is the belly of a war general today!!"
"Zhou Hao, I love you!!!"
Azuma Kiyokuni basked in the earlier praise—
—but then frowned.
Who called his belly big?
And why were they shouting for Zhou Hao when he hit the home run?
He glanced at the packed stands.
But there were just too many people to find the culprit.