Chapter 39 — The Ace vs. The Future Ace
Zach stepped into the batter's box.
The crowd settled into a quiet, electric buzz.
Two outs.
Runners on second and third.
Dodgers up 3–0.
And Mason Hayes crouched behind the plate—
eyes locked on Zach, reading him like an open book.
Hunter Knox stood on the mound, breathing slow, steady, controlled.
For the first time in the game, the Hawks looked focused.
Not rattled.
Not panicked.
Ready.
Shared Focus Surge
PING.
"Shared Focus Active (Lv.3)."
Emotional Stream Detected:"
• Blake: steady
• Emma: analytical
• Tyler: chaotic (contained, somehow)
• Bryan: nervous but excited
• Noah: "HIT THE BALL REALLY HARD ZACH"
• Micah: calm and supportive
All of it flooded into Zach like warm electricity.
Mason noticed instantly.
His eyes narrowed behind the mask.
"…There it is," he whispered. "Your link."
Zach stiffened.
Mason smirked.
"You're not just talented. You're connected."
Zach swallowed.
Mason continued softly—calm, calculating.
"Let's see how strong that connection really is."
Pitch 1 — Mason Tests the Link
Mason put down a simple sign:
Fastball. Outside corner. Hard.
Hunter nodded.
Zach sensed Blake's instinctive lean—
Emma's warning—
Tyler's chaotic "OH NO TO THE LEFT!" energy—
It all mixed.
Zach forced himself to focus.
Hunter fired.
Zach didn't swing.
POP.
"STRIKE!"
Zach blinked.
That pitch felt…
faster?
The system pinged faintly.
Ping.
"Hunter Knox — Velocity Increase Detected."
Fastball: +1.8 mph."
Zach's eyes widened.
Hunter was warming up instead of wearing down.
Emma muttered from the dugout,
"He's ramping up."
Blake nodded.
"That's bad."
Tyler yelled,
"I CAN FEEL THE SPEED WITH MY EYEBALLS!"
Everyone ignored him.
Pitch 2 — Mason Targets Shared Focus
Mason changed his call.
Not a typical pitch.
Not a trick.
Something else.
Zach felt the difference before Hunter even moved.
Mason was aiming at Zach's mind.
He signaled for a pitch INSIDE—
a pitch meant to disrupt comfort
and break rhythm.
Zach read it.
Shared Focus flickered.
Emma sensed it.
Blake sensed it.
Tyler sensed nothing but screamed anyway.
Zach braced.
Hunter delivered—
A tight inside fastball that forced Zach to jump back.
"BALL!"
But Zach's heart rate spiked.
Shared Focus wobbled.
PING.
"Shared Focus Disturbance."
Cause: External Psychological Pressure."
Zach swallowed.
Mason smirked behind the mask again.
"You felt that, didn't you?"
Zach gripped the bat harder.
Pitch 3 — The First Crack
Mason called for a changeup low.
Hunter executed perfectly.
Zach swung—
WHOOSH.
And missed by a mile.
"STRIKE TWO!"
The stadium gasped.
Zach rarely missed like that.
Bryan whispered,
"W-what happened?"
Emma clenched her glove.
"He tracked the fastball timing… and got baited."
Blake muttered,
"Mason's manipulating the rhythm."
Tyler screamed,
"ZACH'S TIMING GOT HACKED!!"
And for once—
that was basically correct.
Mason's Plan Revealed
Mason crouched again, mask low.
He spoke just loud enough for Zach to hear:
"You rely too much on everyone else."
Zach stiffened.
Mason continued:
"Your link is powerful…
But predictable.
If I can shake your teammates—
I shake you."
Zach's breath hitched.
Shared Focus pulsed.
Ping.
Warning: Opponent Attempting Mental Interference."
Zach looked toward his dugout.
Blake was tense.
Emma was analyzing.
Bryan was overwhelmed.
Noah was vibrating with excitement.
Tyler was screaming battle cries.
Micah was solid but worried.
Their emotions were TOO loud.
All of them.
And Zach was being pulled in every direction.
Pitch 4 — Hunter's Deadliest Pitch Yet
Mason gave the signal.
Hunter exhaled.
Zach FELT it coming—
The same hybrid pitch Hunter used to fool Blake.
Half-changeup, half-fastball.
Impossible to time.
Deadly.
Hunter pitched—
The ball came in FAST—
then SLOWED—
then DIPPED—
Zach forced himself to stay still—
stop reading the others—
stop relying on Shared Focus—
Focus on the BALL—
And at the last millisecond---
SWING.
CRAAAACK!!!
The ball blasted into deep left field.
The crowd EXPLODED.
Zach sprinted toward first.
Emma and Bryan took off from second and third.
The left fielder backpedaled hard—
Back—
Back—
Back—
AND—
CAUGHT IT.
"OUT!!"
The stadium groaned.
Tyler collapsed dramatically.
Bryan grabbed his helmet.
Emma exhaled slowly.
But the Hawks weren't celebrating.
Not even a little.
Because Zach hit Hunter's trick pitch.
And Mason knew exactly what that meant.
Zach jogged back toward his dugout.
As he passed the plate, Mason said quietly:
"You're adapting."
Zach stared back.
Mason added:
"And next inning…
I want to see how far you can go."
Zach's eyes hardened.
"Me too."
The inning ended.
But the real battle
—Zach vs. Mason—
had just begun.