A white baseball came roaring in.
Standing in the batter's box, Matsumoto instinctively widened his eyes.
With his extensive game experience, he could roughly judge the speed of the pitch.
This pitch was definitely no more than 120 km/h.
But that wasn't what shocked Matsumoto.
What truly surprised him was that this pitch wasn't a spiral ball.
Hadn't he heard that this junior who was just promoted only knew how to throw spiral balls?
So why was he throwing a fastball now?
And the quality of the pitch wasn't bad at all. Aside from being a bit slow, its placement and angle were both good.
Matsumoto resisted the urge to swing and watched the ball land cleanly into Chris's glove.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Chris's sharp features formed a smile.
Earlier, when Zhou Hao said he could throw a fastball, Chris was still skeptical.
After all, he too had heard similar news before.
A guy who just yesterday claimed he could only throw spiral balls, suddenly today says he can also throw fastballs?
Does that make any sense?
The only logical explanation Chris could come up with was that Zhou Hao wasn't confident in his fastball.
So he simply told Miyuki that he only threw spiral balls.
But now, it seemed that even that guess was wrong.
Zhou Hao not only could throw fastballs, he actually threw them quite well.
His control was excellent—only the velocity was a bit lacking.
"Next pitch, spiral ball," Chris signaled.
Zhou Hao nodded without hesitation.
He had an inexplicable trust in this upperclassman of mixed white descent standing before him.
"Whoosh!"
Leg lift, hip rotation, arm swing—pitch delivered.
Zhou Hao's pitching motion seemed utterly unremarkable, just like any ordinary pitcher.
Yet somehow, this very ordinary motion looked unbelievably smooth when executed by him.
"Boom!"
What started as a seamless, natural motion erupted with explosive force when the ball left his hand.
This pitch, which had looked mundane, suddenly gave off a world-shattering aura.
So fast!
The pitch just before was under 120 km/h, but this one easily surpassed 130—perhaps even hitting 135 km/h.
A nearly 20 km/h jump in speed.
And that wasn't all—the spin on this pitch was extraordinary.
Matsumoto had been fully prepared to swing at this one.
But when Zhou Hao's spiral ball flew in, he couldn't react in time to take a swing.
He fully understood just how terrifying this pitch was.
Simply put, the quality of this pitch was shockingly high.
Before Matsumoto could do anything, the ball had already whooshed past his eyes.
"Pop!"
"Strike!"
Two strikes, no balls.
The batter was in a tight spot.
Matsumoto, known for his sharp game sense, now seemed completely suppressed by Zhou Hao.
How could this be happening?
The five batters waiting in line exchanged bewildered glances.
They had imagined many possibilities—but never that Matsumoto would look so helpless.
"Zhou Hao's spiral ball spins much faster than a normal one. His plain-looking pitching motion actually enhances the spin starting from the grip…"
"It must be even more overwhelming when you're actually in the batter's box."
No matter how reluctant they were to admit it, even seniors like Higashikuni couldn't deny that their previous assumptions weren't just wrong—they were wildly off base.
No wonder Coach Kataoka had given Zhou Hao such a rare promotion. His pitching was simply that outstanding.
Seidou's high school baseball team was currently lacking a strong pitcher.
Zhou Hao being promoted now was the perfect solution.
But understanding this was one thing—facing off was another.
Now that the match had begun, as seniors of Seidou's baseball team, they absolutely could not afford to lose.
"Matsumoto!"
Though he didn't need his teammates to cheer him on, Matsumoto understood more than anyone that now was the time to show the dignity of a senior.
Gripping his bat tightly, Matsumoto prepared for the third pitch.
Fastball or spiral ball—he was going to hit it!
Behind the plate, Chris could feel his fingers trembling slightly.
When that last ball came flying in, he had been seriously startled.
Especially when it landed in his glove—it kept twisting, nearly flying back out.
This kind of pitching partnership…
It was the first time for Chris.
Seeing Chris catch the ball steadily without it flying out of his glove, Miyuki Kazuya, watching from the sidelines, lit up like a bulb.
"As expected of Chris-senpai. He caught Zhou Hao's spiral ball on the first try. Hehe, that's how it should be. Otherwise, what fun would it be to beat you?"
Rather than being discouraged by his opponent's strength, Miyuki looked more fired up than ever.
The showdown continued. Zhou Hao received Chris's signal and, without hesitation, threw another spiral ball.
That last spiral ball had already left a deep impression on the batter.
Using it again now would make it even harder for Matsumoto—and also shift the focus of all the upcoming batters toward the spiral ball.
That was Chris's strategy.
Plant the fear of the spiral ball into every senior's mind—and then sneak in a fastball to finish them off.
Zhou Hao's fastball, despite being slower, was still quite effective.
Of course, that was Chris's thinking—Matsumoto had something else in mind.
As soon as he saw the spiral ball coming again, he gripped his bat tighter and decisively swung at the right moment.
"So what if it's fast? As long as I hit the sweet spot, I can still crush it!"
Matsumoto swung with all his might.
He knew how hard it was to hit such a fast, spinning ball.
But in that moment, he gave it everything he had.
As long as his power was strong enough, he could counter the ball's spin.
Just as he thought this, his bat struck the ball dead on.
"Clang!"
Hit it!!
Matsumoto didn't even have time to celebrate—he immediately felt like his hands were splitting apart.
So heavy!
It didn't even feel like hitting a baseball—more like slamming into a bulldozer.
Caught completely off guard, Matsumoto let go of his bat.
His bat went flying through the air!!!
Coach Kataoka, temporarily serving as the home plate umpire, calmly ducked his head, watching the bat fly past him with practiced ease.
That motion—so skilled it was painful to see.
The deflected baseball dropped right in front of the catcher.
Chris casually reached out, grabbed it, and placed it back into his glove.
Then he lightly tapped Matsumoto with the glove.
"Out!"
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