"Two strikes, no balls.
The batter was cornered.
Standing in the batter's box, Shimoike Hikaru never imagined—
He would be pushed into such a desperate situation… by a first-year junior.
Despite his usual low profile and not even getting a single-digit jersey number due to team ranking,
Shimoike was extremely confident in his own abilities.
As long as he saw the pitch clearly, he believed he could definitely hit it.
He knew since yesterday that Zhou Hao's spiral pitch was unusual.
But Shimoike still firmly believed that as long as they faced off on the field,
He could definitely hit that ball.
Until now.
A 130 km/h four-seam fastball was even harder to deal with than he had imagined.
It wasn't until he actually stood in the batter's box that he realized just how absurdly strong the tail-end force on Zhou Hao's fastball was.
Not only was the pitch fast—it had incredible late movement.
Hitting such a ball well was undeniably very difficult.
And behind Zhou Hao stood the team's fielders.
Shimoike knew all too well how reliable his teammates were.
If a batted ball didn't have high enough quality, those guys would snatch it up in an instant.
And even the fastball was this hard to handle.
Not to mention the possibility that Zhou Hao might throw his spiral pitch for the final strike.
He had to choose between the two.
"Stay calm!"
Shimoike reminded himself.
At times like this, it was even more important to keep a cool head.
If he lost focus, he would have no chance of hitting the ball.
As he thought this, Zhou Hao on the pitcher's mound had already assumed his stance.
Compared to his pitching yesterday, Zhou Hao now looked like a completely different person—
As if he had been reborn.
Whoosh!
The white baseball flew in like a bullet.
Fastball!
Shimoike made his judgment and immediately swung the bat.
Clang!
The bat connected with the ball—it soared high into the air.
A tall second baseman from Seidou's team saw the ball flying toward him and leaped gracefully.
His movement was like a fish jumping out of water, fluid and powerful.
Pop!
The glove caught the ball cleanly.
"Out!"
Kataoka, the home plate umpire, immediately declared the result.
The first-year spectators watching the scrimmage were even more fired up.
"Awesome!"
"That's two in a row!"
Seidou High School's baseball team was always known for its outstanding batting lineup.
Their offensive power was among the best—not just in West Tokyo, but even nationwide.
And yet, at this moment, they were being completely shut down by a first-year junior.
Two consecutive outs.
"You two—if you're trying to let the junior off easy, do you have to make it so obvious?"
Seeing his teammates underperform, Higashikuni couldn't help but snap:
"With plays like that, how are we supposed to make it to Koshien? How are we going to dominate the country?"
As the soul of Seidou's baseball team, Higashikuni's words held real weight.
Many players had joined Seidou drawn by its reputation.
Even though they hadn't made it to Koshien in the last four years,
Seidou was still considered one of the elite powerhouses nationwide.
A team like this—if not aiming for Koshien, if not aiming for national dominance—
Then what were they even playing for?
Naturally, the players believed Seidou should always strive for those goals.
"Senior Higashikuni, you be careful too. That guy may look honest, but he's actually super sly."
Miyuki Kazuya recalled how Zhou Hao tricked him yesterday and still couldn't calm down.
He spoke up, helping redirect Higashikuni's attention toward Zhou Hao.
"Is that so?"
Higashikuni paused, surprised.
He had already sensed that Zhou Hao's pitching level was no joke.
The reason he'd spoken like that earlier was to lift the team's spirit, which had dropped a bit.
As for whether Zhou Hao was really sly?
Higashikuni hadn't seen any signs of it himself.
"Hearing that from you doesn't exactly boost credibility,"
He replied casually.
Whether or not Zhou Hao was sly, Higashikuni couldn't say.
But Miyuki Kazuya—this guy definitely wasn't innocent.
Around upperclassmen, Miyuki showed no signs of humility whatsoever.
Higashikuni had long since seen through his scheming nature.
He wasn't about to take advice from someone like that.
"This is what happens when you've got a bad reputation—no one believes you."
Second-year Isashiki Jun chuckled so hard his teeth showed.
"Senior Higashikuni, give that guy a proper lesson!"
As a first-year rookie, Zhou Hao's performance had been overwhelming.
And Isashiki Jun idolized Higashikuni.
From Isashiki's perspective, once Higashikuni stepped up,
Taking care of Zhou Hao would be no problem at all.
"Of course."
With such bold words spoken, Higashikuni had backed himself into a corner.
As the team's cleanup hitter—one of the top batters in all of Tokyo—
If he didn't get a solid hit here, it would be seriously embarrassing.
He stepped into the batter's box.
Due to his powerful build, Higashikuni standing there felt like a towering mountain.
He raised the bat high and locked eyes with Zhou Hao.
Though he said nothing aloud,
His posture spoke clearly:
"If you've got the guts, throw the ball!"
He was determined to blast the incoming pitch with thunderous force.
Crouched behind the plate, Chris could clearly feel Higashikuni's overwhelming presence.
This was already his third year of high school.
As the team's spiritual leader, he had adjusted himself to peak condition in order to lead Seidou to Koshien.
Lately, Higashikuni had been hitting like a man possessed.
Whether in team practices or matches against other schools,
He'd launched home runs repeatedly.
Even Chris, watching from the side, could feel his terrifying pressure.
Let alone Zhou Hao.
Zhou Hao was probably feeling overwhelmed by now, right?
Chris looked up, ready to give Zhou Hao a signal.
But to Chris's surprise—faced with such a monstrous opponent,
Zhou Hao's expression remained calm and steady.
It was as if he felt no pressure from Higashikuni at all.
"This guy…"
Not just Chris—Higashikuni clearly noticed it too.
Zhou Hao on the mound looked far too relaxed.
The aura he gave off was like someone who already had everything under control.
"Are you that confident… that you can take me down?"
Already determined to get a hit,
Higashikuni felt a fire blaze up inside him.
He had to beat this guy!
"Bring it on. I want to see just what you're capable of!"
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