Back at the old baseball field, Tanba had the advantage of holding a baseball, but Zhou Hui felt no tension at all.
A strike without any balls is a common occurrence in baseball.
For a batter, this is a very usual situation.
For someone like Zhou Hui, who has a powerful swing, this scenario was nothing new. He was already accustomed to it.
The pitch speed was estimated to be around 138 km/h, but it definitely hadn't reached 140 km/h.
For an ace pitcher on a prestigious high school team, 140 km/h should be the basic pitch speed.
This was just a starting point for them, so Zhou Hui had reason to believe that this wasn't Tanba's fastest pitch.
His fastest pitch should still be able to reach 140 km/h.
He just hadn't put in the effort yet.
However, even so, this was a speed Zhou Hui had never encountered before.
If Zhou Hui remembered correctly, during his junior high days, no one could throw at this speed.
Even in the national tournament, it was the same.
Although there were many talented pitchers in the national tournament, very few could reach the speed of 140 km/h.
"How about that? You've never seen a pitch like this, right?"
Tanba smiled knowingly, as if he had accomplished something.
Zhou Hui, on the other hand, wore a bright smile, looking very cheerful.
Being able to face such an excellent pitcher and challenge new limits was indeed very cool.
"Of course! That pitch was really fast!"
There was no fear in him, only excitement, leaving Tanba unsure whether Zhou Hui was naturally optimistic or just a bit daft.
"Seriously, this is so unfulfilling."
Not seeing Zhou Hui's fearful expression and failing to intimidate him undoubtedly made Tanba feel uncomfortable.
"Then how about this pitch?"
In his glove, Tanba adjusted his grip, no longer using two fingers to hold the baseball while the other two supported it.
This was the most basic grip for a fastball, allowing the baseball to fly out very steadily without altering its trajectory.
This was the fundamental grip.
But a basic pitch was no longer enough to deal with Zhou Hui.
Even some professional players' fastballs couldn't handle Zhou Hui, let alone Tanba.
There was evidence to support this.
After Zhou Hui won the national tournament, a pitcher from the Hokkaido professional team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, faced Zhou Hui in a match.
During that encounter, Zhou Hui managed to get a hit off a professional player, astonishing everyone.
And this was when Zhou Hui was still in junior high!
Saying that Zhou Hui had the ability to play professionally at that time was not an exaggeration at all.
Although that pitcher was just a second-string player, he was still a legitimate professional.
His skills were truly not to be underestimated.
Since then, not only prestigious high schools like Seidou, but even scouts from the Nippon Ham Fighters began to take an interest in this kid.
The gap between third-year high school students and professionals was actually quite small.
In Japan, many students go directly into professional baseball drafts after graduating high school and are selected by professional teams, officially becoming professional players.
However, Zhou Hui displayed such powerful skills as a first-year, which was a bit intimidating.
Tanba's grip on the ball changed.
He wrapped his thumb and pinky around the entire baseball.
This was the grip for a curveball.
It was also Tanba's signature pitch!
The curveball is one of the most difficult types of breaking balls; it requires a pitcher to have strong wrist strength and excellent feel for the ball.
Yet many newcomers mistakenly believe that practicing curveballs is essential for their training plans.
They are misled into thinking that curveballs are the most basic type of breaking ball.
In reality, the curveball is a true "test" of a pitcher's skill.
"Whoosh!"
Shaking his wrist, Tanba forcefully threw the ball.
Tanba's curveball was fearsome; it was his signature pitch, nearly unbeatable at Seidou High School.
His ability to "kill familiarity" was extraordinary.
As Zhou Hui watched the white ball fly toward him, he carefully observed its trajectory.
Zhou Hui not only had great power; his eyesight was also a significant asset.
It was as if his eyes were equipped with some high-tech device, allowing him to clearly understand the flight path of the baseball and predict exactly when it would change.
This indicated not only his top-notch dynamic vision but also his exceptional baseball IQ.
"A curveball with such a large break?"
Zhou Hui's eyes lit up as he recognized how this ball would change.
"Interesting, but if this ball doesn't enter the strike zone, it's all for nothing, right, Tanba-senpai?"
The baseball traced an arc in the air, then seemed to lose gravity and dropped down.
This time, there was no sound of the baseball hitting the mat.
The baseball didn't even hit the mat!
The pitch's movement was so outrageous that it slid from a high inside position to a low outside position.
The baseball didn't hit the mat; it rolled straight to the outfield fence.
Zhou Hui walked over to pick it up and wiped it on his hand.
"Well, that's one ball in the strike zone and one ball out."
"Looks like I didn't fool you after all?"
Tanba's pitch this time was thrown with a bit of luck.
He knew very well that this type of pitch might not fool Zhou Hui, yet he still wanted to try to trick him into swinging.
It was just the lead in the count that gave him this idea.
"Next pitch, I won't hold back."
With that, Tanba returned to his original grip.
A fastball was a safer choice.
Tanba couldn't guarantee that his curveball would definitely land in the strike zone, but he was very confident in his fastball.
The strike zone was definitely not a problem.
"Whoosh!"
Turning and swinging his arm, the baseball was thrown.
Fast as lightning, the baseball shot out like a white flash, making it impossible to see its shadow; one could only judge its position based on the white light.
But that was just how it felt to others.
Zhou Hui's eyes had completely locked onto the baseball's exact position.
Next, he just needed to focus and aim for the sweet spot to swing!
It was that simple!
As the baseball approached, Zhou Hui lowered his bat to the bottom position.
With that, he exerted force upward, scooping the ball, ensuring it would go far and high.
"Clang!"
The baseball was scooped up, and Zhou Hui's wrist continued to apply force.
Unfortunately, even though Zhou Hui had locked onto the pitch well, he still hit it poorly.
That was understandable; it was his first time facing a 140 km/h fastball.
After being scooped up, the baseball landed foul in left field.
"If only it had been hit a bit better, it would have definitely been a hit to left field."
"What a shame."
Tanba was taken aback, staring at Zhou Hui, speechless.
He hadn't expected this junior to master the "scooping" technique to such an impressive level.
"That was a great hit, scooping it like that!"
"Heh heh, I'm the spokesperson for the scooping swing!"