"That guy… He's batting second now?"
The crowd buzzed with disbelief.
Zhou Hao?
The first-year prodigy from Seidou High School?
He was already a dominating presence on the team—stronger than many of the seasoned third-years.
For Zhou Hao to step into the batter's box and land a hit had beco routine.
In fact, the number of tis he hadn't landed a hit?
So rare they could be counted on one hand.
Currently, his batting average sat at an absurd 85%.
And if that wasn't enough, his performance on the mound was even more terrifying.
Zhou Hao's signature Spiral Ball didn't resemble any known variation.
It was entirely unique.
When a sports journalist once asked a pro coach why Zhou Hao could throw such a devastating pitch, the response was simple:
"It's probably just… innate."
The coach explained that different physiques, hand sizes, and muscle control made pitches behave differently.
But Zhou Hao?
He threw sothing that no one else in the country could replicate.
A Spiral Ball with brute force and surgical precision—a pitch that shattered expectations.
Now, Zhou Hao stepped into the batter's box.
The players of Inashiro Industrial weren't concerned about his pitching at the mont.
Their priority was how to deal with Zhou Hao the batter.
And they weren't taking him lightly.
From the very start, Yuki, Inashiro's ace, was feeling the pressure.
Seidou's leadoff man, Matsumoto, had clearly studied his pitching tendencies—he backed off and almost nailed a perfect hit.
How deep was Seidou's understanding of his arsenal?
And now ca Zhou Hao.
Yuki had seen his stats and doubted reality itself.
"How can soone hit this well?"
There didn't seem to be a pitch Zhou Hao couldn't read—or crush.
Yuki clenched his jaw and signaled his teammates behind his back.
The infield and outfield subtly shifted their positions.
Yuki exhaled.
"Let's give this rookie a bit of trouble."
He lifted his leg high, transferred his weight, and fired the ball.
Whoosh!
The baseball scread toward the plate.
Zhou Hao's Sharingan activated.
He saw everything.
The pitch's trajectory. The spin. The angle.
"Fly out," he thought.
He raised his bat and swung.
But then—a vision.
A montary glimpse of the future:
The ball… caught in the outfield.
That instant shook him.
He adjusted.
Too late.
Thwack!
The pitch sailed beneath the bat and landed neatly in the catcher's mitt.
"Strike one!"
The dugout and fans of Seidou froze.
"Wait—Zhou Hao missed?"
Even Yuki stood stunned on the mound.
"This is the infamous Zhou Hao?"
A straight fastball, slightly low in the strike zone—and he didn't touch it?
Inashiro's players were speechless.
Had the data been wrong?
anwhile, Inashiro's fans went wild.
"As expected! Not so scary after all!"
"Stats don't matter when you're facing Yuki!"
"Sit down, rookie!"
Zhou Hao's supporters had no coback.
There was no excuse—they'd seen him whiff a fastball.
But in the batter's box, Zhou Hao was analyzing.
He hadn't misread the ball.
He had seen the outco—the trap.
As he swung, the outfielder moved to exactly where he'd aid.
This wasn't luck. It was a preditated setup.
Zhou Hao's eyes narrowed.
How did they know where he'd hit it?
This was calculated.
Targeted.
He took a long breath, calming his mind.
Once again, he activated his Sharingan—this ti, not just on the ball.
He watched the entire field.
Whoosh!
The next pitch ca flying.
And in that mont, three outcos played through his mind like a movie reel:
Third-base line → fly out.
Straight up the middle → safe at first.
First-base line → high risk, high reward. Could reach second if successful.
Zhou Hao honed in on the third option.
He adjusted his stance, his grip, the bat's angle—
Then swung.
Ping!
The bat t the ball perfectly.
The fielder bolted toward the third-base line—but it was a fakeout.
The ball veered sharply toward first base.
The first baseman of Inashiro leapt—desperate.
But—
Too high.
The ball flew over his glove and bounced into shallow right field.
"It got through!!"
The Seidou supporters erupted.
Zhou Hao's fans jumped to their feet, pumping their fists.
"That's more like it!"
"He saw through them!"
"Zhou Hao!!"
The Sharingan had predicted their trap—and crushed it.
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