Bottom of the first inning.
It was Inashiro Industrial's turn to bat.
On the mound stood Seidou's rookie pitcher, the freshman phenom: Zhou Hao.
From the stands, Seidou's fans roared with excitent. They had already witnessed the unbelievable movent of Zhou Hao's Spiral Ball, and they were certain—even Inashiro's powerhouse lineup would be rattled by it.
Coach Kataoka's decision to let Zhou Hao start was nothing short of a masterstroke. It was the kind of surprise move that could throw even the most disciplined team off balance.
Leading off for Inashiro was a player nad Hanaki.
One glance and he left a strong impression.
Towering at over 180 cm with a stocky, bear-like fra, Hanaki looked more like a cleanup slugger than a leadoff man. But Inashiro had chosen him to start their lineup.
That alone said a lot.
Not only did Hanaki have power—he also had speed and batting discipline. A complete threat at the plate.
Chris, crouched behind the plate and coordinating Seidou's defense, gave a sharp signal.
"He's no ordinary batter. Stay sharp!"
Zhou Hao gave a curt nod.
He already knew Hanaki wasn't soone to underestimate. In a previous ga, the guy had hored on the very first pitch—a bomb that demoralized the other team before they even had a chance to fight back.
"Let's see how my Spiral Ball does against him."
Zhou Hao set up and fired.
"Boom!"
The first pitch ca screaming in.
High velocity, heavy rotation, sharp tailing spin—it sliced through the air and landed with a slap in Chris's mitt.
Hanaki had watched it all the way through, eyes wide, but didn't swing.
"Strike!"
The umpire's call rang out.
The Seidou fans erupted.
They had expected the Spiral Ball to catch Inashiro off guard, and now it was confird.
The fad leadoff batter of Inashiro—Hanaki, a known slugger across Tokyo—hadn't even twitched.
"Zhou Hao!"
"Zhou Hao!!"
Encouraged by the crowd, Zhou Hao went for pitch two.
"Boom!!"
This one ca even faster.
Hanaki's eyes widened. He clenched the bat, timing the pitch—and swung with all his might.
"Ping!"
The bat connected, but Hanaki winced.
It's so heavy!
The tailing spin on the Spiral Ball sank the bat just enough to kill the montum. But Hanaki had been ntally prepared for that. Gritting his teeth, he forced the ball out into the infield.
The entire stadium held its breath as the ball shot past the mound, bouncing hard off the dirt.
It looked like a clean hit—
Until Matsumoto, Seidou's shortstop, sprinted in from the backline.
He scooped the ball cleanly mid-run and, while still airborne, whipped it across the field to Azuma at first base.
"Slap!"
"Out!"
A perfect out.
One down. No one on.
It wasn't the strikeout Seidou fans had hoped for—but the result was the sa.
And the defense was elite.
"SEIDOU! SEIDOU!!"
"That's our Matsumoto! I take back everything I said about your batting!"
Despite the stadium noise, Matsumoto smirked.
"No one thinks you're mute when you're quiet."
He muttered the coback to himself, but it was clear—he'd heard the heckling before.
anwhile, on the mound, Zhou Hao looked rattled.
"Sorry…"
Seeing Hanaki connect—even weakly—had shaken him.
He had always trusted in his Spiral Ball. Even elite cleanup hitters had trouble with it.
But this ti, the very first batter made contact—without ever seeing the pitch before.
Chris could sense the rookie's shaken confidence, but before he could say anything—
"Hey!"
It was Matsumoto again, calling out from shortstop.
"What's with the face? It's a miracle your Spiral Ball lasted this long."
"Those Inashiro guys have studied you like mad. So what if they hit it?"
"You think you're carrying this defense alone?"
Zhou Hao's eyes widened—then narrowed.
He understood.
This wasn't just his fight. He had an entire team behind him. Seidou's defense was built to support each other.
He took a deep breath.
Behind the plate, Chris gave the signal:
Straight Ball.
A surprise weapon. Ti to mix it up and keep Inashiro off balance.
But Zhou Hao—
shook his head.
Chris blinked.
What?
The Spiral Ball had already been hit. Continuing with it was risky.
But Zhou Hao's expression was clear and unshakable.
He mouthed the words:
"Spiral Ball."
He wasn't backing down.
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