"Now's the time — I win!!"
The boy on the pitcher's mound seemed to already see himself wearing the No. 1 jersey.
After all, who doesn't dream of becoming the ace pitcher?
At this moment, however, Zhou Hao was staring intently at the incoming baseball.
His heart was pounding.
Despite his overwhelming exhaustion, Zhou Hao's body felt more energized than ever.
He could clearly see the baseball, but if he hit it from his current position, it would surely be caught.
He could potentially avoid that by adjusting his batting stance during the swing.
But to switch stances mid-swing and still produce a quality hit?
That kind of technique was clearly beyond Zhou Hao's capabilities.
Even within Seidou High's elite first-string team—full of power hitters—very few could pull off something like that.
Zhou Hao didn't dare hope for something he knew he couldn't do.
But that didn't mean he had no way to deal with the situation.
His opponent had set a trap, waiting for him to walk right into it.
So why couldn't he just tear that trap apart before walking in?
Zhou Hao stepped forward, using the force of his stride to power his swing.
He knew how risky this move was.
This type of "in-motion" swing was something he hadn't yet mastered. But it was his only chance.
As his body shifted forward, the bat in his hands came roaring around.
The catcher from Matsuyama High, crouched behind the plate, saw the bat getting farther and farther from him—and his pupils suddenly dilated.
"Something's wrong!"
Before Zhou Hao's bat even connected with the ball, the catcher shouted.
"Fall back!!"
Zhou Hao might not have a strong swing, but his timing was incredibly precise.
When he made contact, the ball often flew very far.
Now, by stepping forward, Zhou Hao added even more speed to his swing. The ball was bound to travel farther than usual.
The trap they had set—was now completely useless.
Even though the catcher reacted fast, the fielders weren't fast enough.
Crack!
By the time they heard the sound, the ball Zhou Hao hit was already flying toward them.
The fielders from Matsuyama High pounced like hunting dogs spotting a frisbee.
"You're not getting past us!"
"This game ends here!"
There were runners on all three bases for Seidou High.
Each of them stared wide-eyed at the ball's trajectory.
When they saw two of Matsuyama High's fielders racing toward the drop point, their hearts tensed.
Could it be…
Under everyone's anxious gaze, the ball sped toward the outfielders.
But unexpectedly, the ball showed no signs of dropping—it kept flying forward.
The two Matsuyama fielders, who had leapt like hounds, saw the ball soaring overhead and jumped up.
"Stop it!!"
They stared at the ball, trying to catch it with their gloves.
But their gloves were at least a meter too short.
In the end, they could only watch as the white ball soared over their heads.
Behind them was nothing but open field.
"It got through!!"
The Seidou High players had been so nervous they forgot to cheer for Zhou Hao.
Now, it was like their hearts had been restarted. They pumped their fists in the air, shouting with excitement.
"Deep outfield hit!!"
As the ball bounced off the ground, the three Seidou runners took off at full speed.
Miyuki, who had been on third, made it home with ease.
"Safe!"
"Seidou scores their fourth run!"
And it wasn't over yet.
The hit might not have been that far, but the area ahead of the ball was wide open.
That meant the Matsuyama fielders had to chase it down before throwing it back.
There was more than enough time.
Even the runner who had been on second base made it home easily.
"Fifth run!!"
When the second-base runner crossed home plate, the Seidou bench couldn't hold back anymore.
They jumped up, cheering wildly.
"Hooray!!"
"We tied it!"
They hadn't won yet, but just tying the game was reason enough to celebrate.
After all, their opponents weren't just some no-name team.
This was one of the top four teams in Chiba Prefecture.
Sure, Tokyo was a tougher bracket, and Chiba's top four weren't quite on the same level…
But even if you placed Matsuyama High in Tokyo's bracket, they'd at least be a top-16 team.
To play against a team of that caliber and still fight back?
It was a magical feeling.
Especially for the third-year players who never made it to the first string—this was the perfect way to cap off their high school baseball journey.
"We're strong."
Matsuyama's fielders had finally retrieved the ball and thrown it back in.
Everyone thought the play was over.
But then—a figure like a leopard stepped on third base…
And didn't stop running.
From the Seidou dugout, the players' hearts jumped into their throats.
"That's reckless!!"
The ball was already being thrown to second base—the second baseman had it in hand.
In that situation, charging for home was suicide.
Matsuyama's coach had been in a daze after giving up two runs.
But seeing someone dash for home now made him spring back to life.
"Stop him!!"
Even the second baseman was caught off guard—realizing too late.
Still, he believed Kuramochi was throwing the game.
"Don't get cocky!"
As he shouted, he threw the ball with all his strength.
Whoosh!
The ball flew fast—second to home wouldn't even take a second.
But in that second, the leopard-like boy had already crossed 7 or 8 meters.
Smack!
As the catcher caught the ball—Kuramochi's hand touched home plate.
From his position behind the plate, Umpire Kataoka smiled unconsciously.
"Safe!!"
"Another run!!"
The score shifted from 3:5 to 6:5.
With that one swing, Zhou Hao had brought in three runs and completely turned the game around.
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