Bottom of the ninth inning. The score on the field: 3–5.
Two outs. Bases loaded.
At this critical moment of the match, the Matsuyama High School baseball team had clearly gone all in.
They wanted to win.
At this point, the players of Matsuyama had already forgotten the dissatisfaction they felt earlier in the game.
Right now, they had only one goal in mind — to win today's match.
On the other side, Seidou High School's baseball team…
Although Zhou Hao had performed well in the batter's box earlier, he faltered against Itada.
Should they let Zhou Hao bat in this most crucial moment?
Everyone hesitated.
In any previous inning, they would not have had such thoughts.
After all, Zhou Hao was the pitcher, and the reason they were still in the game was largely thanks to him.
If they replaced Zhou Hao now, who would pitch for them?
But this was the bottom of the ninth — meaning that once this at-bat ended, so would the game.
They didn't need to think about pitching anymore, only about how to score runs.
The players didn't say yes or no.
They neither insisted Zhou Hao bat nor called for a pinch hitter.
In the end, the decision was left to their coach.
Takashima Rei pushed up her glasses. She had clearly thought this through.
"Substitution!"
Seidou High School was making a change.
Before the Seidou players could react, the coach of Matsuyama in their dugout curled his lips into a smile.
Still too young.
He glanced at Takashima Rei, as if already imagining her frustrated expression.
Aside from Zhou Hao, who else in Seidou's bench could be considered a reliable power hitter?
If there was one, they wouldn't have had the ninth batter at the plate now.
To substitute at this moment? That was just a sign of confusion.
Just as Matsuyama's coach was thinking victory was within reach—
"Pinch runner, Kuramochi Youichi!"
The substitution was completed.
Zhou Hao was not taken off the field.
Instead, Kuramochi, who hadn't played the entire game, was now substituted in as a runner on first base.
"Hehe!"
Kuramochi, finally on the field, had eyes full of excitement and anticipation.
Matsuyama's coach's smile froze.
He had thought the opponent's youth meant they were panicking.
But instead of switching batters, they had replaced a runner with someone fast.
As if they were certain Zhou Hao would get a hit.
It was a direct challenge to them.
Zhou Hao, bat in hand, stepped into the batter's box.
He could hear the heavy breaths escaping his mouth and feel the fatigue in his body.
But considering this was the final opportunity, those things no longer mattered.
What mattered now was:
Can he hit the ball or not?
To be honest, Zhou Hao had no confidence.
The last time he faced Itada, he lost.
He made solid contact — the ball landed exactly where he wanted it — and yet it was caught and quickly thrown to first.
What was he supposed to do after that?
He didn't even understand why he failed.
All he knew was — he got out.
Now, standing in the batter's box again, ready to face Itada once more—
Itada looked completely confident.
Despite the pressure of bases loaded, Itada showed no fear and delivered the pitch with full force.
"Whizz!"
Sharingan, activate!
Zhou Hao activated his Sharingan, and immediately, the ball seemed to slow down.
He could clearly see the stitches on the baseball and even its trajectory.
As long as Zhou Hao swung the bat, he could hit it.
Zhou Hao gripped the bat tightly. Just as he was about to swing—
A sudden warning flared in his heart.
He forced himself to hold back, watching as the pitch landed in the catcher's mitt.
"Pop!"
"Strike!!"
Matsuyama's players were fired up by the sight.
"The opponent's been completely scared!"
"Who cares if they're a nationally ranked team? We can still win!"
Earlier, they didn't take Seidou's second string seriously.
But now that they were close to winning, they were excited.
In a way, the second string of Seidou High had already proven their strength — and earned their opponents' respect.
But having come this far, how could they not want to win?
Still, feeling the pressure, they didn't want to put too much on Zhou Hao.
They said nothing.
They simply stood up and gathered at the front of the dugout, watching Zhou Hao intently.
Having taken the lead with one strike, Itada now looked like a general on the battlefield.
After receiving the ball back, he gave some positioning commands and then threw his second pitch with full confidence.
"Whizz!"
The pitch wasn't particularly fast, nor did it have any significant break.
Through the Sharingan, it appeared quite ordinary.
And yet Zhou Hao felt that if he swung at this one, there was over a 30% chance he would be caught.
Even if the ball dropped, the chance of reaching first base was slim.
"If I could hit it to that spot..."
Even though he was now behind with one strike, Zhou Hao didn't look at the ball.
He looked at the field.
With the Sharingan active, he not only had super dynamic vision, but also a wider field of view.
He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he focused—
He suddenly saw something strange.
The fielders of Matsuyama were positioned very cleverly.
What looked like a gap in the defense was actually a trap.
He wouldn't notice this before swinging.
Only once Itada pitched would the fielders tighten the pocket.
In other words, if Zhou Hao hit the ball into that "open" space, he'd be walking right into a trap.
Even the pitch location was deliberately placed to lure him.
To hit the ball well, he would instinctively aim for that "gap."
"So that's how it is!"
...
"Pop!"
"Strike!!"
Two strikes!
Zhou Hao was now cornered.
Matsuyama needed just one more strike to win the game.
In the Matsuyama dugout, the players were already standing and preparing to celebrate.
On the mound, Itada looked like he could already see himself striking out Zhou Hao.
"This is the final pitch!"
Itada raised his leg, swung his arm, and threw his most confident pitch of the day.
After this match, who would dare say Itada wasn't worthy of being the ace?
"Victory is mine!"
As the baseball hurtled toward him, Zhou Hao, who had been standing calmly in the batter's box, suddenly stepped forward.
As he stepped, he swung his bat with full force.
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