By the third round, only Jin Zhenhuan and a few administrators remained, everyone else had already quit the trial, even Afei had left.
As an ordinary Trial Taker, the only one who hadn't left was Rod.
With Jin Zhenhuan and those administrators, there was an even number, so they could pair up, leaving Li Xiu and Rod as the last pair.
Li Xiu had two draws already, if he ended up with another draw against Rod, the next trial would be a mandatory life-and-death showdown.
You only get one chance, being a pitcher is fine, but being a batter greatly increases the chance Li Xiu might die.
Moreover, Li Xiu's opponent in the next match is likely Jin Zhenhuan, and being the batter it's almost a sure loss.
So no matter how you look at it, Li Xiu can only win this trial; losing or even drawing is not an option.
"Hey buddy, you're good; were you a professional before?" Rod began chatting with Li Xiu, acting chummy.
"No," Li Xiu closed his eyes to rest, waiting for his trial to begin.
"Not a professional pitcher, it's rare to see someone control the ball so well. The Finger Fork Ball isn't difficult, most people can throw a similar Finger Fork Ball with practice. But that kind of Finger Fork Ball is useless. The speed of the Finger Fork Ball is inherently slower than regular pitches; increasing its speed and precise control is the key. Like that guy who threw the Finger Fork Ball earlier, he nearly missed the strike zone; that kind of control doesn't deserve to be called a Finger Fork Ball…" Rod continued speaking to himself.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Li Xiu interrupted Rod.
"I'm saying we're both technical players, no need for mutual destruction; if we truly compete to win, it could lead to mutual ruin, neither of us surviving," Rod said.
"Do you think I can trust you?" Li Xiu looked at Rod and asked.
"Of course you can, you don't have a choice but to trust me," Rod replied.
"Why?" Li Xiu looked at Rod with interest, wanting to know what gave Rod his confidence.
"Besides the Finger Fork Ball, I'm also good with the Finger Ball," Rod said softly to Li Xiu.
He thought Li Xiu understood what a Finger Ball meant, but Li Xiu was clueless, so he just looked at Rod without saying anything.
Seeing Li Xiu say nothing, Rod assumed Li Xiu was weighing the pros and cons, so he continued, "You should know very well, even pitchers themselves don't know where the Finger Ball will go; it moves erratically left, right, up, and down. Though it has a fancy name 'Butterfly Ball,' for professional players, it's a nightmare. Batters can only guess blindly, and catchers have to rely on luck to catch it. If you insist on having a decisive match with me, I'll throw the Butterfly Ball, let fate decide."
"Sounds like fun, I'm quite eager to see that Butterfly Ball you mentioned," Li Xiu responded to Rod.
Rod was a bit stunned; he thought someone like Li Xiu, also a professional-level baseball player, would understand his point; he didn't expect Li Xiu to say such a thing.
"You think I don't dare? Apart from being a professional player, I'm also a gambler; I love betting," Rod's eyes turned sharp.
"That's the best, I'm looking forward to you throwing the Butterfly Ball," Li Xiu said sincerely; he was indeed curious to see exactly what the Butterfly Ball was like.
"Alright then, let's see," no need for further conversation, Rod turned and walked away, sat down on the other end of the bleachers.
Soon, the third round of trials began; there weren't many groups left. They all mutually pitched to each other for points; quickly, it was Li Xiu and Rod's turn.
This time, Li Xiu was first at the pitcher's mound. From the batter's position, Rod shouted at Li Xiu, "Think it over, I can let you off one pitch."
"Don't need to think about it, let's rely on skill," Li Xiu moved his joints, preparing to pitch.
"What kind of pitch will he throw? Finger Fork Ball? Curveball? Or fastball?" Rod stared at Li Xiu, who was in a pitching stance, making judgments in his mind.
Though he claimed he had eagle eyes, possessing dynamic vision that was hard for ordinary people to match, seeing was one thing, making timely judgments was another.
At the moment of the opponent's pitch, one must determine what pitch it is and swing the bat timely; this isn't easy to accomplish.
Especially against someone like Li Xiu, who excels at various change-ups, coupled with an incomprehensible confidence; Rod couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous.
"Why is he so confident? Even when I offered to let him off a pitch, he refused and insisted on a life-and-death showdown. Though it was just a bluff, what is the source of his confidence? Whether it's Finger Fork Ball or curveball, given the speed he pitches, I should have a chance to hit it. But his confidence seems like he has a hundred percent certainty; exactly what kind of pitch could give him such confidence?"
As he thought about it, Rod's eyes suddenly lit up: "Could it be, he can also throw the Butterfly Ball? Want to gamble luck with me?"
The more Rod thought about it, the more it made sense, otherwise, he couldn't understand why Li Xiu was so confident.
Their physical conditions were similar; Rod had outstanding dynamic vision. Apart from the unpredictable Butterfly Ball, there's no pitch Rod lacked confidence in hitting.
"Right, it must be the Butterfly Ball," Rod concluded in his mind.
Li Xiu had already pitched the ball; it flew a bit slowly in the air; the Butterfly Ball is the slowest pitch, which further affirmed Rod's judgment.
"Pretending to throw a Finger Fork Ball? It's useless; I've seen through you. Since you want to gamble, let's gamble," Rod felt a surge of gambling spirit; aware the Butterfly Ball's trajectory was unpredictable, even with eagle eyes, it was of no use, he could only take a chance.
Rod swung the bat suddenly, aiming to hit downward. If it was a bet, then hitting lower also guards against Li Xiu throwing a Finger Fork Ball instead.
But while Rod swung the bat, he sensed something was amiss because the baseball flying over showed no unpredictable erratic movements; it didn't seem like a Butterfly Ball.
"No matter; if it's a Finger Fork Ball, I can still hit it." The bat had swung out, thinking further was pointless; Rod could only swing with full force.
Yet, when the ball reached him, Rod appeared petrified, with a face full of shock and disbelief.
"Why... Why is it a slow straight ball... no variation at all..." Rod watched the ball fly over the top of the bat and hit the strike zone.
From an observer's perspective, it seemed like Li Xiu threw a soft, weak straight ball, while Rod intentionally missed it.