The sixth batter, Matsumoto, was back in the rotation.
The crowd watching the game once again looked forward to the next showdown.
Although Matsumoto and the others lost to Zhou Hao in the first round, there were many objective reasons behind that.
First of all, Chris, being the catcher, was very familiar with his first-string teammates.
It was precisely because Chris was calling the pitches that Zhou Hao could dominate so thoroughly.
In contrast, Matsumoto and the others knew absolutely nothing about Zhou Hao.
Facing a completely unfamiliar pitcher without any data or intel, losing the first time was totally understandable.
What was unexpected, however, was that Zhou Hao had taken down several powerhouse batters in a row.
It made Seidou High School's famed batting lineup look like mere decorations.
Now, in the second round of their duel, setting aside Zhou Hao's stamina, the batters had gained a lot more understanding of him compared to before.
Not only had they experienced failure firsthand, they had also been watching Zhou Hao pitch for a long time now.
By this point, they were likely very familiar with Zhou Hao's pitching style.
Under these circumstances, trying to beat them with the same tactics as before wasn't going to be easy.
And from the very first pitch of their duel, that already seemed to be the case.
Zhou Hao got into his pitching stance—his strength hadn't dropped at all.
"Boom!"
The powerful spiral pitch, which had previously knocked Matsumoto's bat out of his hands, was unleashed again.
But this time, Matsumoto didn't back down in the slightest.
He stepped forward and swung decisively.
"Ping!"
The white baseball was struck and landed just outside the third base foul line.
"Foul!"
Although Zhou Hao secured a strike, everyone could tell—after adjusting in the first round, Matsumoto had already adapted to the spiral pitch.
"It's really an impressive weapon—even if you've figured it out, it's still hard to hit properly!"
Matsumoto said deliberately in the batter's box.
He was clearly directing those words at Chris.
You think you can keep calling pitches for him? Let's see you try now.
At this moment, Matsumoto had clearly made up his mind.
No matter what, he was going to hit that ball.
When he raised his bat again, his gaze toward Zhou Hao was filled with a faint killing intent.
It was as if the moment Zhou Hao threw the ball, he'd hit it without hesitation.
As the core batter of Seidou's team, Matsumoto—now fully focused on the ball—was undoubtedly terrifying.
If it were any ordinary pitcher, they might've been crushed by his pressure already.
But Zhou Hao was different.
He couldn't feel any of that pressure—at this moment, all he wanted was to pitch according to Chris's signals.
"Matsumoto has all-around technique. Tricks won't work anymore. Just face him directly—trust your teammates behind you."
Chris gave this signal—because he had no other choice.
But Zhou Hao seemed completely unfazed.
When he saw Chris's signs, he nodded without hesitation and threw the ball.
"Boom!"
Another powerful spiral pitch—this one seemed even faster than before.
Matsumoto gritted his teeth in the batter's box.
Damn Chris—he's not taking the bait at all.
Just now, Matsumoto had deliberately hit the ball foul.
At this point, he had completely figured out Zhou Hao's pitching rhythm.
Hitting the ball into fair territory wouldn't be that hard anymore.
But the problem was the intense spin and late break on the pitch.
Even if he hit it into play, he couldn't control where the ball would land.
And the fielders on the diamond? They were his own first-string teammates.
Hitting an unpredictable ball their way was basically the same as gifting an out.
Matsumoto's earlier comment was meant to shake Chris's resolve.
But Chris wasn't fooled at all—instead, he had Zhou Hao attack head-on with his best spiral pitch.
Matsumoto might've had a lot of frustration inside, but he had nowhere to vent it.
All he could do was grit his teeth and hit the ball foul again.
"Ping!"
"Foul!!"
Two consecutive foul balls sent everyone's hearts racing.
They could already foresee a drawn-out battle between batter and pitcher.
Zhou Hao's pitches were powerful, no doubt.
And his rhythm was excellent—usually taking down opponents in one or two, at most three pitches.
So even though he had been pitching continuously without rest, his total pitch count wasn't high.
If Matsumoto could drag out the at-bat with Zhou Hao, even if he couldn't get a hit, he could create opportunities for the batters behind him.
Help them score.
"Let's show the first-years our upperclassman pride!"
A third-year senpai began shouting slogans like that.
But just as he did, the atmosphere on the field suddenly shifted.
The Matsumoto who seemed ready to keep battling it out...
Gritted his teeth and swung again—not hitting it foul this time, but sending it straight into fair territory.
The landing spot of the baseball wasn't bad.
Matsumoto tossed his bat and sprinted toward first base.
Didn't he want to keep fighting it out?
If he could teach the first-years and Chris a lesson that way, Matsumoto definitely would've done it.
But the problem was—every time he hit Zhou Hao's pitch, a massive shock reverberated through his hands.
The first time was okay—he had prepared for it.
But by the second pitch, he already felt like he was losing control.
By the third, his palm was on the verge of tearing open.
This wasn't just a feeling—it was a fact.
If this continued, Matsumoto felt the skin between his thumb and index finger would tear completely.
So under the circumstances, he had no choice but to hit the ball into play.
Luckily, his luck wasn't bad...
Matsumoto sprinted as fast as he could and was just about to reach first base.
But just then, the white baseball came flying in.
The first baseman standing there didn't budge, and caught it cleanly.
"Pa!"
The ball beat him by just a little.
"Out!"
As the umpire's call rang out, the crowd sighed in disappointment.
Just a little bit more...
But even that small difference—thanks to his teammates' support—allowed Zhou Hao to secure the out.
His showdown with the first-string seniors now stood at six consecutive victories.
And just then, a system notification suddenly sounded in Zhou Hao's mind:
[Congratulations, Host. You've successfully passed the sixth trial. Reward: +1 to Basic Physical Attributes.]
Unlike the previous three rewards, which were all skill-based—
Sharingan, Rasengan, and the Kunai Straight Throwing Technique—
This time, the system gave a stat boost to physical attributes.
Zhou Hao originally had no real concept of what that meant.
But once the reward was granted, he saw his stat panel.
Zhou Hao
Physical Attributes: 5.5 (Trial Reward +1)
Which meant his previous physical stat was 4.5, and now it had become 5.5.
In addition to the stat, the system even gave a little comment on what a 5.5 meant:
[Congratulations! You are now a slightly stronger weakling chicken!]
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