"Ping!"
The white baseball soared in a wide arc before disappearing into the outfield stands.
For the Seidou High School Baseball Team, it was like having a bucket of ice water dumped over their heads. Their cheers died instantly, replaced by stunned silence.
The ball had been crushed so easily. Too easily.
Meanwhile, the Osaka Kiryu supporters erupted like a tidal wave.
"They've taken the lead!!"
Their roar was louder than the announcer's call. The scoreboard changed from 2–1 to 2–3.
One swing had shattered everything Seidou built.
That was the power of a true batter. Kuroda's home run didn't just reverse the score—it snatched away the momentum and handed it to Osaka Kiryu.
In their dugout, Manager Matsumoto Takahiro's lips curved into a calm smile.
"Did they think we only prepared for their first-year Ace?"
Kiryu's research went far deeper. While they focused on Zhou Hao, they never neglected Yoshida. And Yoshida, even in peak form, could only hold them back for so long. He'd suppressed their pinch-hitter and Kujo, but against Kuroda…
Matsumoto's gaze sharpened. This is baseball. Where there's a will, there's a way.
The Kiryu supporters shared the same conviction. Their frustration was gone. From this point on, they believed the path would be smooth sailing.
Top of the sixth inning. Two outs, bases empty.
Seidou had gone from leading by one to trailing by one. And it wasn't over.
Cleanup hitter Sato strode to the plate, bat raised high, daring Yoshida to challenge him. His presence alone reminded Seidou's fans of the opening inning—when Kuroda and Sato had blasted Zhou Hao's Spiral balls into the stands.
If even the Spiral ball could be hit… what chance did Yoshida have?
The tension in the stands spiked. Another run here would crush Seidou's chances of a comeback.
At that moment, Coach Kataoka stepped forward.
"Player position change. Outfielder Zhou Hao returns to the mound. Yoshida to the outfield."
The umpire confirmed the substitution.
Gasps rippled across the stadium. Even Inashiro's players, watching on TV, sat up straighter.
"They're sending him back already?"
"It means Seidou has accepted it—Zhou Hao is their true Ace."
That was the Ace's role: to shoulder the burden when the team faced a crisis.
Zhou Hao's return wasn't just tactical—it was symbolic. It was Seidou declaring their trust in him.
Even Yoshida, stepping off the mound, showed no frustration. He too accepted Zhou Hao's place.
But the decision carried a cost. Inashiro's players exchanged grim looks.
"With his stamina, he needed at least two or three innings' rest. Against Osaka Kiryu of all opponents, if he comes back now, then by the ninth inning…"
They didn't finish. They didn't need to. Everyone knew the risk. Seidou was in trouble—not just on the scoreboard, but in the bigger picture of the tournament.
Still, as Zhou Hao climbed the mound, none of that mattered.
"Zhou Hao! Zhou Hao!"
The fans' chant rolled like thunder, simple and powerful. To them, as long as Zhou Hao was on the field, victory was still possible.
On the mound, Zhou Hao exhaled slowly. His eyes locked on Sato, the man who had once taken him deep.
Chris crouched behind the plate, giving a signal. "What do you want to throw?"
Without hesitation, Zhou Hao raised his glove.
"Spiral ball."
Chris frowned. His instincts screamed caution. The Spiral ball had already been punished. Its flaw—the subtle difference in grip and arm motion—was something Osaka Kiryu's sharp-eyed batters could detect. Against hitters like Sato, it was a gamble.
But Zhou Hao's gaze was unwavering.
"Leave it to me. My Spiral ball… is different now."
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