Facing Amahisa's second pitch, Yuki Tetsuya showed not the slightest mercy.
The instant the baseball entered his vision, the bat in his hands erupted forward—
like a bolt of lightning tearing through the sky.
Boom!
The main catcher of Ichidai San felt his vision blur.
So fast!
Before he could even form a complete thought, the ball had already been struck.
Ping!
The sharp crack echoed across the field, instantly drawing every gaze.
In that moment, both the players and supporters of Ichidai San High School tensed as one.
No matter how confident they had been before the showdown—
When they truly stood opposite Yuki Tetsuya, unease still crept into their hearts.
A person's name carried weight, just like the shadow of a towering tree.
As Seido's Fourth Batter…
as one of the nation's premier sluggers…
The name Yuki Tetsuya alone was enough to command respect—and fear.
What would be the final outcome of this swing?
No one knew.
All they could do was watch, breath held tight.
The baseball streaked forward like a flash of white light, tearing straight through Ichidai San's defensive formation.
It slammed into the ground and skipped violently away.
If not for the foul line—
With the strength Ichidai San had shown so far, there was no way they could have stopped it.
Pop!
"Foul ball!"
One strike. One foul.
Yuki's presence was overwhelming, and yet—
The Seido dugout felt an inexplicable heaviness settle in their chests.
This feeling…
They had experienced it once already.
Back at the start of the game, when their offense stalled again and again, as if fortune itself had turned its back on them.
Nothing went smoothly.
Meanwhile, Ichidai San kept pulling off unexpected performances, one after another.
For a time, it had truly seemed like Seido might fall to an upset defeat.
That lingering sense of unease had only just faded—
crushed beneath a fierce offensive surge that overwhelmed the in-form Manaka.
But now…
That same discomfort was creeping back.
The hard-earned advantage suddenly felt fragile.
And their opponents—
They looked like they were gearing up for a counterattack.
Just as this thought began to take root—
Yuki, standing in the batter's box, quietly tightened his grip.
As captain.
As Seido's Fourth Batter.
He had already sensed it.
This pitcher who had just taken the mound was no ordinary replacement.
If he were retired here—
Doubt would spread through the team like ripples in water.
Is the opponent really this strong?
Can we still suppress them?
Once those thoughts appeared, hesitation would follow.
And hesitation was fatal.
Yuki Tetsuya would never allow that to happen.
This pitch—
He had to drive it into fair territory.
He would use action, not words, to tell his teammates:
Yes, the opponent is strong.
But against Seido High School Baseball Team—
It's still not enough.
In the Seido dugout, Zhou Hao had already returned after his monstrous home run.
Beside him, Kuramochi stood with a rare seriousness etched into his face.
"That guy who just came on…"
Kuramochi muttered, eyes locked on the mound.
"His pitches aren't soft at all."
An unknown pitcher—
yet able to confront Yuki-senpai head-on.
What that meant…
Kuramochi understood perfectly.
Even with a five-run lead—
even with victory seemingly in hand—
He still couldn't help worrying.
Reckless on the outside, soft-hearted on the inside.
That was Kuramochi.
Loyal. Emotional.
With a fierce sense of team honor.
In moments like this, worry was unavoidable.
Zhou Hao gave a faint nod.
He didn't deny it.
In fact, to some extent, he agreed.
But then—
He shook his head, firm and decisive.
"No need to worry," Zhou Hao said calmly.
"Amahisa does have talent. His pitching sense is real."
Kuramochi's heart tightened.
"But—" Zhou Hao continued, eyes sharp.
"His overall pitching is still immature."
That was all.
No long explanation.
Yet Kuramochi froze for a moment, then turned to stare at him in surprise.
On the field, Yuki-senpai remained cornered—two strikes already against him.
From any outsider's perspective, his situation looked dangerous.
Even bad.
And yet—
Zhou Hao was completely confident.
Why?
Kuramochi couldn't figure it out.
But there was no need to.
The duel was reaching its climax.
Judging by the situation, the outcome would likely be decided on the very next pitch.
All he needed to do—
Was watch.
The spectators in the stands didn't have Zhou Hao's insight.
But that didn't stop them from focusing all their attention on the field.
Amahisa, newly on the mound, carried the fearless momentum of a newborn calf daring to challenge a tiger.
It was impossible not to look at him.
And his opponent—
Yuki Tetsuya—
Was brilliance itself.
This confrontation was destined to stir hearts.
Players. Coaches. Fans.
Both dugouts fell into silence.
All eyes locked onto the mound.
Swish!
Amahisa released the pitch.
No one spoke.
It was as if a single word might shatter the moment.
The ball flew.
And the silence held.
Boom!
Yuki watched the approaching baseball, forcing his breathing to steady.
A memory surfaced.
Back in his second year—
Coach Kataoka had personally guided him through a critical bottleneck.
His batting was already powerful.
Yet something was missing.
Always… just one step short.
It was through Kataoka's words that Yuki finally realized—
He had taken a detour.
And at the root of it all—
Was Zhou Hao.
Everyone welcomed the arrival of that monstrously talented first-year.
Yuki Tetsuya included.
Young talent naturally inspired competition.
And without even realizing it—
Yuki had begun to see Zhou Hao as a rival.
But Zhou Hao's almost cheat-like batting—
It didn't foster healthy competition.
Instead, it subtly shook Yuki's long-held persistence.
That was when Coach Kataoka called him aside.
"Zhou Hao is a pitcher," Kataoka said firmly.
"You are our Fourth Batter."
"There can be no hesitation in your swing."
"Either don't swing at all—"
"Or strike with thunder."
The memory shattered.
Yuki Tetsuya's eyes cleared completely.
Those doubts had long been crushed.
He had already undergone his transformation.
Perhaps—
Even now, he hadn't fully caught up to the nation's absolute top sluggers.
But as long as he continued forward—
Step by step—
One day, without question—
He would close that gap entirely.
Just like now.
Facing the formidable Amahisa for the first time,
Yuki Tetsuya did not hold back in the slightest.
He planted his feet, twisted his waist, and swung with everything he had.
Ping!
The white baseball soared high into the air, then plunged downward like a falling meteor.
Which member of Ichidai San High School Baseball Team wasn't a starter from a national-level powerhouse?
The instant they saw the ball descending, even if their bodies hesitated for a fraction of a second—
Even if all they could do was stare wide-eyed—
They still sprinted toward the landing point at full speed.
No hesitation.
No slack.
They would not allow the ball to escape their control.
Pop!
The Ichidai San outfielder fielded the ball cleanly and immediately fired it back in.
The throw zipped straight into the second baseman's glove.
Yuki Tetsuya, who had been charging toward second, was forced to halt his advance.
"Safe!"
No outs. Runner on first.
Yuki Tetsuya was on base.
For Seido's supporters, this result wasn't perfect.
Judging by the sound and trajectory of that swing, many had believed Yuki would reach second base with ease.
Yet—
First base was as far as he went.
Still, the offense continued.
More importantly, the rookie pitcher had just stepped onto the mound—and had already been hit by Yuki Tetsuya.
What must he be thinking right now?
With that thought, both Seido's players and fans found themselves unconsciously anticipating something—
They wanted to see panic.
They wanted to see hesitation.
They wanted to see the pitcher crumble.
Unfortunately for them—
That never came.
Instead, what they saw was a display of shocking composure.
Swish!!
The baseball whistled through the air.
Isashiki Jun, Seido's Fifth Batter, swung decisively.
Ping!
The ball bounced sharply off the bat—
Only to be caught directly by Amahisa's glove.
Pop!
Without wasting even a heartbeat, Amahisa spun and fired the ball to second base.
Pop!
"Out!"
The second baseman immediately relayed the throw to first.
Hoshida planted his foot firmly on the bag and caught the ball cleanly.
Pop!
"Out!!"
Two outs. Bases empty.
The Ichidai San High School Baseball Team—
which should have been drowning in despair after Zhou Hao's monstrous home run—
Had come roaring back to life.
A clean, decisive double play completely overturned their momentum.
At this point, no one truly believed Ichidai San could reverse the game and claim victory.
That was simply too difficult.
Even if they invited professional stars onto the field, pulling off such a comeback would be nearly impossible.
But—
They had regained the right to fight.
They were no longer being crushed unilaterally by Seido.
The top of the third inning ended.
Score: 5–0.
Ichidai San's new pitcher, Amahisa, had already drawn the attention of every reporter in attendance with his brilliant debut performance.
If this young pitcher could maintain this form—
Then the entire power structure of West Tokyo might very well be rewritten.
And to be fair—
That wasn't an exaggeration.
An elite pitcher alone could elevate an above-average team to an entirely new level.
Not to mention placing such a pitcher into a traditional powerhouse like Ichidai San.
In a team like this, the presence of a true Ace was enough to completely refresh public perception.
The game moved to the bottom of the third inning.
Ichidai San High School Baseball Team took the field on offense.
In just one inning, they had tasted despair—and then resurgence.
Their emotions had risen and fallen like a violent rollercoaster.
After experiencing that kind of intensity, it was impossible for their mentality to remain unchanged.
Just like now—
They were fired up.
They wanted to score runs off Zhou Hao.
Even though they understood, deep down, how difficult that would be.
But difficulty was one thing.
Whether they dared to challenge it—
Was another.
Before this game, even Ichidai San hadn't expected Amahisa's return to produce such a stunning performance in his first official appearance.
The more they thought about it, the more their blood surged.
Now—
They were facing Seido's Ace head-on.
Could they create a miracle of their own?
Don't say it was impossible.
Before Amahisa took the mound, who would have believed he could withstand Seido's terrifying offense?
The example was right there in front of them.
There was no reason not to try.
Ichidai San's seventh batter stepped into the batter's box, eyes blazing with eagerness.
Miyuki Kazuya raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…Still not afraid of death," he muttered.
"They're continuing with the Spiral Ball?"
Against opponents this arrogant—
The best response was overwhelming power.
Crush them completely.
Make them feel despair.
Seeing Miyuki's signal, Zhou Hao shook his head, displeasure flickering across his face.
Against Ichidai San's top batters, the Spiral Ball was necessary for quick results.
But against these lower-order hitters?
"They don't deserve it."