Kawakami's pitching performance greatly satisfied the two managers of Seidou High School's baseball team.Especially Rei Takashima—she gave Kawakami's recent pitching the highest praise.Forget about the third-string players; even in the second string, Kawakami was highly competitive.
"After this game, let's promote him to the second string. Let him play more games. After the summer tournament ends, he should be ready for the next step."
As the baseball team's managers, their considerations weren't limited to just the first string.They also had to think about the future development of the team.
With that in mind, Rei Takashima turned to look again at Zhou Hao, who seemed somewhat shaken in the batter's box.
Letting Kawakami pitch against Zhou Hao was undeniably harsh on the latter...But there was no choice. If they wanted Zhou Hao to quickly realize his own shortcomings, they had to completely shatter his illusions.
Baseball wasn't the only path, especially for Zhou Hao—he had more options.Even if we ignore other sports, with Zhou Hao's looks, he had real potential to become a celebrity.
Of course—If Zhou Hao could bounce back from such a blow,It wouldn't be a bad thing for him either.
On the mound, Kawakami, who had just thrown a successful strike, was in surprisingly good form.He'd already been pitching well today—although he gave up three hits, most of them were due to defensive players not responding in time.In terms of personal performance, even if not perfect, it was at least a solid 95 out of 100.
Now, facing Zhou Hao, Kawakami felt more confident than ever.He could almost see the second-string team calling to him.He wasn't a natural genius like Miyuki, and he didn't expect to be promoted to the first string overnight.He would climb step by step—until he finally joined the first string and became the team's ace.That was the path Kawakami had chosen.
And now, he was about to take the first step.Taking a deep breath, Kawakami raised his hand and threw the second pitch.
Whoosh!This time, the white baseball seemed even faster coming out of his hand.
Standing in the batter's box, Zhou Hao—shaken from the first pitch—had already realized something.If he relied purely on his current skill level,It would be impossible to hit this pitch.The location of the pitch didn't even give him a chance to swing.Even the speed of the ball was too much for him…
The gap between him and Kawakami was terrifyingly large.Even though Kawakami wasn't a standout on Seidou's team,His strength was far beyond Zhou Hao's reach.
Why had Zhou Hao been on the verge of giving up before?Because of this exact reason.It wasn't that he didn't work hard—But even after giving his all, he still couldn't even see his opponent's back.
That was what truly drove people to despair.
But now, Zhou Hao was different.Although he didn't have years of hard training or the same foundation and experience as the others on the team—He had a cheat!
"Sharingan, activate!"
With the Sharingan open, Zhou Hao once again felt that the world before him had completely changed.Kawakami's pitching, which previously seemed flawless to Zhou Hao,Had now become something he could fully perceive.
That white baseball slowed down dramatically in his vision.He could clearly see its entire trajectory—Even the exact point where the ball would land.
The first pitch had been a breaking ball;This second one was a straight fastball.
Having seen through it all, Zhou Hao felt a surge of confidence and excitement.This godlike perspective was something he had never experienced before.
"I can hit it!"Zhou Hao could feel his blood boiling.He gripped the bat tightly and, as the ball entered the strike zone, decisively swung.
Whoosh!The bat cut through the air, and just when Zhou Hao thought he was about to hit it—He was stunned to find that his swing was too late.
The ball had already flown past him.
"Pop!"Zhou Hao swung and missed.
"Strike!!"The count was now 0 balls and 2 strikes.In just two pitches, Zhou Hao was cornered.
Back in their dugout, his teammates were already groaning.
"What kind of swing was that?""Can't you be faster? By the time you swing, the sun's already down.""You're slower than cold rice on a hot plate!"
...These guys didn't hold back at all.
But at this moment, Zhou Hao wasn't listening to them.His entire focus was on the pitcher on the mound.
He had failed?Even after activating the Sharingan, he still couldn't hit the ball?If the Uchiha Clan from another dimension knew about this, wouldn't they be rolling in their graves?
Where had things gone wrong?Zhou Hao quickly figured it out.
His eyes weren't the problem—it was the coordination with his body.With the Sharingan, Zhou Hao could clearly see the pitch's trajectory, even pinpointing the exact landing spot.That part was flawless.
In fact, the pitch had landed exactly where Zhou Hao had predicted.Theoretically, once a batter fully sees through a pitch, hitting it should be easy.
But the issue was—Zhou Hao's body couldn't keep up.Even though he saw the ball clearly,By the time he swung, the ball had already flown past.
"One more chance!""I absolutely cannot miss this time."
Before Zhou Hao could dwell on it, Kawakami threw the third pitch.He didn't waste the favorable count and aimed directly for the strike zone.After two inside pitches, this third one went to the outside corner.
The inside-to-outside variation created a huge spatial gap.
Watching the duel from the bench, Rei Takashima's eyes lit up.
"Beautiful!"Not only was the pitch great, but the strategy was sound.From the looks of it, Kawakami was already a very mature pitcher.
Unlike Takashima, the rest of Zhou Hao's team had already turned their heads away.They didn't even want to watch another failed swing.
But just as they looked away—Suddenly, a different sound hit their ears.
"Ping!"It was the sound of the bat connecting with the ball.
"He hit it?"The players turned back in disbelief.
What they saw was the white baseball flying off into the distance.
The fielders clearly hadn't expected it.By the time they reacted and tried to intercept the ball, it was too late.
The baseball bounced once on the ground and rolled into the outfield.The runner on second base, already prepared, dashed past third and reached home.
"Safe!""One run scored!""The total score is now 5 to 5…"
It had all happened so fast.By the time the red team realized what was going on,They had no idea how the ball had even been hit out in the first place.
"How did the ball get hit out?"