Time flew by.
For the players of Seido High School, it felt like their previous game had only just ended.
And yet—
The semifinals had already begun.
Over the past two days, they had done nothing but study their opponents, develop strategies, and train relentlessly.
Every moment had been tightly scheduled.
Top of the first inning.
Akiha High School was on offense.
As their first batter stepped into the box, he immediately noticed something strange.
Seido… hadn't sent out their Ace.
Instead, standing on the mound was a first-year pitcher.
"This is the semifinals… and they send out a rookie?"
Back in Akiha's dugout, anger flared instantly.
"They're looking down on us!"
"We'll make them regret it!"
They had fought their way here, defeating two opponents in a row.
Compared to Hakuba Academy, they believed they had performed even better.
So why were they being treated like this?
Their pride couldn't accept it.
"We'll show them who we are!"
"We're not pushovers!"
Their coach—a burly bald man with a cartoon tattoo on the back of his head—bared his yellow teeth as he barked:
"Keep your eyes open and give it everything you've got! I refuse to believe they can win with just a first-year pitcher!"
The players agreed.
In the batter's box, Akiha's leadoff hitter took an aggressive stance.
His intent was obvious—
Throw it here if you dare.
Behind the plate, Chris quietly observed him.
He had already seen through the batter's mindset.
No hesitation. No caution.
They were going to swing hard.
Good.
Once he understood that, countering them became simple.
"Come on."
Seeing the sign, Furuya Satoru didn't hesitate.
He lifted his leg, stepped forward, and released the ball.
BOOM!
The moment the pitch came out—
The batter froze.
Fast…!
He had read the reports.
He knew this rookie threw heat.
But knowing it and facing it were two completely different things.
By the time he processed it—
The ball was already past him.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Chris nodded with a smile.
"Nice pitch. Keep it up."
Hearing that praise, Furuya's face flushed slightly with excitement.
To him, striking out a batter wasn't the biggest reward—
Earning Chris's approval was.
BOOM!
The second pitch screamed in.
The batter hadn't even recovered from the first.
He swung instinctively—
And hit nothing but air.
Pop!
"Strike two!"
"Strike three! Batter out!"
One out.
No one on base.
The second batter stepped up immediately.
From the dugout, the bald coach roared:
"Watch the ball before you swing!"
His face twisted with frustration.
One of those pitches had clearly been a ball—
Yet his player had still swung.
What did that mean?
Fear.
They had already been overwhelmed.
And this was just Seido's substitute pitcher.
Zhou Hao hadn't even appeared yet.
If they were already shaken now—
How were they supposed to survive the rest of the game?
The second batter forced himself to calm down.
He searched for a hittable pitch.
But the problem was—
Furuya's fastball was nearing 150 km/h.
At that speed, even a slightly favorable pitch wasn't easy to hit.
He swung with everything he had—
"Ping!"
Contact.
But the ball didn't go anywhere.
It popped up weakly and dropped right in front.
Chris stepped forward and caught it easily.
Pop!
"Out!"
Two outs.
No one on base.
Still… it was progress.
At least they had made contact.
Now, their third batter stepped up—
Their core hitter.
All eyes from Akiha turned toward him.
Can he do it?
Can he hit this rookie's pitch?
This moment would decide everything.
Then—
BOOM!
Another pitch tore through the air.
Before the batter could react—
It was already gone.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Akiba High School's third batter widened his eyes in disbelief.
How is it this fast?
This wasn't Zhou Hao.
He was just a first-year rookie—
So how could his pitch be this terrifying?
"What are you all doing? I've never seen such useless trash!"
The bald coach had completely lost it.
The first two batters failing was one thing…
But their cleanup hitter couldn't even react?
It was as if he had been frozen in place by a mere first-year.
That humiliation was unbearable.
The coach roared at the top of his lungs, hoping his voice could snap his players out of their daze.
Because if they didn't wake up now—
This game would turn into a disaster.
Seido High School had a trait that many people hadn't fully realized before.
But now, almost everyone understood it clearly.
Once Seido seized momentum—
They showed no mercy.
Even against national powerhouses, they could pile on ten or even twenty runs without hesitation.
Unless you had the strength to hold them back…
What awaited you was a relentless offensive storm.
Just like now.
If Akiba lost control here, Seido would crush them without pause.
And the most frightening part was—
They had the ability to do exactly that.
Even without their Ace on the mound,
Seido's pitching alone was already overwhelming.
"Strike!"
"Strike two!"
"Strike three! Batter out!"
Three up, three down.
The inning ended just like that.
Even as he walked back, Akiba's cleanup hitter still hadn't come to terms with it.
In his mind, he was still chasing the illusion of hitting that pitch.
But reality had already moved on.
In Akiba High School's dugout, the atmosphere was suffocating.
At the start of the game, when they saw that Seido hadn't sent out Zhou Hao—
Only a substitute pitcher—
They had felt insulted.
It was as if Seido didn't even consider them worth taking seriously.
That kind of humiliation had ignited their anger.
But now…
Reality had crushed that anger completely.
Even Seido's first-year pitcher was toying with them.
That overwhelming pitch speed had left their batters helpless.
Three batters.
Three outs.
No resistance.
They didn't even need to hear the crowd.
They already knew—
Their momentum was gone.
From this point on, they would be at Seido's mercy.
The players were unwilling to accept it.
But what could they do?
This was reality.
No matter how much they resisted it—
It wouldn't change.
The bald coach rubbed his head irritably before turning to his Ace.
All his hopes were now pinned on him.
"You have to hold the line! Everything depends on you now!"
"Did you see Kazama from Hakuba Academy? That's your standard!"
"From now on—aim to be like him!"
His voice was full of force.
But the Ace could only stare blankly.
Kazama?
Did their coach even understand what he was saying?
That wasn't just any pitcher.
That was Hakuba's Ace—
A National Youth Team substitute.
One of the top pitchers in their entire age group.
A player who could nearly carry a team single-handedly.
And now he was supposed to match that?
Even as the Ace of his own team…
That gap was impossible to bridge.
He wanted to say it.
I can't do it.
But the coach wasn't listening anymore.
In his mind, there was only one thought—
They had to hold the line.
If they collapsed here, everything would be over.
Bottom of the first inning.
Seido High School on offense.
"First batter, number six, shortstop—Kuramochi Yoichi!"
Kuramochi stepped into the batter's box.
Bat raised high.
Body coiled.
Like a cheetah ready to pounce.
The pressure was immediate.
The Akiba Ace felt it clearly.
So this is Seido's leadoff hitter…
Even without playing in the recent Spring Koshien, Seido was still seen as a national powerhouse.
And standing here now—
That reputation felt very real.
"Swoosh!"
The pitch came in fast.
Kuramochi's eyes narrowed instantly.
There it is.
The game had just started.
The pitcher hadn't fully settled yet.
This was the easiest time to hit.
He wouldn't let this chance slip.
Gripping the bat tightly, he swung the moment the ball entered his range.
Ping!
Perfect contact.
The ball shot forward, struck the ground, and bounced.
"Infield grounder!"
The Akiba third baseman's eyes flashed.
"Got you!"
He charged forward, fielded the ball cleanly, and spun to throw—
Then his expression froze.
Kuramochi…
Was already almost at first base.
"How is that possible?!"