The game had entered the top of the second inning, and the scoreboard still showed 0–0.
The first opponent Seido High School had encountered in the Summer Tournament was anything but ordinary.
Not only were they a capable team, but they had also concealed a hidden Ace until this very game.
As a result, when the two teams finally met on the field, Mishimen High School managed to catch Seido off guard.
Two outs.
Runner on second base.
Under these circumstances, Mishimen's hidden Ace faced off against Seido's first-year rookie, Oshima Shin.
Even Seido's own players didn't have particularly high expectations for this matchup.
Oshima had certainly performed well.
But compared to the Zhou Hao of a year ago, there was still an enormous gap.
Whether it was Seido's players or the countless supporters in the stands, no one had ever imagined relying on a first-year rookie to rescue the team.
After all, if even the upperclassmen couldn't carry the burden, how could they expect a freshman to do it?
Yet reality often exceeded expectations.
Oshima stepped up and displayed astonishing composure.
Without the slightest hesitation, he swung.
Crack!
The ball shot into the outfield.
"It got through!"
Bat discarded, Oshima exploded toward first base.
Meanwhile, Miyuki Kazuya, who had been standing on second, accelerated at full speed.
He rounded third without slowing down.
The third-base coach immediately waved him home.
"Go! Go! Go!"
Miyuki never even glanced back.
He sprinted straight toward home plate.
It wasn't that Mishimen's fielders didn't try to stop him.
They simply couldn't.
By the time the relay throw came in, it was already too late.
Miyuki crossed the plate safely.
"SAFE!!"
The umpire's call rang across the stadium.
The commentator immediately followed.
"Seido High School scores the first run of the game!"
"The score is now 1–0!"
Inside Seido's dugout, smiles appeared across every player's face.
Normally, scoring against a team like Mishimen wouldn't have generated such excitement.
But today's circumstances were different.
Everyone on Seido understood how troublesome this opponent had been.
Especially that hidden Ace.
His pitching was far better than anyone had anticipated.
Under those conditions, two players who weren't expected to be the heroes had combined to break the deadlock.
That achievement deserved recognition.
The applause and cheers from the dugout were directed entirely toward Miyuki and Oshima.
Two outs.
Runner on first.
The game continued.
Mishimen's players quickly adjusted their mentality and returned to their positions.
Their coach, however, looked visibly frustrated.
The run they had just allowed shattered the plan he had painstakingly prepared.
Even so, Coach Chiba refused to surrender.
In fact, he remained convinced that Mishimen still had a chance.
"There has to be an opportunity."
"Get the final out first."
"As long as it's our turn to bat, we'll create something."
"Their pitcher is still just a first-year rookie."
His voice echoed continuously through the dugout.
Listening to him, one might have thought Mishimen had merely stumbled slightly.
As if they were still fully capable of turning the game around and defeating Seido.
"First batter, shortstop, Kuramochi Yoichi!"
Seido's offense wasn't finished yet.
The moment Kuramochi stepped into the batter's box, he raised his bat confidently.
His sharp eyes never left the pitcher.
The hidden Ace of Mishimen tightened his lips.
He could feel the pressure radiating from the speedster standing before him.
But remembering their previous confrontation, he regained some confidence.
As long as he could execute his specialty pitch—the one that appeared to rise before suddenly dropping—he still believed he could suppress Seido's offense.
Whoosh!
The ball left his hand.
At that moment, he still believed he controlled the pace of the game.
Seido's hitters were strong.
But his pitches weren't easy to hit.
Then Kuramochi moved.
Ping!
A bunt.
Not just any bunt—a perfectly placed surprise bunt.
The ball trickled down the line.
The Mishimen defense froze for a split second.
By the time they reacted, it was already too late.
Their third baseman charged forward desperately, scooped up the ball, and fired toward first.
But it didn't matter.
Kuramochi was already flying down the baseline.
At full speed, he looked like a cheetah chasing prey.
His explosive acceleration reached its absolute limit.
Even the throw couldn't catch him.
"SAFE!"
"SAFE!!"
The crowd erupted.
Kuramochi stood safely on first.
Meanwhile, Oshima advanced to second.
Two outs.
Runners on first and second.
The atmosphere inside the stadium became noticeably heavier.
Many fans didn't even dare breathe.
Seido's offense suddenly looked terrifying.
At first, few people had expected much from this inning.
But now?
The heart of the lineup was coming up.
Everyone knew what that meant.
If Seido's power hitters connected, the game could break open instantly.
Unfortunately for Seido, there were already two outs.
One mistake.
One missed opportunity.
And all the momentum they had built could disappear in an instant.
"Second batter, number four, second baseman, Kominato Ryosuke!"
Kominato Ryosuke stepped into the batter's box wearing his usual gentle smile.
To outsiders, he might have looked nervous.
In reality, he wasn't nervous at all.
If anyone should have been nervous right now, it was the pitcher.
Over the past two innings, Ryosuke had already analyzed a great deal.
This hidden Ace had clearly undergone specialized training.
His coordination with Mishimen's fielders was excellent.
Every defensive movement was synchronized.
Every play flowed smoothly.
It was obvious they had spent countless hours practicing together.
This pitcher wasn't an emergency substitute.
He was Mishimen High School's carefully prepared trump card.
And to be fair, he had delivered.
After battling Seido's lineup through nearly two full innings, he had surrendered only a single run.
That alone proved he possessed genuine skill.
But now...
He was facing Kominato Ryosuke with two runners aboard.
And Seido's lineup was beginning to find its rhythm.
But at the same time, his weakness was equally obvious.
Because he had been kept hidden for so long, he hadn't gone through the same number of real-game tests as other Ace pitchers.
To put it bluntly, he lacked experience.
Facing a batter head-on was one thing, but whenever the situation became complicated, he tended to lose his composure.
"And that's my opportunity."
After quickly assessing the situation, Kominato Ryosuke immediately decided on his approach at the plate.
As Mishimon's new Ace confidently delivered the pitch—
Ryosuke calmly held back his swing and watched the ball pass by.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Successfully stealing the first strike, Mishimon's new Ace let out a sigh of relief.
The batter standing before him was none other than the Demon Batter, Kominato Ryosuke. No matter what anyone else said, he couldn't help feeling nervous.
He simply wasn't confident against a hitter of Ryosuke's caliber.
Even though he had managed to suppress him during their first confrontation, uneasiness still lingered in his heart.
Fortunately, the result wasn't bad.
His pitching seemed to be having some effect.
This was his chance.
Thinking that, he lifted his leg and stepped forward.
As his center of gravity shifted, the baseball shot from his fingertips.
Whoosh!
The white ball followed its predetermined path and instantly arrived in front of home plate.
Standing in the batter's box, Ryosuke curled his lips into a faint smile.
His eyes narrowed into slits.
To Mishimon's new Ace, that smile looked especially dangerous.
Then he saw it.
The baseball rose from low to high before sharply dropping again.
The moment it entered the hitting zone—
Ryosuke swung.
Whir!
The bat cut through the air with a sharp sound.
Ping!
The catcher behind the plate instinctively widened his eyes.
How was that possible?
This Seido batter seemed to have completely figured out their Ace's pitching pattern.
This was a Submarine delivery!
Even many of Mishimon's own players still hadn't fully adapted to it.
Ping!
The ball sliced into foul territory.
"Foul!"
One strike and one foul.
On paper, Ryosuke was being cornered.
But anyone who looked at his expression would never think so.
The smile on his face was simply too calm—almost beautiful.
His narrowed eyes and slightly raised lips gave off an air of absolute confidence.
He looked carefree.
Fearless.
Nothing about him resembled a batter under pressure.
At least, none of the spectators felt that way.
With the bat resting high above his shoulder, he looked more like a hunter waiting patiently for his prey to make a mistake.
The crowd couldn't help but marvel.
"He's incredible..."
The situation wasn't particularly favorable for Seido.
Although they had runners on first and second, there were already two outs.
One more out and the inning would be over.
Just imagining themselves in Ryosuke's position made many fans nervous.
If they were standing in that batter's box, forget about battling the pitcher—even the pressure of the situation alone would be enough to crush them.
Compared to ordinary people, Kominato Ryosuke seemed almost devilish.
Not only was he completely unaffected by the pressure, but he even appeared to be playing with his opponent.
The impressive Mishimon Ace looked like little more than prey in his eyes.
Mishimon's new Ace felt that pressure clearly.
Even though fear crept into his heart, he gritted his teeth and fired another pitch.
Whoosh!
The white baseball screamed toward home plate.
Ryosuke swung without hesitation.
Ping!
"Foul!"
Ping!
"Ball!"
Ping!
"Foul!"
The duel continued pitch after pitch.
By the ninth pitch, the heart of Mishimon's new Ace had completely sunk.
His instincts had been right all along.
The batter standing across from him could handle every pitch he threw.
No matter what he tried, Ryosuke responded effortlessly.
Whoosh!
On the final pitch, the ball drifted outside the strike zone.
Pop!
"Ball!"
"Four balls! Take your base!"
With two outs, the walk loaded the bases.
Oshima and Kuramochi each advanced one base.
Bases loaded.
The Seido supporters in the stands had initially felt disappointed.
They had hoped to see a run score immediately.
But that disappointment quickly vanished.
In its place came a surge of excitement.
"Third batter, Number 1, Outfielder, Zhou Hao!"
The batter stepping into the box was none other than Zhou Hao.
Mishimon's new Ace wanted to walk him.
But he didn't dare.
If he intentionally walked Zhou Hao now, Seido would score a run for free and extend the lead.
The score would become 3–0.
Even the current one-run deficit already felt difficult to overcome.
If the gap widened to three runs, what hope would remain?
With that thought, Mishimon's Ace steeled himself and attacked the strike zone.
Whoosh!
The baseball whistled toward the plate.
Zhou Hao saw it clearly.
The instant the pitch arrived, he suddenly adjusted his stance and unleashed a golf-style swing.
BOOM!
PING!
The bat exploded through the zone with tremendous force.
The baseball was launched high into the sky.
So high that everyone on the field instinctively raised their heads to follow its flight.