Chapter 512 - 512: The Guy Who Doesn't Play by the Rules

The outcome of Zhou Hao and Yang Shunchen's showdown had been decided.

Zhou Hao came away with a stand-up double.

Judging by the way he had connected with the ball, many spectators had thought it was headed straight into the stands.

"That was so close."

"Yang Shunchen may not have elite velocity, but his pitches have incredible life."

Against pitching like that, aside from Seido's power hitter, Masuko Toru, very few players could drive the ball over the fence.

Of course, whether Masuko could square it up in the first place was another matter entirely.

Although the result wasn't perfect, Seido's players and supporters were more than satisfied.

Two outs.

Runner on second.

Now the only question was—

Did Akikawa's ace have the courage to challenge Yuki Tetsuya head-on?

Everyone waited in anticipation.

On the field, both sides settled into position, fully prepared for the coming duel.

Yang Shunchen showed no intention of backing down.

Although Zhou Hao had driven one of his pitches into the outfield for a double, it hadn't shaken his confidence in the slightest.

He set himself on the mound and fired.

Whoosh!

The baseball skimmed the very edge of the zone.

Standing in the batter's box, Yuki Tetsuya resembled an immovable mountain.

He didn't move a muscle.

Without offering a swing, he calmly watched the ball pass.

Pop!

"Ball!"

Cold sweat trickled down the Akikawa catcher's forehead.

Even standing perfectly still, Seido's cleanup hitter radiated overwhelming pressure.

It felt as though he could crush any pitch the moment he decided to swing.

Facing an opponent like that alone was enough to make anyone nervous.

Yet Yuki hadn't reacted at all.

That previous pitch had grazed the edge of the strike zone.

With Yang Shunchen's exceptional command, he rarely threw pitches that were easy to hit.

Most batters he faced couldn't resist offering at borderline pitches.

Even if they failed to make contact, they would at least commit their bodies.

But Yuki was different.

The catcher had seen it clearly.

Seido's cleanup hitter never flinched.

He was absolutely convinced that the pitch would miss the zone.

And he had been right.

The baseball missed by almost exactly the width of one ball.

"How do these Seido players train?"

"Their eyes are like scanners... Do they never make mistakes?"

The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became.

The catcher looked toward the mound.

"This guy is dangerous."

"Should we just put him on?"

Yang Shunchen considered the suggestion seriously.

Then he slowly shook his head.

"When Seido attacks, Zhou Hao and Yuki are their two engines."

"They're the foundation of Seido's offense."

"If I lose to Zhou Hao and then refuse to face Yuki..."

"Our situation will only get worse."

It wasn't just the spectators watching.

Akikawa's own players would lose confidence as well.

"Giving up one run is frightening."

"But losing our fighting spirit..."

"...means we've already lost today's game."

That was the worst possible outcome.

If he could retire Yuki here...

Everything would change.

With that conviction, Yang Shunchen attacked once more.

Whoosh!

The baseball whistled toward the plate.

The Seido dugout couldn't help but react.

"What incredible command."

"He just painted the inside corner, and now he's hitting the outside edge."

"That's a huge adjustment."

"Even Captain Yuki would have trouble adapting to that kind of sequence."

"If it were me, I definitely couldn't."

"I really envy pitchers with command like his."

"And don't forget, his pitches still have plenty of life."

"Even Zhou Hao squared one up and couldn't send it over the fence."

The conversations continued inside Seido's dugout.

Meanwhile, Yuki remained calm.

He had initially intended to swing.

But in the end...

He let the pitch go.

Pop!

"Strike!"

The Akikawa catcher finally let out a long breath.

Just as he'd thought.

He had worried for nothing.

This time, Seido's cleanup hitter had hesitated.

As long as the batter was forced to hesitate...

They still had a chance.

"No need to chase the strikeout."

"Just make him put the ball in play."

Seeing the signal from his catcher, Yang Shunchen silently worked through his plan.

The traps had already been laid.

Now...

It was time to capture his prey.

His target was the upper outside corner.

While it wasn't necessarily Yuki's weakness, it was one of the hardest locations to drive with authority.

Combined with the two previous pitches, it should be enough to disrupt Yuki's timing.

As long as his rhythm had been disturbed, even slightly...

This pitch would finish the job.

Yang Shunchen made up his mind.

He stepped forward and delivered the pitch.

Whoosh!

The ball exploded from his hand.

Its velocity wasn't overwhelming.

Yet the pitch carried an incredible sharpness, as though it intended to slice through everything in its path.

Even the players in Seido's dugout unconsciously held their breath.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on the baseball.

Then—

The man who had remained motionless in the batter's box finally moved.

Like a bolt of lightning splitting the sky.

BOOM!!

Yuki's bat carved through the air with a deafening roar.

Crouched behind the plate, Akikawa's catcher felt his breathing stop for an instant.

It was as if the very air around him had been torn away by the force of that swing.

His body froze.

One thought echoed through his mind.

How terrifying.

Yuki Tetsuya wasn't Seido's most powerful hitter.

But when it came to sheer intimidation...

No one could match him.

The moment he swung the bat, it felt as though he intended to crush everything in front of him.

BOOM!

The bat met the ball squarely.

The baseball shot off like a bolt of white lightning, slicing past the eyes of Akikawa's fielders before anyone could react.

For a brief instant...

Everyone froze.

Under the guidance of their coach and Yang Shunchen, Akikawa's players had trained relentlessly.

While their overall talent wasn't exceptional, their defensive fundamentals were excellent—especially their infield.

They had always taken pride in that.

Yet against Seido...

Against Yuki Tetsuya...

They looked like helpless spectators.

By the time they realized what had happened, the ball had already passed through the infield.

There wasn't even enough time to make a defensive play.

"It got through!"

The moment the ball reached the outfield, thunderous cheers erupted from Seido's dugout and the stands.

In their opening game, Seido had failed to score in the first inning.

That frustrating memory still lingered.

Perhaps Mishimen's ace had looked formidable to other schools.

But in Seido's eyes, he wasn't an opponent capable of stopping them.

Yet they had been held scoreless simply because they struggled against his submarine delivery.

No matter how they looked at it, it had left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Now...

They finally had a chance to make up for it.

Akikawa's pitching staff was far stronger than Mishimen's rookie ace.

Several times stronger.

But what of it?

Seido had still broken through in the very first inning.

At that moment, the players and supporters of Seido unconsciously overlooked one important fact.

Mishimen's ace had escaped the first inning because he had intentionally walked Zhou Hao and Yuki, refusing to challenge either of them directly.

Yang Shunchen had chosen the opposite approach.

Yuki tossed aside his bat and exploded toward first base.

Without slowing down, he rounded the bag and charged for second.

Meanwhile, Zhou Hao sprinted home from second.

Watching the two race around the bases, Akikawa's players could only stare in disbelief.

"Are these two monsters this fast, too?"

It was as if engines had been strapped to their backs.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Hao crossed home plate.

"Safe!"

"Seido High School scores the first run of the game!"

Ordinarily, a single run wouldn't be enough to excite Seido's supporters.

But today was different.

Everyone could see just how dangerous Akikawa was.

Scoring first against such an opponent carried tremendous significance.

At the very least, it proved that Yang Shunchen and Akikawa weren't invincible.

Two outs.

Runner on second.

Just then, Seido's fifth batter stepped into the batter's box.

"Fifth batter, Outfielder, Isashiki Jun!"

The mustachioed slugger looked unusually fired up.

"So, you've finally tasted defeat."

Yang Shunchen had boldly challenged Seido's third and fourth batters head-on.

That alone earned Isashiki's respect.

The ace was undeniably strong.

More importantly, he had the courage to face Zhou Hao and Yuki without backing down.

Very few opponents Seido had encountered possessed that kind of resolve.

Although Isashiki called him arrogant...

Deep down, he admired Yang Shunchen.

And because he respected him...

He wanted even more to crush one of his pitches.

He raised his bat high and fixed his eyes on the mound.

The instant Yang released the ball, every cell in Isashiki's body seemed to come alive.

"What a nasty pitch!"

The baseball darted hard toward the inside corner.

It was clearly off the plate.

Most batters would have simply watched it go by.

But Isashiki wasn't most batters.

Holding the bat like a samurai drawing his sword, he slashed violently at the pitch.

CRACK!

The baseball rocketed off the bat and screamed down the third-base line.

Yang Shunchen could hardly believe what he'd just seen.

Someone had actually swung at that pitch?

Even Zhou Hao or Yuki would have been reluctant to chase a ball that far inside.

At best, they might have fouled it away.

The smarter choice would have been to let it pass.

But Isashiki...

Never hesitated.

He attacked without a second thought.

Akikawa's third baseman launched himself into the air.

"I have to stop it!"

If they wanted to prevent another run, he had to make this play.

Otherwise, once the ball reached the outfield...

Another run was inevitable.

Their opponent was the national powerhouse Seido.

Even allowing the first run had already felt unacceptable.

If Akikawa wanted any chance of turning the game around, they would have to fight ten times—no, a hundred times—harder than usual.

If Seido extended the lead to two runs...

Even if Zhou Hao never took the mound...

Their chances of a comeback would become incredibly slim.

The third baseman understood exactly how much responsibility rested on his shoulders.

His eyes never left the baseball.

He reached with everything he had.

But it wasn't enough.

The ball flew cleanly over his glove—

Missing it by nearly thirty centimeters.

Pop!

The baseball landed safely in left field.

The Seido dugout and their supporters erupted once again.

"It got through!"

"Yang Shunchen is an incredible pitcher..."

"But Seido's lineup is even more incredible!"

"That's the second run!"

Even before the official call, Seido's players were already celebrating.

In this situation...

There was almost no way the outcome could change.

Especially not for a powerhouse like Seido.

Everything unfolded exactly as it should.

Yuki rounded third and sprinted home.

Isashiki raced into second without slowing down.

"Safe!"

Yuki crossed home plate.

"Safe!"

"Score!"

"Seido High School scores its second run of the game!"

The scoreboard changed.

Seido 2 — Akikawa 0

Akikawa's fighting spirit remained high.

Their ace was still pitching brilliantly.

Even so...

Seido had already put two runs on the board.

And their offense showed no signs of slowing down.

"Sixth batter, Number 2, Catcher, Miyuki Kazuya!"

Two outs.

Runner on second.

Now...

It was Miyuki Kazuya's turn to bat.

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