Chapter 515 - 515: Zhou Hao's Thirty-Meter Diving Save

That angle... that trajectory...

The experienced Seido supporters and the veteran reporters in attendance reached the same conclusion almost instantly.

If that ball touched the ground, it would become a massive extra-base hit.

Seido High would almost certainly give up two runs.

If they scored two in the top of the first only to surrender those same two runs in the bottom half...

It would deal a devastating blow to the team's momentum.

After all, this was Seido High—the reigning national powerhouse.

Falling behind early was one thing. Baseball was unpredictable, and mistakes happened. As long as Seido could fight back later, it wouldn't be a major issue.

But giving away their hard-earned lead immediately after taking it?

That was a completely different story.

Such a sudden shift could shake the players' confidence and affect their mentality for the rest of the game.

Meanwhile, Akikawa High would gain a dangerous sense of confidence.

Maybe Seido wasn't as invincible as everyone believed.

Maybe, as long as they gave everything they had, they could stand toe-to-toe with the national champions.

Especially in a game as important as this.

The final outcome might not change, but the flow of the game certainly would.

As for Akikawa's ace, Yang Shunchen...

Although he had already allowed two runs in the opening inning, everyone watching recognized his incredible talent. No one doubted that he would become an outstanding pitcher in the future.

Just as those thoughts crossed everyone's minds...

Just as the Akikawa players were preparing to celebrate two runs...

Something unexpected happened.

In the wide-open gap where the ball was supposed to land...

A figure suddenly appeared.

Dressed in Seido's white-and-blue uniform, he sprinted at unbelievable speed.

For a split second, many spectators felt as though they were watching the final stretch of a hundred-meter race rather than a baseball game.

Too fast!

Like a bolt of lightning, he tore across more than twenty meters in the blink of an eye.

"Why is he there?"

The Akikawa players' eyes widened in disbelief.

They had considered the possibility of someone making a desperate attempt to reach the ball.

But they had never imagined that someone would be Zhou Hao.

Only moments earlier, Zhou Hao had been positioned at least thirty meters away from where the ball was headed.

Normally, covering that distance would take over four seconds.

But how long had it been since the ball left the bat?

Barely an instant.

By every reasonable calculation, there was no way Zhou Hao could get there in time.

And yet...

He did.

He was even moving significantly faster than Isashiki Jun, who had originally been the one expected to field the ball.

"He won't make it."

Although stunned by Zhou Hao's incredible speed, Fujio, watching from the press seats, still came to his conclusion.

The ball was already descending.

Judging by their respective speeds, Zhou Hao would still come up one or two meters short.

Normally, a meter or two wasn't much.

Right now...

It was the difference between success and failure.

Making a running catch was difficult enough.

Doing it while still being one or two meters away?

That was impossible.

Or so Fujio believed.

Just then...

The sprinting Zhou Hao launched himself forward.

His body shot through the air like an arrow released from a bow, drawing the attention of every spectator in the stadium.

The one-to-two-meter gap instantly shrank to only twenty or thirty centimeters.

Still not enough.

No one understood that better than Zhou Hao himself.

Within the world reflected by his Sharingan, he could clearly see that the baseball was still nearly twenty centimeters beyond his reach.

That was unacceptable.

Without the slightest hesitation, he planted one hand against the ground, using the momentum to propel himself forward one final time.

Snap!

At the exact moment the baseball was about to hit the grass...

Zhou Hao caught it cleanly.

The hearts of every Seido player and supporter nearly stopped.

"Zhou-senpai!"

"Zhou Hao!!"

His fans in the stands cried out in unison.

They admired his relentless determination...

But they couldn't help worrying as well.

After rolling twice across the grass, Zhou Hao finally came to a stop.

He slowly stood up.

Inside his glove...

The small white baseball rested securely.

"He caught it!"

"The miracle man, Zhou Hao!"

"He never disappoints!"

"He sprinted thirty meters and still managed to make the catch?"

"Wait... how long was that ball even in the air?"

"That wasn't a fly ball—it was a screaming line drive!"

"A miracle!"

"It's an absolute miracle!"

Fujio, the veteran reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, had just been proven wrong.

Yet there wasn't the slightest hint of embarrassment on his face.

Instead...

He let out a long breath of amazement.

"Senior, are you okay?"

"Of course. I simply misjudged the play. That happens."

He adjusted the brim of his baseball cap before continuing.

"It's just that Zhou Hao keeps exceeding everyone's expectations."

Among baseball reporters, Fujio's expertise was second to none.

No matter how technical the question, he always seemed to have the answer.

His predictions were so consistently accurate that Oowada Akiko had long regarded him as a living baseball encyclopedia.

Who would have thought...

Even an encyclopedia could be wrong.

Then again...

The player in question was Zhou Hao.

Ever since his debut, Zhou Hao had been synonymous with the impossible.

No matter where he played or what situation he faced, he always found a way to accomplish what others believed couldn't be done.

This spectacular catch was simply another reminder of that fact.

"Covering that kind of distance in such a short time..."

"I honestly can't figure out how Zhou Hao managed to get there."

"He's still human, not Superman. The only reason Zhou Hao made that play was because he predicted where the ball would land ahead of time," Fujio said confidently.

At the moment of contact, everyone's attention had been focused on Yang Shunchen in the batter's box. No one had noticed exactly when Zhou Hao started running.

No one except Zhou Hao himself.

But Fujio could reconstruct the sequence.

Given Seido's defensive positioning, there was simply no way Zhou Hao could have covered thirty meters after the ball was hit.

Even if he could outrun Usain Bolt, it wouldn't have been enough.

The only explanation was that he had anticipated the landing point, started moving before the ball was hit, and then sprinted at full speed.

"This goes beyond eyesight," Fujio murmured. "It's pure baseball instinct."

Naturally, Fujio had no idea about the existence of the Sharingan.

To him, Zhou Hao had simply relied on extraordinary instincts to make the play.

Even across all of high school baseball—

No.

Even among professional players...

Fujio couldn't think of anyone else capable of pulling off something like that.

As far as today's game was concerned, Akikawa High had performed admirably.

Even after allowing two runs in the opening inning, as long as Zhou Hao wasn't standing on the mound, Yang Shunchen and the rest of Akikawa still had every chance to put together a competitive game against Seido.

Unfortunately...

That hope had been crushed by Zhou Hao's miraculous catch.

The play was nothing short of devastating for Akikawa.

If they wanted another opportunity to turn the game around...

It would be incredibly difficult.

There might not even be another chance.

Furuya Satoru had already regained his rhythm, and Seido still had two more elite pitchers waiting in reserve.

Akikawa's lineup had prepared specifically to face Furuya.

That strategy alone had already pushed them to their limits.

Trying to do the same against Tanba or Sawamura would be far more difficult.

Not necessarily because those two were stronger.

But because they were unique.

Tanba Kōichirō had once been Seido's ace. His wealth of experience wasn't something a team full of first-year players could easily overcome.

As for Sawamura Eijun...

He was an even bigger headache.

Sometimes even Sawamura himself didn't know where his pitches were going.

How could the Akikawa batters possibly prepare for that?

Very few opportunities remained for Akikawa High.

When the first inning ended, the Akikawa players quietly returned to their dugout.

Every face wore a grim expression.

The scoreboard still read 2–0.

Their perfect chance to answer back had been erased by Zhou Hao alone.

"As expected of the nation's number one..."

"He's a monster."

"No... that's simply the strength of the best team in Japan."

Seido's overall strength was overwhelming.

They had already established themselves as one of the country's premier powerhouses, winning last summer's national championship.

Coming into this season, they were the center of everyone's attention.

Whenever people discussed the favorites to claim the national title this year, Seido was always the first name mentioned.

The only team consistently compared with them was the so-called Cosmic Team.

That was the reputation Seido carried.

Simply being able to trade blows with a team of that caliber was already an achievement.

At least, that's what Akikawa's coach believed.

His ace, however, clearly thought otherwise.

Manager Ogata glanced toward his prized pitcher.

Just as he'd expected...

Yang Shunchen's condition wasn't particularly good.

The game against Seido had undoubtedly placed tremendous pressure on him.

Yet the determination in his eyes hadn't faded in the slightest.

Even now, he still believed they could win.

The rest of the team exceeded their coach's expectations as well.

Although they trailed by two runs and victory seemed increasingly distant, no one lowered their head.

Instead, they gathered together and discussed how to attack in the next inning.

"First..."

"We take this inning."

Top of the Second

Seido came to bat.

Leading off the inning was their seventh batter...

Masuko Toru.

Akikawa's starting catcher carefully studied the massive slugger standing in the batter's box.

He had to admit...

The players on Seido's roster were frighteningly talented.

Even their lower-order hitters possessed incredible physical strength.

If someone like Masuko made solid contact...

The result would be disastrous.

Realizing this, the catcher became even more cautious with his pitch calls.

Yang Shunchen, however, thought differently.

The worse the situation became...

The more aggressive he pitched.

Whoosh!

The moment the ball entered his hitting zone, Masuko unleashed a full-power swing.

"Uga!"

The bat cut through the air like a raging storm.

BOOM!!

The explosive sound of contact made Akikawa's catcher instinctively tense.

The baseball soared high into the sky.

Yang Shunchen didn't even bother turning around.

He simply muttered,

"First."

The ball descended.

An Akikawa infielder had already settled beneath it.

Snap!

"Out!"

One out. Bases empty.

The players in Seido's dugout immediately noticed the change in Yang Shunchen's pitching.

"He's attacking much more aggressively."

"Earlier, he was trying to control the pace of the game and rely on his pitching to wear us down."

"But now that they're behind by two..."

"He has no choice but to change."

He had chosen to burn his bridges.

If even Akikawa's ace lacked the courage to gamble everything here...

The rest of the team would have no chance of surviving.

"He's impressive."

"A worthy opponent."

The longer Seido faced Yang Shunchen, the greater their respect for him became.

Respect, however...

Didn't mean mercy.

The eighth batter, Furuya Satoru, took three mighty swings.

He missed every one.

"Strike three!"

Two outs. Bases empty.

Against Seido, most pitchers struggled to record even a single out.

Yang Shunchen, on the other hand, made it look effortless.

By now, both Seido's players and their supporters had realized something.

If they wanted to score more runs...

They would have to rely on the heart of their lineup.

Of course...

There were exceptions.

"Ninth batter, number nine... Oshima Shin!"

The moment Seido's ninth hitter stepped into the batter's box, the atmosphere in the stadium noticeably changed.

Not only were the players in Seido's dugout watching closely...

Even the fans in the stands leaned forward with anticipation.

"Can a first-year really attract this much attention?"

Akikawa's catcher narrowed his eyes as he observed Oshima.

The rookie possessed a remarkably imposing build.

Judging by his physique alone, no one would mistake him for a first-year.

He was taller and more powerfully built than most of Seido's players.

While his uniform made him appear lean at first glance...

Each gust of wind revealed the well-defined muscles beneath the fabric.

This first-year...

Was clearly someone they couldn't afford to underestimate.