Chapter 521 - 521: Zhou Hao's Level

For a moment, Akiba thought he was dreaming.

Otherwise...

Why would he see nothing but a flash of light while standing in the batter's box?

A blazing 166 km/h fastball streaked past him before he could even react.

The stadium instantly erupted.

Seido's supporters burst into deafening cheers.

It had been several games since they had last seen Zhou Hao take the mound.

Many fans had secretly been worried.

For any ace pitcher, going several games without pitching usually affected rhythm and timing.

Most pitchers would need time to readjust.

But Zhou Hao was clearly an exception.

Not only had his pitching remained as dominant as ever...

It seemed even more terrifying than before.

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

"He barely looks like he's trying, yet his opponents are already overwhelmed."

"Forget Yakushi—even I was shocked by that pitch."

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would've never believed he hadn't pitched in several games."

"Imagine being the batter facing him..."

"That's enough to make anyone despair."

The fans couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

Meanwhile...

The Yakushi High dugout wore grim expressions.

"As expected of the ace of the reigning national champions."

"That pitch alone could dominate even professional hitters."

Coach Todoroki Raizo spoke calmly.

Having once played professional baseball himself, his eye for talent far surpassed that of an ordinary high school coach.

He immediately recognized something that many people would never understand.

A 166 km/h fastball...

Was simply beyond the reach of almost every high school batter in Japan.

Even Yakushi's three highly talented first-year stars were no exception.

Akiba wasn't the flashiest hitter among them.

But he was undoubtedly the most complete.

If overall ability were judged, he might even rank first among the trio.

Yet...

Against Zhou Hao's pitch...

He had been completely helpless.

Forget making solid contact.

He couldn't even begin his swing in time.

"A 166 km/h fastball from a high school pitcher..."

"That's completely beyond the high school level."

Someone in the dugout muttered helplessly.

Coach Todoroki smiled and nodded.

"I can't disagree."

He then looked toward his players and spoke in an unusually relaxed tone.

"Our opponent is the reigning national champion."

"So don't obsess over winning."

"Just play your baseball."

"Show everything you've got, and enjoy the game."

At first glance, those words sounded almost like surrender.

But the Yakushi players interpreted them very differently.

The key point wasn't don't win.

It was...

Play without fear.

Their opponent was the strongest team in the country.

Struggling against them wasn't shameful.

All they needed to do...

Was give everything they had.

"No problem!"

"They're just the national champions."

"That doesn't mean we'll lose!"

The Yakushi players shouted confidently from the dugout.

Several nearby spectators happened to overhear them.

Their eyes widened in disbelief.

Did I hear that correctly?

They're actually talking about beating Seido?

One had to remember...

Standing on the mound right now was Zhou Hao.

His opening pitch had reached 166 km/h.

Where exactly did Yakushi get this confidence?

Did they really understand what kind of player Zhou Hao was?

Recently, several baseball reporters had even begun ranking the nation's top high school players.

The rankings ranged from T4 all the way to T0.

T4 represented nationally recognized players.

Thanks to Seido's reputation, many of its regulars belonged in this tier.

T3 consisted of elite players capable of changing games.

For Seido, Kominato Ryosuke was considered one of the representatives of this level.

T2 was reserved for genuine stars.

Miyuki Kazuya, despite being recognized by many as the best catcher in the country, was generally placed here because his influence wasn't quite overwhelming enough.

T1 represented players capable of carrying a team on their own.

Yuki Tetsuya belonged to this tier.

So did Narumiya Mei of Inashiro Industrial and the ace of the Cosmic Team.

But above them all...

There was only a single player.

T0.

Throughout the entire high school baseball world...

Only one player had ever been placed in that category.

Zhou Hao.

As long as he stepped onto the field...

Everyone's attention was naturally drawn toward him.

Normally, opponents' first thought wasn't about beating him.

It was simply...

How do we survive?

Yet Yakushi's players were different.

They weren't thinking about surviving.

They were thinking about defeating him.

The spectators couldn't help exchanging glances.

Are these guys crazy...

Or do they actually have some kind of secret weapon?

Since Yakushi had fought their way into the West Tokyo quarterfinals, nobody believed they were reckless fools.

If they weren't crazy...

Then the only explanation was that they truly believed they had a chance.

But where did that confidence come from?

Everyone's attention shifted back toward the batter's box.

Yakushi's three star freshmen occupied the first three spots in the lineup.

Coach Todoroki's strategy was obvious.

Use the explosive batting ability of those three to immediately pressure Seido's pitching staff.

If Seido had started one of their rookie pitchers...

Perhaps that plan might actually have worked.

Unfortunately...

Standing on the mound today was Seido's true ace.

Where was Yakushi supposed to find an opening against someone like that?

Without wasting another second...

Zhou Hao came set.

Then he fired.

BOOM!

Like a bolt of lightning splitting the sky, the white baseball exploded from his fingertips.

The spectators saw only a streak of white flash past the batter.

Akiba instinctively wanted to swing.

But before his body could react...

The baseball had already crossed the plate.

POP!

"Strike!"

The ball slammed into Miyuki's mitt.

Silence filled the stadium.

The scoreboard flashed the speed.

165.5 km/h.

His second pitch was nearly as fast as the first.

Even Yakushi's supporters fell silent.

In everyone's memory...

Zhou Hao had always pitched with remarkable restraint.

He rarely relied purely on velocity.

And it was even rarer for him to throw consecutive max-effort fastballs.

Fastballs exceeding 160 km/h were often called light-speed pitches by fans.

Very few high school batters could make contact with them.

But that kind of velocity came with a price.

Whether it was Zhou Hao on the mound or Miyuki Kazuya behind the plate, both carried a tremendous physical burden whenever those pitches were unleashed.

In the past, the two of them hadn't paid much attention to that cost.

Now, however, if there was an easier way to retire a batter, Zhou Hao would rarely throw consecutive max-effort fastballs or Spiral Balls.

Because of that, Yakushi's supporters had convinced themselves of something.

Their current difficulties were only temporary.

If they could endure long enough, either Zhou Hao would be replaced or he would eventually switch to more technical pitches.

And once that happened...

Yakushi would have its chance.

As long as they could touch the ball, Yakushi's hitters believed they could turn it into a hit.

Unfortunately for them, reality was far harsher.

Zhou Hao came set again.

BOOM!

Another blazing fastball exploded from his hand.

This time, Akiba forced himself to overcome the fear in his heart.

He swung with everything he had.

But he was still too late.

By the time the bat reached the zone, the white baseball had already ripped past him.

POP!

Strike three!

Strikeout!

One out, bases empty.

From behind the plate, Miyuki studied Akiba thoughtfully.

Only by facing Yakushi in person could one truly understand how talented these three first-year hitters were.

Akiba had adjusted to Zhou Hao's velocity in an incredibly short amount of time and had still managed to commit to a full swing.

His batting instincts were exceptional.

Outside of Yuki, he could already be compared with many of Seido's regular hitters.

And among Yakushi's three freshman stars, Akiba was considered the least prominent of the trio.

If even he possessed this level of ability...

Miyuki could only imagine how dangerous the other two would be.

No wonder Coach started Zhou Hao today.

These guys are the real deal.

Even so, Miyuki's eyes remained sharp.

No matter how strong they are, Seido isn't losing.

Especially not with Zhou Hao on the mound.

"Bring it over."

"Let's take this batter down together."

Yakushi's second hitter stepped into the box.

Mishima.

Compared to Akiba, he was even more dangerous.

His broad frame alone was enough to intimidate most pitchers.

Yet Zhou Hao showed no hesitation whatsoever.

Instead, his fighting spirit seemed to intensify.

He drove forward and fired.

BOOM!

The ball shot out like a streak of white lightning.

Mishima could only watch it pass.

So fast...

Now he understood why Akiba had looked so helpless.

Against a pitch of this speed, there was no time to react.

The only way to make contact was to swing before the ball arrived.

Mishima bit down hard on his lip.

His pride refused to let him back away.

Come on...

Even if it's 160 km/h, I'll hit it!

That was the defining trait of Yakushi's players.

They never lacked confidence.

As the next pitch came in, Mishima's eyes remained locked on Zhou Hao.

There was no fear in them.

Only determination.

BOOM!

The baseball screamed toward the plate.

Mishima's bat followed.

Pitch and swing collided in a battle of pure will.

But in the end...

The bat came up just short.

POP!

Strike two!

The crowd erupted.

Miyuki narrowed his eyes.

Just a little closer...

And he would have found the timing.

For a first-year to adjust that quickly to Zhou Hao's velocity was terrifying.

This generation really is pushing us hard...

Miyuki gave the sign.

Last pitch.

Zhou Hao nodded.

He came set once more and delivered.

WHOOSH!

Mishima didn't hesitate.

He started his swing even earlier than before.

I have to swing ahead of it!

His bat cut through the zone perfectly.

Except...

The baseball wasn't there.

Mishima completed his swing and nearly lost his balance.

Only then did he hear the sound behind him.

POP!

Strike three!

Strikeout!

Two batters. Two strikeouts.

Zhou Hao had recorded the first two outs of the inning in dominant fashion.

Mishima stood frozen in the batter's box.

His expression was one of complete disbelief.

A Changeup...?

He had been so focused on catching up to the fastball that he never even considered another possibility.

By the time he realized the pitch had slowed down...

It was already resting inside Miyuki's glove.