The score on the field was 2:0.

Although the Seidou High School Baseball Team had taken a two-run lead, their offense was far from over.

Two outs, runner on first base.

It was at this moment that Chris stepped into the batter's box.

The young girls in the stands were ecstatic to see the handsome, mixed-race catcher.

They cheered loudly for Chris—it felt as if he had already hit a home run.

But in reality—

The Sensen High School Baseball Team's ace, Nitta, wasn't a bad pitcher at all.

If his pitching level wasn't high, he wouldn't have been able to get Matsumoto and Yoshida out.

At the bottom of the first inning, Sensen had already recorded two outs and nearly shut down Seidou's offense entirely.

If that had happened, this game's outlook might have changed drastically.

But the breakthrough came from Yuki.

That second-year slugger from Seidou had blasted the ball at an insane angle.

The Sensen fielders wanted to make the play, wanted to stop the ball—

But they simply couldn't.

They could only watch as the ball landed and bounced past them.

It was that hit that stunned everyone on Sensen's team.

And then, Azuma Kiyokuni stepped up.

As a nationally renowned slugger, Azuma's swing was even more breathtaking.

Nitta and the rest of Sensen's players were deeply shaken.

Shimoi's hit after that? Half skill, half luck.

And now it was Chris's turn.

To be honest, Nitta and his teammates probably already realized where they went wrong.

Their form had stabilized somewhat, and it would no longer be easy for Chris to get a hit like Shimoi did.

"What are you going to do, Chris-senpai?"

From the on-deck circle, Zhou Hao watched closely—not only focusing on the pitcher, but on Chris as well.

In Seidou High School, every teammate was a role model for Zhou Hao to learn from.

Chris's approach to batting was cautious.

He let the first pitch go by, then fouled off the second pitch.

But when he was backed into a corner, Zhou Hao noticed something surprising—

Chris stepped back half a step.

"He's going for an inside pitch?"

But Nitta hadn't even released the ball yet!

Zhou Hao's eyes widened in disbelief.

Just then, Nitta on the mound delivered a clean, sharp inside pitch.

Exactly what Chris had prepared for.

How could this be?

For a moment, Zhou Hao's mind went blank.

No one could explain it to him.

All he could do was watch as Chris decisively swung his bat—

"Ping!"

The ball landed cleanly.

Chris reached first base, and Shimoi, who was already on first, successfully advanced to second.

Because the ball had landed on the third-base side, Shimoi had no choice but to stop at second and couldn't advance any further.

"Safe!"

Two outs, runners on first and second.

From the moment the third batter, Yuki, stepped up, Sensen had been chasing the elusive third out.

But now?

Not only had they failed to shut down the inning, but Seidou's scoring chance was growing stronger!

"Seventh batter, pitcher, Zhou Hao."

Now it was Zhou Hao's turn to step into the batter's box.

Only after he stood there, bat in hand, did he truly understand what Chris had done earlier.

In hindsight, the principle was simple.

Chris could hit that ball because—he predicted the pitch.

Whether it was Miyuki or Chris, they both had that special ability: reading the pitcher's intentions and swinging at the pitch they wanted.

Zhou Hao, standing in the box, pondered deeply.

He didn't have the experience or baseball IQ to predict pitch types like Chris or Miyuki.

But—could he still do it in his own way?

The corners of Zhou Hao's mouth lifted into a subtle smile.

He didn't have their minds…

But he had a cheat.

Wasn't this the perfect time to use it?

The Sharingan silently activated.

In Zhou Hao's eyes, Nitta, standing eighteen meters away on the mound, appeared as if he were standing right in front of him.

Even at that distance, Zhou Hao could clearly see Nitta's micro-movements.

Sweat had already begun forming on Nitta's forehead—even though the game had just started.

His breathing was still calm…

But Zhou Hao could tell—Nitta was tired.

Facing Seidou's overwhelming lineup, the pressure was unbearable.

And he bore it alone—his teammates couldn't share that burden.

Zhou Hao saw Nitta bite his lip.

He was about to gamble!

Even without the prediction ability of Chris and Miyuki, Zhou Hao, with the Sharingan, had seen through it.

In the past, Zhou Hao only activated the Sharingan before batting.

This time, he used it for the entire sequence—from approach to pitch.

And now he understood.

Because he never took his eyes off Nitta, he could intuit his intent.

Just now—when Nitta bit his lip—

Zhou Hao realized: he's going to throw an inside pitch!

Chris had just hit an inside pitch.

If Nitta avoided pitching inside again, he'd be forced to throw something down the middle or outside.

But for a pitcher like Nitta—one with pinpoint control—that was a sign of defeat.

The more his inside pitch was punished, the more he wanted to use another one to force Zhou Hao back.

If Zhou Hao flinched—or even hesitated—

Nitta would regain his edge.

Nitta wound up and released the ball.

At the same moment—

Zhou Hao took a step back.

And it was bigger than the step Chris took earlier.

Zhou Hao's movement shifted him far enough that the inside pitch—meant to brush his body—entered his optimal hitting zone.

The dugout hadn't even reacted when—

"Ping!!"

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