"Is it a coincidence?"
In the dugout of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.
All the players anxiously gathered around Carlos, discussing the pitch that had just struck him out.
At this point in the game, neither side had many opportunities left. Not only were their chances to play limited, but even their opportunities to discuss were not very generous.
"I don't know either. The baseball suddenly dipped when it got close. The drop wasn't big though, I almost didn't notice it…"
Carlos's eyesight was among the top three on the entire Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.
Since he said so, it must be true.
The Inashiro Industrial players were silent.
It was already incredibly difficult just to hit Zhang Han's Fastball, and now they had to deal with a potential breaking ball?
The players of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team didn't even want to think about it further.
"We can't rely on luck now. Assume the opponent has mastered a forkball or a similar breaking ball, and play against him with that in mind. If you're not confident with the breaking ball, then try to foul it off and aim for the Fastball."
Coach Kunimoto stopped the players' whispers and offered his advice.
The Inashiro Industrial players quickly agreed.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Seido High School Baseball Team was on offense.
The first to step into the batter's box was their team's Sixth Batter, Miyuki Kazuya.
The Inashiro Industrial players, led by Narumiya Mei, took the field to defend.
Their team's Coach, rubbing his balding forehead, asked worriedly.
"Are the kids really okay?"
Just Zhang Han's Fastball alone had already stretched their hitting lineup thin. Zhang Han had faced six consecutive batters, and only Carlos had barely managed to make contact with the ball.
If Zhang Han had truly mastered some breaking ball, then it would be incredibly difficult for the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team to score runs in the rest of the game.
"I don't know either!"
The Coach with the balding hairstyle had originally sought comfort from Coach Kunimoto, but unexpectedly received such a reply.
"Then you just confidently told the kids…"
"Am I supposed to tell them to give up attacking, that they can't possibly hit Zhang Han's pitch? They wouldn't be willing, and they would constantly dwell on it, making it even harder to hit balls they might have otherwise been able to hit."
"When faced with such a sudden situation, if you can't think of a good solution for the moment, then don't think, just act."
Coach Kunimoto's image was already very tall in the balding Coach's mind.
At this moment, compared to his previously tall image, he seemed to have grown even taller.
He gazed deeply at the man, thinking to himself, as expected of the best Coach in the Tokyo area at this stage.
Not only were his methods for coaching players first-rate, but his game management was also top-notch.
"There's no need to worry too much. We're still ahead right now. If we continue like this, the final outcome might not necessarily be unfavorable to us."
Coach Kunimoto spoke a few extra words, which was rare for him.
The balding Coach subconsciously nodded.
However, he also noticed Coach Kunimoto's unusual behavior. In the past, their Coach was a representative of reticence, speaking as if words were gold.
This time, he had actually spoken over a hundred words in a row.
It seemed he wasn't as relaxed as he appeared on the surface.
After Miyuki stepped into the batter's box, looking at the empty bases, he felt a distinct lack of motivation.
In this situation, Narumiya Mei and Harada could think of too many combinations, making it difficult to guess what kind of strategy they would use.
The only favorable point he could think of was Zhang Han's recent pitch.
With six consecutive powerful strikeouts, given Narumiya Mei's personality, there was a high probability he would want to compete with Zhang Han.
So, it was very likely he would also aim for strikeouts when pitching.
While there were many pitching strategies for that, compared to having no clue before, at least now he could find a lead to follow.
Thinking this, Miyuki immediately crouched down, adopting a steady hitting stance.
Then, Narumiya Mei seemed to have seen through this.
His first pitch was aimed right at the center.
Regardless of whether this pitch was a breaking ball or not, Miyuki had to swing.
As he swung, he had already made a judgment in his mind. If Narumiya Mei was aiming for a strikeout with a pitch right down the middle, a forkball was the most likely option.
Zhang Han had just thrown a similar pitch, and given Narumiya Mei's personality, it wouldn't be surprising for him to want to retaliate in kind.
Fixing his gaze on the incoming baseball, Miyuki gritted his teeth and stepped out.
"Ping!"
When the bat in his hand made contact with the baseball, Miyuki's face instantly turned pale.
He had been tricked.
This wasn't a forkball; it was just an ordinary Fastball. Although it had a slight downward movement, the drop was far less significant than a breaking ball.
As a result, the ball hit the top of the bat at almost a 90-degree angle, bouncing directly into the sky.
Harada stood up formally, his eyes fixed on the baseball, extending his glove, and steadily catching the descending baseball.
"Smack!"
"Out!"
Harada, after catching the ball, even sighed in relief, as if he had put in a great effort to catch Miyuki out.
In the stands, the supporters of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team burst into laughter.
The immense pressure brought by Zhang Han's terrifying Light Speed Ball had completely disappeared.
Although Zhang Han's pitching indeed left them with lingering fear, their Ace was also excellent, and they had such a reliable catcher.
In terms of pitchers, they truly didn't lose to Seido.
Miyuki smiled wryly. He knew very well that the upcoming confrontations would likely become very troublesome.
As expected, Masuko, who came up next, suffered almost the exact same fate as Miyuki.
Faced with a suddenly hittable ball, their instincts as excellent batters simply wouldn't allow them to let it pass.
Masuko swung decisively, but the hit baseball bounced off the ground and was caught by the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's Second Baseman, who then threw it directly to First Base.
"Smack!"
"Out!"
Two outs, no one on base.
The eighth batter to come up next was Shirasu, who was playing outfield in place of Zhang Han.
Although he wasn't an absolute regular on the team, his hitting was always steady, and his teammates in the Seido High School Baseball Team dugout had high hopes for him.
However, as soon as he stepped up, he was immediately retired, and it was a clean strikeout.
Three outs, side retired.
The Seido High School Baseball Team dugout fell silent.
In the previous inning, when Zhang Han was pitching, he perfectly suppressed the batters of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team.
At that time, the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates were very happy.
They were very confident that in today's game, they still had a chance to unseat the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team, the champions who had just won the Spring Koshien tournament.
But reality, as it often is, was cruel.
Their confidence had just begun to sprout, and then it was ruthlessly extinguished, leaving not even a shred of fantasy for the Seido High School Baseball Team's teammates.
In the top of the eighth inning, it was the turn of the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's core hitting lineup.
The first to step up was their team's Second Batter, Shirakawa Katsuyuki.
Because of Narumiya Mei's perfect pitch, the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's momentum, which had just been suppressed, showed signs of resurgence.
The batter was excited, his eyes fixed on Zhang Han, his expression eager to compete.
Shirakawa was indeed excited. He had known Zhang Han since middle school and had once thought that they would face each other in this way once they reached high school.
After all, Zhang Han was originally a pitcher.
But what he hadn't expected was that the guy who was only considered relatively tough to deal with in the past had now evolved into an absolute monster.
Even when pitching on the same field as Narumiya Mei, he showed no signs of being at a disadvantage.
"I really didn't expect this. Let me see what you've learned at Seido High School Baseball Team?"
Shirakawa's eyelids drooped.
For those who knew him, they understood very well that this was a sign of him getting serious.
"Seventh! Seventh!"
The fans in the stands, led by the Misses at the very front, shouted along.
Akiko Okawada looked around blankly for a few moments, then turned her gaze to her senior, Fujio.
"What are they saying?"
"They're telling Zhang Han to get his seventh consecutive strikeout. Although there have been pitchers who have gotten far more than seven strikeouts before, seven consecutive ones have never happened. At least not in this Kanto Tournament. The highest was Narumiya Mei, who only got six consecutive strikeouts in a single game in this Kanto Tournament."
************************************
Upto 50 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123