Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

"Amazing!"

"Incredible!"

Only after witnessing Zhou Hao's spiral pitch did everyone present fully grasp how terrifying this first-year really was.

No wonder Seidou High School would send him out at such a critical time.

It turned out that Zhou Hao was the biggest hidden treasure Seidou had discovered this year—a true secret weapon.

Seidou fans erupted in thunderous applause.

Even when their palms turned red from clapping, it still couldn't contain the excitement in their hearts.

"Marvelous!"

"Finally, our Seidou baseball team has a real pitcher!"

Only Seidou's die-hard fans knew what they had been through before.

The team lacked a true ace.

That weakness didn't show much against ordinary opponents, but once they faced a tough team, it was painfully obvious.

Like when going up against the other two powerhouses of West Tokyo…

Their weakness became crystal clear.

They had lost count of how many games they'd had to suffer through like that.

Even now, just thinking back to those games made their hearts ache.

But now, things had changed.

It was time for their rivals to lose sleep at night.

At this very moment, players from Inashiro Industrial and City's Third High School were in the stands, watching and recording the game while wearing their school uniforms and using professional-grade camera gear.

Seidou's fans had previously chosen to ignore their presence—after all, Seidou hadn't been able to beat those two schools for a long time.

They could only pretend not to see them.

But now?

Those same fans suddenly had a mischievous urge.

They wanted to see how those players were reacting.

Were they spooked by Seidou's secret weapon?

Unfortunately, the fans were disappointed.

The scouts from both schools remained composed.

Though clearly shocked, they didn't panic at Zhou Hao's sudden appearance.

One great pitch could only show his potential—it wasn't enough to prove his true strength.

That said, their calm expressions didn't reflect what was happening behind the camera lenses—all pointed directly at Zhou Hao.

They were taking him very seriously.

Meanwhile, the fourth batter of Hachioji High School stood frozen, pale-faced.

That pitch had scared the life out of him.

From his point of view, it felt like the entire world was collapsing toward him.

It was terrifying.

Just thinking about it made his heart race uncontrollably.

"I can't keep crumbling like this…"

Clenching his jaw and biting the tip of his tongue, the cleanup hitter forced himself to focus.

He couldn't let Zhou Hao dominate the mound without fighting back.

If he—the fourth batter—gave up now, then the rest of Hachioji's lineup would completely collapse.

If they could only keep taking hits from Seidou, what hope would they have left?

He raised his bat with renewed determination.

No matter what, he had to respond.

At that moment, Zhou Hao wound up again on the mound.

He didn't care about the disapproving frown from Coach Kataoka in the dugout.

He had to throw the spiral ball.

Boom!

The white baseball spun violently, cutting through the air with immense speed.

The cleanup hitter gathered all his strength.

"I have to fight back!!"

Pouring everything he had into his swing, he finally managed to make contact.

Ping!

The moment the bat hit the ball, he felt a sense of relief.

No matter where the ball went, at least he had managed to hit it.

He could finally face his teammates.

But before he could feel pride, an intense shock traveled up his arms.

He had never felt anything like it.

Caught completely off guard, the bat flew out of his hands!

"The bat flew out!!"

Seidou's dugout exploded in cheers.

They had been waiting for this.

"Whoa!!"

"He knocked the bat out of his hands?!"

"Did you see the umpire's face? He turned white when it flew toward him!"

"I bet this is the first time the ump has ever seen something like this!"

They were right.

The referee had never experienced anything like that.

In that instant, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

The bat had been coming straight for his helmet.

Even with protective gear, he might've been seeing stars if it had hit.

"Foul ball!"

Even though the ball was ruled out of bounds, everyone in the stadium was completely stunned.

Even in pro games—like Major League Baseball—you rarely see scenes like that.

"That first-year Zhou Hao is something else!"

"How heavy is that pitch?!"

"Look at the scouts from Inashiro and City's Third!"

When Zhou Hao threw his first spiral ball, the scouts had stayed composed, trying not to disgrace the prestigious schools they represented.

But now?

They couldn't stay calm any longer.

Their eyes widened in disbelief.

The scout from Inashiro even pulled out his phone to call his team.

After just two pitches…

Both of Seidou's biggest rivals were already starting to feel the pressure.

Everyone knew Seidou's batting lineup was monstrous.

Compared to Inashiro and City's Third, they were at an even higher level offensively.

As for defense?

As top-tier schools, those teams had practiced defensive drills thousands of times—they were elite in that area.

The only reason they had been able to overpower Seidou in the past was because of one thing:

They had superior aces.

Now, that edge might disappear.

Zhou Hao's appearance was enough to shake the very foundation of high school baseball in Tokyo.

And he wasn't done yet.

Zhou Hao wound up again and pitched two more times.

Despite the cleanup hitter's best efforts, he couldn't touch either pitch.

"Strike!"

"Strike!!"

"Strikeout!!!"

The cleanup hitter was completely shut down.

Three batters up. Three batters down.

Strikeout, strikeout, strikeout.

At the end of the fifth inning, the score was still 3–0.

The game moved into the top of the sixth inning—with Seidou High School back on the offensive.

--------------

POWER STONE!!!

Support me at patréon com/DaoOfPeeking