In the Seidou High School Baseball Team's dugout, silence hung in the air.
Earlier, when they watched Shirazawa pitch, they already felt that his ability was overwhelming.
Compared to Kuroda and Akutsu—pitchers they had previously faced—Shirazawa was every bit as terrifying.
But what shocked them the most wasn't just his power.
It was his control.
He could even imitate Zhou Hao's signature routine for inducing outs?
Everyone knew Zhou Hao wasn't just succeeding through precise control—he combined his vision, coordination, and his Sharingan. Even if people tried to copy him, most could only mimic the appearance, never the essence.
But Shirazawa clearly wasn't ordinary.
He had imitated Zhou Hao's pitching approach—and not just the movement, but the results.
The motion might not be identical, but the outcome was exactly the same.
"We used that method before to suppress Seishō High, a top-tier national powerhouse. And now… our opponent is using it against us."
Miyuki Kazuya frowned deeply. Because they had used this tactic themselves, they understood better than anyone how dangerous Shirazawa approach was.
Seibō High's Ace wasn't just pitching normally—he was making a declaration of war.
A provocation.
"Eighth batter, number eight, center fielder—Isashiki Jun!"
After one out, Isashiki stepped up.
The mustachioed senior glared at Shirazawa with a ferocity that made him look far from a high school student.
"This guy is full of tricks. Like hell I'll let him have his way," he growled.
Fans in the stands were startled.
"That batter doesn't look like a high schooler!"
"He's only sixteen!? Impossible!"
If Isashiki had heard them, he would've yelled back. But right now, he focused only on Shirazawa.
Shirazawa pitching motion was clean—almost artistic.
A perfect, controlled snap—
Whoosh!
Isashiki gritted his teeth.
"What's with this flashy style? Think you're dancing?"
He swung.
Ping!
The rebound felt perfect.
He expected a long hit—
But the ball dropped after barely thirty meters.
The Seibō shortstop calmly caught it.
Out. Two outs.
The Seidou dugout froze.
This wasn't "similar."
It was identical.
A perfect replica of the strategy Zhou Hao used to dominate Seibō's lower order.
The terrifying part wasn't the imitation—it was the effectiveness.
"How is this guy real?"
"Is he a monster?"
Some reporters, familiar with Baize's past, began analyzing.
"Shirazawa used to be called the Prince of Breaking Balls. His fingers are unusually slender—perfect for manipulating ball trajectory."
"He was even nicknamed the 'Magician on the Field.'"
"He narrowed down his arsenal to protect his future career… but it seems that training wasn't wasted."
"And because Zhou Hao abandoned the Spiral ball early, Shirazawa found an opening."
Shirazawa couldn't imitate the Spiral ball itself, but the precision and the psychological manipulation—those were what he used to shake Seidou's batters.
"Ping!"
The ninth batter grounded to the infield.
Out! Three outs!
Three innings passed.
Score: 0–0.
They expected Seidou wouldn't give up a run with Zhou Hao pitching.
But they never imagined being completely shut out by Seibō's Ace.
Their morale took a hit.
Seibō's morale soared.
Seidou's "invincible snowball momentum" was gone.
The fourth inning began with Seibō's lead-off batter stepping in aggressively, confidence overflowing.
Their supporters roared:
"Hit him! We can win!!"
Zhou Hao exhaled.
Then—
BOOM!
The Spiral ball.
The Seibō batter froze.
"Didn't they say he wouldn't use that pitch!?"
Too late.
Snap! Strike!
Chris felt the weight in his glove—solid, heavy, reassuring.
This was their Ace.
This was invincibility.
Another Spiral ball.
Another helpless swing.
Strikeout!
One out.
The Seibō dugout fell silent.
Even if Shirazawa imitated Zhou Hao, that pitch required enormous risk. Against Seidou's middle and upper order, it was practically death.
But Zhou Hao?
With the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?
He was absolute.
Second batter—strikeout.
Third batter—strikeout.
Three up, three down. All by Spiral ball.
The slight momentum Seibō had gained evaporated instantly.
They weren't just back to square one.
They were being crushed again.