Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

Chapter 412 - 412: Exploding the Field

The moment the baseball was hit—Or rather, even before the bat made contact—

Zhou Hao had already activated his Sharingan.

In Zhou Hao's vision, the entire trajectory of the ball seemed to slow down.

Where would the ball land?

He already had a rough answer.

His predictions were more accurate than those of any outfielder, and his reaction time was even faster.

Because of this ability, almost every ball that entered Zhou Hao's defensive range was doomed.

It simply could not escape his glove.

However—

This ball was different.

Its landing point was in deep center field.

Even though it was closer to Zhou Hao's side of the field, it was still technically outside his defensive range.

For a brief moment, Zhou Hao even considered giving up on it.

But then he noticed something important.

It was a high fly ball.

That meant the baseball would stay in the air longer than usual.

If he ran at full speed…

There might be a fifty percent chance of catching it.

On the mound, the rookie pitcher was frozen.

Furuya Satoru stood there stiffly, watching the ball soar into the sky.

Truthfully, the fact that he had already secured two outs in this inning was largely due to his natural talent.

If it had been another pitcher in his position, the situation might have collapsed long ago.

Seeing the stunned expression on his junior's face—

Zhou Hao made his decision.

As a second-year senior, and as a teammate, he couldn't just watch.

His long legs burst into motion.

He sprinted toward the landing spot of the baseball.

The moment they saw Zhou Hao running, the players and supporters of Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team felt their hearts sink.

Why was Zhou Hao running toward center field?

And why—

Did it look like he might actually reach the ball that even the center fielder couldn't intercept?

Just thinking about it felt like discovering half a fly inside a steamed bun.

Disgusting.

And the worst part was—

This disgusting possibility was unfolding right before their eyes.

"No…"

Some fans prayed silently.

They hoped it was just an illusion.

Unfortunately—

It wasn't.

Zhou Hao reached the predicted landing point just in time.

There was no time for a normal catch.

So he leaped forward without hesitation.

His body cut through the air like a flying fish.

The motion was smooth and graceful, almost like a gymnast performing a perfect dive.

The fans watching couldn't help gasping.

This was simply too cool.

Then came the most unbelievable moment.

"Snap!"

The baseball landed firmly in Zhou Hao's glove.

When Zhou Hao rolled across the ground and stood up with the ball in his hand—

The entire stadium exploded.

"WOOOAH!!"

"Zhou Hao!!"

"He's everywhere!"

"The omnipresent Zhou Hao!"

"Even as a fielder he's incredible!"

The crowd roared with excitement.

But on the other side—

The players and supporters of Inashiro Industrial nearly exploded from frustration.

They had never imagined the result would be like this.

"How is that possible?!"

"How could he predict it so early?!"

They simply couldn't understand.

Meanwhile, their head coach quietly cracked his neck.

Kunimoto let out a slow breath before speaking.

"That…"

"Is just Zhou Hao."

Some players were monsters.

Things others couldn't do—

They could accomplish effortlessly.

And Zhou Hao was exactly that kind of monster.

All they could do was accept it.

And slowly get used to it.

Because their opponent…

Was someone like him.

The inning ended.

"Three outs! Change sides!"

Although Inashiro had managed to score one run, they had produced only one real hit.

Their batting order had only advanced to the cleanup hitter.

For the rookie pitcher, that alone was already a miracle.

The crisis had passed.

And the person who saved the inning was obvious.

Zhou Hao.

On the mound, Furuya exhaled heavily.

His composure finally returned.

Bottom of the first inning.

Seido's offense began.

The pitcher stepping onto the mound for Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team was a tall player with a sharp face and sunken cheeks.

When he pursed his lips, he even made a strange sound resembling a monkey's cry.

Seeing him take the mound, the fans in the stands couldn't help shaking their heads.

"So this is the unspoken agreement between the two teams."

"A full-strength battle—without the Aces."

"Honestly, even though I want to see Narumiya Mei and Zhou Hao pitch, this kind of game might be even more exciting."

If both Aces were pitching right now—

Everyone knew exactly how the game would look.

A brutal duel between monsters.

Just like the Tokyo Autumn Tournament last year.

At that time, the entire game had been dominated by two pitchers:

Narumiya Mei

and Zhou Hao.

Their terrifying fastballs had overwhelmed every batter.

The other players were strong too—

But against those two monsters, they had looked completely helpless.

Now things were different.

Both teams had sent non-Ace pitchers to the mound.

Considering the terrifying batting power on both sides—

The upcoming battle would likely turn into a violent hitting showdown.

A rare sight in games between Seido and Inashiro.

"Today's game is really a treat."

"I wonder if the Inashiro pitcher can hold on?"

Hearing that question, the fans fell silent.

If Narumiya Mei were pitching, there would be no suspense.

But this was only a substitute pitcher.

No one knew how strong he truly was.

Could he withstand Seido's batting lineup?

"Let's wait and see."

"I'm curious too."

Amid the heated discussion—

The first batter had already stepped into the box.

No outs.

No runners.

"First batter, shortstop—"

Kuramochi Yoichi

For the players of Seido, however, there was no doubt in their minds.

Even if Narumiya Mei were standing on the mound—

The situation would not repeat itself like last year.

Their batting lineup had grown far stronger since then.

Allowing the opponent to drag the game out until Zhou Hao ran out of stamina…

That would never happen again.

Not to mention—

The pitcher in front of them now was only a substitute.

It wasn't that the pitcher was weak.

It was simply that Seido's batting power had become terrifying.

Breaking through his defense was only a matter of time.

Every player in Seido believed this.

The only question was—

When would the explosion happen?

Standing in the batter's box, Kuramochi perfectly embodied that confidence.

His sharp eyes locked onto the pitcher.

The moment the Inashiro third-year pitcher raised his arm to throw—

Kuramochi moved immediately.

Kuramochi swung his arm, the bat cutting through the air.

Squatting behind the plate, Harada raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.

At that moment, he had already understood Kuramochi's intention.

Kuramochi Yoichi had clearly abandoned the idea of a clean hit.

Instead, he was relying on his speed to force his way onto first base.

The ball he hit was a sharp infield grounder, rolling straight toward third base.

How confident did he have to be in his speed to attempt something like that?

Harada couldn't quite understand.

But whether he understood or not didn't matter.

All they had to do was stop him.

"Don't underestimate our defense.

Our team is strong too."

Just as that thought crossed Harada's mind, Inashiro's third baseman had already charged forward.

The moment the ball settled into his glove, he didn't even bother adjusting his posture.

He threw immediately.

"Whoosh!"

Kuramochi was fast.

But the baseball was faster.

Just as Kuramochi came within two meters of first base, the ball snapped into the glove of Inashiro's first baseman.

"Snap!"

"Out!"

One out. No runners on base.

The substitute pitcher for Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team looked rather unimpressive.

Tall, with a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks—

At first glance, he didn't seem remarkable at all.

Yet his pitching was surprisingly effective.

Even the hitters from Seido High School Baseball Team were being led around by him.

"I didn't expect their substitute to be this capable."

"What's his name again?"

"Something like… Ara?"

"Arata!"

"Quite a player…"

Previously, the Aces of the two teams had been so dominant that the other players rarely had the chance to shine.

But today was different.

With the Aces not on the mound, the abilities of the rest of the team were finally on full display.

The fans of both powerhouse teams were extremely satisfied with the battle unfolding before them.

This—

This was the kind of clash they wanted to see.

A fierce struggle between evenly matched teams.

It was exhilarating.

"Second Batter, Second Baseman—"

Kominato Ryosuke

Stepping into the batter's box was a player with a gentle, ever-present smile.

From the moment he entered the box, that smile never faded.

He looked friendly.

Approachable.

But anyone who truly knew him would never think that.

The word "kind" had nothing to do with Kominato Ryosuke.

The players of Inashiro were naturally very familiar with him.

And when they saw his smile—

A chill ran down their spines.

On the mound, Arata narrowed his eyes.

His biggest advantage right now was simple.

His opponent didn't know him well.

Although the two teams had faced each other many times, Arata rarely had the chance to appear on the field.

That meant the Seido players had very little information about him.

And now he was facing Kominato Ryosuke.

Before the opponent could see through him, he had to force Ryosuke into a direct confrontation.

Having made up his mind, Arata fired the pitch.

"Whoosh!"

In the batter's box, Kominato Ryosuke widened his eyes slightly.

The pitch flew straight down the center of the strike zone.

Such a pitch…

Such a location…

It was practically a direct challenge.

"So you want a head-on confrontation?"

Ryosuke's smile widened.

The more the opponent wanted a direct clash—

The less he would give it to them.

He calmly watched the ball pass by.

"Snap!"

"Strike!"

Despite gaining a strike advantage, Harada couldn't smile at all.

Kominato Ryosuke was simply too cunning.

That pitch had been an excellent trap.

But if the batter refused to take the bait, there was nothing they could do.

"A troublesome opponent…"

Just as Harada was thinking this, Arata's second pitch arrived.

"Whoosh!"

It looked exactly like the previous one—

Again aimed at the center of the strike zone.

Ryosuke's smile grew even brighter.

This was getting interesting.

The substitute pitcher from Inashiro was far more intriguing than he had expected.

Originally, Ryosuke had thought getting a hit off this pitcher wouldn't be difficult.

But now it seemed that idea was completely wrong.

Arata was far stronger than anticipated.

The fact that he dared to keep throwing pitches down the middle meant only one thing—

He was confident he could still get hitters out.

By the time the third pitch came—

Ryosuke could no longer wait.

He swung.

But just as his bat connected, he felt something was wrong.

The ball's movement had suddenly changed.

Not good!

With too little information about the pitcher, Ryosuke had fallen into a trap.

The sudden forkball dropped sharply.

By the time he realized it—

It was already too late.

"Ping!"

The ball bounced weakly off the ground.

Arata calmly fielded it himself.

"Snap!"

"Out!"

Two outs. Bases empty.

The players and supporters of Inashiro Industrial were thrilled.

Arata's performance had far exceeded their expectations.

Before today, when he was merely a substitute, no one imagined he could be this strong.

Yet here he was—

Making Seido's powerful hitters look completely helpless.

"Third Batter, Number One, Outfielder—"

Zhou Hao

Now it was Zhou Hao's turn.

After two outs, he stepped into the batter's box.

The entire stadium focused on him.

The players and supporters of Inashiro Industrial looked tense and wary.

Meanwhile, the fans of Seido—

Along with many neutral spectators—

Watched with eager anticipation.

Because whenever Zhou Hao stepped up to bat…

Anything could happen.