"Boom!"
A true professional reveals their skill in a single move.
Even before this, Miyuki Kazuya had already guessed that the batter Ikeda High School just sent out—Agawa—wasn't an ordinary player.
He was likely their secret weapon.
And the moment Agawa swung his bat, Miyuki's suspicion was confirmed.
Just as he thought—this guy was a monster.
The force behind Agawa's swing wasn't much weaker than Azuma Kiyokuni's.
How could a second-year student have such terrifying power?
Miyuki couldn't comprehend it.
But the proof was right before his eyes.
The white baseball shot high into the air.
Seidou's outfielders sprinted after it—but no matter how fast they ran, a person's speed could never match the ball's flight.
The fielder, running at full tilt, could only watch helplessly as the ball soared toward the wall.
"Clap!"
"Foul ball!"
The ball had missed the line by barely two meters.
It sounded like a lot, but at a distance of over a hundred meters, it was practically nothing.
Cold sweat ran down the backs of Seidou's supporters.
"Monster!"
"Just a bit more and that would've been a home run!"
"I can't believe Ikeda was hiding someone like him!"
"He's never appeared before—must've been reserved for the top-tier teams!"
The more they learned about this new batter, the more Seidou's fans felt a chill of unease.
"Agawa!!"
In sharp contrast, the Ikeda dugout exploded with cheers.
Their eyes shone with reverence, as though they were looking at a savior.
"That's it! We can still turn this around!"
The players' morale shot through the roof—they finally saw hope.
On the mound, Yoshida pressed his lips tightly together.
The August sun burned on his face, and sweat trickled down his temples.
His heart felt just as heavy as the heat on his skin.
He took a deep breath and hurled the ball with everything he had.
"Whoosh!"
Against a batter like Agawa, tricks were useless.
Only a head-on clash would do.
Agawa's eyes glimmered as the ball approached.
He wanted to crush it.
Because of Ikeda's defensive playstyle—and his coach's plan to save him as a trump card—Agawa hadn't appeared in any of their earlier games.
Not because he lacked skill, but because they simply hadn't faced anyone strong enough to force their hand.
But now…
That moment had come.
Their opponent was Seidou High School—the team that defeated the so-called "Universe Team."
If he could turn the tide here and score against them, his name would echo through Koshien.
Just like Miyuki Kazuya—Seidou's current catcher.
Before that legendary match against Osaka Kiryu, everyone only knew of Seidou's genius catcher, Chris.
Who had ever heard of Miyuki?
But in that match, Miyuki's final, game-changing hit made him a national name overnight.
Now, Agawa had the same chance.
As the ball neared, he swung with everything he had—every ounce of power he'd ever built since childhood.
"Fly out for me!"
"Ping!"
The bat met the ball with a violent crack.
The white sphere rocketed forward.
Miyuki's eyes widened slightly.
"This guy's no joke."
He could tell—there was nothing wrong with Yoshida's pitch.
It was sharp and clean.
But Agawa's sheer strength overwhelmed it.
Even without perfect contact, he managed to blast the ball deep into the outfield—dangerously close to being a home run.
Miyuki braced himself for the worst.
After all, Ikeda wasn't just any team.
They were the strongest dark horse in the nation.
And this was the Koshien Round of 16—one step away from the quarterfinals.
It would've been strange if they didn't have a hidden trump card.
If that ball cleared the fence… how would they respond next?
Miyuki's mind raced as he tracked the flight of the ball.
It traveled more than seventy meters before suddenly dipping downward.
"The situation's better than expected!"
No one was directly under it.
Isashiki Jun was sprinting in from deep center field.
He had been positioned further back, expecting the ball to land deep in the outfield.
He hadn't anticipated the late drop from Yoshida's tailing fastball.
Even though Agawa hit it hard, it didn't travel as far as it looked.
"It should fall near second base!"
That's what Miyuki—and nearly everyone else—thought.
Until a blur suddenly flashed into view.
As the ball began to descend, a figure leaped up and snatched it cleanly out of the air.
"Clap!"
"Out!"
Three outs. Side retired.
For a moment, the entire stadium fell silent.
"…What just happened?"
Even the players in Ikeda's dugout were the first to ask.
The fielder who caught the ball was none other than Zhou Hao.
But wait—Zhou Hao was Seidou's left fielder.
The ball had clearly landed in center field.
Even Isashiki Jun, who was known for his defense, hadn't reached it in time due to his initial misread.
So how did Zhou Hao get there so quickly?
"Where was he just now?"
"That wasn't even his zone! Did he just—teleport?"
A stunned Ikeda fielder muttered under his breath.
"That's it… just like before."
He remembered trying to keep Zhou Hao in check on the bases—how he'd turned to throw, only to find Zhou Hao had advanced seven or eight meters as if he'd warped through space.
If that first time was an illusion, then two consecutive instances meant only one thing.
"This isn't an illusion… That guy can really teleport!"
The entire Ikeda dugout went silent.
They didn't really believe in teleportation, of course—but what Zhou Hao had done defied logic.
Back in Seidou's dugout, his teammates immediately surrounded him, eyes wide with curiosity.
"What the heck was that just now?!"
Their gazes were filled with awe—and disbelief.