Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

Chapter 426 - 426: Zhou Hao Hits a Home Run?

Two outs.Runner on first.

Stepping into the batter's box—

Seido's third batter, Zhou Hao.

The moment his tall, composed figure appeared, the Seido supporters in the stands lit up.

This was Zhou Hao.

In their minds, as long as he was on the field—

there was no opponent he couldn't overcome.

No matter how impressive Inashiro's pitcher had been up to now—

it didn't matter.

Against Zhou Hao, any pitch—

would be crushed.

That belief wasn't blind.

It had been proven again and again in past games.

As long as the opponent dared to face him head-on—

the result was already decided.

But Inashiro wasn't made up of fools.

Especially not Arata, standing on the mound.

His eyes were calm. Clear.

Even though his stamina was no longer at its peak, his mind remained sharp.

A head-on duel with Zhou Hao—

that was a temptation no ambitious pitcher could easily resist.

And if the situation allowed it…

Arata would absolutely accept that challenge.

But not now.

Not with a runner on base.

If he stubbornly insisted on a direct confrontation here—

the result could very well send his team straight to execution.

They had fought hard to take this one-run lead.

There was no way they would gamble it away.

The plan was simple—

walk him.

And not just Zhou Hao.

Yuki, the next batter, would be walked as well.

A bases-loaded strategy.

High risk—

but if executed properly, it could corner Seido completely.

At that point, it would become a pure clash of will.

When two heroes meet on a narrow path—the brave prevails.

And courage—

was something Inashiro never lacked.

As a third-year pitcher, and the ace of his year, Arata possessed that courage more than anyone.

If he didn't—

he wouldn't have dared face Zhou Hao earlier at all.

Now—

was the time to put both their strategy and their resolve into action.

Arata raised his arm and delivered the pitch.

Swoosh!

For a brief moment, Inashiro's players were startled.

That pitch—

it looked like he was going straight at Zhou Hao.

Too reckless!

But soon, they relaxed.

Though thrown with full force, the ball clearly veered off course.

It was a deliberate miss—

far outside the strike zone.

Even for someone like Zhou Hao, hitting a pitch like that cleanly would be extremely difficult.

At best, it would result in a foul ball.

At worst—

a weak out.

Pop!

"Ball!"

0 balls, 1 strike? No—

1 ball, no strikes.

Behind the plate, Harada gave a small nod.

"Perfect."

From his perspective, the pitch had been executed flawlessly.

Yes, they could have issued an intentional walk.

But doing that outright would feel like admitting fear.

And in a game between evenly matched teams—

what they were competing in wasn't just skill.

It was momentum.

It was courage.

Seido's offense was terrifying.

Anyone who had seen their previous games against other national powerhouses knew that.

So what did Inashiro rely on to stand against them?

Their spirit.

Their refusal to back down.

In that regard—

they couldn't afford to lose.

They had to show even greater resolve.

Only then could they suppress Seido.

On the mound, Arata reset—

and threw again.

Swoosh!

The ball screamed toward the plate.

In the batter's box, Zhou Hao didn't move.

It was as if he had been frozen in place.

He simply watched the pitch pass by—

helpless to act.

The ball skimmed dangerously close to his body before settling into Harada's mitt.

Pop!

"Ball!"

Two balls, no strikes.

In the stands, veteran reporter Fujio from Baseball Kingdom shook his head.

"Inashiro's experience really shows…"

Their player development—

their composure—

it was all top-tier.

If not for Seido's sudden rise this year,

Inashiro might very well have dominated the national stage.

Even now—

facing the country's number one player—

they showed no fear.

Yes, they had been at a disadvantage throughout the game.

But anyone with eyes could see—

if Inashiro truly wanted to play it safe,

they would have avoided Zhou Hao entirely.

Many teams had done exactly that.

Avoiding Zhou Hao had practically become common practice.

No one would blame them for it.

There was nothing shameful about choosing survival.

But Inashiro—

chose differently.

Even knowing how dangerous Zhou Hao was—

they still stepped forward.

Even if the result turned against them—

they would endure it to the end.

They would not retreat.

That resolve didn't just affect the players—

it spread to the crowd as well.

Before this game, if you asked people to choose between the two teams—

even though both were national powerhouses with a long history of rivalry—

most would still lean toward Seido.

But now—

that certainty was beginning to waver.

At the start of the game—

the overwhelming majority of fans would have chosen Seido.

That was the authority of Seido High.

They weren't just last summer's national champions—

they were already the top seed for this year's Summer Koshien.

A status that, until recently, belonged to a so-called "invincible" team.

But now—

things were different.

Because of Inashiro's performance—

especially Arata on the mound—

the balance had begun to shift.

Even the fans in the stands could no longer say with certainty which team was stronger.

What once felt inevitable—

had become uncertain.

And that uncertainty—

was created by Inashiro.

Now, even while executing a walk strategy against Zhou Hao, they did it aggressively.

That alone sent a clear message to everyone watching:

They were not inferior to Seido.

Especially with Seido's ace not on the mound—

Inashiro had seized the initiative.

After throwing two straight balls, not only did Arata's condition not decline—

his fighting spirit surged even higher.

Each pitch grew heavier.

Sharper.

More oppressive.

In Seido's dugout, the players exchanged looks.

A quiet fire burned in their chests.

By all logic—

Zhou Hao should have crushed the ball already.

They should have tied the game… or even taken the lead.

But Arata had baited them.

Showing signs of a head-on duel—

only to abruptly switch strategies.

By the time Seido reacted—

the situation had already slipped out of their control.

No matter how much they trusted Zhou Hao—

against pitches that were clearly outside the zone…

even they couldn't confidently say he would still hit them.

At this moment—

the fans could only pray.

Pray that the next batter would deliver.

In the Seido dugout—

a certain mustached player suddenly shivered.

"…Why do I feel like someone's plotting against me?"

Isashiki Jun muttered under his breath.

On the field—

the duel continued.

Arata wound up—

and delivered another pitch.

Swoosh!

The ball veered far outside the strike zone.

Zhou Hao—

who had seemed almost motionless until now—

suddenly moved.

He stepped back.

A large, decisive step.

Originally, it was a pitch no batter should even consider swinging at.

But with that single movement—

Zhou Hao forcibly turned it into a hittable inside pitch.

Behind the plate, Harada's eyes widened.

Impossible…

By all logic, this at-bat should have ended in a walk.

That had been their plan from the start.

Even if it wasn't glorious—

walking Zhou Hao was acceptable.

But now—

that certainty shattered.

Even a pitch this far outside…

had been turned into an opportunity.

In that instant, Harada understood—

they had underestimated him.

Meanwhile, Zhou Hao had already committed.

Adjusting his stance mid-retreat wasn't easy.

In fact—

it was a gamble.

Even he hadn't been completely certain before making the move.

But the moment he acted—

he realized something.

His earlier doubts—

were unnecessary.

The pitch was strong—

but not beyond his reach.

With absolute confidence—

he swung.

Ping!!!

Under Harada's stunned gaze—

and the anticipation of tens of thousands—

the bat connected cleanly.

"He hit that?!"

Inashiro's players and supporters were shaken.

But whether they accepted it or not—

the ball had already been launched.

"That won't go far!"

"He adjusted mid-swing—there's no power!"

For elite high school players, batting form was everything.

A disrupted stance usually meant a weaker hit.

Inashiro's outfielders were already positioned deep.

Catching it—

should have been routine.

Arata, too, held onto that hope.

All eyes locked onto the ball—

waiting.

Waiting for it to fall.

But—

it didn't.

The ball sailed over their heads.

And kept going.

In that moment—

Inashiro's outfielders understood.

There was no stopping it.

Not this ball.

Not this time.

Thwack!

Under the gaze of tens of thousands—

the ball disappeared into the outfield stands.

"It's gone!!"

The Seido supporters erupted.

Even they hadn't expected this ending.

"Two-run home run!!"

"Zhou Hao turns the game around!!"

"The king, Seido High, retakes the lead!!"

Score:

5–4.

In just an instant—

the game had flipped.

The fans had been right about one thing—

this game was destined to be a slugfest.

By the fifth inning alone, both teams had combined for over nine runs.

For ordinary teams, that might not mean much.

But for these two—

it was extraordinary.

The total runs allowed in this single game were nearly equal to what they had conceded throughout the entire tournament.

Back and forth—

neither side willing to yield.

And as the game wore on…

it moved toward its climax.

By the ninth inning—

the score stood at 9–7.

Seido—

the reigning kings—

held a two-run lead.