"Zhou Hao!"
"That's him, that's Zhou Hao!!!"
On the grand stage of Koshien—
whether they knew him or not, at this very moment, all eyes were fixed on Zhou Hao.
Before today, most people had already heard his name, and many had seen footage of his games on television.
Even then, they had been shocked—a first-year rookie joining the prestigious Seido High School Baseball Team, quickly becoming its Ace, and leading that once-declining powerhouse back into Koshien by defeating the so-called "Universe Team," Osaka Kiryu.
As for Zhou Hao's countless miraculous moments on the field,
compared to his nearly perfect record, they were merely the highlights of a much larger legend.
Because of that, before this game began, everyone held sky-high expectations for him.
Even if Zhou Hao could meet just seventy percent of those expectations, they were prepared to acknowledge his greatness.
But no one expected that the game had only just begun,
and Zhou Hao's performance had already far exceeded their imagination.
His Spiral Ball from the mound had stunned the Ikeda High School Baseball Team.
Even the fans witnessing his pitching in person for the first time were utterly speechless.
Now they finally understood—
it wasn't that Osaka Kiryu had weakened.
It was that Zhou Hao's strength had already surpassed the realm of ordinary high school players.
And then, the moment he stepped up to bat…
he crushed the ball cleanly out of the park.
The stadium erupted.
"That's unbelievable!"
"If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd never believe he's a first-year rookie!"
The scoreboard changed—1:0.
The momentum now leaned completely toward Seido.
In the stands, Kuramochi and the others could hardly contain themselves.
Their excitement burned hotter than ever.
"One day, I'll be a regular like Zhou-san!"
"Me too!"
"You little brats, don't get ahead of yourselves," one of the second-years barked, though he couldn't hide his grin. "We're not giving up our spots that easily!"
Zhou Hao's brilliant performance had set Seido ablaze with fighting spirit.
Even the players from the Second and Third Strings could already imagine themselves donning that blue-and-white uniform under the Koshien sun.
"That day will definitely come!"
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Ikeda players were beyond stunned.
Akahoshi's pitch—hit so effortlessly?
Impossible!
Even Akutsu, watching from the stands, was left dumbfounded.
"That cut ball… hit out that easily?"
Everyone knew what a cut ball was—
a pitch more difficult to hit than a straight fastball, but still manageable for strong batters who could find the right angle.
But Akahoshi's cut ball was something else entirely.
If ordinary cut balls were like small knives,
then Akahoshi's was a high-pressure water jet—fast, sharp, and punishing.
It didn't just rely on angle.
It possessed tremendous late break and incredible drive.
Unless the batter hit it exactly at the right angle, it was nearly impossible to make clean contact.
It was precisely this pitch that had allowed Ikeda High to storm through the qualifiers as the "strongest dark horse."
"But the game just started!"
"How could Zhou Hao, seeing Akahoshi's cut ball for the first time, hit it out so easily?"
The Ikeda players and Akutsu couldn't understand.
But for Seido, it wasn't all that surprising.
"As long as it's not a pitch with insane speed or monstrous late break," someone said confidently, "it's no different from a straight ball to Zhou Hao."
"Those guys from Ikeda must be rattled now. This is our chance to press the attack and crush them completely."
With one out and nobody on base,
the next batter stepped up—Yuki Tetsuya, Seido's third hitter.
Those who knew Seido well understood just how dangerous Yuki was at the plate.
Whether against Osaka Kiryu's Kuroda or in their previous game against Uekusa,
Yuki's performance had been nothing short of dominant.
Now, following Zhou Hao's home run, all eyes turned to him once again.
"Ikeda's in trouble now."
"Let's see if that home run shakes Akahoshi's rhythm."
In Seido's dugout, the players crowded around Zhou Hao.
"How did you hit it out?" one of them asked eagerly.
"You need to find a specific angle," Zhou Hao replied honestly.
But after hearing that, everyone fell silent.
They already knew the truth—
the key to Akahoshi's terrifying pitch was the unique angle of his cut ball.
That kind of subtle movement couldn't be predicted or timed easily.
"Besides you," Chris muttered, shaking his head, "probably no one else could pull that off."
The others nodded in agreement.
It wasn't that they weren't capable—
it was that Zhou Hao was simply on another level.
If they tried hitting Akahoshi's cut ball the same way Zhou Hao did,
the result would likely be disastrous.
On the mound, Akahoshi took a deep breath, unfazed by the home run.
He gathered himself and threw his next pitch.
"Whoosh!"
The players of Seido collectively held their breath.
At the plate, Yuki stood still as a mountain, then suddenly exploded into motion the moment the ball entered his zone.
His swing came slightly lower than usual,
and then—he unleashed his full strength.
"Boom!"
The sharp sound of his bat slicing through the air made Ikeda's catcher clench his teeth.
"Ping!"
A crisp metallic echo followed.
The baseball soared high,
cutting through the sky like a bolt of light.