Late update so busy.
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The sun shone brilliantly over Koshien, not a cloud in sight—
That morning, more than 30,000 fans poured into the stadium.
With a capacity of 50,000, the stands were already more than half-filled, including the outfield seats, where countless spectators eagerly waited.
They were all expecting a miracle.
"The first semifinal match of the Koshien Tournament:
Seido High School versus Rokkaku High School,
is now beginning!"
Both teams were ready, tension thick in the air.
Seido had made an unexpected lineup change.
Zhou Hao, originally expected to start on the mound, did not take the pitcher's position today.
When the players and coaches of Rokkaku High School saw this, they nearly snapped.
From a competitive standpoint, Seido's decision made complete sense.
By now, Zhou Hao's reputation had exploded across Koshien.
Leaving aside Seido's second- and third-round matches,
They had already defeated two monstrous opponents:
The top national powerhouse, the original No.1 seed—
Osaka Kiryu, the "Universe Team," featuring the fastest pitcher in Japan.
In that showdown, Zhou Hao held his own against Kuroda pitch-for-pitch.
People began whispering:
"Zhou Hao… might already be on the level of the Three Star Pitchers."
Then the previous battle against Seisho High, where they faced the powerhouse Ace, Akutsu.
Zhou Hao not only suppressed Akutsu on the mound—
he even blasted Akutsu's infamous Bullet Ball out of the park.
A feat no national slugger had achieved.
Only Zhou Hao.
After those two games, his reputation was becoming terrifying.
Some even murmured that he had surpassed the Three Star Pitchers entirely.
If such a pitcher appeared on the mound today,
the pressure on Rokkaku High would be unimaginable.
Rokkaku had actually prepared for Zhou Hao in advance.
They even simulated his Spiral Ball and the Bullet Ball using machines.
The batters could barely make contact—
and not a single person could hit it cleanly.
And everyone knew:
A machine is never as strong as the real thing.
Meaning, when facing the actual Zhou Hao…
Confidence was impossible.
Yet despite that, Zhou Hao always started in Seido's previous four games.
But today—
in the semifinals—
he was not pitching.
He wasn't resting on the bench either.
He was still in the lineup.
Just… in the outfield.
What did that mean?
Was Seido underestimating them?
They knew they weren't Osaka Kiryu-level.
Not Seibo, not Seisho, not Inashiro, not Ichidai—
But they were still a Koshien semifinalist, a national powerhouse, one that had reached the quarterfinals last year and the semifinals this year.
Why was Seido looking down on them so much?
"I can't tolerate this!"
"I refuse to accept it!"
Rokkaku High's players were furious, practically shaking with anger.
Their coach—though equally insulted—felt a hint of relief.
At least now, they wouldn't have to face Zhou Hao in the first three innings.
They could attempt to score early.
"Make them regret looking down on us. Let's go!"
Fired up, Rokkaku's players stormed onto the field like starving wolves.
Top of the First Inning — Rokkaku on offense.
The leadoff batter stepped into the box, glaring at the mound.
Seido's starting pitcher:
Yoshida.
They were more familiar with him than Zhou Hao.
Their plan from the start was to score off Yoshida.
They weren't Seisho—
they didn't deserve Zhou Hao's full destruction.
But even so, they hadn't expected Seido to disrespect them like this.
"We'll show you we're not weak!"
The leadoff batter gripped the bat tightly.
Yoshida, seeing Chris's signal, felt his fighting spirit surge.
"Head-on confrontation? Bring it on!"
As Seido rose higher and higher this tournament,
the players' mentality had hardened as well.
Yoshida faced this semifinal opponent without the slightest fear.
Whoosh!
The first pitch tore through the air.
The batter froze.
Fast!
Even though they studied Yoshida beforehand,
facing him directly was a completely different experience.
This "substitute pitcher," this so-called weak spot—
was far more formidable than they imagined.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"
Yoshida wasted no time.
Whoosh!
The second pitch left his hand.
The batter swung, desperate.
"Ping—!"
But the moment bat met ball, he felt it—
Heavy!
He had completely misread it.
The ball popped up, and Yuki caught it easily.
"Thwack!"
"Out!"
Second batter—
Same result.
"Ping!"
"Thwack!"
"Out!"
This time, third baseman Higashi Kiyokuni made the catch.
Two outs, nobody on.
The 30,000 spectators leaned forward simultaneously.
"Is Seido's substitute pitcher… actually strong?"
Because Zhou Hao was overwhelmingly dominant,
everyone subconsciously assumed Seido's other pitchers were weak.
But that illusion came purely from comparison.
Next to Zhou Hao, of course anyone looked inferior.
But if you removed Zhou Hao from the equation—
Yoshida was already a full-fledged national-level pitcher.
Veteran reporter Fujio from Baseball Kingdom had said:
"Setting aside Ace Zhou Hao, Yoshida has already undergone his baptism.
He is now a true national-level pitcher."
Earlier, Yoshida had been unstable.
But now—
His pitching was solid.
Rokkaku had clearly underestimated him.
Ping!
Thwack!
"Out!"
Three up, three down.
Clean.
Yoshida, the pitcher they thought would be easy prey,
shut down Roppongi instantly.
The stadium erupted into thunderous cheers.
Seido's supporters were electrified.
They felt invincible.
"Did they think our No. 1 pitcher was a weakness?"
"Dream on!"
"He may not be Zhou Hao, but he's sure as hell not someone you can disrespect!"
The momentum was overwhelmingly in Seido's favor.
Bottom of the First — Seido on Offense
Matsumoto stepped into the batter's box.
Rokkaku's Ace stood on the mound.
A massive, fierce-looking bald man.
Even with a cap on, he looked like he'd escaped from a juvenile detention center.
"Is this guy even a high schooler…?"
His name:
Santai.
He had barely one year and two months of baseball experience,
yet was already the Ace of a powerhouse.
He threw around 140 km/h, with tremendous late movement.
His control was average, but his presence was overwhelming.
Matsumoto reviewed the scouting report in his mind.
Santai preferred straight balls—
they were easy to make contact with,
but extremely hard to hit well.
The goal early on:
Study him. Wear down his stamina.
Power pitchers always burned stamina fast.
And Santai had pitched a complete game in the previous round.
He wouldn't last long.
"Show me what you've got!"
Santai wound up—
Boom!
A standard pitching motion,
yet the instant he threw the ball, Matsumoto's breath caught.
The pressure was immense—
like a 1.6-meter man suddenly punched by a 1.9-meter giant.
Same punch, different impact.
Santai's pitch wasn't just fast.
It was imposing.
The ball streaked past him.
"Thwack!"
"Strike!"