Zhou Hao's 155 km/h fastball completely shattered the Hanada High School Baseball Team's remaining illusions.
Only now did they truly understand—
The national champions were not simply "strong."
They existed on an entirely different level.
A different dimension.
"Boom!"
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
"Three outs—side retired!"
Without giving Hanada even the slightest chance to struggle, Zhou Hao erased their offense cleanly and efficiently.
Three consecutive strikeouts.
No resistance.
No suspense.
"As expected of Zhou Hao—he's invincible!"
The crowd roared.
Everyone had mentally prepared themselves for Zhou Hao's dominance.
Yet even so—
Seeing him unleash that kind of overwhelming power on the field still made their blood boil.
It was a different feeling from watching highlights or hearing stories.
This was real.
This was live.
"You are the strongest!"
"Seido! Seido!!"
Under this tidal wave of emotion, the game moved into the bottom of the first inning.
Now—
It was Seido's turn to attack.
"Last year's third-year core hitters, led by Azuma Kiyokuni, have already graduated."
"Can the current Seido reproduce that terrifying offensive power?"
Such doubts naturally arose.
In the Autumn Tournament, Seido's loss had been painfully clear.
They hadn't lost because of pitching—
They lost because they couldn't score.
Narumiya Mei was strong.
But even he wasn't as suffocating as Zhou Hao.
During Inashiro's Spring Koshien qualifiers, Narumiya gave up six runs across five games.
Inashiro advanced because their batters compensated.
Seido, however—
Faced with Narumiya, managed only two hits and zero runs.
That gap in offensive firepower had cost them everything.
Now—
With Azuma gone.
With other third-year hitters retired.
A brand-new Seido stood on the field.
Naturally, everyone wanted to know—
Was this team still worthy of Zhou Hao standing on the mound?
Could this Seido still dominate the nation?
The stands fell into a focused silence.
This inning—
Was a test.
"No outs, no runners."
"Batting first—Number 6, shortstop: Kuramochi Yoichi!"
Kuramochi, once a second-string player, had now become Seido's leadoff hitter.
His batting wasn't elite.
But his speed—
Was lethal.
As long as he got on base, Seido's scoring probability skyrocketed.
That alone made him indispensable.
Standing in the batter's box, Kuramochi didn't say a word—
But his eyes were openly provocative.
If you dare—pitch it.
The Hanada ace felt that pressure instantly.
He took a deep breath.
It's just the leadoff hitter.
Not Zhou Hao. Not Yuki Tetsuya.
I can handle this.
He set and pitched.
"Whoosh!"
The ball came in clean and fast.
Kuramochi's eyes lit up.
"Hee-haw! Nice one!"
"Ping!"
The ball bounced sharply—
Straight toward third base.
The Hanada ace's eyes flashed with joy.
Perfect.
Their third baseman was right there.
This should be their first out.
A good start.
Just as he thought that—
The third baseman fielded the ball.
Turned.
And froze.
"Why… is he already there?!"
Kuramochi had sprinted more than ten meters—
Less than ten meters from first base.
His speed was terrifying.
Like a cheetah unleashed.
The third baseman's mind went blank.
Only after the ace shouted did he hurriedly throw.
"Snap!"
But—
Kuramochi slammed his foot onto first base first.
"Safe!"
No outs.
Runner on first.
The Hanada dugout went numb.
A ground ball right in front of third base—
And he still got on?
What kind of monster speed was this?
"Hee-haw!"
Kuramochi grinned wildly.
Even he hadn't expected this.
A mis-hit… and I still got on base?
So baseball could be played like this?
Speed.
Pure speed.
A brand-new door opened in Kuramochi's mind.
The Hanada players, of course, had no idea.
Otherwise, they might have vomited blood from sheer frustration.
"How can he be that fast?"
"It doesn't even feel like the same level of baseball."
"The gap is obvious…"
The crowd murmured.
Anticipation climbed.
"Batting second—Number 4, second baseman: Kominato Ryosuke!"
As Kominato stepped up, whispers spread.
"That guy's short…"
"Isn't Seido supposed to be full of elites?"
A 1.6-meter player standing in the national champions' lineup—
It shocked people.
Even Seido's own players felt uneasy hearing it.
Those words were sharp.
Cold.
Like knives.
But Kominato Ryosuke only curled his lips.
He had never grown taller.
That was his reality.
Once, it bothered him deeply.
Now—
He had accepted it.
He stood here because of strength, not height.
Every step forward—
He earned it.
The Hanada ace pitched aggressively.
"Whoosh!"
Kominato didn't react.
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
Cheers erupted from Hanada's side.
"He couldn't even swing!"
This was Seido.
The number one seed for Summer Koshien.
The ace's ambition burned hotter.
I can do this.
"Ping!"
Foul.
One strike.
Two strikes.
Pressure mounted.
The Seido supporters frowned.
Then—
The third pitch came.
This decides it.
Kominato swung.
"Ping!"
Another foul.
Again.
"Ping!"
Another foul.
The Hanada crowd fell silent.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Kominato Ryosuke—
Wasn't panicking.
He was adjusting.
Little by little.
Pitch by pitch.
The realization slowly crawled into Hanada's hearts—
This wasn't luck.
It was control.
And at that moment—
They understood.
New Seido wasn't just Zhou Hao.
It was everyone.
And this team—
Had only just begun to reveal itself.