For everyone present, what happened next would become an unforgettable memory.
Zhou Hao had just stepped into the batter's box.
The atmosphere in the stands felt like a concert, as if a superstar had just walked onto the stage. He didn't even need to say a word—the crowd was already electrified.
"Zhou Hao!"
"Zhou Hao!!!"
This was Kanagawa's home turf.
Yet the local fans looked around in disbelief. It felt as though everyone—except them—was cheering for Zhou Hao or supporting Seido High School's baseball team.
The momentum was overwhelming.
The stadium had practically turned into a gathering place for Zhou Hao's fans.
"Did all these people travel from across the country just to cheer for him?"
Hearing that, Zhou Hao's fans scoffed.
"Travel from all over? Don't be ridiculous. Just us Kanagawa fans alone are more than enough."
They might not all support Seido High School.
But that didn't stop them from cheering for Zhou Hao.
After all, people naturally admire strength.
Especially in competitive sports—most fans don't just care about appearances. What they truly admire is dominance.
And today, on this high school baseball field, Zhou Hao stood at the very top.
There was no second.
How could they not cheer for him?
The players and supporters of Kohoku High School felt completely suppressed by their opponents.
Before this moment, there had been disagreement within the team.
Should they face Zhou Hao head-on?
Everyone had their own opinions.
But now, after witnessing the crowd's reaction…
The answer became crystal clear.
If they avoided confronting Zhou Hao—even on their own home turf—they would be mercilessly criticized by the Kanagawa fans.
That wasn't an exaggeration.
It was reality.
A harsh reality they had no choice but to face.
The will of the crowd had already formed. There was no escaping it.
Even if it meant giving up runs, they had to challenge Zhou Hao directly.
At the very least, they couldn't back down in the opening exchange.
Kohoku's head coach was nearly trembling with rage.
But even so, he gritted his teeth and signaled his players.
Face him head-on.
No retreat.
Even if it failed… they had no choice but to see it through.
Kohoku's Ace rolled his shoulders, forcing himself to calm down.
The stadium was deafening.
What irritated him most was that every single voice was cheering for Zhou Hao.
Still…
He had already secured two outs. The inning had started perfectly.
The Ace began channeling all the frustration in his heart.
He was an emotional pitcher—something their coach had deliberately cultivated.
Whether it was excitement or anger, the stronger his emotions burned, the more power he could pour into his pitches.
And right now…
The fire inside him was on the verge of exploding.
Without hesitation, he took a large step forward.
As his foot planted, the baseball shot out of his hand.
BOOM!
The pitch tore through the air with a thunderous sound.
Kohoku's starting catcher froze for a moment.
He had partnered with this pitcher for so long…
Yet he had never seen him throw a fastball like this.
That's right.
A fastball.
Zhou Hao was no longer the same player from last year.
He was now the undisputed number one high school player in the country.
Countless opponents had studied both his pitching and his batting.
And Kohoku had come to a conclusion.
The best way to face Zhou Hao…
Was with a fastball.
Any fancy breaking ball would only become a sitting duck.
Only pure speed had a chance.
The catcher had been worried at first.
Their Ace wasn't known for his fastball—it was, at best, average.
Could it really suppress a monster like Zhou Hao?
But now…
All his doubts vanished.
This pitch—
This power—
He believed.
The ball screamed toward the plate, reaching Zhou Hao in the blink of an eye.
The Seido players' eyes widened.
Earlier, Kohoku had already retired Kuramochi and Kominato Ryosuke. While they acknowledged their opponent's strength, they hadn't been too concerned.
No matter what, they believed Seido would score eventually.
It was only a matter of time.
But now…
They realized they had underestimated them.
This was no ordinary opponent.
Just as everyone expected Zhou Hao to take a few pitches to adjust—
He moved.
With his Sharingan active, the trajectory of the fastball was crystal clear.
He could send it flying.
The only question was—
How far?
Just like when he pitched, Zhou Hao deactivated the Sharingan at the moment of impact.
Freed from any restraint, he unleashed every ounce of strength in his body.
And swung.
BOOM!
The bat swung.
Kohoku's starting catcher felt as if the air in front of him had been completely sucked away.
For a moment, he couldn't even breathe.
How… could it be this fast?
Zhou Hao had never been known for his swing.
When Kohoku analyzed him, they had focused heavily on that exact weakness. The catcher knew it better than anyone.
And precisely because of that—
The shock in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He could only stand there, frozen, watching as the bat met the ball.
Ping!
The baseball shot high into the sky.
Seido's die-hard supporters seemed to have expected it. Almost in unison, they raised their heads, their eyes tracking the tiny dot soaring upward.
To many, it was barely visible—just a speck against the sky.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands, the ball kept flying.
"Outfield!" Kohoku's Ace shouted as he turned around.
The ball was heading deep.
Please… catch it!
Even if Seido's momentum was overwhelming, as long as they could stop this hit, they wouldn't lose control of the game.
They could still fight.
Kohoku's outfielder sprinted back, the pressure weighing heavily on his shoulders.
Step by step, he retreated—
All the way to the warning track.
Then to the wall.
As long as the ball stayed in the field, he was confident he could stop it.
But…
The ball never came down.
It flew right over his head.
And it didn't stop there.
It didn't even land in the stands.
The baseball tore through the wind, clearing everything in its path—
And disappeared beyond the stadium.
The commentator's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"Zhou Hao's hit… has sent the ball out of the stadium!!!"
This wasn't just a home run.
It was a complete blast out of the park.
The distance alone was beyond imagination.
"Seido High School scores a home run!"
"The score is now 1–0!"
The Seido supporters erupted.
To outsiders, their excitement might seem exaggerated.
But they knew.
They knew Zhou Hao's greatest weakness.
Power.
In the past, even his home runs relied on a perfect blend of technique and timing.
But now?
Everything had changed.
His pitching had improved.
And his batting—
Had transformed completely.
His power had exploded to an entirely new level.
He could now send the ball out of the stadium.
"Zhou Hao!!!"
"We love you, Zhou Hao!!!"
Not just the fans—
Even Seido's players looked at him differently now.
"Zhou-senpai! That was amazing!!!"
"That swing just now—it was perfect!"
"Senior Zhou Hao's power transfer was flawless!"
The upperclassmen held back their reactions, but the underclassmen couldn't contain themselves.
Oshima Shin rushed over, chattering excitedly.
Clearly, Zhou Hao's swing had sparked something in him.
Zhou Hao himself could only smile wryly.
Geniuses were like that.
Sometimes, all it took was a single moment—
And inspiration would explode.
Oshima's eyes practically shone with excitement.
He was certain his own batting could reach the next level.
Zhou Hao had to admit—
The current generation of underclassmen was truly terrifying.
Meanwhile…
Kohoku's dugout was suffocatingly quiet.
They trailed by one.
Before the game, they had prepared thoroughly.
They had worked hard.
They had done everything right.
And yet—
This was the result?
How could they accept it?
But reality didn't care about their feelings.
The game continued.
Especially for Kohoku's Ace.
That pitch just now—
He had believed it could suppress Zhou Hao.
Instead, it had been crushed without mercy.
His rhythm was shaken.
And now—
He had to face the next batter.
Yuki Tetsuya.
"Fourth batter, Yuki!"
The announcement echoed like a death sentence.
The pitcher froze for a split second.
He knew what he had to do.
Fight.
Even if he couldn't turn things around, he had to stall—buy time, create opportunities.
The longer the game dragged on, the better their chances.
Whoosh!
Once he made up his mind, he didn't hesitate.
The ball shot out of his hand, racing toward the plate.
Yuki, who had stood there like a block of ice—
Moved.
And the moment he did, he was like lightning.
Fast. Sharp. Unstoppable.
BOOM!
The sound of the swing tearing through the air made the catcher's ears ring.
Ping!
The ball rocketed forward like a streak of white light, instantly piercing through Kohoku's defense.
The fielders didn't even have time to react.
They couldn't move.
Couldn't even try.
All they could do—
Was watch.
Silence fell.
On the field.
In the stands.
Everyone froze.
Moments ago, the crowd had still been immersed in Zhou Hao's monstrous home run.
But now—
That didn't even seem like the main event anymore.
All attention was drawn to this hit.
"What… was that?"
"I couldn't even see the ball clearly!"
"What kind of nightmare matchup is this?"
Facing Zhou Hao was already overwhelming.
And now—
Yuki Tetsuya.
After taking hits from both of them back-to-back—
Kohoku's confidence shattered completely.
"Safe!"
Yuki crossed first base without slowing down, sliding into second.
Two outs.
Runner on second.
"Fifth batter, Isashiki Jun!"
The moment he stepped into the batter's box, all eyes turned to him.
"He's here!"
"Seido's middle-aged man!"
Somehow, those words reached his ears.
Isashiki's face twisted in anger.
"Middle-aged man?! Your whole family are middle-aged men!"
He had just grown a mustache—that was all!
Since when did that make him middle-aged?!
He was still a seventeen-year-old full of youthful energy!
On the mound, Kohoku's Ace panted heavily.
The game had only just begun.
And yet—
He already felt completely drained.
Are these Seido players… monsters?