"Whew…"
On the pitcher's mound, Kohoku's Ace bent slightly, gasping for breath.
The game had only just begun.
Even though the situation wasn't ideal, his pitch count was still low.
And yet—
He felt unusually exhausted.
He lifted his head and fixed his gaze on Seido's batter's box.
Isashiki Jun stood there, his small mustache visible as he held his bat high.
His eyes were sharp—like a hunting wolf locking onto its prey.
At a glance, he looked a bit rough around the edges, even somewhat unreliable.
But the Kohoku Ace knew better.
If this next pitch didn't go exactly as planned—
Seido would unleash a storm-like assault.
So this… is a national powerhouse?
He had never faced them before.
But now that he had—
He finally understood.
It wasn't just Zhou Hao, the monster who could blast balls out of the stadium.
Every player on this team was dangerous.
Their strength was overwhelming.
The moment they saw an opening—
They would bite down hard, leaving no chance to recover.
"…That's more like it."
As if making up his mind, the Kohoku Ace poured all his strength into the pitch.
Swoosh!
Isashiki Jun didn't hesitate.
Bat raised high—
He swung with full force.
Ping!
The moment the bat connected, Isashiki was certain.
That's a hit!
He immediately dropped the bat and sprinted toward first base.
As long as he got on base, Seido would have a chance to bring in another run.
But—
The result didn't follow his expectations.
The ball flew well.
The placement wasn't bad.
However…
Kohoku's shortstop reacted even faster.
He had already started moving.
Just as the ball began to descend, he dove forward—
Stretching his arm to its limit.
Snap!
The ball landed cleanly in his glove.
"Out!"
Three outs.
Side change.
"What was that play?!"
"Kohoku's defense is incredible!"
The crowd erupted in surprise.
Even Seido's players and supporters were caught off guard.
They had all thought the ball would drop safely.
No one expected such a defensive play.
"The opponent isn't simple."
"Of course not. Anyone who makes it to the Kanto Tournament is a powerhouse."
Seido quickly adjusted their mindset.
No underestimating the opponent.
Top of the second inning.
Kohoku High School on offense.
Stepping into the batter's box—
Their fourth batter.
Their strongest hitter.
He raised his bat high.
His eyes locked onto Zhou Hao on the mound.
The moment the pitch came—
He was ready to swing with everything he had.
As the cleanup hitter, he carried the team's hopes.
As one of the country's top sluggers—
Facing Zhou Hao head-on excited him.
But soon—
He realized just how naive that thought was.
On the mound—
Zhou Hao lifted his leg high.
As his foot came down, his body tightened like a fully drawn bow—
Then released.
BOOM!
The Kohoku fourth batter froze.
Fast!
In his entire life, he had never seen a pitch this fast.
It was like a bolt of white lightning, flashing past his vision in an instant.
He tried to swing.
Tried to catch up.
But—
How could he?
Even if he had faced this kind of pitch many times before, hitting it would still be difficult.
Let alone now—
When this was his first time seeing it.
In training, high school players always prepare for imaginary opponents.
As Seido's Ace, Zhou Hao had been one of Kohoku's key targets.
They had studied him carefully.
The speed they trained against—
155 km/h.
That was already their limit.
Their closest simulation of facing him.
Before stepping into the batter's box, he had steeled himself.
To challenge that speed.
Even if he couldn't hit it cleanly—
He would at least compete.
Push his limits.
But reality—
Was far harsher.
What came at him wasn't 155 km/h.
It was—
160 km/h.
A speed almost unheard of in high school baseball.
In history, only a few had reached it.
And even then—
Their control had been unstable.
Zhou Hao was different.
His pitching was already polished.
Refined.
From the Kohoku batter's perspective—
There were no flaws.
The pitch was terrifying.
Enough to make his heart race uncontrollably.
And yet—
That was only the beginning.
Snap!
"Strike!"
BOOM!
Snap!
"Strike!!"
"Strikeout!!!"
The fourth batter of Kōhoku High School's baseball team racked his brain, desperately searching for an opportunity to swing.
But none came.
He didn't even manage to lift his bat before being struck out.
Both the Kōhoku players and the supporters in the stands were visibly stunned by Zhou Hao's pitching.
"This is too domineering!"
They had long known that Zhou Hao was strong. Even seeing it with their own eyes now, it wasn't entirely surprising.
But to intimidate their cleanup hitter to the point where he couldn't even swing…
That was downright terrifying.
"What kind of pitch does it take to have that effect?"
"160… 159.5… 161!"
Those were the speeds of Zhou Hao's previous pitches.
After seeing the numbers, the Kōhoku players and fans suddenly found the result much easier to accept.
With pitches that fast, let alone Kōhoku's batters…
Even across the entire country, how many could actually hit them?
Not to mention, this was their first time facing him.
With one out, Kōhoku's fifth batter stepped into the batter's box.
A burly player, he had clearly learned from the fourth batter's mistake.
The moment he stepped in, he had only one thought—
No matter what, I have to swing.
Being struck out without even attempting a swing was humiliation enough.
He refused to become the second.
Kōhoku couldn't afford that kind of disgrace.
From behind the plate, Miyuki Kazuya immediately saw through his resolve.
"Even if we keep attacking aggressively, this guy's too easy to handle… should we?"
He shot Zhou Hao a glance.
"Yeah."
Zhou Hao returned the look.
The two shared a tacit understanding, as if silently agreeing to play a small trick.
Zhou Hao set his stance and delivered the pitch.
"Boom!"
Standing in the batter's box, the fifth batter's eyes flashed with surprise.
The pitch was fast—faster than anything he'd ever seen.
But this time, he felt he wasn't completely helpless.
I can hit this!
Before his mind could catch up, his body reacted.
He swung.
In the Kōhoku dugout, the coach's eyes widened.
"Idiot, that's a trap!"
But it was already too late.
Once the swing had started, there was no pulling back.
"Ping!"
The white ball shot high into the air.
At second base, Kominato Ryosuke narrowed his eyes.
"Got it."
An infield fly like this was practically a gift.
There was no way they'd let it slip.
He raised his glove and caught it effortlessly.
"Snap!"
"Out!"
Two outs. Bases empty.
Kōhoku's players and supporters felt no joy despite finally making contact.
They weren't casual spectators.
They understood exactly what had just happened—
Seidō's battery had toyed with their batter.
Infuriating.
Yet, they had to admit it.
Seidō's ace, Zhou Hao, was overwhelmingly strong.
Switching seamlessly between power and finesse at such speed and tempo…
For ordinary players, even adjusting once would be difficult.
Yet Zhou Hao handled it effortlessly.
"This guy's existence in high school baseball is practically a bug."
A reporter holding a camera spoke bluntly.
"I wouldn't say that."
Fujio, wearing a peaked cap, shook his head.
"On the surface, Zhou Hao does seem unfair to other high school players. But isn't that how progress works?"
"His existence raises the ceiling of high school baseball—just like Ohtani did."
When a pitcher capable of exceeding 160 km/h appears in high school baseball…
The entire landscape changes.
Before that, Major League scouts occasionally came to Koshien—
but those were rare, isolated cases.
After Ohtani emerged, everything changed.
Now, almost every Major League team pays attention to Koshien.
Zhou Hao is only a second-year student, yet he's already receiving Major League interest.
Of course, his talent plays a huge role.
But there's another key factor—
the rising prominence of Koshien itself.
Because Major League teams are now watching closely, they discovered Zhou Hao much faster.
That was Fujio's point.
Zhou Hao is the kind of player who elevates the entire level of competition.
As long as he exists, both fans and professionals will pay more attention to high school baseball—
and to Koshien.
"That's true."
"Even we've benefited from it."
The reporters quickly agreed.
After all, their publications had never been this popular before.
In the end, it all came down to the influence of star players.
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!"
Three outs. Side retired.
Zhou Hao's pitching—shifting between overwhelming force and precise control—completely disrupted Kōhoku's lineup.
They could only watch as pitch after pitch flew past, powerless to respond.
Bottom of the second inning.
Seidō came to bat.
Kōhoku's pitcher gave it everything he had and managed to retire Miyuki, Masuko, and Shirasu in order.
A clean inning.
At the end of two innings, the score stood at 1–0.
Seidō held the lead.
Top of the third inning.
Kōhoku's turn to attack.
The bottom of their lineup was due up.
At this point, both the coach and players had practically given up on scoring.
They had only one demand—
Let the first two pitches go if necessary, but you must swing at the third.
If another batter froze without swinging…
Kōhoku's reputation would be dragged through the mud.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
But just then—
Seidō made a move.
Coach Kataoka stepped forward and signaled for a substitution.
"Seidō High School requests a pitching change—Zhou Hao moves to the outfield. Furuya Satoru takes the mound."
For a moment, the entire stadium fell silent.
The fans were stunned.
Kōhoku's players and coach even wondered if they had misheard.
With Zhou Hao dominating like that, they had nearly given up hope.
If he continued for just a few more innings, the outcome would've been sealed.
And yet—
Seidō chose to replace him?
And with a first-year rookie?
Crazy.
They must be insane.
That single thought echoed through the minds of Kōhoku's coach, players, and supporters alike.