The score stood at 7–0.
Inside Yakushi High School's dugout, Coach Todoroki Raizo sat in the front row with a bitter smile.
"This collapse came far sooner than I expected..."
According to his original plan, Seido's batting lineup was supposed to erupt.
Only after Seido built a comfortable lead would they consider changing pitchers.
Once that happened, the game would finally shift into Yakushi's rhythm.
If everything went according to plan, they would begin stringing together hits and runs, completely changing the momentum of the game.
Unfortunately...
Their relief pitcher had failed to buy them any time at all.
Instead, he had been completely overwhelmed by Seido's relentless offense.
"The game's only in the third inning..."
"If this continues, will we even get the chance to launch a comeback?"
High school baseball had a mercy rule.
If one team led by ten runs after five innings, or seven runs after seven innings, the game would end early.
If Seido kept Zhou Hao on the mound until then...
Yakushi wouldn't have the slightest chance.
They were already trailing by seven runs.
Just three more...
And the game would be on the verge of becoming a complete blowout.
Can our carefully prepared plan still succeed?
Just as Todoroki Raizo was deep in thought—
Clack!
Shirasu put the ball into play.
Although he made solid contact, the ball didn't land where he intended.
Yakushi's third baseman reacted immediately, sprinting to the ball, fielding it cleanly, and firing it to first base in one smooth motion.
Thwack!
"Out!"
"Three outs! Side retired!"
Yakushi had gone from trailing by a single run...
To suddenly finding themselves down 7–0.
The entire team felt as though they had barely survived a disaster.
At least...
The nightmare of Seido's offensive barrage was finally over.
But before they could relax, an even colder realization crept into their minds.
No...
The real nightmare hasn't even begun.
Because Zhou Hao...
The nation's undisputed number one player...
Was still standing on the mound.
Their newly substituted third-year pitcher clearly couldn't stop Seido's lineup.
At the same time...
Facing Zhou Hao, Yakushi's own hitters had little hope of scoring.
Even the eternally optimistic Yakushi players couldn't help but feel a sense of impending doom.
Are we really going to be eliminated this early?
Meanwhile, inside Seido's dugout—
Coach Kataoka stood silently, his eyes hidden behind his brown sunglasses.
A trace of hesitation flickered across his face.
He knew exactly what decision had to be made.
He also understood the consequences that would follow.
"Prepare for a pitching change."
For a moment, Manager Ota thought he had misheard.
"Coach... please reconsider."
"This isn't the right time to change pitchers."
Yakushi's greatest threats were their three first-year stars.
Wouldn't it be safer to let Zhou Hao finish this inning first?
Once those three dangerous batters had been dealt with, the rest of Yakushi's lineup wouldn't pose much of a threat.
Even if Zhou Hao came off the mound afterward, Seido would still remain firmly in control.
Manager Ota looked anxiously at Kataoka, hoping he would change his mind.
Instead...
Kataoka's resolve only became firmer.
"Flowers that never endure wind and rain can never truly bloom."
"Our goal isn't merely to win this game."
"Our goal is to stand at the top of the nation."
"So we must prepare for every possibility."
Zhou Hao was Seido's ace.
Coach Kataoka had absolute confidence that, as long as Zhou Hao remained healthy, Seido could win the national championship.
But as head coach...
He couldn't afford to think only about the present.
High school baseball was unforgiving.
No pitcher could shoulder every game alone.
Especially not Zhou Hao.
His explosive pitching style consumed far more stamina than that of an ordinary pitcher.
Even if he could throw a complete game today...
What about tomorrow?
Or the game after that?
Developing reliable backup pitchers had become an urgent priority.
That was precisely why Zhou Hao hadn't been allowed to pitch every game.
Part of the reason was that it simply wasn't necessary.
The other part...
Was to accelerate the growth of Seido's two first-year pitchers.
Unfortunately, the results hadn't been ideal.
The batting lineups of Seido's previous opponents simply weren't strong enough.
Even after Furuya and Sawamura took the mound, they hadn't faced any real pressure.
The scoreboard proved it.
Up to this point...
Neither first-year rookie had allowed a single run.
Did that mean they were already elite pitchers?
Others might believe so.
Coach Kataoka didn't.
In his eyes, the two rookies hadn't yet reached that level.
Their opponents had simply been intimidated by Seido's overwhelming reputation.
By the time they faced Seido's young pitchers...
They had already lost the courage to fight.
That wasn't the kind of growth Kataoka wanted.
If the two first-years were truly going to mature...
They had to experience genuine adversity.
Fortunately...
Zhou Hao wasn't leaving the game.
He would simply move to the outfield.
That way, if either rookie lost control of the situation...
Seido's ace could immediately return to the mound and stabilize everything.
"Our next opponent is Inashiro..."
"A true powerhouse capable of winning Koshien."
"Having a chance to test our young pitchers before facing them..."
"...is a blessing."
Originally, Coach Kataoka still had a trace of hesitation.
But after hearing Manager Ota's objection...
His determination became absolute.
"Top of the fourth inning."
"Furuya Satoru."
"Take the mound."
The announcement stunned Seido's players.
They looked at Coach Kataoka in disbelief before meeting his cold, unwavering expression.
No one questioned him again.
"Good luck, kid."
"The stage has already been set."
"Don't waste this opportunity."
Although the players couldn't fully understand Kataoka's decision...
Once they realized it wouldn't change, they accepted it.
Several third-years looked toward the two first-year pitchers with complicated expressions.
Coach really favors these two...
When they had first joined the First String, they had never received treatment like this.
Back then, competition within the team had been merciless.
One poor performance...
And someone else would immediately take your place.
Compared to that...
These two first-years had not only entered the First String early, but had also received focused training from Coach Kataoka himself.
Of course...
Everyone understood the reason.
Seido now had an ace capable of carrying the team.
With Zhou Hao backing them up...
Coach Kataoka had the confidence to let the rookies make mistakes.
Seven runs.
That lead was more than enough.
Even if Yakushi's three monster first-years exploded offensively...
The damage would still be limited.
And if things truly spiraled out of control...
Zhou Hao could always return to the mound to put out the fire.
Back when the current third-years were freshmen...
Seido simply hadn't enjoyed that luxury.
Success brought privileges.
The stronger the team became...
The more opportunities the younger players received.
Now that Seido stood among the nation's elite...
They could finally afford to invest in the future.
"Yes, Coach!"
Furuya answered immediately.
Before anyone else could speak—
Sawamura eagerly stepped forward.
"Coach! I'm ready too!"
"I can take the mound at any time!"
The surrounding Seido players exchanged helpless looks.
They already knew Sawamura cared little about appearances.
If there was an opportunity in front of him...
He would fight for it with everything he had.
Still...
They hadn't expected him to promote himself even after Coach Kataoka had already made his decision.
"...Sometimes," one teammate muttered with a wry smile, "I really wish I had half this guy's confidence."
"Zhou Hao, move to the outfield for now."
Coach Kataoka couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
As Seido's ace, Zhou Hao should have been the one spending the most time on the mound.
Yet, because he was so dependable, Coach Kataoka kept taking away his opportunities to pitch.
"No problem."
Zhou Hao answered calmly, without the slightest complaint.
Of course, it would be impossible to say he had no feelings about it.
As the team's ace, he naturally wanted to stay on the mound.
But he also understood exactly what Coach Kataoka was thinking.
If their positions were reversed...
If Zhou Hao were the head coach...
He would probably make the same decision.
If the team lacked talented pitchers, that would be one thing.
But Seido had both the resources and the talent.
Naturally, they had to nurture it.
On one hand, it was for the team's future.
Sooner or later, Zhou Hao would graduate.
If Furuya and Sawamura could mature quickly, Seido's dynasty could continue long after he was gone.
On the other hand...
It was also a matter of insurance.
If Zhou Hao ever became exhausted or suffered an unexpected injury, Seido needed another pitcher capable of taking over.
That was how elite teams operated.
No matter how irreplaceable a single player was...
The team's long-term interests always came first.
There always had to be a contingency plan.
Thinking back, one of the reasons Coach Kataoka had repeatedly failed to reach Koshien in previous years was precisely because of this.
He had been too sentimental.
He always placed all of Seido's hopes on a single ace.
If that ace happened to be someone like Zhou Hao...
Naturally, Seido would soar.
But how many pitchers like Zhou Hao existed?
Coach Kataoka had gone years without finding another talent of that caliber.
It was only natural that Seido's results had suffered.
Now that Seido stood at the top of the nation...
In a sense, Coach Kataoka had grown as well.
As one of the team's leaders, Zhou Hao understood that.
As long as Seido kept winning...
He didn't mind making a few sacrifices.
After all...
He didn't need a few extra innings on the mound to prove his worth.
Compared to that...
He was far more interested in something else.
The system.
If the system was truly correcting itself...
Did that mean it wasn't connected only to this world?
In the world of baseball, Zhou Hao already possessed enough ability to thrive.
But if he were thrown into another world...
A world of ninjas...
Or pirates...
That would be an entirely different story.
"...No."
"That's impossible."
He quickly shook the thought away.
The game resumed.
Seido sent a first-year pitcher to the mound.
The moment Todoroki Raizo saw the substitution, his eyes lit up.
"Excellent..."
"It's exactly as we expected."
Taking Zhou Hao off the mound had created the opening Yakushi had been waiting for.
"The game has reached this point, and Seido still hasn't allowed a single run."
"But once they finally give one up..."
"It'll be like the final boss finally losing health."
A smile slowly spread across Todoroki Raizo's face.
Just imagining that scene was enough to excite him.
"Whether we feast..."
"...or go hungry..."
"...depends on this inning."
"Raichi."
Top of the fourth inning.
Yakushi High School came to bat.
The first hitter was one of Yakushi's three outstanding first-year stars—
Akiha Kazuma.
The moment he stepped into the batter's box, he assumed a focused batting stance.
On the mound...
Furuya Satoru wasted no time.
Without hesitation, he fired his first pitch.
BOOM!
The baseball exploded out of his hand with a thunderous roar.
The Seido supporters in the stands immediately smiled.
"See?"
"You thought you could mount a comeback?"
"You've still got a long way to go!"
Even Seido's first-year pitcher possessed extraordinary talent.
Against previous opponents, the team hadn't even needed Zhou Hao to secure comfortable victories.
Surely...
Today would be no different.
Just as everyone was thinking that—
The batter moved.
With a determined roar, Akiha swung with all his strength.
Crack!
The baseball shot sharply through the infield.
For just a split second...
Seido's fielders reacted too slowly.
By the time they moved, the ball had already skipped across the grass.
"It got through!"
Gasps echoed throughout the stadium.
Furuya had opened with a blazing 151 km/h fastball.
Yet even that pitch had been driven cleanly into the field.
The Seido supporters who had been cheering moments earlier suddenly fell silent.
They couldn't understand what had just happened.
"Safe!"
No outs.
Runner on first.
The instant Zhou Hao left the mound...
Furuya Satoru was immediately thrown into a crisis.
Confused murmurs spread through the Seido cheering section.
"Why take Zhou Hao off the mound now?"
"If they were going to switch pitchers..."
"They should've waited until after the fourth inning."
"There are still two more dangerous batters coming."
As the discussion continued—
Yakushi's second batter stepped into the batter's box.
Mishima Yuta.