"Then let Zhou Hao start."
The team still hadn't officially decided who would be the starting pitcher in the quarterfinals.
At the time, some guessed it would be Tanba, while others thought it might be Yoshida.
The only name no one expected was Zhou Hao—despite him currently being the most consistent pitcher on the team.
While Zhou Hao's pitching ability is exceptional, the Seidou players were well aware of a major shortcoming.
His spiral pitch places a huge burden on his arm, meaning he simply couldn't pitch too many innings at this stage.
If he used more fastballs, his stamina consumption would be lower. But doing that would also reveal his spiral pitch—his biggest weapon.
With future games in mind, Coach Kataoka didn't want to reveal all of Zhou Hao's abilities just yet.
They were saving that surprise for Seidou's real rivals—the two strongest opponents standing between them and Koshien.
So for Kataoka to suddenly declare that Zhou Hao would start?
"Let Zhou Hao pitch five innings. Yoshida should stay ready to relieve him at any moment," Coach Kataoka said with calm resolve.
It was clear he had a plan.
He wanted to develop a true ace.
At first, Kataoka had considered their current ace Yoshida, and even Tanba Koichiro.
No one could deny their talent. If Yoshida could maintain his form, and if Tanba could overcome his mental blocks, they had a shot.
Unfortunately, personality and mentality are difficult to change.
After trying everything, Coach Kataoka had to face reality—neither of them was likely to become Seidou's ultimate trump card.
Instead, Zhou Hao—a first-year—had the most potential.
Yes, Zhou Hao had his flaws. His most glaring weakness was his stamina.
He couldn't yet pitch a full game. And an ace who can't pitch deep into games… how could he be called a real ace?
But stamina could be built through training. As long as Zhou Hao's pitching technique and mental toughness held up, he could grow into the true ace of Seidou—Coach Kataoka's proudest creation.
From the window of his office, Kataoka glanced down at the lounge area where Zhou Hao was sitting with his legs crossed.
So lazy.
When he first joined the first-string team, Zhou Hao worked hard to match the pace of the older players.
And he succeeded.
Back then, Coach Kataoka and the other staff were thrilled. At that rate, Zhou Hao would soon catch up with the team's core pitchers.
But then… Zhou Hao got complacent.
Just like now.
He was sitting back, watching his teammates practice while looking perfectly content.
Coach Kataoka really wanted to give him a scolding.
But with the tournament underway, Zhou Hao couldn't be pushed too hard. They needed him fresh and healthy for the games.
If he got injured or overworked, Seidou's entire campaign could collapse.
—
After the newspaper report came out, the Seidou players couldn't deny that it pointed out some valid weaknesses in Zhou Hao's game.
But they were still furious.
They were teenagers full of pride—members of the elite Seidou High School baseball team. Of course, they couldn't tolerate such insults.
Fueled by anger, they came up with a plan.
On game day, they were determined to teach those big-mouths a painful lesson on the field.
Ironically, they didn't have to do a thing.
Since the match wasn't on a weekend, no one expected a big crowd.
But when Sensen High School walked out of the locker room…
Their faces turned pale.
Hundreds—maybe even thousands—of fans had shown up.
The crowd was packed tightly, and clearly there to support Seidou.
"Why are those guys glaring at us like that?" one Sensen player whispered.
From the moment they stepped onto the field, they could feel the hatred coming from the stands.
It wasn't their imagination. These Seidou fans were furious.
"Could it be because of that report…?"
Realization hit them hard.
Despite being a respectable team who frequently reached the top 16 in West Tokyo, Sensen High rarely received media attention.
So when a tall, lanky reporter had come to interview them, they were ecstatic.
Even their school principal had come down in a suit, thinking the school was about to get national attention.
But as it turned out… the reporter wasn't there for them at all.
He had only come to write a story about Seidou's opponent.
When the Sensen players realized this, they couldn't help feeling frustrated. During the interview, they had tried to sound respectful.
"Seidou is a powerhouse. It's an honor to play them. Even if our chances are slim, we'll give it our all."
They thought they had been modest.
But the article didn't print any of that.
Instead, it cherry-picked their later comments—especially the ones referring to Zhou Hao.
"Seidou's most dangerous pitcher is their first-year rookie…"
The way it was written made them sound arrogant, like they were dismissing the rest of the Seidou team and planning to crush Zhou Hao.
Now that they were facing a stadium full of angry fans, the Sensen players finally understood the full weight of their words.
"They're all Zhou Hao's fans... After reading that article, we're lucky they didn't storm the field and tear us apart."
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