Even the fans in the stands had already noticed something.
Of course, it was impossible not to see the players from the other two powerful teams in West Tokyo.
"Yokohama in Kanagawa—"
"And the team from Gunma Prefecture—"
Normally, the regional competition is in full swing now, and all teams should be focused on their own games.
But these two teams were clearly different.
Because they were so strong, they didn't worry about not being able to qualify.
Naturally, they shifted some of their attention to teams that might pose a threat in the future.
The competition in West Tokyo is fierce.
So they usually never had the opportunity to scout.
But as members of top-tier schools, they were obviously no strangers to this kind of thing.
Precisely because of their familiarity, the players from Inashiro Industrial High School and the Ichidaisan High School Baseball Team suddenly felt like their lungs were about to explode.
In recent years, Seidou High School's baseball team had performed poorly and hadn't had any opportunities to stand out.
They were the ones representing West Tokyo at Koshien.
Now, with the teams from Kanagawa and Gunma arriving, instead of watching their games, they chose to observe Seidou's match.
What does that mean?
How can they be so confident that Seidou, which hasn't made it to Koshien in four years, will finally do it this year?
"Are these guys out of their minds?"
Needless to say, the players of both teams were livid.
At this moment, the players of Seidou High School were also extremely nervous.
Originally, this match meant little to them.
Sensen High School was definitely strong, but they were the type Seidou feared the least.
As one of the top clubs in the country, Seidou lacked nothing in terms of overall strength.
Although Seiko Academy had been badly beaten by them previously...
It's those teams full of unpredictability that pose the greatest threat to giants like Seidou.
Sensen High School, while well-rounded and consistent, had made it to the top eight purely based on balance.
But that also meant they held no advantage over Seidou in any single area.
Shouldn't this be an easy win?
Yet this game...
Had attracted not only the attention of Inashiro and the Ichidaisan High School teams.
But even teams from other prefectures had come to watch.
Could it be that everyone believes Seidou truly has what it takes to reach Koshien this year?
Shouldn't they be conserving strength instead?
Coach Kataoka clearly picked up on this.
He squinted up at the stands, then turned to Zhou Hao and said:
"Just use the spiral ball. The more domineering, the better!"
If their rivals came all this way to scout, then it wouldn't be right not to entertain them properly.
Coach Kataoka clearly had a plan.
Chris and Zhou Hao realized this too.
"I understand. Don't worry."
Chris nodded.
A glimmer of cunning crossed his handsome mixed-race face.
"Just use the spiral ball!"
Zhou Hao was also fired up.
At this point, Zhou Hao had learned some of the principles behind pitch-calling.
Let's go with what Coach Kataoka says.
When they finally meet Inashiro or the Ichidaisan High, they'll be in for a huge surprise.
The more dominant the spiral ball looks now, the deeper the impression it'll leave.
If he throws a fastball in a real match later, it'll only confuse them more.
Coach Kataoka looked like a man with thick brows and righteous eyes—but who would've thought he could be so devious?
"The quarterfinals of the West Tokyo Regional Tournament: the match between Seidou High School and Sensen High School has officially begun!"
Top of the 1st inning. Sensen High School came up to bat.
When Zhou Hao took the mound, the entire crowd went silent in surprise.
Was the coach of Seidou really this considerate?
Giving the audience exactly what they wanted to see right from the start?
Zhou Hao was pitching from the beginning. Was Seidou going all out?
"This is them flexing their strength!"
And it wasn't just the players of Sensen High School who thought so.
Even the players from Inashiro sitting in the stands picked up on it.
"You're trying to scare us with a freshman?"
The players from Inashiro sneered, their eyes full of contempt.
It wasn't that they underestimated Zhou Hao's pitching.
It was just that they firmly believed no rookie could defeat them.
How long had Zhou Hao even been on Seidou's team?
Sure, he might perform well in regular matches—but how could he understand the intensity of top-level clashes?
Just as this thought flashed through the minds of the Inashiro players—
Just as Sensen High School's leadoff batter raised his bat, ready to face the pitch—
Zhou Hao moved.
Among baseball players, he was slim.
Not particularly tall.
At a glance, you wouldn't even think he was a pitcher—much less a good-looking one.
Such an ordinary-looking guy stepped forward and lifted his leg.
Everyone in the stadium held their breath.
Their instincts told them something was about to happen.
Boom!
Then came Zhou Hao's ferocious throw.
In the batter's box, the leadoff hitter from Sensen High School froze.
The ball shot toward him like a bullet. He didn't even have time to react.
Bang!
"Strike!"
Looking at the stunned batter, Seidou's supporters smiled knowingly.
Of course, they knew what was happening.
Before the game, Sensen High School's players had surely reviewed videos of Zhou Hao's pitches.
Now that they were face to face, they must have thought they could hit him.
But unfortunately—
"You can't understand the true power of Zhou Hao's pitch through videos alone."
"Only by standing in the batter's box yourself can you grasp how terrifying it is!"
The batters from Seiko Academy were known for their fierce swings.
They'd spent half of their high school years honing their form.
But against Zhou Hao, they were helpless.
Sensen High School might be better than Seiko in some ways, but their hitting definitely didn't compare.
Boom!
Bang!
"Strike!"
"Strike two!!"
"Strikeout!!!"
Right out of the gate, Zhou Hao unleashed three consecutive spiral balls.
A perfect strikeout.
Whether it was the opponents—or the Inashiro players watching from the stands—
All were thoroughly shaken by Zhou Hao's performance.
Even Narumiya Mei, the freshman ace of Inashiro, couldn't help but react.
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