"Is he really coming?"
After Tanba left the field and changed into his casual clothes, he was about to leave when he saw the pinch hitter for the first-years.
Zhou Hao!
The man who had once hit a home run off his most prized curveball! His strength was far beyond that of a typical first-year rookie.
While the other first-years struggled to make contact, he could hit home runs with ease.
"What's up, Tanba? You seem to care a lot about him?"
Masuko Toru, sitting in the corner, remarked.
Coach Kataoka had lifted his restriction on playing, so Masuko was eager to see how well he could recover during this stint with the second team.
He was also part of the second team today, but he didn't know when or how he would make his appearance.
"Huh? Is that so?"
Tanba feigned ignorance.
He didn't want anyone to know that he had been hit for a home run by a first-year rookie.
Tanba had always been the ace pitcher of Seidou High School.
His pitching ability determined the ceiling for the Seidou High School pitching staff.
However, the overall potential of the Seidou pitching staff had never been very high.
Tanba had finally found some superiority over the other first-years, but when he saw Zhou Hao again, he couldn't help but feel fear.
"Of course you do; you wouldn't have this expression for any other first-year."
"Alright, that kid is in the same dorm as me. I just pay a bit more attention to him, that's all."
Tanba continued to downplay it, never revealing the real reason.
"Do you think his skills are better than Kawakami's?"
"What kind of question is that? Do you really think a first-year kid can beat Kawakami?"
Tanba still didn't speak the truth.
He was afraid that Masuko would press him for more details, asking how he knew, and then Tanba would be left with no way out.
Zhou Hao had kept the fact that he hit a home run off Tanba a secret, and not many people knew about it. He hadn't let the matter escalate.
In all of Seidou High School, only Coach Kataoka, Yuki, Tanba, and Zhou Hao knew.
"That's not certain."
Masuko patted the shoulder of a second-year player next to him.
"Kobayashi is from Hokkaido and was the former captain of the Eagles. Zhou Hao also came from the Eagles, so I think Kobayashi knows Zhou Hao's strength best."
"Oh?"
Kobayashi was a second-year student and currently served as a backup shortstop on the second team.
He had only had one at-bat in this game.
However, during his time with the Hokkaido Eagles, he had been the captain after retiring in his third year.
He was also Zhou Hao's captain.
He was quite familiar with Zhou Hao's abilities.
"He was the cleanup hitter from the moment he joined our team in his first year, and he remained in that position until he graduated. His power is ferocious, and hitting home runs is as easy for him as drinking water; he's extremely difficult to deal with."
"Is he really that strong?"
Tanba continued to feign ignorance.
"Not only that, but his leadership skills are also top-notch. In his first year, under his guidance, we returned to the Hokkaido finals after a long absence. Although we fell short, we made it to the top eight in the national tournament the following year, only to lose to Matsukata in the end. I still haven't gotten that coveted national championship."
"And then?"
Masuko continued to ask, clearly intrigued by the topic.
Tanba could only pretend to listen seriously.
Zhou Hao had already shared these stories with them.
"The story continues that in my first year of retirement, which was Zhou Hao's third year, he successfully led the Eagles to lift the championship trophy. At that time, almost no one believed that the Eagles could win that year."
After Kobayashi finished speaking, Masuko looked toward the batter's box, completely unable to believe that such a small body contained such immense power.
"Kawakami, be careful."
Masuko muttered quietly.
After learning about Zhou Hao's strength, he felt that Kawakami might not even be his match.
"Please take care of me."
Zhou Hao lowered his batting helmet and politely greeted the umpire.
"Play ball!"
As the main umpire, Coach Kataoka wasted no time and raised his hand to signal the start of the game.
He wanted to see if Zhou Hao was just a flash in the pan during the rookie tests or if he truly possessed such formidable strength.
Kawakami crouched down, looking at the signs given by catcher Ono Hiroshi.
"Whoosh!"
Kawakami, almost hunched over, threw the ball sideways.
He was a sidearm pitcher!
"He's a sidearm pitcher!"
The first-year students gasped in shock.
Just as they had sent off their ace pitcher, now they faced a sidearm pitcher.
"Clang!"
"Strike!"
Watching the ball's trajectory, Zhou Hao remained calm.
"Just as I thought, it's an outside pitch."
As Zhou Hao had guessed, the first pitch was an outside ball.
Kawakami's greatest strength was his control, along with a decent array of breaking pitches.
Tanba had told him all of this.
Zhou Hao had a good memory; he could recall everything Tanba had mentioned.
"Since the first pitch was outside, then the second one should be..."
Zhou Hao already had the answer in his mind, raising his bat with confidence.
"Why is he so different from the other first-years?"
Ono Hiroshi also noticed something unusual.
The aura Zhou Hao exuded was completely different from that of the other first-years.
"Whoosh!"
Another pitch came!
"Clang!"
Zhou Hao didn't hesitate and swung his bat!
He had guessed correctly with that inside pitch!
The baseball soared into the air, heading toward the outfield.
Coach Kataoka watched the ball, deep in thought.
If he had let the pitchers take it easy during the rookie tests, then this welcome match would definitely not see any senior take it easy.
Everyone was vying for a spot on the first team; no one would go easy on these first-years.
"Right field!"
"Clang!"
The baseball landed just behind the right fielder, only about half a meter away from the home run fence.
"What a shame."
Zhou Hao shook his head.
That last pitch didn't have much power; if he had made better contact, it could have been another home run!
"Nice hit!"
"Where did this kid come from? Seidou has struck gold again."
"He's probably not going to make the first team; what Seidou really needs are pitchers."
The crowd began to murmur.
This was the first hit of the year for the first-year newcomers, and it might also be the only one.
In just two pitches, Zhou Hao had already hit a double.
The title of the best middle school player in the nation was not just for show.
With no outs, the first-year team had a runner in scoring position!