The Tokyo Spring Tournament—Quarterfinals.
The internal struggle among West Tokyo's three powerhouses continued to intensify.
Seido High School Baseball Team versus Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team.
The scoreboard showed 1–0, Seido leading by one run.
Being behind, the players of Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team were naturally unwilling to give in so easily.
They fought with everything they had.
But even so—
They still couldn't hit Zhou Hao's pitches.
They couldn't even make proper contact with the ball.
This reality dealt a devastating blow to Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team.
One by one, their players lowered their heads, their expressions filled with dejection, as if their fighting spirit had already been drained.
Coach Tahara watched this scene from the dugout, the corners of his mouth breaking into tiny blisters.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself in advance,
Facing Zhou Hao directly on the field still shook him to his core.
The look in his eyes when he watched Zhou Hao had completely changed.
Before, Zhou Hao had been a powerful Ace—
Difficult to defeat, but still within the realm of understanding.
Now…
Coach Tahara looked at him as if he were staring at an absolute monster.
What kind of strength did the players of Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team possess?
No one understood that better than him, the coach of Ichidai Sanko.
And precisely because he knew their strength, he had been confident.
Even against Zhou Hao, his players shouldn't have been reduced to this level of helplessness.
But reality struck him mercilessly.
There was an enormous gap between Seido's Ace and Ichidai's batters.
A gap so wide that they couldn't even find a way to resist.
Coach Tahara slowly shifted his gaze from Zhou Hao to Kataoka.
Both were head coaches of West Tokyo's top teams, and they had crossed paths countless times.
From Tahara's perspective, he had once looked down on Kataoka slightly.
Kataoka worked hard and had achieved results, but he was still too naïve.
He lacked the flawless ruthlessness of Seido's former coach—the old fox who had left no weaknesses to exploit.
But now—
Coach Tahara felt a trace of envy.
Kataoka's coaching still wasn't perfect.
He was clearly improving, but there were still minor flaws in his grasp of details.
Logically speaking, for a coach like Kataoka to fully mature—to truly contend head-on with Ichidai Sanko and Inashiro Industrial—
It should have taken at least two or three more years.
For a young coach, that pace was already astonishing.
Yet fate had handed him something extraordinary.
He had acquired an Ace like Zhou Hao.
With such a pitcher anchoring the team, Kataoka didn't need to worry about what happened on the field at all.
As long as Zhou Hao stood on the mound,
Seido was already standing in an unbeatable position.
"Truly enviable… and infuriating," Coach Tahara muttered inwardly, glancing at Kataoka.
Even though Ichidai's own Ace was outstanding,
When he looked back at Zhou Hao, his eyes still carried an unmistakable trace of longing.
How wonderful would it be if Zhou Hao were Ichidai's Ace?
Of course, these thoughts would never reach Seido High School Baseball Team.
If they did, the Seido players would only sneer.
Trying to covet their Ace was nothing but a foolish fantasy.
Did he think they were idiots?
How could they possibly hand over Zhou Hao to their sworn enemy?
The game moved into the top of the second inning, with Seido on offense.
The first batter up was Seido's Sixth Batter, Masuko Toru.
They had already scored one run, but Masuko's expression showed no change whatsoever.
Stepping into the batter's box, he raised his bat high.
Then he stared straight at his opponent, his eyes unwavering.
When Manaka released the pitch—
Masuko swung as if all the strength in his body had been wound tight and unleashed in a single instant.
"Boom!"
The bat cut through the air, producing a violent whooshing sound.
The main catcher of Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team instantly tensed.
He felt a powerful sense of threat.
It wasn't that Masuko was guaranteed to hit—
But the force behind that swing alone was terrifying.
Like prey standing before a natural predator.
"Who is this guy…?"
Before the catcher could process his shock, the white baseball had already been sent flying.
"Ping!"
Although it didn't catch the sweet spot, the ball still soared more than fifty meters.
The Seido supporters in the stands almost burst into cheers.
Well done!
On the other side, Ichidai's players stared in disbelief.
Manaka's pitching was clearly in good form today.
They hadn't expected that even Seido's middle-to-lower lineup could produce this kind of hit.
Fortunately, Ichidai's outfielder had already moved into position.
He sprinted forward and caught the ball just before it touched the ground.
"Snap!"
"Out!"
One out.
No runners on base.
The Seido supporters frowned instinctively.
They didn't want to jinx their own team, but—
That ball should have been a hit nine times out of ten.
Yet it was caught.
Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team's luck today seemed unusually good.
No matter how much they tried to deny it, the reality was right in front of them.
"That's really frustrating."
"Is Lady Luck not on our side today?"
"So what?" someone replied immediately. "We've won plenty of games without luck before."
The Seido fans quickly regained their composure.
Luck was fickle and unpredictable.
Anyone who had followed Seido for a long time knew this.
Sometimes luck favored them.
Other times, it turned its back completely.
But Seido High School Baseball Team never relied on luck to win.
They relied on strength.
Even when circumstances were unfavorable, they would still force victory through sheer ability.
Otherwise, how could they dominate the nation?
Still—
Their opponent today was also a national powerhouse.
A sworn enemy.
That alone made this game far more difficult.
Next up—
The Seventh Batter, Miyuki Kazuya.
As soon as he stepped into the batter's box, he assumed a calm and confident stance.
Coupled with his established reputation,
The Seido supporters couldn't help but feel hopeful.
Unfortunately—
Manaka quickly forced him into a disadvantage with two sharp strikes.
On the third pitch, in a direct confrontation, Miyuki swung—
"Ping!"
Watching the baseball fly high—rising less than fifteen meters before quickly beginning to fall—
Many of the Seido High School Baseball Team supporters in the stands had the urge to cover their eyes.
Too embarrassing.
Simply too embarrassing.
As one of the core members of last year's national championship team, Miyuki Kazuya's performance was clearly unworthy of that title.
In Seido's dugout, his teammates could only watch helplessly as the baseball dropped neatly into Manaka's glove.
"Snap!"
"Out!"
Two outs.
No runners on base.
Chris stroked his chin thoughtfully and said,
"Manaka has grown a lot in the past six months."
Although Seido hadn't faced Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team directly during the Autumn Tournament,
that didn't mean they hadn't studied their sworn rivals—especially their Ace.
They could say with absolute certainty—
Last autumn's Manaka did not possess this level of pitching.
He had grown stronger.
And more importantly, he had matured.
"There's nothing we can do about it," Zhou Hao said calmly.
"After all, since last summer, our roles have been reversed."
Being a pursuer had its advantages.
For several years, Seido High School Baseball Team's overall strength had been inferior to both Ichidai Sanko and Inashiro Industrial.
That was precisely why they had failed to advance to Koshien time and time again.
Yet when facing these two teams, they could still fight fiercely—
And sometimes even drag them down with them.
Why?
Because back then, Seido was the pursuer.
As a pursuer, they only needed to focus on one thing—
Catching up.
At critical moments, they would strike decisively and pull their opponent down.
Their mindset was pure.
Single-minded.
And it was this purity that fueled their explosive growth.
Hearing Zhou Hao's words, the other Seido players nodded in agreement.
Yes.
Their positions had changed.
They were no longer chasing.
They were now the national champions—
Seido High School Baseball Team.
Against weaker teams, they could crush them outright.
Against strong teams with the ability to challenge them—
They would inevitably face situations like this.
Targeted everywhere.
Nothing going smoothly.
But despite that—
Not a single Seido player showed discouragement.
They stood tall, eyes burning with fighting spirit.
So what if the opponent targeted them?
So what if the opponent had made massive progress in secret?
They had absolute confidence in their own strength.
Even if they stumbled in autumn—
They believed they could regroup and once again stand at the very top.
The game continued.
After two outs, Seido's Eighth Batter stepped up.
"Ping!"
"Snap!"
"Out!!"
Three outs—side retired.
Manaka's pitching displayed terrifying oppression.
He cleanly shut down Seido's batters.
Even though all three made contact with the ball—
Not a single hit was produced.
The game entered the bottom of the second inning, with Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team on offense.
The first batter to step up—
Their Fourth Batter, Hoshida.
One of West Tokyo's four strongest sluggers.
If even he couldn't hit Zhou Hao's Spiral ball—
Then in all of Tokyo, there might truly be no one who could.
In Ichidai's dugout, both coaches and players were tense.
Their gazes locked onto the field.
Some clenched their fists.
Others dug their fingernails into their palms without realizing it.
They had experienced Zhou Hao's Spiral ball firsthand.
They knew how terrifying it was.
To be honest—
They didn't truly believe Hoshida could hit it.
But in this situation, they had to believe.
Because if even Hoshida couldn't make contact—
Then what meaning was there in continuing this game?
With that thought, every pair of eyes in Ichidai Sanko fixed on the confrontation.
Zhou Hao stood on the pitcher's mound, utterly indifferent.
Even facing Hoshida, he showed no change in demeanor.
He set his stance.
And decisively released the ball.
"Boom!"
The baseball screamed through the air, arriving at the plate in the blink of an eye.
Omae was fully prepared.
The moment the ball entered his vision, his pupils shrank violently.
He had already observed Zhou Hao's pitching from the dugout.
He thought he understood it.
Now he realized—
He had overestimated himself.
Only by standing in the batter's box did he truly understand what Zhou Hao's Spiral ball was.
When the ball came toward him—
His body froze.
He couldn't react.
Couldn't move.
He could only watch as the baseball flashed past his eyes and slammed into Miyuki's mitt.
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
Zhou Hao took the lead.
The Seido supporters had already seen the radar gun reading.
"155 kilometers per hour!!!"
Not Zhou Hao's fastest—
But more than enough.
Even Hoshida could only stare blankly at a pitch thrown at that speed.
"Boom!"
"Snap!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!!"
Hoshida,
One of West Tokyo's four strongest sluggers—
Was struck out cleanly.
No contact.
Two pitches he couldn't even swing at.
The moment the call echoed through the stadium—
The entire Hachioji Stadium erupted.
"Wooooah!!!"