No one could understand.
Why was that person defending in that position?
Behind third base, near the foul line—this was typically the outfielder's territory. When fielding, outfielders usually position themselves toward the center of their area to maximize coverage.
This way, they can better manage balls flying to either side.
Balls heading toward the foul line?
Everyone simply assud that kind of hit was impossible to stop.
Let alone catching it directly with a glove.
That area was considered a defensive blind spot.
But today, it seed that traditional thinking needed a revision.
Not only did soone appear there—he actually managed to stop the ball.
"Who the heck is that guy?"
"No idea. I think he's a first-year rookie. His na's Zhou…"
"A first-year rookie pulling a stunt like that? If I were the coach, I'd be ripping into him right now."
Three outs. Offensive and defensive switch.
The players of Gogen High School's baseball team stared intently at Zhou Hao, as if by doing so, they could uncover so kind of secret just by looking at him.
Even Zhou Hao's own teammates on Seidou were looking at him strangely.
They didn't know whether they should criticize or praise him.
Criticism? Zhou Hao did catch the ball.
Thanks to that, the Gogen players were practically questioning their life choices.
Praise? They couldn't bring themselves to do it either.
Because the spot where Zhou Hao had been standing was just too far off standard.
Unless… he could predict where the ball would land?
As everyone was struggling with what to say, the always cold-faced Coach Kataoka stepped forward and patted Zhou Hao on the shoulder.
"Nice job!"
When he sent Zhou Hao onto the field to experience the ga's atmosphere, he never expected any standout performance from the outfield.
And yet, this kid had just given him a huge surprise.
Of course, Zhou Hao hadn't been standing in that spot from the beginning.
Not many people noticed it—but Coach Kataoka was one of them.
Zhou Hao started moving when he saw the opposing batter preparing to swing.
In other words, based on the batter's movents, Zhou Hao had already predicted where the ball would land.
By the ti the batter actually hit the ball—
Zhou Hao had already sprinted over twenty ters and arrived at the foul line's edge.
Because most people hadn't seen Zhou Hao's movent in real-ti, when they finally noticed him, he was already standing at the foul line.
It looked like a fluke—as if he'd just gotten lucky.
But in truth, Zhou Hao had pulled it off purely through his own strength.
His dynamic vision wasn't just useful for pitching.
It worked just as well against batters.
The only thing Coach Kataoka found unbelievable was how Zhou Hao, from that distance, could clearly read the batter's motion.
That wasn't sothing ordinary people could do.
But on the field, these things weren't exactly unheard of.
Any truly top-tier, god-level athlete had to possess extraordinary natural gifts.
So people, for instance, have what's called photographic mory.
As long as they seriously look at sothing, they only need one glance to rember every single detail.
The sa goes for sports.
Take Michael Jordan—the greatest basketball player in history.
When his body fat was tested during his career, the result showed that over 90% of his body was muscle.
To an ordinary person, that's completely incomprehensible.
Even if the talent is different, there's no doubt that Zhou Hao is one of those geniuses.
You wouldn't notice it during normal practice.
Coach Kataoka could tell Zhou Hao trained hard.
Since being promoted to the first team, Zhou Hao had never slacked off—always pushing himself to keep up.
Even though he still ranked last in training results, Coach Kataoka could see the effort and improvent.
In terms of work ethic alone, Coach Kataoka fully acknowledged Zhou Hao.
But that's only in terms of effort.
When it ca to actual performance in practice, Zhou Hao ranked at the bottom.
Even the spiral ball he trained so hard on didn't seem that powerful during practices.
Yet this unremarkable figure in training—once he stood on the real field—was like an entirely different person.
No matter where you put him on the field, he shines.
He always manages to stand out.
Just look at Gogen High's current state.
They'd previously faced powerhouse schools like Inashiro Industrial and knew what kind of strength and play style elite teams possessed.
And after more than a year of hard training—
Even if they started off weak, they'd already built up so skill.
While the match wasn't likely to completely reverse—
During the ga, this team could've posed so real trouble for Seidou.
As one of the top contenders to make it to Koshien—
Even though they hadn't faced each other yet, many teams were already scouting Seidou.
Among them were Inashiro Industrial and Ichidai Third High.
Of course, Seidou was scouting them too.
Every ga they played—Seidou had soone recording it.
But now, because of Zhou Hao's incredible performance, Gogen High had likely been rattled.
They might not even be able to show their true capabilities.
However, there was another issue.
If Zhou Hao had perford quietly—even if he was the only first-year starter on Seidou—
He wouldn't have drawn too much attention.
On the field, if you want to beco known, your identity and background are only catalysts.
Ability is what truly matters.
Zhou Hao's backstory and character were solid, but without showcasing strength, no one would care.
But now—it was a different story.
Zhou Hao had likely already entered discussions at Inashiro and Ichidai Third.
Thinking of this made Coach Kataoka smirk again.
For Seidou, this wasn't a bad thing.
In fact, the more their opponents feared Zhou Hao, the better it was for Seidou.
The ga moved into the top of the second inning. Seidou High was now on offense.
Up first to bat: the 6th spot.
"Batting sixth, number two, catcher, Takigawa Chris…"
Chris stepped into the batter's box.
The pitcher remained Ikegami. He had already shaken off the earlier ho run and lost runs.
Standing on the mound now, he had only one thought—
Take down the opponent.
Whoosh!
The pitch was clean and sharp, with excellent rhythm.
It was clear that Ikegami had reset his mindset and wasn't too shaken.
Chris gripped his bat tightly. The mont the ball ca flying in, he didn't hesitate—
Whoosh!
With the sound of air being sliced by the swing, the bat slamd into the white baseball and sent it flying—
Crack!
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