"Boom!"
"Ping!!"
Seeing the baseball being swept away, not only everyone else, but even Chris, who was squatting at the catcher's position, was very surprised.
Others didn't clearly see the exact mont the bat hit the baseball.
But Chris was different. As the team's main catcher, he was right there.
He saw clearly that the bat didn't hit the center of the baseball. To be more precise, it barely touched it.
Based on past experience, this should have been a high fly ball.
Given the level of the Seidou High School baseball team, their players should be able to field this ball easily.
But the opponent's power was too strong!
He actually managed to send the ball flying—and so far at that.
It felt like it was almost flying to the back of the field!
"He's just the leadoff hitter. How can he be this strong?"
Chris was confused.
Why would Seiko Academy arrange such a power hitter as their leadoff? Shouldn't a batter like this be part of the core lineup?
No one could give Chris an answer.
The fans of Seidou High School in the stands also widened their eyes in disbelief.
Like Chris, they found it hard to accept what had just happened.
Yoshida's performance on the mound was generally reliable.
Although he had his ups and downs, even when out of form, he was still one of the best pitchers in all of Tokyo's second tier.
If Zhou Hao hadn't suddenly risen to prominence, Yoshida would still be the ace of the Seidou High School team.
He was still their true ace.
So how could a pitcher like him be hit so easily?
What they just witnessed was so unbelievable, everyone was left speechless.
Their minds were blank as they watched the ball, desperately trying to see where it would land.
"This ball is flying too far. Even if it doesn't hit the wall, it won't be far off."
Anyone familiar with baseball knew that if a ball flew that deep into the outfield, fielders usually wouldn't make it in ti.
After all, outfielders don't start off positioned that far back. They have to cover the entire outfield, typically positioning themselves center or slightly forward.
However, just when everyone thought the ball would land safely...
Just when they assud Seiko Academy had secured a hit early in the ga...
Sothing unexpected happened.
The first person to notice it was Coach Kumakiri of Seiko Academy.
With his experience, he had already calculated where the ball would fall.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he glanced in that direction—
What he saw shocked him.
Right where the ball was headed, a player in a blue-and-white uniform was already waiting.
"It's Zhou Hao! Why is he already there?!"
Coach Kumakiri wasn't the first to have that thought—and he likely wouldn't be the last.
Even the players of Seidou High School were shocked to see it.
"As expected of Zhou Hao. He never disappoints," Kuramochi said from the stands, eyes twinkling.
Others waited anxiously for the result—but not Kuramochi.
He could already imagine Zhou Hao's glove magnified a hundred tis, like a massive net.
And that net just so happened to cover every inch of territory under Zhou Hao's watch.
As long as the ball flew into that area, there was no way it would escape him.
Originally, Coach Kataoka had arranged Zhou Hao in the outfield just temporarily—mainly to let him experience the atmosphere of the ga.
By now, even Coach Kataoka himself had probably forgotten that intention.
Zhou Hao had excelled so much in the position.
So much so that unless he was on the mound, Coach Kataoka kept him in the outfield.
This kind of treatnt is usually reserved for the absolute trump card of powerhouse teams.
Zhou Hao might not be their ace yet.
But Coach Kataoka was clearly developing him as one.
Bang!
Just as Kuramochi predicted, Zhou Hao caught the ball cleanly.
"Wow!"
"Out!"
Even the ga's comntator couldn't help but exclaim:
"It's as if Seidou's outfielder Zhou Hao had already foreseen where the ball would land. He was there before it ca down and made a flawless catch. Seidou successfully recorded the first out."
One out. No runners on base.
Seiko Academy's players were clearly shaken by Zhou Hao's play.
His movent was so smooth—unlike anything they had encountered in matches against other teams.
It was as if they were being completely outmaneuvered.
Their batters swung with all their might—but it felt like they'd t their perfect counter.
Now, the second batter of Seiko Academy stepped up.
Like their leadoff hitter, he was a burly athlete.
In his hands was a regulation-sized, heavy tal bat.
The mont he stepped into the batter's box, he raised it high.
Whoosh!
Facing Yoshida's pitch, the batter swung without hesitation—just like their first hitter.
His motion was so smooth, so confident.
Even Chris had to admit, it was impressive.
Except for a slight lack of precision, this batter reminded him of Azuma Kiyokuni, their team's cleanup hitter.
The sa aggressive, all-out swing style.
The bats in their hands were like weapons.
Again, the batter missed the sweet spot—but the ball still flew.
"These guys… their swing style has beco their identity."
Chris sighed to himself.
He now had to be even more careful when calling pitches for Yoshida.
They couldn't rely solely on defense to survive this ga.
Simply getting the opponent to miss wasn't enough anymore.
They had to find ways to induce pop-ups or weak contact.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Chris snapped his attention back.
He saw Zhou Hao in the outfield once more, glove raised high.
Even without seeing what was inside, Chris already knew—
There was a white baseball nestled in that glove.
"You really are sothing else, Zhou Hao!"
So people just seed destined to be the protagonist. Seiko Academy had taken two fierce swings—but both were snatched away by Zhou Hao.
The first ti might've been a fluke.
But to do it again?
Even the Seidou fans had shifted their attitude.
Now, their cheers for Zhou Hao were filled with sothing new—pure admiration and rising fanaticism.
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POWER STONE!!!
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