"Seido! Seido!!!"
"Boom boom boom!!!"
"Ichidai San! Go for it! Ichidai San! Go for it!!!"
The game hadn't even started, but the cheer squads of the two powerhouse schools were already at war. The intensity far exceeded what the newcomers had imagined.
From Zhang Han's perspective, if the two groups weren't seated separately on the First Base and Third Base sides of the stadium, they might have ended up brawling on the spot.
Playing in such an atmosphere must feel incredible.
The thought rose in Zhang Han's mind on its own. And he wasn't the only one. All four first-year newcomers felt the same urge. They yearned to play, to wear Seido's uniform, to represent their school on this field.
In the dugout, Coach Kataoka had clearly said something fiery to the First-string. Their eyes were red, almost murderous. They looked ready to devour Ichidai's players alive.
Ichidai, of course, refused to back down. Their players glared with equal ferocity. Sparks flew between the two sides without a single pitch thrown.
"This is too exciting!"
Zhang Han held a small megaphone and cheered at full volume for his seniors. Even though his closest senior, Kou Shunmin , wasn't playing today, Zhang Han's enthusiasm didn't fade at all.
Earlier, Takashima Rei had asked him if he had regrets.
Compared to Seido's shaky recent performance, Ichidai's showing was far more stable. If Zhang Han truly aimed for Koshien, the road ahead would be much tougher at Seido.
But Zhang Han hadn't even needed to think. His answer came instantly: he would make Ichidai regret it.
Regret what? Coach Tahara of Ichidai hadn't done anything to him. But now Zhang Han was a Seido player. Once he stepped on the field, it didn't matter how nicely Ichidai might have treated him in an alternate world. He was determined to fight for Seido's Koshien dream.
He wanted Takashima Rei to understand his resolve. And she did. The satisfied smile on her face had said everything.
Even before joining Seido, Zhang Han had already made up his mind. Since he had chosen this path, he would never regret it or turn back. Even if he never made it to Koshien, that would be due to his own shortcomings, not his choice.
And now, watching Seido and Ichidai face off, even before the first pitch, the electric atmosphere made him burn with determination.
He had to climb to the First-string as soon as possible. He had to stand on this field wearing Seido's jersey. And he had to win.
Even though he barely knew the First-string players, he had many familiar faces on the second team who would join him someday. They would fight together.
Long-term goals? Zhang Han didn't know yet. For now, his purpose was simple:
Lead this team to Koshien.
The roaring arena ignited his ambition.
But that ambition was instantly doused with a bucket of ice water.
"Ping!"
Ichidai's First Batter smashed the ball into the sky.
Zhang Han watched as it soared and landed deep in the left outfield stands.
"It… it flew out!!!""Ichidai San's leadoff batter hit a home run!"
The Seido cheer squad, just seconds ago shouting passionately, suddenly fell silent as if someone had grabbed their throats.
This was how the battle between two powerhouses began?
Nobody expected this.
"Hidezawa!"
"Let's go!"
"Forget the last pitch. Get the first out!"
"We'll stop whatever they hit!"
Tanaka Kakuei, Azuma Kiyokuni, Yuuki Tetsuya, Yamada the fielders quickly rallied and shouted encouragement toward their Ace.
At home plate, catcher Chris—half foreign, cool-headed—pushed up his mask and signaled for a timeout. He needed to calm Hidezawa down before things got worse.
But inwardly, he was shaken.
Hidezawa's pitching was nicknamed "nuclear-level." His fastball exceeded 140 kilometers. Blasting that kind of ball out of the park was not supposed to be easy.
Yes, the pitch had missed its spot. But speed and power were still there. It should have been a confident pitch.
And yet it had been launched into the stands.
The blow to Hidezawa's psyche was obvious. After this, there was a real risk he would collapse mentally. His form had already been unstable lately, which was why he had been sent to practice with the second team in the first place.
Chris hurried to the mound to stabilize him, but emotions weren't that easy to settle.
For the rest of the inning, Hidezawa kept throwing four-ball walks.
They surrendered three more runs.
The score became 4–0.
Only then did they finally get three outs.
Coach Kataoka couldn't take it anymore and ordered him to switch to outfield. If not for the rule that a starting pitcher couldn't be replaced in the first inning unless injured, Kataoka would have pulled him earlier.
"Tanba, you're pitching next!"
They still had one more third-year reliever, but Kataoka didn't hesitate. He entrusted the mound to Tanba, a second-year. Against Ichidai, someone who could only throw fastballs wasn't enough. Tanba had more variety and better control.
In the bottom of the first, it was Seido's turn to bat.
The cheer squad, shaken but not defeated, reorganized.
"Seido, go for it!!""Seido! Go for it!!!"
The school's professional cheerleaders and orchestra jumped in as well, pumping energy into the stadium.
Ichidai's Ace took the mound.
A huge man, over 200 pounds. Short and round. His physique looked sluggish, but his pitching was the opposite—surprisingly nimble. His windup was quick, his release sharp.
Seido struggled to touch him.
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Thanks for the support guys, please continue so that I can keep releasing extra chapters.