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TL Note:
Orginally I Planned something a kin to a mini drop (5 Chapters) on Christmas day but decided to push it a little forward as I felt like it would be better to accelerate finish releasing the Freshman Game Quickly. Hope you Enjoy.
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Even though Zhang Han spoke confidently while convincing Ono, he wasn't as relaxed inside his own heart.
Zhang Han still believed that pitching was his strongest weapon. And among all the positions on the field, he preferred the mound the most.
Every position mattered, of course. Every player contributed to the game. But whether you were a baseball expert or someone who barely understood the sport, everyone knew which position mattered most.
The pitcher.
The one who controlled the rhythm of the entire game.
When Zhang Han first joined Seido, he assumed Takashima Rei valued him as a pitcher. Compared to Ichidai Third High School, why did he choose Seido? Scholarships were part of it.
But the bigger reason was that he wanted to pitch. He believed Seido would give him more chances to stand on the mound.
Earlier, Ono Binchi had tested him and concluded that both Ichidai and Seido valued Zhang Han for his batting. More specifically, for his rare ability to predict the ball's landing point.
Before Zhang Han joined Seido's team, Ono gave him several months of special training in that area. That was the main reason Zhang Han could perform immediately after joining.
Without those winter sessions, it might have taken months for him to notice and bring out that hidden talent.
Time was precious for freshmen. If he missed the start, he might miss the entire summer tournament. And missing the summer could affect his entire high school career.
One step behind, every step behind.
Once he missed this year's tournament, his future achievements might be limited. He might spend his whole high school career a step slower than everyone else and never stand out.
That kind of thing happened all the time in powerhouse schools.
So Zhang Han understood: Seido valued his hitting.
As for his pitching, they didn't seem to care.
Even now, the coaches hadn't given him a single chance to show his ability on the mound. Obviously, they weren't expecting anything from him there. Without researching his pitching or watching it in person, they had decided he wasn't worth evaluating as a pitcher.
This made Zhang Han deeply uncomfortable.
He knew Seido's plan for him. But he had no intention of following it blindly.
He believed his pitching was good. If he hadn't been an international student, he never would have given up Matsukata's Ace position to Toujou.
From the moment he joined the team, Zhang Han had been holding back a surge of frustration.
He wanted to prove himself. He wanted Coach Kataoka and the staff to realize:
They were wrong.
He wasn't only a strong batter.
His pitching was not weak.
Zhang Han waited patiently. And finally, the chance came.
With a home run and a hit, he earned Kataoka's respect. If nothing went wrong, he would be promoted to the First-string after the welcoming match.
And once he joined First-string, the coaches would want to know everything about him: What position he played in middle school, how he performed, what kind of training he had done, and more.
Zhang Han had been a main pitcher in middle school. He played other positions too, but he spent the longest time on the mound, and his results were good.
So naturally, the coaches wanted to see whether he should continue as a pitcher or shift to another position.
Reputation wasn't handed down from heaven.
It was earned on the field.
Zhang Han stepped onto the mound with high morale. He had every reason to feel proud.
Against the expectations of the entire staff, he had carved out this opportunity for himself.
Now he wanted to seize it. He wanted to shock Kataoka and the coaching team.
But his luck was cruel. His first opponent was Chris.
In this Old-timers lineup, Chris was practically a cheat code. Defense or offense, he was the core.
Before Chris entered the game, the freshmen were leading by three.
Even if some of it was luck, they weren't being crushed. They were going toe-to-toe. If the game continued like that, the freshmen might not have lost.
But once Chris stepped in, everything flipped. In just two innings, the score changed from a three-run lead to a seven-run deficit.
That alone showed how terrifying Chris was.
Facing such an opponent right away, a hot-blooded protagonist would probably feel his spirit ignite. Zhang Han wasn't that type. He felt pressure, heavy and suffocating.
At the plate, Chris didn't look flashy. He wasn't handsome. His stance was simple and stable.
But when Zhang Han looked at him, every hair on his body stood on end.
It was like facing a martial arts master in a movie. Outsiders might not see anything special. But other fighters knew instantly who the true master was.
That was exactly how Zhang Han felt.
Before they even faced off, he had a strange, unsettling sense: No matter where he pitched, Chris could hit it.
It was an alarming thought.
Zhang Han shook his head, pushing away the bad feeling.
Ono's signal arrived right on time.
The two had been partners for two years. They knew each other well. Even if the field changed, with the same partner, they could find their rhythm quickly.