One out, runner on second base.
After Azuma Kiyokuni was retired, very few people still held hope for Seido High School.
Their supporters were different. No matter what kind of crisis the team faced, their stance never wavered. As long as the game wasn't over, they would continue to support Seido without hesitation.
Even if the outcome were already decided, they would still stand by them.
But neutral fans didn't share that loyalty.
Over the past several years, Seido High School's baseball team had often performed brilliantly in the early stages of tournaments. While they might not have shaken Tokyo to its core, they never disgraced the name of a powerhouse.
Yet once they ran into Ichidai San or Inashiro, the same pattern always emerged.
They seemed to lose stamina. Problems within the team erupted one after another. Everything would collapse at once.
In short, it was a mess.
The Spring Tournament had played out exactly like that.
Now, even though this year's Seido appeared stronger and more confident, they still hadn't completely escaped the shadow of the past.
Somehow, they had once again fallen behind. To many neutral fans, there wasn't a shred of confidence left. The rhythm of the game felt painfully familiar.
First, the pitcher performs well but still gives up runs.
Then the opponent displays overwhelming strength.
Finally, the once-reliable hitters fall silent.
They'd seen this scene too many times. The rest of the game had already played out in their minds.
A strong start, a weak finish.
Just like always.
But at this critical moment, with Azuma Kiyokuni already retired, someone unexpected stepped forward.
Yuuki Tetsuya.
Under immense pressure, he delivered a double. With his actions, he proved that Ichidai Third High School was not invincible. The significance of that hit was enormous.
Even if Seido ultimately failed to score in this inning, Ichidai Third High School could no longer establish an aura of absolute dominance.
"Seido! Seido!!"
"Yuuki! Yuuki!!"
All the Seido supporters in the stadium rose to their feet, shouting Yuuki's name at the top of their lungs.
They were genuinely grateful. That hit mattered too much. It was amid this surging atmosphere that Zhang Han stepped up to home plate.
To be honest, his timing was terrible.
Originally, as a first-year newcomer, he might have been able to muddy the waters.
There was a real chance that Ichidai Third High School's pitcher-catcher duo wouldn't fully lock in on him.
Even though Zhang Han's earlier performances were impressive, his opponents up until now had mostly been teams with limited strength.
Ichidai San might not have taken those records too seriously.
And Zhang Han was still a rookie. Whether to be careless or not could have come down to a single moment of hesitation.
Before Yuuki's hit, Zhang Han had an opportunity.
But that opportunity was gone.
With a runner already on second base, Kameshima absolutely could not afford to relax. Or rather, he no longer had the capital to make mistakes.
With the bases empty, a pitcher could afford to pitch aggressively, as long as he avoided a home run.
Even if something went wrong, there were ways to recover. But now, with a runner on second, everything changed.
A routine hit could easily bring in a run.
Experienced Ichidai San and Kameshima, widely regarded as Tokyo's top pitcher, would never allow that. Not only would they stay sharp, they would be fully focused when facing Zhang Han.
Zhang Han stepped into the batter's box wearing a tense, almost frightened expression.
He looked like he was under tremendous pressure. This performance was hard to believe.
Not just for his teammates, but even for Ichidai San's pitcher and catcher.
During their scouting, they had already learned about Zhang Han's background.
He came from Matsukata and had even won a national runner-up title during middle school. A player like that might still have flaws, but his vision and composure shouldn't be in question.
There was no way he'd be this nervous. Zhang Han's exaggerated display only made him look ridiculous.
"How embarrassing," Azuma Kiyokuni said with his hands on his hips, clearly displeased. "Even if he can't hit, does he really need to act like that?"
Several Seido players lowered their heads. They couldn't understand Zhang Han's thinking either.
Did he really believe this would trick Ichidai Third High School into being careless?
What a pipe dream.
Especially in this situation, Ichidai San would never give him such an opening.
Even without the pressure of this inning, Zhang Han's performance in the previous three games alone was enough to ensure Ichidai wouldn't underestimate him.
In the on-deck circle behind Zhang Han, Isashiki Jun didn't even bother pretending to watch.
He turned his head away. If Zhang Han were retired while acting like this, it would be beyond embarrassing.
It would be humiliating.
"Has this guy lost his mind?" someone muttered.
Kameshima, of course, didn't believe Zhang Han was truly scared.
But he couldn't understand the point of this act either.
Why wear such a cowardly, uneasy expression? What purpose did it serve?
Ichidai Third High School had gathered extensive information on Zhang Han through Hoshida and other players who had participated in the same drafts.
Two things were clear.
First, Zhang Han's strength and potential were high enough that both Ichidai Third High School and Seido had made exceptions to recruit him.
Second, he possessed an extremely high baseball IQ and often relied on unconventional tactics to gain an advantage.
As for his current ability, the footage from Seido's three Summer Tournament games spoke volumes.
Based on all of this, Kameshima had a solid assessment of Zhang Han. And in that assessment, Zhang Han would never do something so meaningless.
It made no sense.
"Don't overthink it. Just stick to your rhythm, Kameshima!"
In Ichidai Third High School's dugout, Director Tahara was growing anxious.
He didn't understand Zhang Han's behavior either.
But that didn't matter.
No matter what scheme Zhang Han might be plotting, it all depended on strength in the end. As long as Kameshima held steady, no trick would amount to anything.
The problem was that Kameshima wasn't holding steady.
Zhang Han's strange behavior had clearly unsettled him. He couldn't tell if there was a trap waiting.
Whether there truly was one or not, Director Tahara couldn't say.
But one thing was certain.
Kameshima's pitching rhythm had been disrupted.
Normally, he needed only five or six seconds to prepare and deliver a pitch.
Now, more than ten seconds had passed.
And he was still staring at Zhang Han.
************************************
Upto 20 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123