When Zhang Han returned to the dugout, he originally thought he would receive a warm welcome from his teammates.
Unexpectedly, those guys were all extremely arrogant. When he failed to get a hit earlier, they had eagerly rushed over to offer advice. But now that he had delivered a grand slam, they suddenly became aloof.
Not a single person stepped forward to congratulate him.
"Seniors, I surrender."
Zhang Han raised both thumbs, expressing his heartfelt admiration.
Only then did the second and third-year players from Seido High School finally come over, laughing and joking.
"You brat, you're ridiculously arrogant."
"A grand slam, huh? You're really aiming for the sky."
"That's already four runs. If you keep this up, you might actually become the batting king of this Koshien."
Zhang Han's batting technique was exquisite, and Seido High School's overall strength was formidable. He would certainly have more chances to score runs. With these four runs as a foundation, Zhang Han had a very high chance of becoming the player with the most runs in this Koshien tournament.
Although this title was not particularly valuable, it was still an honor. For Seido High School, which had not appeared at Koshien for several years, they could not afford to let any honor slip away.
"The opponents at Koshien are still much stronger than those in the regional tournaments. I don't know if I'll be able to keep performing well later."
Zhang Han spoke modestly, though he himself believed his chances were quite high. Historically, the players who won this title did not score that many runs.
The highest total was usually just over ten, and it was common for winners to have only eight or nine runs.
This single hit alone had already completed nearly half of that goal.
Given both his own strength and Seido High School Baseball Team's overall power, as long as they advanced a few more games, he would certainly score again.
Unless his luck was truly abysmal, surpassing ten runs was entirely possible.
And generally speaking, reaching around ten runs was enough to secure this title.
While scoring in baseball was not as rare as in soccer, it was also not as commonplace as in basketball.
Scoring more than ten runs was already an impressive achievement.
Manager Ota was smiling so broadly that he looked like a weasel who had just stolen a chicken. His plump face was filled with joy.
"Excellent. That makes it seven to three."
At present, Seido High School's pitcher was Ace Hidezawa, and he was a fully evolved Hidezawa.
Even if the batting lineup failed to score again, these four additional runs were enough to secure victory. Not to mention that after the recent clash, Hosen High School's battery and fielders had suffered a tremendous blow.
To put it plainly, Seido now had absolute confidence that they could continue scoring if needed.
In short, although this crucial opening game at Koshien had its twists and turns, Seido High School Baseball Team had effectively secured victory.
No matter how much Hosen High School struggled afterward, they would not be able to stir up anything significant.
Seido High School was set to clear the first major hurdle of Koshien. Coupled with their favorable draw, they had directly avoided the first round.
This meant that Seido High School Baseball Team was guaranteed a place in the Koshien Top 16.
Although Seido had always aimed to dominate the nation, aside from the team itself, very few people truly believed they could achieve such a feat.
After all, such an accomplishment required not only strength but also tremendous luck.
For most high school players, simply making it to Koshien was already a huge success.
However, for a powerhouse like Seido High School Baseball Team, that alone was far from enough. If they were eliminated in the first round after entering Koshien, it would not be an honor but a disgrace.
They had to achieve a respectable result to truly enjoy the glory that Koshien brought.
This was the responsibility they bore as a powerhouse and as Tokyo's representative.
Reaching the Top 16 might not have been shocking, but it was enough for Seido to justify themselves.
In other words, before winning this game, whether Seido could return home to celebrate was still uncertain.
But now, even if they lost the next game, they could return to school with their heads held high and celebrate openly.
Even Kataoka, who was usually extremely strict, would not say anything under these circumstances.
The players had performed exceptionally well, and their performance was more than enough to showcase their strength to fans across the nation.
For a Seido High School Baseball Team that had not reached Koshien in several years, proving to the entire country that such a powerhouse still existed was more important than anything else.
As for dominating the nation, that goal could come later.
At this moment, Manager Ota finally felt half his heart return to his stomach. He could breathe a little easier.
As for the other half, as long as the game had not officially ended, it would never fully settle.
Just as Ota thought, this game made fans across the country truly recognize Seido High School Baseball Team's strength.
Even after several years of absence, Seido was still Seido.
"As expected of Seido, truly powerful and domineering."
"Previously suppressed by Inashiro under Coach Kunitomo, combined with bad luck, Seido failed to reach Koshien for several years. But that never meant they had fallen from the ranks of powerhouses."
"A powerhouse is still a powerhouse."
Most of the audience focused on Seido and the players' performances.
For a time, they had not yet grasped the true charm of the Seido High School Baseball Team.
However, the coaches of teams that would soon face Seido saw things very differently.
Their eyes were nearly red as they watched Seido.
Even among powerhouse schools, recruiting talent was never easy.
Truly outstanding prospects were even harder to find.
Now look at Seido.
Azuma Kiyokuni, Hidezawa, Yuuki, Zhang Han, Miyuki, Tanaka.
Each of them had the potential to define an era. Recruiting even one or two such players would be worth burning incense in gratitude.
Yet Seido had failed to reach Koshien for several years. Logically, their recruitment should have been much more difficult.
Instead, talented players were emerging one after another, like water gushing from a spring.
With so many outstanding players, it would be strange if they did not make it to Koshien.
No wonder Coach Kunitomo had stumbled. Who would not get a headache facing such a team?
Putting themselves in his position, even they could not be sure they would be able to defeat Seido.
"It looks like another contender for the championship has appeared."
Seihou's Director, his nose red as if drunk, muttered to himself.
"Kataoka is really something. In less than two months, he trained those kids to this level."
The Director of Osaka Kiryuu, who had previously played practice games against Seido, curled his lips slightly, the smile on his face unusually cold.
************************************
Upto 50 Chapters In Advance At: P@treon/Vividreader123