Chapter 500 - 500: The Summer Tournament Begins!

"How did the drawing turn out?"

The moment Zhou Hao and Manager Ota returned to the team, they were immediately surrounded by their teammates.

Everyone was eager to know the results of the tournament draw.

"Inashiro is on the opposite side of the bracket. We'd only meet them in the finals."

It was the result everyone had expected.

Even so, hearing it confirmed caused the Seido players to collectively breathe a sigh of relief.

Nowadays, there were only a handful of teams they truly considered threats.

They could count them on one hand.

And in West Tokyo, the only team capable of seriously challenging them was Inashiro Industrial.

Naturally, the later they faced their greatest rival, the better.

If some dark horse team could eliminate Inashiro before the finals...

The Seido players would probably laugh in their sleep.

Despite having experienced it before, the opening ceremony of the Summer Tournament remained an unpleasant experience.

Standing under the blazing summer sun while listening to endless speeches from officials was enough to make anyone's forehead throb.

The appearance of the entire Seido squad immediately attracted attention.

Especially from the reporters.

Camera shutters clicked nonstop as journalists eagerly took photos.

Fortunately, the Seido players were already accustomed to such treatment.

They calmly acknowledged the crowd and reporters around them.

To outsiders, however, that composure appeared entirely different.

"Did you see that? Those are Seido's players!"

"Their uniforms look amazing!"

"That tall one is Zhou Hao!"

"He looks even better in person than in photos. It's like he stepped right out of a manga."

"Wasn't Zhou Hao originally the type who became more attractive the longer you looked at him? Since when did he become this handsome?"

"Maybe it's because his aura is different now. He's the undisputed number-one high school player in the country!"

Last year, there had still been debates about whether Zhou Hao deserved that title.

After all, popularity was subjective.

Being admired by some didn't mean being admired by everyone.

But now?

Calling Zhou Hao the nation's number-one high school player had become almost universally accepted.

Even those who disliked him couldn't deny it with a straight face.

It was like the fastest sprinter in the 100-meter dash.

Others might be excellent, but when someone stands clearly above the rest, everyone else can only compete for second place.

"Hyahaha! Zhou Hao's fan club is getting bigger and bigger."

Kuramochi looked delighted, almost happier than if the fans were cheering for him.

Zhou Hao smiled and nodded.

"You've gained plenty of fans yourself. People barely knew who you were before, but now I've already heard spectators calling your name."

In most schools, that wouldn't mean much.

But this was Seido.

A star-studded powerhouse overflowing with talent.

Being recognized among so many outstanding players was already proof of one's reputation.

Professional scouts and university recruiters would naturally take notice.

A strong team didn't automatically guarantee recognition for every player.

Those were two completely different things.

Fortunately, Kuramochi no longer needed to worry about that problem.

He had already established his own reputation.

While it might not directly affect his performance on the field, it would undoubtedly help his future baseball career and educational opportunities.

And he wasn't the only one.

Many Seido players had begun receiving similar attention.

After the opening ceremony, Seido entered a brief period of waiting.

As the Spring Tournament champions and the tournament's top seed, they received a bye through the first two rounds.

Their Summer Tournament campaign wouldn't begin until the third round.

More than a week passed.

Then Assistant Manager Takashima Rei arrived at the field carrying scouting reports and game footage.

"Our first opponent has been decided."

The players immediately gathered around.

"Who is it?"

Although Seido was confident against any opponent, everyone was still curious.

"Mishimon High School."

Takashima Rei adjusted her glasses.

"They've already won two consecutive games. Their offense has been productive, and they've allowed fewer than three runs per game."

She briefly introduced the team.

Then she couldn't help laughing.

Mishimon's performance had certainly been respectable.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have advanced this far.

But to call them a serious threat to Seido?

That would be an exaggeration.

After all, their next opponent was Seido High School.

The words "national powerhouse" alone explained everything.

Not only the players but even Takashima Rei herself had absolute confidence in the team.

"Still," she added with a smile, "how much of that strength they'll be able to show against us remains to be seen."

The entire team burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"Well said!"

"It's time to show everyone what Seido Baseball is all about."

"Otherwise, people might think we've gotten weaker."

"Exactly."

"We'll crush them so badly they'll be crying for their mothers."

The players had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

At last, they finally had a chance to unleash all the energy they had been holding back.

The pregame meeting was surprisingly short.

Chris and several others had prepared incredibly detailed scouting reports.

In fact, they had investigated far more than just baseball statistics.

They even looked into players' family situations.

How many siblings they had.

What kind of relationships they had with their parents.

Their upbringing.

Everything.

"Chris-senpai, is there really any point in knowing all that?"

One first-year couldn't help asking.

Chris answered calmly.

"A person's environment shapes their personality."

He wasn't gathering information for no reason.

In his view, understanding a player's personality often revealed their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies under pressure.

"That's incredible."

Zhou Hao gave him a sincere thumbs-up.

If their positions were reversed, there was no way he could put in that much effort.

Of course, he didn't need to.

Every player walked a different path.

The methods used by Chris and Miyuki Kazuya worked because they suited them.

Not everyone could follow the same road.

Time quietly passed.

Soon, the night before Seido's first game arrived.

The atmosphere in the dormitory became unusually quiet.

Especially among the third-years.

For them, this was the beginning of their final Summer Tournament.

From this moment onward, their high school baseball careers had officially entered the countdown.

One loss.

That was all it would take.

One defeat, and everything would end.

The first- and second-year players didn't share the same sense of finality.

Yet they couldn't help being affected by their seniors' emotions.

The mood spread throughout the entire team.

Everyone felt it.

Everyone except Zhou Hao.

Because he didn't live in the dormitory, he had already returned home.

He took a bath.

He went to bed.

Everything was exactly the same as usual.

To him, tomorrow's game wasn't particularly special.

It was simply another baseball game.

Of course, not everyone could remain as calm as Zhou Hao.

Under the moonlit sky, Kominato Haruichi carried drinks back toward the dormitory for his seniors.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

"Brother..."

"Bringing drinks for your seniors?"

"Yeah."

"Now that you've made the First String too, keep working hard."

For the Kominato brothers, simply participating in the Summer Tournament together was already the best outcome they could hope for.

By the time Koshien arrived, two more players would be cut from the roster.

Under normal circumstances, Kominato Haruichi would have little chance of surviving that selection.

The others competing for those spots were either starting players or indispensable substitutes.

None of them would easily give up their places.

Unless Haruichi could deliver an outstanding performance during the Summer Tournament.

But even that would be difficult.

There was no helping it.

The Seido High School Baseball Team was simply too strong.

Most opponents couldn't even put up a meaningful fight against them.

Without difficult games, there were fewer opportunities for players to stand out.

And without opportunities to stand out, how could Haruichi prove himself?

Even so, Kominato Ryosuke felt genuinely happy.

As an older brother, seeing his younger brother grow into such an excellent player filled him with pride.

"Yeah."

Haruichi nodded firmly.

He felt exactly the same way.

Room 5.

Normally, Masuko could fall asleep almost anywhere.

Tonight, however, his eyes were wide open.

No matter how hard he tried, sleep refused to come.

Across the room, Kuramochi Yoichi lay on his bed staring silently at the ceiling.

Unlike the third-years, he wasn't burdened by thoughts of his final tournament.

But he had ambitions of his own.

The person he was now was completely different from the boy who had first entered Seido.

Back then, because of various incidents, Kuramochi had nearly lost his chance to play high school baseball altogether.

At that time, he only had one wish.

As long as he could play baseball, that was enough.

Now, however, that dream had already been fulfilled.

Naturally, his goals had grown larger.

He wanted to become a professional player.

Otherwise, considering his academic performance, his future options would be rather limited.

Compared to that, pursuing a professional baseball career seemed like a much better path.

Thinking about it, Kuramochi unconsciously clenched his fist.

First, he had to improve his batting.

He couldn't allow opponents to treat him as an easy target.

"I can definitely do it."

Meanwhile, on another bed, Sawamura Eijun was sleeping face-down in an utterly undignified position.

Every now and then, a faint snore escaped his mouth.

"As expected of a simple-minded idiot."

Kuramochi couldn't help shaking his head.

"His sleep quality is unbelievable."

Seido Baseball Club Coach's Office.

Coach Kataoka was still awake.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, he quietly looked toward the field.

Two figures remained there.

Yuki Tetsuya.

And Isashiki Jun.

Because of tomorrow's game, most players had finished practice early.

Yet these two seemed to have completely forgotten about that.

"By the way, we have a game tomorrow. Is it really okay to keep practicing like this?"

Since Yuki refused to leave, Isashiki naturally stayed as well.

That didn't mean he wasn't worried.

Yuki adjusted his grip on the bat.

"Even if I went back now, I wouldn't be able to sleep."

"So I might as well practice a little longer."

Isashiki's eyes widened in surprise.

Everyone praised Yuki for his incredible mental toughness.

But looking at him now, perhaps he wasn't as invulnerable as people believed.

The difference was that Yuki never showed weakness in front of others.

As the team's captain and cleanup hitter, how could he not feel pressure?

The burden he carried was unlike that of previous captains.

He wasn't merely expected to lead Seido to Koshien.

He was expected to lead them to national dominance.

Considering Seido's current achievements, anything less than winning the national championship would be viewed as failure.

Only by conquering the nation and successfully defending their title could they truly be considered successful.

Who could sleep peacefully while carrying that kind of responsibility?

Coach Kataoka watched silently.

He neither stopped them nor offered encouragement.

He simply stood there and observed.

Looking at those two figures, he seemed to see the very essence of the Seido High School Baseball Team.

He saw their determination.

Their pride.

Their future.

And he was certain of one thing.

The future awaiting these players would be brilliant.

At the same time, at Mishimen High School.

Even under the streetlights, the players continued practicing relentlessly.

Their coach and assistant coach stood at the base of the school building steps, quietly watching.

"Did Seido send anyone to watch today's game?"

"The players didn't come personally, but they sent someone to record it."

The assistant coach frowned.

Knowing that their next opponent was Seido, the kings of West Tokyo, no one on the team had been able to relax.

This was the opponent they least wanted to face.

The fact that Seido had even sent scouts to record their game only increased the pressure.

Coach Chiba suddenly laughed.

"Heh. They took the bait."

"As long as they prepare based on today's lineup, we'll be able to give them a huge surprise."

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

"But Seido's Ace is Zhou Hao."

"Even if we prepare everything perfectly, won't it still be difficult?"

"Don't worry."

Coach Chiba waved his hand confidently.

"They're a national powerhouse."

"And this isn't the Kanto Tournament."

"Teams like them look down on ordinary opponents. They won't send out their Ace right from the start."

"But it's their first game. What if they do?"

"There are no what-ifs."

Coach Chiba spoke with absolute conviction.

"Tomorrow, we'll give Seido High School a surprise they'll never forget."

"We're going to shock the entire nation."

Hearing his confidence, the assistant coach could only nod.

"Understood."

Early the next morning, the Seido players boarded the bus heading for Hachioji Stadium.

Before departure, Yuki Tetsuya gathered everyone together.

"No need to save it for the stadium."

"Let's do it here."

Seido's famous team chant was normally reserved for crucial games against major rivals.

Although Mishimen High School had performed well, they clearly didn't belong in that category.

So they decided to do it before leaving.

The players formed a circle around their captain.

Standing at the center, Yuki raised his head.

"Who are we?"

"SEIDO!!"

The thunderous roar echoed into the morning sky.