Chapter 516 - 516: Zhou Hao's Home Run Prediction!

Oshima was a special case within Seido High.

Before him, aside from the extraordinary Zhou Hao, Seido had almost never entrusted a first-year player with a key starting role.

Even Zhou Hao, despite already being Seido's undisputed ace at the time, hadn't been given the coveted No. 1 jersey during his first summer. Miyuki Kazuya didn't become the team's starting catcher until after the Summer Tournament, when the autumn season began.

Only Oshima was different.

Before this Summer Tournament had even begun, he had already earned the No. 9 spot in Seido's starting lineup.

A true starter.

For a first-year to receive that kind of recognition, it spoke volumes about his performances in both practice and official games. Combined with the reputation he had built during middle school, it was only natural that Seido's players and supporters had high expectations for him.

Deep down, many believed Oshima was capable of creating a miracle.

Especially now...

When his opponent was Yang Shunchen.

As the game progressed, both the players in Seido's dugout and the fans in the stands gradually came to the same conclusion.

Yang Shunchen was an exceptional pitcher.

Although he had been punished by Seido's three powerhouse sluggers, his overall performance was every bit as impressive as that of the elite pitchers Seido had faced before.

From that perspective, Oshima's chances didn't seem particularly favorable.

But Seido's loyal supporters weren't ordinary spectators who simply watched for excitement.

They understood baseball.

After carefully analyzing the game, they identified Yang Shunchen's greatest strengths.

His pinpoint control.

And his masterful pitch selection.

Those two qualities formed the foundation of his pitching.

Without them, his raw stuff could only be described as solid—not overwhelming.

Which also meant...

Purely in terms of pitching power, he wasn't enough to overpower Oshima.

If Yang couldn't dominate him with velocity or movement alone, then it would be difficult to keep Oshima in check through strategy alone.

Despite being only a first-year, Oshima's ability was no weaker than that of Seido's veteran starters.

If Masuko and Miyuki could capitalize on favorable matchups and drive the ball...

Then Oshima should be able to do the same.

All that remained was to see whether he could seize the opportunity.

As those thoughts crossed everyone's minds...

The showdown began.

Oshima's confidence mirrored that of Seido's supporters.

He believed he held the advantage.

Raising the bat high over his shoulder, he settled into an aggressive stance, fully prepared to swing with everything he had.

Even with the bases empty, he wasn't the least bit anxious.

As long as he could get on base—or better yet, drive the ball into the outfield—the lineup would turn back over to Seido's powerhouse hitters.

During the second trip through the order, Oshima had complete faith in his upperclassmen.

They would undoubtedly create scoring opportunities.

But...

A hit from him would carry a different meaning.

Whether it was Zhou Hao or Yuki, both were already famous stars of Seido.

Even on the national stage, they stood at the very top.

If Yang Shunchen gave up hits to players like them, no one would blame him.

It was only natural.

It was like asking an ordinary person to compete against Yao Ming in a dunk contest.

Would anyone feel ashamed after losing?

Of course not.

Most people couldn't even touch the rim after giving everything they had.

Yao Ming could simply reach up and place the basketball through the hoop.

That was the difference in class.

Not just Yang Shunchen—

Pitchers all across the country shared the same mindset.

Losing to Zhou Hao or Yuki wasn't embarrassing.

But...

Losing to a first-year rookie?

That was another matter entirely.

If Oshima managed to break through, it would deal a heavy blow to Akikawa's confidence.

And once their confidence collapsed...

The rest of the game might unravel with it.

After all, besides the scoreboard, confidence was what truly sustained a team during a game.

Oshima tightened his grip on the bat.

He wasn't simply trying to get a hit anymore.

He wanted to leave an impression.

He wanted everyone in the stadium to realize something.

Seido's strength didn't belong solely to a handful of star players.

Their entire lineup was dangerous.

If Akikawa believed they could rely on a single ace to compete against Seido...

They were dreaming.

Just then...

The baseball screamed toward the plate.

It tailed toward the very edge of the strike zone.

Oshima had faced countless pitchers throughout his baseball career.

Yet this was the first time he had encountered such a deceptive fastball.

It was only a hair away from missing the zone completely.

And...

It landed in the exact location he hated most.

There was no doubt about it.

Yang Shunchen had done it on purpose.

Oshima kept the bat on his shoulder.

Instead, he stared toward the pitcher's mound in disbelief.

"Do they really know my tendencies that well?"

Before he could think any further—

Pop!

The baseball settled firmly into the catcher's mitt.

"Strike!"

Strike one.

Oshima immediately snapped back to reality.

Only now did he fully understand the caliber of the pitcher standing before him.

He had underestimated Yang Shunchen.

This wasn't just another talented high school pitcher.

He was one of the best in the nation.

A pitcher respected enough to earn his own nickname.

There was no way someone like that could be easy to deal with.

Before Oshima had time to adjust...

The second pitch arrived.

The first had attacked him inside.

The second targeted the outside corner.

Once again...

It landed in another spot Oshima disliked.

Aside from Zhou Hao and Yuki, none of Seido's hitters could honestly claim to have no weaknesses.

Some flaws could be corrected through training.

But for Seido's players, who trained relentlessly every day, those technical shortcomings were almost nonexistent.

Most of their weaknesses came from something that couldn't easily be changed.

Their physiques.

Some were powerfully built.

Others were lean.

Some were tall.

Others relied more on flexibility than raw strength.

Each player had molded their body to maximize their own talents.

Even those who weren't naturally gifted had become exceptional athletes through relentless training.

But every advantage came with a tradeoff.

To maximize their power, each player's body developed differently.

Some built exceptionally strong arms.

Others relied on tremendous core strength and powerful hips.

Those traits increased their hitting power...

But they also limited the range of their swing.

As a result, every batter had certain pitch locations that were more difficult to handle.

That was the dilemma Oshima found himself facing now.

And Yang Shunchen had seen through it completely.

Every pitch he threw targeted the exact locations Oshima was least comfortable attacking.

Before entering high school, Oshima would have been cursing the moment he ran into an opponent like this.

He preferred straightforward battles.

He hated being picked apart through scouting reports and targeted so precisely.

But after joining Seido...

After spending the past two or three months training alongside the nation's strongest team...

He had changed.

Even against pitches he disliked, he was no longer helpless.

The first pitch had been a probe.

Now, as Yang Shunchen delivered the second...

Oshima stepped forward without hesitation.

Twisting his waist to generate explosive force, he unleashed a full-powered swing.

Boom!

The instant the bat cut through the air, everyone's attention was drawn to him.

Especially those spectators who weren't familiar with Seido.

They stared in disbelief.

A pitch that had completely shut down so many of Seido's second- and third-year hitters...

Had just been squared up by a first-year rookie.

Oshima's sturdy frame and explosive bat speed left a deep impression.

Clang!

The white baseball rocketed off the bat.

He got it.

Without wasting a moment, Oshima threw down the bat and sprinted toward first base.

Unfortunately...

The ball lacked enough carry.

After traveling only forty or fifty meters, it began to descend.

Akikawa's outfielder had initially misjudged the flight.

He hurried forward several steps before making the catch.

Snap!

"Out!"

"I thought a first-year with that much hype would be something special."

"So that's all?"

Because of the distance, Oshima couldn't make out every word.

But...

He saw the contempt in the outfielder's eyes.

His blood nearly boiled.

"Akikawa..."

"Yang Shunchen..."

He silently engraved both names into his memory.

Three outs. Change sides.

The game moved to the bottom of the second inning.

Akikawa High came to bat.

Their offense in the first inning had been excellent.

Everyone could tell that Furuya Satoru had been on the verge of losing control.

If they had managed to score those two runs...

The entire game would have unfolded differently.

Unfortunately...

There were no "what-ifs" in baseball.

Because they failed to capitalize on that opportunity...

The scoreboard still read:

Seido 2, Akikawa 0.

Although Akikawa's batters stepped into the box determined to fight back...

The pitcher standing on the mound was still Furuya Satoru.

After Miyuki Kazuya's adjustments, Furuya had sacrificed a bit of velocity.

In exchange...

His control had stabilized considerably.

Akikawa's lineup had obvious strengths and weaknesses.

Their greatest strength was discipline.

They knew exactly what they were good at and had spent considerable time preparing specifically for Furuya.

But...

Their overall ability still couldn't compare with Seido's.

So even though Furuya's fastball had lost a little speed...

It remained overwhelming.

Boom!

The blazing fastball screamed across the plate.

Akikawa's batter could only watch helplessly.

He never even started his swing.

Pop!

"Strike!"

"Strike two!"

"Strike three!"

"Batter out!"

Another batter came up.

The result...

Didn't change.

"Strike three!"

Then another.

Again...

"Strike three!"

Three consecutive strikeouts.

Three outs. Change sides.

Furuya retired the side in dominant fashion.

The Seido supporters erupted into thunderous applause.

"He was incredible!"

"Even if Akikawa prepared specifically for him, it doesn't matter."

"The gap between the two teams is simply too big."

From the perspective of Seido's supporters, that assessment felt completely justified.

They didn't want to sound arrogant.

But the difference in talent was impossible to ignore.

A first-year substitute pitcher from Seido had completely overwhelmed Akikawa's hitters.

However...

Not everyone was pleased.

Coach Kataoka's expression remained unusually serious.

"How many pitches did Furuya throw that inning?"

"Thirteen."

"Twenty-four in the first inning."

"Thirteen in the second."

His efficiency had improved.

But after only two innings...

Furuya had already thrown thirty-seven pitches.

A power pitcher like him couldn't maintain his best form for long.

His effective pitch count was only around sixty to seventy pitches.

Perhaps even less.

On top of that...

Furuya worked at an exceptionally fast pace.

Coach Kataoka glanced toward the mound.

Sweat streamed down Furuya's forehead.

His jersey was soaked through.

The summer heat was relentless today.

It looks like we'll have to warm up the bullpen earlier than planned.

Top of the Third

Seido's offense returned to the field.

The score remained 2–0.

Leading off the inning...

"First batter, Kuramochi."

Carrying his bat over his shoulder, Kuramochi swaggered toward the batter's box.

He looked relaxed.

But inwardly, his thoughts were anything but calm.

Trying to outsmart this guy won't work.

I'll have to beat him head-on.

After battling through five pitches...

Kuramochi finally put one in play.

Clang!

The ground ball bounced sharply back toward the mound.

Yang Shunchen calmly fielded it.

Pop!

"Out!"

One out. Bases empty.

Next came Kominato Ryosuke.

Even after watching Kuramochi's at-bat, he found no answers.

Yang Shunchen's pinpoint control forced him into an uncomfortable position.

Normally, Kominato excelled at laying off pitches just outside the strike zone.

But against Yang...

He couldn't afford to ignore those borderline pitches.

As a result, the strike zone seemed to expand with every pitch.

For a precision hitter like Kominato...

It was an extremely frustrating feeling.

Yang Shunchen never let up.

After another lengthy battle...

He finally delivered the decisive pitch.

Clang!

The ball was hit sharply—

Straight toward the second baseman.

Snap!

"Out!"

Two outs. Bases empty.

By now, even Seido's supporters had begun to realize something.

The longer the game went on...

The harder Yang Shunchen became to figure out.

Before this matchup, he had concealed much of his true ability throughout the tournament.

Everything Seido had learned beforehand...

Was only the surface.

If they wanted to break him down...

They would have to discover something new.

Just then—

"Third batter, number one... center fielder, Zhou Hao!"

Zhou Hao stepped into the batter's box.

The moment he settled into his stance...

He slowly extended his bat straight toward the pitcher.

Then...

He raised it upright.

"My God..."

"Why does that pose look so familiar?"

"It's his home run prediction!"

"As long as Yang throws a strike..."

"Zhou Hao is going to send it out of the park!"