Seidou High School Baseba ll Team won the Tokyo Spring Tournament opener.
It was a match without suspense, and no one was surprised by the result.
From the perspective of the First String players, the game itself wasn't particularly exciting.
The gap in strength between the two teams was obvious.
Even without deep analysis, anyone could see it at a glance—let alone players from other schools.
Under such circumstances, whether the score difference was large or small didn't really matter.
However, less than two days later, the First String rookies of Seidou High School Baseball Team were thoroughly shocked.
Their team had become a national sensation.
Newspapers piled up in stacks. Sports magazines filled entire pages. Their phones buzzed nonstop with messages and notifications.
Everywhere they looked, the same headlines appeared.
"Seidou High School Baseball Team: The Return of the King!"
"27–0! An Unprecedented Score!"
"Ace Zhou Hao's 155 km/h Fastball Appears for Just One Inning!"
Putting all these reports together, one conclusion was obvious.
Seidou was back in the spotlight—more popular than ever.
The 27–0 score had pushed them directly into the national spotlight.
And the root of it all lay in Seidou's achievements from the previous year.
They were last year's national champions.
Although they had suffered an unexpected defeat in the Autumn Tournament, this wasn't uncommon in high school baseball.
Especially in a brutal district like Tokyo.
After exhausting battles in the Summer Tournament, Seidou hadn't been fully prepared for autumn.
Their loss was understandable.
Now, after regrouping, they had once again displayed the dignity and strength of national champions.
From the perspective of reporters and baseball professionals, a team capable of creating such miracles naturally deserved their full attention.
Only then did these First String freshmen truly realize—
They had joined the legendary Seidou High School Baseball Team.
This feeling was completely different from before.
Previously, they only felt that Seidou's training was harsh and their seniors were incredibly strong.
Other than that, nothing felt particularly special.
But now?
Everything was different.
A team with such history and prestige would never stop here.
They would undoubtedly create even more legends.
"I really want to make the First String and play alongside those seniors…"
"You think you're the only one?" another rookie laughed bitterly.
"Everyone thinks that. But the ones who actually get the chance—"
A First String rookie stared at the newspaper in his hands, his eyes burning with passion.
Yet even as his heart burned, his mind remained clear.
Only a very small number of people would truly get that opportunity.
And among this year's rookies, there were far too many monsters.
Pitchers capable of throwing over 100 meters—things they had only heard rumors about before.
Now they had seen it with their own eyes.
Such talent could only be described as monstrous.
And this year, there were three of them.
On top of that, there were many more who could throw eighty or ninety meters.
Standing out among such people to compete for just two spots?
Just thinking about it made one's scalp tingle.
The disparity between players often led to despair—
Especially when it came to talent.
"Don't be too discouraged," someone suddenly said.
"I heard that when Zhou Hao first joined Seidou, he wasn't that noticeable either. He only truly stood out during the rookie game."
"In the end, strength can only be proven on the field."
Hearing this, many First String rookies looked doubtful.
That was Zhou Hao they were talking about.
The undisputed number one player in high school baseball.
An existence like the sun itself.
Whenever Zhou Hao appeared, everyone else inevitably faded into the background.
After Seidou's first game, the rookies had personally witnessed Zhou Hao being surrounded by reporters.
It was only the opening match.
Their opponents were still present, and Seidou players were everywhere—
Yet it felt like Zhou Hao alone was holding a press conference.
All eyes were on him.
Anyone who joined Seidou had dreams.
Dreams of becoming a star like Zhou Hao.
And precisely because of that admiration, it was hard to imagine him ever being inconspicuous.
"I heard it directly from the seniors," the rookie insisted.
"It can't be false."
He didn't know why Coach Kataoka wanted these words passed on.
But the authenticity of the story was unquestionable.
Many second- and third-year players could confirm it.
Once these words spread, the First String rookies became even more motivated.
Their training intensity noticeably increased.
Inside the coaching office.
Coach Kataoka, Manager Ota, and Takashima Rei stood by the window, quietly observing the players training below.
"These kids are really hardworking," Manager Ota said with a smile, rubbing his hands.
"And their talent isn't bad either."
Seidou hadn't recruited so many promising players for several consecutive years.
During tryouts alone, three people had clearly stood out.
Logically speaking, all three were worth cultivating.
But unfortunately, the current roster only had two openings.
That meant one person would inevitably be eliminated.
Oshima Shin.
Furuya Satoru.
Or Sawamura Eijun.
If only they could hold a rookie game right now.
Simple tryouts made it difficult to truly judge strength.
Only by stepping onto the field could a player's true level be revealed.
But it was currently tournament season.
Holding a rookie game wasn't realistic.
They would have to wait until after the Spring Tournament, when the third-years were about to retire.
Of course, this wasn't absolute.
Just like last year, special circumstances could force an early decision.
This year might be the same.
Just as Manager Ota was thinking this, Coach Kataoka spoke calmly.
"It will be those two."
It was time to use the reserved spots.
Despite Seidou's eye-catching performance in the opening match, Coach Kataoka still saw flaws.
First—pitching depth.
Zhou Hao was excellent, but the strength of the relief pitchers was concerning.
If there were promising pitchers among the rookies, they couldn't afford to let them go.
Second—batting balance.
Seidou's offense was already terrifying.
Winning early with a 27–0 score was proof enough.
Such firepower was rare—not just in Tokyo, but nationwide.
It could be said that the current Seidou was close to perfection.
However, there were still gaps in the batting lineup.
When Azuma Kiyokuni was still on the team, this issue wasn't obvious.
But after his departure, the imbalance became clear.
Zhou Hao and Yuki Tetsuya were simply too strong.
The others couldn't be compared to them.
Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a problem.
But strong teams had already exploited this weakness before—
Intentionally walking the most dangerous hitters and focusing on the rest.
They did this even when Seidou had three power hitters.
Now that there were only two, it would be even easier.
Against ordinary teams, it didn't matter.
But against true powerhouses?
It would.
If Seidou wanted to dominate the nation, they had to address this.
Ignoring it would be short-sighted.
"That's why," Coach Kataoka concluded,
"we need to promote players early."
Manager Ota sighed softly.
"Those two are good… it's just a shame."
On the field, the First String players continued training.
During a break, Kuramochi Yoichi grinned and walked over to Zhou Hao.
"What do you think those teams we crushed will feel when they see this news?"
Not just the rookies—
The core players were also paying close attention to the media.
Seeing headlines about Seidou's "Return of the King" stirred something deep inside them.
After the graduation of the previous third-years, leading the team forward had weighed heavily on everyone's heart.
Especially after their unexpected Autumn Tournament defeat.
For the past six months, every one of them had worked relentlessly.
They wanted Seidou to rise again.
Now, their start was undeniably strong.
But such momentum also had consequences.
Teams aiming to challenge Seidou couldn't remain unaffected.
Across the country, Spring Tournaments were underway.
Powerhouses like Osaka Kiryu, Seibō, Seiko Academy, and others responded in their own ways.
They crushed their opponents mercilessly.
17–0.
19–0.
Osaka Kiryu even reached 21–0.
They wanted to prove they weren't inferior to Seidou.
Yet no one reached 27–0.
That number was simply too unreal.
The rules themselves limited them.
Games ended early after five innings if the score gap grew too large.
Scoring that many runs so quickly wasn't easy.
Among them, the most frantic was Inashiro Industrial.
Fresh off a runner-up finish at Spring Koshien, they were riding high.
Against their opponents, they went all out.
They achieved 23–0.
An astonishing score—
Yet still short.
They had done everything they could.
They simply lacked Seidou's "coincidence."
After all, Seidou hadn't even been deliberately chasing a huge score.
They had simply played smoothly—
And completely broke the opposing pitcher in the process.
From this alone, Seidou understood one thing.
Their future opponents would not be easy.
Zhou Hao knew this better than anyone.
Many of those frantic teams included familiar faces.
After seeing Seidou's 27–0, they sent him messages filled with sour jealousy.
Zhou Hao could easily imagine their expressions—
Envy. Jealousy. Hatred.
And beneath it all—
Burning ambition.
"They're serious now," Zhou Hao murmured.
As Seidou's Ace, he had anticipated this long ago.
This year's challenges would be no easier than last year's.
Last year, they were the challengers.
Now, they were the hunted.
Every team would study them.
Target them.
Prepare specifically for them.
But even so—
Zhou Hao remained confident.
With these teammates…
They would still dominate the nation.
That was the confidence of Seidou's Ace.