Thank You all for the Kind comments and reviews. The Volume 2 is relatively short one but still packs the same excitement. Enjoy the two extra chapters.
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At the beginning of the Koshien tournament, Osaka Kiryuu High School Baseball Team and Seihou High School baseball team were widely regarded as the two most promising contenders for the championship.
Now, after overcoming obstacle after obstacle and defeating one formidable opponent after another, the two powerhouses had finally met in the finals.
A clash of titans like this naturally drew the attention of tens of millions of fans across the country.
After losing his fifty-round battle with Lan Yu for control of the television remote, Zhang Han could only accept his defeat. His sister sat triumphantly in front of the 32-inch LCD TV, while he retreated to his room with his smartphone.
Watching on a small screen was far less comfortable. The details were harder to see, and the immersive feeling of the stadium atmosphere was diminished.
However, there was one unexpected advantage.
Bullet comments.
When watching a live broadcast on television, there were no real-time reactions from viewers scrolling across the screen. But on his phone, countless viewers posted their thoughts in rapid succession.
Zhang Han stared at the barrage of comments flying across the screen.
There were jokes, sarcasm, emotional outbursts, tactical analyses, and even creative memes that he had never seen before. At first, he did not fully understand some of the phrases, but after reading a few more comments and combining the context, their meanings became clear.
There were indeed many talented people online. The creativity in the comments was astonishing.
If he had the chance, Zhang Han thought, he would go back and rewatch Seido's own quarterfinal match, just to see how these netizens had commented on it.
The thought made him unexpectedly curious.
After a few minutes, however, he turned off the bullet comment function.
There were simply too many comments. They completely covered the screen, making it difficult to follow the details of the game. When focusing seriously on the match, the comments became a distraction rather than entertainment.
The game had reached its later stages.
After eight intense innings, the score stood at 3 to 3.
Zhang Han frowned slightly.
From what he knew, both Osaka Kiryuu and Seihou possessed exceptional offensive strength. For such teams to combine for only six runs after eight innings suggested an extremely cautious and tightly controlled battle.
He glanced carefully at the scoreboard.
Osaka Kiryuu had scored two runs early in the game, then added one more in the seventh inning.
Seihou had seized their opportunity in the sixth inning, scoring three runs in a single burst.
Both sides had played conservatively.
Their ace pitchers performed brilliantly, offering almost no openings.
At the same time, it demonstrated just how sharp both offenses were. The moment an opportunity appeared, it was converted into runs with ruthless efficiency.
Zhang Han felt a faint regret.
He had not had the chance to face Seihou High School baseball team.
From the way they played, their style seemed quite different from Osaka Kiryuu's. Where Osaka Kiryuu relied on suffocating discipline and tactical precision, Seihou appeared to favor explosive bursts and calculated aggression.
Next time, when Seido returned to Koshien, he would make sure to face them.
He silently made that promise to himself.
As he was thinking, the game entered the ninth inning.
The physical state of both teams was visibly deteriorating.
No matter how rigorous a powerhouse team's training might be, playing six high-intensity games within less than two weeks against elite opponents inevitably drained even the strongest athletes.
The exhaustion on the players' faces was unmistakable.
They were holding on through sheer willpower.
If someone collapsed on the field, it would not have been shocking.
Zhang Han understood this better than most.
Koshien was cruel.
Many people had claimed that Seido was completely suppressed by Osaka Kiryuu in their quarterfinal. Zhang Han acknowledged that Osaka Kiryuu had been stronger overall.
But was it not also true that Seido's players had spent tremendous energy in earlier rounds?
By the final stages of their match, physical fatigue had clearly affected them.
If Hidezawa had managed to hold on until the end.
If their stamina had not reached its limit.
Even if Matsumoto Takahiro had adopted an intentional walk strategy earlier.
Zhang Han still believed they would have had a fighting chance.
Just two runs.
If he had been at bat in that final moment...
He shook his head.
There was no point indulging in such fantasies. He disliked playing the hero in hindsight.
Even if Osaka Kiryuu had confronted him head-on instead of walking him, he could not say with absolute certainty that he would have blasted a home run.
If he had only managed a single, would it have been enough?
Perhaps not.
In truth, Seido's defeat was not unfair. Compared to Osaka Kiryuu, there was indeed a gap. The title of Cosmic Team was not earned casually.
Still, that realization left Zhang Han unsettled.
He was not afraid of being inferior. Weakness could be corrected. Strength could be cultivated.
What troubled him was uncertainty.
Where exactly was the gap?
In training volume, Osaka Kiryuu's players were no less disciplined than Seido's.
But Seido's players had also trained relentlessly.
Why, then, did the difference in stability and execution become so evident under pressure?
Perhaps after returning to school, he needed to discuss this thoroughly with Coach Kataoka. As Zhang Han was lost in thought, the final moments of the championship game unfolded.
Masaoka stepped up to the plate for the fifth time in this Koshien tournament.
The tension was suffocating.
Then came the swing. The crack of the bat echoed sharply. The ball soared over the outfield fence.
A walk-off home run. His fifth of the tournament.
Final score, 4 to 3.
Osaka Kiryuu High School Baseball Team claimed the championship.
They secured their seventh Koshien title in school history.
In post-game interviews, several Osaka Kiryuu players unexpectedly mentioned Seido High School Baseball Team.
They said that the quarterfinal battle had been transformative.
Before the final, many commentators had favored Seihou. On one hand, Seihou had been considered slightly stronger on paper. On the other hand, Osaka Kiryuu had seemingly revealed all of their tactical cards against Seido.
Many believed they would struggle in the final.
Reality proved otherwise.
What critics failed to consider was that surviving a life-and-death battle could forge a team stronger. Osaka Kiryuu had emerged from that crisis hardened. Even Seihou's super freshman, who hit two home runs and pitched brilliantly in the final, could not overturn the result.
Looking back at the statistics, a striking pattern emerged.
In the semifinal, Osaka Kiryuu won 6 to 1.
In the final, they won 4 to 3.
Across their previous three games before facing Seido, they conceded only three runs.
Over six games at Koshien, including three matches against top national powerhouses and two strong schools, they allowed a total of nineteen runs.
Seido alone had scored twelve of those nineteen.
That meant more than half of the runs conceded by the champions came from one team.
Including regional matches, Osaka Kiryuu had not allowed that many runs in combined games outside of their clash with Seido.
The realization spread gradually among fans and analysts.
Seido High School Baseball Team had not been weak.
On the contrary, their offensive power had pushed the eventual champions closer to defeat than anyone else.
And that fact lingered in Zhang Han's mind.
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