Chapter 15: Zhou Hao's Future Is Limitless!
"It went through!"
Zhou Hao successfully reached first base, securing his team's first hit of the game.
Although it was just an ordinary hit, it held extraordinary significance for Zhou Hao.
After all, this was an important assessment. Getting a hit at such a crucial moment was far more meaningful than any hit in a regular game.
More importantly, he had unknowingly upgraded his Sharingan to the second level.
The Level 2 Sharingan not only allowed him to clearly observe everything around him and slow down fast movements…
Even more significantly, Zhou Hao could now copy others' actions using the Sharingan.
Although he could only replay those actions in his mind after copying them,
Zhou Hao couldn't directly perform them right away!
But as long as he retained the image in his mind and trained diligently, he had a high chance of mastering others' unique techniques.
Take, for example, the chubby Midorima's spiral pitch.
Although Midorima didn't look agile, he had already rotated his wrist during his pitch preparation,
Which added extra spin to the baseball throughout the entire pitching motion.
Zhou Hao had copied that pitch.
Of course, copying was one thing; using it effectively on the field was something else entirely.
Moreover, their physical attributes were different — height, weight, palm size — all varied.
Because of those differences, the actual result of throwing the ball would differ vastly between the two of them.
Still, Zhou Hao was very happy.
Previously, he had tried to improve by relying solely on his own hard work — with almost no results.
He could only pray that his buggy system would reward him again,
Just like how it rewarded him with the Sharingan!
But now things were different. The upgraded Level 2 Sharingan could copy any action.
By replicating these movements in his mind, Zhou Hao would get twice the results with half the effort during practice.
One day of his practice would be equivalent to a week or even a month of someone else's.
Even if Zhou Hao had a weak foundation, with such a powerful boost, his strength would rise rapidly.
Even if he didn't get selected by Coach Kataoka this time, it wouldn't be long before he joined the First String team.
Besides, he had just made a successful hit!
Why wouldn't Coach Kataoka value him?
In fact, Coach Kataoka's gaze toward Zhou Hao had already changed.
To him, this boy was like a hidden treasure mine waiting to be discovered.
That wasn't an exaggeration — it really was a hidden goldmine.
As the coach of a powerhouse team, Coach Kataoka had a sharp eye.
He could clearly see Zhou Hao's lack of training.
Yet even in that condition, Zhou Hao still shone on the field.
Once his physical attributes caught up — even if he didn't have someone like Yuki's natural athleticism — as long as he reached the average First String level at Seidou High,
Zhou Hao would still become a dazzling star on the field.
"This boy's future… is limitless."
Coach Kataoka had the urge to bring Zhou Hao to the First String immediately.
But currently, Seidou's First String team wasn't short on strong hitters.
As one of Tokyo's — even Japan's — best batting teams, the First String lineup was full of skilled hitters.
Bringing Zhou Hao up purely for his batting would be unfair to the second- and third-year players.
No matter how talented Zhou Hao was, his hitting wasn't yet on par with the upperclassmen at this stage.
"If only he were a pitcher…"
Unlike the abundance of good hitters, pitching had always been Seidou High's weak point.
Even their current ace was barely passable.
Their top backup pitcher, Tanba, had all sorts of problems.
Just as Coach Kataoka was thinking this—
Seidou's second batter selflessly laid down a bunt.
Ping!
Naturally, the player who bunted was thrown out, but his sacrifice was not in vain — Zhou Hao immediately dashed to second base.
Though his speed wasn't impressive, he made it to second base in time.
One out, runner on second.
Once Seidou's offense gained momentum, it was like a raging river — endless and unstoppable.
The players from Matsuyama High School could feel the pressure intensifying. At this moment, their coach gave a firm order:
"Focus on the batter! Don't worry about the runner!"
The chubby pitcher not only had clumsy movements, but also wasn't the brightest.
Upon hearing his coach's command, he obediently focused solely on the batter, completely ignoring Zhou Hao.
Boom!
Seidou's third batter today was originally the clean-up hitter from the Second String.
His batting ability was always considered the best among the reserves.
But against Midorima, despite swinging with all his might, he could only barely make contact — unable to control the ball's direction.
Ping!
The ball was quickly caught by a Matsuyama fielder.
Pop!
"Out!"
Two outs, runner on second.
Only now did Matsuyama's players breathe a small sigh of relief.
Although things hadn't gone smoothly, the result was still within acceptable limits.
"Let's finish them off in one go!"
Even if they gave up a hit, as long as they got this third out,
They wouldn't have lost much in the first inning.
"Alright!"
Midorima's voice was low and muffled.
Totally different from how he was while pitching.
When the baseball was in his hands, it felt like a cannonball, and Midorima himself was like the cannon.
Boom!
Stride. Arm swing.
As the white baseball flew from Midorima's hand, everyone on the field could feel the pressure.
He was like a wall of meat.
"This guy must weigh at least 300 pounds!"
Given his height and round figure, it was no wonder Seidou's players had that impression.
But just as everyone was thinking that—
Seidou's cleanup hitter suddenly moved.
A player who usually had almost zero presence on the First String team,
Now stood like a mountain.
Facing Midorima — the mountain of flesh — he didn't back down even a step and chose to confront him head-on.
Whoosh!
The bat swung through the air, creating a loud slicing sound.
The next moment, everyone saw the bat connect solidly with the white baseball.
The very same ball that forced Zhou Hao to rely on trickery just to make contact.
The same pitch that made Seidou's Second String clean-up hitter lower his head in despair.
In Shimoike Akira's hands, it was treated like a toy — he launched it clean off.
Whoosh!
Everyone watched as the white baseball flew over most of the field, landing deep in the outfield.
Because Matsuyama's players trusted their ace, they had positioned their defense closer in.
This left them no time to cover the deep field.
"Run!"
As the ball hit the ground, Zhou Hao didn't hesitate — he dashed for third base.
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