"Here we go."
Upon hearing that the next test participant was Zhou Hui, Coach Kataoka immediately lifted his head.
Zhou Hui was the student he was most concerned about.
Without Zhou Hui, Coach Kataoka might not have had any interest in this newcomer test at all.
He hadn't expected that Seidou High School could attract such a talent with their current performance.
This year, Seidou High School was the most hopeful to enter Koshien, but due to its historical context, many star first-years chose not to attend.
Compared to Seidou High School, the better options for reaching Koshien were Ichidaisan High School and Inashiro Industrial High School.
Although they had little chance of making the first team as first-years, their reputations made them tempted to join.
Without Zhou Hui's addition, Seidou High School might have been the team with the least gains compared to its competitors, even with Kanemaru and Toujou on the roster.
"Ah? Coach Kataoka is really interested in this student?"
Ohta, the club president, was puzzled.
He hadn't participated much in this year's recruitment efforts, including the national youth baseball tournament.
His main focus was on recruiting students from the junior high league, and he generally didn't pay much attention to youth baseball.
Even though Zhou Hui was a champion fourth batter, Ohta had no impression of him.
"But this student didn't perform particularly well in the first two tests. Compared to him, Kanemaru and Toujou are much better candidates," Ohta argued.
Coach Kataoka shook his head, clearly disagreeing with Ohta's assessment.
"If that's what you think, you're joking. In any case, his abilities can't be judged by the base running and pitching tests. Just wait and see."
Coach Kataoka smiled, as if he had already taken Zhou Hui under his wing.
But Ohta didn't pay much attention to it.
When Zhou Hui stepped up, the pitcher Makihara Masumi didn't even glance at him.
To him, all these first-years looked the same.
They were all cocky, thinking they were the best.
Makihara was currently preoccupied with how to teach these kids a lesson during the welcome match.
As Zhou Hui took the mound, the entire field fell silent.
What had been a noisy testing ground just moments ago became eerily quiet.
Especially the few students who had participated in national tournaments, their eyes were fixed on Zhou Hui.
"Here it comes."
One boy trembled as he saw Zhou Hui take his batting stance, as if he had seen something terrifying.
"What's wrong, Shirashi? Is he that scary?" another boy asked, confused.
"You don't understand. Back in Hokkaido, this guy was my nightmare. We were blocked by them from reaching the top four for two consecutive years."
"So what? The Eagles' lineup is deep, isn't it?"
The two boys were from different places; one was from Hokkaido, and the other from Chiba.
Their understanding of the Eagles was clearly on different levels.
"The Eagles' lineup is indeed strong, but they're not a traditional powerhouse. Their average performance is in the top eight, and it was only after Zhou Hui joined that they won the national tournament."
Upon hearing this explanation, the boy from Chiba's eyes widened.
One person can change a team? That's not something just anyone can do! How strong must he be, and how hard must he have worked to achieve such success?
"I'm going to start pitching now, so get ready."
Makihara scratched his ear, not even looking at Zhou Hui as he spoke.
Feeding balls to these first-years felt like an insult to him.
"Bring it on."
This time, the pitching for the newcomer test consisted solely of fastballs, either inside or outside.
For Zhou Hui, unless there was something particularly special about the pitch, like an overwhelming speed or spin, these were all easy for him.
Makihara raised his leg lazily and began to wind up his body.
Since he needed to keep the pitch speed around 130 km/h, he couldn't make his movements too exaggerated. He had practiced controlling his speed for a while, specifically to pitch to these kids!
"Whoosh!"
The white ball flew out, its trajectory clear, the speed not too fast, and there were no special changes.
It was practically served right to Zhou Hui!
With his chin tightly against his left shoulder, Zhou Hui focused intently on the incoming baseball.
Pitch type: high inside.
Since the inside and outside pitches were randomly alternated, the first-year newcomers didn't know whether it would be inside or outside at first.
They could only adapt on the fly.
After all, with a one-in-four chance, they couldn't afford to gamble.
That risk was too great!
For each different pitch, Zhou Hui had a different stance to face it.
For this particular pitch, he decided on a scooping swing!
This term might sound a bit unfamiliar; in simple terms, it meant a swing from low to high.
This stance could significantly help the ball fly high and far.
His right knee, waist, shoulder, and chin were all aligned on a central line!
As the baseball approached, Zhou Hui's waist began to rotate.
His wrist followed the direction of the swing, bringing the bat through.
"Clang!"
The baseball made solid contact, producing a crisp sound.
During his time in youth baseball, Zhou Hui had already experienced hitting a hard ball, so transitioning to high school was seamless.
Makihara didn't pay attention to the ball; he thought it would go wherever it wanted.
After all, he hadn't put in his full effort, so it wouldn't go far.
That was his true thought.
Naive! He was far too naive! He completely underestimated Zhou Hui!
All eyes were on the baseball soaring toward the outfield.
The white ball shot up like a rocket, soaring through the sky.
At that moment, it seemed as if the baseball had come to life.
"That was a great hit!"
"Right on the sweet spot!"
"It looks like he didn't even put in much effort."
Amidst the astonishment, the baseball descended like a meteor.
Fortunately, it was already flying out as it fell.
"Home run!"
"What?!"
Makihara leaned forward, nearly losing his balance.
Looking back, the baseball was indeed gone from the field.
This was what Coach Kataoka had been waiting for!
"Yes! I've been waiting for this pitch!"
Coach Katsuoka's eyes sparkled, and Ohta was left speechless beside him.
"I'm the number one batter in the nation; this kind of pitch is a bit disrespectful, don't you think?"