After the victory, Coach Kataoka faced Zhou Hao for the first time.
Even though Zhou Hao had been pitching and batting continuously, and using his Sharingan and Rasengan nonstop, he was completely exhausted. If not for his sheer willpower holding him up, he might have already collapsed on the spot.
But standing before Coach Kataoka, Zhou Hao was still incredibly nervous.
This man, the head coach of Seidou High School's baseball team, would directly determine Zhou Hao's future in the coming months.
If he could be promoted, Zhou Hao would have more chances to play in actual games.
Now that he had already won one match, he only needed to win five more to awaken his next skill.
How could Zhou Hao not be nervous?
After all, the chances for the second string to appear in games were extremely limited.
"Zhou Hao!"
"Here!"
Hearing Zhou Hao's response, Coach Kataoka nodded in satisfaction.
He liked this kind of straightforward kid.
Hesitating on the field could only lead to mistakes.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll train with the first string."
"Yes, sir."
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Zhou Hao was still overwhelmed with excitement when he heard the news.
As expected of Kataoka — he truly had guts when it mattered most.
Right now, Seidou's first string was short on pitchers, especially those capable of helping the team win games on the mound.
However, Zhou Hao was still just a freshman, and he wasn't without flaws.
At the very least, by Seidou's standards, Zhou Hao clearly didn't yet meet the qualifications to be promoted to the first string.
His usual training performance was consistently at the bottom.
Basically the last place on the second string.
Even if Seidou's team was short on pitchers, any pitcher promoted would at least have to keep up with the others' pace to be considered.
Just like when Zhou Hao was promoted from the third to the second string.
While his performance wasn't outstanding even in the third string, at least it was passable.
His promotion to the second string didn't raise any complaints.
His training results were acceptable, and he had a unique skill.
If he could help the team win during a match, then of course he deserved to be promoted.
But right now, Zhou Hao was clearly not up to standard.
Promoting such a player to the first string — if things went well, no problem. But if something went wrong, the responsibility would be immense.
Yet Coach Kataoka didn't hesitate at all and directly promoted Zhou Hao to the first string.
After saying his piece, Coach Kataoka turned and left.
As soon as the coach walked away, the other freshmen swarmed around Zhou Hao like stars surrounding the moon.
"That was amazing!"
"I didn't expect you to get promoted to the first string this quickly."
"Even if your usual training isn't great, today's performance in the game was perfect!"
"Getting a special promotion based on this match — even the second- and third-years won't have any complaints."
Especially the third-years — they were paying close attention to every spot on the first string.
If they didn't make the final roster, they would have to start preparing to leave the team.
This battlefield they'd fought on for three years… Even without accomplishments, who would really be willing to walk away?
Zhou Hao's promotion at this time would undoubtedly make the second-string third-years envious.
He'd probably be pushing someone out of the roster.
If that person was a second-year, maybe it would be fine — but if it was a third-year senior? The cruelty of that situation was obvious.
Precisely because of this pressure, the other first-year teammates were so supportive and encouraging.
After all, winning was the team's top priority.
Whoever could help the team win, whoever could help them reach Koshien — that's who deserved to be on the first string.
If seniority alone were the standard, there wouldn't be any second-years or Miyuki Kazuya on the first string.
Miyuki himself had replaced a senior.
The summer tournament roster was limited to just 20 players.
There simply wasn't room to keep extra people.
Zhou Hao's promotion to the first string was no exception.
"Congrats, Zhou-san."
Once the others dispersed, Kuramochi Youichi came over.
In today's game, aside from being subbed in as a pinch-runner at the end, Kuramochi hadn't had a chance to show his stuff.
Now, with only about two weeks left until the summer tournament draw, the main event was approaching fast.
That meant this was likely the last chance for anyone else to be promoted to the first string.
If not for Zhou Hao's special situation — and the desperate shortage of pitchers — he might not have been selected either.
"Don't get discouraged. You'll be promoted soon too," Zhou Hao comforted him.
Originally, Kuramochi had always been the one leading while Zhou Hao trailed behind.
Now, it seemed the roles were about to reverse.
"I heard that once you join the first string, you have to go through a week-long special training. Have you arranged your dorm yet?"
Kuramochi suddenly asked.
Zhou Hao was confused. "My family rented a place near the school. I commute."
"During special training, even commuting students have to stay in the dorms. I heard it from our dorm senpai."
Kuramochi replied with certainty.
Clearly, he had already looked into this thoroughly.
Not for Zhou Hao's sake — but for his own.
Kuramochi was clearly ready to join the first string himself.
Unfortunately, he just didn't get enough chances to perform today.
Which meant he didn't make the cut.
"Welcome to the first string, partner!"
Just then, Miyuki Kazuya walked over while the two were chatting.
He had already guessed that Zhou Hao would be promoted.
As the catcher for today's game, he knew better than anyone just how terrifying Zhou Hao's performance was.
For the current Seidou team, this was like a pie falling from the sky.
No way they could let that pie slip away.
As for Miyuki himself, he was also a bench player in the first string.
If he could form a strong bond with Zhou Hao, and the two became a battery (pitcher-catcher duo), then when competition for spots arose, he might get more opportunities.
It wasn't that Miyuki wanted to play this way — it was just that the current main catcher was ridiculously strong.
Even Miyuki didn't feel confident in taking the position from him.
He had no choice but to find another path.
"If you don't have a place to stay during the training camp, you can stay in our dorm. I'll talk to the two senpai there—"
Hearing Miyuki try to swoop in, Kuramochi immediately objected.
"Ever heard of first come, first served? I already talked to the senpai, and they agreed. From today, Zhou-san is officially part of Room 5."
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