Chapter 77: The Gorilla Team!
When the players of Seidou High School baseball team arrived at the field, the first team that caught their eyes was the team opposite them.
The players of Seidou didn't even have time to thank the fans around them who were cheering for them before they were attracted by the opposing team.
"I'll go!"
"If I hadn't read the information in advance, I would have thought it was a competition with the weightlifting team."
"This is too strong!"
Although they had seen photos and videos before, nothing compared to seeing the players in person.
The contestants from Seiko Academy stood there like solid mountains of meat.
Even though they haven't actually played against the opponent yet, the players of the Seidou High School baseball team already had ideas in their minds.
The opponent they were playing against today was probably extraordinary.
They had to remain extremely alert and respond with caution.
Not only the players from Seidou, but even their supporters in the stands were stunned.
"What's going on with these guys at Seiko Academy?"
The players had studied the opponent's data beforehand, so they were somewhat prepared.
But the fans were different—they weren't familiar with Seiko Academy, so when the players came on the field, their true physicality was a shock.
Seeing those mountains of flesh, those strong bodies, those bulging muscles…
A picture naturally popped up in the minds of many fans.
They felt that the team about to face Seidou wasn't made up of baseball players—
But rather, a group of majestic gorillas.
"Is this the legendary gorilla army?"
When a fan said this out loud, the phrase quickly spread.
All the Seidou supporters in the stands were smiling.
"Who's calling us gorillas?"
In the rest area of Seiko Academy, a player who stood over 185 cm tall and weighed more than 100 kg looked up at the stands.
He seemed to have heard the comment.
"Idiot, who would admit to something like that? Just shut up!" snapped one of his teammates.
Apparently, this wasn't the first time the Seiko Academy players had been compared to gorillas.
They were used to it by now—but that didn't mean they liked it.
And they certainly didn't like bringing it up themselves.
"Please take your attention back. What you should be focusing on now is not that, but your opponent!"
The coach of Seiko Academy, an older man named Kumakiri Xiong, gave them a stern warning.
He was a well-known coach in the West Tokyo area and followed his own educational philosophy.
Seiko Academy under his guidance had inconsistent results—sometimes they played great, other times they were eliminated early.
But even in their best seasons, they had never made it to Koshien.
Such is the cruelty of West Tokyo.
Even a nationally elite team like Seidou High School had years when they didn't qualify for Koshien. A less prominent team like Seiko Academy stood even less chance against the three regional powerhouses.
Still, this year, both Coach Kumakiri and his team were filled with fighting spirit.
They might not make it to Koshien, but their confidence this year was unmatched.
Even if they had to take down the three giants of West Tokyo one by one—they refused to back down.
"Line up and salute!"
Before the game began, the two teams gathered and lined up on opposite sides.
"Please give me your guidance!"
"Please give me more advice!!"
Zhou Hao watched closely and noticed that the Seiko Academy players were even bulkier up close.
They'd already looked intimidating from a distance—seeing them now was something else.
"You still need to work on your fitness. Compared to them, your body is lacking!" said Chris after the pre-game ritual.
"I don't want to turn into a gorilla!" Zhou Hao muttered while shaking his head vigorously.
"The body type of a baseball player reflects their playing style and strengths," Chris lectured calmly, taking the opportunity to cram more knowledge into Zhou Hao.
Although Zhou Hao had bragged to a reporter earlier, one thing he said was true:
He lacked actual competition experience—completely.
Fortunately, his opponents hadn't studied him closely or tried to exploit his weaknesses. They just wanted a fair showdown.
That was why Zhou Hao hadn't been exposed.
Still, his rapid progress during practice couldn't be denied. He was no longer a total novice on the mound.
Thanks to his strong learning ability and hard work, he had mastered the fundamentals.
Now, he just needed to polish the finer details.
Chris was the perfect person to help with that.
Watching Zhou Hao and Chris talk, Kazuya Miyuki, glasses glinting under the sun, felt a twinge of envy.
He had originally been Zhou Hao's partner.
Now he was being pushed aside.
"I won't give up. I'll take back my position!"
Miyuki stared at Chris with determination.
Chris, noticing the look, turned and gave him a subtle nod—silently inviting him to come closer.
"Take the field!"
At Coach Kataoka's command, the Seidou High School players took their positions.
Top of the first inning: Seiko Academy was on the offense.
The announcer's voice echoed throughout the stadium:
"In the quarter-finals of the West Tokyo Regional Tournament, Seidou High School versus Seiko Academy... officially begins!"
The starting pitcher for Seidou was Yoshida.
As soon as he stepped onto the mound, his intensity was apparent.
Against the first Seiko batter, he fired a pitch straight to the inside corner.
"Wow!"
"So aggressive!"
Seiko's batters were all massive—their raw power was no joke.
Targeting the inside corner right away was a bold strategy. It could easily backfire.
But Yoshida was confident.
He believed in his pitching.
The Seiko batter widened his eyes in shock.
Boom!
He swung with full force—a powerful blow, even if it didn't hit the center of the ball.
But with his strength and the use of a heavy-duty metal bat…
Even an off-center hit could send the ball soaring.
Then, the baseball flew high into the sky…
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POWER STONE!!!
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