Yuki Tetsuya swung.
The bat sliced through the air with such force that it produced a thunderous boom.
The instant he heard that sound, Yakushi's starting catcher turned pale.
His eyes widened.
His mouth hung slightly open.
For a brief moment, he forgot to breathe.
Although Yakushi also possessed fearsome sluggers...
Watching Yuki swing was an entirely different experience.
Like a bolt of lightning, the white baseball that had just crossed the plate was blasted back into the field.
Crack!
The instant the ball came off the bat, every Yakushi fielder froze.
It was as though time itself had slowed.
Their bodies refused to move.
Only their eyes followed the soaring baseball.
Smack!
The ball landed safely in the outfield before taking another high bounce.
"It got through!"
The Seido supporters exploded into deafening cheers.
This was exactly the scene they had imagined countless times.
And now...
They were witnessing it with their own eyes.
Yuki Tetsuya had once again lived up to every expectation.
Standing on the mound, Sanada froze for only a split second before a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"So..."
"This is the cleanup hitter of a national powerhouse."
He had still underestimated Seido.
Unable to find even the slightest weakness in Zhou Hao, he had chosen to avoid him entirely.
Yuki, on the other hand, wasn't completely flawless.
There had been openings.
Small ones.
Sanada believed there was at least a chance.
So he gambled.
With Yakushi's overall strength, defeating Seido through conventional baseball was nearly impossible.
If they wanted any hope of victory...
They had to gamble.
They had to bet on their own execution.
And on their own luck.
Unfortunately...
This time, he lost.
There was nothing else to say.
He accepted it.
After driving the ball into the outfield, Yuki sprinted toward first base.
He didn't slow down.
When he noticed Yakushi hadn't recovered the ball immediately, he rounded first and charged straight for second.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hao exploded off second the instant the ball landed.
Third base.
Home.
He never even glanced toward the third-base coach.
The route home was completely open.
He crossed the plate standing.
"Safe!"
"And Seido High School scores the first run of the game!"
The scoreboard immediately changed.
Seido 1 — Yakushi 0
Nobody questioned Yakushi's strength.
Not Seido's players.
Not their supporters.
Not even the neutral spectators.
Everyone understood that Yakushi was a formidable team.
Yet despite their preparations...
They still couldn't stop Seido from striking first.
Even intentionally walking Zhou Hao hadn't slowed Seido's offense.
If anyone could understand Yakushi's frustration...
It would be Yakushi themselves.
Yet something unexpected happened.
Although giving up the opening run was undoubtedly a heavy blow...
None of Yakushi's players showed signs of panic.
Their eyes remained bright.
Focused.
Filled with fighting spirit.
"One more out!"
"Let's finish this inning!"
Seeing that attitude, even Seido's supporters couldn't help feeling surprised.
"These guys are something else."
"After facing Seido's offense, they're still this composed?"
"Honestly..."
"This is the first time I've seen a team stay so calm."
"Incredible."
Fujio, the veteran reporter from Baseball Kingdom, thoughtfully shifted his gaze toward Coach Todoroki Raizo.
A team's mentality reflected its coach.
For Yakushi's players to remain so composed after surrendering the first run...
It had to come from Todoroki's guidance.
Fujio immediately grasped the heart of the matter.
Todoroki Raizo's coaching philosophy was remarkably simple.
During practice...
Give everything you have.
Work harder than anyone else.
But once the game begins...
Forget the pressure.
Forget the result.
Simply enjoy playing baseball.
That philosophy had shaped Yakushi into the team standing on the field today.
They weren't playing while burdened by fear.
They were simply enjoying the game.
As for everything else...
They refused to dwell on it.
"Keep it up!"
"Just get one more out!"
Seido's fifth batter stepped into the batter's box.
The mustachioed Isashiki Jun.
Holding his bat high over his shoulder, he stared directly at Sanada.
He couldn't read minds.
But he didn't need to.
He knew exactly what Yakushi was thinking.
"You think I'm the easiest out?"
"Keep dreaming."
No matter what plans Yakushi had prepared...
Isashiki had absolutely no intention of cooperating.
Not only would he refuse to become their final out...
He intended to show them what true despair looked like.
Back during scouting, Seido hadn't placed much importance on Yakushi's previous ace.
Compared with the hitters, the pitching staff had never seemed particularly threatening.
The only thing that truly surprised Seido had been Yakushi's overwhelming offensive firepower.
As for the outcome of this game...
No one in Seido had ever doubted it.
From the very beginning, they believed they would win.
The only thing they cared about...
Was avoiding an embarrassing performance.
After all...
They were the reigning national champions.
They carried the pride and reputation of a national powerhouse.
Isashiki tightened his grip on the bat.
To him, Sanada had just surrendered a run.
That meant the pitcher's confidence should be wavering.
This was the perfect moment to press the advantage.
Strike while the iron was hot.
Finish Yakushi before they could recover.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Sanada moved.
Whoosh!
The baseball tore toward him like a bullet.
Its trajectory was so tight that it looked as though it was headed straight for his face.
Trying to intimidate me with an inside pitch?
The thought flashed through Isashiki's mind instantly.
His temper ignited.
"You're looking down on me!"
Even as he shouted—
His swing was already underway.
At the instant the baseball entered his hitting zone, Isashiki Jun brought the bat down in a powerful vertical swing.
The motion resembled a master swordsman drawing his blade in a lightning-fast strike.
Crack!
Despite the unconventional swing, the bat met the ball perfectly.
The white baseball shot sharply into the infield.
"Got you..."
A confident grin appeared on Isashiki's face as he casually prepared to drop the bat and sprint toward first.
Then—
A nimble figure burst into view.
Smack!
Yakushi's infielder charged in, cleanly fielded the ball, and fired it to first base in one smooth motion.
Pop!
"Out!"
Three outs!
Side retired.
The player responsible for the defensive gem was a third-year whose name had never attracted much attention before.
Yet at that crucial moment, he delivered a spectacular defensive play.
Even Seido's players were momentarily speechless.
The spectators were no different.
"Yakushi's defense is actually this good?"
"It goes beyond simply being good."
"A team's true strength is reflected by its defense, and based on what we've seen, Yakushi's defense is outstanding."
"Defense isn't built overnight."
"Considering they aren't known for having exceptional talent, just imagine how much blood, sweat, and effort they've invested to reach this level."
Hard work never lies.
Ever since Todoroki Raizo took over Yakushi Baseball Club...
The players had finally begun to see hope.
No one knew how far that hope would carry them.
But one sentence from their coach had completely changed the team.
"I've already taught you everything I can."
"The rest is up to you."
"I'm waiting for you to take me to Koshien."
Most of Yakushi's third-years weren't considered gifted athletes.
When they first joined the baseball club, many simply wanted to enjoy the sport.
Some even joined only to fulfill club activity requirements.
No one had ever expected greatness from them.
Least of all themselves.
Then Coach Todoroki looked them in the eyes...
...and told them he believed they could lead him to Koshien.
To those players...
That dream felt almost impossible.
It was so ambitious that they didn't even dare joke about it aloud.
But whether they spoke of it or not didn't matter.
It never stopped them from working harder behind the scenes.
If their coach could believe in them with such conviction...
Then how could they possibly betray that trust?
What if...
Just what if...
They actually succeeded?
That belief carried them through countless exhausting practices.
Although Koshien still remained out of reach...
Today, they had earned something equally meaningful.
The opportunity to stand on the same field as the reigning national champions—
Seido High School.
They had waited for this day for a very...
Very long time.
And now...
They were finally exchanging blows with the strongest team in the country.
"Come on!"
"We'll definitely—"
Inside Yakushi's dugout, every player burned with fighting spirit.
To them...
Giving everything they had was the greatest badge of honor.
Across the field, Seido's players exchanged puzzled glances.
They could clearly feel that Yakushi's morale had somehow risen even higher.
Yet none of them could understand why.
Yakushi had just surrendered the opening run.
Shouldn't their spirits be dropping instead?
"Why do they look even more excited now?"
"I was wondering the same thing."
"We're the ones in the lead..."
"Do these guys enjoy suffering or something?"
The Seido players couldn't make sense of it.
"Enough."
"Let's settle it on the field."
As Seido's ace, Zhou Hao rarely spoke with arrogance.
But this time...
His tone carried absolute confidence.
His calm gaze alone seemed to declare that Yakushi was already destined to lose.
"Let's go."
The game moved into the top of the second inning.
Yakushi came up to bat.
Leading off was today's cleanup hitter.
The third-year slowly raised his bat.
His heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears.
Standing on the mound before him...
Was Zhou Hao.
The undisputed No. 1 player in Japanese high school baseball.
Just moments earlier...
Yakushi's three monster first-years—players who normally dominated even their own upperclassmen—
Had been completely overwhelmed by him.
Against Zhou Hao...
They looked like children.
Now it was his turn.
Could he really challenge someone like that?
To put it another way...
Would he even be able to touch the ball?
No matter what anyone else thought...
His heart pounded uncontrollably.
And just then—
Zhou Hao moved.
Boom!
He showed no intention of holding back.
Right from the start, he unleashed overwhelming velocity.
The instant the batter saw the pitch...
Only one thought remained.
Fast!
There was no exaggeration.
No embellishment.
The speed completely shattered his expectations.
Before he could even begin his swing...
The baseball had already flashed past him.
He had no time to react.
Boom!
Pop!
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
"Strike three!"
"Strikeout looking!"
Yakushi's cleanup hitter was frozen at the plate.
He never offered a swing.
None of Yakushi's players found that surprising.
Even without standing in the batter's box themselves, they could see every pitch speed displayed on the giant electronic scoreboard.
Even when Zhou Hao wasn't pitching at full power...
His fastball still exceeded 155 km/h.
That level of velocity alone was enough to overwhelm most high school hitters.
Under those circumstances...
It wasn't surprising that their cleanup hitter couldn't make contact.
What truly surprised them...
Was that he never swung at all.
He simply watched pitch after pitch fly past him.
"Did he get scared stiff?"
"You couldn't even swing once?"
"Show a little backbone!"
Hearing his teammates' frustrated voices, Yakushi's cleanup hitter lowered his head in embarrassment.
Inside Seido's dugout, even the usually mild-mannered Manager Ota couldn't hide his pride.
Curling the corner of his mouth, he declared in a rare display of confidence,
"Never forget..."
"Your opponents are Seido."
"The reigning national powerhouse."