The century-long rivalry between the two powerhouse schools was thrilling from the very start. The clash between each team's Ace and their opposing batting lineup created the kind of explosive tension that made the crowd roar.
At the beginning, Ichidai Third High School delivered a devastating blow to Seido. They crushed Seido's Ace, Hidezawa, scoring four runs in a single inning.
But Seido wasn't willing to fold. Led by their monster Fifth Batter, Azuma Kiyokuni, they struck back fiercely in the fourth inning and scored three runs.
The score tightened to 5–3.
In the following innings, both sides exchanged blows without yielding. By the seventh inning, the score had become 7–6. Seido had climbed back from a four-run deficit to just a single run behind.
If the pace continued, Seido might even have staged a comeback.
But at the crucial moment, Ichidai's stout pitcher settled down. Using a newly mastered changeup, he walked Azuma but then cleanly struck out Yamada, the Fifth Batter. That killed Seido's momentum.
And it wasn't over. In their next offensive inning, Ichidai widened the lead again—by scoring another three runs in one go.
The scoreboard shifted to 10–6.
With only two innings left, Seido's defeat felt inevitable. The score deficit wasn't even the biggest problem. The biggest issue was the lack of pitching strength.
For the first few innings, second-year Tanba had done well. Under Chris's guidance, he pitched five full innings and allowed only two runs. He was a major reason Seido was able to recover from their disastrous start.
But after that, his stamina reached its limit. His pitches lost power, and Ichidai seized the opportunity to attack aggressively.
Around the stadium, fans sighed in regret.
"Such a pity for Seido."
"Their batting lineup is top-tier, but there's no reliable pitcher."
"Hidezawa is strong. If he had been in top form today, his speed alone would've shut down most hitters."
"Sure, if he performed at 100%. But he's inconsistent. No one knows when he'll pitch well or collapse."
"Kataoka must be suffering inside."
"Looks like Seido won't be getting past Ichidai or Inashiro this year."
"Forget beating the big three—they might not even take down Yakushi or Seikou next."
"No way. Even if they're struggling, Seido is still Seido. A powerhouse won't lose to mid-tier schools."
"What good is a strong batting lineup if the pitchers leak runs like a sieve?"
"They're not making Koshien this year. Again."
As a Seido team member—even though he wasn't on the field—Zhang Han felt his face burn.
Every comment felt like a slap.
He wanted to stand up and shout:
"Who said Seido High School can't do it? Stand up if you dare!"
But the score on the field didn't give him anything to stand on. The only thing shouting would accomplish was making him look reckless.
Hidezawa. Tanba.
Both had potential. Both were strong in their own ways. Logically, they shouldn't have crashed this badly.
But facing Ichidai Third High School today…
This result wasn't surprising.
It wasn't just Seido's pitchers who struggled. Ichidai's chubby Ace was getting hammered by Seido's hitters as well. If this were any other matchup, he would've been crushed.
Ichidai simply ran faster in this chase.
Zhang Han remembered a simple analogy: two hikers meet a tiger. The winner isn't the one who defeats the tiger. It's the one who runs faster.
Ichidai's pitcher wasn't brilliant—he was simply less disastrous than Seido's.
Director Tahara of Ichidai knew this as well. Even though they were about to win, he didn't act proud. He understood clearly:
Ichidai's victory today came because Seido's Ace was in poor condition.
If Hidezawa had been in form, Ichidai would have fallen behind—or even lost.
"In upcoming training, we need to keep strengthening our defensive abilities. Are you ready, boys?"
Back on the field, even though Seido was unwilling to accept defeat, they still fought desperately in the final moments.
The third-years scored a run, and second-years Yuuki and Chris teamed up to add another. Seido clawed back two runs.
But Ichidai continued pressing. Against Seido's exhausted pitcher, they scored three more.
When the final out was recorded, the scoreboard read:
13–8.
Seido High School Baseball Team had lost—and by a large margin.
It was their most crushing defeat in recent years. They had lost to Ichidai before, but never by more than five runs.
A brutal defeat.
A complete, crushing defeat.
"Tokyo Spring Tournament Quarterfinals. Advancing to the semifinals is Ichidai Third High School! Final score: 13–8. Although Seido showed great tenacity, strength cannot be made up by will alone. Congratulations to Ichidai Third High School…"
The commentator's voice faded into the distance.
The Seido players stood frozen on the field like puppets. They had trained for half a year for this. They had waited for this moment, dreaming of proving themselves.
No one expected it would end like this.
With the strength they had shown today… could they really challenge Ichidai or Inashiro before the Summer Tournament?
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