It was the captain's duty to lead the team in shouting slogans.
However, Tanaka Kakuei intended to give this rare opportunity to his teammate, Azuma Kiyokuni.
"Haha, haha…"
Azuma grinned broadly, laughing, but he didn't immediately say yes or no.
Coach Kataoka looked over.
Tanaka met his gaze without hesitation. He wasn't joking. He truly meant it.
Compared to himself as captain, Tanaka believed Azuma Kiyokuni was better suited to represent the current Seido High School Baseball Team. Letting Azuma lead the cheer felt more appropriate.
Kataoka didn't object. He simply nodded slightly. Receiving the Director's approval, Tanaka turned to Azuma with sincerity in his eyes.
"You do it, Azuma."
After exchanging glances, the surrounding players quickly reached the same conclusion. In the current Seido team, the only person who could truly serve as their spiritual pillar was Azuma Kiyokuni.
"Yes, senpai, you do it!"
"We support you!"
"Don't be shy. Just like always, lead us with your batting!"
Azuma Kiyokuni, tall and burly, his belly protruding slightly, suddenly felt as if sand had gotten into his eyes.
They grew moist.
…
"I'll do it. I'll do it!"
Azuma stepped forward and stood at the center of the circle.
As Seido's top hitter, Azuma had always carried a firm resolve to lead the team to Koshien. Now, standing at the very center, that resolve surged several times stronger.
No matter the cost. No matter the effort.
He would reach the Koshien stage together with these teammates.
Azuma patted his stomach, swept his gaze across the group, and shouted with all his strength.
"Who are we?!"
"The king, Seidō!!!"
"Who shed the most sweat?"
"Seido!!"
"Who shed the most tears?!"
"Seido!!"
"Are you ready to fight?!"
"Oh!! Oh!! Oh!! Oh!!"
"Bearing pride in our hearts, we only have one goal! The National Championship! Let's go!!"
"Oh!! Oh!! Oh!! Oh!! Oh!! Oh!! Oh!!"
…
At that moment, it wasn't just the players on the field.
In the stands, fans, alumni, and classmates who had come to support Seido all joined in, shouting as one.
The entire Hachioji Stadium trembled under the roar of hundreds of voices.
On the other side, in Ichidai Third High School's dugout, their players were visibly stirred. For a brief moment, some of them even felt the urge to shout along with Seido.
If outsiders felt this way, it went without saying how Zhang Han felt.
As he shouted with his teammates, as he pointed to the sky with them, Zhang Han had never, ever, wanted to reach Koshien with these people as desperately as he did now.
Originally, according to his earlier plans, timing didn't matter. As long as he reached Koshien before graduating, he would be satisfied.
But now, his thoughts had completely changed. He couldn't afford to wait even one more year. It had to be this year.
With these teammates.
They had to go to Koshien and bring glory to Seido.
"West Tokyo Quarterfinals, Game Two. The match between Seido High School and Ichidai Third High School officially begins!"
After exchanging greetings, the game commenced.
Tanaka won the coin toss and chose to take the field first.
Top of the first inning.
Ichidai Third High School was up to bat.
From positions one through nine, Seido's players took their places on the field.
Right from the start, Seido made their intentions clear. They were going all out.
"Aim and hit, now's the time—"
Ichidai Third High School's cheer squad began singing their batting song.
The melody was loud and stirring, enough to make a batter's blood surge.
It boosted the hitter's morale, and at the same time, applied pressure to the pitcher.
In Ichidai's dugout, Director Tahara stood with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on Seido's pitcher's mound.
He had just reprimanded Hoshida and the others, and his irritation hadn't completely faded.
Those kids were still too immature. A single mistake could throw everything off.
As Director, he had to keep a close watch.
Still, when it came to today's match, what Hoshida and the others had told Zhang Han wasn't wrong. From Tahara down to the regular players, Ichidai Third High School was cautiously optimistic.
Strictly speaking, the offensive power of both teams was roughly equal.
Ichidai had a revived heavy hitter.
Seido, on the other hand, had seen a clear boost in offense since Zhang Han joined.
Overall, both sides had improved by about the same margin.
That meant today's game would come down to pitching.
Tenacity. Composure under pressure.
To put it simply, which team's Ace would give up fewer runs.
As for completely suppressing the opponent's lineup, Tahara didn't even dare hope for that. Both Seido and Ichidai possessed top-tier offensive power, even by national standards.
And while pitchers like Kameshima and Hidezawa were famous in Tokyo, they were still some distance away from the nation's absolute elite.
Offense clearly outweighed defense for both teams.
"Hidezawa's recent form is excellent," Tahara murmured. "But he hasn't made fundamental progress. That means his old problems are still there."
For Ichidai, the start of the game was a prime chance to attack.
Hidezawa had originally been a relief pitcher.
Back in middle school, he'd been Kameshima's substitute.
Relievers rarely start games, and they often lack experience opening under pressure.
That was why unstable starts were common for pitchers like him.
Ichidai's leadoff batter was short, barely 1.6 meters tall.
Standing among the others, he looked noticeably smaller.
But Hidezawa didn't dare underestimate him.
This player was Oda.
One of Ichidai Third High School's core members—and their vanguard.
Despite his size, Oda was extremely fast.
Once he reached base, Ichidai's scoring chances would skyrocket.
"Ping!"
"Foul!"
"Ball!"
"Strike!"
"Whoosh!"
"Ping!"
"Foul!"
Though cautious, Hidezawa wasn't intimidated.
Under Miyuki's guidance, he decisively released pitch after pitch.
The two sides exchanged four or five pitches, locked in a tense, evenly matched battle.
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