"This guy is getting more and more out of line…"
Among the gathered players of Inashiro Industrial High School, it wasn't the third-year veterans who showed impatience.
Instead, it was the first-year prodigy—Narumiya i—who stood up first, clearly frustrated.
"Don't mind him, that's just how he is," Harada said, trying to smooth things over with a wry smile.
But before the seniors could say anything else, Carlos and Shirakawa, two more first-year substitutes, also stood up.
"Carlos, Shirakawa—!"
The seniors looked on, their expressions darkening. Three first-year rookies ignoring team discipline?
Why were this year's juniors so damn unruly?
"This ga's already over," Shirakawa said coldly, brushing off the tension. "We should be thinking about how to beat them, respected senpai."
"It's only the second inning! What the hell are you talking about?"
But no matter how the seniors scolded or threatened, the three rookies didn't look back. They left the stands without hesitation.
"Seriously, we ought to tell the Director," one senior muttered darkly. "Talented or not, they shouldn't have been promoted so early."
"Three rookies in the main lineup—it's just too much…"
While Inashiro's rookies turned their backs on the one-sided ga, the match on the field entered the bottom of the second inning, with Seido back on offense.
Back on the mound, Nitta, Sensen's Ace, had shaken off the shadows of the disastrous first inning. His pitches regained their sharpness and control.
He made short work of Seido's ninth batter.
"One out, no runners on base."
This gave the Sensen players a flicker of hope.
Maybe—just maybe—the tide had shifted.
"We're one of West Tokyo's Top Eight teams."
"We're not that much weaker than Seido, are we?"
With renewed confidence, they straightened their backs—
But the illusion shattered the mont Matsumoto, Seido's leadoff hitter, returned to the batter's box for his second at-bat.
"Ping!"
He decisively swung at a sharp breaking pitch, sending it flying into the outfield.
The Sensen fielders chased the ball frantically—but it was pointless.
The baseball dropped, bounced, and rolled away.
Is it really that easy for them?
They'd played many gas before, including against other strong teams. But no match had ever made them feel so helpless.
Today, facing Seido, they couldn't help but wonder—
"Are they really just high schoolers too?"
Matsumoto reached second base easily.
One out, runner on second.
Next ca Yoshida, Seido's second batter.
Though not pitching today, Yoshida had his own way of leading the team.
"Ping!"
Another solid hit.
Yoshida sprinted with all his might, reaching first base.
Matsumoto rounded third and charged ho.
"Safe!"
Seido scored again.
The score: 5–0.
The sa two batters who were silenced in their first at-bats were now the ones tearing Sensen High School apart.
In the stands, the reporters who had co to observe Seido's progress were left speechless.
"This lineup is terrifying!"
"Every batter has their own strengths. Even their eighth and ninth batters are capable of pressuring the opponent!"
"Honestly, even nationwide, I can't think of another high school with such a complete, overpowering offense."
"That's Seido for you. Offense like this wins championships."
The Seido fans were overwheld with pride.
Sure, they had been stunned by Zhou Hao's pitching dominance, but that was an individual's brilliance.
Zhou Hao would be outstanding on any team—he was that kind of monster.
But now?
Now it was the whole team shining.
Their collective offensive power was on full display.
They weren't relying on just one player.
They were Seido High School Baseball Team.
"Maybe… this really is our year."
On the field, the Sensen High players were still tenacious. They hadn't given up, even now.
As long as the ga wasn't over, they continued to hustle, trying to score, trying to get outs.
But from the very first pitch, the ending had already been written.
The gap was too wide.
They fought, but they couldn't close it.
After five complete innings, the final score was…
10–0.
Seido's scoring slowed in the last couple of innings, but their command of the ga never wavered.
After the final out was recorded, the players of Sensen High School didn't walk—they collapsed onto the field.
They hadn't scored a single run.
They hadn't even gotten a single hit.
And yet, they were drenched in sweat, gasping for air, completely exhausted.
Playing against Seido was like running a full marathon—only with soone pressing down on your shoulders the entire ti.
They lay there in silence, defeated but relieved it was over.
"Congratulations to Seido High School Baseball Team—the first to advance to the West Tokyo Top Four!!"
The Seido dugout erupted.
This mont—this victory—was the result of months of blood, sweat, and sacrifice.
Every practice, every ga, had brought them one step closer.
Now the dream was just two wins away.
"Two more gas…"
"Just win two more, and we'll punch our ticket to Koshien!"
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