The West Tokyo Semifinals.
The highly anticipated match between Seidou High School Baseball Team and Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team had finally begun.
Following a pre-ga rock-paper-scissors decision, Seidou was set to bat first.
As the two teams took the field, Inashiro's defensive formation was exactly as Seidou had expected.
"Excellent!"
—President Ota slapped his thigh with excitent in the dugout.
No surprise players. No sudden rookies pulled from the bench.
This ant Inashiro had already revealed all their main weapons.
Even if they had so hidden cards left, they likely wouldn't be the kind of players who could turn the entire ga around in an instant.
That alone was a huge ntal advantage for Seidou.
Top of the first inning.
"Lead-off batter, number six, shortstop—Matsumoto!"
Matsumoto stepped into the batter's box and raised his bat with determination.
On the mound stood Inashiro's Ace, Yuki.
At first glance, Yuki wasn't a particularly flashy pitcher.
His fastball velocity hovered between 135–140 km/h—decent by high school standards, but not elite for a team like Inashiro.
But what Yuki lacked in speed, he made up for in precision.
His control was immaculate.
He could paint the corners of the strike zone and pair it with a wide variety of well-crafted breaking balls.
This made him a difficult opponent to face—not because he was overwhelming, but because he was unshakably consistent.
Even making contact was difficult.
Getting a solid hit?
That required trendous timing and skill.
Seidou had prepared extensively for this.
"He has a 70% chance of throwing an inside strike first."
—Matsumoto's eyes glead.
He had done his howork.
If that pitch ca, he would be ready.
He had three chances. Even if he missed this one, it wasn't the end.
But if he guessed right—
"Whoosh!"
Yuki wound up and released the pitch.
In the box, Matsumoto reacted imdiately—he took a step back.
He had made his bet!
The white ball sliced through the air—
—and it ca right along the inside edge of the strike zone.
A spark of satisfaction flashed in Matsumoto's eyes.
"Chris-senpai's analysis was dead on!"
Had he not stepped back, there's no way he could've swung at this pitch.
But now?
Now the ball was right in his wheelhouse.
"You left the door open—don't bla for walking in!"
Matsumoto gripped the bat with both hands and swung hard.
Ping!
The sound of clean contact echoed across Jingu Stadium.
In the dugout and stands, Seidou's players and supporters all rose to their feet in anticipation.
They knew this was going to be a fierce match.
But no one expected it to ignite so explosively from the very first pitch.
"He connected!"
"We got it!"
The thought spread like wildfire—
Until they saw it.
A figure from Inashiro's infield was already sprinting full speed toward the falling ball.
"How is he so fast?!"
From the stands, the fans watched in disbelief.
The second baseman was four or five ters away from where the ball was headed.
It had only been a second since the bat made contact.
No way he could reach it in ti—
And yet, right before the ball hit the ground…
He dived and extended his glove—
Pop!
"OUT!"
A huge cheer erupted from Inashiro's fans.
"THAT'S RIGHT!!"
"First out!"
"You think just hitting the ball is enough? This is the realm of the West Tokyo king—Inashiro Industrial!"
This was more than just Yuki's show.
This was team defense at its finest.
Seidou would need more than just clean contact.
They would need perfection to land hits today.
The ga had barely started, and already it was living up to the hype.
Even the neutral fans and seasoned reporters watching from the press box were stunned.
"Unbelievable. These kids are amazing…"
—A beautiful sports reporter murmured in awe.
Baseball, unlike basketball or other fast-paced sports, often takes ti to build montum.
But not today.
Today, it was fire from pitch one.
Yuki's opening throw was read and cracked by Matsumoto.
But even that wasn't enough—
Because Inashiro's defense caught it.
With one out and no runners on base, the second batter stepped up.
The crowd was still buzzing from the last play when they saw the next na on the board.
"Second batter, number twenty—pitcher, Zhou Hao!"
The stadium's energy shifted.
The very mont Zhou Hao stepped into the box, the air seed to grow heavier.
Even the neutral fans held their breath.
Despite being a first-year, Zhou Hao had already earned the respect and fear of opponents and fans alike.
And today, Coach Kataoka had once again placed him as the starting pitcher.
He wanted everyone watching to feel the difference—right from the start.
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