Tokyo in July was already scorching hot.
The players of Seidou High School's baseball team had arrived early at Hachioji Stadium to prepare.
This was the venue for their match today.
Inside the stadium's locker room, the players were mostly silent.
No matter which year they were from, every member of the Seidou High School baseball team took this summer tournament very seriously.
They hadn't made it to Koshien in several consecutive years.
Both the school and their team's coach had come under heavy scrutiny.
Although their position hadn't yet been shaken—
Everyone clearly understood that if this continued, within a year or two at most...
Their coach's position would inevitably be at risk.
Even the name of Seidou High School Baseball, this top-tier powerhouse, might lose some of its shine.
Right now, no one on the team was thinking of anything else. They all had just one goal in mind:
To win every round, seize the championship of the summer tournament, and punch their ticket to Koshien.
And precisely because of this immense pressure, none of them were in the mood for playful banter.
Of course, this was only temporary.
As time passed, their mental states would gradually adjust.
But that was something for later.
Until the players took the field, most of Seidou's team remained silent.
"They're here!"
Seeing the Seidou players come out, the members of Gogen High's baseball team immediately turned their attention toward them.
"They've got such a strong aura!"
One of Gogen's players couldn't help but comment.
Because school was still in session, there weren't many spectators in the stands today.
On Gogen's side, only three to five people had come to cheer them on.
But over on Seidou's side, there were at least a hundred supporters in the stands.
That's the difference between a powerhouse and an ordinary team.
Even without help from the school, Seidou could still attract so many fans.
And this was only the first match.
These early-round games usually get very little attention. Normally, only from the quarterfinals onward do people really start paying attention.
The semifinals, for example, are played at Jingu Stadium.
"Probably not many people here believe we can win today's game, huh?"
Another player from Gogen High spoke up.
Just comparing the cheering squads of the two teams made it easy to imagine how the public viewed them.
Forget about the hundred-plus Seidou fans.
Even Gogen's own friends and family probably didn't believe they could beat Seidou.
"Well, isn't that perfect? Let's give all these spectators a little shock."
A tall player named Ikegami suddenly spoke.
He wore a gentle smile as he said it.
Though his words were filled with boldness, the way he said them made them sound calm.
Even so, the players of Gogen High looked at Ikegami with renewed fervor.
That's exactly the kind of thing their ace should be saying.
So what if it's a powerhouse? It's not like they've never played against strong teams before.
Who wins and who loses isn't set in stone.
"The third round, second game of the West Tokyo Summer Tournament—Seidou High versus Gogen High—officially begins!"
Regardless of the number of spectators,
The game started as scheduled.
As the team captain, Matsumoto won the coin toss and chose to bat first.
At the beginning of the game, pitchers are usually not yet fully settled.
If Gogen High's pitcher showed even the slightest flaw—
With Seidou's explosive batting lineup, they could crush their opponent instantly.
"First batter, shortstop, Matsumoto."
Seidou's leadoff hitter was their most well-rounded player, Matsumoto.
After a lineup adjustment, he now played shortstop.
Several of Seidou's second-string players were gathered together to watch the match.
Seeing Matsumoto step up to bat, they got fired up like they were on a sugar rush, cheering him on.
"Wait for your pitch…"
"If you see a good one, blast it!"
"Send it flying—go for a home run!!"
Matsumoto hadn't expected his second-string teammates to be so enthusiastic.
But that didn't matter.
Right now, he had only one job:
To hit the opposing ace's pitch.
Gogen High's lineup was almost exactly as Seidou had predicted.
Each high school coach has their own personality and coaching style.
Even for a team like Seidou, it was hard to guess other teams' lineups.
But Gogen's current coach played a brand of baseball that closely mirrored Seidou's.
They were both dedicated to nurturing players for the professional leagues.
Because of that, they understood each other very well.
Seidou had the advantage of having more players to choose from.
This gave Coach Kataoka the flexibility to make adjustments even after setting a general framework.
Gogen, not being a powerhouse, only had a few standout players.
They didn't even have enough top players to fill the whole lineup and had to supplement with others.
Under those circumstances, guessing their lineup was a piece of cake.
Standing on the pitcher's mound for Gogen was their ace, Ikegami.
All the fielding positions also matched Seidou's predictions.
"Bring it on!"
In the batter's box, Matsumoto raised his bat high.
His eyes were locked onto the mound without blinking.
The moment the ball came flying, he was ready to swing.
On the mound, Ikegami could definitely feel the pressure from Matsumoto.
Seidou's leadoff hitter was a very well-rounded batter.
Maybe he wasn't the best in any one area—
But he had no major weaknesses either.
To be honest, this kind of batter was a tough match-up for Ikegami.
Still, the ace of Gogen High didn't let that bother him.
He took a deep breath and lifted the ball in his hand.
Whoosh!
He wound up and pitched.
Gogen's ace moved as fluidly as flowing water.
The ball shot out of his hand like a bullet.
It was a high-quality pitch overall, but—
It landed just a little too low in the strike zone, near the center.
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POWER STONE!!??
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