Since the final match would take place in the afternoon, the players of Seidou High School's baseball team were given a rare half-day off.
With the afternoon match approaching, training wouldn't be appropriate. The only thing needed was to maintain their condition.
So after some last moments of rechecking of the strategies and some warmup, the Seidou team headed to the stadium.
By the time they arrived, the morning match had already ended, but there were still plenty of spectators lingering around the stadium.
They were all waiting for the final to begin.
"The morning game was incredible!"
"Mukai from Teito was amazing!!"
"Especially Umemiya, I didn't expect that at all…"
The moment they entered the stadium, they heard this kind of chatter.
That caught Sawamura off guard.
The East Tokyo final featured two teams: the traditional powerhouse Teito and the ultimate dark horse Ugumori.
These two teams couldn't be more different.
Yet both had fought their way through to the final.
Takashima Rei had actually suggested that Seidou's players watch the match since they might face the winner at Koshien.
"Focus on the match right in front of you. Our full attention should be on Yakushi right now."
Coach Kataoka firmly rejected the idea.
To him, Seidou's top priority was defeating Yakushi. Koshien could wait until they actually got there.
Coach Ochiai fully agreed with this pragmatic approach.
"As always, in high school baseball, there's no second chance. Winning the next match is the only goal."
Since both Coaches were aligned, Takashima Rei had no choice but to drop the suggestion.
Still, she felt it was a shame. In her opinion, there was a lot to learn from those two teams.
Even if the whole team couldn't watch, she still sent Watanabe to observe and record the game.
If Seidou faced them at Koshien, they'd have firsthand data to rely on.
Hearing the spectators' chatter, Sawamura's expression grew complicated.
Did Mukai lose?
Emotionally, he felt Ugumori deserved to win and go to Koshien. That team was just too inspiring.
But in terms of pure strength, Teito's players and their legacy made them clear favorites.
The team found Watanabe waiting for them.
"How was the game?"
"4-3! Teito won."
Watanabe didn't keep him in suspense.
Hearing the close score, Sawamura could imagine how intense it must have been.
These two teams had faced off in the Spring Tournament.
Back then, Teito had completely dominated Ugumori. Even though the score wasn't a blowout, anyone who watched knew Yakushi barely had a chance.
But now, in the final, Ugumori not only held their ground—they nearly pulled off a comeback.
Umemiya even hit a home run, and almost got the game-winning hit.
According to Watanabe, by the end of the game, the entire crowd was cheering for Ugumori.
"They went crazy. I still get goosebumps thinking about it."
A teammate added excitedly.
"Well, that's how it works. Fans love an underdog story more than a predictable victory."
At that moment, Yakushi's players were already in the locker room, gearing up.
Among them was a first-year named Kuroki, so nervous he had already hit the bathroom three times.
And in a corner, a seemingly studious player was quietly reading…an adult novel disguised with a literature book cover.
"'The Three Sisters of Takagi Family'?! Are you seriously reading such a thing right before the final?!"
Just then, Coach Raizou confiscated the book—with a smile.
~~~
Under the gaze of tens of thousands, the game hadn't officially started yet, but the cheerleaders were already getting hyped up.
The Seidou High School baseball team already had a large fan base, and on top of that, there were separate fan groups for Sawamura Eijun.
As soon as they stepped onto the field, the entire stadium became restless. It was as if all the attention was drawn towards Sawamura Eijun's fan groups.
The Yakushi High School cheers were far more this year compared to last year.
Last year, Yakushi High didn't even have a second-string team. All of the players were on the first-string.
But this year, things were different. As Yakushi High's baseball team kept improving, many talented young players saw potential in the team and flocked to join them.
There were already dozens of these young players sitting in the stands.
The scale was impressive!
Sawamura couldn't help but frown as he looked at these young players. They probably didn't know that once Todoroki Raizou's beloved son graduated, he would follow his son into the Major Leagues.
By recklessly joining Yakushi High's baseball team, they were definitely entrusting their hopes to the wrong person.
'Poor thing…'
But that's just how things go in life.
Back when Akagi Junior High's baseball team was strong, didn't they also have a group of younger players join them?
Once Sawamura graduated, those younger players who joined soon found themselves lost, unable to even make it to the Kanto Tournament, let alone Nationals.
It was manageable when Hirota and Matsumoto were around, but after they left, Akagi's baseball team quickly fell apart.
It was said that this year, Akagi only made it to the third round before being eliminated.
Time really is the cruelest knife. Who would have thought that just two years ago, Akagi Junior High's baseball team was a powerhouse, crushing everything in its path?
Let's shift our attention away from the bustling crowd and focus on the two teams.
Since the start of the tournament, Seidou High's baseball team had almost always been the away team, batting second. But this time, the tables turned, and Seidou High was the home team, batting first.
After the rock paper scissors between the Captains, Coach Kataoka immediately issued his instructions.
"No matter whether the pitcher is Sanada or that first-year player, they won't be very steady at the start. Don't rush to swing. Be patient and wait for the right opportunity. Once the chance comes, attack with all your strength."
"Yes, sir!"
At this point, the teammates had nothing else to say but to agree eagerly.
Before the game began, both teams stood in the center of the field and bowed to each other.
"PLEASED TO PLAY WITH YOU!!"
"PLEASED TO PLAY WITH YOU!!"
Both teams exchanged respectful bows, and then the players of Yakushi High School spread out onto the field, preparing for defense.
Meanwhile, Seidou High School's players returned to their dugout, getting ready to attack.
Inside Seidou High School's dugout—
Seidou was busy analyzing Yakushi High School's starting lineup.
The first pitcher to take the mound wasn't Sanada, as they had predicted, nor was it the "Samurai" Igarashi Sora.
It was another first-year rookie.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Seidou's players exchanged puzzled looks. No matter how they thought about it, they couldn't figure out what kind of strategy Coach Todoroki Raizou was plotting.
They knew full well that the current Seidou High School baseball team was overwhelmingly strong in every aspect. Even their batting lineup is ranked highly at the national level.
Don't be fooled by how Narumiya of Inashiro Industrial stopped them in their last game. It was only due to Narumiya's sheer tenacity and a lot of good luck.
Underestimating Seidou's batting lineup because of that would be a huge mistake.
In fact, if a pitcher's skill level wasn't high enough, their team wouldn't even be qualified to play against Seidou.
It wouldn't be surprising if Seidou completely crushed their opponent in the very first inning.
For a first-year pitcher, no matter how talented, there were limits.
Normally, a first-year pitcher had no chance of holding back Seidou's offense.
Yakushi High School was already incredibly lucky to have landed a player like Igarashi Sora—that alone was like a blessing of a lifetime.
Although their performance last year had been impressive, they were still not a powerhouse school with a deep talent pool.
They couldn't possibly recruit that many top players.
Getting one star player was already a miracle—how could they have found another?
Seidou's players couldn't wrap their heads around it.
"Tomobe Sakito! Did this guy appear in any official games before?"
"Don't think so… Igarashi Sora pitched in the Kanto Tournament. His performance was decent, but definitely not as attention-grabbing as now. According to Watanabe, his fastball back then had only just hit 140 km/h. Strong, sure, but nothing too difficult to deal with. No one expected his velocity to increase by another 5 km/h in just a few months."
"It's not unusual for players to improve rapidly after joining a high school baseball team. What's weird is that this first-year kid has no record of appearing in official games. He didn't play at all in the early summer games. So why is Yakushi putting so much trust in him?"
"In other words, how does coach Todoroki Raizou intend to ensure that a rookie like this won't crumble under pressure in such a high-stakes match?"
Faced with this question, all of Seidou's players shook their heads.
How could they possibly know what was going on inside Todoroki Raizou's head?
For now, the only thing they could do was avoid underestimating their opponent and focus on hitting whatever pitch came their way.
At the end of the day, he was still just a 15-year-old rookie.
No matter how good he was, how strong could he possibly be?
As long as they took him seriously, taking him down would just be a matter of time.
"The West Tokyo Finals—the battle for the second ticket to Koshien—officially begins!"
…