After Ochiai Hiromitsu finished speaking, the first-string players all nodded thoughtfully.
…Hm?
Did I not explain things clearly enough?
Why isn't anyone shouting "Yes, Coach!"?
Ochiai blinked in confusion.
Completely unaware of it himself, no matter how reasonable his analysis was, his soft and lifeless tone simply lacked the fiery passion Coach Kataoka naturally inspired.
After the coaches finished their instructions, Kanzaki Ryou led the team out of the locker room and into the first-base dugout.
The moment Seido appeared—
"They're here!!"
"OHHHHHHH!!"
"SEIDOOO!!"
"THE KING!!"
"Kanzaki! You're pitching today, right?!"
"Go, Seido!"
"Coach Kataoka!!"
Cheers instantly exploded throughout the stadium.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere on Teito's side was completely different.
"TEITO!"
"GO! GO! LET'S GO, TEITO!"
"Beat Seido!"
"Crush Kanzaki!!"
For some reason, among Teito's supporters, the cries of "Beat Seido!" were even louder than the cheers for their own team.
Behind Seido's dugout, two middle school boys sat side by side in the stands.
One had blond hair.
The other wore a hood over his head.
They were both players from Daikyo Junior Baseball—
The main catcher, Okumura Koushuu.
And the starting second baseman, Seto Takuma.
"Haha, as expected of a showdown between powerhouse schools," Seto laughed while looking around excitedly. "Even in the first round and with rain pouring down, the stadium's completely packed."
"That's only natural."
Behind him, Okumura Koushuu replied calmly, his sharp eyes fixed on the field.
"This is the strongest showdown between East and West Tokyo."
"And Seido just won Koshien three years in a row."
"Attention like this is inevitable."
"You're right…"
Seto suddenly paused before turning toward Okumura curiously.
"But Koushuu, why did you suddenly want to watch this game today? That's rare for you."
As close friends, Seto knew him too well.
Other than practice, Okumura rarely went anywhere.
Okumura nodded slightly.
"I had a feeling."
"A feeling?"
"The team that wins this game…"
A faint light flashed through Okumura's eyes.
"…is the team I'll join."
"…Huh?"
Seto froze.
Go to whichever team wins?!
Wasn't that way too arbitrary?!
As the core catcher and second baseman of Daikyo Junior Baseball, the two of them had already received invitations from many prestigious schools.
Kokonoe.
Yokogaku.
Kokaidai Sugata High.
And many others.
As for Seido, despite their strength, they had never seriously considered it due to the distance.
Seto wanted to say something—
But after seeing the rare excitement in Okumura's eyes, he immediately understood.
This guy had already made up his mind.
That whole "I'll join whoever wins" excuse was nonsense.
In reality, he was already leaning toward Seido.
After another wave of cheers, both teams finally stepped onto the field.
"Line up!"
"Bow!"
"Please take care of us!!"
Under the light rain, the players from both schools stood tall and straight as they faced each other.
Kanzaki Ryou shook hands with Teito captain Inui Kengo.
At the same time, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Mukai Taiyo staring directly at him.
The challenging look in the boy's eyes was obvious.
Kanzaki slightly raised his chin.
Kids these days really didn't know how to respect their seniors.
At that moment, the starting lineups for both teams appeared on the giant scoreboard.
"YES!"
"As expected, Kanzaki is starting!"
"The Ace is pitching!"
"Captain! Crush them!"
"Hahaha! Teito's finished today!"
The moment Seido's fans saw Kanzaki listed as the starting pitcher, they immediately looked toward Teito with expressions full of malicious delight.
Compared to Inashiro Industrial and Ichidai Third High, Teito had rarely suffered at Seido's hands because they belonged to different districts.
But today—
Teito would finally experience true despair for themselves.
After all, suffering should be shared equally.
Top of the first inning.
Teito High School batting first.
Kanzaki Ryou put on his glove and stretched his shoulders lightly before stepping toward the mound.
"Kanzaki-kun."
Ochiai Hiromitsu called out to him.
"The weather isn't ideal today, and you haven't pitched in an official game for a while. Don't force things too much at the start. Focus on steady outs."
"Got it."
Ochiai continued:
"Teito's batting lineup is extremely disciplined. They're persistent hitters."
"And their cleanup batter, Inui Kengo, is a national-level slugger."
"Don't get dragged into a battle of momentum with them."
"You can lower the velocity a bit if necessary, but your ball movement must stay sharp."
Kanzaki nodded.
Ochiai's analysis was correct.
It had been over a month since he last stood on the mound, and with the rain making conditions slippery, stability mattered more than pure speed.
As for Inui Kengo—
Kanzaki had never underestimated him.
This was a batter capable of hitting a home run off Narumiya Mei at his peak.
Stepping onto the field, Kanzaki immediately heard the crowd chanting his name in unison.
"KAN-ZA-KI!"
"KAN-ZA-KI!"
"KAN-ZA-KI!"
At the front of the field, Kanzaki and Miyuki simultaneously raised their fists—
Then bumped them together.
"Let's go, partner."
The Twin Stars of Seido.
The King's Ace Battery.
Reunited once again on the national stage.
"Now then!!"
The announcer's excited voice echoed throughout the stadium.
"The first round of the Tokyo Autumn Tournament main bracket!"
"West Tokyo King — Seido High School!"
"Versus East Tokyo Emperor — Teito High School!"
"Top of the first inning, Teito High School will bat first!"
"And standing on the mound for Seido…"
"The undefeated king!"
"The cleanup hitter!"
"The captain!"
"KANZAKI RYOU!!"
"After resting for over a month following the Summer Koshien Finals, the King has finally returned to the mound!"
"What kind of dominant performance will he show us today?!"
Standing atop the mound, Kanzaki looked calmly toward Teito's leadoff batter.
"Play ball!"
The instant the umpire's voice rang out, Miyuki immediately gave the sign.
First pitch.
Inside high fastball.
Straight down the middle.
A declaration of war.
Kanzaki nodded.
He smoothly lifted his left leg.
At that moment, the muscles throughout his body relaxed to perfection.
Then—
He stepped forward.
His arm whipped downward like a cracking thunderbolt.
WHOOSH!!
The baseball exploded forward like a white beast tearing through the rain itself.
THWACK!!
"STRIKE!!"
The batter swung desperately—
And completely missed.
Even though he had prepared himself mentally, his swing was still far too slow.
"158 kilometers per hour!!"
Right from the very first pitch—
Kanzaki Ryou greeted Teito High School with overwhelming force.
Or rather—
A blatant show of dominance.
Turning slightly toward Teito's dugout, Kanzaki looked directly at Mukai Taiyo and smiled faintly.
The second pitch came immediately after.
Outside low cutter.
Then the third pitch—
Forkball.
"STRIKE!!"
"BATTER OUT!!"
Compared to the opening fastball, the next two pitches were slower, hovering around 150 km/h.
But with Kanzaki's terrifying movement and pinpoint control, that was already more than enough to completely overwhelm Teito's leadoff hitter.