The day before the finals—
The flow of people throughout Nishinomiya City surged to an unimaginable level. The already passionate summer atmosphere had reached its absolute peak.
All of it—
Was for one final battle.
The championship match between Seido High School and Komadai Fujimaki High School gripped the attention of audiences across the entire nation.
Would Seido, the king's army, claim victory once again and achieve the incredible feat of back-to-back Summer Koshien championships?
Or—
Would Komadai Fujimaki, the dark horse, complete their miracle run and crown a new king?
Even before sunrise, the hotels where both teams were staying were already surrounded.
Fans.
Crowds upon crowds of them.
And among them—
Reporters.
Compared to the fans, the reporters were just as relentless. At a stage like the Koshien finals, where attention peaked nationwide, no media outlet was willing to miss even the smallest piece of news.
Especially when it came to Seido High School.
Right now, they were the center of attention.
Within Seido's lineup—
Aside from the dazzling second-year stars—
Among the third-years, two players had already caught the eyes of professional scouts:
Yuuki Tetsuya.
And Takigawa Chris Yu.
Yuuki, with his overwhelming batting strength, had long proven his worth.
As for Chris—
Despite having a gap in his career due to injury, his return this summer and his role as the team's starting catcher had once again demonstrated his abilities.
And now—
He stood on the stage of the Koshien finals.
In a baseball world that constantly lacked top-tier catchers—
Chris had become a highly sought-after prospect.
Inside the hotel, Seido's players were well aware of the commotion outside.
But—
They didn't care.
After a light training session during the day, the team gathered in the conference room that evening to finalize preparations for the final.
Kanzaki Ryou had expectations for Komadai Fujimaki—
But only expectations.
After all, in the original timeline, this team had defeated Inashiro Industrial in the finals.
A true boss-level opponent.
However—
Even in that final, Narumiya Mei had single-handedly suppressed Komadai Fujimaki for nine innings.
They only lost in extra innings due to exhaustion.
To put it bluntly—
Komadai Fujimaki's batting lineup wasn't particularly strong.
In terms of scoring ability—
They were clearly a tier below Seido.
The real reason for their dominance—
Was their pitching staff.
Or, to put it more simply—
If they couldn't score—
Then neither would you.
They would drag the game out—
Until stamina decided the outcome.
This wasn't underestimating them.
If anything—
It highlighted how effective their system was.
Coach Nitta's tactics were truly exceptional.
"Now, I will announce tomorrow's starting lineup."
Coach Kataoka's voice cut through the room.
"First batter! Shortstop! Kuramochi Yoichi!"
"Yes!"
"Second batter! Second baseman! Kominato Ryosuke!"
"Yes!"
"Third batter! Center fielder! Isashiki Jun!"
"Yes!"
"Fourth batter! First baseman! Yuuki Tetsuya!"
"Yes!"
"Fifth batter! Pitcher! Kanzaki Ryou!"
The undisputed Ace.
On the biggest stage—
There was no hesitation.
"Sixth batter! Catcher! Takigawa Chris Yu!"
"Yes!"
Chris's voice trembled slightly.
His hands, too—
Ever so slightly.
"Seventh batter! Third baseman! Masuko Toru!"
"Yes!"
"Eighth batter! Right fielder! Shirasu Kenjiro!"
"Yes!"
"Ninth batter! Left fielder! Sakai Ichiro!"
"Yes!"
With the starting lineup finalized, Kanzaki leaned slightly toward Miyuki and nudged him with his elbow.
"How does it feel to be on the bench?"
Miyuki rolled his eyes.
"I played the entire semifinal, you know."
"Hehe. This opponent is different. Komadai Fujimaki will be much more interesting."
"…That's true."
Miyuki nodded.
He did want to face them.
Just then—
Coach Kataoka added:
"Miyuki. Tanba. Kawakami. Be ready as well."
"Yes!"
One night passed.
Hyogo Prefecture.
Nishinomiya City.
Hanshin Koshien Stadium.
It was only 8 AM—
But the stadium was already packed.
A sea of people filled every corner, the scale so massive that aerial shots from helicopters broadcast it across the nation.
Fans from both sides flooded the stadium, wearing their respective colors.
At one point—
The crowd became so dense it bordered on chaos.
Police from the Nishinomiya City department were deployed to maintain order.
The 89th National High School Baseball Championship—
After countless fierce battles—
Out of forty-nine teams—
Only two remained.
The King of Tokyo—
Seido High School.
And the dark horse from Hokkaido—
Komadai Fujimaki.
As the clock approached 9 AM, the players from both teams emerged from their respective tunnels.
Led by their coaches—
They stepped onto the field.
Each step—
Heavy.
Deliberate.
The roar from the stands made the century-old stadium tremble.
"THEY'RE HERE!!!"
"SEIDO!!!"
"KOMADAI FUJIMAKI!!!"
"WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!"
"WE MUST WIN!!!"
"TO THE TOP!!!"
"SEIDO—BACK-TO-BACK!!!"
"KOMADAI—DEFEAT SEIDO!!!"
"KANZAKI!!!"
"HONGO!!!"
"ACE-SAMA!!!"
Before the game even began—
The battle had already started.
An all-out cheering war between both sides.
And clearly—
Seido dominated.
Even though Komadai Fujimaki had gained many new fans through their miracle run—
They couldn't compare to Seido's long-standing legacy.
Not to mention—
Seido was at its absolute peak.
And Kanzaki Ryou alone—
Had enough fans to overwhelm the opposition.
"Hmph."
On Komadai Fujimaki's bench, Hongo Masamune frowned.
The atmosphere felt like Seido's home field.
It irritated him.
Seeing this, his close friend Renji spoke in a calm, almost motherly tone:
"Alright. The game's about to start. Focus."
Hongo said nothing.
He simply sat down silently.
On the other side—
Seido's players absorbed the energy of the stadium.
They welcomed it.
"This is the final game."
Coach Kataoka's voice was steady—
But carried immense weight.
"Will we achieve greatness… or fall at the final step?"
"Believe in yourselves."
"Believe in everything you've built until now."
"Sweat… never lies."
The final battle—
Was about to begin.