"As your coach, I am proud of you," Coach Kataoka said, looking at Yuki and the other third-year players.
"Go! Stand at the top! Claim your glory!"
Standing in front of the first-base dugout, Coach Kataoka addressed his players with a gentle gaze and a firm, steady voice.
Every single person here filled him with pride.
Without a doubt, this was the most outstanding group of players he had ever nurtured since taking charge of Seido High School.
"Yes, Coach!!"
Yuki, Kanzaki, Miyuki, Chris… determination burned brightly in everyone's eyes.
Nodding in satisfaction, Coach Kataoka glanced toward the opposing side before speaking again.
"Yuki, as per tradition, let's do that."
"Yes!!" Yuki's pupils shrank slightly before excitement surged through him.
This was the last time.
For the third-years, this was the final game of their high school baseball careers—the last time they would fight side by side with this lineup.
"Hahaha, let's go!!" Kuramochi shouted as he stepped out of the dugout. "I've been waiting to do this for a long time!"
"Go, go, go! Everyone, louder!"
"Come on, form a circle!"
The Seido players walked out with smiles on their faces.
"Is it happening?"
"Haha, the King's slogan!"
"Quick, record it!"
"Camera! Camera!"
...
Seeing Seido's actions, the stands immediately erupted into commotion.
"Hoo~"
"Are you ready?!!!"
Clenching his right fist tightly against his chest, feeling the pounding of his heartbeat, Yuki Tetsuya let out a deep roar.
"Ohhh!!!!"
"Who are we?!"
"Seido!!"
"Who sweats more than anyone else?!"
"Seido!!"
"Who sheds more tears than anyone else?!"
"Seido!!"
"Are you ready to fight?!"
"Awooooooo!!!!"
"With the honor of our school in our hearts, our goal has always been only one—to dominate the nation!!"
"Awooooooo!!!!!"
"Let's go!!"
...
At that moment, Seido's chant echoed throughout Koshien Stadium, reaching all 50,000 spectators. Even viewers watching on television were stirred by the passion.
It had to be said—Seido's slogan won over countless fans.
In front of their TVs, Seido's seniors—Azuma Kiyokuni, Nanjo, and others—grinned proudly.
Soon, both teams stepped onto the field and lined up.
"Line up!"
"Oh oh oh oh!"
"Please take care of us!!"
"Please take care of us!!"
The voices of thirty-six young players rang out, accompanied by the piercing wail of the air raid siren.
Summer Koshien Finals—officially begin!
During the lineup, Kanzaki Ryou observed Hongo Masamune up close—the genius pitcher of the same generation as Furuya Satoru.
Hmm… he looks pretty fierce.
And he's glaring at me.
Returning to the dugout, Kanzaki quickly put on his pitcher's glove, ready to take the mound and show his opponent the reality of the situation.
First-base side: Seido High School, batting second.
Third-base side: Komadai Fujimaki High School, batting first.
"Now! The long-awaited Koshien Finals have officially begun! Komadai Fujimaki bats first, and Seido's starting nine are already in position. On the mound—without question—the only pitcher who could start this finals game: the undefeated Ace, Kanzaki Ryou!"
"So far in this summer tournament, Kanzaki has not allowed a single run, and even hits against him have been extremely rare!"
"Facing Kanzaki Ryou—the strongest pitcher with overwhelming dominance—how will Komadai Fujimaki perform today? Let's find out!"
At the center of the field, Kanzaki stood tall on the mound, locking eyes with the batter.
The opponent's gaze was filled with confidence—something Kanzaki hadn't seen from Seiho's batters.
Heh… beating a few strong schools has made you overconfident.
Kanzaki sneered inwardly.
Amid the roaring cheers of the stadium, he quickly forced Komadai Fujimaki's batters to face reality.
Three up, three down.
Each batter stepped in with confidence—only to swing and miss repeatedly, unable to even graze the ball.
"Tsk, that's rough," Narumiya Mei commented as he watched.
"With that lineup, scoring against the Chestnut-Haired Monster is impossible."
"Komadai Fujimaki's offense is aggressive, and their swings are clean," Masatoshi Harada added, "but that alone isn't enough."
"They lack a truly dominant batter—that's their biggest weakness."
"Seido's going to win. Back-to-back Summer Koshien champions."
The Inashiro Industrial players reached their conclusion after just half an inning.
At Yakushi High School—
"Still as strong as ever," Sanada Shunpei muttered.
"Ya hahaha, send it flying!" a certain monkey shouted while eating a banana.
It wasn't just Inashiro and Yakushi—teams from all over Tokyo were watching closely.
Meanwhile, at Koshien Stadium, in the bottom of the first inning, Hongo Masamune stepped onto the mound.
A 150 km/h fastball might overwhelm most teams—but Seido was different.
They trained against that speed regularly.
And compared to Kanzaki Ryou, Hongo's pitching was far more predictable.
"Ya haha!"
Kuramochi laid down a perfect bunt and sprinted toward first base.
Next up—Kominato Ryosuke.
"Heh, a high-speed fastball? Too bad—I've hit our Ace's pitches countless times," he muttered.
Whoosh!
Crack!
"Ya haha!"
Kuramochi's roar echoed again.
Hit-and-run—runners on first and second.
From the very start, Komadai Fujimaki was overwhelmed by Seido's fierce offense.
By the end of the first inning, Seido had already scored three runs.
The game moved swiftly through four innings.
Seido led 5–0.
Komadai Fujimaki, meanwhile, hadn't even managed a single baserunner—not one hit.
After four innings, Hongo Masamune was replaced by another fastball pitcher.
"That's brutal… They beat Osaka Kiryu and Shiryu, yet they're being crushed like this."
"Tsk, their tricks don't work against Seido. In a real contest of strength, they're completely outclassed."
"Exactly. With such a gap in batting and pitching, no amount of tactics can make up the difference."
...
The audience couldn't hide their disappointment.
What they had expected was a fierce, back-and-forth battle.
Instead, what they witnessed… was a one-sided domination.