"So this is the complete lineup for the new first string?"
"It looks solid, but we'll still have to see how they perform moving forward."
"Well, with Kanzaki and Kazuya leading the team, Seido's results shouldn't be bad."
"That's true."
...
After seeing Seido officially establish its new first string, the spectators watching practice began discussing among themselves.
Gradually, the field quieted down.
Coach Kataoka looked toward Kanzaki Ryou, who stood in the front row.
"Now then, let's have our new captain say a few words."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone's attention shifted toward Kanzaki.
"Haha, it really ended up being Kanzaki-kun."
"Come on, that wasn't hard to guess."
"Exactly. Everyone already knew."
"So it's Kanzaki after all. I thought Miyuki still had a chance."
"Yeah, I figured Coach Kataoka might spread out the burden, so Miyuki's chances seemed higher. Didn't expect it to still be Kanzaki."
"Tsk tsk… Ace, Captain, and possibly cleanup hitter too."
"Three core positions all concentrated on one person."
"The absolute centerpiece of the team."
Under everyone's gaze, Kanzaki Ryou slowly stepped out of the formation and walked to Coach Kataoka's side.
"Just say a few words," Takashima Rei reminded him softly.
"Mm."
Kanzaki nodded before turning around to face the dozens of players standing before him.
Outside the field, there was also a large crowd of spectators watching.
To be honest—
He was a little nervous.
Even more nervous than during the Koshien finals.
"Don't be nervous, Ace!"
"Bastard! Call him Captain!"
"Hahahaha! Hurry up and say something, Captain!"
"Don't mind them, Aniki!"
"Captain, go for it!"
...
The teasing from the players immediately livened the atmosphere.
Kanzaki's nervousness eased considerably.
"Cough!"
"Well… honestly, before this, I never thought I would become captain of this team."
"After all, just being the Ace is already exhausting enough."
"Besides, the captain is an extremely important role within a team—no less important than the Ace."
"It represents responsibility, accountability, and dedication."
"I'm actually someone who likes being lazy, so I'm not sure whether I can become a qualified captain like Yuki-senpai."
"But…"
Kanzaki paused briefly.
The players below gradually stopped smiling and listened seriously.
"As Coach Kataoka told me—"
'Lead the team with your actions. Lead the team with your strength.'
"I think… as long as I can do that, then I should qualify as a captain."
The atmosphere became noticeably quieter.
"In the past year and a half, we've achieved results that once seemed unimaginable."
"That is our glory."
"But even more than that—it is the glory left behind by our seniors."
"Now the seniors are gone."
"But we are still here."
"And in the future, there are still many opponents waiting for us."
"We cannot stop here."
Kanzaki's voice gradually rose.
"Effort never lies!"
"And sweat never betrays!"
"I hope that during this coming year, everyone standing here can fight with the same determination as our seniors!"
"With a fighting spirit that refuses to lose to anyone!"
"Let's begin a new journey together—"
"And accomplish the feat of three consecutive Summer Koshien championships!"
"Five consecutive Koshien titles!"
"Seize our glory!!"
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"
The emotions in Kanzaki's speech instantly ignited the fighting spirit of the entire new team.
"King Seido!!"
Without question, the new captain's inauguration was an overwhelming success.
After Kanzaki returned to the formation, Coach Kataoka officially announced Miyuki Kazuya and Kuramochi Youichi as vice-captains who would assist the captain in leading the team.
In reality—
They were mostly there to help handle Kanzaki's workload.
...
"The new Seido led by Kanzaki-kun…"
"I wonder just how terrifying they'll become."
Outside the field, Mine Fujio, the star reporter from Baseball Kingdom, watched the scene unfold with great interest.
Beside him, his assistant Ms. Akiko carefully recorded Kanzaki Ryou's speech word for word.
Given Seido's current popularity and influence, the appointment of their new captain was guaranteed to become a major topic.
Three-time Koshien champion.
Undefeated overlord.
Absolute Ace.
No one questioned Kanzaki Ryou's strength.
To outsiders, him becoming captain felt completely natural.
The establishment of Seido's new first string—
And the inauguration of the new captain—
The two pieces of news swept through Tokyo like a storm.
...
Inashiro Industrial High School.
Inashiro's main roster had already been finalized before Koshien began.
Now, after more than a month of practice games and adjustments, the team had nearly completed its reconstruction.
What remained was improving teamwork, coordination, and tactical execution.
"Seido's first string has been finalized."
"And Kanzaki Ryou became the new captain."
The moment the intelligence team delivered the information, Shirakawa Katsuyuki immediately informed Narumiya Mei, who sat nearby.
"Oh? So that guy became captain."
Narumiya Mei's expression turned fierce.
"It was expected," Carlos said while wiping sweat from his face with a towel.
"On Seido's side, only Kanzaki and Miyuki were truly qualified to become captain."
"As for the others—even with Coach Kataoka supporting them, they wouldn't be able to command the entire team."
"Hmph!"
Narumiya Mei snorted coldly.
"It doesn't matter who Seido's captain is."
"If we face them in the Autumn Tournament this time…"
"We'll definitely teach them a painful lesson!"
Hearing this, Carlos and Shirakawa exchanged glances.
What Narumiya Mei said was also what they wanted.
However—
After the retirement of the third-years, the new players who joined the team could only be considered decent for now.
Especially at catcher.
Although Tadano Itsuki wasn't bad, both his game-calling ability and receiving skills were still far behind Masatoshi Harada.
As a result, Narumiya Mei's pitching was clearly being restricted.
He couldn't fully display his true strength.
This was a problem Inashiro Industrial would likely need a long time to solve.
Fortunately, during the past month of practice games, Inashiro achieved overwhelming victories in every match.
While practice game results themselves weren't especially important, they greatly boosted the team's confidence—
Especially Narumiya Mei's.
After suffering consecutive defeats against Seido, even though Mei constantly talked about revenge, the losses had undeniably affected him mentally.
He was no longer as sharp as before.
Yet he wasn't calm either.
Instead, he carried a faint sense of frustration and discouragement.
Thankfully, after a period of adjustment, Narumiya Mei gradually regained his fighting spirit.
And under his leadership—
Inashiro Industrial once again began aggressively preparing for the Autumn Tournament.