Tokyo's Spring Tournament was in full swing.
The reigning king, Seido High School Baseball Team, advanced steadily and reached the Tokyo quarterfinals, officially securing a seed for the upcoming Summer Tournament.
Of course, for Seido, this result was hardly worth celebrating.
Given their reputation and overwhelming strength, reaching this stage was simply expected.
If Seido were to suffer an upset before this point, that would have been explosive news—something that would shake the entire high school baseball world.
As things stood now, everything was proceeding as people assumed it should.
After all, if Seido High School Baseball Team couldn't reach the quarterfinals, then who possibly could?
Their opponent in the quarterfinals—
Ichidai Sanko High School.
The long-standing arch-rival of Seido in West Tokyo.
A true national-level powerhouse.
Before the game officially began, Seido held four separate strategy and analysis meetings.
Zhou Hao, who had finally found some breathing room to work on his own tasks, couldn't afford to neglect the preparations either.
In the end, he set everything aside and fully joined the team's discussions on how to deal with Ichidai Sanko.
Throughout the entire autumn and winter, Ichidai Sanko had almost completely disappeared from official competition.
After the Spring Tournament began, they—much like Seido—advanced with ease.
Their victories were clean and efficient.
Too clean.
As a result, they revealed very little of their true strength.
To put it bluntly—
No one knew how strong Ichidai Sanko really was after the Autumn Tournament.
"In autumn, they made it all the way to the finals and fought Inashiro Industrial to a standstill."
At the mention of Inashiro Industrial, the expressions of Seido's players darkened.
They knew better than anyone how terrifying that team was.
Seido themselves had fallen to Inashiro during the Autumn Tournament.
"Ichidai definitely hasn't been slacking off," someone continued. "Besides Ace Manaka, I heard they also scouted a very promising first-year rookie."
"This game won't be easy."
Everyone in Seido had already anticipated that this would be a hard-fought battle.
And so, from top to bottom, the team entered a state of full combat readiness.
After Coach Kataoka finished laying out the tactical framework, he dismissed everyone to rest.
Neither of the two highly regarded first-year rookies—
Oshima Shin and Furuya Satoru—
were named as starters.
From this alone, it was obvious how cautious Seido was about this match.
The night passed quietly.
Early the next morning, the Seido High School Baseball Team boarded their bus and headed for Hachioji Stadium.
In addition to the First String players, the team had also arranged transportation for other members who wanted to watch the game.
Many of the highly anticipated first-year rookies were among them.
On one hand, they didn't want to miss such a high-level match.
On the other—
They wanted to see, with their own eyes, the true gap between themselves and the nation's elite.
Soon, the buses arrived at Hachioji Stadium.
The moment Seido stepped off the bus, a crowd surged forward.
"The Seido High School Baseball Team is here!"
"I see Zhou Hao!"
"Captain Yuki!"
"Coach Kataoka—!"
The Seido players remained calm.
Over the past year, they had grown accustomed to scenes like this.
Even at the beginning of the Spring Tournament, the signs were already there—though nowhere near this intense.
Now, facing their greatest West Tokyo rival, the excitement among reporters was unmistakable.
Their eyes practically sparkled.
To them, Seido wasn't just a school—
They were superstars.
The first-year players watching from behind felt their blood boil.
"This is insane…"
"It really feels like they're celebrities!"
"When will we get a chance to stand there?"
No passionate teenager could remain unmoved by such a scene.
All they could imagine was what it would feel like to be part of Seido's First String.
The more they thought about it, the harder it was to suppress their excitement.
Some of them were already itching to prove themselves.
But Seido's selection process had always been strict.
Except for special cases like Oshima Shin and Furuya Satoru, who were promoted early—
Everyone else had to go through the full process:
The freshman welcoming game.
Second Team practice matches.
Hell Training Week.
Step by step—
Only then could they earn a spot on the First String.
Almost at the same time, another bus pulled up.
Ichidai Sanko High School Baseball Team.
Despite missing Koshien for two consecutive years, Ichidai Sanko's reputation remained formidable.
As soon as they arrived, fans and reporters also gathered around them.
However—
The number was less than a third of Seido's crowd.
The Ichidai players noticed immediately.
And their expressions darkened.
Their gazes toward Seido were anything but friendly.
Omae folded his arms, his voice low and cold.
"As expected of the national champions. Their presence really is something else."
Though his words sounded neutral, no one failed to grasp the meaning behind their cleanup hitter's tone.
He wasn't convinced.
As fellow members of West Tokyo's Big Three, Seido and Inashiro had enjoyed remarkable success.
One conquered the nation.
The other became Spring Koshien runner-up.
Only Ichidai Sanko—
had failed to reach Koshien for two straight years.
Either losing to Seido.
Or being crushed by Inashiro.
Naturally, resentment had been building.
To close the gap with those two giants, Ichidai's coach had even set aside his own pride—
Recruiting a troublesome but powerful player to patch their weaknesses.
For the past six months, the entire team had trained relentlessly.
All for this moment.
And now—
Their opponent was none other than Seido High School Baseball Team.
The greater the difference in momentum between the two sides,
the more fired up Ichidai became.
"Let's go," someone muttered. "We'll let our play do the talking."
Manager Tahara watched calmly, a faint smile on his lips.
Confidence flickered in his eyes.
From his perspective—
If Seido went all out from the very start…
Then the outcome of this game was far from certain.
However, if the Seido High School Baseball Team showed even the slightest hint of carelessness, the Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team would seize that opening without hesitation.
For Ichidai Sanko, this game was more than just a quarterfinal.
It was the true beginning of their resurgence.
On the other side, Seido's players clearly sensed the hostility coming from their opponents.
Even without exchanging words, even without overt gestures—
They could feel it.
"It looks like today won't be an easy win," Miyuki Kazuya said with a chuckle, casually pushing his glasses up with a finger.
Coach Kataoka had treated him well.
Even though Chris had mostly recovered and was capable of playing, Miyuki was still given the starting role.
And today's opponent was Ichidai Sanko.
That choice alone spoke volumes.
At least for now, Coach Kataoka clearly leaned toward Miyuki as Seido's primary catcher.
"Then let them see what a national champion really looks like," Isashiki Jun snorted, his small mustache twitching with disdain.
On the field, respect was meaningless.
Off the field, as the core members of the reigning national champions, they had to carry pride—and confidence.
And Seido had more than enough of both.
They hadn't just reached Koshien.
They had defeated the Universe Team Osaka Kiryu.
They had beaten Seibō.
They had overcome multiple superstar pitchers.
They had conquered the nation.
Their vision was no longer limited to Tokyo.
"Excuse us, our players need to prepare for the game. Interviews will be available after the match."
Facing the frenzy of reporters and fans, Seido handled everything with composure.
They were no longer the fallen powerhouse that had missed Koshien year after year.
They were the champions of Japan.
Scenes like this were no longer unfamiliar.
Inside the locker room, while changing into their uniforms, the players couldn't help but reflect on the opponent they had just passed outside.
Before becoming national champions, facing Ichidai Sanko or Inashiro Industrial always came with suffocating pressure.
But now—
While the tension remained, it was no longer overwhelming.
"I never thought I'd feel like this facing Ichidai one day," Tanba Koichiro said quietly, his voice filled with emotion.
When Tanba graduated from junior high, he had once been very close to enrolling at Ichidai Sanko.
In the end, driven by his dream of becoming an Ace, he chose Seido.
His former partner, Manaka, stayed behind—and eventually became Ichidai's Ace.
From that moment on, Ichidai Sanko became Tanba's imaginary enemy.
The mountain he had to overcome.
Back then, Seido's situation was bleak.
Though they could compete with the Big Three, it couldn't be denied—they were at a disadvantage.
Every time they faced Ichidai, Tanba felt like he was confronting an insurmountable wall.
That feeling wasn't unjustified.
Seido was weaker back then.
But now—
Less than a year later, everything had changed.
The opponent who once suffocated them no longer felt unreachable.
Difficult, yes.
But unbeatable?
No.
Including Tanba, every Seido player believed this.
No matter how fierce the battle became—
Victory would belong to Seido.
"That much is certain."
"It's time."
After changing into their uniforms, Captain Yuki led the team.
He pushed open the door and stepped forward, the rest following closely behind.
The moment Seido entered Hachioji Stadium, a tidal wave of cheers erupted from the stands.
"Seido! Seido!!!"
"Zhou Hao looks amazing today!"
"You're the best!"
"Bring it home—!"
"Yuki—!"
The roar of support surged endlessly.
The game hadn't even begun, yet the atmosphere already felt decisive.
The stands were packed to the brim.
Several of Seido's first-year rookies stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
"This is insane…"
"I didn't expect them to be this popular."
"Well, we are the national champions."
Even among the West Tokyo Big Three—
There were differences.
And everyone knew it.
Soon after, the Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team took the field.
As a top national powerhouse, they had no shortage of supporters.
Classmates, alumni, die-hard fans—
Normally, Ichidai could easily overwhelm most opponents in terms of cheers.
But today—
Against Seido?
Their cheering section was utterly outmatched.
Less than a quarter of Seido's numbers.
The moment Ichidai stepped onto the field, it felt like a brutal away game.
The pressure was immediate.
And undeniable.
Only then did Ichidai's players truly understand—
What it meant to stand opposite the national champions.
An unscalable peak.
An insurmountable chasm.
"This is exciting," a shaved-headed Ichidai player chuckled inside the dugout.
"The Tokyo Spring Tournament—Quarterfinals!"
"The match between Seido High School Baseball Team and Ichidai Third High School Baseball Team officially begins!"
With the chief umpire's declaration, both teams took their positions.
By the result of rock-paper-scissors—
Seido would bat first.
Top of the first inning.
No outs.
Bases empty.
"Leading off—number 6!"
"Shortstop—Kuramochi!"