"Are you serious?"
"He struck out three batters in a row?"
Watching the live broadcast, Amahisa Kousei could hardly believe what he had just seen.
The Koshien Finals had already stretched into the tenth inning.
After switching to left-handed pitching, Ushijima Wakatoshi had loaded the bases...
Only to strike out three consecutive batters and escape the inning without allowing a single run.
It was the kind of performance that could decide a championship.
"Pitching left-handed... he's even more terrifying."
Shinada could only sigh.
"I never imagined he had another weapon hidden."
"And he can throw both a Curveball and a Slider?"
Everyone at Ichidai Sankou fell silent.
The same scene was unfolding at Yakushi.
At Inashiro.
And at schools all across Japan.
Every player watching the final felt an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Ushijima Wakatoshi's performance had surpassed everyone's imagination.
Bottom of the Tenth
Masuko led off the inning.
Crack!
A deep fly ball dropped safely into the outfield, allowing him to reach first.
Next came Miyuki.
Komadai's defense immediately targeted him.
The result...
A perfectly executed double play.
Masuko's lack of speed made it impossible to avoid.
Two quick outs.
Fortunately, Shirasu answered with a clean single.
Hope remained alive.
But when Haruichi stepped into the batter's box...
Komadai's airtight defense shut Seido down once again.
The inning ended scoreless.
No one expected anything less.
This was the Koshien Finals.
There were no weak opponents.
Although Ushijima continued to dominate on the mound like an emperor...
Komadai Fujimaki's defense was equally resilient.
The grueling tournament schedule had finally begun to take its toll.
Koshien demanded game after game with almost no recovery time.
Ushijima's stamina and recovery were exceptional.
But the rest of Seido couldn't maintain their peak condition forever.
Their swings lacked their usual sharpness.
Even when they managed to get runners aboard...
Komadai always found a way to escape.
Every dangerous situation became another successful defensive stand.
Otherwise...
With Seido's lineup at full strength...
They could easily have scored five or six runs before the ninth inning.
The fact that the game had reached extra innings was proof of how much fatigue affected even the strongest teams.
The tenth inning passed without a winner.
The championship entered the eleventh.
The game had already lasted more than three hours.
Top of the Eleventh
Now fully settled into his left-handed rhythm...
Ushijima completely overwhelmed Komadai once again.
Three batters.
Three outs.
No one reached base.
Bottom of the Eleventh
Seido's offense returned.
Kuramochi was retired at first.
One out.
Then...
Kominato Ryosuke lined a clean single.
The tying opportunity was alive.
Isashiki stepped into the batter's box.
Coach Kataoka had given him a simple order.
Don't swing for the fences.
Just get on base.
I have to get Ushijima another chance.
As long as I reach...
Yuki comes next.
Even if they intentionally walk him...
The bases will be loaded.
And then...
They'll have no choice but to face Ushijima.
The current pitcher has already shown everything he has.
Their only option will be another pitching change.
For perhaps the first time all tournament...
Isashiki wasn't thinking about hitting a home run.
He was thinking about winning.
"Saiuchi!!"
He attacked the pitch.
Tap!
A perfectly placed infield hit.
Safe.
Komadai's coach frowned.
The aggressive Isashiki...
Had willingly settled for a simple base hit.
That decision alone changed everything.
Now...
The cleanup hitter stepped in.
Yuki Tetsuya.
Yuki attacked the very first pitch.
Foul!
Seeing that swing...
Komadai's coach immediately raised his hand.
"Time!"
"Pitching change!"
He refused to take the risk.
Their fourth pitcher entered the game.
The change of rhythm and arm angle disrupted Yuki's timing.
Even so...
The captain calmly adjusted.
Instead of forcing a big swing...
He shot a single through the infield.
Bases loaded.
One out.
Seido's greatest opportunity had finally arrived.
Ushijima Wakatoshi walked toward the batter's box with a wooden bat resting on his shoulder.
The entire stadium fell silent.
Over fifty thousand spectators held their breath.
Komadai's pitcher swallowed hard.
The pressure was suffocating.
Ushijima planted his feet.
His posture was perfectly upright.
He held the bat loosely in one hand, letting it hang naturally beside his leg.
Expressionless.
Focused.
His eyes never left the pitcher.
An overwhelming aura quietly spread from his body.
"There it is..."
"Ushijima's serious batting stance."
Every Seido player immediately relaxed.
Since becoming the team's ace...
Ushijima had rarely been able to devote himself completely to hitting.
Pitching demanded too much mental energy.
But after eleven exhausting innings...
At the most important moment of the season...
He finally became nothing more than a batter.
Every ounce of his concentration focused on one swing.
There's no way...
I'm losing here!
Komadai's pitcher roared inwardly.
He threw the best pitch of his life.
The baseball raced toward the plate.
Ushijima watched it calmly.
The entire Seido bench rose to its feet.
"USHIJIMA!!"
The three runners on base shouted just as loudly.
"Hit it!!"
"One pitch!"
"One soul!!"
At that instant...
Ushijima drove all of his strength through the bat.
BOOOOOOM!!
The sweet spot met the baseball perfectly.
Every bit of force transferred into the ball.
It exploded off the bat at nearly 200 km/h.
Then—
CRACK!!
The wooden bat shattered into pieces.
Splinters scattered across the batter's box.
Ushijima never even looked at them.
His eyes remained fixed on the baseball soaring high into the summer sky.
Every camera followed it.
Every spectator stood.
Millions watching across Japan forgot to breathe.
The ball kept carrying.
Higher.
Farther.
Until—
BANG!!
It slammed into the scoreboard.
For a heartbeat...
The stadium was silent.
Then—
"IT'S GONE!!"
"A WALK-OFF HOME RUN!!"
The commentator's voice cracked with excitement.
"Seido High School's ace and fifth batter..."
"USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI HAS HIT HIS SECOND SAYONARA HOME RUN OF THIS SUMMER KOSHIEN!!"
"THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BELONGS TO SEIDO!!"
The stadium exploded.
"YEAHHHHHHHH!!"
The Seido dugout emptied instantly.
Every player sprinted onto the field.
In the stands...
The second-string players jumped up and down in celebration.
Kominato Ryosuke...
Isashiki Jun...
Yuki Tetsuya...
All crossed home plate with tears streaming down their faces.
Instead of celebrating immediately...
They all turned to watch Ushijima round the bases.
Coach Kataoka was already running toward him.
The entire Seido team surrounded their ace before he even reached home.
They threw their arms around him in one enormous embrace.
"We're champions!!"
"We're national champions!!"
"We conquered the nation!!"
"We really did it!!"
Laughter mixed with tears.
Every member of Seido cried openly.
Even the normally composed upperclassmen couldn't hold back their emotions.
Furuya wiped his eyes.
Sawamura sobbed without restraint.
Haruichi smiled through tears.
They had done it.
They stood at the top of Japan.
On the other side...
Silence.
Komadai Fujimaki had fought with everything they had.
They had used all four pitchers.
Battled through eleven grueling innings.
Pushed Seido to the very limit.
Yet...
One swing had decided everything.
Every Komadai player lowered their head.
Their fists clenched tightly.
Tears of frustration fell onto the dirt of Koshien.
For one team...
It was the happiest day of their lives.
For the other...
It became the most heartbreaking defeat they would never forget.
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