Ping!
When Azuma Kiyokuni first connected with the ball, the players of Arayashiki High School initially felt relieved.
They thought they had finally read Seidou High School's cleanup hitter.
But their smiles vanished almost instantly.
The white baseball soared over the third baseman's head—
a dangerous sign.
What made it even harder to accept was that the ball didn't stop there. It kept flying, farther and farther.
The outfielder, who had already positioned himself in the ball's path, could only stare in disbelief, his mouth slowly falling open.
Why isn't it coming down?
He kept retreating, eyes fixed on the ball, praying for gravity to finally take over.
Finally, it began to descend.
Thank goodness!
Even though it was too late to stop Zhou Hao from running home, at least they could secure an out. That was enough—for now.
Facing Seidou High School, they already knew deep down that they couldn't completely shut them out. The opponent was bound to score.
The only question was: by how much?
All they could do was minimize the damage and look for chances to strike back.
"Retreat another ten meters!" someone shouted from the dugout.
Just as the outfielder took another step back, his body slammed into something solid.
"Ow—!"
He rubbed the back of his head and turned around.
Behind him loomed the cold, unyielding wall of Koshien Stadium.
Is this the end?
The ball sailed over his head and landed deep into the outfield stands.
"It's out of here!"
The crowd erupted. Even the outfield stands were packed with spectators today.
As soon as the ball dropped among them, a kid darted forward and scooped it up.
"Wow!"
"This kid's so lucky!"
The boy who caught the home run ball grinned ear to ear, proudly holding it up like a trophy.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hao, Yuki, and Higashi Kiyokuni rounded the bases one after another, crossing home plate in triumph.
The deadlock that had lasted three innings was finally broken.
3–0!
Seidou High School had taken the lead—and not just barely.
Once again, they proved why they stood above the rest.
Even Arayashiki High School's supporters could only shake their heads in disbelief. Their ace, Uekusa, had pitched brilliantly all game, but the rest of the team couldn't provide the backup he needed.
Everyone familiar with Arayashiki High School knew one thing:
their defense was among the best in the nation.
But their offense… was lacking.
In both their local qualifiers and their first Koshien match, their victories had come with slim margins—2–0, 3–0.
And now, even if Seidou's true ace, Zhou Hao, didn't return to the mound, it would still be nearly impossible for Arayashiki to turn things around.
"This is Seidou!"
"You're still far from their level!"
"We beat Osaka Kiryu, remember?"
Not just the players, but even Seidou's fans carried a new sense of pride.
They weren't just any baseball team—they were the team that took down the "Universe Team."
To stand against them was no easy feat.
Arayashiki High School wasn't weak, but compared to Seidou, the gap was still massive.
"This is Seidou High School's core lineup!"
"Even Osaka Kiryu's ace Kuroda couldn't stop them!"
The crowd finally understood Seidou's true strength.
When they had faced Osaka Kiryu, the two teams seemed evenly matched.
But today, against Arayashiki, the difference was like heaven and earth.
"If not for Uekusa, Arayashiki wouldn't have made it this far," someone muttered.
As the cheers continued, Seidou's fifth batter stepped up to the plate.
Ping!
The white baseball flew into the outfield once again.
The Arayashiki outfielder sprinted at full speed, diving just as the ball neared the ground.
Smack!
"Out!"
Two outs. Bases empty.
Even Arayashiki's famed defense couldn't claim exclusivity—
Seidou's was just as ironclad, if not stronger.
"That's incredible!"
"As expected of Seidou—strongest in the nation!"
"That speed is faster than a cheetah!"
The crowd's roars echoed through Koshien.
And in the dugout, Seidou's players stood tall, calm and confident.
They had drawn first blood—
and everyone in the stadium could feel it.