In the dugout, everyone was ready, and Coach Kataoka stood in front of them.
"Everyone, after several rounds of competition, we have finally made it here. This summer, your sweat and your efforts will all come to fruition. I believe that with your strength, you will definitely achieve the final victory. Don't be careless—go all out!"
"Yes!"
Everyone answered in unison.
For the Summer Tournament final, everyone's spirits were tense, and their voices sounded a bit stiff.
Seeing this, Coach Kataoka turned to look at Azuma Kiyokuni.
Feeling the coach's gaze, Azuma Kiyokuni immediately had a bad premonition.
"Azuma, you lead everyone. Let's do it once!"
Hearing this, Azuma Kiyokuni's eyes instantly moistened. To lead Seido's iconic chant on the final stage… what an honor.
"Yo, Senior Azuma is about to cry."
"Kanzaki, you just wait for me." Azuma glared at him, then turned to everyone. "Come on, let's form a circle!"
Everyone walked out of the dugout excitedly, forming a large circle.
Seeing this scene, the Seido fans in the stands quieted down. The cheerleading squad and band paused their performance. Everyone fixed their gaze on the Seido dugout.
"It's coming, it's coming!"
"The finals—I'm shaking!"
"Shh! Quiet!"
…
In front of the dugout, Kanzaki Ryou knelt on one knee, his right hand pressed over his chest.
At the center, Azuma Kiyokuni looked up, swept his gaze over his teammates, then slapped his chest hard as he shouted:
"WHO ARE WE?!"
"SEIDO!!"
"WHO SWEATS MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE?!"
"SEIDO!!"
"WHO CRIES MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE?!"
"SEIDO!!"
"ARE YOU READY?!"
"YES!!"
"CARRYING THE HONOR OF SEIDO HIGH SCHOOL! OUR GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONLY ONE—TO DOMINATE THE NATION!!"
"Ooooooooohh!!!!!"
…
At that moment, not only Seido's players but also the fans, students, and alumni in the stands shouted together:
"DOMINATE THE NATION!!"
The roaring echo shook the entire Jingu Stadium.
Across the field, in Ichidai Third High's dugout, their players felt excitement surge through them as well. The atmosphere was primed to explode.
After the chant, all nine Seido starters stepped onto the field.
"West Tokyo Final! The game between Seido High School and Ichidai Third High is officially beginning!"
Top of the First Inning
Ichidai Third High batted first.
As today's starting pitcher, Kanzaki Ryou felt great after warm-ups. His coordination with Tanaka Wataru was stable.
Ichidai's leadoff batter stepped into the box, and immediately, Ichidai's supporters burst into a passionate cheer song.
In the dugout, Ichidai's Coach Tahara stared intensely at Kanzaki. He knew breaking Kanzaki's pitching was unlikely, but they had to score at least once today—otherwise, their chances of victory were slim.
Ichidai's lineup had changed a bit over the months, and today's leadoff hitter was a newcomer—Kanda, a small, sharp batter with excellent pitch-tracking ability and blazing speed.
Against Kanzaki, Ichidai and Inashiro both adopted the same strategy:
Don't chase long hits. Get on base at all costs.
Tanaka Wataru didn't think too much about the unfamiliar batter and quickly called for the first pitch.
On the mound, Kanzaki rotated his shoulder once—
Whoosh! Snap!
The ball streaked into Tanaka's glove like a beam of light. Kanda swung purely on instinct.
"Strike!"
Everyone looked at the speed display.
153 km/h!
A super-fastball right out of the gate—pure dominance.
Kanda swallowed hard. If he couldn't even touch the ball, getting on base was impossible.
Whoosh—Snap!
Whoosh—Snap!
Two more straight fastballs over 150 km/h.
Kanda couldn't do anything.
Strikeout!
He walked back unwillingly, staring at Kanzaki.
Only by experiencing it firsthand could one understand—hitting this man was terrifyingly difficult.
The speed was deadly, the weight oppressive, the pitch locations cruel. To hit him, you needed elite pitch selection, elite mechanics, and elite bat speed.
After striking out Ichidai's leadoff, Kanzaki and Tanaka's rhythm accelerated. The second batter struck out in mere moments.
When the third batter stepped up, Tanaka deliberately slowed the tempo.
First pitch: Slider.
A tricky cutter-slider right away.
Kanzaki grinned.
After firing six consecutive fastballs, his hands were itching.
He unleashed—
Whoosh!
At first, the pitch looked identical to a fastball. The batter locked on and swung—
—but the ball cut sharply away in the final moment.
Snap!
"Strike!"
The batter's eyebrows tightened. A breaking ball right away—and one so impossible to distinguish early.
Once the first pitch landed, Kanzaki had already planted fear in the batter's heart.
Tanaka immediately signaled for an inside two-seamer.
The batter didn't swing.
"Strike!"
Two strikes.
Kanzaki then threw a borderline ball, which the batter barely fouled off.
"One more," Tanaka signaled—inside edge.
Kanzaki delivered. The batter couldn't risk taking it.
Snap!
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
Top of the First Inning: Three Up, Three Down!
Ichidai Third High was shut down completely.
Kanzaki Ryou opened the finals with overwhelming force.