Kanzaki Ryou delivered the pitch—
And Narumiya Mei swung deliberately, committing fully after the ball left his hand.
He had read it as a changeup.
Snap!
"Strike!"
"Strikeout!!"
The ball settled cleanly into Miyuki's glove.
Narumiya froze.
"…What?"
Too slow.
Far too slow.
His eyes flicked to the mitt.
That wasn't a circle changeup…
Realization struck.
"…A palmball?"
He turned sharply toward the mound.
Kanzaki stood there, faintly smiling.
That confident, almost mocking expression—
Narumiya's heart tightened.
So while I revealed my reverse changeup…
You were hiding this.
A chill crept up his spine.
With two outs, Inashiro's hopes now fell to their sixth batter—
Yamaoka Riku.
As he passed him, Narumiya lightly tapped his chest.
"Relax. There's still a chance."
Yamaoka stiffened.
…This is Narumiya Mei?
For a brief moment—
He felt something heavy in his chest.
Then he nodded firmly.
"Leave it to me."
Bottom of the eighth.
Two outs.
Bases empty.
Yamaoka stepped into the box, gripping the bat tightly.
Please… just not a changeup.
Whoosh!
Kanzaki didn't care about his thoughts—
Didn't care about the pressure crushing him.
He saw Miyuki's sign—
Confirmed—
And fired.
The pitch came in blazing fast.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Yamaoka forced himself to swing.
Fastball! I can—
But—
In that instant—
The ball seemed to surge forward again.
Before his swing could complete—
It was already in the glove.
"Strike!"
Yamaoka's face darkened.
That sudden acceleration—
He hadn't reacted at all.
Second pitch—
Same result.
Third—
Miss.
"Strikeout!!"
Three pitches.
Clean.
Merciless.
Yamaoka lowered his head and walked off the field.
The game—
Had reached its final stage.
Top of the ninth. Seido at bat.
Despite holding a two-run lead, no one relaxed.
In baseball—
A two-run lead in the ninth was anything but safe.
Masuko Toru stepped up.
"Chubby-Senpai! Get another run!" Sawamura shouted from the dugout.
Masuko froze mid-step.
Veins bulged on his forehead.
"…Sawamura-chan."
"I'll deal with you later."
Back behind the plate, Harada's expression was heavy.
Two runs.
So close—
Yet it felt like a wall.
If they gave up even one more run—
It might truly be over.
The stands trembled with noise.
"Mei! You can do it!"
"Don't lose!"
"Hold them here!"
Even some fans had started crying.
But on the mound—
Narumiya Mei remained composed.
The game wasn't over.
Three batters.
Nine pitches.
Three strikeouts.
Masuko.
Shirasu.
All down.
Three up, three down.
No additional runs.
Which meant—
Bottom of the ninth.
The final inning.
"Seido! Advance to Koshien!"
"Last three outs!"
"Shut them out!!"
The stadium roared like thunder.
A two-run lead.
Three outs remaining.
And Inashiro's lower lineup stepping up.
In Seido's dugout—
Kanzaki calmly set down his cup.
He looked around.
Teammates met his gaze—
Each one smiling.
Confident.
Certain.
Kanzaki stood.
Pulled on his glove.
"…Let's go."
"OOOHHHH!!!"
Amid the roar—
He stepped onto the field.
Bottom of the ninth—begin!
"The West Tokyo Finals have reached their climax!"
"After an intense battle, we enter the final half-inning!"
"Score: 2–0! Seido leads!"
The commentator's voice rang across stadiums, radios, and screens.
"Will Seido close this out cleanly—"
"Or will Inashiro stage a miracle comeback?!"
"And standing on the mound—"
"The man trusted by all of Seido—"
"One of the greatest high school pitchers in Japan—"
"The Overlord—Kanzaki Ryō!!"
Cheers exploded.
In the stands—
First-years, bench players, managers—
All raised Seido's flag high.
"Kanzaki-senpai!!"
"Strike them out!!"
"Bring it home, Ace!!"
Countless eyes—
All fixed on the mound.
Across the field—
Inashiro's batters trembled slightly, overwhelmed by the pressure.
Coach Kunitomo stepped forward.
Placed a firm hand on Hirai Tsubasa's shoulder.
"Go."
"Don't hesitate."
His gaze swept across the three batters.
"You earned your place here through countless hours of training."
"At this moment—you represent Inashiro."
"Just go up there… as batters."
They didn't fully understand—
But somehow—
Strength filled their bodies.
"Yes, Coach!!"
"Good."
Kunitomo nodded.
"Now go."
"Give it everything."
Because now—
Tactics no longer mattered.
Strategies meant nothing.
At the bottom of the ninth—
It all came down… to fighting spirit.