Tokyo Akita Stadium.
Inside the dugout of Seido High School Baseball Team, cheers erupted endlessly.
"We won! We won!!!"
The smiles on everyone's faces were brighter than ever before.
Although Seido had already won two games prior to this one, the feeling this time was completely different.
On one hand, the earlier opponents had been too weak. Even after defeating them, the players didn't feel much exhilaration.
After all, no truly skilled player would feel proud after beating elementary school students.
On the other hand, Seido's Ace and core starters had all played in those matches.
With those heavyweights on the field, many players naturally felt overshadowed.
As a result, the sense of achievement simply couldn't compare to today.
But this match—
This quarterfinal—
Was different.
Their opponent was Kasuga Ichiko High School, a well-known Tokyo powerhouse.
A genuinely troublesome team.
And yet, in today's game, Seido's three core starters didn't even play.
They relied purely on the strength of the remaining players to crush their opponent head-on.
That alone was enough to make everyone's blood boil.
Not to mention that, in the latter half of the game, many substitute players were rotated onto the field and all performed admirably.
Add to that the shocking emergence of two terrifying first-year rookies—
Although their sudden rise placed enormous pressure on many players—
No one could deny one fact.
It was precisely because of these newcomers that Seido High School Baseball Team had become even stronger.
They had already dominated the nation once.
Now, everyone believed even more firmly—
They would dominate again.
They wanted to create an era that belonged to Seido.
They wanted to build a dynasty.
And they themselves would be part of it.
Just thinking about that made their hearts surge with motivation.
How could they not be excited?
The fans in the stands were even more ecstatic.
From their perspective, no one wanted Seido to succeed more than they did.
Seeing the team in such form, they naturally cheered with all their might.
Otherwise, wouldn't they be betraying their loyalty?
They were Seido's die-hard supporters—
Not some casual spectators.
The first-year players were equally fired up.
The second- and third-year seniors on the field had long been objects of admiration.
Now, two first-years from their own generation had joined the ranks.
In a subtle but powerful way, this set a concrete goal for everyone.
As long as they worked hard.
As long as they became strong enough.
One day, they too would wear the blue-and-white uniform and stand on that field.
"One day, I'll make it too!"
Sawamura shouted passionately, along with many other first-years.
They vowed to enter Seido's First String and become true main players.
Just thinking about it made their bodies tremble with excitement.
In stark contrast, the expressions of Kasuga Ichiko High School's players were numb.
As a renowned Tokyo powerhouse, they had considered the possibility of losing before the match.
After all, their opponent was Seido—
The reigning national champions.
Even with lineup adjustments, Seido was not a team Kasuga could truly contend with.
But no matter what, they had believed they could at least put up a fight.
They never imagined the match would end in seven innings—
With such a crushing score gap.
What was even more despair-inducing was the fact that Seido hadn't even fielded their strongest lineup.
Zhou Hao and two other core starters never stepped onto the field.
They watched the entire match from the bench.
Add in two terrifying rookies they had never anticipated—
The despair Kasuga felt was unlike anything before.
They were on the verge of collapse.
"Let's go… it's time to line up."
Kasuga Ichiko's coach looked at his dazed disciples, his heart aching.
He didn't know how to comfort them.
This kind of defeat left people numb rather than emotional.
Still, etiquette had to be observed.
Both teams lined up.
Under the chief umpire's supervision, they bowed deeply.
"Thank you for the game."
"Thank you for the game!"
Afterward, Seido's players followed their usual routine and went to thank the spectators.
"Thank you all for coming to watch our game!"
The Seido supporters were especially enthusiastic.
Many of them had deliberately stayed behind for this moment.
They wanted to speak directly to the players.
"You did great! Just as strong as last year!"
"The Autumn Tournament doesn't matter anymore—this team is the strongest!"
"Zhou Hao! Even though you didn't play today, you're still so handsome!"
The moment that sentence rang out—
All Seido players turned to look at Zhou Hao.
Zhou Hao had always been strikingly handsome.
Everyone knew he had plenty of female fans.
But this—
This level of boldness still caught them off guard.
Zhou Hao himself was equally stunned.
Since when had girls become this direct?
This was completely different from the casual confessions shouted from the stands before.
At that time, voices blended into the crowd.
But now—
Many spectators had already left.
Those who remained stood out clearly.
Especially the girl who had just spoken.
Short hair grazing her ears.
Fair skin.
Delicate features.
The moment she spoke, everyone's eyes locked onto her.
Seido's players trained like monks.
Not a single one had a girlfriend.
That was fine when no one had one.
But now—
Zhou Hao clearly stood out.
"How about it, who's that pretty girl?"
Kuramochi practically growled the question.
The others didn't speak, but their gazes were just as accusatory.
"With training this intense, you still found time for a girlfriend?"
"Do you even respect the team?"
Zhou Hao was utterly helpless.
"I really don't know her!"
But no one believed him.
The girl herself was incredibly bold.
Even under so many gazes, she wasn't shy at all.
She kept waving enthusiastically at Zhou Hao.
"I really don't know her!"
Zhou Hao repeated, desperate.
Still—no one believed him.
The teasing continued even after they returned to the locker room.
Kuramochi hooked an arm around Zhou Hao's neck.
"Come on, give us her contact info."
"I'm not stealing your girlfriend. Doesn't she have friends?"
"I really don't know her!"
"At times like this, we should focus on practice!"
The locker room was filled with laughter.
Outside the room, Coach Kataoka and Manager Ota listened quietly.
Instead of stopping them, both men smiled.
"These kids really are young," Manager Ota said fondly.
Who hadn't been young before?
Back in his own youth, he'd been far wilder.
"As long as the team atmosphere remains stable, this is fine," Coach Kataoka said calmly.
No one trained harder than his players.
He knew exactly how early they woke up.
How late they stayed.
He watched it all.
And precisely because he knew their effort—
He had absolute confidence in their future.
"The bus is surrounded by reporters," Manager Ota said proudly.
Even in summer tournaments, such attention usually only appeared in semifinals or finals.
Today's situation was completely different.
"Our opponent was Kasuga Ichiko—and our main players didn't even play," Kataoka said, a smile creeping onto his face.
The players' performance had exceeded all expectations.
Naturally, reporters had noticed.
They could already sense it—
Seido was about to create something extraordinary again.
"It's all for sales and clicks," Ota chuckled.
"So what about us?" Ota asked.
"What's destined to come will come," Kataoka replied calmly.
"If someone loses himself because of praise, then he's not qualified to be a Seido starter."
Compared to last year, this Seido team was different.
Last year, they were strong—
But they hadn't been national champions yet.
This year—
They carried the title.
From the first game onward, they were under scrutiny.
In such circumstances, hiding was pointless.
Better to face everything head-on.
Analysis.
Praise.
Pressure.
They had to endure it all.
They had to prove—
They deserved to be champions.
They deserved to dominate the nation.
No obstacle could shake that resolve.
When the players finished changing and stepped outside, reporters instantly surrounded them.
"I'm from Baseball Daily News—may I ask a few questions?"
"Coach Kataoka—"
"Manager Ota—"
Veteran champions remained calm.
But many players here had never experienced this.
Cameras.
Microphones.
Flashing lights.
Their hearts pounded.
Before they could react, Coach Kataoka and Manager Ota boarded the bus.
They left the players to face it themselves.
Zhou Hao stared at the bus in disbelief.
In his memory, Coach Kataoka had always avoided media exposure.
Afraid it would affect the players.
Most of them were only sixteen or seventeen.
Their values weren't fully formed.
Praise could easily go to their heads.
And once that happened—
Their performance would inevitably suffer.
Yet today—
Seido had chosen to face the spotlight head-on.
Because this—
Was the path of champions.