"Strike!"
"Strikeout!"
"Three outs—game over!"
Zhou Hao recorded the final out, officially bringing an end to this West Tokyo powerhouse showdown.
Final score—
Seido 9, Ichidai Sanko 2.
The game concluded early in the seventh inning.
In the stands, Seido High School Baseball Team supporters erupted in celebration.
They were practically going crazy.
Under normal circumstances, such excitement wouldn't be necessary.
After all, mercy-rule victories in seven innings were nothing new for Seido.
They had achieved this countless times in regional competitions.
But today's opponent was different.
This was Ichidai Sanko.
A traditional powerhouse that once stood on equal footing with Seido.
One year ago—
Among the three great powers of West Tokyo, Seido had even been considered slightly inferior to Ichidai Sanko.
After failing to reach Koshien for several consecutive years, Seido inevitably carried the label of decline.
People whispered that Seido might soon fall out of the ranks of West Tokyo's elite.
No one expected that in just one short year…
The positions of the two teams would completely reverse.
The so-called "weaker" Seido High School Baseball Team had now crushed Ichidai Sanko in only seven innings.
And this wasn't some back-and-forth slugfest.
This was pure domination.
A comprehensive suppression in pitching, batting, defense, and tactics.
The scoreboard spoke clearly.
9:2.
A seven-run gap.
And the game didn't even reach the ninth inning.
For the Ichidai San High School Baseball Team players and supporters, the world seemed to lose its color.
Everything in front of them faded into black and white.
They didn't want to accept it.
But they had no choice.
Because the truth was painfully obvious—
There was a massive gap in strength between the two teams.
Coach Tahara slowly closed his eyes.
He knew what he should say.
This was only the Spring Tournament.
Whether they won or lost, it didn't decide everything.
The players should lift their heads, look forward, and pour all their energy into the upcoming Summer Tournament.
He should use this crushing defeat to awaken their fighting spirit.
Yet…
Not a single word came out.
Today's blow wasn't limited to the players.
Even Tahara himself had been shaken to the core.
Faced with such a result, he didn't know how to begin.
He could only stare silently.
The same was true for the players.
When they looked toward Seido, their eyes were empty.
But strangely—
No one believed Ichidai Sanko would truly collapse because of this.
Not Seido.
Not the spectators.
Not even Ichidai Sanko themselves.
Throughout today's game, everyone had witnessed it clearly.
How many times had Ichidai Sanko been pushed to the brink?
How many times had they been cornered into desperation?
Yet every single time—
They stood back up.
They fought again.
If their opponent hadn't been Seido High School Baseball Team…
The outcome might have been completely different.
Who would dare underestimate a team like this?
Their resilience was frightening.
Just watching them made people's hearts tremble.
Even if they looked dejected right now,
Everyone knew—
They would recover quickly.
And when they returned, they would be even stronger.
This was Ichidai Sanko.
A true powerhouse.
And yet…
Even such a terrifying team had been utterly defeated by Seido.
Nine to two.
Seven innings.
A mercy-rule victory.
The Seido High School Baseball Team had officially advanced to the semifinals.
At this point, the battle for the seeded positions had concluded.
All Seido needed now was one more victory in the semifinals to secure a ticket to the Kanto Tournament.
From the fans' perspective—
This felt almost effortless.
As long as Seido wished to go,
They would go.
Kanto Tournament.
Regional supremacy.
Perhaps even more.
Someone in the stands muttered softly—
"What is a king?"
"Just look at the current Seido High School Baseball Team."
After last summer, the Seido High School Baseball Team had no longer remained undefeated.
They had lost to their old rival, Inashiro Industrial, in the Autumn Tournament.
Even so, no one truly regarded Inashiro Industrial as the "King."
At most, they were seen as a team that had seized a single opportunity and narrowly defeated Seido once.
Only the current Seido High School Baseball Team possessed that unique aura belonging exclusively to a King.
Whenever they stepped onto the field—
Whether it was their own supporters or neutral fans who came specifically to watch their games,
Everyone subconsciously believed that Seido would be the final victor.
This was the confidence of a royal team.
Compared with Seido,
Other teams simply did not give people the same sense of reliability.
Nor did they create that feeling of absolute invincibility and unstoppable momentum.
The game was over.
Against a powerhouse opponent, one in excellent form,
Seido still ended the battle in seven innings.
For the Seido High School Baseball Team, this was unquestionably an epic victory.
Any kind of celebration would have been reasonable.
Yet, in reality—
The players inside Seido's dugout were surprisingly calm.
It wasn't because today's match had been easy.
On the contrary, compared to many of their previous games, this one was far from simple.
But because their opponent was Ichidai Sanko,
Even with absolute confidence,
Seido's players had already prepared themselves for a grueling battle.
When had clashes between West Tokyo's three great powerhouses ever been gentle?
Which one wasn't fierce?
Which one wasn't brutal?
Before the game, Seido had fully expected a titanic collision—
Like Mars crashing into Earth.
Like mountains collapsing and seas overturning.
Yet reality turned out to be very different.
Ichidai Sanko showed terrifying resilience, like an unkillable cockroach.
No matter how hard they were pressed, they kept crawling back up.
But Seido suppressed them from start to finish,
Leaving them no opportunity to turn the tables.
Aside from Zhou Hao, this near-cheat-level existence,
The performances of the other Seido players were equally outstanding.
To put it plainly—
This team had completed a full transformation.
The framework of a super batting lineup had already taken shape.
Coupled with Zhou Hao, the rock-solid Ace,
If last year's Seido was the ultimate dark horse—
Then the current Seido was a true King.
Their overall strength had reached a ridiculous level.
The Seido players gathered together, emotions surging.
"I can't wait to face Inashiro!"
The defeat in last autumn's tournament was a thorn buried deep in everyone's heart.
A thorn that had never been pulled out.
It had festered for months.
Everyone felt suffocated by it.
Unfortunately, after the Autumn Tournament, there had been no official stage where they could meet Inashiro again.
Until now.
In this Spring Tournament,
They had crushed Ichidai Sanko so decisively.
Naturally, everyone began to imagine—
What would happen when they finally faced Inashiro Industrial once more?
"That scene will definitely be insane!"
A Seido player clenched his fist.
His eyes burned with anticipation.
"Enough talk. Let's go say goodbye first."
Captain Yuki spoke calmly.
With the game over and Seido advancing to the semifinals,
Both teams lined up and faced each other.
They bowed.
"Thank you for the game!"
"Thank you for the game!"
Normally, after this, players from both sides would exchange a few words.
Especially between familiar teams.
Ichidai Sanko and Seido were not only from the same region—
They were long-standing rivals.
Many players even had each other's contact information.
There should have been plenty to say.
But the Ichidai Sanko players were clearly in shock.
They didn't want to speak.
They didn't know what to say.
Seido's players, though wearing smiles,
also didn't know what to say to them.
A normal win or loss was one thing.
But ending the game early in seven innings…
That was a brutal blow.
If it were other teams, they might have shown off or mocked their opponent.
But Seido had never been that kind of team.
Even before becoming national champions, they wouldn't stoop to such behavior.
Mocking a badly beaten opponent would only make themselves look cheap.
So both sides simply shook hands in silence.
Until—
The absent-minded Amahisa grabbed Zhou Hao's hand.
Instantly, the players from both teams turned their heads.
If anyone was going to speak,
People had assumed it would be Tanba and Manaka.
The two had a deep bond and were both third-years.
They might only have one or two chances left to face each other in official matches.
But surprisingly—
It wasn't them.
It was Amahisa Kousei.
True to his nature, Amahisa didn't think about atmosphere, timing, or embarrassment.
He only had one thought in his mind.
Zhou Hao's Spiral ball.
So, without any hesitation, he asked:
"How exactly do you throw that Spiral ball? Can you teach me?"
The Ichidai Sanko players almost fainted on the spot.
They were rivals!
And Amahisa was basically receiving Ace-level treatment already.
To ask the opponent's Ace to teach him a secret weapon—
What kind of brain circuitry was this?
Several Ichidai players hurriedly tried to drag Amahisa away.
On the other side,
Even Zhou Hao was stunned.
He froze for three or four seconds.
His brain nearly overheated.
He genuinely didn't know how to respond.
Hoshida hurriedly waved at Zhou Hao.
"Don't mind him. He's just a lunatic."
As Ichidai Sanko's fourth batter and a representative figure,
Hoshida felt so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into a hole.
Losing the game was one thing.
Being this embarrassing after the game was even worse.
Their team desperately needed to strengthen its "quality education."