"It's out!!!"
The stands erupted.
Supporters of the Seido High School Baseball Team felt as if they had completely lost their minds with excitement.
Just moments ago, Inashiro Industrial had tied the game.
At that time, Seido's fans had been stunned into silence.
If the man on the pitcher's mound had been Zhou Hao, that situation would never have happened while Seido held the lead.
But now… it was too late to dwell on that.
Inashiro Industrial had clawed their way back, showcasing the true strength of a national runner-up.
Aside from the gap at the ace pitcher position, the overall power of Inashiro Industrial was not inferior to Seido.
Even the most die-hard Seido supporters had to admit that.
But acknowledging it didn't mean accepting defeat.
They hadn't come here to watch Seido lose.
They came to see victory.
They wanted to witness Seido—the king—crush every opponent that stood in their way.
And today, Inashiro Industrial was just another obstacle meant to be destroyed.
"No matter what, we can't let them keep acting so smug!"
"We have to crush them!"
The same thoughts burned in the hearts of Seido's players.
But they also understood one thing clearly—
Inashiro had fought desperately to tie the game. There was no way they would give up easily now.
They would do everything possible to stop Seido from taking the lead again.
Their goal… was to drag the game into extra innings.
In a normal game, even without Zhou Hao on the mound, Inashiro's chances of winning weren't high.
They knew that better than anyone.
But extra innings were a different story.
Even though Inashiro no longer had a true ace available, they still had several pitchers who could step in.
Seido, on the other hand, had no one left besides Zhou Hao.
Once the game extended—
They could force Zhou Hao off the field.
Even if they lost in the end, that alone would earn them respect from the crowd.
On the surface, it would be a loss.
But in reality… it would feel like a victory.
Without Zhou Hao, relying solely on Tanba, Inashiro was confident they could completely break Seido apart in extra innings.
And when that happened—
Scoring wouldn't stop at just one or two runs.
Tying the game in the top of the ninth had given Inashiro an unprecedented opportunity.
But no one expected—
At the very start of the bottom of the ninth, they would be struck down immediately.
A single mistake from the pitcher—
And Zhou Hao seized it without hesitation.
CRACK!
The ball soared high into the sky… and disappeared into the stands.
For a brief moment, even Seido's players were frozen in disbelief.
The result was simply too perfect.
So perfect it felt unreal.
But reality didn't change.
Zhou Hao had crushed the pitch and sent it flying out of the park.
"Home run!!!"
"Seido High School takes their tenth run!"
"A walk-off home run by Zhou Hao!!!"
"Final score: 10–9!"
"Seido High School wins!!!"
"Congratulations to Seido High School for claiming the Tokyo Spring Tournament Championship!!!"
They had done it.
Seido… were champions.
The commentator's voice rose to a fever pitch, trembling with excitement.
The crowd responded in kind—but for different reasons.
For the commentator, being able to call a game like this was a rare privilege.
Even without the aces dominating on the mound, both teams had fought fiercely, keeping the outcome uncertain until the very end.
The back-and-forth battle had completely captivated the audience.
Even casual spectators were now glued to the action, more invested than ever.
That was the true magic of this game.
But what the commentator didn't fully understand—
Was why Seido's supporters were this emotional.
For them, this victory meant one thing above all else:
Revenge.
Since their defeat in last year's Autumn Tournament, Seido had been plagued by doubt.
As a national powerhouse, they had faced endless criticism.
It hadn't weakened their strength—
But it had shaken their hearts.
Some players had even begun to question themselves.
After the departure of their third-year seniors…
Did they still have what it took to lead this team forward?
That uncertainty had made their journey far more difficult than anyone realized.
But today—
They answered everything.
From the team's perspective, this was revenge fulfilled.
But for the players themselves, it was something even greater.
This game had shown them who they truly were.
And that realization would shape everything that came next.
The game was over.
In the stands, Seido's die-hard supporters celebrated as if it were a festival.
They shouted, jumped, and danced without restraint.
Even neutral spectators were swept up in the moment, moved by the incredible performance they had witnessed.
No one held back anymore.
They raised their arms and joined the celebration.
The entire stadium transformed into a sea of joy.
Meanwhile, some fans unfamiliar with high school baseball looked at the scene—the cheering crowd, the waving flowers in Seido's colors—
And couldn't help but feel a deep sense of confusion.
Who was it that said the Spring Tournament didn't matter?
Judging from what unfolded before them, this tournament was anything but insignificant.
Otherwise, why would the players of Seido High School be this happy after winning?
They were grinning so widely their back teeth were almost visible.
Clearly, these outsiders didn't understand the real reason behind Seido's joy.
The players gathered together, hugging one another as they waved toward the cameras—
expressing their happiness in the simplest, most genuine way.
In stark contrast…
The players of Inashiro Industrial stood on the other side of the field, flames practically burning in their eyes.
They were unwilling.
Unwilling to accept this outcome.
They had tied the game in the top of the ninth and finally seized a chance to turn things around.
They had even planned ahead—what strategies to use in extra innings, how to break Seido down.
And now…
All of it had turned into nothing more than a shattered dream.
They had lost.
Only by one run—
But the defeat came too suddenly.
So suddenly that they hadn't even had time to prepare themselves.
"Damn it… Zhou Hao!"
"If it weren't for him—!"
The same resentment rose in the hearts of Inashiro's players and supporters alike.
If Zhou Hao hadn't been there…
Today's result would have been completely different.
"He didn't even pitch, and he's still this annoying."
"How many home runs did he hit?"
"Three… I think?"
"Last year, he barely hit any."
"Who knows what happened this year? It's like he's cheating."
"He hits two or three every game. For him, home runs are easier than normal hits."
"At this rate… by the time he graduates, he might create a miracle no one's ever seen before."
As those discussions continued, the Inashiro players slowly gathered at the center of the field.
Despite losing both the game and the championship, they didn't appear overly shaken.
Because deep down—
They knew this wasn't what truly mattered.
Their real battlefield lay ahead.
The Kanto Tournament.
The Summer Tournament.
Those would be the stages that truly tested their strength.
As both teams lined up to bow and shake hands, Narumiya Mei made his stance crystal clear.
"Enjoy this hard-earned victory while you can," he said coldly. "You won't be this lucky next time."
His tone was sharp, filled with challenge.
Miyuki Kazuya didn't hesitate for even a second.
"We'll be waiting."
As a national powerhouse, Seido had to carry themselves with pride.
And Miyuki embodied that perfectly.
His response instantly made Narumiya's expression stiffen.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Narumiya snapped. "You think you can take the championship again?"
"You're the one who said it," Zhou Hao replied calmly.
It was rare for Zhou Hao to speak so bluntly.
But no one on Seido found it strange.
As the ace of a national powerhouse arguably the best player in high school baseball today—
he had every right to be domineering.
And in that moment, the confidence radiating from him spread to everyone around him.
The Seido players felt an overwhelming sense of exhilaration.
Especially the third-years.
For the first- and second-years, Seido had always been strong.
They joined a team already standing at the top.
But for the third-years—
It hadn't always been like this.
When they first entered Seido, the team had been under constant scrutiny.
Their generation had been doubted again and again.
It wasn't until last year that those doubts finally began to fade.
And during their toughest times—
Inashiro had been the team that suppressed them the most.
It wasn't that they hadn't fought back.
But in baseball, results were everything.
If you couldn't win on the field, you had no right to speak.
Those memories had lingered like thorns in their hearts, impossible to ignore.
But now—
They could finally stand tall.
Their ace spoke with confidence.
Their results spoke even louder.
A faint smile appeared on Narumiya Mei's face as he looked at them.
"Then we'll settle it next time."
"!"
"See you on the field!!"
Both teams were powerhouses of West Tokyo.
Even without arranging practice games, the chances of them meeting again were incredibly high.
And no matter what Inashiro thought—
Seido had long been prepared.
Prepared to clash with them again and again…
Until a true victor was decided.
After seeing off their rivals, Seido's players walked toward the stands and bowed deeply to their supporters.
"Thank you all for your support!"
This wasn't unique to Seido.
Many high school teams did the same.
But for a national powerhouse like Seido to personally come forward and express their gratitude—
It only made their fans even more excited.
Faces flushed, voices trembling with emotion, the supporters responded enthusiastically.
"You were amazing!"
"That's how you deal with Inashiro!"
"Show them who the real powerhouse is!"
"How can a runner-up even compare to you?!"
In the Spring Koshien qualifiers, Inashiro's performance had been dazzling.
Combined with their victory over Seido last autumn, many had believed the two teams were evenly matched—
or that Inashiro might even have the edge.
But now…
All those arguments had collapsed.
Seido's ace hadn't even needed to take the mound—
And Inashiro had already been defeated.
"We're the champions!"
"We're the strongest!!"
"We'll be there to cheer for the Kanto Tournament too!"
"Zhou Hao! Use the Spiral Ball next time!!"
Among all the cheers, one name stood above the rest—
Zhou Hao.
No matter when or where, his name was always called the most.
The Seido players were already used to it.
They had seen this scene countless times before.
In fact, they probably understood better than the fans themselves what kind of cheers were coming next.
Awards ceremony.
Changing uniforms.
Boarding the bus.
Everything proceeded smoothly—
Until just before they got on.
That's when trouble appeared.