The first semifinal match of the Kanto Tournament between Seido High School and Akiha High School had entered the ninth inning.
The score on the field was an overwhelming 18–0.
And that was already with Seido intentionally holding back.
Top of the ninth inning.
Akiha High School was at bat.
At this point, they no longer entertained any thoughts of making a comeback.
Even if a Major League team were standing here right now, overturning an eighteen-run deficit would still be impossible—let alone for Akiha.
Now, they only had one goal left:
Score.
It didn't matter if it was only a single run.
Even one point would be enough.
That lone run wouldn't erase their humiliation, but at the very least, it would allow them to preserve a sliver of dignity.
This was their final offensive chance.
Akiha no longer cared about anything else.
They only wanted to score.
Starting with the eighth batter, they directly sent out their strongest substitute hitter.
"You've watched so many pitches already, and the opponent knows nothing about your data. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Go!"
Having already lost by eighteen runs, Akiha's coach no longer had anything to fear.
Against Seido, there was only one choice left:
Fight to the bitter end.
If they could score one or two runs, that would already count as a victory.
And even if they failed…
So what?
At this point, they had nothing left to lose.
The moment Akiha's substitute batter stepped into the batter's box, he immediately took an aggressive stance.
As long as the baseball entered his range, he would swing without mercy.
"Come on! Let this master see what kind of skills a useless third-year like you actually has!"
Compared to Zhou Hao, the second-year monster…
And compared to the two terrifying first-year rookies…
The coach and players of Akiha High School naturally believed that Seido's third-year pitcher, Tanba Koichiro, should be the easiest one to break through.
A third-year quasi-Ace who was being overshadowed this badly by first and second-years?
To them, that was simply embarrassing.
But for Akiha, this was good news.
They were convinced they could finally score off him.
Even if they hadn't succeeded before, after observing Tanba's pitching, they firmly believed they had already seen through him.
In Seido's dugout, many players quickly sensed the opponent's confidence.
"These guys actually think Tanba-senpai is their breakthrough point?"
"How arrogant."
"They probably watched footage of Tanba-senpai's previous games, which is why they're so confident."
"So what now?"
"The key depends entirely on Tanba himself," Coach Kataoka said calmly.
"As long as he maintains his composure and pitches according to his normal rhythm, Akiha won't be able to do anything against him."
Today, both first-year pitchers had performed brilliantly.
For Seido as a whole, that was naturally excellent news.
But for certain players, the situation was far more complicated.
For example—
Tanba Koichiro.
If even his performance couldn't compare to those two freshmen…
Then what qualifications did he still have to remain Seido's top substitute pitcher?
Standing on the mound, Tanba's expression was solemn.
Back when he first chose Seido High School, he had never intended to become a substitute.
At the time, after parting ways with his old partner, Manaka Kaname, he had carried only one dream in his heart:
To become Seido's Ace.
Although he had once been an outstanding substitute pitcher…
Who in this world truly wanted to remain a substitute forever?
No matter what others thought, Tanba Koichiro certainly didn't.
That was why, when Seido's recruiters approached him and told him they would consider him for the Ace position, he joined without hesitation.
And to be fair—
The coaches had never broken their promise.
After joining Seido, Tanba received countless opportunities.
The coaching staff genuinely hoped he could become the team's Ace.
But unfortunately…
He was always just one step short.
Then came Zhou Hao's rise.
At that point, Seido's players and supporters gradually accepted a painful reality:
Their team's Ace was probably going to be a freshman.
Of course, by now, nobody regretted it.
After all, Zhou Hao's performance on the field was simply too stable and overwhelming.
As the nation's number one player, he gave everyone an indescribable sense of security.
As long as Zhou Hao stood on the mound, Seido's teammates even felt that conquering the nation was only natural.
With him around—
No one else could possibly become Seido's Ace.
Naturally, Tanba still felt unwilling deep inside.
After all, when he first came to Seido, he came for the Ace position.
If all he wanted was to remain a substitute pitcher forever…
Wouldn't it have been better to join Ichidai Third High instead?
His old partner was there.
And the coaches there valued him greatly.
Still—
There was no point regretting anything now.
After all, since joining Seido, he had already accomplished dreams far beyond anything he once imagined.
He had become part of a true national powerhouse.
As Seido's representative third-year pitcher—
And as the team's top substitute—
With two freshmen performing so brilliantly before him, the pressure on Tanba Koichiro was unimaginable.
"I will never admit defeat."
"Not now. Not ever."
On this point, Tanba Koichiro was absolutely certain.
Back when becoming Ace seemed impossible, he had never backed down.
And now?
Now he stood on the verge of conquering the nation alongside this team.
How could he possibly give up?
Tanba raised the baseball high.
His eyes were completely focused.
The current Tanba Koichiro was no longer the same person he used to be.
No matter how much pressure his opponents brought…
No matter how intense the competition within the team became…
He would never retreat.
Instead, he would display his full strength on the mound.
Whoosh!
The white baseball screamed through the air.
The batter in the box fixed his eyes tightly on it.
The pitch dropped like a meteor falling from the sky.
Originally, Akiha's substitute batter had been determined to swing no matter what.
But the moment he saw the ball descending—
He froze.
The velocity.
The sharp vertical drop.
Even if he swung…
Could he actually hit this pitch?
He had no confidence at all.
"This third-year… the one everyone thought was the weak point…"
"He's actually this strong?!"
The batter stared at Tanba Koichiro as though meeting him for the very first time.
His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
Meanwhile, Tanba himself paid no attention to any of it.
The baseball screamed downward and landed perfectly before the batter.
Pop!
"Strike!"
Behind the plate, Chris instantly noticed something unusual.
The opponent's mentality had already begun collapsing.
Turning toward Tanba, the corners of Chris's lips lifted slightly.
Seeing his classmate finally overcome the weakness that had haunted him for so long genuinely made Chris happy.
"Keep it up."
"You've got this."
"Strike!"
"Strike!!"
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!"
The players and supporters of Akiha High School were completely dumbfounded.
The substitute hitter they had placed all their hopes on…
Couldn't even touch the ball.
That was the truly terrifying part.
The result alone was already infuriating enough.
At this point, Akiha's players and fans were practically developing trauma from all the strikeouts.
Those two freshman monsters had already struck them out repeatedly.
Finally, they thought they had found a breakthrough in Tanba.
To maximize their chances, they even abandoned team strategy and sent out all their strongest hitters.
And yet—
They were still struck out.
The bald-headed coach was so furious he nearly coughed up blood.
"Why?!"
"We're also one of the top four teams in the Kanto Tournament, aren't we?!"
"Coach, calm down…"
"To be honest, this result isn't actually unreasonable."
"Before this, didn't Seido completely crush both Ichidai Third High and Teito High School too?"
"They even ended those games early…"
"At best, we're only around the same level as those two teams. It's just that because this is the Kanto Tournament, the game has to go the full nine innings. That's why the score gap became even larger…"
The coach of Akiha High School fell silent and carefully thought about what his supervising teacher had said.
In the end, he realized—
The other party was right.
The facts were exactly as he described.
It wasn't that Akiha had performed especially poorly today.
The real reason was simply that Seido High School was too strong.
Even if you were considered a top-tier powerhouse in the nation, it meant nothing if you couldn't suppress Seido's lineup.
Once that happened, the score difference would become terrifyingly large.
Of course, the bald coach understood that the supervising teacher was trying to comfort him.
But honestly—
He didn't feel comforted at all.
Even after understanding the situation clearly, he still couldn't accept the reality in front of him.
Everyone here was just a high school baseball player.
So why was the difference in strength this overwhelming?
No matter how hard he thought about it, he simply couldn't understand.
As Akiha High School's eighth and ninth batters were retired, the situation became:
Two outs. Bases empty.
Seido High School was now only one out away from victory and advancing to the finals.
Akiha's leadoff batter stepped into the batter's box for the fourth time.
Seeing this scene, even Akiha's own players and supporters couldn't help sighing heavily.
Seido High School was simply too terrifying.
Their omnipotent Ace, Zhou Hao, hadn't even taken the mound today.
And yet, relying only on a relay involving two first-year pitchers and third-year Tanba Koichiro—
Seido had completely crushed Akiha into submission.
Up until now, Akiha had managed only a single hit.
As a result, their entire batting lineup looked utterly powerless.
In the stands, Fujio, the veteran reporter from Baseball Kingdom Magazine, shook his head emotionally as he watched the game.
Regarding the result before him, he gave a very direct evaluation.
"There's definitely some luck involved in things going this smoothly."
That much was undeniable.
The two freshmen and Tanba weren't yet overwhelmingly invincible pitchers capable of suppressing every opponent absolutely.
For Seido to dominate this thoroughly, a certain amount of momentum and luck had certainly played a role.
But those factors were secondary.
"The real key…"
"Is strength."
"The overall strength of Seido High School has increased dramatically."
"They truly have the bearing of a national powerhouse now."
Akiha's leadoff batter gritted his teeth and swung with all his might.
For the sake of his teammates—
For the sake of the fans in the stands—
He desperately wanted to at least make solid contact and send the ball flying cleanly away.
But was that really so easy?
If Akiha's players truly possessed that level of ability, then wouldn't they have already done it long ago?
Why wait until now?
The reason they still hadn't scored wasn't because they didn't want to.
It was because they simply couldn't.
Whoosh!
The baseball screamed forward once again.
The sharp downward movement of Tanba's curveball remained as vicious as ever.
Akiha's batter desperately wanted to hit the ball away.
But he simply lacked the ability to do so.
Just making contact had already consumed all his focus and strength.
Clink!
The baseball bounced weakly off the bat and hit the ground.
The supporters of Akiha High School in the stands instinctively let out a breath of relief.
At least—
They had finally touched the ball.
But before anyone could celebrate—
A figure moved like a hunting cheetah.
In an instant, the player appeared in front of the rebounding baseball.
Before the crowd could even react, the ball had already been scooped up and fired toward first base.
Pop!
"Out!"
"Three outs! Game over!!"
This completely one-sided semifinal had finally come to an end.
Almost everyone in the stadium let out a long sigh.
Not only Seido's players and supporters—
Even Akiha's players and fans felt the same way.
Continuing to watch this game had become pure torture for them.
They no longer wanted to fight.
Nor did they want to keep enduring this crushing pressure.
Meanwhile, Seido's players understood this even more clearly.
By the middle of the game, they had already begun holding back considerably.
Otherwise—
The score would never have stopped at merely 18–0.
"The semifinal match between Seido High School and Akiha High School has concluded after nine innings!"
"The winner is Seido High School!"
"Final score: 18–0!"
"Thank you to both teams for their hard work!"
"And congratulations to Seido High School for becoming the first team to advance to the finals!"