Jingu Stadium was already boiling with excitement.
Tens of thousands of spectators filled the stands, their cheers surging like waves. Although this was only the Spring Metropolitan Tournament, no one treated it lightly—because the two teams facing each other were unquestionably the strongest in West Tokyo.
The clash between the Overlord of West Tokyo and the Prince of West Tokyo had long been one of the hottest topics among fans and reporters alike.
Although the so-called "Prince" had repeatedly fallen short against Seidou's Overlord, most people still believed that Inashiro Industrial, led by Narumiya Mei, was the only team truly capable of challenging Kanzaki Ryou's undefeated record.
As both teams entered the stadium, Seidou took their place on the third-base side.
After setting down his backpack, Kanzaki Ryou instinctively looked toward the opposite dugout—just in time to meet Narumiya Mei's gaze.
Across the field, their eyes locked.
No words were spoken, yet everything was conveyed.
Sorry, blondie. You're losing again today.
Chestnut-haired monster… I'll beat you this time.
Narumiya Mei's eyes burned with intense fighting spirit.
Since last year, the two teams had collided again and again—semifinals, finals, decisive matches.
And every single time—
Inashiro had been the one to fall.
If not for the stubborn unwillingness that surged whenever he saw Kanzaki Ryou's face, Narumiya Mei might have already grown accustomed to losing.
Soon, after both teams completed their warm-ups, the game officially began.
Spring Tokyo Tournament — Finals
Seidou High School vs Inashiro Industrial High School
Top of the First Inning
Inashiro Industrial batted first.
It had been a while since he stood on the mound as a starter. As Kanzaki Ryou stepped onto the clean, immaculate pitcher's mound, familiar cheers erupted from the stands.
"Feels good to be back as a starter," Kanzaki said with a faint smile.
He tossed the baseball lightly in his hand before locking his gaze onto home plate.
Inashiro's leadoff batter—Carlos—had already entered the batter's box.
Carlos was an explosive player in every sense: power, speed, and aggressive instincts. His base-running speed was even slightly faster than Kuramochi Yoichi's, though Kuramochi's left-handed batting gave him his own advantage.
Against Carlos, one thing always had to be kept in mind—
He might bunt at any moment.
Miyuki glanced at Carlos and gave the sign.
Outside, low fastball. Let's see what he's planning.
Kanzaki nodded.
Whoosh!
The ball shot forward like an arrow.
The instant Kanzaki released the pitch, Carlos swung.
As old rivals, Carlos knew better than anyone—against Kanzaki Ryou, hesitating meant death.
You couldn't wait to read the pitch.
You had to choose.
And once you chose—
You swung.
This time, Carlos chose the outside pitch.
Bang!
The ball slammed into the ground and bounced sharply toward first base.
Yuki shifted two steps to the side and fielded it cleanly.
Out.
"Oh—he chose the pitch, but still got caught on the first one. Looks like Carlos put in a lot of work for this matchup."
Kanzaki wasn't surprised.
If there was a team most likely to threaten Seidou in West Tokyo, it was Inashiro—no question.
Both sides had researched each other exhaustively.
This pitch, however, wasn't thrown at full power.
The speed—148 km/h—made that obvious.
As Carlos walked back to the dugout, he glanced over his shoulder at Kanzaki, dissatisfied.
So close… just bad luck.
With one out, Inashiro's second batter—shortstop Shirakawa Katsuyuki—stepped up.
Outside cutter-slider, Miyuki signaled with a faint smile.
Shirakawa was known for his calmness, sharp pitch selection, and excellent bunting skills.
A cutter-slider—with its deceptive movement—was the perfect counter.
Whoosh!
The pitch flew even faster than the previous fastball.
Just as expected, Shirakawa squared early, clearly intending to bunt.
Then—
The ball suddenly slid outward and dropped.
Shirakawa barely nicked the top of the ball.
It trickled weakly in front of home plate.
Before Shirakawa could even take a second step, Miyuki was already throwing.
Caught by Yuki.
Out.
Two outs.
No runners.
Inashiro's third batter, Yoshizawa Hideaki, stepped in.
Inside two-seam.
Outside four-seam.
Forkball below the zone.
Three pitches.
Strikeout.
Three up, three down.
Kanzaki Ryou shut down Inashiro's offense cleanly in the opening inning.
"This guy is still ridiculous," Yoshizawa muttered helplessly after returning to the dugout.
Against Carlos and Shirakawa, Kanzaki hadn't even unleashed his full speed, instead relying on Miyuki's pitch-calling.
Yet by the third batter, the velocity suddenly surged.
The fastest pitch reached 155 km/h.
"We knew this already," Masatoshi Harada said calmly as he turned to his teammates.
"We've trained for it. Stay confident."
"Captain, you're fired up today," Carlos grinned.
Harada nodded.
"Let's go. Defense."
All nine Inashiro players took the field.
Against Seidou's batting lineup, complacency was not an option.
Bottom of the First Inning
Leadoff batter Kuramochi Yoichi stepped into the box.
Facing Narumiya Mei's pitching, Kuramochi immediately felt the pressure.
After a year of growth—driven by repeated defeats at Seidou's hands—Narumiya Mei had clearly evolved.
His fastball velocity alone had risen to 148 km/h.
If Kanzaki remembered correctly, in the original timeline, Mei only reached this level in his third year.
And that wasn't all.
After dispatching Kuramochi and Kominato Ryosuke, Narumiya showed frightening precision against the third batter, Isashiki Jun.
Pitch after pitch scraped the very edges of the strike zone.
Isashiki swung unwillingly—forced.
Out.
The inning ended.
Score: 0–0
On the surface, neither team had gained the advantage.
But beneath that calm—
The tension was tightening.
Top of the Second Inning
Kanzaki Ryou stood tall on the mound once again.
This time, his opponent was Inashiro's cleanup hitter—
Captain Masatoshi Harada.
A batter whose strength and technique ranked among the very best in high school baseball.
No inferior—
Even to Seidou's captain, Yuki Tetsuya.