The Seido High School Baseball Team successfully advanced to the top 16.
Their task for the first stage of the Spring Tournament was considered complete.
Securing a spot in the top 16 also meant they had already locked in a seeded spot for the Summer Tournament. With that seed, the Seido High School Baseball Team would not only play one or two fewer games than other teams but would also avoid clashing with other seeded teams too early.
If the other two powerhouses in West Tokyo also reached this stage, they could essentially take a breath.
For these top powerhouses, the Spring Tournament championship was like a chicken rib: flavorless to eat, yet a shame to discard.
The only remaining benefit was that reaching the finals would qualify them for the Kanto Tournament.
However, Inashiro Industrial and Ichidai Third High School had already reached the quarterfinals of the Spring Koshien.
Under Kanto Tournament rules, they were considered to have already secured their participation spots. For them, the games after the top 16 held no significance whatsoever.
Even if eliminated in the first round, they would still participate in the Kanto Tournament.
Seido was different. If they wanted to participate in the Kanto Tournament, they had to reach the finals of the Spring Tournament.
Seido could not concern themselves with other powerhouses. They could only focus on their own situation.
Next, they had to consider the battles ahead in the top 16. The teams that had reached this stage were essentially all powerhouse-level, or capable of contending with powerhouses.
At this level, there would be no weak teams.
Even the Seido High School Baseball Team, a top powerhouse renowned nationwide, could easily stumble if they weren't careful. Among these sixteen teams, there were no fewer than four top-tier national powerhouses. And beyond those four, there were several other teams with the strength to contend with powerhouses.
Every team remaining was either a powerhouse or a strong contender.
According to the schedule, the Seido High School Baseball Team's next opponent would be Hongmo High School.
A team that, while not carrying the name of a powerhouse, possessed the strength of one.
If they advanced past Hongmo, their quarterfinal opponent would very likely be Inashiro Industrial.
The Seido High School Baseball Team's first opponent after reaching the quarterfinals was Inashiro.
Although they hadn't dwelled on it before, now that they had reached this stage, the Seido players had to start thinking seriously.
What mindset and condition should they bring to face a team that had just dominated the nation at the Spring Koshien?
It was time to avenge their defeat in the Autumn Tournament.
"Inashiro Industrial's top-16 to top-8 game will start this Sunday. All players will go to watch."
Although the Seido High School Baseball Team would only have a chance to face Inashiro Industrial after defeating Hongmo High School, both Coach Kataoka and the rest of the coaching staff were very confident.
They would win the upcoming match against Hongmo.
Now they could fully turn their attention to the game against Inashiro Industrial.
For Seido, there was only one game this week.
But next week, they would face back-to-back matches against Hongmo High School and Inashiro Industrial.
Saturday, they played Hongmo High School.
If they won, they would face the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team in a decisive match on Sunday.
The players had to prepare in advance for playing two consecutive games.
"Who is Inashiro Industrial's opponent?"
"I didn't really pay much attention. There didn't seem to be any particularly strong teams in that bracket."
Seido knew Inashiro Industrial was playing but hadn't looked closely at their opponent.
The night passed without incident.
The next day, after regular training, the players gathered together.
The First String had no practice scheduled. They all boarded the bus and headed to Hachioji Stadium to watch the Inashiro Industrial High School Baseball Team's top-16 to top-8 game.
Because of the sheer number of games, the organizing committee couldn't occupy normal class time, so the vast majority of games were scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays unless there was no other option.
There were exceptions, of course.
If there were too many games to fit into the available weekends, or if a game was canceled due to weather or some other unforeseen circumstance and had to be rescheduled, weekday games became necessary.
Japan sits in an earthquake zone, and force majeure events are not uncommon. Cancellations and rescheduling happen.
But as long as conditions permitted, weekends were preferred.
With over two hundred teams in Tokyo competing for the championship in under a month, the schedule was inevitably tight. Sometimes, teams had to play two games in one week.
Inashiro Industrial was one such case. They had finished their first game just yesterday, securing a big victory with the game ending early in the fifth inning under the mercy rule.
Today, they were already back for their top-16 to top-8 match.
After winning this game, their schedule would ease slightly. Next week's top-8 to top-4 game was just one match.
Seido, by contrast, had a relatively relaxed schedule this week but would face two consecutive games the following week: the top-16 to top-8 and the top-8 to top-4.
The semi-finals and finals of the Spring Tournament were also back-to-back, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.
The reason Coach Kataoka brought everyone to watch now was twofold. First, they might not find such an opportunity later. Second, with Inashiro Industrial playing consecutive games, this match might reveal something real about them.
How much stamina and strength did Inashiro Industrial, fresh from Koshien, still have in reserve?
Opponents at the top-16 to top-8 stage were generally not weak. Coupled with consecutive games, Inashiro Industrial might not be fully at their best.
The Seido players didn't expect Inashiro Industrial to suffer an unexpected defeat. That was too much to hope for.
But they might be able to pick up something useful.
Not just for this Spring Tournament. According to Coach Kataoka's thinking, the fires of the Summer Tournament had already been lit.
The Seido High School Baseball Team had to prepare in advance.
And Inashiro Industrial was the biggest obstacle in their path.
On the bus, the players were already analyzing Inashiro Industrial's first game.
11-0.
Perfect defense.
Even though Narumiya Mei had only pitched three innings, Inashiro Industrial had perfectly suppressed their opponent's offense. They allowed just one hit and no runs.
Offensively, their batting lineup had been in full swing.
Inashiro Industrial's opponent yesterday was not weak.
But playing against Inashiro Industrial, they couldn't make a ripple and were completely shut down.
Compared to the Seido High School Baseball Team, Inashiro Industrial had scored more runs and carried stronger momentum.
No wonder the media had been praising Inashiro Industrial and questioning Seido's prospects.
Many Tokyo media outlets were now very optimistic about Inashiro Industrial, believing they could go even further. Not just the Spring Koshien championship, but the Summer Koshien as well.
"I thought they might have burned out at Koshien. I didn't expect them to come back even stronger."
"And it's not just Narumiya. Inashiro Industrial's relief pitcher also performed exceptionally well."
"If it weren't for him, Inashiro Industrial might not have held on through the Spring Koshien."
The Seido players looked over the game data, heads beginning to ache.
They really were unlucky.
Although the Seido High School Baseball Team had not participated in the Spring Koshien, their strength was genuinely Koshien-level.
Among the thirty-two participating teams, they couldn't claim to be stronger than all of them. But Seido was confident they could defeat at least half.
But what did that matter?
They still had no path in.
As long as they couldn't break through Ichidai Third High School and Inashiro Industrial, even a team of national runner-up caliber would stay stuck in Tokyo.
No qualification for Koshien.
The bus arrived at the stadium entrance, and the players got off one by one.
Reaching the stands, they found at least four or five thousand spectators already gathered.
"Is there this much attention for a game today?"
"Don't you know how popular Inashiro Industrial is right now? Of course people want to watch the National Champions play live."
There was a hint of frustration in the Seido players' voices.
Last summer, they had only reached the Koshien quarterfinals, while Inashiro Industrial had fought all the way through and dominated the nation.
As teams from the same region, they should logically be happy about that. But the Seido players simply couldn't be.
They would much rather it had been themselves lifting the trophy.
"Look, Seido is here!"
"Zhang Han!!!"
"I want to take pictures!"
Although Zhang Han and his teammates had kept a low profile, their arrival still drew tremendous attention.
Even the Inashiro players preparing for the game noticed them.
"These guys are here too!"
Narumiya Mei's face broke into a wide smile.
He had once imagined a day when he and his teammates would dominate the nation together when they first formed the team. He hadn't expected that day to come so soon.
But of course, this was not enough.
The Spring Koshien was a selection tournament. Winning the championship was joyful, but to be frank, it was just that.
The truly anticipated event was the Summer Koshien.
He was still not satisfied.
This summer, they wanted to go to Koshien again and dominate the nation again.
The distance between the two groups in the stands was large, too far to make out each other's faces clearly.
But the Seido High School Baseball Team players could still feel Narumiya Mei's smugness from across the stadium.
That guy was practically radiating it.
Annoying. Very annoying.
Zhang Han turned his attention to Inashiro Industrial's opponent for today.
It was also a team from West Tokyo.
In the top-16 to top-8 matches, as many as eleven teams were from West Tokyo.
Even with a seeded spot secured, its value would likely be diluted considerably. Eleven seeded teams meant that at least six of them would encounter other seeded teams before reaching the quarterfinals.
Yakushi High School.
Zhang Han raised an eyebrow.
A well-known school. A regular in the West Tokyo top 8 and top 16.
They had even approached him when he had just graduated from junior high.
It seemed today might offer a genuine look at Inashiro Industrial's true strength.
At that moment, none of the Seido High School Baseball Team members, Zhang Han included, had any idea.
They were about to witness the birth of an extraordinary dark horse.
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