Kitamura Kou's speed was overwhelming.
By the time the ball even reached Hirakawa Takahiro's glove, Kou's foot was already planted on second base.
"Wow… what a run, Kitamura!"
"Keep pushing! The pitcher's starting to crack!"
"As expected of Kou!"
Yakushi High School's players were like warriors who refused to fall. No matter how many times they were pushed back, the moment they saw an opening, their energy exploded again.
They had attempted steals before but Takami Akira's defense had shut them down every time.
And yet this time—
They succeeded on the very first pitch.
With one out and a runner on second, Yakushi had a golden chance to tie the game. With Kou's speed, even a routine outfield fly could be enough.
"Move up! Tighten the defense!" Takami shouted, refusing to give away even a single run.
"Damn it…" Manaka shot a glare at Kou, who was taking a bold lead off second. Then he turned away, forcing himself to focus on the batter.
But the moment he began his pitching motion—
Kou exploded forward again.
"Stealing!" Hirakawa shouted instinctively, even as he was caught off guard by Kou's sudden acceleration.
Manaka ignored everything and fired the pitch toward the plate.
Snap!
Takami received the ball cleanly and immediately whipped it toward third base.
But it was too late.
Kou, sprinting at full speed, slid in—
just a fraction of a second ahead of the throw.
"Safe!!!"
"Incredible! Kitamura Kou steals again—he's gone all the way to third!" the commentator shouted, voice brimming with excitement. "Yakushi High School now has a prime chance to tie—or even take the lead!"
"Is that really a first-year?!"
"What kind of speed is that?! Ichidaisan's defense looks useless against him!"
"At this point, even a ground ball could score a run!"
The crowd roared as Kou stood on third, completely shifting the momentum of the game.
On the stands—
Wakaba leapt up and hugged Momiji in excitement.
"Swing, Yamauchi! Bring Kou home!"
"Just steal home at this rate, Kou!"
"Yamauchi, show them why you used to be the cleanup!"
"Hahaha!"
Yakushi's dugout was bursting with energy.
"Shut up, you idiots!" Yamauchi Yutaka snapped, turning toward the mound with a fierce grin. "Watch closely—Yamauchi-sama will crush this pitcher in one swing! Bring it!"
Even someone as mentally tough as Manaka couldn't remain unaffected after being provoked again and again.
His anger flared.
With all his strength, he unleashed his signature high-speed slider.
But this time—
it wasn't perfect.
The pitch lacked its usual sharp break, drifting too much into a hittable zone.
Yamauchi didn't hesitate.
Clang!
"Right field!" Takami called out.
The ball soared high into the air—deep, but not particularly fast.
Tagawa settled under it and made the catch cleanly.
The instant the ball landed in his glove—
Kou took off.
Tagawa, a substitute outfielder, didn't have the arm strength to throw directly home.
By the time the relay reached the plate—
Kou had already crossed it.
"Safe!"
Yakushi High School scores!
After six grueling innings—
the score was finally tied.
10–10.
The stadium erupted.
"WE TIED IT!"
"We actually did it!"
"What a run, Kou!"
"Yamauchi, nice job! Even if you got out, that's an RBI—hahaha!"
"Hey! Just say the good part!" Yamauchi roared at Nakanishi, who was laughing loudly.
The Yakushi dugout exploded into celebration.
"You idiots," Todoroki Raizō cut in, his tone as irreverent as ever. "It's just a tie. Don't celebrate too early finish the job."
"Yessir…"
"Awesome! Kou and the others finally tied it! Now they just need to win it outright!" Wakaba cheered, laughing brightly.
Even Aoba, usually unimpressed, had to admit—
the momentum was shifting toward Yakushi.
"This is bad," Owada Akiko said seriously. "Even with Manaka back on the mound, Ichidaisan couldn't completely shut down Yakushi's core hitters. Coach Tahara has already used all his options…"
"The only solution now," Mine Fujio added, "is for Ichidaisan's core lineup to strike back next inning and widen the gap again. They need runs—multiple runs."
Yakushi's offense ended soon after, with two outs already on the board and Watanabe Tatsuya striking out.
Just as Ichidaisan prepared to take the field and reclaim the lead—
Todoroki Raizō stepped forward.
"Excuse me, umpire. Time."
His raised hand cut through the noise like a signal flare.
"In the top of the seventh inning, Yakushi High School makes a substitution. Pitcher Mino is out. Sanada will take over on the mound."
A new presence emerged.
Wearing the number 1 jersey—
Shunpei Sanada walked slowly toward the mound.
The air tightened.
The final battle—
had begun.