In the bottom of the first inning, the Seidou High School baseball team attacked.

The fans of Seidou High School were all very excited.

"Hit him out!"

"The other party has been frightened and is in full swing."

"Matsumoto, we are counting on you!"

Zhou Hao's pitching rhythm was too smooth, and the strength he displayed was too terrifying. As supporters of the Seidou High School baseball team, everyone took it almost for granted—they would definitely win this game very easily.

Although the Sensen High School baseball team is somewhat strong, compared with Seidou, they are obviously not on the same level. At this time, everyone seemed eager to see Sensen being defeated.

In the rest area of the Sensen High School baseball team, the players looked solemn.

Long before today's game, the Sensen players knew that their opponent was the country's top powerhouse—Seidou. They already had a very bad feeling.

They may not know about the other teams, but as one of the giants in West Tokyo, how could they not understand Seidou?

Seidou just had bad luck before. Plus, their team never had a reliable pitcher. That's why Seidou High failed to make it to Koshien for several consecutive years. However, even then, they still maintained their strength as one of the top teams in the country.

On the field, they could definitely compete with Inashiro and Ichidaisan. Sometimes, they could even beat them.

Seidou could still do this even without a reliable ace. That's why people say that the reason they failed to enter Koshien for years was mainly due to luck.

As for playing against other teams, the strength displayed by Seidou was even more overwhelming—they bulldozed forward like gods.

It would be strange if Sensen had any chance of winning against a team like this.

But now that they had met, the players of Sensen still wanted to perform well. So they found videos of Seidou's recent matches—and that's when they discovered something devastating:

Seidou has found a good pitcher.

This was, of course, a godsend for Seidou, who had failed to make it to Koshien in recent years. But for Sensen, who were about to face them, it was a cruel joke from the heavens.

The joke was too much.

They were not willing to accept it. But this is the nature of the regional tournament—single elimination.

No matter what they thought, now that they had reached this point, they could only grit their teeth and go all the way.

Before the game, the Sensen players had already mentally prepared themselves. But after actually witnessing Zhou Hao's pitching, they realized—sadly—even if they gave it their all, they might still have no chance.

"Go ahead! No matter the result, I'm proud of you."

Just when the team was in emotional turmoil, their supervisor stood up and encouraged them gently.

This man, who had turned a no-name team into a West Tokyo quarterfinalist, didn't need further explanation for his leadership. The players respected him deeply.

After this morale boost, the players of Sensen finally stepped onto the field.

Facing the first batter of Seidou, they readied themselves.

"Nitta, it's up to you!"

"It doesn't matter if the ball is hit—just defend it with everything you've got!"

The players of Sensen seemed completely revitalized. They regained their enthusiasm for the game.

Facing such an opponent, Matsumoto—standing in the batter's box—was naturally not going to be polite.

Nitta, on the mound, threw the pitch.

Matsumoto reacted immediately.

"Ping!"

As the baseball flew out, Seidou's players and supporters didn't even have time to cheer.

They saw Sensen's fielders sprint into position where the ball would land.

"Bang!"

"Out!!"

From this defense alone, it was clear—Sensen was no Chengkong Academy.

Chengkong's players were as fat as bears, with clumsy defense.

But Sensen's defense was sharp and quick.

"Although we're not as good as Seidou, we're not that easy to beat. If Seidou wants an easy win today, I'm afraid it won't happen."

In the Ichidaisan High School gathering area, a tall player spoke with confidence.

Seidou's previous opponents were either weak or had unusual styles. Once targeted, they fell apart quickly. That's how Seidou had won several games in a row.

But if Seidou was really as unbeatable as the media claimed, what would that mean for the other top schools like Ichidaisan?

Next up was Yoshida.

As Seidou's ace, he didn't start as pitcher this time. Instead, he played as an outfielder.

It was clear Coach Kataoka didn't want to give up Yoshida's hitting ability.

Yoshida raised the bat high and swung as soon as the baseball came.

"Ping!"

The ball soared 40 to 50 meters into the air before dropping.

"Is he trying to do this solo?" a third-year player from Seidou grumbled.

Yoshida's hit made little sense to them.

"Bang!"

Sensen's fielders had already positioned themselves and easily caught the ball.

"Out!"

Two outs, no one on base.

It looked like not only Seidou had a fast rhythm—the Sensen players also had quick reactions.

They got two outs smoothly.

"Third batter, number three, first baseman—Yuuki Tetsuya-san."

The morale of the Sensen team was rising. Even when facing Yuuki, Nitta didn't hold back.

He lifted his arm and pitched decisively.

"Whoosh!"

The baseball sped toward the plate, but Yuuki didn't move.

He simply watched it fly past him.

"Bang!"

The sound made everyone in the stands squint unconsciously.

Was Yuuki going to be suppressed?

But the moment that thought appeared, they dismissed it.

That was impossible.

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