Although Zhou Hao wasn't particularly interested in the game footage of Inashiro Industrial High School, he still had to attend the team meeting.

Out of respect for their strongest rivals, every member of Seidou's First String—except Zhou Hao—had just finished reviewing Inashiro's most recent game footage.

And yet, despite watching the entire match...

Their conclusion was exactly the same as Zhou Hao's.

"There was no point in watching it at all."

The strength gap between Inashiro and their opponents had been far too great.

Even though Inashiro utterly crushed them, there wasn't much useful information to take away from the footage.

Just like Seidou, Inashiro clearly hadn't shown their true strength.

And even while holding back, they still ended the game in five innings—and scored one more run than Seidou had earlier that day.

"They say Inashiro's the king of West Tokyo…"

"Well, seems like it's not just a rumor."

The third-year seniors were proud and confident—but they weren't stupid.

They knew exactly what kind of opponent they were up against.

The upcoming game would be a war.

Coach Kataoka laid things out clearly:

"Now that the Top 4 of West Tokyo have been decided… our first game is against Inashiro Industrial. The other semifinal is Ichidai Third versus Senzen High School."

Senzen had been rising fast in recent years. While they weren't considered a national powerhouse, their team boasted 80 to 90 players—a scale rivaling even the big three in West Tokyo.

They had talent. They had coaching.

But even so…

Senzen had never once defeated any of West Tokyo's Big Three in a formal tournament.

That's just how dominant those three schools were.

"If everything goes as expected," one of the seniors muttered, "our road to Koshien will be through Inashiro in the semis and Ichidai Third in the finals."

No one questioned that.

Senzen was good—but Ichidai Third was on a different level.

"Damn it… Ichidai gets lucky again!"

Compared to them, Seidou's road was brutal.

Facing both of their archrivals back-to-back, with no room to breathe.

It was a nightmare.

But it was also the perfect stage to prove themselves.

Ichidai could rest. Ichidai could observe.

Seidou? They'd have to bare their fangs and fight tooth and nail just to survive.

"The more we fight," someone muttered, "the more cards we show. And Ichidai will be watching every move."

But Azuma Kiyokuni, big-bellied and missing a tooth, stood up and grinned.

His voice was lisped, but filled with steel.

"Forget luck. If our strength's real, it won't matter who we face!"

He raised his fist high.

"With our lineup this year… we'll crush them and go to Koshien!!"

"TO KOSHIEN!!!"

"TO KOSHIEN!!!"

His shout sparked a fire in everyone's chest.

They didn't need strategy.

They didn't need analysis.

They didn't need reasons.

They just believed.

They would win.

Zhou Hao watched the whole scene with a blank face.

…That worked?!

Even he was stunned by how quickly the atmosphere had turned from tension to unstoppable confidence.

Just then, Takashima Rei stepped up, adjusting her gold-rimmed glasses and smiling gently.

"It's good that you all think that way. That means, mentally, we've already won our first battle."

While Inashiro might be "just" one of the three top schools in West Tokyo…

Under Coach Kunimoto, they'd gone to Koshien multiple times in the past decade, each time with strong results.

Even if no one said it aloud, many Seidou players carried a deep fear of Inashiro in their hearts.

That fear had to be erased before the real game could begin.

Both teams were tactically familiar with each other—there were no secrets at this level.

The real question was: How much of their strength could Seidou bring out under pressure?

Judging from today's reaction…

The answer was: A lot.

"But don't let your guard down," Takashima continued. "We may not know Inashiro's exact strategy, but their key player styles are still clear."

Then, she added one more critical piece of intel.

"And this year, Inashiro has three new first-year players on their roster."

The room tensed.

The player assigned to scouting had done thorough work—he'd even looked into the first-years sitting in Inashiro's dugout.

When Takashima and President Ota saw the names, their faces darkened.

Last year, these three players had been top scouting priorities.

Seidou had courted all three, even visiting their homes.

But in the end...

Each one had chosen Inashiro instead.

Not one came to Seidou.

Now, all three were in Inashiro's dugout—trusted, positioned, and ready.

They weren't starters yet.

But bringing them to the dugout meant one of two things:

They were part of Inashiro's current arsenal.

They were being groomed to take over.

Either way, it was clear:

Inashiro wasn't just thinking about this year.

They were building a dynasty.

And now, Seidou had to prove—here and now—that they would shatter that dynasty on their path to Koshien.

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