"Tch. Masa-san said there's a pitcher at Yakushi High School whose fastball rivals mine, so I came all this way to see him…"
Narumiya Mei clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"And yet, I didn't even see him once. What, is he too scared of me to show up? Pfft—hahaha!"
His signature laugh echoed through the stands.
"I was about to ask the same thing," said Miyuki Kazuya, seizing the moment.
"Where is that player—Kitamura Kou?"
"I don't know," replied Masatoshi Harada calmly.
"If they were hiding him for our sake, they wouldn't keep him away from even the dugout. Something must've happened."
"Clang!!!"
A sharp, explosive sound cut through their conversation.
All eyes turned to the field.
The baseball soared high into the sky, tracing a beautiful arc before crashing into the right-field stands.
A beat of silence—
Then the stadium erupted.
"Home run!!!"
"No way—that's insane!"
"I didn't expect someone besides Kitamura Kou and Todoroki Raichi to hit Yosuke Maki's high-speed curve like that!"
"So this is Yakushi High School… Their batting power is terrifying!"
"Don't overreact," someone scoffed.
"That batter is only third-best on their team."
"The real monsters are that scar-faced slugger and Kitamura Kou, who hasn't even played yet. Their swing speed is like lightning."
"Too bad we won't see them today. Sensen Academy is clearly focusing everything on shutting down Todoroki Raichi."
Before the crowd could settle—
"Clang!!!"
Another deafening crack.
The ball rocketed into the left-field stands this time.
The audience, who had just sat down, leapt to their feet once more—cheering even louder than before.
The entire stadium was engulfed in a storm of excitement.
"The top of the fourth inning—Yakushi High School's batting lineup has finally exploded!"
"First batter Mishima Yuta sends Maki's signature high-speed curve into the right-field stands!"
"Todoroki Raichi is walked intentionally!"
"And now—fifth batter Akiba blasts another one into the left-field stands!"
"Three runs already, no outs—how will Maki stop this onslaught?!"
On the mound, Yosuke Maki's face turned grim.
He had underestimated them.
He thought Yakushi had only beaten Ichidaisan and Seido through tricks.
He thought their aces—Kaname Manaka and Koichiro Tanba—weren't that impressive.
He thought… he had already surpassed them.
Even Narumiya Mei—he believed he wasn't far behind.
But now—
Facing Yakushi's lineup—
He realized just how wrong he had been.
This wasn't a team you could outplay with confidence.
It was overwhelming.
Terrifying.
His best pitch—the high-speed curveball—
Was being crushed.
Again.
And again.
If he hadn't walked Todoroki Raichi…
If that other monster batter hadn't been absent…
Would they have hit four consecutive home runs?
At that moment, Maki finally understood.
He was nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.
His confidence shattered.
Shunpei Sanada stepped up—
And smashed a long hit deep into the outfield, reaching second base.
Next, Watanabe Tatsuya connected cleanly with another pitch.
Sanada dashed home—
Another run.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Sensen's coach had no choice.
Maki was pulled from the mound.
But it was already too late.
The relief pitcher couldn't stop Yakushi's momentum either.
By the end of the inning—
Six runs.
"Hmph. That pitcher's trash," Narumiya Mei scoffed.
"If it were us, we'd score ten—no, twenty runs!"
"Twenty? That's a bit much," Carlo muttered.
"Huh? You doubting yourself—or our offense?" Mei shot back instantly.
"That's enough."
Masatoshi Harada cut in calmly.
"This game is already decided. Let's go—we need to prepare for our match against Sakurazawa."
With that, the Inashiro Industrial players left the stands.
Miyuki watched the field, then glanced at his teammates.
"Even without their strongest hitter… Yakushi is still this explosive."
"You guys are going to have a tough next two and a half years, facing monsters like this."
"Huh?!"
Sawamura Eijun immediately exploded.
"Is that something the future captain of Seido should say?! That's so spineless!"
"I'm not giving up—especially against that guy, Todoroki Raichi! I'll definitely beat him!!!"
He lunged forward, grabbing Miyuki by the collar and shaking him wildly.
"N-no… stop… I'm still your… senpai…" Miyuki said weakly, offering zero authority.
"Eijun-kun, please stop!" Kominato Haruichi rushed in to intervene again.
But Miyuki's goal had already been achieved.
The anxiety weighing on the team—
Was gone.
In its place—
Burned a fierce competitive spirit.
In the end—
Yakushi High School defeated Sensen Academy 9–2 in just seven innings.
A decisive victory.
They had officially advanced—
To the finals of the West Tokyo Summer Preliminary Tournament.
Now, all that remained—
Was to watch the second semifinal from the stands…
And wait for their final opponent.
As for Kitamura Kou—
He finally arrived in the sixth inning.
But with the outcome already decided, Coach Todoroki Raizo chose not to send him in—
Saving his strength…
For the final battle.