Jingu Stadium.
A match no one had expected suddenly began without any prior warning.
Fortunately, the team members are all elite in this regard, so none of them seemed out of place.
They quickly adapted to their roles and stood in the positions they were supposed to.
The competition for the positions of pitcher and catcher is fierce.
This is because the players chosen for these positions are the most numerous.
In comparison, the other positions are much less contested.
There are many players who, once they stand in their designated positions, face no competition at all.
After the Tokyo team and the teams from other regions found their positions, the temporary captain, Narumiya, went to play rock-paper-scissors with the opposing team.
The person he played against was the heroic Akashi.
To be honest, the members of the Seidou High School baseball team were very surprised when they saw this guy.
They originally thought that after Akashi's summer competition, he would vanish from the scene.
But to their surprise, he was not content with disappearing into obscurity.
Even after retiring, he had found a second spring in his career.
However, this time, it wasn't on the field, but in front of a television screen.
In the rest area.
Miyuki looked up at the sun in the sky.
"I hope we can take the second half of the game."
The reason he had this hope was that the sun's position was right in the eyes of batter.
This was a huge disadvantage!
If the sun reflected, it would be impossible to see what kind of pitch the opponent threw. It might even be hard to tell whether they had pitched at all.
Although taking the second half wasn't a big advantage…
Even the smallest advantage could help.
It's like a snowball. Once you gain a slight edge, you can use it to keep building your advantage.
Sawamura gave a wry smile.
"Don't say that. If you say that, I'm guessing we'll definitely lose this game of rock-paper-scissors."
'In the pro leagues, Akashi is very well known for his luck!'
"Why?"
Miyuki was puzzled.
Just as he was wondering, Narumiya came back looking disheveled.
He seemed completely exhausted, as if he hadn't slept for several nights in a row.
"What happened?"
Miyuki asked.
At this moment, he was really confused.
When Narumiya heard the question, he came to life.
It was infuriating!
It felt as though no matter what hand he threw, it was always exactly what the opponent wanted.
And the look on Akashi's face was like he wasn't even trying!
This feeling was frustrating.
"Don't mind it. That guy is very lucky."
Sawamura kindly comforted him.
"Stop standing there talking nonsense. If you're so capable, why don't you go up? I'll step down and let you take over!"
Narumiya's attitude was very firm.
It seemed that this encounter with Akashi's protagonist-aura had a profound impact on him.
"Don't worry. We both have very solid support. Believe in yourself. With you on the mound, those guys won't easily score."
News came from the other team that they would be batting second.
As expected!
The Tokyo team had already guessed this.
There was nothing to discuss. They just started their offense.
As for the lineup, the super experts from Tokyo were all having a hard time deciding.
How should the lineup be arranged?
Someone suggested a random drawing of lots.
This was actually a great idea. Everyone would leave it to chance to decide which batting order they would have.
This way, no one could complain.
"The opponent is so strong. Without any strategy, can our hastily assembled lineup really score against them?"
Sawamura, as the team's acting coach, asked with doubt.
Looking at the players on the opposite side—Hongou, Akashi, Renji, Nishi...
The members of the Tokyo team felt immense pressure.
Not to mention that their lineup was hastily thrown together, even if they brought out their main roster to form a powerful team, challenging the opponent wouldn't be easy.
With the strength of just Tokyo alone, challenging teams from all over the country seemed to favor Tokyo.
Firstly, their players knew each other well, which gave them an advantage over other teams.
After all, they were rivals in the same region. Before reaching Koshien, their most important opponents were the strong schools in their own area.
They played and competed together.
Although they had never trained together, their mutual understanding of each other's abilities and skills was enough.
This was crucial.
With this understanding, the team's fighting strength after coming together was quite formidable.
Compared to other teams assembled in a hurry, Tokyo's team had an obvious advantage.
But they also had their issues.
"So, what should we do?"
The Tokyo representative team, which originally had the upper hand, was now in an unprecedentedly tense atmosphere due to the batting order.
No one knew what to choose.
They couldn't just fight it out to determine the winner, could they?
"Let's go by characteristics. The first batter should be fast, the second should be skilled, and the third, fourth, and fifth should be strong hitters. Everyone should take their spots according to these traits. Finally, we'll decide who goes first based on the positions they're playing."
Sawamura shook his head helplessly and spoke up.
After hearing Sawamura's words, everyone was deeply moved.
They had always known the Demon King Sawamura for his powerful pitching and hitting.
They had never seen him like this—taking care of others with such attention, not even thinking about himself in the process.
With everyone here thinking about themselves and getting a turn, he looked away and went with the most practical approach.
Following Sawamura's advice, everyone quickly arranged the batting order and decided their positions.
At the top of the first inning, the Tokyo team went on offense.
The pitcher was Akashi, and the catcher was Renji.
It seemed like Coach Takeda's words about guiding the team were just polite. The true coach of the opposing team was probably Akashi.
Sawamura felt the pressure.
Gathering the nation's elites was indeed a very bold idea.
But Sawamura had always thought that this approach was a bit foolish.
A baseball team isn't just about individual player strength—it's also about team culture.
Just because every player is strong doesn't mean the team will be strong.
On the contrary, a hastily assembled team is often the first to fall apart when facing challenges.
But when Sawamura saw Carlos in the Batter's Box, he felt something strange.
It was like time had turned back...
On the mound, Akashi was being very cautious when facing Carlos. His first two pitches weren't even close to the strike zone.
"This is so cautious!" Miyuki frowned.
They had seen Akashi before and thought he was someone who would go forward bravely.
It was hard to imagine that the guy in front of them, acting so carefully, was the same Akashi.
"Doesn't it feel like you're embarrassing your own devilish nickname?" Miyuki said.
"It's normal. Don't be too immersed in the moment."
Miyuki seemed to have a complicated mood and didn't observe as carefully as usual.
Fortunately, Sawamura still kept his composure.
"That's because a player like Carlos is Akashi's kryptonite."
Carlos had exceptional hitting precision and power, and most importantly, he had unparalleled speed.
These qualities made him a perfect counter to Akashi, keeping Akashi in check.
It wasn't a joke. It was a fact.
Akashi's pitching wasn't based on speed or variation, but on his willpower and control.
He relied on getting batters to hit the ball and then securing outs.
Everything seemed well planned, and neither side dared to make the first move.
The game dragged on...
As time passed, the silence between the two teams couldn't be held any longer.
Finally, their showdown began.
It started without warning, and it ended the same way.
Whoosh!
Akashi pitched.
Carlos, who had initially set up in a regular batting stance, suddenly switched to a bunt.
As the representative of Tokyo, he completely abandoned his usual style.
His main goal now was simply to make contact and get to first base.
Though there had been tension earlier due to the batting order, Carlos trusted his teammates like his former teammates back at Inashiro.
Having this opportunity against elite players from all over the country made him feel like he couldn't waste it.
Ping!
Carlos executed a perfect bunt, and then, like a leopard in the wild, he sprinted to first base.
His speed was astonishing.
His speed, however, wasn't enough. An opposing player raced after the ball with all his might.
"Clap!"
Just as Carlos was about to step on the base, the ball shot across like a laser beam.
Hanagata, playing first base, caught the ball.
"Nice!"
He shouted loudly.
"OUT!"
This outcome was unexpected by everyone.
The Tokyo team had thought they had the advantage and would easily win, but now it seemed they had underestimated their opponents. The other side wasn't planning to surrender so easily.
It looked like they were ready to fight to the end.
Representatives from all over the country had faced off against Seidou High School's baseball team.
They formed bonds on their way to the Koshien Championship.
Next up was Shirakawa, who, in contrast to Carlos, was countered by Akashi.
In their confrontation, Shirakawa was defeated without much resistance.
'Damn guy!'
Shirakawa glared at Akashi with eyes that could devour him alive.
Next time, next time, he would definitely hit it!
Sawamura coldly watched from the sidelines. When he saw Shirakawa, he knew Shirakawa had fallen into the battery's trap.
And it was very hard to escape.
There was nothing to be done. That guy was too tricky, and with Renji making calls, he became even more dangerous.
Once he fully unleashed his potential, even the Tokyo representatives would find it hard to score.
With two Outs and no one on base, the third batter, Inui, stepped up.
As the strongest hitter of Teito High's baseball team, Inui was well-known throughout Tokyo.
Even the players from Inashiro's team had confidence in his hitting, believing that if Carlos got to base, the chances of scoring would greatly increase.
But unfortunately, Carlos had already been taken out.
Relying solely on Inui, it was impossible to score.
Three outs, offense and defense exchange!
As expected, in the next confrontation, Inui was fooled into hitting a pop-up.
The first inning ended, and the Tokyo team hadn't made a single hit.
At this point, the pitcher on the other side wasn't even their strongest.
Their strongest pitcher should be Hongou.
His performance in the previous match against Seidou had fully proven his strength.
He was considered one of the top pitchers in the country.
In terms of pure strength, he was probably just a little behind Sawamura.
In contrast, Akashi's position was quite awkward.
He had lost to Osaka in the summer competition.
That game was a humiliation for him.
His weaknesses were completely exposed.
Everyone had thought Akashi would be knocked off his pedestal and wouldn't rise again.
But now, in this practice match against the Tokyo team, he had unleashed terrifying strength.
It turned out that anyone who made it to the top tier of pitchers wasn't an easy opponent.
These guys were all monsters—super monsters.
Next up, the players from other regions would come on offense.
The Tokyo team was also preparing to give it their all, sending their strongest forces.
A battle of the century was about to erupt.
At that moment, an unexpected event occurred.
No one had expected it.
…