Chapter 205: Koshien Begins

After several more days of preparation, August 7th finally arrived.

The greatest stage in Japanese high school baseball—

Summer Koshien—

had officially begun.

Forty-nine champion schools from across the nation gathered at Koshien Stadium, all chasing the same dream.

"...It's so hot."

Standing in line for the opening ceremony, Ushijima wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed.

"Then stop complaining."

Miyuki, standing directly in front of him, shot back without even turning around.

Ushijima shrugged.

"Why's everyone so nervous?"

"You'd think none of you had ever seen a stage this big before."

The surrounding Seido players could only smile awkwardly.

Especially the third-years.

For them, this was their first—and only—chance to stand on Koshien's sacred field.

Of course they were nervous.

Of course they were excited.

Only Ushijima, who had reached Koshien as a first-year, remained as calm as ever.

With forty-nine participating schools, the Summer Koshien tournament used a unique bracket system.

Several days before the opening ceremony, the participating teams gathered for the first draw, which determined the matchups for the opening three rounds.

After those rounds concluded and the final eight teams remained, a second draw would be held for the quarterfinals onward.

Because the tournament featured an odd number of teams, fifteen schools received a first-round bye, advancing directly to the second round.

Those fortunate teams wouldn't even know their first opponent until the opening games had been completed.

Everything depended on luck.

Unfortunately...

Seido wasn't one of those lucky schools.

They had drawn a first-round matchup.

Their opponent...

Kagawa Ichizen High School.

Fortunately, the matchup had been decided several days in advance, giving Seido enough time to study their opponent and prepare accordingly.

For this opening game...

Coach Kataoka made a bold decision.

The starting pitcher would not be Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Instead...

It would be Furuya Satoru.

The announcement immediately attracted the attention of baseball teams across the country.

After all, Seido was one of the most closely watched schools entering this year's Koshien.

Many expected their Ace to start the opening game.

Instead...

They sent out a first-year.

Seido High School Starting Lineup

Kuramochi — Shortstop (Second Year)

Shirasu — Right Field (Second Year)

Isashiki — Left Field (Third Year)

Yuki — First Base (Third Year)

Ushijima — Center Field (First Year)

Masuko — Third Base (Third Year)

Miyuki — Catcher (Second Year)

Kominato Haruichi — Second Base (First Year)

Furuya — Pitcher (First Year)

The moment the lineup appeared on the stadium scoreboard...

The entire stadium stirred.

Players.

Coaches.

Scouts.

Everyone watching was stunned.

Three first-years...

Starting at Koshien?

Summer Koshien was different from the regional qualifiers.

This was the national stage.

The strongest tournament in all of Japanese high school baseball.

Normally, the starting lineup of a Koshien team was built around third-years, with second-years filling the remaining key positions.

First-years rarely appeared in the starting lineup.

Even when they did, it was usually only one exceptionally talented player.

Yet Seido's lineup featured...

Three third-years.

Three second-years.

And...

Three first-years.

Such a balanced lineup was almost unheard of.

The moment the game began, the dugouts of schools from across Japan erupted into discussion.

"Three first-years..."

"Seido's got some nerve."

"No..."

One veteran coach narrowed his eyes as he looked toward Seido's dugout.

"It isn't courage."

"It's confidence."

"If they're willing to let three first-years start on the biggest stage in Japan..."

"Then those freshmen must already possess the ability to compete here."

The surrounding coaches silently nodded.

Whether Seido's gamble would pay off...

Would soon become clear on the field.

The opening game of Koshien...

Seido batted first.

Leading off, Kuramochi stepped into the batter's box.

Using a perfectly executed surprise bunt and his incredible speed, he beat the throw to first for an infield hit.

"Safe!"

A great start.

Next came Shirasu.

Filling in for the injured Kominato Ryosuke as the second batter, he calmly did his job.

A clean single.

Kuramochi advanced to second while Shirasu safely reached first.

No outs.

Runners on first and second.

The pressure immediately shifted onto Ichizen High School.

The third batter, Isashiki, stepped up looking to drive in the opening runs.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere of Koshien got to him.

Trying to do too much, he lifted a routine fly ball into the outfield.

One out.

The cleanup hitter, Yuki Tetsuya, remained as composed as ever.

Clang!

A sharp ground ball shot through the infield.

An RBI opportunity became a bases-loaded chance.

One out.

Bases loaded.

Then...

The fifth batter walked toward the plate.

Ushijima Wakatoshi.

The entire stadium fell quiet.

The Ichizen pitcher took a deep breath before throwing his first pitch.

It was supposed to be a fastball on the outside corner.

Instead...

It drifted back over the heart of the plate.

Ushijima didn't hesitate.

CRACK!!

The sound of the wooden bat echoed throughout Koshien Stadium.

The baseball exploded off the barrel like a cannonball.

Everyone watched as it climbed higher...

And higher...

Before crashing directly into the giant scoreboard beyond the outfield wall.

For a brief moment...

The entire stadium fell silent.

Then—

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!"

Nearly fifty thousand spectators erupted.

A home run.

No...

A grand slam.

On the very first pitch of his first at-bat at Koshien...

Ushijima Wakatoshi blasted a towering grand slam.

Four runs.

One swing.

Just like that, Seido seized complete control of the game.

The cheers from Seido's supporters shook the stadium.

Even players and coaches from the other participating schools stared at the scoreboard in disbelief.

"A wooden bat...?"

"Wasn't this his first official game using one?"

"And he hits a grand slam in his very first at-bat?"

The unbelievable scene left everyone speechless.

Back in Seido's dugout, Kuramochi and the others immediately surrounded Ushijima after he returned.

"Nice one!"

"You planning to win Game MVP on your first day at Koshien?"

"A grand slam right out of the gate!"

They ruffled his hair while laughing loudly.

Ushijima simply smiled.

"I was just lucky."

"You guys created the opportunity."

"If the bases hadn't been loaded, the pitcher wouldn't have been under that much pressure."

"He probably wouldn't have left such an easy pitch over the middle."

"I just took advantage of the mistake."

Even after hitting a grand slam...

He remained as calm and humble as ever.

Unfortunately for Ichizen...

That one swing completely shattered the confidence of their ace.

From that point onward...

The game became one-sided.

In the first inning, Seido scored seven runs.

The second inning brought another five.

Yuki and Ushijima each added another home run.

By the third inning, Seido's offense showed no signs of slowing down.

Ushijima launched his third home run of the afternoon.

The fourth inning belonged to the cleanup duo once again.

Yuki crushed his second home run of the game.

Moments later...

Ushijima answered with his fourth.

By the fifth inning, Seido's lineup had become completely unstoppable.

The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth batters all sent baseballs over the fence.

When the dust settled...

Seido had hit ten home runs in a single game.

A brand-new Koshien record.

Among them...

Ushijima Wakatoshi accounted for five home runs by himself, setting yet another Koshien record.

One game.

Five home runs.

The entire nation instantly remembered Seido's first-year superstar.

Meanwhile, Seido's starting pitcher, Furuya Satoru, completed three scoreless innings in his Koshien debut.

His blazing 150 km/h fastball stunned teams across Japan.

Seido...

Actually had two first-year pitchers capable of throwing at that speed.

Starting in the fourth inning, Tanba took over on the mound.

Although neither pitcher allowed a run...

Their performances weren't nearly as dominant as the scoreboard suggested.

Furuya gave up six hard-hit balls into the outfield during his three innings.

Fortunately...

Seido's defense was spectacular.

Ushijima made three highlight-reel defensive plays in center field, robbing extra-base hits each time.

Isashiki unleashed a laser throw from left field to cut down a runner trying to score at home.

Another deep drive was tracked down by Shirasu before it could do any damage.

Only one extra-base hit ultimately stood.

Tanba's outing wasn't much easier.

He even found himself in a bases-loaded jam.

Fortunately, Seido's defense came through once again to preserve the shutout.

Had the score been close...

Both Furuya and Tanba likely would have been replaced much earlier.

But with Seido holding an overwhelming lead, Coach Kataoka allowed them to gain valuable experience on Koshien's biggest stage.

When the final out was recorded...

The scoreboard told the story of complete domination.

Seido: 7 • 5 • 6 • 6 • 6 • 1 • 1 • 1 — 30

Ichizen: 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 — 0

A 30-0 victory.

Seido's return to Koshien couldn't have been more overwhelming.

And from that moment on...

Every team remaining in the tournament knew one thing.

This Seido team wasn't simply here to participate.

They had come to conquer Koshien.