Chapter 519 - 519: The Strongest in History

Seido High's Round of 16 matchup against Akikawa ended after just five innings.

The final score:

10–0.

Even without sending their ace, Zhou Hao, to the mound, Seido overwhelmed their opponents and advanced comfortably to the quarterfinals.

Anyone who saw only the final score would naturally come away with one impression:

Seido had won with ease.

But anyone who had actually watched the game knew that wasn't the whole story.

Akikawa's players—especially their ace, Yang Shunchen—had delivered a performance that left a lasting impression.

His pitching, in particular, was exceptional.

To put it bluntly...

For much of the game, he was the center of everyone's attention.

Because of that, Akikawa's one-sided defeat left many spectators feeling a sense of regret.

"With the level Yang-kun showed today, I thought this game would be much closer."

"I thought the same."

"It couldn't be helped."

"They were facing Seido."

"Even when their two first-year pitchers got into trouble, their teammates were always there to bail them out."

Neither Furuya Satoru nor Sawamura Eijun had pitched flawless games.

Akikawa had prepared thoroughly, repeatedly creating difficult situations for both rookies.

On more than one occasion, they had come within a single hit of giving up runs.

Yet each time...

Seido's veteran fielders stepped up and erased the danger.

The game demonstrated one undeniable truth.

The strength of Seido High wasn't built around a single player.

Nor did it rely on one particular aspect of the game.

Their power came from the team as a whole.

If anything...

Their overall strength was even greater than it had been the previous year.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing how far Seido goes this summer."

"They won't disappoint."

After the game, the players from both teams lined up and bowed to one another.

Although he had lost...

Yang Shunchen didn't appear particularly discouraged.

This game had allowed him to witness the highest level of high school baseball firsthand.

As a team...

Akikawa simply couldn't compare with Seido.

The gap between them was enormous.

Once Seido gained momentum, the game had slipped away almost instantly.

However...

When it came to individual ability, Yang's opinion was completely different.

Yes, Seido's players were incredibly strong.

But they weren't unbeatable.

Aside from one person...

Zhou Hao.

That monster was on an entirely different level.

Against everyone else on Seido's roster...

Yang believed he could compete.

In fact...

He felt he had held his own quite well.

That realization meant everything to him.

"We'll meet again someday."

"On a professional field."

Compared to their ace, the rest of Akikawa's players were far less composed.

Many of them couldn't stop crying.

It wasn't because they believed losing to Seido was shameful.

On the contrary...

They had never considered themselves one of the country's elite teams.

Falling to the reigning national champions was nothing to be embarrassed about.

For many schools...

Simply earning the chance to face Seido was an honor.

What truly hurt them...

Was Yang Shunchen.

They didn't care about themselves.

But Yang was different.

In their eyes, he was someone destined for greatness.

He deserved a brighter future.

Instead...

Because he had chosen Akikawa High, his final summer had ended here.

"I'm sorry, Yang..."

Yang smiled and shook his head.

"We're a team."

"If anyone should apologize, it should be me."

"This was our loss—not yours."

Being able to compete against Seido had already given him something invaluable.

He had finally seen what stood at the very top of high school baseball.

That experience alone made the game worthwhile.

Not every player...

And not every team...

Was fortunate enough to receive such an opportunity.

"So don't dwell on today."

"We still have the Autumn Tournament ahead of us."

Their dream of next summer's Koshien had ended.

But the road to the Spring Koshien was still open.

As long as even the slightest possibility remained...

Yang had no intention of giving up.

His determination quickly spread throughout the team.

"That's right."

"We still have the Autumn Tournament."

The Seido players watched the scene in silence.

Akikawa had proven far tougher than any of them had expected.

For third-year players...

Summer was everything.

One loss meant the end of their high school baseball careers.

In Seido's experience, defeated teams usually broke down in tears.

That was only natural.

Yet Akikawa felt different.

They had certainly cried...

But there was remarkably little regret.

Instead...

There was relief.

They had given everything they had.

No one could ask for more than that.

"Thank you for the game!"

"Thank you!"

With Seido safely through to the quarterfinals...

The remaining Round of 16 games also came to an end.

One by one, the quarterfinalists were decided.

The Seido players remained calm throughout the process.

To them...

Their next opponent hardly mattered.

Across all of West Tokyo, only one team truly stood in their way.

Inashiro Industrial.

However, as the first and second seeds from the Spring Tournament, Seido and Inashiro couldn't meet until the championship game.

No matter how the bracket unfolded, an earlier matchup was impossible.

Teams like Ichidai Third High and Seiko certainly possessed enough strength to challenge Seido.

But those were concerns for the semifinals.

For now...

They were on the opposite side of the bracket.

Or so everyone believed.

Very soon...

They discovered they had been mistaken.

The team they had dismissed as a relatively manageable opponent...

Turned out to be anything but.

"Our quarterfinal opponent has been decided."

Takashima Rei returned from gathering information.

Her expression was unusually serious.

Seeing that look alone, the Seido players immediately realized one thing.

Their next opponent...

Was much stronger than expected.

"It's Yakushi High."

The room fell silent.

Finally, someone broke the silence.

"...Are they really that strong?"

"Are they really that strong?"

Kuramochi asked, curiosity written all over his face.

The Seido players weren't afraid of strong opponents.

If anything...

They welcomed them.

Having reached the quarterfinals, only three victories separated them from another trip to Summer Koshien.

These were the eight best teams left from a field of well over a hundred schools.

On average, only one team had survived out of every dozen or so.

If opponents of that caliber still couldn't challenge Seido...

Then their march to the national championship would be rather dull.

Winning was important.

Claiming the championship was their ultimate goal.

But to Seido's players...

The journey mattered just as much as the destination.

No one wanted to win boring games.

Seeing the calm confidence on everyone's faces, Takashima Rei felt her own anxiety melt away.

She had been deeply shaken after watching Yakushi's performance.

Their strength was undeniable.

But...

These were Seido's players.

What did she have to be worried about?

Yakushi might be formidable.

But Seido was even stronger.

They had already defeated countless powerful opponents.

Could Yakushi really create that big of an upset?

"The current Yakushi High is nothing like the team we knew before."

"They've completely transformed."

Takashima Rei spoke with absolute certainty.

Hearing such a serious evaluation, everyone instinctively became more attentive.

Had those words come from anyone else...

They might have assumed it was an exaggeration.

But this was Takashima Rei.

She was never one to overstate an opponent's strength.

"Their coach is Todoroki Raizo."

"The former professional player?"

"The one who retired unexpectedly?"

"I heard he retired because of injuries."

"I didn't know he'd become a coach."

"That's not the important part."

A great coach could certainly elevate a team's level.

But Yakushi's transformation couldn't be explained by coaching alone.

Recalling the game she had just watched, Takashima Rei couldn't help taking a slow breath.

She had never witnessed such explosive offensive firepower from a high school lineup.

Three first-year super rookies formed the heart of their batting order.

Around them stood experienced third-years and an excellent second-year ace.

Together...

They had created astonishing chemistry.

Combined with Todoroki Raizo's leadership...

Yakushi had become a terrifying team.

Even Takashima Rei, who rarely lost her composure, had been genuinely shocked.

"Their first game ended 15–0."

"The second, 14–1."

"And the third..."

"16–2."

Silence filled the room.

Every Seido player immediately understood the significance of those numbers.

"They won by the mercy rule every time?"

"Two of them did."

"The other lasted seven innings."

"But in terms of offensive production..."

"They're second only to us."

Thanks to their overwhelming performances in the opening rounds, Seido had also piled up extraordinary run totals during this Summer Tournament.

Their offensive numbers were already among the best in Seido's history.

Not just in school history...

Possibly in the entire history of the West Tokyo Summer Tournament.

Some even claimed they had already set a new record.

Unfortunately, records from earlier eras weren't kept consistently enough to confirm it.

Even so...

Almost everyone agreed that Seido had already accomplished something unprecedented.

Originally, the Seido players believed no one could surpass those numbers.

After all, they had only played a few games and were already scoring at an incredible pace.

If they maintained that level...

Just how many runs would they finish with?

The thought alone was exciting.

Yet before they knew it...

Yakushi had emerged to challenge that record.

If Seido were somehow eliminated in the quarterfinals...

That historic achievement might even belong to someone else.

Takashima Rei looked around the room.

"If Zhou Hao doesn't pitch..."

"The consequences could be difficult to imagine."

Seido had earned the nickname Pitcher's Kingdom.

Besides ace Zhou Hao, they possessed three talented pitchers with completely different styles.

Up until now...

That depth had been more than enough.

Even without their ace on the mound, Seido had continued crushing every opponent they faced.

But Yakushi was different.

Their lineup possessed overwhelming offensive firepower.

Relying solely on the other three pitchers might not necessarily lead to defeat...

But it certainly wasn't a guarantee of victory.

For a moment...

Everyone fell silent.

Then Zhou Hao spread his hands with a puzzled expression.

"Why wouldn't I pitch?"

The room froze.

The rest of the team immediately looked at one another.

That was a good question.

Why wouldn't their ace take the mound?

The only reason Coach Kataoka had kept Zhou Hao out of previous games was to conserve his stamina while giving the other pitchers valuable experience.

But this wasn't the early rounds anymore.

Everything had changed.

Against an opponent with a lineup as dangerous as Yakushi's...

Wouldn't it be natural to start their ace?

Takashima Rei blinked before breaking into a smile.

She had been so accustomed to Zhou Hao resting that she had overlooked the obvious.

Of course.

Why wouldn't he pitch?

As long as Zhou Hao stood on the mound...

Her worries vanished.

No matter how explosive Yakushi's offense appeared...

She couldn't imagine them overwhelming Zhou Hao.

And even if they somehow managed to score once or twice...

Seido's lineup was more than capable of scoring even more.

"Yakushi is incredibly strong."

"They may well be the greatest dark horse we've ever seen."

She paused before smiling confidently.

"But don't let that bother you."

"I still believe..."

"The team that walks off the field victorious..."

"Will be Seido."

She hardly needed to say it.

Every player in the room already shared that conviction.

"We're going to win!"

That evening, Coach Kataoka finalized the game plan.

His first decision was simple.

"Tomorrow's starting pitcher..."

He looked toward the back of the room.

"Zhou Hao."

The early rounds had been opportunities to conserve their ace and develop the rest of the pitching staff.

But those days were over.

Now that they were facing an opponent worthy of their full strength...

Seido would answer with its greatest weapon.