"It's really impressive!"
In the stands of Jingu Stadium, Takashima Rei folded her arms and murmured.
Next to Takashima was Watanabe, the member who was entrusted with the scouting efforts.
At that moment, he was jotting down notes in a notebook, occasionally turning to his companions to whisper instructions about what to capture on film.
Upon hearing Takashima's comment, he nodded in agreement.
"It seems that during the offseason, no one has been idle. Mukai Taiyou's pitching is as sharp as ever. The players from Ugumori seem to be recklessly diving into the traps set for them."
He cast a deep look towards the Ugumori High School dugout.
'It appeared that the Ugumori players were giving it their all in this match.'
'But the reality might be quite different.'
Though Ugumori's players were uniquely talented and displayed great fighting spirit during the game, their characteristics should encompass more than just that.
Their most distinctive feature was the young man in the wheelchair in the dugout.
Based on Watanabe's previous observations, while Ugumori's players might seem reckless, their actions were not without purpose.
'In other words, every move they made likely had its own strategy.'
It shouldn't be like what he was witnessing now, where all the players appeared as headless flies, rampaging without direction.
'Are they trying not to reveal too much strength in front of major competitors? Or do they have other plans?'
Watanabe couldn't know for sure.
However, he didn't believe that Ugumori High School's strength was limited to what he was currently observing.
He originally thought this game would yield some interesting insights, especially since neither team was weak.
Both had the potential to become Seidou High School's next rivals.
But now it seemed that would be difficult...
PING!!
As the game reached the sixth inning, a change finally occurred.
The fourth batter from Teito High School, who was also their captain, hit a home run, putting his team on the scoreboard first.
Umemiya, on the pitcher's mound, had reddened eyes.
'Damn!'
'It truly was a prestigious school; they were not so easily fooled.'
Fortunately, their team's style was more free-spirited, so they wouldn't lose their fighting spirit just because they were trailing in the score.
"We'll catch up!"
After the home run, Umemiya seemed unfazed, rallying his teammates with enthusiasm.
"YEAAH!!"
"We Will Do It!!"
This attitude surprised the audience.
"That's impressive!"
"What kind of education had these Ugumori players received in private?"
"They seemed completely unconcerned about the opponent's home run as if trailing by points didn't even register."
Still filled with fighting spirit, they continued to battle Teito High School.
"What an optimistic thought! Let's show you who the real king of Tokyo is!"
The boy named Mukai Taiyou had a fire in his eyes.
It was impossible to say they were unaware of Ugumori High School's intentions.
Ugumori wanted to conserve its strength while also probing the strengths of its opponents.
As competitors in the same region, this approach was understandable.
Yet even knowing this, Mukai Taiyou remained unperturbed.
He was confident that the gap between their two teams couldn't be bridged simply by tactics.
"A king is a king, and a clown is a clown!"
Mukai confidently threw the baseball from his hand, swiftly dispatching the opposing batters in three balls.
Ping!
"OUT!!"
Ping!
"OUT!"
Ping!
"OUT!!!"
Under his strong lead, the relatively slow-starting Teito High School lineup began to unleash their power.
Ping!
Ping!
Umemiya's pitches started getting hit consistently, ultimately losing two more points.
By the end of the game, the score gap had widened to three points.
In the final inning, Mukai beautifully handled Umemiya, concluding the match.
Against the formidable Ugumori, Mukai allowed only four hits and didn't issue a single Walk...
Not a point was lost!!!
This demonstrated the terrifying strength of the nation's top pitchers.
In comparison, Umemiya was much less in performance, not only giving up numerous hits but also three runs.
After the game, the students from Ugumori High School looked dejected, no matter how optimistic they usually were.
"There's no need to be downcast!"
The boy in the wheelchair didn't seem affected by the scene before him at all; instead, he was comforting his teammates.
"Let the elite players from Teito High School handle small tournaments like the Kanto Tournament! We just need to grab the biggest opportunities."
With his reassurance, the Ugumori players quickly recovered.
Amidst tears and laughter, it was hard to tell if they were truly sad or just acting.
"Have you got any ideas yet?" Umemiya eagerly asked Matsubara Nao.
Matsubara smiled and nodded.
"Although I'm not sure if it will succeed, I do have an idea."
Even though East and West Tokyo were both fierce battlegrounds, the differences were significant.
If Ugumori got a bit lucky, they would only have to face one strong opponent.
That was Teito!
As long as they defeated Teito High School, they would have a great chance to reach Koshien.
"The opponent clearly didn't give their all!"
After the game, Inui felt uneasy.
The vibe Ugumori High School gave him felt like a cobra lurking in the shadows, sending chills down his spine.
"So what? In baseball, you ultimately have to rely on strength."
In contrast, Mukai Taiyou, now in his second year, had a more open mindset.
There are hundreds of schools secretly plotting against Seidou High School.
But so what?
Seidou High School is still the king of the Summer, and they are the reigning champions of Koshien after just concluding the Spring Koshien.
In baseball, strength is what ultimately determines the outcome.
"You're right to think that way."
Inui felt secretly frustrated.
He realized he was less open-minded than his Kohai.
Teito High School defeated Ugumori 3-0 and became the first to advance to the semifinals of the Tokyo Spring Competition.
The next day, at Jingu Stadium, the other six teams also engaged in fierce battles.
The first match was between Sankou High School and Niougakusha Ootsuki High School.
Most spectators believed Sankou High School would win easily.
Unexpectedly, once the game began, it was far from that. The powerful Niougakusha Ootsuki High School from East Tokyo displayed exceptional defensive capabilities.
The match was evenly contested, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
The score remained 0-0.
During this time, Amahisa Kousei, the Ace pitcher for Sankou High School, shone brightly.
He perfectly suppressed Niougakusha Ootsuki High School's offense.
To be honest, if it weren't for his stellar pitching today, Sankou High School might have truly lost.
The terrifying combat power exhibited by Niougakusha Ootsuki High School was astonishing to everyone.
At that moment, people awakened to the realization that East Tokyo was never a one-horse race, let alone a two-way competition.
Many strong schools were eyeing the Koshien slots.
Today's East Tokyo was also entering a Warring States period.
No one could estimate which team would emerge victorious.
With Amahisa Kousei's outstanding performance, his team finally stabilized the situation, preventing any runs.
This status quo continued until the eighth inning.
Hoshida, the core batter, and Sasaki, the power hitter, felt they could no longer sit idly by.
They began to unleash their power.
Ping!
Ping!!
The balls were continuously hit as if even the heavens were favoring Sankou High School.
This time, they finally maintained their position without returning empty-handed.
The score truly widened.
The final score settled at 2-0.
This was also the final score of the game.
After taking the lead, Amahisa Kousei, the Ace of Sankou, echoed Mukai Taiyou's sentiments.
"As long as we're ahead, that's enough."
For these top-tier pitchers, toying with the opponents seemed almost effortless.
Thus, two spots in the semifinals were claimed one after another.
They were Teito High School from East Tokyo and Sankou High School from West Tokyo.
Following that match, Yakushi faced off against Koukaidai Sugata.
"Raichi!"
"Yakushi!"
"Let's go!!!"
Even before the game started, the atmosphere was charged.
At that moment, it seemed like the whole world was on Yakushi High School's side.
Even the students from Koukaidai Sugata's school couldn't muster the spirit to cheer for their own team.
While the students here were bookworms, many were also baseball fans.
Several had followed the previous Koshien matches and were deeply impressed by Raichi's emergence.
To put it bluntly, many were fans of Raichi.
At this point, not cheering for the enemy was already commendable.
Counting on them to cheer for their team was a different matter altogether.
"Damn, if it weren't for the opponent's atmosphere, I'd think I was facing Seidou," said the Captain of Koukaidai, filled with emotion.
"Don't think about useless things; we're here to play baseball…"
The team's Coach, full of enthusiasm, rallied his students.
Having made it to the Tokyo quarterfinals, his spirit were high.
Wasn't that Yakushi High School?
Speaking of which, this team didn't seem much stronger than them before; so they are at the same level.
However, thanks to the father-son duo of Todoroki Raizou and Todoroki Raichi, their performance had improved so rapidly.
But in terms of actual strength, there shouldn't be much difference, right?
With this mindset, the players from Koukaidai Sugata High School chose to face Yakushi head-on.
I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
It turned out that in baseball, a lot of things can go wrong!
When the final results of this match emerged, the entire Jingu Stadium fell silent.
In the fierce battleground of Tokyo, a score like this in a quarter-final match was unprecedented.
While not entirely unheard of, it was certainly rare!
…