Chapter 136: First Battle a Success
August 7th.
The Summer Koshien Tournament officially began.
Forty-nine elite high schools from across the nation gathered at Hanshin Koshien Stadium, participating in the grand opening ceremony of this national spectacle.
The scorching summer heat showed no mercy.
Nakanishi Daiki, already struggling under normal conditions, looked completely drained.
"Ugh… it's way too hot…" he groaned weakly. "I really want some ice cream…"
Standing behind him, Akaishi Osamu sighed helplessly.
"Nakanishi… aren't you afraid the coach might hear you and kill you?"
Nakanishi slumped even further, almost leaning his entire weight onto Akaishi.
"What's there to be afraid of…? I'm just talking, I didn't actually eat any…"
He licked his dry lips.
"Besides… don't you think ice cream would be perfect in this weather…?"
At that moment, Kitamura Kou, who stood in front of them, turned his head with a sly grin.
"Nakanishi… aren't you afraid Akaishi might report what you were doing yesterday?"
Nakanishi froze.
Then—
Shiver.
He instantly straightened up.
"A-Akaishi… you wouldn't be that cruel, right?"
Akaishi rolled his eyes.
"If you keep talking that loudly, I won't even need to report you."
…
A few days before the opening ceremony, the first-round draw had already been announced.
Given Coach Todoroki Raizo's infamous luck—
There was no way Yakushi High School would get a bye.
Their opponent:
Ichizen High School from Kagawa.
They weren't weak… but they weren't top-tier either.
In West Tokyo terms, they would probably be around quarterfinal level.
Still—
Any team that made it to Koshien could not be underestimated.
This was a single-elimination tournament.
One loss—
And you're out.
Even Todoroki Raizo didn't dare take it lightly.
But after careful consideration, he finalized the starting lineup:
1st batter / Second baseman: Daiki Fukuda
2nd batter / Left fielder: Akiba Kazuma
3rd batter / Third baseman: Todoroki Raichi
4th batter / Center fielder: Kitamura Kou
5th batter / First baseman: Mishima Yuta
6th batter / Catcher: Tatsuya Watanabe
7th batter / Right fielder: Yutaka Yamauchi
8th batter / Shortstop: Keisuke Kobayashi
9th batter / Pitcher: Shunpei Sanada
Depending on the situation, either Kou or Mino Hayato would take over pitching duties.
As Yakushi's game approached, the crowd buzzed with discussion.
"So the reports were true… they're really using this many first-years?"
"You'll regret underestimating them. Their offense is insane."
"Please, they're just freshmen. How strong could they be after only a few months?"
"Don't forget—they fought their way out of West Tokyo."
"Hah, more like the big teams underperformed."
"Let's see if you're still saying that later."
Opinions clashed.
Skepticism filled the air.
But the moment the game began—
Every single face in the stadium changed.
Yakushi was on defense first.
Sanada Shunpei stepped onto the mound.
Then—
BOOM!
His very first pitch blazed toward the plate at 147 km/h.
Don't underestimate that number.
At Koshien, that velocity already placed him among the top pitchers.
Sanada worked at a relentless pace.
Six pitches.
Three batters.
Three outs.
Ichizen High School—
Was completely shut down.
Then it was Yakushi's turn to attack.
And that was when the audience truly understood—
What a monster offense looked like.
Fukuda Daiki stepped up first.
No hesitation.
First pitch—
CRACK!
The ball shot cleanly between first and second base.
A leadoff hit.
Next—
Akiba Kazuma.
Again—
First pitch swing.
BANG!
A deep hit to left field.
Fukuda exploded into motion, sprinting all the way to third.
Just like that—
No outs.
Runners on first and third.
Ichizen's pitcher had only thrown two pitches—
And he was already cornered.
Forced to call timeout.
"Calm down… they're just first-timers at Koshien."
"Yeah, nothing to be afraid of."
"We're Kagawa's champions! Regulars at Koshien!"
"Our defense is top-tier!"
They tried to reassure themselves.
Tried to regain control.
But reality—
Was far harsher.
CLANG!!!
A thunderous sound echoed throughout the entire stadium.
Silence.
Then—
Shock.
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Todoroki Raichi's eerie laughter rang out.
The ball soared high into the sky—
Higher—
Higher—
Until it disappeared beyond the outfield.
A home run.
A three-run blast.
"Yakushi High School's third batter, Todoroki Raichi, hits the first home run of the tournament! Yakushi takes a 3–0 lead in the first inning!"
"And now—the fourth batter—Kitamura Kou!"
"The pitcher who throws at 156 km/h!"
The stadium erupted.
Deafening cheers rolled like thunder.
Kou stepped into the batter's box calmly.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
CRACK!!!
Another explosion.
The ball rocketed straight toward the scoreboard—
A monstrous home run.
The crowd went wild.
The noise reached another level entirely.
Ichizen's starting pitcher—
Collapsed mentally.
Yakushi's offense showed no mercy.
Wave after wave of attacks.
Relentless.
Overwhelming.
If not for Fukuda hitting into a double play later—
Their scoring might not have stopped at all.
By the end of the first inning—
Yakushi had already piled up six runs.
From that moment on—
The game was completely under their control.
Sanada pitched four solid innings before being subbed out.
By then—
Yakushi had stretched the lead to ten runs.
If not for Koshien rules preventing early termination—
The game might have ended much sooner.
Mino Hayato took the mound next.
Too excited—
Too eager.
He quickly created a dangerous situation:
One out.
Runners on first and third.
And gave up a run.
But that single mistake snapped him back to reality.
With the team's support, Yakushi shut down the remaining batters.
Final score:
13 – 2
A crushing victory.
A dominant performance.
Yakushi High School—
Had successfully taken their first step onto the national stage.
And now—
The entire country was beginning to realize—
This "dark horse" from West Tokyo…
Was something far more dangerous than anyone had imagined.