Chapter 137: Successfully Advances to the Third Round
Yakushi High School's overwhelming performance in their first game completely crushed the rumors that they had reached Koshien by luck.
Now—
They had everyone's attention.
Among those paying close attention was Nishibang High School.
Even though their own second-round opponent was the powerhouse Osaka Kiryu—known as the "Universe Team"—they still sent scouts to observe Yakushi closely.
The Koshien schedule was tight.
Very tight.
And soon—
Yakushi High School stepped onto the field for their second-round match.
Their opponent:
Yangzheng High School.
Stronger than Ichizen—
But not strong enough to overwhelm Yakushi.
Yakushi kept the same starting lineup as before.
Sanada Shunpei once again took the mound.
This time—
Yakushi would bat first.
But right from the start—
They ran into trouble.
Fukuda Daiki stepped up—
And was immediately retired.
Next, Akiba Kazuma.
He made solid contact—
But the ball flew too high.
Caught cleanly by the left fielder.
Two batters.
Two outs.
A poor start.
Fortunately—
Their core didn't disappoint.
Todoroki Raichi stepped up and smashed a deep hit off the wall, easily reaching second base.
Then—
Kitamura Kou stepped into the batter's box.
CRACK!!!
Another home run.
His third of the tournament.
Some might wonder—
With Kou's strength, why only three home runs so far?
The answer is simple.
Baseball isn't just about hitting—
There's also something called walking.
In the previous game, once the outcome was already decided, Coach Todoroki had subbed Kou out in the sixth inning.
It was a deliberate choice:
To conserve his stamina
To avoid unnecessary injury
After all—
Losing Kou would be far worse than losing a few extra runs.
By the end of the first inning—
Yakushi led 2–0.
This time, however, Yangzheng High School was prepared.
They didn't collapse like Ichizen.
Although slightly shaken—
They held on.
On defense—
Sanada Shunpei was flawless.
Three batters.
Three outs.
A clean inning.
Unlike the previous game—
This one wasn't easy.
There are no weak teams at Koshien.
Ichizen had simply been overwhelmed early.
Yangzheng—
Was different.
The second inning passed quietly.
Yakushi failed to score.
But Sanada remained steady.
Another three-up, three-down inning.
In the third inning—
Yangzheng adjusted.
They chose to walk both Todoroki Raichi and Kitamura Kou.
Forcing the duel onto the next batter.
A risky move.
And it cost them.
Mishima Yuta stepped up—
And delivered.
A clean single between second base and the outfield.
Raichi scored.
Then—
Watanabe Tatsuya hit a fly ball.
Caught.
But—
Kou's speed made the difference.
He dashed home effortlessly—
Scoring Yakushi's fourth run.
By the end of the fifth inning—
The score stood at:
4–0
Yakushi in control.
As the game progressed—
It turned into a pitching battle.
Until—
The sixth inning.
Yakushi's lineup exploded again.
Fukuda got on base.
Then Akiba followed.
Once again—
All eyes turned to Todoroki Raichi.
The result?
BOOM!!!
He crushed the ball.
Yangzheng attempted a double play—
Throwing to second, then first.
But they failed.
No outs secured.
No damage contained.
Bases loaded.
Then—
Kitamura Kou stepped up.
Would he waste this opportunity?
Of course not.
CRACK!!!
A massive grand slam.
Four runs.
The lead expanded to 8–0.
In the bottom of the seventh—
Sanada, after pitching six innings, was subbed out.
Mino Hayato took the mound.
This time—
He didn't repeat his earlier mistakes.
Though he gave up several hits—
With the team's support, he limited the damage to three runs.
Final score:
10 – 3
Yakushi High School—
Wins again.
With this victory—
They advanced to the third round.
Just one more win—
And they would reach the quarterfinals, the best result in school history.
Now—
All that remained—
Was to see who their next opponent would be.
Osaka Kiryu.
The "Universe Team."
Versus—
Seihou High School.
A top championship favorite.
After a fierce battle—
Seihou emerged victorious.
The deciding moment?
A walk-off home run—
By their terrifying fourth batter:
Sano Shuzo.
A true monster slugger.
Yakushi's next opponent—
Had been decided.
Seihou High School.
A team comparable to Inashiro Industrial.
While they didn't have a pitcher on the level of Narumiya Mei—
Their overall strength was undeniable.
And at the center of it all—
Was Sano Shuzo.
A batter even more dangerous than Masatoshi Harada.
A man who had already hit—
67 home runs in official high school games.
A true monster.
Back at the hotel—
The Yakushi players gathered.
Their expressions were serious.
This time—
No one was laughing.
Todoroki Raizo spoke first.
"Sanada has started two consecutive games."
"He didn't pitch complete games—but the fatigue is there."
He looked directly at him.
"For the next match, you rest."
"But don't relax too much."
"Our opponent is Seihou."
"You still need to be ready."
Sanada nodded without hesitation.
Then—
The coach turned to Kou.
"Kitamura… from here on, none of the matches will be easy."
"You'll need to adjust based on the situation."
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"That said… your first appearance pitching at Koshien—"
"How can you not leave a strong impression?"
That familiar, dangerous smile appeared again.
Kou looked away.
"…That's exactly what I was thinking, Coach."
Despite the challenge ahead—
No one showed fear.
After all—
They had already defeated one championship favorite.
Meanwhile—
Somewhere else—
A blond-haired boy suddenly sneezed several times in a row.
"Huh? That's weird…"
"I don't feel sick…"
He paused—
Then smirked.
"Could it be… my fans are thinking about my handsome face again?"
After muttering to himself—
He resumed running.
The storm before the next battle—
Was quietly gathering.