Tokyo in July was already baking hot.
The Seidō players showed up at Hachioji Stadium early to get ready for the game.
This was where they'd be playing today.
Inside the stadium's locker room, most of the players were silent.
Everyone on the team, no matter what year they were in, was taking this year's Summer Tournament seriously.
They hadn't made it to Koshien for a few years now.
Both the school and the team's coach had faced a lot of scrutiny as a result.
Nothing major had happened yet, but everyone knew that if things didn't turn around soon, the coach's job could be on the line in a year or two.
Even the team's reputation might take a hit.
Right now, everyone on the team was just focused on one thing: winning the Summer Tournament and finally getting into Koshien.
Because of all the pressure, they weren't really joking around like they usually do.
Of course, that wouldn't last forever.
Eventually, everyone would loosen up a bit.
But that was for later.
Until they went out on the field, most of the players were just lost in their own thoughts.
"They're here!"
Seeing the Seidō players come out, the Akikawa players immediately turned to look at them.
"They look intense!"
One of the Akikawa players exclaimed, clearly impressed.
Since school was still in session, there weren't a lot of fans at the game.
Akikawa only had a few people cheering them on—maybe three to five.
But on the Seidō side, there were at least a hundred people in the stands.
That just showed the difference between a powerhouse and a regular team like them.
Even without the school's help, they could still get a lot of fans to show up.
And keep in mind, this was just the first game.
Not many people pay attention to these early games; it's usually only after the quarter-finals that things get interesting.
The semi-finals, when the top four teams play, are even held at Meiji Jingu Stadium.
"I guess not many people think we can win today, huh?" Another Akikawa player grumbled, looking a bit discouraged.
Looking at how different the cheering sections were, you could kind of guess what people thought of each team.
Besides the hundred-plus Seidō fans, even Akikawa's own family and friends probably didn't think they had a chance.
"Isn't that great? Let's surprise them a little," The tall You Shunshin suddenly exclaimed, a spark of determination in his eyes.
He had a gentle smile on his face.
Even though he was confident, he didn't sound cocky or anything.
Still, the Akikawa players looked at him with a lot of respect.
That's exactly what their Ace should be saying.
It's just a big team; they've played against teams like that before.
Anything can happen.
"West Tokyo Summer Tournament, Round 3, Game 2, Seidō versus Akikawa, is officially underway."
No matter how many fans were there, the game started on time.
Yūki Tetsuya, the team captain, won the coin toss and decided they'd bat first.
At the very start of a game, the pitcher's usually still trying to get comfortable.
If Akikawa's pitcher had even a little bit of trouble, Seidō's hitters could really take advantage.
"First batter, shortstop, Kusunoki Fumiya."
Seidō's first batter was Kusunoki, who was probably their most well-rounded player.
He was playing shortstop after they made a few changes to the lineup.
Some of the Seidō second-stringers were watching the game together.
When they saw him step up to the plate, they started cheering him on like crazy.
"Keep your eye on the ball and hit it!" one of them yelled, filled with excitement.
"Send it flying Kusunoki-senpai!" another hollered, pumping his fist in the air.
"Give us a home run!!" a third shrieked, practically jumping up and down.
Kusunoki probably didn't even know his teammates were so into it.
But that didn't really matter.
He just had one job right now: to hit the other team's Ace's pitch.
Akikawa's lineup was pretty much exactly what they expected it to be.
The coaches were different people, and they had different ways of doing things.
Usually, it was hard to guess what other teams would do.
But Akikawa's assistant coach seemed to have a similar idea about baseball as they did.
They both wanted to develop players who could go pro.
So, they probably knew each other's strategies pretty well.
Seidō might have a slight advantage because they had more players on the team.
That let Coach Kataoka Tesshin make some adjustments, even if the overall plan was already in place.
Akikawa wasn't really a powerhouse; they just had a few good players.
Those guys couldn't even make up a whole team by themselves, so they needed other people to fill in the spots.
So, yeah, guessing their lineup was pretty easy.
On the pitcher's mound for Akikawa was their Ace, You Shunshin.
The players in the field were also exactly who Seidō thought they'd be.
"Throw it!" Kusunoki taunted, ringing with anticipation as he stood in the batter's box, holding his bat up.
He was staring right at the pitcher's mound.
As soon as the ball came out, he was going to swing.
Shunshin, on the pitcher's mound, definitely felt the pressure from Kusunoki.
This first batter for Seidō was a pretty well-rounded hitter.
He might not be the best at everything.
But he didn't really have any weaknesses, either.
To be honest, that kind of hitter was a tough matchup for him.
But as Akikawa's Ace he didn't seem to care that he was at a disadvantage.
He took a deep breath and raised the ball.
He wound up and threw it.
His motion was smooth.
Whoosh!
The ball whistled as it left his hand.
Even though the ball was pretty good overall, it didn't quite hit its mark.
It landed a little low in the strike zone.