<270> The Highly Anticipated Second Match!

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two days had passed.

At 9:30 AM that day, the Seidou players were already gathered in the locker room at Koshien Stadium.

Their second match was about to begin.

It was only at this moment that they realized another key difference about the Koshien Tournament.

During the regional tournaments, whenever Seidou faced a significant opponent, they would always begin gathering information well in advance.

Even for unexpected dark horses they hadn't prepared for, they would still manage to collect detailed scouting reports before the actual match.

Take Yakushi, for example. A week before their match, Seidou already had a solid understanding of them.

After that, they would familiarize themselves further and conduct targeted practice sessions.

By the time the match arrived, Seidou's players could step onto the field with full confidence.

But here at Koshien, that was no longer the case.

Every team they faced here was almost entirely unfamiliar.

And with matchups only determined at the last minute, they barely had any time to prepare—two to three days at most.

When they actually faced their opponents, Seidou's players couldn't help but feel underprepared.

Chris's ability to gather intelligence was extraordinary.

But even with all the information placed in front of them, they still needed time to digest it.

And now, there wasn't even enough time for that, let alone specialized practice.

"This is the biggest difference between Koshien and the regional tournaments. It's not just that the opponents are stronger—our preparation time is also far shorter. And it's only going to get worse the deeper we go into the tournament," Chris said, clearly troubled.

As the team manager, he wanted to do everything he could for the players.

But some things were simply beyond his control.

"It's not all bad, though. Our opponents are in the same situation—they don't have much time to prepare for us either," Miyuki said with a grin.

Hearing their main catcher's words, the players also smiled, their tension easing slightly.

In this era, information played an increasingly critical role in baseball matches.

If they were at a disadvantage in that area, no matter how confident they were in their own abilities, they couldn't guarantee they would make it all the way to the championship.

But if both sides were equally unprepared, that leveled the playing field.

And in a fair battle, Seidou's players feared no one.

Looking at Miyuki, Furuya felt a deep sense of admiration.

Even though this guy had a sharp tongue most of the time, when it truly mattered, he was extremely reliable.

In fact, if the third-years graduated, Miyuki—who might seem unreliable at first glance—would probably become the team's most dependable next captain.

While feeling admiration, Furuya also realized something.

There was something Miyuki hadn't said out loud.

To be honest, under normal circumstances, all teams participating in Koshien face the same challenge — unfamiliarity with their opponents.

They don't know their opponents, and their opponents don't know them either.

But there's another factor that complicates things: team popularity.

For ordinary teams, the first rule holds true.

However, for famous teams, it's a completely different story.

Take the "Cosmic Team" (the so-called unbeatable powerhouse), for example.

Even the teams playing in the very first round would have gathered plenty of intel on such a legendary opponent.

The same goes for the major championship contenders in this year's Koshien.

In comparison, Seidou's situation was more complicated.

Although this was their first appearance at Koshien in recent years, their reputation was anything but that of a newcomer.

Especially with the buzz surrounding Furuya…

It's safe to assume that any team with ambitions of winning the championship had already thoroughly scouted Seidou.

Any potential future opponents had likely gathered information about Seidou well in advance and had started preparing for them.

In terms of information advantage, Seidou wasn't entirely exposed like the "Cosmic Team," but they were definitely at a disadvantage.

"Alright, the game's about to start. Let's get out there!"

Just as everyone was deep in discussion, Captain Yuuki's voice cut through.

Upon hearing the captain's order, the players' moods instantly shifted.

Like fierce tigers descending from the mountains, they charged out through the dugout tunnel.

"Whoa! Seidou's players are on the field!!"

Even before the announcer could speak, a deafening roar erupted from the stands at Koshien.

The number of fans was staggering.

Both sides of the stadium were packed to capacity.

Even the outfield stands had been opened to accommodate the crowd.

Even though the players had mentally prepared themselves for a large audience today, the sheer scale of it still left them overwhelmed with excitement.

Compared to the opening match, today truly felt like they were superstars.

As for who among them was the most popular?

There was no question — Furuya Satoru.

The number of fans screaming Furuya's name easily reached seven or eight thousand, if not more.

For this match, Furuya's grandfather and parents had specially traveled to Koshien to cheer him on.

As for why they missed the opening game?

It was simple — they hadn't been able to get tickets for the side stands.

If they sat in the distant outfield stands, they wouldn't even be able to clearly see Furuya, let alone cheer properly.

But today, they had better luck, securing tickets near the front row of the side stands, giving them a perfect view of Furuya on the field.

On the other hand, Sawamura's parents weren't so lucky.

They arrived late and ended up seated high up in the distant stands.

Sawamura's grandfather — a spry, spirited old man — beamed with pride as he stared at his grandson stepping onto the field, his grin practically reaching the back of his head.

"Who would've thought that little rascal would make it to Koshien so quickly?"

Not just the old man — even Sawamura's childhood friends, seated nearby, couldn't believe it.

Because of the high ticket prices, they had only bought tickets for this one match.

When they spotted Sawamura on the field, they immediately shouted his name excitedly.

But with tens of thousands of fans yelling, their voices were naturally drowned out.

Wakana, wearing a light summer outfit, squinted against the bright sunlight.

Sawamura's childhood friend, even she hadn't expected to see him standing proudly at Koshien so soon.

It was said that Sawamura had even gotten playing time during the first match!

"As expected of the one who represents all of us — you've soared so high!"

In Wakana's heart, a bittersweet feeling welled up.

She suddenly realized that the goofy boy who used to always be by her side had now grown into someone they could only look up to from afar.

Many of the Seidou players' parents and families had specially chosen to attend this second match.

On one hand, they believed this match would be even more exciting than the first.

On the other hand, tickets for the opening game were incredibly hard to get.

While today's crowd was still huge, most fans had only rushed to buy tickets after the first game concluded.

Those who booked early, like the players' families, had secured the best seats.

As for who was the happiest today?

Without question — it was Haruichi Kominato's parents.

Other families had come to watch a single child.

They were here to watch both their sons, standing proudly on the Koshien stage.

Seeing their eldest and youngest both realize their dreams, Mrs. Kominato was overcome with emotions.

Although there was still some lingering sadness in her heart, she was genuinely proud of her two sons.

"You two are truly incredible!"

The Seidou players had long been aware that their families would be attending this match.

They were absolutely fired up, determined to show their very best.

Normally, they might not care too much, but today —

Today, there was no way they could afford to embarrass themselves.

Even if they couldn't make their parents beam with pride, at the very least, they had to ensure they wouldn't bring them shame!

Across the field, in the opposing team's dugout, the scene was much more chaotic.

A mix of black, white, and yellow skin tones — it was truly a colorful sight.

Only about half of their players were local students.

The rest were foreign exchange students of various backgrounds.

The real "magic" of this team lay not just in their coach's strategy, but in the individual strength of these players.

Otherwise, why would other schools fail with international students, but this team succeed?

Take Seidou, for example — even though they are one of the nation's top-tier schools, hadn't they also gone years without making it to Koshien?

Seidou poured an enormous budget into their baseball program every year — if it wasn't a hundred million yen, it was still several tens of millions.

They hadn't made it to Koshien either!

Thinking of this, Mitsuki smirked slightly.

As he looked at the players before him, their various skin tones vivid under the sun, a deep pride swelled in his chest.

Why was he able to surpass Seidou?

The answer was simple: while Seidou, as one of the nation's elite baseball programs, could recruit talented players from all over Japan to strengthen their team —

Saint Dorf went a step further.

They recruited from around the entire world.

Having strong players was crucial, but combined with Mitsuki's carefully crafted baseball tactics, this was the secret behind Saint Dorf's unstoppable rise.

Seidou's performance so far could only be described as unstoppable.

Yet Mitsuki firmly believed — it would be them who ultimately stood victorious.

The stronger Seidou's reputation, the greater their own fame would be when they defeated them.

"Go forth, my carefully selected warriors!"

With that stirring atmosphere, the first-round match at Koshien officially began!

"The match between Seidou High and Saint Dorf is now underway!"

In this game, Seidou would take the offense first.

Top of the first inning.

"First batter, number six, the shortstop — Kuramochi!"

Kuramochi, bat slung over his shoulder, strode confidently into the batter's box.

But the moment he took position and looked out across the field, he almost felt dizzy.

Seidou's players weren't exactly inexperienced.

Even foreign or mixed-race players weren't new to them —

they had Chris as their manager, and Inashiro's Carlos as a rival.

But the scene before him now —

compared to Chris and Carlos, it was on a whole other level!

Across the field, among the nine players, there were three white players, two black players, one with tan skin, and three Asian players.

"Is this some kind of United Nations assembly?"

Especially that ace pitcher — jabbering away in rapid English nonstop.

Dark-skinned, talkative to an extreme.

"Jack!!"

Only when the team manager, Mitsuki, shouted from the dugout did the tall, lanky black pitcher finally shut up.

Jack twirled the ball in his hand, fixing Kuramochi with a mischievous stare.

"Here it comes!!"

As he spoke, Jack took a long stride forward and hurled the ball.

"Whoosh!"

The pitch looked fast and came at a sharp, tricky angle.

Given Jack's towering height, the ball naturally came at a sharp downward angle —

making it even harder to judge.

"Pop!"

The ball whistled past and slammed neatly into the white catcher's mitt.

"Very good!"

The catcher gave a big thumbs up in approval.

Even the home plate umpire straightened up unconsciously, feeling the atmosphere change.

Thanks to these international players, this match instantly felt more elevated —

more grand, more refined.

"This guy's no problem, easy!!"

Jack flashed a dazzling grin full of gleaming white teeth.

Under the sunlight, they sparkled almost blindingly.

In the stands, Seidou's supporters couldn't help but frown as they watched.

They had all assumed today's match would be another straightforward win.

But now, they were starting to realize —

this match might be much tougher than they thought.

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