Chapter 252: Champions! We Are the Champions!
"Strikeout! Game over!!"
"In the West Tokyo finals—this fated clash between Seidou High School and Inashiro Industrial High—after nine fiercely contested innings, the final score is 5–2. Seidou High School emerges victorious!!"
"Though the score difference seems clear, the suspense lasted until the very last inning. After Inashiro's ace, Narumiya Mei, ran out of stamina, Seidou seized the opportunity and scored three runs in a single burst. Seidou's strategic pitcher change helped them avoid the same fate."
"This is not just a win for Seidou—it's a win for their head coach as well. With his brilliant game plan, Coach Kataoka has silenced the rumors questioning his abilities once and for all!"
The commentator gave Seidou full credit.
He praised not just the players, but also took a moment to shine a light on their coach, Kataoka.
To some fans, Kataoka had long been blamed for Seidou's failure to make it to Koshien in recent years.
But for baseball professionals, the view was different.
They knew Seidou's struggles weren't solely Kataoka's fault.
For a while, the team lacked promising pitchers—leading to collapses at critical moments.
But just a few years later, Kataoka had matured as a coach.
And from that point on, Seidou's biggest obstacle wasn't strength—it was simply bad luck.
When it came to pure ability, Seidou had always been strong.
Even with limited recruitment resources, Kataoka trained his players to be extremely competitive.
And now, the results spoke for themselves.
With the right opportunity, Seidou soared to victory.
Sure, much of it was thanks to Furuya's incredible performance.
But Seidou wouldn't have won on Furuya alone—this was a team that had the power to win it all.
The commentator had always admired Coach Kataoka, and now he finally had the chance to say so publicly.
But up in the stands, the fans weren't thinking about coaching strategy.
Compared to behind-the-scenes contributions, they were more drawn to the players on the field.
And today—while many players gave stellar performances—
All eyes were on Furuya.
"Furuya! Furuya!!"
The entire Jingu Stadium echoed with tens of thousands of fans chanting his name.
It felt like they were calling out to a hero.
The energy in the stadium was beyond words.
A young female reporter from Baseball Kingdom magazine stood frozen, the ground trembling beneath her feet. Her face flushed with excitement.
"This is unbelievable..."
Akiko Owada knew Furuya had star potential.
With the way he dominated the game like a demon king, it was only natural he'd gain a following.
But she never imagined he'd be this popular.
He had become the center of everything—
The spotlight, the crowd, the cheers—
All of it belonged to him.
"Even some pro stars don't get this kind of love..."
Fujio adjusted his cap and nodded with conviction.
"Of course!"
Even in the world of pro baseball, not every star player gets this kind of reception.
Only the true, once-in-a-generation superstars—those who leave a lasting impact—are honored like this.
Furuya Satoru.
"Just in this game alone, he broke his personal speed record twice—hitting an incredible 159 km/h. Not only that, he also recorded 17 strikeouts in a single game..."
Fujio's voice grew higher, unable to contain his excitement.
"Either one of those feats on their own would be enough to go down in baseball history. But both? In one game? By one player? And they won the championship on top of that? There's no way this won't turn heads."
"And that's not even the most important part."
Akiko Owada blinked in surprise, her eyes wide.
Not the most important part?
How could anything be more important than that?
With those achievements, both Seidou and Furuya were guaranteed to make national headlines.
She could already picture Furuya's face plastered across tomorrow's newspaper front pages.
"The most important thing is… he's only a first-year."
"That means Furuya still has enormous room to grow. And for fans, getting to witness the rise of a superstar from the very beginning—that's what excites them the most."
Hearing her senior's words, Akiko was fully convinced.
She'd been covering high school baseball for a while now—she was no rookie anymore.
But when it came to experience and insight, she still had a lot to learn.
Her senior was on a completely different level.
"No wonder you're the veteran, Fujio-san. Your perspective is amazing."
And it wasn't just these two reporters.
All around the stadium, both fans and members of the media had come to the same conclusion.
It felt like they were witnessing the rise of a new king.
In the past, if you asked who ruled West Tokyo, the answer was always clear—Inashiro Industrial.
Compared to them, the other two traditional powerhouses were always a step behind in terms of results.
But now—things had clearly changed.
This wasn't some fluke or lucky break.
Seidou didn't win because of a stroke of luck.
They fought their way here, step by step, with pure strength.
Even though the score was tied before the ninth inning, Anyone watching closely could see—
Inashiro had been on the defensive the entire game.
Seidou, on the other hand, had controlled the pace and held the advantage.
That final inning wasn't just chance.
It was a direct reflection of the gap in strength.
Seidou's strategic pitcher swap in the middle innings, preserving Furuya's stamina, was key to their victory.
And that, too, was a sign of their overall depth.
Inashiro could have done the same.
So why didn't they?
Was it because they didn't want to?
No—
It was because they feared what would happen if they did.
They knew that once Narumiya left the mound, their team could collapse.
That fear—at its core—was proof of the difference in strength between them and Seidou.
Back in Seidou's dugout—
Club manager Ota was rubbing his hands together, grinning so wide it looked like his mouth might split to his ears.
"Hehe—we did it! We won! We're champions! We made it to Koshien!!"
As the manager of Seidou High School's baseball club, no one understood the pressure they were under better than Ota.
Seidou, one of the most elite powerhouse schools in the country—
A name known even to people who barely paid attention to baseball.
Their school invested heavily in the baseball program—far more than most could imagine.
But with heavy investment came high expectations.
All the resources, facilities, and special admission quotas the team received weren't handed out for free.
As long as the team asked, the school would do everything in its power to support them—
From the best training environments to preferential recruiting.
In return, the school expected results.
No one demanded a national championship every year—
But failing to reach Koshien year after year?
That was something the school simply couldn't tolerate.
For this reason, Coach Kataoka and the entire Seidou coaching staff had been under tremendous pressure.
If they failed to make it to Koshien this summer…
There was a very real chance Coach Kataoka would be forced to resign.
And the rest of the coaching staff wouldn't be spared either.
But now—finally—they'd made it.
Not only did all their hard work this year pay off,
But the past few years of struggle had finally borne fruit.
Ohta felt a surge of pride and relief wash over him.
He couldn't stop smiling.
And he wasn't alone.
Many players and staff on Seidou's team felt the same.
Even though they had already proven themselves by winning the Kanto Tournament, There were still plenty of skeptics before this final.
Critics had questioned whether Seidou could truly go the distance.
They dismissed the Kanto win, claiming it was all thanks to the surprise emergence of Furuya—
A pitcher no one had prepared for.
Because of that, opposing teams had been caught off guard.
Heading into the summer tournament, many doubters believed things would change.
They thought that with teams now aware of Furuya, Seidou would struggle.
But the results spoke for themselves.
Everything those critics had predicted… didn't happen.
Instead, Seidou stormed through the tournament—
And claimed their place at Koshien.
Furuya stood there, grinning at his teammates,
All of whom were laughing and smiling with pure joy.
Even Furuya himself felt deeply thankful.
Against a powerhouse like Inashiro, There was no way he could have won on his own.
Having such dependable teammates around him—
That was his greatest fortune.
Back when he chose to join Seidou, There were many reasons behind that decision.
But truthfully, at the time, he hadn't been sure if it was the right choice.
Now, though—
Furuya knew without a doubt—he'd made the right call.
At Seidou, The training, the atmosphere, the coaching, the encouragement—
Everything felt perfect.
Back in middle school, Furuya had played baseball too—
And he'd gotten along well with his teammates back then.
So naturally, he assumed joining Seidou's team would feel the same.
But once he truly became part of Seidou…
He realized how wrong he'd been.
Even though both groups were made up of dream-chasing players, The intensity with which they pursued those dreams—was completely different.
And that difference changed everything—
The team's atmosphere, the pace of individual growth, the hunger for victory.
To put it bluntly—
If his old team had had the same kind of energy Seidou did…
Who knows?
Maybe they could've gone all the way to Nationals.
Maybe they wouldn't have ended their journey with so many regrets.
As Furuya quietly reflected on this and felt lucky for where he was now—
Several of the third-years walked over and suddenly lifted him up.
The sudden enthusiasm caught him off guard.
"Senpai…"
Just as he was about to say something,
His seniors had already tossed him into the air.
"I'll call it out—one, two!!"
The upperclassman with the mustache led the charge, beaming with excitement.
The others joined in without hesitation.
"One, two!!"
With that chant, they threw Furuya—their first-year ace—up toward the sky.
"We're champions!!!"
At that moment, the atmosphere inside Jingu Stadium hit its peak.
In the stands, Seidou's diehard fans were cheering wildly, dancing with joy.
They didn't know exactly why the third-years had chosen to toss Furuya like that,
But they didn't need a reason.
They could feel it.
The energy, the emotion—it was infectious.
Even if they were only bystanders, they were proud to celebrate in their own way.
As for the third-years—
Saying something cheesy or emotional to thank their younger teammate?
Yeah, that wasn't their style.
The boys on Seidou's team simply couldn't do that.
But through this simple, spirited act,
They showed just how much Furuya meant to them.
And Furuya—he felt nothing but gratitude.
He was so glad he chose Seidou.
So proud to be part of this team.
And the feeling was mutual.
The upperclassmen felt the same.
Even though it wasn't the first time Seidou's second- and third-years had felt grateful for their teammates—
This time, the feeling was stronger than ever.
They were beyond thankful that this "monster rookie" had chosen Seidou over any other school.
Because of that choice… they had a chance to reach for the stars.
From this moment on, Seidou's baseball team would begin a brand-new chapter in its legacy.
"One, two!"
Under the blazing summer sun,
A young boy was launched high into the air by the seniors who believed in him.
And that image—
Became the front-page headline of every sports paper the next day.
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