The fifth batter stepped up to the plate.

He was not the strongest hitter.

If they were to select the top three hitters from the baseball team, no one would vote for him.

"Strike one!"

That bastard Kunimi had pushed him down from the top four hitters in his second year.

"Ball one!"

He had been scouted from another county himself!

Leaving his hometown, and he hadn't even made it to Koshien! How could he face his old classmates!

"Strike two!"

That guy Yamamoto thought he was the only one who stayed back at the baseball field to swing the bat after the team dispersed!

But he always hid in the dorm, continuing to swing until the lights went out!

Every single time!

"Ball two!"

There is a limit to pitching practice, but no limit to hitting!

As long as he practiced, he could get stronger!

"Don't underestimate me!"

The fifth batter swung.

"Crack!" The sound of the bat hitting the ball.

"Run—!" Dropping the bat, the fifth batter roared as he dashed toward first base.

Yamamoto on first base was sprinting towards second base;

Kunii Shuichi on second base was dashing toward third base;

He hadn't expected to end up running with the two people he disliked the most.

"Ah—" It wasn't just them, Sansong's fielders also rushed toward the ball that was hit.

To win, for Koshien!

"Sansong's outfielder caught the ball! Where to throw? Second base! A clear choice! The outfield is closest to second base!"

"Can Goda Yamamoto make it to second base in time?!"

"If he's out, Goda's summer is over!"

"Run, Yamamoto!"

Even at this moment, Yamamoto still had an expressionless face, lifting his hands, his legs, with only second base in his eyes, like a robot.

"The second baseman have left the base to catch the ball thrown back from the outfield!"

"Caught it!"

"Who will reach second base first! Sansong?! Goda?!"

Sansong's second baseman and Goda's third batter Yamamoto, both diving towards the base, face to face.

"Ah—!!!" Sansong's second baseman dove too early, scrambling to extend his hand toward the second-base bag.

"Fingers! They've reached!"

The audience held their breath, some people couldn't help but stand up, intently staring at the screen.

The hands of the two players touched almost simultaneously.

"Who? Who touched it first!"

"The umpire is unsure, they're going for a replay!"

Everyone's hearts pounded as they watched the slow-motion review on the electronic display.

"It's Goda—!!!" The commentator roared.

"There's still a chance! Still a chance!" The female commentator spoke frantically.

"Players on first, second, and third!"

"Who's the sixth batter for Goda?!"

"Uchida is still out of the game, who will substitute for him? The middle relief pitcher, or that monster closer?"

Everyone waited.

The camera focused on Goda's coaches' bench.

On the electronic display, they saw the handsome young man who had been sitting with his arms folded, slowly rise.

The female manager handed him the bat.

"It's the monster closer..."

"Ah—" Before the commentator could finish, a tsunami of cheers erupted from the stands, drowning his voice.

"Dubian, it's Dubian!" The Goda girls hugged each other in excitement.

"We've won! We've definitely won!"

"Yes, we can definitely win!"

Ayane Kumi wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, picked up the megaphone, and told everyone in the Wind Instrument Club:

"Everyone, prepare the school anthem!"

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Xiaoquan Aonai looked worried at the front.

Everyone believed that Dubian Che could win, but what if he lost... would they put all the blame on him?

Why did he have to bear such pressure when his pitching had saved Goda?

Dubian Che, holding the bat, went to first base before heading to the batter's box.

"You've worked hard," he said.

"You said it, as long as I can get on base, I'll lead Goda to victory," the fifth batter looked at Dubian Che.

"It might sound arrogant if I say it, but there's no way I could lose if I want to win."

Dubian Che turned and walked towards the batter's box.

"Dubian Che, taking the mound as a relief pitcher, ended Sansong's offensive with a perfect strikeout!"

"Now, standing on the field again, can he bring victory to Goda?!"

"Just a hit, and Goda will score a run to continue the game!"

"But with a home run, Goda could end the game outright!"

"Can he do it? Will it work? Is it possible?"

"Dubian! Meet everyone's expectations! Bring the miracle! Let Sansong, all of East Tokyo, know your invincibility!"

The Sansong pitcher stood on the Pitcher Mound, facing him, the relief pitcher named Dubian exuding an immense sense of pressure.

He set aside the impassioned commentary and took in everything around him.

The sea-like azure sky, the pitcher's rubber beneath his feet, the air so hot it twisted, the youth so powerful he seemed invincible.

But he loved baseball more than anyone else, craved victory more than anyone else!

How reluctant he was, how he wished to keep playing with everyone, how he wanted to go to Koshien!

The more desperate the situation, the more Sansong refused to give up.

The pitcher's gaze hardened.

Dubian Che, looking at his opponent, also set everything aside.

Next, the swing he would take bore all of Goda's hopes, they had to return smiling today.

The baseball team too, could not stop here.

Lastly, the deep desire within him to make everyone acknowledge his greatness.

It no longer mattered how hard Sansong tried.

The pitcher lifted his leg, swung his arm, and threw the ball!

"Tick! 153km/h!"

"This pitch broke his personal recor..."

"Bang—"

The metallic clang of the bat hitting the ball.

The ball that had broken personal records vanished into the blue sky even faster.

It flew and flew, passing the infield, the outfield, and then out of the stands.

"Bang!"

Everyone watched the ball, the one that dented the electronic screen.

The screen flickered, stubbornly showing the score:

Sansong: 8

Goda: 9

"Ah—" A roar like a tsunami, the whole stadium seemed to unleash a tidal wave.

Fans frantically waved everything they could in their hands.

Dubian Che looked towards the VIP seats, blowing a kiss that way.

"It's for me, right?" Kiyono Youko covered her chest and said.

The other three looked at her.

"Ah—" Kunii Shuichi, Yamamoto, Maki, Hirata, Aihara... the baseball team extended their arms out and rushed towards Dubian Che.

Kobayashi Yuuzuki could only feel anxious, unable to squeeze in.

"Home run! A walk-off home run!"

"Dubian! A swing that sends the ball out of the park!"

"He's turned the game around!"

"Goda, dominates the twenty districts of East Tokyo! The dominator of the twenty districts of East Tokyo, is Goda!"

The high-spirited, advancing, striving, and nostalgically remembered Goda school anthem played in Shengong Stadium.

The entire Goda baseball team stood in the middle of the field, arms hooked with one another, chests puffed out, singing the school anthem with a vigor as if to send out all the voice in their bodies.

"Shibuya Hills, the school building where crows glide past, our Alma Mater..."

The teachers and students of Goda joined in the singing, tears brimming in every eye.

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