Chapter Summaries

Narumiya Mei led Inajitsu into the Tokyo Spring Tournament final against Seido, while Furuya started for Seido. Narumiya dominated Seido’s first inning, and Furuya struggled with his control as Miyuki tried to calm him down.

• Narumiya stayed up reviewing footage with Hayakawa and vowed to beat Seido and make Kōshū pitch.
• Inajitsu started Narumiya and Seido started Furuya in the April 27 final.
• Narumiya struck out Seido’s first three batters, prompting Kataoka to urge the team to treat the game like a summer qualifier.
• Miyuki explained to Furuya that steady results earned Kōshū the manager’s trust and urged Furuya to prove himself.
• Furuya walked a batter and fell behind Shirakawa before Miyuki called time and advised him to pitch at eighty percent effort.

Seido and Inajitsu traded runs as Furuya struggled with his emotions but stayed in the game and struck out Narumiya Mei. After hearing others call him a wasted ace, Furuya wondered why he was still Seido’s substitute.

• Miyuki turned a failed sacrifice bunt into a double play, though Carlos scored Inajitsu’s first run.
• Furuya settled down and struck out Inajitsu’s cleanup hitter with Kōshū warming in the bullpen.
• Narumiya Mei held Seido scoreless through four innings with fastballs and Changeups.
• Inajitsu’s cleanup hitter hit Furuya’s misplaced high fastball over the wall to score another run.
• Miyuki encouraged Furuya to trust his strengths, and Furuya finished the inning without collapsing.
• Furuya reflected on how people’s praise of his pitching had come to feel like mockery and wondered why he was not Seido’s ace.

Furuya declared that he wanted to become Seido’s ace and asked Kōshū to teach him, while Kōshū agreed and encouraged the rivalry. Seido’s offense stalled after Furuya’s hit, but Miyuki’s pitching grew sharper in the fifth inning as Inashiro’s batters struggled.

• Furuya told Kōshū that he wanted to be the ace and asked him to teach him how to earn the position.
• Kōshū agreed to teach Furuya, seeing their competition as a reason to improve himself.
• Furuya hit Narumiya Mei’s pitch for Seido’s first hit, but Narumiya struck out the next batters to end the inning.
• Hayakawa urged Narumiya to stay focused, and Narumiya settled down and went with him to the bullpen.
• Miyuki increased his use of breaking balls and struck out Inashiro’s batters as his condition improved in the fifth inning.
• Hayakawa teased Narumiya about the coach watching, and the coach’s actual stare silenced the Inashiro dugout.

In the bottom of the sixth, Miyuki steadied Furuya as Inashiro threatened, and Furuya retired Shirakawa and the next batter despite Carlos stealing second. With Yamaoka coming up, Miyuki called on Furuya to keep the momentum going.

• Carlos hit a single in the bottom of the sixth and took a large lead off first, unsettling Furuya.
• Miyuki called time and told Furuya to focus on the batter instead of worrying about giving up another run.
• Miyuki reminded Furuya that he was not yet the ace and urged him to pitch properly, while Kataoka signaled that Kōshū would not replace him.
• Miyuki encouraged Furuya by saying he was the only remaining pitcher who could handle Inashiro’s cleanup hitter, and Furuya regained his focus.
• Furuya’s powerful pitches forced Shirakawa’s bunt foul and then retired him, while Carlos stole second.
• Furuya quickly retired Inashiro’s third batter, and Yamaoka came up as Miyuki set his mitt on the inside corner.

Furuya finished six strong innings before Kataoka replaced him with Sawamura, while Seido struggled to score against Narumiya Mei and Inashiro. As Sawamura took the mound, his upbeat approach transformed the defense, prompting Furuya to wonder what an ace needed to provide his team.

• Furuya completed six innings, and Kataoka told him to rest and named Sawamura the next pitcher.
• Kuramochi grew frustrated as Inashiro’s pitching and defense shut down Seido’s batters, including Shirazu and Haruichi.
• Miyuki hit a single, but Narumiya struck out Tōjō and Seido left another runner on base.
• Seido brought Sawamura into the game, and he urged the defense to trust him and field the ball.
• Furuya noticed how Sawamura’s energy lifted the team and wondered whether inspiring the defense was part of being an ace.

With Seido trailing in the bottom of the seventh, Sawamura helped end Inashiro’s rally, and Kōshū entered as a pinch hitter in the eighth. Narumiya’s anger at facing Kōshū wrecked his control, and Kōshū took a walk, leaving Seido with a runner on base.

• Kuramochi fielded the ball for an out, and Sawamura struck out the ninth batter to end the seventh inning with Seido still trailing.
• Kuramochi and Lang Zhi dragged Sawamura off the mound after he celebrated the three outs.
• Kataoka substituted Kōshū for the sixth batter, and the crowd’s excitement lifted Seido’s spirits.
• Kōshū faced Narumiya Mei and stood close to the inside corner, provoking Narumiya into throwing three consecutive balls.
• Narumiya walked Kōshū, who went to first base hoping to encourage the batters behind him.

Narumiya Mei regained his composure and kept Seido from scoring in the eighth inning, while Kōshū watched him from second base. Seido fell behind, and Eijun took the mound for the next inning as the coaches planned to prepare the lineup for Narumiya and develop more relievers.

• Hayakawa urged Narumiya Mei to ignore Kōshū at first base, and Narumiya refocused on pitching.
• Kōshū stole second, and Lang Zhi's bunt advanced him to third while Seido's batter was put out.
• Eijun's difficult bunt nearly brought Kōshū home, but Narumiya and Yamaoka got the out at first, ending Seido's scoring chance.
• Kōshū encouraged Eijun to pitch well in the next inning, and Eijun confidently promised to strike out the top of Inajitsu's lineup.
• Seido's coaches had allowed Eijun to pitch so the regulars could face Narumiya's pitching and the team could develop more relievers.

Seido held Inashiro scoreless in the bottom of the eighth as Eijun struck out Yamaoka, then lost the Spring Tournament final after Haruichi was put out. Kōshū reflected on the upcoming Kanto Tournament and the work he needed to do for an exchange program.

• Eijun recovered his form in the bottom of the eighth and retired Shirakawa and another batter before facing Yamaoka with two outs and a runner on first.
• Miyuki called for Eijun’s Number 2 Ball, and Eijun struck out Yamaoka to end Inashiro’s inning with the score 3–0.
• Miyuki and Eijun’s big brother praised Eijun, while Kawakami worried that the younger pitchers had taken his place in the later rounds.
• Haruichi’s out ended the game, and Seido finished the Spring Tournament with a 3–0 win over Inashiro.
• Kōshū exchanged friendly challenges with Narumiya Mei and discussed meeting again at the Kanto Tournament.
• Kōshū planned to prepare exchange-program materials, study English, and catch up on schoolwork and baseball assignments.

Kōshū tried an English conversation lesson with a free-spirited foreign teacher and grew less afraid of talking to people. After the lesson, Eijun and Furuya demanded that he train them to become aces, and Kōshū took them to the Equipment Room for muscle training.

• Shen Qing arranged a trial English lesson, and Kōshū talked with the foreign teacher about baseball, the Major League, and his unpredictable life.
• Kōshū realized that communication mattered more than perfect language and felt less afraid of speaking with people.
• Lang Zhi revealed that he had listened to the lesson from nearby, admitted he understood only the word “baseball,” and stormed out when Kōshū teased him.
• Eijun and Furuya pushed Kōshū out of the room and each insisted that he teach them how to become an ace.
• Kōshū led Eijun and Furuya to the Equipment Room and started them on muscle training.

Kōshū discussed his goals, training, and reputation with Yuan Jing during an interview for his documentary, then showed him Seido’s facilities. Afterward, Kōshū heard that a first-year planned to move out and decided to ask Yui about it.

• Kōshū told Yuan Jing he aimed to qualify for nationals, win the Spring-Summer Consecutive Championship, and eventually enter professional baseball near Tokyo.
• Kōshū said he planned to improve his eating and physical training so he could pitch longer when the team needed him.
• Kōshū showed Yuan Jing Seido’s facilities, including the Analysis Room and its High-Speed Camera.
• Kōshū and Takashima Rei saw Yuan Jing off, and Kōshū described the documentary as motivation and a record of his progress.
• Shimizu Osamu asked Kōshū about the documentary, then returned to pitching.
• Eijun told Kōshū that a first-year planned to move out, and Kōshū decided to ask Yui about it later.

Kōshū used a training guide to put Eijun and Furuya through exhausting pitcher workouts, then joined them himself. At lunch, Lang Zhi clashed with Kuramochi over his six-month goals, and Kōshū knocked Miyuki down before announcing that the pitchers would face an out-of-prefecture team that afternoon.

• Kōshū tested explosive-power, strength, core, and endurance exercises on Eijun and Furuya, then joined their workout.
• Miyuki teased Lang Zhi about his six-month plan, prompting Kuramochi to scold him for aiming at a senior's position.
• Kōshū struck Miyuki in the stomach, leaving him sprawled beside the exhausted pitchers.
• Kōshū told Eijun and Furuya to eat and rest before their game against an out-of-prefecture team, which he planned to use to simulate the later stages of a game.

Seto and Okumura discussed the upperclassmen’s training and the fierce competition for positions before Seido hosted Sendai Commercial High School. Kōshū used the game to experiment with pitching through reduced stamina, and Seido’s defense ended the first inning with a groundout.

• Seto asked Okumura whether they should watch the upperclassmen train, but Okumura said they needed to focus on their own assignments.
• Seto learned that Senior Sasaki had switched from shortstop to third base to make Seido’s First String and wondered whether Okumura might ever change positions.
• Sendai Commercial High School arrived for its scheduled game against Seido, and Kōshū told Senior Miyuki that he wanted to test a late-game pitching pattern and resume his in-game rest methods.
• Kōshū pitched below full strength and let Sendai’s batters hit the ball while Miyuki adjusted the Pitching Strategy to his condition.
• Lang Zhi fielded a grounder and threw to first for the third out, prompting Seido’s players to wonder whether Kōshū was experimenting with inducing weak contact.

Kōshū worked through his urge to overpower the opposing team as Seido faced a sacrifice bunt in the fourth inning. In Hokkaido, Hongo studied footage of Kōshū’s changing Slider and prepared to raise his own pitching level before the Summer Koshien.

• Kōshū gave up a single in the top of the fourth, and the opposing dugout celebrated their first hit against him.
• Kōshū followed Miyuki’s inside pitch call while struggling to control his competitive instincts and focus on improving through the practice game.
• The visiting manager signaled for a sacrifice bunt with a runner on first and no outs, and the batter tapped the ball toward first base.
• Hongo watched Seido game footage in Great Troll Wisteria’s Video Room and told Renji that Kōshū’s Slider had developed greater horizontal break and a later break.
• Hongo showed Renji his detailed notes on Kōshū and said he would not ask about the Slider in his next letter.
• Hongo headed to the Bullpen, determined to improve his velocity and spin rate before Kōshū’s stamina caught up.

Kōshū and the other pitchers reviewed their performances after the game, while Eijun’s yoga antics turned into a chance for Kōshū to teach Furuya a grappling move. The first-years watched the close-knit group in the cafeteria and considered how to get to know the upperclassmen.

• Eijun showed off his flexibility in the Equipment Room, and Kōshū pinned him with a Cross Armbreaker while explaining the move to Furuya.
• Kōshū recalled Eijun interrupting the visiting ace after the game and claiming that Kōshū had been in poor condition.
• Kōshū advised Furuya to pitch with less force and praised Eijun, while telling him to keep practicing Numbers.
• Kōshū judged his own performance as a passing effort, then tested Eijun’s flexibility again with Furuya watching.
• Kōshū, Eijun, Furuya, Kanemaru, and Tōjō ate together as first-years discussed how to get closer to the upperclassmen.

Kōshū submitted his exchange-program materials and found himself looking forward to studying abroad as his ideas about friendship softened. On Seido’s day off, he and four others went to a bookstore to browse shoujo manga, leaving Lang Zhi and Haruichi awkwardly guarding their group.

• Kōshū submitted his American exchange-program materials after correcting the mistakes Lang Zhi and the others had made.
• Kōshū chatted with the foreign coach about China and realized he was less anxious about studying abroad and more eager to meet people from different worlds.
• Eijun invited Kōshū to go running on Sunday, but Kōshū declined and said he was going out to stock up on manga.
• Kōshū tried to leave alone, but Eijun and the first-years joined him, and the group of five went to a bookstore to browse shoujo manga.
• Lang Zhi and Haruichi felt embarrassed in the manga section and used Furuya to shield them while Kōshū and Eijun searched and discussed books.

At the bathhouse, Lang Zhi reflected on his uncertain future in baseball and the effort he had avoided making. After Haruichi interrupted his thoughts, Lang Zhi wondered whether he should try to go pro, then struggled to write a line during his late-night rehabilitation.

• Kōshū complained that his muscle-building progress was slow, and Eijun teased him about his lack of visible results.
• Lang Zhi discussed his dropped-ball error with Haruichi, while Haruichi praised Furuya’s performance and Eijun offered to scrub Furuya’s back.
• Lang Zhi thought about Haruichi’s need to find his own path after his brother graduated and considered how Kōshū’s choices had influenced him.
• Lang Zhi recalled trying to practice spoken English before deciding that he did not want to make an enormous effort for an uncertain hope.
• Haruichi called Lang Zhi to soak in the bath, and Lang Zhi wondered whether he should try going pro.
• At one in the morning, Lang Zhi repeatedly wrote and deleted the same line during rehabilitation.

The plane landed, and the people aboard landed with it as dark clouds gathered overhead.

• The plane landed.
• The people landed.
• Dark clouds gathered overhead.