Chapter Summaries

Seido’s first-years faced Teito High, and Furuya struggled badly with control while Kōshū watched from the dugout. Mukai Taiyo recognized Kōshū as a pitcher he had followed and resolved to make Kōshū recognize him on the field.

• Miyuki told Kōshū to guide the inexperienced first-year pitchers and asked him to help them prepare for Teito, though Kōshū decided there was too little time for homework.
• Kōshū reassured Eijun and Furuya that they could play by instinct and trust Miyuki’s signals, while the first-years remained optimistic about the afternoon game.
• Furuya gave up six runs in fewer than three innings, mostly through walks, as Teito’s batters waited for him to lose control.
• Mukai watched Kōshū from Teito’s dugout, recognized him as a notable middle-school pitcher, and decided he would make Kōshū notice him on the field.
• Furuya called time and asked Miyuki for help, so Miyuki told him to throw down the middle and follow his signals while practicing a new grip.

Miyuki’s advice helped Furuya relax and regain his pitching form, and Kataoka planned for Sawamura to take over in the sixth inning. Furuya was moved to left field, where Tanba stepped in to help him prepare for the change.

• Miyuki’s advice helped Furuya relax, and he struck out a batter with a powerful fastball before trying a Forkball that dropped sharply for another strike.
• Furuya returned to the dugout, where Sawamura urged him to stay relaxed, while Haruichi and Kōshū watched the two pitchers bicker about who would pitch next.
• Isashiki hit a double that sent Kuramochi home, and Captain Yuuki brought in another run.
• Furuya settled into a relaxed rhythm and struck out batters in the fourth and fifth innings.
• Kataoka told Furuya to replace Tanba in left field and announced that Sawamura would pitch next.
• Kōshū stayed back as Tanba recognized the moment and offered Furuya his glove and advice on defending left field.

Seido widened its lead over Teito when Furuya hit a double, then Sawamura took the mound and used a new pitching form to disrupt Teito’s batters. The chapter leaves Teito’s manager anticipating the competition West Tokyo’s promising players will bring before Koshien.

• Miyuki drew a walk in the bottom of the fifth after Masuko hit a double.
• Furuya hit a double against Teito, adding to the runs he had driven in with a home run.
• Sawamura began pitching in the top of the sixth, and Miyuki told him to try their newly studied form after Teito’s fifth batter hit the first pitch.
• Sawamura’s high leg lift and delayed release point disrupted Teito’s sixth batter, and he quickly recorded three outs with grounders.
• Kōshū told Haruichi that he admired Eijun’s passion and ambition.
• Teito’s Manager watched Seido’s dugout and looked forward to West Tokyo’s teams exhausting themselves before meeting Teito at Koshien.

Eijun pitched Seido through a difficult game against Teito, giving up two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth before finishing the final half-inning. Haruichi realized Kōshū’s teasing hid genuine affection and envy for Eijun, who remained unaware of his complicated feelings.

• Eijun finished a scoreless sixth inning, while Haruichi and Kōshū warned him that Teito would adjust to his pitching.
• Kōshū’s comments made Kawakami wonder what kind of upperclassman he was in Kōshū’s eyes.
• Eijun pitched a scoreless seventh inning, then struck out in three swings when his turn to bat came.
• Teito began hitting Eijun in the eighth, and he gave up two runs before getting three outs.
• Eijun found his earlier form in the ninth and allowed only one run against Teito’s top lineup.
• Haruichi noticed Kōshū smiling as he watched Eijun and realized Kōshū envied and genuinely liked him.

After Seido’s games, Kōshū reflected on his childhood, received unexpected warmth from his seniors, and joined them for video games in the dorm. He and Lang Zhi planned a family meal and teased each other about Lang Zhi’s height diary.

• Kōshū relaxed in the bath and remembered warm moments with his biological father.
• Eijun fell into the bath, and the seniors called on him and Furuya to help while showing concern for Kōshū’s first complete game.
• Kōshū joined Kuramochi and the others for video games and beat every opponent.
• Kōshū and Lang Zhi arranged to take leave on Monday afternoon and have a family meal.
• Miyuki revealed that Lang Zhi tracked his height in a diary, and Kōshū teased him about it.

During Seido’s morning game against Inashiro, Kōshū’s challenge reminded Eijun that he had not given up on becoming the ace. After Seido lost, Narumiya Mei visited and pressed Kōshū for details about the afternoon game, just as a familiar voice interrupted them.

• Kōshū served as third-base coach and kept Eijun quiet by threatening to teach Furuya pitching instead.
• When Eijun asked why Kōshū would not relieve an exhausted Kawakami, Kōshū challenged him to consider whether he had given up on becoming the ace.
• Eijun reaffirmed that he would pursue the ace position for himself and the friends whose hopes he carried.
• Seido lost the morning game, and Kōshū met Narumiya Mei outside the dugout afterward.
• Narumiya questioned Kōshū about Furuya and the afternoon pitching plans, but Kōshū avoided giving him an answer.
• A familiar voice interrupted Narumiya as he continued pestering Seido’s first-years.

Kōshū watched Narumiya Mei dominate Shuubei before Seido played its own game against them. After Seido’s win, Kōshū was struck by a pitch but avoided injury, and Shuubei’s pitcher asked to stay in touch to discuss pitching.

• Kōshū tricked Eijun and Furuya into avoiding Narumiya by inventing a story about his dangerous bad luck.
• Narumiya pitched six scoreless innings against Shuubei, impressing Kōshū with his changeup.
• Kōshū encouraged Eijun and Furuya to practice changeups suited to their pitching styles.
• Captain Yuuki identified Inashiro as Seido’s biggest rival after watching Narumiya pitch.
• Seido played Shuubei with its main lineup, and Kōshū was hit by the first pitch he faced but blocked it with his protective gear.
• Seido and Inashiro each scored in double digits against Shuubei, and Shuubei’s pitcher asked Kōshū to keep in touch about pitching.

Kōshū gathered Miyuki and several pitchers for nighttime changeup practice, hoping to build more reliable relief options for the team. The practice exposed Furuya’s need to vary his pace, while Kōshū experimented with a new grip and the seniors joined as batting partners.

• Isashiki Senior warned Kōshū not to let Inashiro Industrial trick information out of him, and Kōshū teased Miyuki until the other seniors laughed.
• Kōshū told Miyuki that Seidō needed more dependable relief pitchers and asked him to catch for nighttime changeup practice; Miyuki agreed to tell the coach about Kōshū’s thoughts.
• At the Indoor Practice Field, Kanemaru ordered Sawamura and Furuya to practice changeups, while Miyuki advised Furuya to vary his pace instead of chasing maximum velocity.
• Kōshū tried a crab-like grip, threw a changeup that grazed Haruichi, and asked to repeat it so he could lock in the feeling.
• Sawamura wished Chris Senior would catch for him, and a group of seniors arrived to help the younger players practice.

Kōshū and Lang Zhi visited their family before returning to Seido, where the team focused on adjusting during a break from official games. Kōshū revised his training plan and helped monitor the first-year pitchers, while the chapter ended with the narrator deciding they could return home despite quarantine requirements.

• Ota and Yuuki returned from the preliminaries draw with a favorable result, likely avoiding Inashiro until the finals.
• Kōshū and Lang Zhi spent the afternoon with their family, then stayed up late talking with Shen Qing about family news and life at Seido.
• Kōshū resumed training at Seido and prioritized physical conditioning after realizing fatigue had nearly cost him a game against Osaka Kiryu.
• Kōshū corrected Sawamura Eijun's pitching form and observed Furuya's relaxed, effective practice while Chris recorded their pitches.
• The narrator realized they could return home, accepting that they would need to quarantine after the trip.

As final exams and the Summer Koshien Preliminaries approached, Kōshū helped Eijun prepare for his tests and asked Kataoka Manager to consider buying a high-speed camera. Kataoka promised to consult Coach Ninomiya, assigned Kōshū the Number 7 Jersey, and learned that Kōshū's ball speed had reached 145 km/h.

• Kōshū and Kanemaru divided up Eijun's weak subjects and tutored him so he could pass his exams and keep training.
• Kōshū met with Kataoka Manager and proposed using a high-speed camera to improve pitching and batting mechanics.
• Kataoka agreed to ask Coach Ninomiya about the camera but made no purchase promise, and told Kōshū he would wear the Number 7 Jersey in the Summer Koshien Preliminaries.
• Kōshū gave Kataoka his monthly test results, which showed his weight had risen to 82 kilograms and his ball speed had reached 145 km/h.

Kōshū reported his progress to Kataoka and discussed Sawamura’s pitching potential with Chris, who asked him to help guide Sawamura after the third-years retired. Kōshū then helped Furuya with bullpen practice and returned to working on his own pitches.

• Kōshū told Kataoka he planned to focus on conditioning before the Summer Koshien Preliminaries, and Kataoka told him to prioritize recovery and follow the team’s training arrangements.
• Kōshū and Chris discussed Sawamura’s unusual pitching form and natural breaking pitches, and Chris asked Kōshū to help Miyuki develop Sawamura’s potential.
• Kōshū said he hoped to grow alongside Sawamura rather than act as his sole guide.
• Chris sent the exhausted Furuya to the bullpen with Kōshū to practice pitching after his run.
• Kōshū practiced his Slider while Miyuki urged him to master his new Changeup.

Kōshū received his first Summer Koshien jersey number and suggested a new way to attach the numbers to the uniforms. At the opening ceremony, he traded taunts with Narumiya Mei, and the tournament began with their rivalry in full swing.

• Kōshū received jersey number 7 and proposed to Takashima Rei that the team attach numbers with hook-and-loop fasteners instead of having the managers sew them on.
• The Seido team attended the opening ceremony at Jingu Stadium, where Furuya slumped against Kōshū in the heat and Sawamura urged him to stand.
• Kōshū told Narumiya Mei he would still pitch despite receiving an odd-numbered jersey, then teased Narumiya about their pitching speed.
• Narumiya Mei threatened to strike out twenty Seido players, and Kōshū called back that he would get twenty-one.
• Kuramochi warned Kōshū that Narumiya might hit him with a beanball, while Miyuki was teased as Kōshū's senior.

Seido won its first summer tournament game against Toritsu High School Mimonsai by mercy rule, then faced Murata East with Furuya pitching. After Kataoka noticed Kōshū losing focus in left field, he pulled him from the game and put Sawamura on the mound.

• Chris briefed Seido on Mimonsai, and Kataoka named Tanba the starting pitcher and Kōshū the left fielder.
• Mimonsai's unusual low delivery initially stymied Seido, but the team adapted and pulled ahead before winning by the five-inning mercy rule.
• Kōshū urged Sawamura to study Mimonsai's pitcher, while Sawamura encouraged the defeated team to keep aiming for Koshien.
• Seido's win drew attention from scouts and reporters, and Kōshū exchanged messages with Shen Qing about the game and Seido's chances.
• Against Murata East, Furuya pitched while Kōshū played left field, but Kataoka spotted Kōshū losing focus and replaced him with Furuya, sending Sawamura to the mound.

Eijun made his official-game debut as a pitcher, recovered from an early hit by pitch, and struck out three batters using the control drills Kōshū had taught him. Seido won easily and learned that Meikawa, their next opponent, depended heavily on pitcher Yang Shunchen.

• Eijun hit the first batter with a pitch, then settled down and struck out the next three after recalling Kōshū's accuracy training.
• Kōshū told Eijun that future chances would likely be brief and urged him to make every pitch count.
• Yuki Captain hit a home run in the fifth as Seido won the second game by eleven runs in five innings.
• Chris explained Yang Shunchen's pinpoint control and pitching repertoire to the Seido players before they watched Meikawa's game.
• Kōshū recognized Meikawa's reliance on Yang and doubted that the pitcher could carry the team through the tournament.

Seido prepared to face Meikawa Academy, while Miyuki searched for Furuya and found him asleep from the heat. In the third game, Yang Shunchen’s precise pitching helped Meikawa retire Seido’s first two batters, leaving Kōshū’s teammates wary of his own control.

• Yuki studied Meikawa’s pitcher with teammates as the players practiced bunts and steals, while Eijun worked on inside pitches with Chris and Tanba continued training his control.
• Miyuki and Kōshū found Furuya asleep in the Indoor Training Field, and Miyuki sent him to rest because he seemed unwell from the heat.
• Seido arrived to play Meikawa Academy, whose pitcher was Yang Shunchen, a fellow Chinese player; Seido lost the coin toss and batted first.
• Kuramochi tried to bunt, but Yang and Meikawa’s defense quickly got him out.
• Kominato fouled off eight pitches before Yang used precise corner pitches to make him strike out, and Kominato warned Isashiki about pitches that looked like strikes.
• Kōshū’s teammates recalled his explanation of control-based pitching tactics and began to worry about facing his precision themselves.

Seido’s batters struggled against Yang Shunchen’s pitching, while Kōshū struck out Meikawa’s first two batters and helped end the first inning without a score. Kōshū fought through a long at-bat in the second but grounded out, leaving the game scoreless as the chapter ended with an author’s note about a stressful work presentation.

• Isashiki reached first with two outs, but Yuki’s fly ball was caught by Meikawa’s left fielder.
• Sawamura told Kōshū that Yang led his team because his teammates were the reason he played baseball.
• Kōshū struck out Meikawa’s first two batters, and their third batter grounded out to end the inning.
• Masuko popped up against Yang, and Miyuki quickly made an out before Kōshū came to bat.
• Kōshū fouled off several pitches before grounding Yang’s curveball toward the mound and being thrown out at first.

Kōshū held Mingkawa scoreless with precise pitching as Yang Shunchen reached base, while Seido’s hitters set up a scoring chance in the fourth. Miyuki stepped into the batter’s box believing he could read Yang’s pitches.

• Kōshū struck out Mingkawa’s cleanup hitter, then Yang Shunchen singled and stole second before Kōshū ended the inning with another strikeout.
• Ichidai Third watched Kōshū and discussed how Seido’s first-year pitcher could replace Tanba in their upcoming quarterfinal.
• In the top of the fourth, Isashiki singled, Yuki drew a walk, and Masuko’s sacrifice bunt advanced both runners.
• Mingkawa shifted its infield in as Miyuki entered the batter’s box and prepared to guess Yang Shunchen’s pitching strategy.

Miyuki and Kōshū led Seido’s late-inning rally to defeat Meikawa and secure a quarterfinal spot. Afterward, Kōshū reconnected with Yang Shunchen, while Seido prepared to watch Ichidai Third and Kōshū reflected on the rivalries surrounding him.

• Miyuki drove in the runners from second and third with a hit that sent him to third base.
• Kōshū hit the first pitch and extended Seido’s rally as the team overwhelmed Meikawa.
• After the game, Yang Shunchen recognized Kōshū, exchanged contact information with him, and promised to watch Seido’s next game.
• Seido stayed to watch Ichidai Third, and Miyuki explained that Tanba had once been Manaka’s backup and wanted to face him as a pitcher.
• Kōshū read Hayakawa’s message about Inashiro’s upcoming game against Nozawa’s team and grew uneasy as he remembered them.

Seido watched Yakushi overturn Ichidai Third in a high-scoring game after Manaka was injured by a line drive. The loss left Seido questioning whether Manaka would be ready for their upcoming match, while their coach reminded the rookies that strength set the limit of how far a team could go.

• Yakushi’s first-year cleanup hitter Todoroki sparked a four-run inning, and Yakushi and Ichidai Third traded runs in a tense slugfest.
• Kōshū and the Seido players studied both teams, while Kōshū worried about Tanba’s readiness to face difficult opponents.
• Manaka returned to pitch in the seventh, but a line drive from Yakushi’s cleanup hitter struck his left shoulder and forced him from the game.
• Yakushi scored four runs over the final two innings and defeated Ichidai Third.
• Kōshū urged Eijun to prepare for every possibility, and Seido’s coach said strength determined how far a team could go.

Kōshū refined his Slider while Seidō prepared to face Yakushi, and Chris’s scouting showed that Sanada might not pitch a complete game. The chapter ended with Kataoka naming Tanba as the starter and assigning Kōshū to left field, while keeping the other pitchers ready.

• Kōshū retreated to his dorm after his teammates questioned why he was skipping his nap, then fell asleep after receiving messages about Inashiro’s victory.
• The Sasaki family read about Ichidai Third High losing after its pitcher was struck by a line drive, and Shen Qing called Teacher Takashima despite her husband’s objections.
• Kōshū practiced his Slider with Miyuki and Lang Zhi, stabilizing the pitch after finding the right finger-flicking motion.
• Lang Zhi continued catching for Kōshū while privately feeling discouraged that he had not played in practice games like his brother and other teammates.
• Chris presented his scouting report on Yakushi, identifying Sanada as a likely ace and Mishima, Todoroki, and Akiha as the main batting threats.
• Kataoka named Tanba as the starter against Yakushi, assigned Kōshū to left field, and ordered the remaining pitchers to stay ready.