Winter 1970

Hyuma Hoshi reaches the final of Koshien carrying both his dream and an injured thumb. He pitches through the pain, but Mitsuru Hanagata turns the decisive moment against him with a walk-off home run. The defeat damages more than Hyuma's pride: doubts about his injured hand threaten his chances of being noticed by professional scouts.Hanagata, unwilling to see his rival's future end there, helps create an opportunity for Hyuma to prove himself to the Yomiuri Giants. With his career suddenly resting on a new test, Hyuma must show that the spirit which brought him to Koshien has not been broken by one painful loss.