Some time later, the team returned to the front of the stadium, now dressed in their white jerseys. The excitement was palpable as the opening ceremony grew near.
"Yokohama High School?"
A woman dressed in a blue dress with a white undershirt approached them. She was wearing a white brimmed hat and had a red flower pinned to her dress.
"Yes that's us." The coach replied.
"Please follow me, the ceremony will be beginning soon."
Most of the team recognized the outfit of the woman since they'd watched Nationals on television before. Each of the participating teams would have someone dressed like this at the front of their squad holding up a sign with the schools name inscribed on it.
"Okay you lot, let's go."
Seiji felt his body tingle as everything began to feel real. He'd been on the sideline for plenty of professional games, yet nothing could compare to this moment.
This was the first time that he would lead his own players onto the field at such a prestigious tournament. In that moment he felt a wave of pride for his players, causing his eyes to sting a little.
As everyone began to follow the lady in the blue dress, Chris waved goodbye to his son.
"I'll be watching, good luck!"
Ken smiled and waved back. He was currently full of motivation for the upcoming game.
They filtered into the stadium, bypassing the mass of people who had already begun to line up. Since majority of tickets were sold at the venue, if one didn't arrive early enough they would miss out entirely.
Since Yokohama wasn't a prestigious baseball club, not many of the people recognized them.
The teens curiously looked around as they were being lead towards the meeting point for all of the teams. At a single glance they looked like a bunch of country bumpkins, finally seeing the city after so many years in the countryside.
After a few minutes they finally arrived at their destination.
He saw a massive line of teams in all different colored jerseys. They were lined up 3 wide with a player at the front holding onto a flagpole with the schools flag situated on it.
In front of the flag bearer was a woman dressed exactly the same as their guide.
"We're here. Please line up in 3 rows and designate someone to hold the flag."
The woman spoke up before handing the flagpole to the coach. She then left briefly before returning with a sign which had the words "Yokohama High" written on it.
The team did as they were told, lining up in an orderly fashion.
Coach Hanada had already practiced this marching drill with the team in the previous week. He was not about to let the team embarrass themselves during the opening ceremony on such a glorious day.
The only thing that he hadn't decided on was who would carry the flag.
He carefully pulled out the Yokohama High flag from his bag and began to secure it to the flagpole. Seiji did so silently and intentionally, showing how much respect he had for it.
The flag was red white with the words Yokohama written in bold. While it was a simple design, it encapsulated the drive and work ethic of the team, built by constantly challenging themselves.
Once the flag was secured on the pole, he raised his head and turned his attention to the team. Seeing the faces of his pupils, Seiji felt a wave of pride and gratitude flood his psyche once more.
'I don't even care if we get knocked out in the first round… I'm so proud of these kids.'
However, he didn't let his emotions show too much as he didn't want to jinx anything.
"Who will be the flag bearer? I'll put the decision in your hands." He said with a smile.
In the end, he wanted to let the team decide who would have the honor. Since they were the ones who would walk out, it made sense that they would choose who to lead them.
"I think it's an easy choice." Hiroki said with a grin.
"Do we even need to think about it?" Yuta spoke up from the back.
Makoto crossed his arms and nodded, "I agree. There's no one else that can carry such a responsibility."
In the next moment, he walked forward and gently took the flagpole from the coach. In one motion he turned around and presented it to a tall figure who was standing in the middle.
"Eh?"
Ken blinked a few times as he stared at the flag in the outstretched arms of his captain in disbelief. He turned around and looked at his teammates who were either grinning or nodding in satisfaction.
"But why me?" He uttered in shock.
"Man, just take the damn flag." Shiro sent a short punch to his ribs, causing him to jump in response.
"Haha, Shiro is right. It's only right that our Ace represents us in the opening ceremony."
"You guys…"
Of course Ken felt honored to be considered for such a thing, even if he inwardly felt that he didn't deserve it. He took a step forward and received the flag from Makoto, bowing afterwards.
"Very good." Coach Hanada said, nodding in appreciation.
While he could have just given it to Ken, he wanted the team to choose for themselves.
The team stood around for another 30 minutes until finally it looked as if something was happening. The sound of a band echoed into the tunnel they were in, filling everyone with nerves.
"It's about to begin."
"Don't be nervous and make sure to enjoy yourselves. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for some."
With those wise words, Coach Hanada moved to the side of the tunnel and smiled. He wasn't able to join in on the ceremony so he would have to watch from afar as his team completed their lap of the field.
"Introducing the winners from last year, Sakushin Gakuin."