Doesn't this make you feel a little more confident?
This is the team that you held down to six runs.
I don't need that kind of half-assed confidence.
Just you wait.
Next time it'll be dree...
Dree?
I'll hold them down to dree runs!
How many runs is that?
Let's go back.
There's no point in watching any more of this.
They're a real blessing to have as the first opponent.
Yeah.
What's wrong, Akaishi?
Oh, nothing.
That couldn't have been him.
That was close.
Mitsuru Adachi
（Serialized in Shogakukan's 「Weekly Shonen Sunday」）
Created by
Toshihiro Nakazawa
Nobumasa Sawabe
Planning
Masato Hayashi
Rei Anami (TV TOKYO)
Shin'ichirou Tsuzuki
Planning Assistance
Toshisato Okuno Shin Omura Takenori Ichihara
Masato Hayashi
Supervisors
Original Planning Assistance
Michihiro Tsuchiya
Series Composition
Yuji Kondo
Main Character Design
Maho Takahashi
Tomoyuki Matsumoto
Koichi Imano
Art Design
Subcharacter Design
Prop Design
Kayoko Ono
Miki Tsubouchi
Hiromi Komine
Yutaka Kuramoto
Art Director
Color Design
Photography Director
Editing
Nobuhide Tanaka Toshiyuki Kuroiwa
Kotaro Nakagawa
Takeshi Takadera
HALF H・P STUDIO
Music Producer
Music
Sound Director
Sound Production
「Summer Rain」
Lyrics／Composition: Kentaro Kobuchi
Arrangement: Kobukuro
Kobukuro
（Warner Music Japan）
Opening Theme
Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment
TV-TOKYO Music
Warner Music Japan
Music Assistance
Ryosuke Sakurai
Animation Producer
Animation Production
Shunji Aoki Naohiko Furuchi
Producers
Osamu Sekita
Director
Shogakukan Shueisha Production
Production Studio
SUBTITLED BY ANBU
Let's go, Prefab, let's go!
But the training ground is so empty...
Looks like we're not very well-liked ever since that scrimmage.
I guess there won't be any need for me to hold back
if he wants to go that far to ignore us.
"Coach Daimon Dominates Game Two with Brilliant Leadership."
"Azuma Hits Three Home Runs, and has 12 RBIs in Two Games. "
I don't see the Prefab squad anywhere.
Now that you mention it...
They probably don't see a point in practicing anymore.
Yeah.
Who'd want to keep playing after being made fools of like that?
Ball four!
That's the fourth time they've walked him.
I didn't tell him to move back!
Out!
Game over!
Thanks for today!
Thank you, guys.
Do you know where the Prefab squad is?
I haven't seen them around since summer break started.
I'm going to get going if you don't know.
Isn't it obvious?
They're on a secret training mission.
They've isolated themselves in a far away place ...
training their butts off day and night as if their lives depended on it.
You're going to be in for a surprise.
They're going to be a totally different team when you see them next.
I'm looking forward to it.
A secret training mission my butt.
Good evening!
Oh hey, Aoba!
Coming back from practice?
It must be tough.
Wasn't it really hot out today, too?
Oh, it's not too much to handle.
Oh, Ko isn't home.
Oh, I wasn't asking.
Did he go on a trip somewhere?
Oh no, he's on a secret training mission.
He said he's off in some place, training his butt off day and night as if his life depended on it.
Hey Mom,
Ko apparently forgot to take the bag with all his spare clothes inside.
He just called and asked us to bring it to him tomorrow.
Oh my.
That kid needs to stop messing around, especially when we're so busy with everything!
Where are they?
Oh. Hey, Aoba!
Come on in.
So where are they again?
Huh?
Their secret training mission, that is.
This place sure looks deserted.
Excuse me!
I heard there was an elementary school that got closed down around here.
Don't tell me you're thinking about heading over there?
Yes.
I'm not going to say anything bad, but you should quit while you're ahead.
But I...
They're on a secret training mission at a place like this?
Where's Ko?
Tsukishima's bringing over the stuff he forgot back at home,
so he went to go pick her up from the bus stop.
He went to pick up Aoba?
All right, break time's over!
Come on, get your butts up!
What about Senda?
Huh?
Why did you have to come with me?
Does it matter?
I just needed a little breather for Christ's sake.
That old man's been pushing us like he's a totally different person.
My body's shaking all over from pain, man!
It finally feels like we're playing high school baseball.
I'm not liking this relaxed attitude of yours.
Summers are better when you're busy.
That way you won't be distracted with useless thoughts.
But she sure is taking her time.
She should have arrived on that last bus.
"Daikon"?
It's pronounced "Ōne".
"On'nen"?!
It's "Ōne"!
Just get off there and ask where the small school that closed down is, and you should be able to find it.
Again, it's "Ōne" not "On'nen"!
How many times do I have to tell you, you dummy!
Jesus.
A bus stop named after a creepy word which means "grudge" in Japanese couldn't possibly...
...be two stations before this one.
I don't like the look of those clouds, Kitamura.
An elementary school that got closed down?
Don't tell me you're thinking about heading over there?
There's one here, too?
I'm not going to say anything bad,
but you should quit while you're ahead.
Whatever you say, ma'am!
Senda!
This is quite peculiar indeed.
A girl went off there by herself just now.
Please tell me where it is!
I'm telling you, you should really quit while you're ahead!
They come out quite frequently around there!
Who are "they"?
The haunted spirits of the young sisters who drowned in the river near the school there!
We'll give up, ma'am!
Senda!
Let's let this one go, Kitamura.
I'm sure even Tsukishima would have pulled back from going near that creepy place.
That's not enough to make her pull back.
Not enough for Aoba, at least.
I'm not liking that confidence of yours.
Let's go.
The sky's creeping me out!
Doesn't look like she's here.
No duh!
No idiot would ever think that anyone could hold summer training in a place like this!
You're right about that.
Don't touch it!
Looks like it's only sprinkling now.
Let's look around a bit before heading back.
I told you she's pulled back already.
I said "a bit".
W-Wait, Kitamura!
Don't leave me by myself!
Is that the haunted river she was talking about?
Enough with your boring jokes.
Come on. Stop, Kitamura!
I think they'd want to meet them, even as ghosts.
I'm talking about their families, friends, and the people they grew up with.
That shoe looks pretty new.
Yeah.
Size six and a half...
It's the same size as Aoba's.
Does it look okay?
Good night.
It's a common size for girls, isn't it?
Yeah, it wouldn't be rare...
if there wasn't a little baseball sign drawn in with a marker inside.
What are you doing?
K-Kitamura! Where did you go?
Don't leave me by myself here!
Where did you go, Kitamura?
Aoba!
Some fine camera work, wouldn't you say?
My grandson gave this video camera to me.
Why were you taking videos of me without permission?
You didn't even care to ask!
Oh, I didn't mean to.
I just couldn't help myself when I saw how worked up you were.
You just had to go make a fuss and embarrass yourself, huh?
Oh, come on!
I came back home to find her taking shelter from the rain here.
I tripped and fell behind the school and lost a shoe.
Then it started raining cats and dogs all of a sudden...
Oh yeah,
you told me to get off at the wrong bus stop!
That was my dumbass dad, not me!
Now, now. All's well that ends well, right?
That area really is dangerous, you know.
But I'm still surprised to see that ghost stories
don't seem to have much of an effect on younguns these days.
I have someone I want to see even if she's a ghost now.
What were you guys doing over there?
I'm pretty sure that there's nothing there.
It was just a little accident.
Some old lady helped us after it started raining.
Some old lady?
Yeah, she was real nice about it, too.
That can't be right.
Huh?
There haven't been any "old ladies" around there
since the old lady over at the Ozaki's passed away last summer.
Aren't you as energetic as always today .
I'm not going to let younguns beat me yet!
Here's the starting lineup for tomorrow.
First batter: second baseman, Ishiguro.
Second batter: right fielder, Onoda.
Third batter: shortstop, Kishibe.
Fourth batter: first baseman, Azuma.
Fifth batter: third baseman, Kubo.
Sixth batter: catcher, Takizawa.
Seventh batter: left fielder, Ogura.
Eighth batter: center fielder, Tanabe.
Ninth batter: pitcher, Kamikawa.
That is all.
Are you injured or something?
I'm in the best shape of my life, unfortunately.
That means he's taking you out because of your fine play in the ninth inning.
Probably.
You ignored Coach's orders and changed your defensive position, didn't you?
Who wouldn't have, after seeing how he batted in his previous at-bats?
The two of us were probably the only ones who thought that way.
But you made everyone realize that Coach made a mistake
when you caught up to the ball.
You're hurt again?
It's my policy to take full swings against every pitch, you know.
But that almighty coach of ours has been pleading me to avoid little injuries like this;
Apparently I'm too important to be taken out of the starting lineup, unlike somebody I know.
I guess that means he'll be gone next year.
I heard they found a promising third baseman at an elementary school in Gunma somewhere.
He wasn't even planning on reaching the Koshien this year.
That old man...
We'll probably reach the quarterfinals this year,
and then the semis in the next.
It apparently rakes in more money for famous coaches
if they reach the goal step by step instead of winning it all in one shot.
I really couldn't care less about how many sunset years he has ahead of him,
but we only have three years.
Yeah, exactly.
Morning.
Good morning.
It's awfully quiet out.
Are they all still sleeping?
Yeah, it looks like it.
But they should be up again any time now.
"Again"?
Get up! Break time's over!
All right!
Let's go, Prefab, let's go!
That coach is really planning on taking the fight to the first-string team.
Thank you for having me over.
Oh, are you going back already?
Yes.
I was only here to bring some luggage over anyway.
Then why don't I have Kitamura see you off.
Oh no, it's okay.
Actually, I don't see him around anywhere.
He always goes on a run by himself while everyone else is taking a break.
Are you sure he's not just hiding and slacking around somewhere?
All the other guys wouldn't be trying so hard if the top pitcher was a slob like that.
Let's go, Prefab, let's go!
They've all become a fan after just one send-off game.
Of Ko Kitamura, that is.
That coach is really planning on taking the fight to the first-string team.
Let's go, Prefab!
Did you say something?
Oh, nothing.
Let's go, Prefab, let's go!
Let's go, Prefab!
Nothing important.
Oh?
You play baseball, too?
My little brother's on Seishu Academy's baseball team, too.
Who is this guy?
He's from the grocery store.
Next time, on Cross Game Episode Fourteen:
His score?