Hexball Round 7: Tokei Hex Beats Hokuto for Sixth Straight Win; Fukagawa Pelicans Edge Owari

The Hexball League played Round 7 across the city on the 17th. In a top-of-the-table clash at the Bayside Arena, league-leading Tokei Hex beat Hokuto 6–2 (2 edges). As previously reported, Hokuto had entered the round winless at 0-4 after sitting out the last round, and remained on the back foot throughout the 17th to fall to 0-5. Tokei Hex's ace, Ritsu Kishiura, 24, a third-generation Drifter of fox lineage, factored into three edges and said, "I knew Hokuto's defense was solid, so I just focused on stacking up edges without rushing it." Tokei Hex held sole possession of first place at 6-1, extending its winning streak to six.

At the Fukagawa Gymnasium, second-place contenders Fukagawa Pelicans and Owari met, with the Pelicans edging out a 5–4 (1-edge) win. The score stayed within two edges deep into the match before Fukagawa grabbed the go-ahead edge in the closing stretch. Owari — unrelated to its previously reported unbeaten home record in Wall Racing at Horikawa Wall, a different sport entirely — suffered its first back-to-back hexball losses of the season, falling to 3-3. Fukagawa Pelicans improved to 4-1-1, cementing its hold on second place.

Naniwa Six had no match scheduled this round and remains at 1-2-1 heading into the next one. Pairings for Round 8 are expected to be announced next week. According to the league office, the 12-club round robin is only about 60% complete so far this season, with the top-table clashes after the new year expected to form the season's high point.

After the match, Kishiura downplayed his role in his three edges: "I was going for the first one, but the other two I just rode the momentum my teammates built. It wasn't a one-man effort." Tokei Hex's manager commented, "Hokuto's defense is solid, but today we had the edge in bench depth." Whether Hokuto can stop its skid will be the focus going forward.

Fukagawa Pelicans' captain looked back on the decisive late edge: "Honestly, there was some luck in it. But I'd like to think it was the kind of luck you earn by not giving up." Owari's manager said, "It's a different sport from Wall Racing's unbeaten record at Horikawa Wall, but we have to take this season's first back-to-back loss seriously," vowing to regroup.

As entries for the Shinobi Trial closed, the Patrol Guild said it would publish a list of competitors shortly.

The Patrol Guild announced on the 17th that entries for November's Shinobi Trial "Night-Long Cup" had closed. The previously reported first-ever entry request from a Britannian competitor, reported on the 7th, will not go forward this year, as the guild could not finish drafting screening rules in time. Guild chair Soichiro Koka, 64, reiterated, "I want to have rules in place to welcome overseas competitors by next year's Short-Night Cup." As previously reported, Iori Kiryu, 29, will compete seeking a third straight title.

As previously reported on the 16th, the Tokei Sword Bearers' Association travels to the Himuro School's home dojo in Hokuto on the 18th for Round 3 of the Autumn Five Bouts — a rematch against the side it beat 3–2 in the opener. Unbeaten through two rounds, Tokei's Gen Minase, 22, will seek a third straight win.