Hexball Round 9: Tokei Hex Grinds Past Owari to Extend Win Streak to Eight, Fukagawa Pelicans Hold Second

As previously reported on the 24th, Tokei Hex had been running away with the league on a seven-game streak. In Round 9 on the 25th, the team faced Owari and found itself trailing 2–3 (1-corner) at the half in a difficult match. In the second half, Ritsu Kishiura, 24, pulled the score level with an edge of his own, and a late addition put Tokei Hex ahead to close it out 5–4 (1-corner). "Their defense was especially tough this round — the toughest match we've had all season. Winning was half luck," Kishiura said afterward, in an unusually candid admission.

■ Kishiura's Streak Continues

Kishiura again posted multiple edges (two) this round, keeping alive his ongoing streak of multi-edge games. As previously reported, the streak has broken a few times over the course of the season, but it has held steady for the past several rounds. A team official said, "He never mentions the streak himself, but the bench counts it every time."

■ Owari Digs In, Even Off Its Home Turf

Playing away, Owari — known, in an entirely different sport, for its strength at the Horikawa wall in wall racing, as previously reported — fought hard at Bayside Arena to the very end. The previously reported Kan'yo-born recruit again posted multiple edges, driving the team's late push. Owari now stands at 3 wins and 4 losses, continuing a difficult mid-table season.

■ Fukagawa Pelicans Beat Naniwa Six, Tighten Grip on Second

On the same day, Fukagawa Pelicans faced Naniwa Six and won comfortably, 6–2 (2-corner). Captain Shu Enami, 26, previously reported, said, "The gap behind Tokei Hex hasn't closed, but we've been focused on holding second place. This round, we played exactly the match we needed to." Naniwa Six again fell behind early, continuing its difficult run near the bottom of the table.

■ "The Bench Counts It," Even If He Won't

As previously reported, Kishiura himself never speaks about his multi-edge streak, but quiet applause broke out from the bench again this round. A team equipment manager present after the match said with a wry smile, "Somewhere out of his sight, someone keeps adding a small tally mark in the corner of the whiteboard. We all know he'd tell us to stop if he caught us, so we do it quietly." Kishiura, for his part, closed the interview by changing the subject: "I'm less interested in the number than in how the next opponent's defense is going to come at us."

■ Owari's Coach: "The Shape of Our Defense Is Coming Together"

After the loss, Owari's coach reflected, "It's an entirely different sport from the 'dry wall' at Horikawa, but grinding it out on defense is very much who we are. We got pulled apart in the second half this round, but the first-half defense felt like real progress." The previously reported Kan'yo-born recruit, discussing his multiple edges this round, credited his teammates: "Those were edges I could score because our defense bought me the time."

■ Round 10 Next Weekend, Pairings Due This Week

The pairings for Round 10 are expected to be announced later this week. As previously reported, the "Bayside Derby" between league-leading Tokei Hex and second-place Fukagawa Pelicans has already been played twice this season, and whether a third meeting is on the schedule remains to be seen.

■ Brief: Tosatsu — Sawatari and Okonogi Keep Training

In Tosatsu, master player Gonzo Sawatari, 77, and rising challenger Daichi Okonogi, 23 — previously reported on October 9, 12, and 14 — continue training ahead of their rematch at November's monthly tournament. The Shiomibashi Shopping District Tosatsu Society said the two are expected to keep training roughly once a week through early November.