"Congratulations to this year's winner of the World Tournament duel,
Tien!" The announcer at Hurcule's arena cried as the crowds screamed wildly
for the retaining champion. "We'll see you again next year, drive home
safely. Thank you." Everyone began to file out.
"Tien, yo, Tien!" A voice called. Tien turned. He was walking down the hall to the locker room when he heard a familiar voice calling him.
"Oh, hey Yamcha." Tien smiled to see his best friend rushing over.
"Great match out there, you really had me on the edge of my seat." Yamcha laughed.
"That's right, that's right." Puar, Yamcha's little blue cat, perked in.
"Thanks Puar." Tien smiled at the nodding kitty.
"Next year you won't be so lucky." Yamcha rivaled friendly. "If I wasn't eligible this year, I will be next year. Just you wait."
"Yea, just next the right trial date year remember." Tien poked.
"Don't try your luck." Yamcha tried not to blush. Yamcha had gotten dates mixed up so he went to try out too early and missed Tien's qualifying rounds.
"Hey guys." Another voice trailed down the hall. Tien and Yamcha turned.
"Hi Goku." They said in unison. Goku walked down the hall, his seven- year old son Gohan waving.
"Tien, Yamcha." Gohan ran down the hall. "Hi Puar."
"Hi Gohan." Puar glided over.
"I have to say Tien, it looks like you haven't changed a bit." Goku smiled, reminiscing of the time he had come so close to victory in a World Tournament main event duel, but Tien won by a split second landing.
"Hey daddy, maybe you should enter next year." Gohan suggested.
"Well, I dunno son." Goku shrugged, the saiyan wanted to take time off from fighting, they had just gotten over a scuffle with Cooler a few years ago and Goku wanted a long, and needed, vacation. "Maybe in a few years you can."
"Really, yay!" Gohan began to jump up and down.
"Hey guys, there's a baseball game in town today. Do you have anything planned tomorrow?" Goku asked, he was a huge sports fanatic.
"Please come with us!" Gohan pleaded, taking after his dad in the sports shenanigan.
"Sure, we'd love to." Tien smiled.
"I remember when I was in little league." Yamcha recalled, Gohan always reminded him of himself when he was that age. He was a huge baseball fan, but one day he was taken to a martial arts tournament and it change him. From that day on, Yamcha dedicated himself to the arts and yearned to be a World Champion at Hurcule's Tournament duels.
"Take that as a yes." Puar laughed.
"Great, we'll go over to Capsule Corp. at 10." Goku said.
"Got it." The three nodded together.
"By." Gohan waved as he and his dad walked away.
"I'd better go change Yamcha, I'll see you at CC tomorrow." Tien turned.
"Ok, see you then." Yamcha nodded and he and Puar left the arena.
The next day...
"Are you guys ready?" Goku asked when he and Gohan arrived at CC.
"Let's go." Tien and Yamcha raised their fists. Yamcha drove them to the arena.
"Looks like it's a minors game." Yamcha noted. The minors aren't the big leagues, but it's the next step through the line of baseball. Then went inside the stadium and Yamcha looked down at the field as the players mounted their position on the diamond.
"There's the home team pitcher, the game is gonna begin!" Puar cheered. The fans all sat down, awaiting the first pitch of the game. Gohan stood on the edge of his seat, too short to sit down and be able to see over all of the heads in the way. The wind up, everyone held their breath. The pitch and.... it falls crooked half way to the batter. The crowd is confused.
"Hey, what happened?" Gohan's voice squeaks at the top of his little lungs.
"What a rip." Another fan jeers.
"The pitcher sucks." Somebody behind Yamcha shouted.
"Hey, don't be so hard on him." Yamcha grows angry and tightens his fist. "No Yamcha, he does suck." Puar admitted.
"But they don't have to yell that at the guy. He's probably nervous out there as it is, he doesn't need thousands of fans tearing at his guts." Yamcha growled.
"You have to admit though, you are a lot better." Tien replied.
"So, what if I am?" Yamcha shrugged, calmed by the compliment.
"What if you join the team?" Puar suggests.
"Guys, they aren't just gonna hire some no-talent off the street." Yamcha laughed.
"You're hired." The team manager said after the game when the group came to his office.
"I, I am?" Yamcha stuttered, shocked that he just heard those two words.
"You heard the man, you're in the minors now." Tien patted Yamcha's back.
"Uh... uh.... uh." Yamcha stuttered in shock.
"You want him to be pitcher?" The coach asked.
"He's a right hander and we only have a left hander." The manager explained.
"So, how good is he?" The coach still didn't believe him.
"Why don't we go see?" The manager replied. The two men took Yamcha and the others out the cage. "Ok son, let's see your pitch." The coach tossed Yamcha a ball.
"Ok, here it goes." Yamcha took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, wound up and pitched a fast ball right down the center.
"Whoa, he's good." The coach's jaw dropped. "Welcome to the team."
"Thanks." Yamcha shook their hands, still in shock.
"Coach, whose this guy?" The left handed pitcher walks over with the team.
"Our new pitcher, a right hander." The manager said. "His name is Yamcha."
"I look foward to working with you." Yamcha smiled.
"Hi." The left handed pitcher could only grimace. He sighed, knowing why Yamcha was here, he was here to replace him. His days as the pitcher for the minors team were over.
"Tien, yo, Tien!" A voice called. Tien turned. He was walking down the hall to the locker room when he heard a familiar voice calling him.
"Oh, hey Yamcha." Tien smiled to see his best friend rushing over.
"Great match out there, you really had me on the edge of my seat." Yamcha laughed.
"That's right, that's right." Puar, Yamcha's little blue cat, perked in.
"Thanks Puar." Tien smiled at the nodding kitty.
"Next year you won't be so lucky." Yamcha rivaled friendly. "If I wasn't eligible this year, I will be next year. Just you wait."
"Yea, just next the right trial date year remember." Tien poked.
"Don't try your luck." Yamcha tried not to blush. Yamcha had gotten dates mixed up so he went to try out too early and missed Tien's qualifying rounds.
"Hey guys." Another voice trailed down the hall. Tien and Yamcha turned.
"Hi Goku." They said in unison. Goku walked down the hall, his seven- year old son Gohan waving.
"Tien, Yamcha." Gohan ran down the hall. "Hi Puar."
"Hi Gohan." Puar glided over.
"I have to say Tien, it looks like you haven't changed a bit." Goku smiled, reminiscing of the time he had come so close to victory in a World Tournament main event duel, but Tien won by a split second landing.
"Hey daddy, maybe you should enter next year." Gohan suggested.
"Well, I dunno son." Goku shrugged, the saiyan wanted to take time off from fighting, they had just gotten over a scuffle with Cooler a few years ago and Goku wanted a long, and needed, vacation. "Maybe in a few years you can."
"Really, yay!" Gohan began to jump up and down.
"Hey guys, there's a baseball game in town today. Do you have anything planned tomorrow?" Goku asked, he was a huge sports fanatic.
"Please come with us!" Gohan pleaded, taking after his dad in the sports shenanigan.
"Sure, we'd love to." Tien smiled.
"I remember when I was in little league." Yamcha recalled, Gohan always reminded him of himself when he was that age. He was a huge baseball fan, but one day he was taken to a martial arts tournament and it change him. From that day on, Yamcha dedicated himself to the arts and yearned to be a World Champion at Hurcule's Tournament duels.
"Take that as a yes." Puar laughed.
"Great, we'll go over to Capsule Corp. at 10." Goku said.
"Got it." The three nodded together.
"By." Gohan waved as he and his dad walked away.
"I'd better go change Yamcha, I'll see you at CC tomorrow." Tien turned.
"Ok, see you then." Yamcha nodded and he and Puar left the arena.
The next day...
"Are you guys ready?" Goku asked when he and Gohan arrived at CC.
"Let's go." Tien and Yamcha raised their fists. Yamcha drove them to the arena.
"Looks like it's a minors game." Yamcha noted. The minors aren't the big leagues, but it's the next step through the line of baseball. Then went inside the stadium and Yamcha looked down at the field as the players mounted their position on the diamond.
"There's the home team pitcher, the game is gonna begin!" Puar cheered. The fans all sat down, awaiting the first pitch of the game. Gohan stood on the edge of his seat, too short to sit down and be able to see over all of the heads in the way. The wind up, everyone held their breath. The pitch and.... it falls crooked half way to the batter. The crowd is confused.
"Hey, what happened?" Gohan's voice squeaks at the top of his little lungs.
"What a rip." Another fan jeers.
"The pitcher sucks." Somebody behind Yamcha shouted.
"Hey, don't be so hard on him." Yamcha grows angry and tightens his fist. "No Yamcha, he does suck." Puar admitted.
"But they don't have to yell that at the guy. He's probably nervous out there as it is, he doesn't need thousands of fans tearing at his guts." Yamcha growled.
"You have to admit though, you are a lot better." Tien replied.
"So, what if I am?" Yamcha shrugged, calmed by the compliment.
"What if you join the team?" Puar suggests.
"Guys, they aren't just gonna hire some no-talent off the street." Yamcha laughed.
"You're hired." The team manager said after the game when the group came to his office.
"I, I am?" Yamcha stuttered, shocked that he just heard those two words.
"You heard the man, you're in the minors now." Tien patted Yamcha's back.
"Uh... uh.... uh." Yamcha stuttered in shock.
"You want him to be pitcher?" The coach asked.
"He's a right hander and we only have a left hander." The manager explained.
"So, how good is he?" The coach still didn't believe him.
"Why don't we go see?" The manager replied. The two men took Yamcha and the others out the cage. "Ok son, let's see your pitch." The coach tossed Yamcha a ball.
"Ok, here it goes." Yamcha took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, wound up and pitched a fast ball right down the center.
"Whoa, he's good." The coach's jaw dropped. "Welcome to the team."
"Thanks." Yamcha shook their hands, still in shock.
"Coach, whose this guy?" The left handed pitcher walks over with the team.
"Our new pitcher, a right hander." The manager said. "His name is Yamcha."
"I look foward to working with you." Yamcha smiled.
"Hi." The left handed pitcher could only grimace. He sighed, knowing why Yamcha was here, he was here to replace him. His days as the pitcher for the minors team were over.