"And the Diamond Cutters win the minors pennant, this is the teams
first time to even make it to this position ever!" The announcer at the
baseball game was yelling. "Believe me people, we are watching history in
the making. Could this all be the work of the new pitcher?"
"Yamcha, Yamcha!" The crowd shouted, some even held up signs.
"Yea, go get em!" Tien and Goku cheered.
"Yay!" Puar waved a little team flag.
"Beat those punks." Gohan yelled.
"Gohan, now watch your language." Goku reminded.
"Sorry dad." Gohan sat down shamefully. The team had been on a roll ever since they signed Yamcha. They were winning more games than they ever had before. The team even broke an undefeated record that lasted over 27 games. Now they won their first pennant and were off to the A-Series which is the World Series for the minor leagues.
"Hey Yamcha, way to strike those last guys out." Tien said after the game as the group went into the team locker room to congratulate them.
"Last guys, ha, it was the whole lineup!" Goku pointed out and they all laughed. In the corner, the left-handed pitcher sighed saddly, he hadn't even pitched since Yamcha's signing and his batting was worse than a baby in little league.
"Way to go, you got us to our first championship game." The team all began to crowd around Yamcha. "You really came through for us rookie." "Let's make history guys!"
"We should go, it's getting crowded." Puar said.
"Ok, see you later." Yamcha waved over the mass of people jumping on him. Yamcha laughs as everyone gets bottles of water and throws them on him, but as he scans the room with his eyes he can't help but see the pitcher in the corner, sad and alone. Yamcha frowns to himself.
The next day....
"Hey, has anyone seen Yamcha?" Tien asked.
"He might be at practice." Goku replied. But he wasn't. Yamcha had gone to Hurcule's arena. He may be in baseball now, but he still has his dream of being champion. Yamcha trains and practices whenever he can, whenever there isn't a game. As Yamcha practices for the third time that week, preparations are being made for the tournament which is in two months. A construction worker is repairing one of the faulty pillars that mark the outside of the ring when...
"Hey, look out!" He cries as the pillar beings to crack.
"Fire in the hole!" Another yells and the other workers know that it means to get out of the way, fast and now. The only one who doesn't hear and move is Yamcha.
"Ah!" Yamcha gasps and looks up. He tries to jump out of the way and nearly makes it, but the pillar pulls him down. As the dust settles, the workers run over.
"Quick guys, get around the side, we need to get him up." The one worker says and they all lift it off Yamcha. "Hey, are you ok stranger?"
"Oh man, I think so." Yamcha groaned and try to get up. "Ah!" Yamcha screamed and fell down. The others crouched down to help him up. "Ow, my leg!" They look at his left leg, the pillar had grabbed it and fell on it as it collapsed.
"We should get the arena doctor." Another worker said and they all ran off.
"Well it looks like your leg is broken in two my boy." The competition doctor says as he examines Yamcha's leg. "You'll be out of action for about six weeks."
"Hmm, I'll be healed by the time of the tournament. Wait, I can't! I have the championship game tomorrow night!" Yamcha cries.
"I'm sorry." The doctor replies. "For now you'll have to wear this soft cast. You must not play in the game tomorrow, do you promise me?"
"Ok." Yamcha lies successfully.
"Good." The doctor nods and walks away. Yamcha smiles to himself but then grows worried, how will he play if his leg is hurt? That night he gets a lot of aspirin and takes as much as he can in order to block out the pain long enough for him to play. The next day, Yamcha runs into the arena doctor at the baseball stadium.
"The big game is tonight." He says, looking out at the empty stands, the doors not opened.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Yamcha sighs, hoping he will be.
"Yamcha?" A small voice cuts into the conversation. Yamcha's heart skips a beat and he turns to see Gohan. From the corner of his eye, Yamcha can see the doctor has left.
"What is it Gohan?" Yamcha asks.
"Why were you talking to that doctor?" Gohan turns up his nose.
"Oh." Yamcha sighs with relief. "Because, uh, because I got this cough see and I didn't want to get the team sick with a sore throat." Yamcha gets a sly look on his face and pretends to groan. "But I do still feel really contagious." He begins to force out fake, hard coughs on Gohan.
"Ah!" Gohan screams and runs off, Yamcha shakes his head.
"Oh man, too easy." He laughs. The game soon starts. Yamcha tells the coach that he can't bat tonight so he has a pitch hitter stand in for him. But Yamcha assures that he can still pitch. The game goes underway and Yamcha strikes out everyone up to the seventh inning stretch.
"The opponents nearly scored, we have to tighten our defense." The coach said as they got ready for the home stretch. In the eighth inning, the team got two home runs with another person on base. Yamcha started to loose confidence and didn't realize the pain pills were wearing off. He went for the pitch and the batter got four balls. He pitched to another and got a two base run. He pitched to another and that's when the medicine wore off. "Ah!" Yamcha let go of the ball too soon as his the pain shot from his leg and through his body. The ball hit the batter in the elbow. The injury got him a walk, bases loaded.
"Come on Yamcha." Tien whispered.
"The pressure may be getting to be too much for him." Puar gulped.
"Go Yamcha!" Gohan yelled, Goku just watched.
"I can do this." Yamcha says to himself. Nobody, not even the team, knew about his broken leg. The soft cast was easily hidden and not noticeable under the baseball pants. Another man came onto the plate and Yamcha struggled to pitch a curve ball but the batter hit it out of the park. Yamcha felt his heart sink as the team got four points. They were the ones losing now, the score was 7-6. Yamcha was able to strike out one more person and ended the eighth.
"What's wrong out there?" The coach asked.
"It's nothing, I'll be fine." Yamcha assured them that he would win it. They went up to bat next and were able to score a point, tying the game at 7. But the other team was up and it was judgement day for Yamcha. He picked up the baseball but cringed, he couldn't bend down. "I know what I have to do now." Yamcha sighed and held up his hands in a T shape.
"Time!" The coach called and ran out to Yamcha, hands on hips. "What is it?"
"Take me out coach." Yamcha turned to him. "Take me out, put in lefty." Yamcha said. "Trust me." He added before the coach could counter the request. The coach looked at Yamcha and could tell he was serious. He nodded.
"Alright Yamcha, you're out. Get in here lefty." The coach replaced him. Yamcha smiled but everyone in the stands were in angry shock.
"Yamcha, Yamcha!" The crowd shouted, some even held up signs.
"Yea, go get em!" Tien and Goku cheered.
"Yay!" Puar waved a little team flag.
"Beat those punks." Gohan yelled.
"Gohan, now watch your language." Goku reminded.
"Sorry dad." Gohan sat down shamefully. The team had been on a roll ever since they signed Yamcha. They were winning more games than they ever had before. The team even broke an undefeated record that lasted over 27 games. Now they won their first pennant and were off to the A-Series which is the World Series for the minor leagues.
"Hey Yamcha, way to strike those last guys out." Tien said after the game as the group went into the team locker room to congratulate them.
"Last guys, ha, it was the whole lineup!" Goku pointed out and they all laughed. In the corner, the left-handed pitcher sighed saddly, he hadn't even pitched since Yamcha's signing and his batting was worse than a baby in little league.
"Way to go, you got us to our first championship game." The team all began to crowd around Yamcha. "You really came through for us rookie." "Let's make history guys!"
"We should go, it's getting crowded." Puar said.
"Ok, see you later." Yamcha waved over the mass of people jumping on him. Yamcha laughs as everyone gets bottles of water and throws them on him, but as he scans the room with his eyes he can't help but see the pitcher in the corner, sad and alone. Yamcha frowns to himself.
The next day....
"Hey, has anyone seen Yamcha?" Tien asked.
"He might be at practice." Goku replied. But he wasn't. Yamcha had gone to Hurcule's arena. He may be in baseball now, but he still has his dream of being champion. Yamcha trains and practices whenever he can, whenever there isn't a game. As Yamcha practices for the third time that week, preparations are being made for the tournament which is in two months. A construction worker is repairing one of the faulty pillars that mark the outside of the ring when...
"Hey, look out!" He cries as the pillar beings to crack.
"Fire in the hole!" Another yells and the other workers know that it means to get out of the way, fast and now. The only one who doesn't hear and move is Yamcha.
"Ah!" Yamcha gasps and looks up. He tries to jump out of the way and nearly makes it, but the pillar pulls him down. As the dust settles, the workers run over.
"Quick guys, get around the side, we need to get him up." The one worker says and they all lift it off Yamcha. "Hey, are you ok stranger?"
"Oh man, I think so." Yamcha groaned and try to get up. "Ah!" Yamcha screamed and fell down. The others crouched down to help him up. "Ow, my leg!" They look at his left leg, the pillar had grabbed it and fell on it as it collapsed.
"We should get the arena doctor." Another worker said and they all ran off.
"Well it looks like your leg is broken in two my boy." The competition doctor says as he examines Yamcha's leg. "You'll be out of action for about six weeks."
"Hmm, I'll be healed by the time of the tournament. Wait, I can't! I have the championship game tomorrow night!" Yamcha cries.
"I'm sorry." The doctor replies. "For now you'll have to wear this soft cast. You must not play in the game tomorrow, do you promise me?"
"Ok." Yamcha lies successfully.
"Good." The doctor nods and walks away. Yamcha smiles to himself but then grows worried, how will he play if his leg is hurt? That night he gets a lot of aspirin and takes as much as he can in order to block out the pain long enough for him to play. The next day, Yamcha runs into the arena doctor at the baseball stadium.
"The big game is tonight." He says, looking out at the empty stands, the doors not opened.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Yamcha sighs, hoping he will be.
"Yamcha?" A small voice cuts into the conversation. Yamcha's heart skips a beat and he turns to see Gohan. From the corner of his eye, Yamcha can see the doctor has left.
"What is it Gohan?" Yamcha asks.
"Why were you talking to that doctor?" Gohan turns up his nose.
"Oh." Yamcha sighs with relief. "Because, uh, because I got this cough see and I didn't want to get the team sick with a sore throat." Yamcha gets a sly look on his face and pretends to groan. "But I do still feel really contagious." He begins to force out fake, hard coughs on Gohan.
"Ah!" Gohan screams and runs off, Yamcha shakes his head.
"Oh man, too easy." He laughs. The game soon starts. Yamcha tells the coach that he can't bat tonight so he has a pitch hitter stand in for him. But Yamcha assures that he can still pitch. The game goes underway and Yamcha strikes out everyone up to the seventh inning stretch.
"The opponents nearly scored, we have to tighten our defense." The coach said as they got ready for the home stretch. In the eighth inning, the team got two home runs with another person on base. Yamcha started to loose confidence and didn't realize the pain pills were wearing off. He went for the pitch and the batter got four balls. He pitched to another and got a two base run. He pitched to another and that's when the medicine wore off. "Ah!" Yamcha let go of the ball too soon as his the pain shot from his leg and through his body. The ball hit the batter in the elbow. The injury got him a walk, bases loaded.
"Come on Yamcha." Tien whispered.
"The pressure may be getting to be too much for him." Puar gulped.
"Go Yamcha!" Gohan yelled, Goku just watched.
"I can do this." Yamcha says to himself. Nobody, not even the team, knew about his broken leg. The soft cast was easily hidden and not noticeable under the baseball pants. Another man came onto the plate and Yamcha struggled to pitch a curve ball but the batter hit it out of the park. Yamcha felt his heart sink as the team got four points. They were the ones losing now, the score was 7-6. Yamcha was able to strike out one more person and ended the eighth.
"What's wrong out there?" The coach asked.
"It's nothing, I'll be fine." Yamcha assured them that he would win it. They went up to bat next and were able to score a point, tying the game at 7. But the other team was up and it was judgement day for Yamcha. He picked up the baseball but cringed, he couldn't bend down. "I know what I have to do now." Yamcha sighed and held up his hands in a T shape.
"Time!" The coach called and ran out to Yamcha, hands on hips. "What is it?"
"Take me out coach." Yamcha turned to him. "Take me out, put in lefty." Yamcha said. "Trust me." He added before the coach could counter the request. The coach looked at Yamcha and could tell he was serious. He nodded.
"Alright Yamcha, you're out. Get in here lefty." The coach replaced him. Yamcha smiled but everyone in the stands were in angry shock.