Author's Note: Again, thanks to everyone for leaving feedback on the last chapter. I apologize for missing the last update. I was very sick and very busy with work. But I'm on vacation now until January 11th, so I hope to get a big buffer ready!
If you like this chapter, please leave a review. They make me truly happy!
Five: Ball Players
Around the time Shun turned nine years old, he and Dan joined the Little League team in Wardington. The team was the Otters, and before Dan and Shun joined, they hadn't won a game in almost six years. Between Dan's pitching and Shun's catching, that changed very, very quickly.
Today's game was against the Tiger Sharks, a team all the way from the other side of Japan. The Otters had managed four wins this season out of seven games, which allowed them to get further into the series than they ever had before.
It was the Tiger Sharks' turn up to bat in the ninth inning, with Dan as pitcher and Shun as the main outfielder. The bases were loaded, two outs, and the Tiger Sharks would win only if all four members could manage to get home before they got their third strike.
The anticipation from the audience was palatable. The tension was thick and hot amidst the teams.
Dan shifted from one foot to the other, ball behind his back. He signaled Shun that he was about to do a fastball. It was a risky move, Shun knew. The batter for the Tiger Sharks – a ten year old named Cody – was great at fastballs. But Shun knew what Dan was planning, just as surely as he knew what his role in the plan was.
Shun took two steps back and shifted his weight to the balls of his feet. He needed to be able to move.
Dan wound back and pitched. The ball shot toward Cody like a rocket. There was a sharp "twack!" and the ball went speeding into the outfield. Already, shouts of "homerun" were rising from the Tiger Sharks.
Without hesitating, Shun took off after the ball, crossing the field with impossibly fast feet before the ball even passed overhead. Shun leaped at the fence, took three running steps up, and propelled himself off the top.
The ball slammed hard into his mitt. Shun tucked, rolled, and went skidding across the field. He held up his head, proving to the world that he had caught the ball.
Shouts of disbelief rang out from the Tiger Sharks. Cheers were already rising from the Otters.
Three outs. Only one person had crossed home base. That was game.
The Otters were going to the semi-finals.
Dan crossed the field with quick feet, cheering and whooping alongside the others. He was grinning as he helped Shun to his feet.
"That was amazing!" said Dan, his grin lighting up his entire face. Shun fought back a blush. It hadn't been that amazing, just a trick he'd picked up from his grandfather. Of course, with the audience, he knew he'd get a few weird looks. His mom was always telling him about the weird looks their family tended to get.
"Come on, the guys'll want to congratulate you," said Dan, throwing an arm around Shun's shoulder. Shun clutched the ball close as they walked. It was a trophy, one unlike any other that he'd ever had. Even if their team didn't take the championships – and Shun didn't know if they would even get there – this ball was proof that they could do the impossible. That he and Dan really were a team, a pair, unlike any other the league had ever seen.
Who else could catch a homerun ball by leaping off a fence before it even got to the edge of the outfield?
"Guys! How awesome was that?" said Dan as they approached the team.
The rest of the Otters nodded and spoke, but Shun wasn't paying much attention to their words. He stuck close to Dan and cradled the baseball close, ignoring the way a few of his teammates looked at it longingly. He wasn't going to let go of this ball until he was certain it would remain safe.
"On to semi-finals!" said one of the boys.
Dan pumped his free hand into the air. "Oh yeah! We can do this. Next stop, world championships."
"Woo!" shouted all the Otters. Shun even managed to cheer alongside them.
As they cheered, Shun glanced over at Dan, who grinned at him with his gap-toothed smile. Shun resolved that, as soon as he got the chance, he'd thank Dan for making him try out for the team. This was the most fun he'd had in a long time.
