sakura taisen (C) red co. sega, overworks 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002
* Pregame warmup *
This song played softly in the background as Oogami arrived at the ballpark. Smiling at the clear blue sky, he gazed towards the baseball diamond.
'It's summer. A time for sunshine, ice candy, visiting the ocean... relaxing, being with friends and loved ones... Yes, it's a wonderful season. Most importantly, however, summer is a time for baseball...'
He stood there for a moment, watching the fans enter and fill up the bleachers. Already preparations were just about finished. The game would begin soon.
'Today is the Summer League championship. My team - the Hanagumi - will face a difficult opponent this time around - the Tsukigumi. Not only did they defeat us at every meeting during the season, but also they have been on a wining streak since May. Indeed, it will be a great battle for us...'
He felt a tug on his sleeve. "Eh? Ah, Erica-kun!" he gasped.
"Bonjour Oogami-san!! Isn't it a great day? I prayed lots and lots for it not to rain today!! Kamisama has heard my prayers!"
"Seems that way. Arigatou, Erica-kun. I'm very happy you came to cheer us on."
"Not just Erica!" Coquelicot ran over with the rest of the Paris Kagekidan following her, "Ichiro, we'll be the loudest in the crowd, okay?"
"That's what she says." Glycine replied, "I'm only here by force."
"Glycine-san, I'm sure it will be fun..." Hanabi replied, hands firmly around her arm so that she wouldn't run away, "It's only a good two hours... and Sunshine is good from time to time..."
"It sucks." Lobelia said, "Those old guys at the gate searched me and treated me like a criminal."
"You are a criminal." everyone uttered.
She shrugged. "Well, I'm just mad they took my special items..."
"W-What special items are those??" Oogami asked.
She leaned very close to him, her finger stroking his neck. "You'd like to know, wouldn't you, Taicho??"
"P-Please don't make a scene..." Hanabi uttered.
"Ya, leave him alone, Lobelia." Coquelicot scolded, "Ichiro has to get ready for the game after all."
"That's right! Please excuse me!" Oogami stammered, rushing off in the other direction. 'Phew that was close... Eh??' He ran into someone. "Ah! Sorry... Ci-kun??"
"Hyu~! Hyu~! Monsieur Oogami!" Ci said, looking cute dressed in a Japanese salesgirl outfit, "How do I look??"
"Kawaii..." he uttered, blushing.
"Really??" she replied, blushing as well, "Hearing that from Oogami-san, I'm so happy! You see, Tsubaki-san lent it to me."
"Oh, right. Tsubaki-chan is helping with the announcements today. That means..."
"Oui~! Mel-san and I are in charge of the food stand and souvenir shop! Please stop by when you have a chance. We have lots of great items..."
"Ci-san!" Mel had arrived, wearing a business suit, "Please return to your post... Besides, Oogami-san will be playing in today's game..."
"R-Right!" Oogami gasped, "I have to get ready! See you later, Mel-kun, Ci-kun!" He finally ran off to the lockeroom. There, he saw that the rest of the team was already ready. "Gomen, minna..."
"Don't worry about it, Taicho." Maria said, in her white uniform with blue trim and letters (Hana across the front), "We've got plenty of time."
"Aa..." he uttered, "By the way, how is your shoulder, Maria? Is it still sore?"
"It's all right. I think I could I pitch a complete game today."
"Heh?? Don't push yourself."
"Ha ha, what are you saying, Taicho? This is the championship. There is no game after tomorrow."
"Sou da na... Well, I better get ready."
Oogami walked up to his locker, going to put his bag down. Sakura, at the locker next to him, happily greeted him. "Oogami-san! Today's game is going to be really exciting! Let's do our best!"
"Hai!" he replied with a smile. "Soeba... I heard from the grounds crew that you were in the batting cage last night until 1 am."
Sakura put on her baseball cap, hiding her eyes. "I wanted to work on my swing. Lately I've been in a slump, I can't seem to hit anything..."
Sumire popped up. "Sou desu wa! If you were a genius like me, you wouldn't have such problems. My swing is absolutely perfect! After all, I led the league in homeruns."
"You also haven't hit anything in over 2 months."
"D-Datte! The pitchers were so scared of me, that they keep intentionally walking me! But it's nothing you have to worry about, Sakura-san, since all you ever do is strike out."
"Demo sa," Oogami cut in, "Sakura-kun is a very good base-runner. She has the team record of stolen bases and has never been picked off before. That's incredible!"
Sakura bashfully replied. "A-Arigatou gozaimasu, Oogami-san!"
"Hmp," Sumire said, "What good is that if she barely ever gets on base. This is a championship; players like her should sit this one out."
"N-Nani?! What good is a player who gets walked all the time! Not a lot of effort on your part!"
"At least I make runs happen! You make a lot of 'outs' happen!"
"Well, you...!"
"HEEEY!" Oogami quickly moved in between the two. "Don't fight. We've got to concentrate on the game. Besides, we need both of you out there. No one can turn a double-play like you two can!"
Sakura nodded. "Sou desu! Oogami-san is right!"
Sumire shrugged. "Ma~ah, I suppose Sakura-san's defense does make up for her terrible offense."
"Yoshi!" Oogami chimed, holding up a fist, "Sumire-kun, Sakura-kun, I'm counting on you both!"
"Hai!" they replied happily.
"Now, what was..." Oogami uttered, "That's right. I have to get into uniform!" He started to unbutton his shirt, when he stopped to see Sakura and Sumire watching him with big eyes. 'Uwah! I forgot! This happens every time!' Oogami grabbed his stuff and ran for the storage room, closing the door behind him.
"You were looking, weren't you, Sumire-san??" Sakura said, her face all red.
Sumire covered her face with her fan. "No, I was not! Were you, Sakura-san??"
The two became quiet for a moment. They then both giggled. "I was..."
Iris and Kohran went up to the storage room. Kohran pressed a device against the door. They both heard this noise come out. "Uwah! Who put this thing here??!"
"Heheheh," Kohran laughed evilly, "Oogami-han is so fun to play with. Now if he could only..." She then saw Kaede coming. "Ah, shimata... we're caught!"
"Oogami-kun!!" Kaede said, looking side to side. "I thought I saw him come this way. Ah, you two, have you seen Oogami-kun?"
"Un, Oniichan went into there."
"Arigatou, Iris!" Kaede said, going to open the door. "Oogami-kun--!"
She, Iris, and Kohran all stopped and stared. "UWAAH!" Oogami cried, "M-Minna??!"
"Oniichan!" Iris said, with sparkles around her face, "Suteki!"
Kohran's glasses sparkled. "Oogami-han is a looker. Na??"
"I-I'm not going answer that!" Kaede replied, trying to remain calm - although her face was red, "Oogami-kun! When you're finished, meet me in the hallway, okay?"
"H-Hai..." he uttered as she slammed the door in his face and he was left in the dark. 'I wonder what Kaede-san has to say to me before the game...'
So Oogami got dressed and went out to the hallway, where she was waiting. "All right, come with me." she said, taking his hand and leading him to another storage room. She closed the door behind them.
"E-to... Kaede-san..." he stammered, looking into her face, "What are we...?"
"Shhh... I don't want to cause a commotion... It's about the manager..."
"W-What's wrong with him?" he said in a low voice, since she was also speaking in a near whisper. "Kaede-san...?"
Before she could explain, Yoneda emerged from a great pile of dirty laundry. "HEH!? WHO TOOK AWAY MY SAKE! I WANT SHUMORE!! WAHAHAHAAH!!!"
"Crap! The manager is drunk again!" Oogami exclaimed, "This time before the league tournament!!!"
"Oi, hooz drunk??" Yoneda slurred, teetering their way, "I want a nice cold one with a cherry and whip cream *hic*..."
"I-I don't have anything for you!" Oogami gasped, trying to back away from the obviously drunk manager. Fortunately he got knocked out with a very quick hand. "Ka... Kaede-san..."
"I told you not to be so loud to wake him up... It's better he's asleep anyways. If the media heard that our manager was drunk before an important game AGAIN, our good reputation will be hindered."
"But what are we going to do then? Play without a manager?"
"Looks like it. You and I will have to do the coaching... And there seems to be another dilemma as well. The Tsukigumi have acquired a new pitcher this morning. Her name is Rachette Altair.
"N-No way!" Oogami cried, "W-What should we do?!"
"I'm not sure... Let's gather up the team and discuss it during our team meeting."
"Hai!!"
While the Hanagumi had their team meeting and dealt with their problems, Erica was heading to the food stand. "Everyone is going to want some snacks. Hmmm, I wonder what kind of foods they have... AH?!?"
She suddenly stopped, for she saw a man snooping around behind the food stand. 'Kya!! It's really... really a...!'
"Yoshi, now is my chance." uttered the man, "The entire Kagekidan is here for me to take my revenge on them. Mwahahahaa!!" He stopped and saw Erica. "Eh? What do you want?"
"KYAAAAA!!!" she exclaimed, grabbing onto his hand, "You're a real... SAMURAI?!"
"EH?"
"C-Can I have a look over you? I'm so excited! Really excited! I've always wanted to meet a real life Japanese Samurai! Haaa, my dream has come true! Thank you, Kamisama!!"
"EEEEH? DON'T TOUCH ME!!!!"
"S-Sorry..."
"Aaah! Shimata! My part time job!! I have to go!!" He then ran off.
"Heh?" Erica uttered, "I wonder what kind of part time job does a present day samurai has... Maybe he could use my help. Ah! Matte!!" Before she could run off after him, Coquelicot appeared.
"Ne, Erica! Don't run off by yourself like that! Stay with the group! You don't know if you'll meet any suspicious characters around here!"
"S-Sou desu ka..."
Little did they know some suspicious characters were passing them, "Do you want some kettle corn, hot dog? Anything, my dear Suigo??"
"Shut up, thunder-boy! We're not here to watch baseball, but to plot against those pesky Hanagumi! It's our only chance, since they are off guard!"
"Oh... right..."
Coquelicot and Erica went off, the conversation oblivious to their ears. They went to the food stand where a large group of guys was ogling Ci. "Mou, that new guy is late... How am I supposed to handle all these customers by myself??"
"Where did Mel-san go?" Erica asked, as they cut everyone else in line.
"She's helping Grand-ma with some things. They're having technical difficulties with the equipment."
"I hope they fix it in time for the game." Coquelicot replied, "Aah, thanks for the food. Let's go back to the others now, Erica!"
"Hai~!" she said, holding onto the older tray of food. She looked up at the bleachers - the girls were sitting in the front row center so that she had to cross over a lot of people. 'Kya!! Please Kamisama, help me!!'
"Oi Erica!" Lobelia called, "What are you doing? Hurry up!"
Erica nodded, trying to move through the seated group. "Excuse me! Sorry! Please let me through!! SORRY! Ah, excuse me!!!"
"Amazing..." Hanabi uttered, "Erica-san didn't trip or spill anything."
"Yeah! I'm getting better!!" Erica chimed, holding out the tray. She held out so quickly that a drink splashed at Hanabi. "AH?! I'M SO SORRY!!!!"
"It's all right... It's only water..." Hanabi said, trying to console the tearful nun, "Besides, it's a hot day and..." She stopped to see that some guys were now checking her out, thanks to her wet shirt. "KYAA!" she cried, hiding herself against Glycine.
"Honestly, you...!" Glycine sighed, giving Erica a weary look, "I can't take you anywhere..."
"Hey guess what!" Coquelicot cut in, "I have paint! Who wants to have 'Ichiro' written on their face??!"
"I got a better idea," Lobelia replied, "How about we write 'Hanagumi' across our chests..." The other girls just stared at her with really wide-eyed looks.
Except Erica. "Ha - na - gu - mi... Aaan? There's not enough letters for the five of us! What should we do??!"
"A-Anyways," Glycine said, "Looks like batting practice is starting. The players are coming out of the dugout..."
"Yoshi, minna! Let's warmup!" Oogami said, putting on his glove. He looked ahead to see the catcher of the other team, and his long time friend. "Kayama!"
"Yo Oogami~!" Kayama chimed, taking off his mask. He was going to practice some pitches with Rachette, who went off to talk with Orihime. "Long time no see~!"
"Not since last month... Who would have guessed we would be playing against each other in the final championship!"
"Sou sou! After we win, how about coming to the ocean with me?"
"Matte!!" Kaede suddenly popped up between them. "Why are you assuming that you're going to win, Kayama-kun? Our team is just as good as yours!"
"Aa, are you betting woman, Kaede-san?? As I remember we did beat you all 6 meetings during the season. It's like they say, 'the odds are against you'."
"I believe in my team - I believe we can beat you today!"
"And if you can't, then I will go to the ocean with Oogami!"
"If we can, then I will go to the ocean with Oogami!"
Oogami looked back and forth. "D-Don't I have a say in this??" But Kaede and Kayama were too busy glaring at each other, fire burning all around. 'Yapari, this is turning into a dangerous event...'
"Chuuisan~!" Orihime walked over with Rachette, "Would you please let them practice. Warmup is only another ten minutes..."
"H-Hai!" Oogami went over to pick up a ball, going with Orihime into the outfield. "That's right... You and Rachette used to play on the same team."
"Sou de~su ne! She's a real tough pitcher." Orihime replied, "Her fast ball is in the mid 90's!"
Reni, the third baseman, came to join them. "Rachette is also known to hit a player if they crowd the plate too much. But there's no way they'll call her out on that, because it's a tournament game. Be careful, Taicho."
"Heeeh??" uttered Kanna the left outfielder, "But you know if she hits me, I'll have to hit her back."
"Ara, you better not get thrown out, Kanna-san!" Orihime said, tossing her the ball.
"Sou," Reni noted, "The only backup player is Tsubomi and she hasn't played since April."
After a while, some voices filled the air. "OOGAMI-SAN~! ICHIRO~! TAICHO~!" The Paris Kagekidan were standing, waving and making a lot of noise that everyone was staring at them.
Oogami couldn't help but blush. "Minna..."
A noise coming out of the speakers above caught everyone off guard. They all looked up, wondering what it was. The cracking noise stopped, and some voices came out.
"Ne ne!! Who do you like best - Oogami-san or Kayama-san??"
"Hmmm... definitely Kayama-san! He's so cool and funny! I like his singing voice better than Oogami-san's... What about you, Kasumi-san?"
"Definitely Oogami-san. He's very kind and helpful... and brave and strong... What about you, Yuri-san??"
"KYA! I want them both! They're so hot! ... Ano, what's this light mean?"
"It means that the microphones are on..."
"EEH??!?! You mean... this whole time...?!?!"
There was a long pause.
Kasumi: Minna-san! Sorry about the interruption! We welcome you to the Teikoku Kagekidan Summer League Championship game!
Yuri: We the Sannin Musume will be your announcers for the game! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!
Tsubaki: Next up! Starting Lineup, First Pitch, and the First Inining! Stay tuned!!
Sannin Musume: Ahaha... uhg... they heard us, didn't they?
* end of pregame warmup *
