Sakura Taisen (c) red company, sega, overworks 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002
"Gwah!" Kohran cried, swing through a breaking ball.
"Strike 1!"
Yuri: Kohran-san sure looks uncomfortable at the plate. I wonder what's wrong..."
Kohran stepped out of the box, taking off her helmet and rearranging her gloves. "Are you okay, Kohran-san??" Kayama asked, looking towards her.
"Not really..." she uttered, wiping her glasses, "I keep getting this awful image of Kotone-han in a pink tutu..." She looked over to the first baseline where Kotone was twirling around. "GWAAAH!!" she cried, clutching at her head.
"Sorry to hear about that," Kayama replied, "Would you like me to get him to stop dancing around? I'd have to borrow your bat..."
"Thanks for asking, Kayama-han, but it'll cause a game delay... I'll try to manage." Kohran said, stepping back into the box. "Yossha! I'm ready!"
Yuri: Here's the windup, and the pitch..."
At the last minute Kohran caught Kotone in the corner of her eye. He wasn't doing anything this time, but it was the image that made her swing with her eyes squinted. "GWAAH! No, I'm not ready!! Gwaaah, how awful ya!!!"
Yuri: Kohran-san hits the ball... and she seems to be screaming something... But she hits it right to the third baseman, who makes an easy catch. And there's one out for the Hanagumi.
"Gomen na, Kohran-san." Kayama said, patting her shoulder as she walked back to the dugout.
"Nice try, Kohran!" Iris said, as they passed each other, "Iris is going to try really hard this time!!"
Kohran didn't even hear her as she fell over onto the bench. Oogami gave her a look of sympathy and cup of water, before turning towards Kaede. "Eh?? What were you saying?? YOU own a swimsuit??!"
"D-Don't act so surprised... I've wanted to bring out for a long time. But, that's not the point! That guy over there is so sure to win - we can't let him!"
Oogami blushed. "Kaede-san... in a swimsuit..."
"Would you stop thinking about that?!?"
Yokihiko called the first pitch. "Ball 1!"
Kasumi: It seems Rachette was surprised on hearing that call. She really wanted it. But, Iris' strike zone is much smaller than the other players.
"Ball 2!"
"Iiiimou!!" Iris grumbled, readying her bat, "Give something for Iris to hit in the zone! Iris wants to take it out of the yard!"
"Cheh," Rachette sighed, showing a little agitation, "She's a tougher batter than what the scouting report said... Let's try to get her to swing at this."
Kasumi: The pitch... it's a fastball, but too high for Iris to hit... The umpire calls Ball 3. What will Iris do on a 3-0 count in her favor?
"Of course swing blindly at the next pitch," Sumire noted, "That's what amateur hitters usually do."
"Uwah! When did you get here, Sumire-kun??" Oogami gasped.
"Nan desu no, Chuui?? What are you talking about with Kaede-san so closely???"
"Aa, er, batting swings. Anyways, you have some sunflower seed shell in your hair."
"Na--!?" Sumire took the moment to shake the shells out of her hair. "I was sitting over there with those ruffians, Kanna-san and Sakura-san, who were making a mess with their piggish appetite of sunflower seeds. If you ask me, it's rather disgusting, spitting your refuge all over the place."
"Saa..." Oogami uttered, "By the way, how are you holding up? I invited your parents to the game - did you see them?"
"EH?! You were the one?!?" Sumire cried, "How could you do this to me, Chuui?! Why did you do such a thing??!"
"I-I thought you'd be happy..." he stammered, totally confused by this reaction, "Because they hadn't been to any of your games in the season, I..." But Sumire was so upset with him that she got up and walked to another part of the bench. "Sumire-kun... Aa, what happened to Kohran???"
Kaede pointed to the ground where Kohran was rolling around, clutching her head. "Gwaaaaah, damn you Kotone-han!!"
Kasumi: After fouling it out of play on the third baseline, Iris is walked on a 4-1 count. She makes her way to first base. It's very rare to see Altair-san walk any batter, but I guess that this is the strategy of Manager Yoneda by having his designated hitter with such a small strike zone for Altair-san to pitch. What genius!
'Ha ha,' Kaede thought, going to the on-deck circle, 'Manager Yoneda is drop-dead drunk right now... Sleeping in his own drool... Genius...'
"Good luck, Reni!!" Iris called. Reni stepped up the plate, looking very serious. 'Eh? Reni??' Her cold gaze was locked with Rachette, the two in a staring duel.
Tsubaki: This is Takamura Tsubaki, in the crowd with the fans. I'll be talking with them and sitting with me is this eight-armed woman... Ano, what is your name? ...Ah! Gomen! I have to give the plays for this up-bat! Eto... Here's the windup and the pitch - fastball right down the middle! Reni-san pops it up on the third baseline! This one looks playable!"
"Ah, shimata! I'll be right back!" third baseman Joe Ishida said to Kikunojo (who he had been talking closely with through the game). He rushed over to make a catch, winking over at the umpire.
"Oh wow..." Kikunojo uttered, hearts all around.
Tsubaki: Reni fouls out and Iris has to return to first base. That's two outs for the Hanagumi... Next up is the Fujieda Kaede-san!"
Kaede went to the box, readying her swing. She shot a quick glance at the catcher, before taking ball 1. "Nan desu ka nan desu ka??" Kayama asked, after he threw back to the mound, "Kaede-san is being so cold with me."
"D-Datte!" she said, taping her bat around the plate before moving into her stance, "Kayama-kun must be so sure of himself..."
"Heh? What do you mean by that?" he asked, but she didn't reply and concentrated on the next pitch. He just smiled and held out his mitt. "Kaede-san must be real hot in a swimsuit..."
"EH?!" Kaede cried as she swung the bat and made contact. The ball fell in shallow center field, but before running to first base, she took one more look at Kayama, who was smiling gleefully with the image stuck in his head. "STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!!!"
Tsubaki: Kaede-san safely makes it to first base, where Iris advances to second. Now up to the plate is Shinguji Sakura-san!
Erica popped up next her, hollering, "YATTA!!! GO SAKURA-SAAAAAAN!!!!"
Tsubaki: A-And the first pitch... Sakura-san swings and misses... but she loses grip of the bat and... it's coming this way!!
"Eh?!" Erica looked up just in time to see the bat collide with her head. She fell over in the stands, everyone gathering around.
Tsubaki: W-We have a person down!! A-Are you okay?? Umpire Yokihiko calls time, as Sakura-san is coming this way to check on her and get her bat back.
Sakura worriedly looked at Erica. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay, Erica-san?"
"Of course she's fine," Glycine replied, "It only hit her head."
Erica slowly sat up, rubbing her sore spot, and then folding her hands together. "Daijoubu desu, Sakura-san! Although, I am so happy that you came to check on me, and that you have decided to give me your precious game bat! Arigatou gozaimasu!"
"A-Arigatou, Erica-san... but I kind of want my bat back..."
"EEEH?! SONNA!" Erica cried, her face turning tearful as she hugged the bat, "It's my new treasure!"
Lobelia moved between them. "First you try to break her head, now you're going for her heart. You are a sly one, Shin-whateveryernamewas."
"I-I wasn't trying to do anything like that. I was just thinking about hitting the ball... Is there something I could exchange it for?"
"Pay a fee."
"EH?! How much?!"
"All the money in your wallet."
"Aa, eto, eto..." Sakura frantically searched her pockets. "S-Sumimasen! I don't have my wallet with me! L-Let me run to the bank...!"
Erica's eyes twinkled. "Oh Sakura-san! Going to all this trouble for me - I don't know what to give in return, so here's your bat back!"
"Oh Erica-san!! Arigatou gozaimasu!!"
Lobelia rolled her eyes as the two hugged. "What a bunch of suckers..."
Tsubaki: After that very *touching* scene, Sakura-san returns to the plate with some new determination in her face. And here's the pitch... Altair-san sends a beautiful breaking ball to the plate - Sakura-san is way out front.
"Strike 2!"
Tsubaki: Next pitch, a fastball down the middle... Sakura-san swings... and misses.
"Strike 3! YER OUT!!"
Sakura dropped her head. "S-Sonna..."
Tsubaki: That's the end for the Hanagumi. They get a walk and a hit and leave two stranded. We go to the bottom of the second inning. Next up, the Tsukigumi!
Tsubaki then sighed and put down her microphone. "Where is the vender-guy? I want a chocolate malt." She spotted a small crowd behind the bencher. "Ah! Over there!!"
"All of you!!" the vender-guy said gruffly as they pushed at each other to get up front, "Happy, innocent people... I'll have you know that by the end of the game, all of you will say goodbye to your sorry lives!"
They all stared at him. "Why? Is the chocolate malt poisoned?" one person asked.
"O-Of course it isn't!!"
"Okay then..." he replied, everyone else also relaxing, "I'll have 3 malts and a bag of peanuts."
"Didn't you hear me?! You and your precious Teito will be destroyed by me! Shouldn't you all be panicking and fearing for your lives??!"
"Fine! I won't have the peanuts! They're too salty anyways..."
"Ano!!" said a voice behind him. The vender turned around. There was Erica. "Aren't you the Samurai guy?? You are!"
"WAAA!!!" he yelled as she gave him a biiiiiig hug. "Let me go!! Release me!!!"
"Please please teach me the ways of the samurai!! I want to know everything!!!"
"Chigau!!! I am NOT a samurai!!! Ore wa... Ore wa...!!!" he yelled, with her hanging around his neck, "SATAN DESU!!"
"EH!?!?!" Erica's face filled with fear. She quickly backed away from him. "S-Sonnaa... I've embraced the devil!! Kyaaa!" She then ran off.
"Haa, who wants chocolate malt..." Satan sighed, turning back to the demanding crowd. "Hm?" He noticed something on the ground by his shoe. He picked up the crucifix. 'That girl's...' He looked at it and then put it in his pocket.
"Mmm! Chocolate malt!" Tsubaki chimed, eating hers on the way back to the stands. She stopped to see the back of a man. "I-Isn't that...?!" She watched as Kazuma walked into a Porto-potty, and then come out as Oni-Ou. "Naa, I was mistaken. Mmm mmm! This is so good!"
In the gift shop, Ci was showing Mel something. "Check out this lock of hair I got from the new vender-guy. Hehehehe!!"
"Ci, you... Ah, a customer!"
"EEEEEEEEE?!?!?" Mel and Ci gasped, staring at the guy with the scary mask.
"I'd like to make a purchase." Oni Ou told them. "The item on the top shelf... Second to the right, next to the gold Napoleon statue."
"Heh? Oh, the Majinki!" Ci climbed up on the ladder and got it down. "That'll be 2 million francs please!"
"Francs??"
"Of course! Everything on the top shelf is francs only. There is a currency exchange just outside the ballpark..."
"Iya, actually put it on this credit card."
"Hyu hyu! Will do~!" Ci said, accepting the credit card, "Would you like anything else... um... Monsieur Oni Ou??"
"Could I have one Shinguji Sakura baseball card??"
"I'm sorry. We're all out of the Sakura-san trading cards." Mel replied, "But could I interest you in her limited edition swimsuit bromide??"
Ci held it out and read its description. "'Sakura-san looking cute and naughty playing with a garden hose on a hot summer day...'"
"I'll take it!!" Oni Ou replied. While they ran the transaction, he took off his mask and happily glowered over the bromide. "My daughter... already a woman... I'm so proud!"
Ci and Mel stared at him with tense smiles. "That..." they uttered, still smiling, "Sounded kind of strange... But, please have a nice day..."
Tsubaki: Minna-san, here we go into the bottom of the second inning! The first pitch by Maria-san is a fastball on the inside corner. Mikey Ishida could only stare as the ump calls strike 1! I'm back in the stands, sitting together with the Paris Kagekidan.
Coquelicot moved in front of the microphone. "Go Ichiro!!"
"Oogami-san is your favorite, isn't he??"
"Un! We're all rooting for him and his team... ah, except Hanabi..."
Tsubaki turned to Hanabi who was decked out in an authentic Tsukigumi jersy (black with red trim and letters) and a baseball cap, and pom-poms. "Wah! You're a real fan of the Tsukigumi, aren't you, Hanabi-san??"
"H-Hai... I really like the catcher..." she stammered, while hugging her Kayama plush doll, "He's so cute... (Po) I think instead of becoming a real Yamato Nadeshiko, I want to be his personal stalker..."
"EEEEEH?!?!?!?!?!" everyone exclaimed, "HANABI?!?!"
Glycine grabbed her friend by the shoulders and gave her good shaking. "Hanabi! What are you talking about??!"
"Eh? Eh??" Hanabi blinked. "I'm totally out of character... I must be possessed the enemy or something... Ah, I feel faint all of a sudden..."
Tsubaki: A-Anyways... back to game! The last pitch was a curve for a strike... Ishida-san waits the next pitch - and it's Strike 3!!"
Coquelicot noted, "Eh? How come Erica isn't cheering anymore? Is she sick or something??"
"Satan..." Erica uttered, clutching her knees with a pale face, "Satan, Satan... I saw Satan..."
"Oh you did??" Lobelia asked, counting some cash, "Lucky you, Sister."
"Lobelia! Where did you get that money??!" Glycine exclaimed, "If you stole it from someone I would have to slice your hand off with my axe... but... I don't have my axe with me so... I'll have to just give you a real mean look for now."
Tsubaki: That's one out for the Tsukigumi. Next up to bat is Designated Hitter, Souichirou Fuji-san! Kaede-san calls time to converse with Maria-san. It seems Maria-san gave up 5 homers to Fuji-san during the regular season.
"Do you think you can pitch you him? Why don't we walk him?"
"No," Maria replied, "I want to get back at him for those 5 homeruns. Watch me, I'll strike him out."
"Yoshi, those are the words I wanted hear." Kaede said, heading back to the mound before Yokihiko could break it up. 'Come on, Maria. On the outside corner...' she thought, holding out her mitt.
"Fujieda Kaede-san right??" said Souichiro, "How come you didn't have a swimsuit bromide? Everyone else on the Hanagumi team does, even that guy Oogami!"
Back at the gift shop, Mel and Ci were gazing at the bromide of Oogami in a speedo on the wall. "Wooooowwww..." they uttered, hearts everywhere.
"W-Watashi...!" Kaede's face turned red. 'Why would I pose in such a shameful way? Sure it's for extra team funds, but... but... I'm the assistant manager and veteran catcher!!'
"The guys in the dugout said that if they find a picture of you in a swimsuit, they'll sell it for over 1 million yen."
"EEEEEEH?!?!?!?!"
"So I was wondering... Maybe we could have a private photo shoot soon..."
A vein was sitting out of Kaede's forehead, but she kept her mask on so no one saw it. 'Perverts!! The entire Tsukigumi team is perverted! And that guy Kayama is their ring leader!!'
Yokihiko then exclaimed, "STRIKE 3! YOU'RE OUT!!"
"What??" Fuji and Kaede gasped. They hadn't been paying attention this whole time as Maria threw the pitches. Kaede even threw the ball back without even knowing. Whereas Fuji just stood there, talking and not even seeing the ball come by the plate. Fuji felt pity for himself and walked back to the dugout.
Tsubaki: That was the first time for Maria-san to strike out Fuji-san. She is really being tough on batters since giving up that homerun to Kayama-san. Next up is Sukiyabashi-san. The first pitch is a fastball, but Sukiyabashi can't pull the trigger.
"Strike 1!"
"Strike 2!"
"Strike 3!!"
Tsubaki: Three pitches and three strikes. Maria-san strikes out the side and that's end for the Tsukigumi.
Yuri: AH!?? Tsubaki-san! Are you eating ANOTHER chocolate malt?? What about us??!
Kasumi: A-Anyways, at the end of two, we are still tired, 1 to 1. We'll be right back with the third inning and a special interview with hall-of-famer Fujieda Ayame-san... the first woman in baseball! Until then...
Yuri: Tsubaki-saaan! Bring us some chocolate malt too!!!!
*end of 2nd inning*
