Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Bleach Baseball ❯ Inning Three ( Chapter 3 )

Inning Three

“Well, the Arrancar have got to be pretty disappointed about their last at-bat,” Urahara said. “I think we all expected them to come away with some runs, but the Shinigami are leading two to nothing.”

“That's because the Shinigami are better,” Yoruichi said.

“Let's try to keep it objective in the announcer's booth, Yoruichi.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Urahara cleared his throat loudly. “We're back at the top of the Arrancar lineup. Szayel grounded out in his last at-bat.”

Szayel stalked up to the plate with a sneer on his face. “I have your number now, human. I'm ready for you.”

Ichigo just snorted. He wound up and blazed in a fastball. Szayel jumped on it, hitting a grounder up the first base line that was just beyond Kenpachi's reach.

“What are your doing, Ken?!” Yachiru shouted. “You're supposed to stretch for those!”

Ken tried not to look embarrassed. “It caught me by surprise! I didn't expect that pink-haired pansy to actually hit the ball.”

Yachiru pouted. “What's wrong with pink hair?”

“That's not what I meant!” Ken said quickly, waving his hands. “Pink hair is great!” He threw a quick glance at Szayel, who was staring at him speculatively. “On girls!” he added hastily.

Ichigo scratched his head. “Does Kenpachi actually know the difference between boys and girls? I thought he only understood the difference between fighters and non-fighters.”

“Don't insult my captain!” Ikkaku shouted. “He can tell the difference between good fighters and bad ones.”

“That doesn't really clarify the boy-girl thing,” Ichigo pointed out.

“I can tell the difference between boys and girls!” Kenpachi interrupted loudly. “Girls are usually weaker than boys.”

“Oh, really?” Rukia said calmly. “Then how come I've hit a home run but you haven't even been on base?”

“That has nothing to do with strength!” Ken howled.

“So skill matters more than strength?” Rukia asked innocently.

“No! It does not!”

“Batter up!” Isshin interrupted. “Play ball!”

Nnoitra stepped out of the batter's circle, swinging three bats confidently. He casually tossed two of them aside, and one of the bats flew down the sideline and brained Luppi in the coach's box. He went down like a felled tree.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Grimmjow shouted. “He's on our team!”

Orihime scurried out of the Arrancar dugout.

“Orihime!” Ichigo shouted. “Just let him bleed, dammit!”

“I can't!” Orihime said. She dropped down on her knees by Luppi, who was holding his head and blinking cross-eyed. “Hold still,” she murmured, and a golden glow briefly surrounded him.

After a moment, the glow faded and Luppi pushed to his feet. “Watch what you're doing, idiot!” he shouted at Nnoitra.

Nnoitra shrugged. “Sorry.” He stepped up to the plate as Orihime scurried back into the dugout. He crouched over, squeezing his rather large strike zone down to something a little tighter.

Ichigo wound up and pitched a breaking ball.

“Ball one!”

Ganju threw it back and Ichigo scowled. He shook off a couple of signs and then prepared for the next pitch. He threw a slider and Nnoitra smacked it into left field. Chad played it on the bounce and threw it in as Szayel rounded second. He pulled up and hurried sedately back to the base as Nnoitra skidded to a halt just past first.

“Ichigo!” Yachiru called from the dugout. “You're pitching like that bone-faced Arrancar! Get somebody out!”

“What did she say?” Grimmjow growled.

Zommari marched up to the plate with a superior expression on his face. Ichigo scowled at him.

“The situation looks threatening again for the Shinigami,” Urahara announced. “Two on and no outs, with Zommari Leroux coming to the plate. Zommari got a solid single in his last at-bat.”

“That will just make him over-confident,” Yoruichi said. “I still say he has an inferiority complex bigger than Kenpachi-taicho's hair.”

“Here's the first pitch,” Urahara said, pointedly ignoring his co-announcer.

Zommari watched the first two pitches go by, both balls. He swung hard at the third pitch and missed. Ichigo smirked as he rolled the ball over in his hand. He threw the exact same pitch and Zommari hit it just as both runners took off, but it rolled within easy reach of Kenpachi. The big captain scooped it up without even taking his foot off the base. The runners stopped at second and third.

“Zommari moves the runners over,” Urahara said. “Let's see what the Arrancar can make of this opportunity.”

Yammi stepped out of the on-deck circle and the Hollow crowd roared with excitement.

Byakuya signaled timeout to Isshin and strolled out to the mound. “Their biggest batter is up next,” he remarked.

“Yeah, so what?” Ichigo snapped.

“First base is open.”

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. “I'm not walking him!” he snarled. “I can get him out.”

“Why risk it?”

“The next guy made contact, too,” Ichigo pointed out in a low growl.

“A valid point,” Byakuya agreed.

“So what the hell are you bugging me for? Or did you just want to flirt?”

Byakuya blinked. “Teenage loudmouths don't appeal to me.”

“Ichigo!” Renji shouted from center field. “Quit flirting with my captain and get to work!”

“I'm not the one who's flirting!” Ichigo shouted back. “It's not my fault if he's got a thing for me.”

Byakuya crossed his arms. “I can see there's no talking to you. Pitch to him if you want to.” He went back to the coach's box.

“Finally!” Ichigo muttered. He settled into position and looked in for the sign. Yammi fouled the first pitch into the right field stands. He fouled the second pitch into the left field stands. He popped up the third pitch and it went just foul behind the plate. “What is this crap?!” Ichigo growled. He shook himself. He drew a deep breath and reseated the cap on his head. “Now then…”

Three more pitches and three more foul balls. Byakuya shifted his weight slightly. Ichigo noticed.

“Don't give me that crap!” he shouted at Byakuya. “I'm doing my best!”

Byakuya lifted an eyebrow.

“If you think it's that easy, you get over here and try it!”

Byakuya crossed his arms.

“Goddamit!” Ichigo smoked in a fastball so hot that Ganju was knocked on his butt. Yammi swung hard, but too late.

“Strike three!”

The edge of Byakuya's mouth lifted very slightly.

“Ichigo responds well to negative motivation,” Urahara noted.

“He responds pretty well to positive motivation, too,” Yoruichi said without thinking.

Urahara looked at her. “Is there something going on here I should know about?”

“What?! No!” Yoruichi sat up straight and grabbed her microphone. “Sleepyhead is stepping up to the plate for the Arrancar,” she announced loudly. “He got a single last time.”

“Stark,” Urahara said, still eyeing Yoruichi suspiciously, “outran a long grounder down the third base line in his first at-bat. He moved a lot faster than one might expect for such an easy-going fellow.”

Ulquiorra spoke from the dugout. “Stark,” he said flatly. “Get a hit.”

Stark rolled his eyes. “Fine, but I'm not running. That was exhausting last time.” He crouched over. “Let's not take too long, eh?” he called to Ichigo. “There's a nap in the dugout with my name on it.”

“Lazy sonuvabitch!” Ichigo muttered. He threw a slider and Stark punched it. Chad just stood there and watched the ball fly over his head and deep into the left field bleachers. The Hollow fans erupted into wild cheers and there was a mad scramble for the ball. Ichigo's mouth fell open.

“Well,” Byakuya remarked. “I guess you were right about which batter to fear.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up!”

Stark slouched his way around the bases and accepted high fives from his teammates when he returned to the dugout.

Ulquiorra nodded slightly. “That was acceptable.”

“I live to please,” Stark replied. Then he grinned. “Well, if it doesn't require much effort on my part, anyway.

Grimmjow swaggered up to the plate and pointed at the scoreboard. “Looks like we're on top now, human,” he crowed.

“That's not your usual position, is it?” Ichigo sneered.

Grimmjow scowled. “Just pitch the ball!”

Ichigo threw a fastball and Grimmjow swung hard. The ball popped straight up.

“Got it!” Ganju shouted and he snatched off his mask. He stared up, angling toward the backstop and caught the ball with room to spare.

“Out!” Isshin cried. He hooked a thumb. “That's three! Side up!”

Grimmjow smacked his bat into the ground. “Shit!”

Gin jogged out to the plate carrying Grimmjow's glove in his free hand. “Here ya go.” He tossed the glove to Grimmjow. “We got the lead now, so stay sharp.”

“Right.” Grimmjow shoved the glove onto his hand and jogged out to the mound. Isshin handed Gin the ball and he tossed it out to Grimmjow.

“Batter up!”

“Hitsugaya-taicho is leading off the third inning for the Shinigami,” Urahara announced. “People are prone to underestimating him because of his small stature, but the 10th division captain is extremely tough.”

“Why does everybody keep harping on my size?” Hitsugaya growled. “I'm big where it counts.”

“Oh, really?” Yoruichi perked up. “How big might that be? Use centimeters.”

Hitsugaya slapped his forehead. “I'm talking about my released zanpakuto!”

Yoruichi grinned. “You can release your zanpakuto around me anytime, little man! You're cute!”

“Why do I have to put up with this shit?” Hitsugaya muttered. He stepped up to the plate and jumped on the first pitch, smacking a screaming line drive past second base. Zommari dove for it and missed. Yammi ran in to play the ball and Hitsugaya reluctantly pulled up at first.

“Well,” Yoruichi said brightly, “I guess that hit shows that it's not the size of your bat, but what you do with it that counts.”

“Right,” Urahara said. “Rukia is up next. She scored the first run of the game with a decisive homer over the left field wall.”

Like last time, Rukia said nothing as she stepped up to the plate. Grimmjow scowled at her briefly before winding up for the first pitch. He threw a changeup. Rukia started to swing, but then pulled back.

“Strike one!”

Rukia pursed her lips, blinked once at Isshin, and then resumed her stance. The next pitch was a slider outside and she caught it with the tip of her bat. It bounced slowly out to Szayel at third and he played it cleanly. Hitsugaya pushed hard for second, but the throw beat him. Noba sliced his little arm down firmly. “Out.”

Rukia could not beat the throw to first and Lirin waved her out rather casually.

“A clean double-play by the Arrancar infield puts the Shinigami into a two-out hole,” Urahara announced. “Next up is Kenpachi. Let's see if the big guy can make contact this time.”

Kenpachi lumbered up to the plate, his usual maniacal grin splitting his face.

“Do something impressive, Ken-chan!” Yachiru shouted.

“Just watch!” Kenpachi replied confidently. He took a few easy swings, still grinning widely. The first pitch was a breaking ball and he let it go by.

“Ball one!”

“See!” Kenpachi exclaimed. “I knew that pitch was no good.”

The next pitch was a fastball that blazed straight through his strike zone.

“Strike one!”

“Ken-chan!”

“Don't worry! I'm starting to get a feel for it.”

The next pitch was another breaking ball, but this time Kenpachi swung. He missed.

“Strike two!”

“I thought you said you were getting a feel for it!” Ichigo complained. “That was the same pitch you let go by before!”

Kenpachi glowered at Grimmjow. “The next one's not getting by!” he declared loudly.

Grimmjow's grin was almost as maniacal as Kenpachi's. He wound up slowly, the ball behind his back, and then pitched a knuckleball. Kenpachi started to swing, but his eyes went round with astonishment as the flight of the ball seemed to defy gravity. He tried to hold up.

Gin jumped up and pointed at third base. “Call the swing!”

Kurodo sadly nodded. “It's a swing.”

“Strike three!” Isshin cried. “That's the end of the inning.”

Dejectedly, Kenpachi slumped back to the dugout.

“That wasn't impressive, Ken-chan.”

“But did you see what that pitch did?” Kenpachi grumbled. “He had to have used some bizarre Arrancar power to make it go up and down like that.”

“Haven't you ever seen a knuckleball before?” Renji said. “Sheesh!”

“Well, Yoruichi, that was an exciting inning,” Urahara said. “The Arrancar scored three unanswered runs and have taken a 3-2 lead. The two teams look pretty evenly matched.”

“It appears that way, Urahara. The Shinigami need to come out strong in the top of the fourth if they want to keep this thing from slipping away.”

In the stands, Karin nudged Ishida. “Don't you wish you were out there? It looks like fun!”

Ishida pushed up his glasses. “Playing a game like this is beneath me. I prefer to expend my energy on intellectual or spiritual pursuits.”

“You're a fuddy-duddy, Ishida,” Karin declared.

“No he's not!” Yuzu said. “He's just very serious.” She beamed admiringly at Ishida.

“Serious is just another term for fuddy-duddy.” Karin lifted her chin knowingly. “Anyway, I bet you don't even know how to play baseball.”

Ishida frowned. “Of course I know. Everyone knows how to play baseball.”

“Ok, then explain the infield fly rule.”

“What?!”

“If you know baseball, you have to know the infield fly rule.”

Ishida blinked rapidly. “Well, uh, that's where, umm, a fly ball is hit, and, umm, well…”

Karin grinned wickedly. “There's a little more to it than that.”

“I'm just coming to that!”

“You're not being fair, Karin,” Tatsuki said. “No one understands the infield fly rule.”

“I do!” Karin replied archly.

“I do, too,” Yuzu added.

Tatsuki flushed. “Well, I don't, so there's no reason why Ishida should have to.”

“Don't equate me to you!” Ishida snapped.

Tatsuki bristled. “You got a problem with being equated to me? I can whip your pussy butt anytime, arrow boy!”

“Hah!” Ishida barked. “Not a chance! You think a few karate kicks can overcome my tremendous spiritual power?”

“In a heartbeat, wimp!” Tatsuki jumped to her feet and pointed an unwavering finger between Ishida's eyes. “As my friends used to say: Big spiritual power, tiny little di…”

“Arisawa-san!” Yuzu interrupted, her cheeks flushed. “Please don't insult Ishida!”

Ishida slapped her hand aside. “My endowments are more than just spiritual. I don't need to prove myself to some over-muscled, flat-chested female.”

“Flat-chested?!” Tatsuki balled up her fist. Karin and Yuzu grabbed onto her arm.

“Sit down, Tatsuki-chan!” Karin cried. “The next inning's about to start.”

Tatsuki sat back down. “I'm not flat-chested,” she grumbled. “Besides, everyone looks flat-chested next to Orihime.”

Asano flung an arm around Tatsuki's shoulders. “I would be happy to assess the fulsomeness of your bosom for you Arisawa-san.” He held his free hand poised in front of her chest. “I'll just give one a good squeeze and…” His voice trailed off in a gurgle, mainly because Tatsuki had him by the throat.

“Touch my tits and you die.”

Asano slowly moved his hands away. Tatsuki released him.

Karin grinned at Ishida. “I still say Ishida doesn't know how to play baseball.”

“Can we all just shut up and watch the game?” Ishida growled. “I should have sat with the Hollows.”