Who Wants to Play Ball?!

The Summer Koshien, the national high school baseball tournament, was the great August classic for fans of the most popular sport in all of Japan. The second round of the tournament was about to begin today at 8 am with Susaki High going up against Osaka International. This game was arguably going to be the toughest Susaki High had ever played, or at least that's what Mr. Kaneko told me. Osaka International had won seven Koshien titles, including the last two in a row. Susaki High had never made it past the first round before.

The atmosphere was positively electric in the city of Nishinomiya, as the Koshien Stadium was completely sold out. 50,000 people were in attendance for the second round?! Mr. Kaneko had always told me baseball was huge in Japan, but I never actually believed it until I saw it for myself.

“Hello, and welcome to the second round of the Summer Koshien!” The announcer's voice could hardly be heard over the roar of the crowd, but she was definitely giving it her all. “Today's first game, the undefeated Osaka International vs. the scrappy underdogs, Susaki High!”

“Yeah! Let's do this!” Mr. Kaneko cheered as our team's players entered the field. I didn't know why he decided to bring me along with him to this game, but I could definitely see the enthusiasm on his face. I could also see his hair making the cat ears look again. Of course, we weren't just here to enjoy the game. We were here on official business, watching the game so we could report on it and write about it in tomorrow's paper.

Susaki High's team consisted mostly of third year students, led by their star pitcher… Kenichi Ishida?! That dreamboat was the star pitcher Mr. Kaneko was telling me about all week?! I thought he was just an actor and an opera singer!

Oh gods… I was getting the opportunity of a lifetime… I got a front row seat to watch THE Kenichi Ishida play baseball!

“You know, Mr. Kaneko, I think I'm starting to see the appeal of this baseball thing…” I said as my heart fluttered to the beat of Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

“I knew you'd come around, Tanaka,” Mr. Kaneko told me. He bought us each a hilariously sized bucket of popcorn for the game ahead. “Now let's see the best Susaki has to offer out there!”

“Kenichi Ishida is preparing to take the first pitch of the game,” the announcer said. “Ishida is the epicenter of this Susaki High miracle run at the Koshien, both as a pitcher and as a batter. The big question is how can he adapt his style to the dominant batters of the Osaka International team, which is averaging more than ten runs a game this season.”

“He's so dreamy…” I said as I watched him do his warmups for the first pitch.

“And that is a strike!” The announcer was clearly just as excited as anyone at the game. “Perfect aim for the young Ishida, who joined the team just this year. If he keeps this up, he could have pro aspirations in his future.”

As I watched him strike out the first batter, and then the second, and then the third, I noticed he was muttering something to himself. I was too far away and too bad at reading lips to notice what it was he was saying. Was there really nothing Ishida-senpai couldn't do?

“And that is the end of the top of the first inning,” the announcer called out. “Now, it's Susaki High's turn to bat.”

The first four innings were more or less the same story. Ishida-senpai would strike out every batter Osaka International had to offer, and when it was Susaki High's turn to bat, our team would score exactly four runs. Somehow, each inning would lead to a scenario where Susaki High would have all four bases occupied by a player and Ishida-senpai would hit a home run, leading to a 16-0 score at the start of the fifth inning.

“Is this sort of thing normal in baseball?” I asked Mr. Kaneko.

“Not in the slightest,” Mr. Kaneko answered. “But I don't care! Susaki High is stomping Osaka International into the dirt! Let's go, Susaki!”

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this game. But I did not know a whole lot about baseball, or statistics, for that matter, to put my finger on what exactly. There weren't any obvious signs of cheating or magical interference, so I just allowed the game to continue as it had been going.

The fifth inning went exactly the same as the first four did. Ishida-senpai would strike out all of Osaka International's batters, and then hit a home run exactly when he needed to. It didn't feel right. But I couldn't figure out what was wrong. 20-0 was the score at the end of the fifth inning. At that point, I was surprised that Osaka International was refusing to give up.

One person who did choose to quit, though, rather surprisingly, was Kenichi Ishida. After five innings of heroics, he went to our team's coach and sat out this inning. Just another thing I assumed was totally normal about baseball. Nobody could have expected a high schooler to pitch all nine innings of a baseball game. Who could have blamed him for taking a break?

But in the sixth inning, the game changed drastically. Without Ishida to lead the way, Susaki High struggled to deal with the raw offensive firepower of the Osaka International team. Now this was the team Mr. Kaneko told me all this time was so big and bad and scary and unbeatable. This team looked very unbeatable in the sixth inning, scoring nine runs and preventing Susaki High from scoring even once.

“And just like that, Osaka International is showing that they are back to form,” the announcer shouted over the loudspeakers. “The undefeated Osaka team proving this is still anyone's game, regardless of what the score might say otherwise!” The score was 20-9 in favor of Susaki High. Sure… Still anyone's game…

Oh wow, was I so wrong. The seventh inning played out very similarly to the sixth. What was wrong all of a sudden with the Susaki High baseball team? Without Ishida-senpai on the field, it seemed our team could not do anything out there. Osaka International was absolutely having their way with them.

“And Myles Larson is proving why he is the star of the show at Osaka International,” the announcer said. “The team's leading batter has been completely unstoppable in the last two innings, scoring three home runs, including one with bases loaded.”

Oh, right… Him… Myles Larson was the star batter for Osaka International, at least that's what Mr. Kaneko told me. Prior to today's game, he had not been struck out all year. Not even once. After having been struck out five times in this game alone, he made it loud and clear that he took that personally. Thanks to his efforts, the score was now 20-16 in favor of Susaki High.

“Dear gods, Tanaka.” Mr. Kaneko appeared very stressed, and it showed in the tone of his voice. “We need Ishida back out on the field yesterday! We can't lose this one just because one pretty boy wants to take a tea break! This is horrifying!”

“If I may, Mr. Kaneko,” I tried to comfort him, “there's still two innings left in the game. There's still plenty of time for our team to figure things out.”

As both teams lined up to start the eighth inning, the announcer said something that startled the entire audience.

“Members of the audience, there appears to be a cream colored pup- what looks to be a Shiba Inu puppy in the outfield. It seems lost, like it doesn't know where to go.”

There was only one cream-colored Shiba Inu puppy that I knew of, and I sure hoped this was not who I thought it was.

“The puppy has now made its way onto third base,” the announcer continued. “It is now standing on the base plate. And it looks like… two people wearing hoods- Are those the dog catchers? Such weird outfits for the dog catchers to be wearing… Ishida pitches! And the dog is now darting at full speed towards home plate! Larson barely misses the puppy as he swings! The puppy scores! Larson hits the ball! It's gone!”

Wait… strange hooded figures were chasing after a dog? Oh no…

The puppy then jumped over the fence separating the audience from the field, and right into my lap! Of course, because he was out in public, he couldn't say what was wrong. But the fact that he jumped specifically onto my lap, whimpering and crying, said it all for him.

“Mr. Kaneko, can I see what's wrong with this puppy?” I asked.

“Yeah, just try to hurry back,” Mr. Kaneko answered. “This is a real ball game, now.”

I took the puppy, who I was absolutely certain was Aichi, into the nearest restroom. Once inside, I asked the puppy, “What did you do this time?”

“Nothing ~woof,” Aichi answered. “I was just stirring up some trouble with the Covens.”

“Stirring up trouble?” I was shocked to hear what he was saying. “Goodness, Aichi, being the reckless magical creature is my job!”

At that moment, we heard a very rough pounding at the restroom door.

“We know you're in here, Hollow,” a deep male voice shouted through the door. “Come out so we can destroy you!”

“Dang it, Aichi…”