Baseball and the Azure Blue Sky

Chapter 23: Baseball Idiots at practice

"Kaz, you make me sick!" Sora complained for the umpteenth time during this afternoon practice already. "I told you multiple times that it isn't so easy to explain or to show you what I can and what I can't do! That takes time. Just tell me what you want me to throw and I'm gonna do it for heaven's sake!"

"That's not what I want to hear, Sora"

"Yeah, but honestly speaking I don't even know what you want from me. I couldn't be more honest if I tell you I can literally do anything you want. And I still feel creepy about saying it out loud because it sounds arrogant as hell, I swear"

The young Seidou captain sighed and ruffled his brunette hair.

"It's just the same as during our first pitching practice test in front of the coach. I don't want that. I want your most extreme pitches possible and you don't give them to me. You've been holding back with me as your partner all along, unlike that time when Sawamura caught your ball"

Sora tilted her head in confusion.

"Have I?" she asked honestly. "I thought I've done everything you asked of me though... I've thrown that crazy angle ball that Eijun calls my killer pitch, too"

"Because I know the angle after having seen it. Just like your attempted one-bounce", Miyuki explained patiently. "But I don't know anything else about your other special stuff, so I can't ask for it properly. You have to show me first before I can use it"

Slowly but surely the blue head started to understand what her battery partner was talking about, but it still wasn't as complicated as he tried to make it. She just didn't know how to explain that to him properly.

"There isn't anything to show you, really. I'm just gonna follow your strategy. In other words, you can decide which pitch you want and how extreme you want it to be for yourself..."

The brunette let out a groan. This conversation wasn't developing in a way he wanted it to at all. Following coach Kataoka's orders would be a goddamn pain until the very end.

Sora, sensing her captain's frustration with her, rubbed the back of her head and thought about what to do when she suddenly spotted Sawamura coming back from the batting cages.

"Okay, you know what? I guess we're having a major misunderstanding here, 'cause it's not like I don't want to cooperate", she said matter-of-factly and pulled Miyuki's sleeve to drag him along. "I have an idea, but I don't know if it's gonna work out in our favor, so just watch for a sec"

"Gladly, if it makes things clearer for me in the end..."

"That I can't promise, but I try"

"That's all I'm asking for, Sora"

The young girl waved at her brown haired fellow pitcher friend and Sawamura waved back, falling into a light jog to join her and his captain.

"Ossu, Cap, Sora. S'up?"

"Care to help me out for a bit?" Sora asked, earning a puzzled glance from the southpaw.

"Sure, always. But, what can I do?"

"Grab a glove and we're gonna do that kind of thing"

"EEHH?! In front of Cap?!"

"Yup"

"But you said we should never do that because we wouldn't be able to use it in matches anyway... None of that stuff actually enters the strike zone, right?! We were only supposed to do that for fun and for workout"

"Well, yeah..." she admitted and scratched her cheek with one finger. "But that guy wants to know what I can and what I can't do and he wants to see it with his own eyes first, so... I don't really know what to do or how to explain it any better"