Shattering Humanity-Chapter 329: "I’ll Be Your Closer."
Those who overly pride wealth is like the overflowing water which shall cause damages. It is better to restrain early.
Those who are not content with fame is like polishing the edge of a knife.
The sharper it gets, the easier it is to break.
Wealth and treasures are but illusions that one cannot possess.
Those who are arrogant of their wealth and fame shall invite blame upon oneself.
The nature Tao teaches one to retreat after one’s success and not to hold on to the credit." -Tao Te Ching Chapter 9
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[Faithful Friends Firehouse Field]
Like around the rest of the world, SeiõrSnow continues to fall all over Tomodachi Town and the field behind it’s firehouse.
The sky is beginning to pinken as the day is now winding to an end, and the sun is on it’s descent.
*CRACK!*
Quick footsteps, and heavy breathing combine before a "Hmph!"
...
*POP!*
...
Shelly: "Did he-?
He did it again...
Good catch Katsu!!!"
In the outfield Katsu gets up from the ground and wipes the grass and dirt off of him.
His dark, all black sweatshirt and sweatpants have barely visible grass stains all over them.
He smiles and jogs in to his awaiting pitcher to accompany him back to their dugout.
Jormungand once again stops sprinting rounding 1st base and jogs to a stop in front of his cute older sister.
This time the young athlete is really annoyed and frustrated as he kicks the dirt.
Jorm: "Damn it!"
Drakania, noticing her brother’s sour attitude, and tries to calm him down as she softly places one of her soft hands on his shoulder.
Drakania: "Jormy, it’s okay.
You got a hit earlier in the game.
Katsu and Shelly are just really good at sports and physical activities.
You shouldn’t be getting mad or frustrated because of them."
Jormungand watches as Katsu passes by behind Drakania.
Katsu sees Jormungand out the corner of his Anjell eye.
He stops and looks at the young athlete.
Katsu: "Aye, Jormungand..."
He holds up his tattooed thumb with his matching smile.
Katsu: "... You’re really making me work out here.
Iwish you were on my squad!
You’re a beast of an all around athlete in the making!"
Jormy slightly blushes from the compliment by his superior.
He then calmly takes the defensive glove from his proud sister.
Jormy: "Th-Thanks, Katsu.
Just... can I ask you something real quick?"
Katsu gets confused and glances over at Shelly. She is still on the mound while showing Itsuka the correct way to hold the baseball and properly throw a curve ball.
He looks back at the younger brother with a smile.
Katsu: "Sure.
Ask away, bro."
Jormungand takes a glance at Saku as the Izanami captain puts on the catcher’s gear, being traded over by Scylia.
He looks back at Katsu.
Jormungand: "How do you know where the ball is going to be hit?
Everytime you make a diving play, you start out in center field, but before the contact with the ball happens, you move over to the side the it conveniently gets hit towards."
Katsu listens on, his smile stuck on his face.
Jormungand: "It’s almost like..."
He nervously looks at Drakania before saying what is on his mind.
Jormungand: "It’s almost like you know the future and where the ball is going to end up."
There is some suspicious silence between the group.
Meanwhile, as he finishes putting on the chest protector, Saku finally notices both of the purple haired siblings he saved from Roronora, talking to Katsu.
The Izanami captain looks over towards the mound and sees Itsuka learning from Shelly.
The blonde walks away and makes her way to a chuckling Katsu.
Itsuka: "I think I got the hang of it now, Saku!
Is it okay if I throw a few practice curveballs?"
Saku moves his focus back over to her and nods with a half smile.
Saku: "Yea..."
He points the catcher’s mitt at her with conviction.
Saku: "...but just remember what I said!"
Itsuka playfully rolls her eyes and Snickers.
Itsuka: "’Just keep it out of the dirt’, I got it. I got it.
Jeez, I would never try to hurt you, Saku."
From 3rd base, the always loud and disruptive Laban can be heard. Using her loving voice reserved for only two people, Saku and Princess Rebekah.
Laban DaeMon: "Ohhh! Don’t you worry, my Sakiiii!
If that mean, ugly, Amazonian hurts your balls, I’ll kiss them allll better for you<3!"
She makes a few wet kissing noises with her puckered lips over towards home plate.
Itsuka: "Might as well kiss his ass more while you’re at it!"
Laban’s fire returns and her shoulders get squared while yelling aggressively.
Laban DaeMon: "Look who’s talking, you freaking SheBeast!
The only reason you’re even playing right now is to try and impress my Saki!
If this were a real game, with real rules, you wouldn’t have gotten on base once, but because you and Skalmönd are ’buddy-buddy’ she’s been throwing you airmail, while going all out on me to make me look bad!"
Itsuka: "You make yourself look bad, you dumbass!"
Saku: "For the love of...
Can we, at the very least, finish this last inning before you two go at it again?!
We’re up 9-8.
If we get these three outs, the game is over."
He throws his face mask on and squats behind the tip of the baseball diamond.
Saku: "It’s never ending, like what the-"
Both girls look at each other than quickly turns their noses away.
Xaaydagaay and Friend both go charging for the outfield.
They pass by 2nd Base, where Katsu chuckles at the questioning by the young brother.
Both Jormy and Drakania look confused, but the captain explains as Shelly walks up and joins them.
Katsu(chuckling): "You see Jorm, it has nothing to do with being able to predict the future, man!
Haha!
My dad was an All-American 5 star baseball recruit when he went to college.
He taught me the intricacies of each outfield position, as well as how to play according to the batter and pitcher’s dominant hands.
Since you bat lefty Jorm, and because Shelly pitches righty, statistically speaking, you have a disadvantage against her."
Jormungand looks down at his Iceman arm as he opens and closes it.
Katsu: "In the analytics of things, if you’re going to make any contact at all with one of her pitches, especially her curveballs, it’s going to most likely end up in right, center/right field, if it’s popped up.
I learned that from my dad.
He really was a genius on and off the field...
I really do miss him."
Jormungand, being the son of a sports loving father himself, can easily relate to missing those times with his beloved Dad.
Shelly also smiles, remembering her adoptive father, and some of her literally unforgettable times with him.
Shelly(thinking): *I really miss Mr. and Mrs.Takeshi.*
The purple haired older sister is the first to break the sad silence.
Drakania: "So your Dad, he- he didn’t make it to the professionals?"
The young Yang Vessel, perfectly resembling his father, shakes his head.
Katsu: "Unfortunately for him, sports weren’t as big as they eventually grew into, so my grandpa had him sign up for the military. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
’It’s a more respectable field.
You’ll actually be saving lives, and creating freedom for others to play meaningless sports’, my Dad’s dad said.
Hmph...’meaningless’."
The reminiscing young man looks down at his glove, tears begin to form, but only in his right human eye.
Katsu: "My dad was against the idea of giving up his personal purpose, but then my mom got pregnant with me and I became his new personal purpose.
The military was a more sure bet than waiting for his call up to the Majors, so in reality, I was the one that made him give it all up."
Shelly: "Katsu, don’t say that!"
Despite the self dejection, Katsu raises his head and fist with a smile.
Katsu: "But now I have the blessing to live with Shelly and you all, because of him and my Mum’s sacrifices.
Now that they’re gone, all I can do is use those sacrifices, and everything my parents taught me to make the people around me happier!
Haha!"
Drakania smiles behind her bent fingers while looking back and forth between Jormy and Katsu.
Jormungand allows a chuckle to escape from his nose and connects with his Iceman fist.
Jormungand: "You definitely have that ’captain’s mentality’ too, Katsu."
Katsu chuckles while turning away and jogging with Shelly back to the dugout.
Katsu: "Good pitching Shell.
How does the arm feel?"
The oh so reliable Ace of Takamagahara does large right arm circles to stretch out her shoulder while using the left to grip her shoulder.
Shelly: "Great!
You already know I feel like I can go another 8 innings if you need me to, Katsu!"
The captain/coach smiles as they enter the dugout and take seats on the bench.
Katsu: "That’s great to hear Shell, but I think you should rest that shoulder and play the outfield for the final inning."
Her head quickly turns in befuddlement.
Shelly: "Huh?"
Katsu gives her a calm smile and jabs his tattooed thumb into his own chest.
Katsu: "I’ll be your closer."
