>>1324330
> Converse with the other outfielders.
And here I thought it would be a normal thread. I should have known better.

Alright, time for the ol' ball game.

Elodie's dreams are amazingly vivid.

>>1324341
What are you talking about, anon? This is a normal thread.

>>1324346
Right, right. How foolish of me. Carry on, dear GS.

>>1324346
sure...whelp, nothing to see here. Going to do laundry.

>>1324330
> See what the infield is doing. They’re a lively bunch aside from Iris.

>>1324330
>> Converse with the other outfielders.

So where will Josophina fit in? Middle relief (probably not, that will be the fangirls)? Pinch Hitter/Runner? She's probably not a closer.

>>1324459
>Pinch Hitter/Runner
Long legs and reach, so probably

>>1324330
>Converse with the other outfielders.
Isn't Suvorov one of the tanks? Is there a tank at second base?

> Converse with the other outfielders.

“Man.” Stack lobs the ball over to Winona as she closes in. You step up next to her, resting your glove against your chest. Stack looks at you, smirking. “Never thought we’d be playing for our lives in game 162. And against the Chinese! I feel like a rootin’, tootin’, world conquerer right now, Ellie!”

“We’re not exactly the Eight Nation Alliance, Stack.” Winona grins. “We’re better than them! Way I see it, we’ll rout the Chinese by the fifth inning. Ingrid’s stuff looked pretty good today in the pen. Her curveball’s back.”

“Really?” Stack blinks. “I thought she gave up on that after her last start.”

“No, no, she made some adjustments with Coach McPherson,” says Winona. “They had to tweak her windup a little bit but it’s nothing she can’t handle.” You all look over as Ingrid takes her warm up pitches on the mound. Winona does have a point. She seems to have her stuff together. Weirdly, you can’t really remember her last start. Must’ve been terrible though. “Anyway, try and look out for yourself out there, Ellie.”

You roll your eyes. “Please. I’ll be lucky if anything goes out to right field. ZES has a pretty righty dominant lineup. I don’t know them having too many pull hitters either.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Winona folds her arms, sighing. “Guess I’ll be the one to make all the outs at second and third. So try not to get in my pipsqueak.” Winona fluffs Stack’s head with her glove, making her squeak in anger. “I’m like a cheetah out here. Rawr.” She makes a playful clawing motion at you, snapping her teeth. “I might just eat you up, Ellie.”

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

>>1324596
>> Neutral
"I'll reward you if we win".

>>1324596
> Polite

File: 1478674457450.gif (547 KB, 900x767)

547 KB GIF

>>1324596
>> Polite

Oh what fresh hell is this Schteel

Also,
>“IT’S TIME FOR LAFAYETTE BASEBALL!”

Now I'm sad because I just remembered Vin Scully retired last year.

>>1324621
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nsrg9dzjok

>>1324596
>Polite

>>1324621
>Oh what fresh hell is this Schteel
Just remember /u/boat quest.

>>1324596
>Neutral

> Polite

You roll your eyes at Winona. “I’m not very delicious.”

Winona leans in, giggling. “Oooh, maybe I can take a taste to test that.”

Stack steps in between you two. “Not in front of the fans, girls.”

“Warm ups over!” yells Griselda. You all run on down to the diamond. It’s time for the national anthem. You pull off your hat, as do the rest of the team, then gather up and face the flagpole in centerfield out near the centerfield gate. The flag of Lafayette Girls Academy and the United States flag along with the Chinese flag fly together.

You look out to the visitor dugout to see the Zhou Enlai girls. Despite being the Chinese team, they were mostly made up of foreign players. Figures. Once you have all the money in the world, suddenly everything becomes easier. “Ladies and gentlemen, please rise and gentlemen please remove your caps. And remain standing to honor our country with a performance of the Star Spangled Banner.” The entire stadium rises, and quietens down as the Star Spangled Banner is played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkYx82fU82s

…

The Umpire shouts, “Play ball!” The crowd cheers at the commencement of the game. Since you’re the home team, you start out defending the field first. You hurry out to right field.

Here was the Zhou Enlai lineup.

> ZHOU ENLAI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
> 1. E. Barkmann – LF - R
> 2. C. Tuffin – SS - R
> 3. J. Brunet – 3B - L
> 4. F. Ward – RF - L
> 5. B. Yun – CF - R
> 6. S. Lin – C - R
> 7. D. Mao – 2B - R
> 8. H. Mei – P - L
> 9. L. Bing – 1B – R

> PITCHER REPORT: HUA MEI
> ARSENAL:
>> FASTBALL: 70% - 50% ELECTRICITY RATING
>> SLIDER: 20% - 10% ELECTRICITY RATING
>> CHANGEUP 10% - NO ELECTRICITY, STONE AGE

Right. Here we go. First pitch of the day, Ingrid, make it count!

She winds up, kicking her leg up before delivering down the mound. A fastball! Bold!

And crack, Barkmann hits it. But manages to pull it between you and Stack. Uh oh. You and her race after it. High in the air, it looks like a pop up! No wind either, it’s between you and her!

> Call it! It’s yours!
> Let Stack take it.
> Other

>>1324795
> Let Stack take it.
This is ellie we're talking about...if there is a chance for someone else to take the opportunity to shine. It would be her. That amd Stack is a stud at this.

>>1324795
>> Let Stack take it.

> Let Stack take it.

You lean down and slide on your chest, braking hard on the grass. Stack sees this and realizes she’s actually supposed to get it now. She sprints forth and leaps over you, catching it in gracefully in her glove. “Ha! I got-“ She slams into the wall and falls back onto her side. Oh, that had to have hurt. You get up and hurry over to her.

“Stack!” You look down at her, she stares up at the sky, dazed a bit. “Stack, are you okay!?”

“Two for me, Mom, I’m not very hungry. Thanks.” She holds up the glove, showing the baseball in hand. The crowd rises up and cheers their hearts out for Stack.

> ONE OUT

After confirming Stack was okay, you returned to positions. The next batter fell in line easy. Three strikes and she was out.

> TWO OUTS

And the third, went down easy.

> THREE OUTS

> BOTTOM OF THE FIRST

To the applause of your hometown fans, you return to the dugout. Winona slaps Stack on the back. “Nice job, shorty!” Stack grunts, quickly taking a sip of water before simply splashing it all over her face. The rest of the team waits in reserve as Stack takes the bat.

“Now batting for the Flowers, the centerfielder, Stack Roberts!” The crowd gets on their feet to scream and holler for Stack as she gets behind the plate. You sit up on the dugout and watch yourself. The first pitch from Mei.

“Strike!” Looks like it was straight down the middle. Ugh, first pitch is always the best pitch.

Next pitch. Stack goes swinging, knocking the ball loose down the left field foul line. “Foul ball!” Two strikes.

Third pitch of the day. Stack swings again. That’s the fastball this time again. She whacks it, a weak grounder to short. Stack drops the bat and sprints down to first base. Here we go. Come on, come on! Tuffin grabs it and fires it to first.

“Out!” yells the first base Umpire. Damn. Stack returns to the dugout. You grab a bat and a helmet.

Right, so the sequence for that looked like fastball, slider, then fastball. “Now batting for the Flowers, the right fielder, Elodie Zumwalt!” You drown out the crowd cheering with your own thoughts as you step into the batter’s box. Here we go. You look at the catcher for a second, who nods at you. The Umpire as well nods to you as well. Right. You swing the bat lightly, then ready yourself.

From the windup. She throws. Check the hand, release point, grip, spin, trajectory…

IT’S A SLIDER TO THE OUTSIDE OH GOD WHY ARE YOU SWINGING STOP STOP

> SWING!
> STOP!
> Other

>>1324999
> STOP!
Uh.....sure?

>>1324999
>STOP

> STOP!

You try to stop your swing. Please no no no no no STOP. The ball lands in the mitt. “Did he go!?” yells the Umpire to the first base Umpire. The Umpire makes a fist.

Ah fuck, you went.

> STRIKE ONE.

Right. No more messing around. Next time you’re holding up. She throws again. FASTBALL NOOOOO

> STRIKE TWO

GODDAMN IT. FUCK SHIT.

You have less baseball sense than a boulder. At least a boulder could get hit and take first. Right. Next one should be the slider again, make you chase on it. She throws.

> STRIKE THREE.

…

It was the fastball.

You return to the dugout. Ugh. That was horrific. That checked swing fucked your AB. You rest your helmet in the rack and place your bat down where it should be then sit down. Right. This should be good.

Aaaaand Winona pops out to first.

> THREE OUTS.

-

-

> THIRD INNING

Griselda and the infielders were now discussing things at the mound while you outfielders sit and wait. “What do you think they’re talking about?” asks Winona.

“Maybe the two baserunners Ingrid let on,” says Stack. Aside from the perfect second inning from both pitchers, it seems there’ll be a double switch at the moment. Stack looks at you, squinting. “Ellie, are you okay?” You blink, looking to her. “That at-bat you took earlier. You didn’t seem like you were all there. Is something the matter?”

“Well. I mean, she tricked me as all,” you say.

“Actually.” Winona leans over. “You do seem like a space cadet today. If’s something wrong you can tell me lil ol’ me.” She smiles at you, fluttering her eyes. “What is it? Nervous about the next PA? Trying to decipher the pitcher?” She leans in closely. “Got a crush on somebody?”

> “I just don’t feel like I belong here.”
> “I’m fine. Go away.”
> “It’s nothing. It’s just nerves.”
> Other

>>1325276
> “I just don’t feel like I belong here
...
> “It’s nothing. It’s just nerves.”

>>1325276
>> “It’s nothing. It’s just nerves.”

> “It’s nothing. It’s just nerves.”

“It’s nothing, it’s just nerves as all.” The two of them stare at you, confused a little. “What? We’re playing the last game of the season, decides whether we clinch the division or not. Can’t I be nervous? Jeez.”

“We’re not clinching the division, we’re clinching the Wild Card,” says Stack.

“What?”

“Yeah.” Winona nods. “We’re playing Zhou Enlai to get the 2nd Wild Card spot, then we have to play ANOTHER one-game playoff maybe against JWC. And you know JWC cheats like mad.” Winona nudges Stack. “You remember that series they brought beehives to throw into the outfield before the game? You spent like a week nursing stings.”

“And then there was that time they disguised a pitching machine as a person,” says Stack. “Fortunately, it developed sentience and declared its right to self-determination so it walked off the mound and they had to go to the bullpen.” That- You would remember that. Huh.

Winona shakes her head. “Yeah. Weird.” What the hell is going on!? They walk away back to their positions.

Wait a second! You don’t play baseball! This-

You gasp.

You’re having a lucid dream! You’re dreaming!

And you’re not waking up!

Ooooohhhh this is good, this is good. You don’t know why you’re dreaming about baseball but damn it, you could do anything you want now! You look over at Ingrid, grinning.

Your grin drops when you see Griselda chastise Ingrid for the baserunners. Ingrid nods slowly, frowning intensely. Oh. The infielders break up back to their positions, and Griselda goes back to the dugout. Ingrid sighs, flexing her pitching arm a bit. Hm.

Well…

> No, it’s a dream! Have fun, damn it!
> She may be a figment of your dream, but let Ingrid have her time in the sun.
> Other

>>1325673
> She may be a figment of your dream, but let Ingrid have her time in the sun.

File: 1490153979388.jpg (137 KB, 1040x400)

137 KB JPG

>>1325673
>> She may be a figment of your dream, but let Ingrid have her time in the sun.

For friendship!

> She may be a figment of your dream, but let Ingrid have her time in the sun.

Well.

You shrug. You decide to relax and stand out in right field. Come on, Ingrid. Show them your stuff!

Ingrid takes a deep breath. She winds and fires the ball. “STRIKE!” screams the Umpire. Yes! You pump your fist. Come on. A few more of those! Ingrid winds and fires again. “STRIKE!” And another, come on, Ingrid!

-

-

> TOP OF THE NINTH

Although Ingrid still allowed seven baserunners. She never allowed them to get home at all. By the ninth inning however, the score remained tied at nothing to nothing. Iris Blackbourne had consistently hit two singles and a double all day but nobody could bring her home.

It was now two outs.

Now, Ingrid’s twenty-first strike out was commencing. She tossed in a strike. “STRIKE!” yells the Umpire. That’s Strike Two. That made the full count at three balls, two strikes. One wrong move and that’s a walk. And with a runner on first, that’ll be trouble. Mei Xiang and Griselda watched from the dugouts, quietly, stoically. Ingrid panted heavily, sweat beading down her neck.

This was her final pitch. From the stretch, she fired off a devastating curveball. She swung. “Strike three!” The crowd roared like maniacs for Ingrid. Twenty-one strike outs. Griselda welcomed her to the dugout as you all came back in. Ingrid breathed in heavily, grinning. She sat down on the bench, looking out to the field. You hurry to get a cup of water for her.

“Thanks,” says Ingrid.

Josephina smiles as she sits down next to her. “You did well, Ingrid!”

“Yeah!” Winona smiles happily.

“Ran ‘em all down! Now you just sit, we’ll get the win for you,” says Stack.

Unfortunately, it was now the seven spot. “Dalia! Let’s go! Josephina!” Griselda shouts out to you all. “Josie! Nine spot, grab a bat and a helmet!”

> BOTTOM OF THE NINTH

“Strike three!” To her credit, Hua Mei was keeping you all pinned with superior firepower. But she was tiring fast. You couldn’t see who was warming up to replace her. But it didn’t sound good. Those bangs of horsehide on leather were worrying even from the dugout across the field. Carver was out. And with Dalia also popping out to short, it was now two outs.

Josephina, pinch hitting for Ingrid, had to get on base. Mei fed her two quick strikes. “Strike two!” says the Umpire. Mei pants heavily, wiping sweat off of her forehead. She takes a deep breath, then slings a fastball. Josephina whacks it, sending it right out of the infield and into right field. The crowd goes nuts as Josephina takes her jog to first base.

Stack was next. She hit a weak grounder to third. Easy double play. The ball bounced to the third baseman.

And it deflects off her wrist. Josephina slides into second safe. The only play is at first! The third baseman throws desperately and…

“SAFE!”

Oh fuck.

You’re up.

[1/2]

>>1326145
[2/2]

“Now batting, the right fielder, Elodie Zumwalt!” You step up to the plate, clutching the bat in your hands in a death grip. Two outs, runners on first and third. You look to see Mei Xiang and Hua Mei talking on the mound. Pitcher Mei hands the ball to manager Mei, who signals for a left handed pitcher.

And out of the bullpen comes…

Arisu.

She steps up to the mound, stoically. She takes the ball from Manager Mei then stares you down.

Oh son of a bitch.

> ARISU SHIMADA – LEFT HANDED CLOSER
> ARSENAL:
>> SCREWBALL: 60% - ELECTRICITY RATING 100%
>> 12-6 CURVE: 10% ELECTRICITY RATING 100%
>> SLIDER: 10% ELECTRICITY RATING 100%
>> CUTTER: 10% ELECTRICITY RATING 100%
>> TWO-SEAM: 10% ELECTRICITY RATING 100%

Of all the people, it had to be her. You look to Ingrid.

“Come on, Elodie! Knock it out of the park!” she shouts from the dugout.

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

>>1326150
> Polite
Thank you for the faith in me.

Now to try and knock it out of the park.

>>1326150
>> Boast

>>1326159
You know what, its a dream and its been quiet. We can probably dream up a win here, right?

>>1326247
Whoops, switiching to

>Boast.

> Boast

You give a thumbs up, nodding to her. Alright. That’s the best you can do really. It’s Arisu Shimada for fucks sake. She’s heir to the Shimada Household. Technically, she’s not a pitcher, she’s a tank commander. But… if she really put her mind to it, she could probably pitch circles around you. Right, dig in your foot, plant your lead foot. See what she’s got. Come on.

Arisu checks Josephina at third, then Stack at first. Then instantly she throws. Right check the hand-

Wait. The way she throws… Her hand is covered by her head! She flings it forward. Wait!

It lands in the catcher’s mitt. “Strike one!” W- was that a curveball or a slider? No, it had to be a curveball, it was in the zone.

Damn it.

She throws again. Wait, lay off! “Ball one!” Oh hell that was close. Arisu squints a little, then checks her signs. A nod of the head, then quickly she throws another. You lay off again. “Strike two!” Fuck! That was there! You should’ve swung!

She throws another. “Ball two!” Okay. Just check. Just check. 2-2 count. She throws again. Slider! You’re getting your eye in. It’s outside! Please say it’s outside! “Ball three!” Oh thank God. Your heart’s racing. Sweet Jesus.

You’d rather have a dream about going on a date or something rather than this right now. But this is for Ingrid. Yes, for Ingrid. Come on. Come on. For dream Ingrid! You wiggle the bat a bit, planting your feet. This is it. The last straw. Arisu stares you down.

…

“You think you can win?” asks Arisu.

You blink.

“Of course I can,” you say.

“Why?” She starts winding up. Stack and Josephina watch carefully. From the stretch. She throws.

Mei looks to you from the dugout. “This is a competition, Elodie Zumwalt. You play sports to win.”

Griselda tilts her head. “What will happen if I lose? How can I face my sister? How can I face the team?”

Elyse looks from the bullpen. “We look up to you, Elodie. Are you really going to lose?”

“You’re the best around, Ellie!” says Winona. “Of course you can’t lose!”

“You have to win for us,” Ingrid declares. “Right?”

Iris Blackbourne sternly looks at you from the dugout. “Does a lady follow the competition or the victory? This is the question.”

Arisu throws. “Are you prepared to lose?”

> “Yes.”
> “No.”
> Other

>>1326536
>> “No.”
Absolutely NOTHING can possibly ruin this moment!

>>1326536
God, I am not good at the philisophicals. Shouldn't we day Yes. Because if we are prepared to lose we can be happy regardless?

> Other
"I want to help my teammates to win, but as a mature athlete and good leader I should be able to deal with a loss".

>>1326725
Yep. I am happy to support this.

>>1326536
> Other
"I'm prepared to lose. But, I intend to win."

>>1326781
Why not tack this on to the other stuff too.

> Other

You want your teammates to win. You want to make your friends proud. You need to be able to deliver. But sometimes, yeah, there’s going to be somebody that bests you. And you should do deal with that.

You’re prepared to lose. Yeah.

The ball comes in. You swing. You intend to win.

Crack.

…

You look up at the night sky. The ball hasn’t disappeared into the stars just yet. It’s going, it’s going. Everyone watches, rising up. You start taking your run. The ball smashes into the lights, exploding brilliantly like a cascade of fireworks on the forth of July. Home run! Home run! You start making your rounds around the bases. Josephina and Stack jump up, skipping over to home plate. The Lafayette Flowers storm out of the dugout coming to greet at home. The base coaches hug each other, crying and cheering.

You’ve done it. You run down the line, looking to the jubilant faces of all of your teammates. The lights in your eyes nearly blind you.

-

-

You open your eyes to a faint light in the tent. You turn your head, then slowly sit up. Winona, Stack, and Josephina are all in a pile of sleeping bags on top of one another. Not Ingrid though. You turn your head to see Ingrid beneath a blanket, light on. What’s she up to?

You pull it open lightly. She’s laying on her stomach, watching something on her phone. Cuddles the snake sits on her head. “Ingrid?”

She looks at you, pulling her earbuds out. “Oh. Sorry, Ellie,” she whispers. “Did I wake you up?”

“No, no.” You shake your head.

She squints at you. “Jeez, Ellie. You’re kind of sweaty.” Your heart is racing a bit. That was a very intense dream actually. “Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?”

> Boast
> Neutral
> Polite

>>1326846
> Polite
Quite the opposite...I feel great...

>>1326846
>> Polite

> Polite

“No. I’m fine, I’m fine. I feel great actually.” Ingrid stares at you for a few seconds, noting your sweat. “Not like that.” She nods. “Just… you mind if I cut in? Just until I fall asleep?”

“Go ahead.” Ingrid brings the blanket over you, and shares in the tight space with you. “I’m just watching some highlights from yesterday’s games. Pretty cool stuff happened. Some home runs, some nice defensive plays.” She sighs, resting her head on her pillow. “Haven’t actually watched a full game in a long while. Been caught up with Tankery actually.”

“Yeah.” You nod. “Well, I’m sure you’ll get back to that once the season is over.”

“Oh, definitely. I feel like I’ve missed out. Though, probably not everything. Cubs probably aren’t going to win the World Series this year,” says Ingrid. “I swear, if they ever do win, the fans are going to be insufferable. Ever since the Red Sox started winning, their fans got insufferable according to my Dad. I can’t imagine a hundred year drought being doused in a World Series victory for the Cubs.”

“Yeah.” You sigh, resting your head on a pillow. “Ingrid.” She quirks her brow, looking to you. “What’s the most strikeouts a pitcher has even gotten?” you ask.

Ingrid smiles a little, then says, “Well, on the topic of the Cubs, it was Kerry Wood. Twenty strikeouts in a single game. No pitcher has ever matched that so far. It’s stood since 1998.”

“Really.”

She nods. “Really. Why do you ask?”

You shrug, shutting your eyes. You sigh. “Nothing.”

File: 1453883373702.gif (2.24 MB, 640x360)

2.24 MB GIF

>>1327169
That's it for tonight's April Fool's thread. We'll be back tomorrow with an actual thread of LGA2 tomorrow hopefully.

BASEBALL IS COMING GET HYPE WOOOOOOO

Follow at: https://twitter.com/GermanSchteel
Ask at: http://germanschteel.tumblr.com/
Book Tumbles: http://germanschteelbookblog.tumblr.com/

See you next time.

>>1327174
Sad that the thread didn't have the traffic this time. But it was a fun ride. I am ready to see what we find underground...hope we have time to train too.

>>1327174
Thanks for the fun, boss. Surprise threads are fun too.

>>1327174
Good thread Schteel, sorry I missed it live.