CH. 46 - The Match Heats Up

Haru and Lucy immediately start rushing around the court, crossing each other’s paths over and over again with seemingly no pattern other than quick dashes back and forth.

“You think a little back and forth will cause us to slip?” Frank shouts.

“Don’t make us laugh!” Himiko mocks, then cocks back for a bomb of a throw. She aims for Haru, who runs from right to left. She aims slightly ahead of his path before throwing. The ball is lined up perfectly and would hit him, but before it can, where Haru and Lucy would usually cross paths, they stop suddenly and run back the exact way they came.

This would mean Lucy would be in the line to be struck, however, Frank aims for Lucy now and throws the ball at her, causing the twins’ balls to collide and deflect in front of Lucy. Frank grunts as his ball flies away.

“Come on, Himiko! I had that!” Frank shouts at his sister.

“It’s not my fault they switched up like that!” She shouts back. As they yell at each other, Haru and Lucy grab a couple balls themselves. Lucy then lines up her shot at Himiko for a speedball. Himiko notices the incoming attack and shouts.

“Careful, she can throw curves! She’s really aiming for you!”

Frank realizes and dashes across in front of Himiko after Lucy throws her ball. Lucy’s ball does do what Himiko says, but Frank dodges without paying attention to Haru. He lines up a fastball with Frank, who is still mid dodge. His eyes widen as Haru throws the ball at high speed. Unable to dodge on his own, Himiko then grabs him by the collar and yanks him back, barely missing the ball.

“Come on, Frank! Get your head in the game!” She shouts at her brother.

“It’s not my fault they faked me out like that!” They yell at each other again before facing Haru and Lucy, who are panting from the running back and forth but still have looks of confidence. Haru then grabs another ball and points it at Frank.

“This one’s for you.” He says with a smile while Himiko picks up a ball and does the same to Lucy, who smiles in return. They growl a bit before Haru and Frank start dashing across the court. Haru keeps his ball pointed at Frank as they dash back and forth in an attempt to keep Frank’s attention on himself. Suddenly, once they reach the end of the court, Frank stops sharply and runs the opposite direction of Haru.

‘I need to keep as much space as possible for a catch!’ Frank thinks. He keeps them separated by staying across the court diagonally while they dart back and forth. As they do this, Lucy and Himiko stand still. Lucy has no ball, and her arms are not even up. Himiko smirks.

“Go ahead and taunt me all you like. It’s time you get out of this game!” Himiko shouts as she pulls back for a heavy speedball, and as soon as she lets it go, Frank stomps right in front of the ball's path.

“Bingo.” Lucy and Haru say in unison. The ball collides with the back of Frank’s head and goes flying in the air. Himiko looks stunned then gets irritated.

“You always get in the way!”

“Me? You were the one who fell for their switcheroo!” Frank shouts back.

“Anyone would fall for that! It’s the point of the move!” Himiko shouts back.

“Not us! We’re the Gauge Twins! Masters of dodgeball!” Frank shouts even more.

“Then why are you playing right into their hands?!” Himiko argues louder.

“Ahem.”

As the siblings bicker, Lucy interrupts. The twins, having gotten in each other’s faces, turn to look at Lucy, who has her hand out to catch the ball from the air that hit Frank. As soon as they notice both Haru and Lucy have balls in their hands, they get looks of shock before being hit with the balls in their sides. Emiko sighs and shakes her head as they fall over. 

“You two really need to stop getting into fights like that.” Emiko says. They both look up at Emiko angrily.

“Oh, shut up!” They shout in unison.

“There it is!” Emiko points at them while also placing a finger on the tip of her nose enthusiastically and smiles widely at them. They reluctantly walk off the court as Haru and Lucy high five. 

“How did you know that would work?” Lucy asks Haru.

“Well, I have a little sister at home, and if there’s anything I know about siblings, it’s that no matter how well we get along, we will always fight every now and then. I just counted on that happening now.” Haru says proudly.

“Hey you two.” Emiko calls out. They look at Emiko when suddenly a ball hits Haru in the arm. “You guys are truly amazing, but the game isn’t over. You must stay focused if you want to win!” She says with her normal intense eyes and smile. Haru has a look of frustrated surprise but walks off court since he knows she’s correct. Lucy angrily steps back with Shiori.

“Well, that was rude.”

“You know she’s right. You guys were awesome, but we’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us.” Shiori says.

“I know…” Lucy pouts about it as she continues the match.

“That duel between the monster dodgeball players and the Gauge Twins certainly was a sight to behold, but what comes next? With only a few team members on both sides, this match only gets closer and closer! Who’s gonna win the next match? And who’s gonna get the most points in the end?!” Shuhei announces excitedly. With so few players left, both sides hesitate to strike and play defensively for a moment. 

“I think we should focus on Emiko. That other guy in the back doesn’t seem to care too much since he’s been reading that book the whole time.” Hikigaya says, noticing the guy again, who’s still just minding his business.

“I don’t know, maybe we should do him now and leave Emiko for last. I don’t like the way he doesn’t seem to care…” Ryuji says with a slightly nervous tone, lowering his head a bit but not removing his gaze from the boy.

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves. You’re forgetting someone.” Emiko says, hearing their words. She smiles as she steps to the side, revealing a small girl who looks very timid. The others are surprised by her appearance when no one had seemed to notice her before. 

“Who is that?.. I couldn’t even feel she was there.” Chizuru says.

“Go ahead, introduce yourself. They’re not mean people, just competitive like me.” Emiko encourages the girl to step forward, so she does shyly.

“M-my name is Eden… I’m a fourth year in class 4-1!..” She says softly, trying to sound more assertive at the end of her sentence.

“And why don’t you show them how to throw a ball?” Emiko offers and hands a rubber ball to Eden, who timidly grabs it.

“Don’t worry, guys, we should be able to catch it.” Kitaro says confidently. Eden then pulls her arm back and suddenly slams her foot forward and throws the ball harder than anyone else has the entire day. The entire class’ eyes widen as the ball bolts for Kitaro.

He isn’t even able to react when the ball slams into his stomach, shoving him all the way back to the final line of the court. He stands for a moment with his head lowered before the ball drops to the ground in front of him. His knees shake as he collapses to the ground on his knees.

“That was… unreal…” Kitaro says trying to catch his breath. Eden then smiles shakily.

“I… I knew I could do it!..” She says excitedly but still softly as Emiko smiles an intense knowing smile.

“So did I.”

“Woah! Did you see that!? Never before in my life have I seen such power! It’s like a real life cannon! Can anyone stop her? If the answer is no, then it looks like this match is just about wrapped up!” Shuhei cheers as the crowd is stunned at the shocking power of Eden.

“This is bad news… She can throw like no other! And with Emiko protecting her, how are we gonna get her out?” Shiori wonders with stress now weighing on her shoulders.

“Let’s show them again.” Emiko says. Eden nods and leaves Emiko’s side before grabbing a ball from the ground. The class all stiffens up as she does.

“This time… I want… her!..” Eden says as she points at Lucy with her free hand. Lucy sweats, as do the others.

“Lucy, dodge!” Ryuji shouts. Lucy’s eyes sharpen as Eden begins her throw. The ball barely misses her face as she dodges to the right. Lucy gets angry and shouts at her.

“What are you trying to do?! Take my head off?!” Lucy is then shocked when she sees Eden already cocking her arm back for another throw. “Another one..? So fast!..” Lucy is stunned.

“Lucy!” Hikigaya shouts. She doesn’t have enough time to dodge this time. Eden throws the ball and, like Kitaro before her, is hit right in the stomach. Though this time she catches it, she is still sent sliding far back. As she slides, she trips from the force and falls on her back, causing the ball to drop. She sits up, wincing from the pain of the ball.

“This girl is insane…” She says under her breath. The rest of the class sweats and stares as Suiyoubi helps Lucy up and away from the court.

“I will… I will prove I’m not weak!..” Eden says as confidently as the timid girl can.

“I don’t think anyone is arguing that…” Chizuru says before thinking. ‘What is with her? It doesn’t feel like she’s lying or pretending. She truly feels like she thinks she’s weak but has power like a monster!’

“Next I want… him..!” Eden says as she points again, but this time at Hikigaya. They all sweat and get looks of concern again, but Hikigaya sharpens his eyes and steps forward. Everyone is surprised for a moment as Emiko’s smile widens.

“You really do have a fire in you.” Emiko says. Hikigaya steps as close to the line as he can with his arms open.

“Go ahead and try.” Hikigaya says. Eden looks a little nervous at first before she slowly smiles with anticipation ever so timidly.

“Alright.” She pulls her arm back and readies her throw.

“Hikigaya, don’t do it! We have to dodge, it’s too strong!” Shiori shouts at him.

“Listen to her, we’ll find another way!” Chizuru shouts too.

“There is no other way.” Hikigaya says out loud. Emiko’s eyes widen with anticipation as the boy in glasses in the back raises an eyebrow a bit, finally looking up from his book.

“Her throw is stronger than anyone else’s. She would definitely just strike us out, and we’ll only tire more if we keep dodging. And with Emiko defending her, there’s no way we’ll be able to hit her. The only way to beat her… is to catch it!” Hikigaya shouts to his class.

“I’m impressed yet again. That would be the best play, however, can you do it?” Emiko asks intensely. Hikigaya sweats as Eden readies herself. She takes a deep breath in as Hikigaya does the same.

“HAAAH!” Eden screams as she slams her front foot down, breaking the blacktop asphalt a bit. The ball launches from her hand with a boom almost as clear as day, heard by the sheer force of her throw. Everyone in the crowd, as well as players on the sides, are in shock at the throw. In an instant, the ball is right at Hikigaya.

Hikigaya shouts back as he slams his hands into the ball, grabbing it with both hands. He holds it out in front of him for a moment before his arms bend and it gets closer to his chest. He grits his teeth as he tries to hold it, but not long after catching it, he begins sliding back quickly.

“Hikigaya!” Shiori shouts. Hikigaya shouts as he slides back, trying to catch the ball. The others watch in hopes that he will succeed. He slides all the way back to the final line of the court but stops there. He struggles with the ball for a moment more.

“We are going to win..! We are going to help Mr. Goda achieve his goal!”

He shouts before slamming his hands into the ball harder, causing a large boom and dust cloud to appear suddenly. Everyone is excited to see what happened as the class coughs and bats away the dust.

“Hikigaya, are you alright?!” Shiori calls to him, but there is no answer. Slowly the dust begins to clear, revealing Hikigaya standing tall, holding the ball in his right hand, still within the court. No one says a word as they are all stunned by the action. Shiori just smiles. Then the referee shakes his head, breaking free from his daze, and sharply blows his whistle.

“The ball was caught. You’re out!” He shouts as he points at Eden.

“And would you look at that! Hikigaya has actually caught the ball! I would’ve never guessed in my entire life that anyone would’ve been able to do that, yet here we are! A second year, no less, has caught the ball of the most devastating throw I have ever seen! We are truly getting down to the wire here!” Shuhei cheers excitedly. Eden has a look of disbelief before beginning to cry a little.

“I’m sorry, Emiko! I should’ve taken them all out! I should’ve been stronger…” Eden cries out.

“It’s okay, Eden.” Emiko places a hand on her shoulder and gives her a thumbs up. “You really came out of your shell today. That’s some amazing progress.” Emiko says warmly. Eden timidly smiles in return. 

“T-thank you..!”

As they talk for that moment, Ryuji’s eyes focus on the boy in the back. He sweats a bit as the boy turns a page of the book he’s reading.

‘Now could be our only chance to get him, while they’re distracted…’ He thinks. He then quickly grabs a ball from the ground and prepares to throw it. Emiko’s eyes dart towards him, but it’s too late. Ryuji throws the ball hard and fast directly at the boy.

Suddenly, the ball stops right in front of him. The boy raised his hand and caught the ball on contact. Ryuji sweats and gets a look of frustration and disappointment knowing he got out.

“Emiko…” The boy speaks. He closes his book and gently places it on the ground just outside of court lines. “I really wish you would take your own advice.” He says.

“Hey, there’s only like four of them left. I knew you could handle it, Kenzo!” She says back with a smile.

“Mhm.” He hums before turning his attention to the class. “And you lot. I really wish you wouldn’t involve me in your pointless games. I chose this specific spot to stand in because it statistically is the least attacked spot with the fewest points of proper attack without disruption. I could’ve stayed here the whole match and not needed to move once if you didn’t single me out, so why bother?” Kenzo explains as he pushes up his glasses. “Besides, you stand no chance of winning, so admit defeat already. I have a much more interesting story to stay involved in.”

He then throws the ball high and to the side, nowhere near any of the others. They all get confused faces as Kenzo eyes the ball.

‘With the wind speed and direction today, combined with the weight of the ball and spin I gave it, accounting for the force I threw, it should end up… there.’

Suddenly, midair, the ball starts to turn. It then falls at high speed aimed right at Chizuru. She looks around confused before noticing the ball above her with a look of shock to see the ball curve so intensely and head straight for her. 

“Chizuru, watch out!” Shiori calls out. Before she can do anything, the ball collides with her arm then hits the ground.

“That’s a curveball.” Kenzo says adamantly.

“See? I knew you had it in you to play! You’re so good too!” Emiko says happily.

“I don’t want any part in your game. I’m only here because I owe you.” Kenzo says defiantly.

“Oh, you say that every time!” Emiko teases. Kenzo blushes a bit while pushing up his glasses. Shiori and Hikigaya look with disbelief as they are the only two left.

“That curveball really was something, wasn’t it?” Shuhei asks Ashley excitedly.

“It was. I didn’t even know those balls could move like that!” Ashley answers enthusiastically.

“Well, however it did, it doesn’t change the current situation. We are down to the final few players here. Which class will come out on top?” Shuhei asks the audience with an enthusiastic smirk.

“What do you say? You take the one on the left, I’ll take the one on the right?” Shiori offers Hikigaya with a slightly anxious look.

“Sounds like the best plan we got.” Hikigaya says back, equally as anxious.

“No, the best plan would be to focus your efforts and get Emiko out then leave me for last. She is way out of your league, you won’t be able to take her on alone. But hey, who am I to tell you what to do, right?” Kenzo says sarcastically. They growl at his sarcasm for a moment before focusing. 

“Our way?” Shiori asks with a smile.

“Our way.” Hikigaya answers with a smirk.