Episode 18: "XB vs. Zero: Part 2"

Kazuki Aoyama
"...Looks like he'll be batting first, then."

Another of Zero's drones flew in to hand him a bat.
With the neon lights that adorned it, the aesthetic was almost psychedelic.
Slowly, Zero swung the bat a few times.

Tsuruko Semba
"Who's going to be our pitcher?"

Kazuki glanced over at Q, but before he could say anything...

Yo Kuronaka
"I'll pitch."

Yo spoke up as he stared down the XB Ball he held in his hand.

Q
"All right. We're counting on you."

No one uttered a single word after Q's reply.
Instead, they scattered, spreading out in all directions.
It was apparent they were preparing to play defense.

Yo gripped the XB Ball tightly in his palm before he looked to Zero, who was standing at the ready with his bat.

Yo Kuronaka
"It doesn't matter if I don't have my memories, or any experience. I'm going to defeat you."

He spoke the words with fierce conviction as he prepared to make the first pitch.
Though he couldn't recall the first thing about pitching, his body naturally took the correct stance.

Zero
"I'm sure you'll find which of us is correct. Will your potential be... consumed by despair?"

Instinctually, Yo's body began to move.
He forcefully swung his arm and used a portion of his strength to throw the XB Ball.

When it left his hand, the ball had an intense spin as it headed toward the robot catcher's mitt.
It hit the glove with so much force that a snapping sound could be heard.
The mitt didn't seem to stop the momentum either; the glove continued to spin, and smoke rose up as a result of the friction.

Zero
"That was a good pitch. I'd say it could even rival that of a Tribe's ace pitcher."

Yo Kuronaka
"A... Tribe?"

Zero
"In each of the twenty-three cities, the outlaw youngsters created organizations of their own. Those are the Tribes."

It was a term completely unfamiliar to him.
But hearing it roused something in Yo, resonating deep within him.
Had he been part of a Tribe?
One with Tsuki and Sui?

No... now wasn't the time to contemplate that. He had to stay focused on the game.
He looked toward Zero as he cleared his mind of the errant thoughts.

Zero
"Playing with your Tribe members as you put something important on the line is exactly what XB is about. Do you remember that?
Going by that logic, it'd seem I'm also part of a Tribe now."

Excitement rose in Zero's voice as he considered the idea.

Zero
"Betting everything on the outcome of a game... Isn't it just so exciting?
That settles it! I think I'll declare myself part of a Tribe as well."

That excitement boiled over as Zero made his declaration.

Zero
"It shall be called the 24 Tribe!"

It would be called 24 Tribe, since it belonged to 24 City.
Kazuki had told Yo that Zero was the one who'd given the name to 24 City.
But to suddenly create a Tribe with that name... Just what was going through his head, exactly?
No matter how Yo tried to reason it, he could only assess that Zero viewed absolutely everything as some sort of game.

Zero
"That's it! We should raise the stakes! How about this? If you can defeat me, I'll not only disband the 24 Tribe, but also free all of the cities on the surface."

Yo Kuronaka
"What...?"

Zero
"The bigger the stakes, the better, don't you agree?"

It was just as Yo thought.
To Zero, it was nothing more than a game.
Whether that was controlling Neo Tokyo...
Or whether people lived and died. It was all the same to him.

Zero
"All right! Now that we've gotten that settled, we can properly start our game.
Warm-up's over, so make sure you throw your best pitches."

Though he couldn't see Zero's face behind the mask, Yo was sure that he was grinning.
He emanated an ominous power, but Yo wasn't intimidated by that.

He pulled his arm back farther than he had earlier, putting his full strength into his pitch.

A roaring fastball flew toward Zero.

Zero
"You'll have to put a lot more feeling into it than that if you're going to bridge the gap in power between us."

Zero swung his bat.
As he did so, he remained relaxed.
At a glance, it didn't appear to have much power behind it, but...

There was a high-pitched metallic sound that rung out.
Zero's bat made contact with the XB Ball, and it came barreling toward Yo. It managed to graze his cheek before it went long, taking off high into the sky.

Yo Kuronaka
"...!"

Zero
"Is that all you've got? I'm not sure you actually have what it takes to win in that case, Yo."

Zero's movements remained leisurely as he began to run the bases.
There were no signs that he'd see the XB Ball again anytime soon.

The lap Zero took around Shinagawa City kept the same pace until he'd returned to where Yo was standing.

Zero
"That's one run for me. The batter has to round all four bases before the ball they've hit has been returned and is tagged by the defense.
They have to run a lap around the city, and if they make it back to home base, they'll score a run."

Zero made his point by stepping on home base.

Zero
"A strong defense will do their best to take down the runner. That's the real thrill of XB! But my last hit flew too far, so we eliminated that possibility, huh?"

Yo Kuronaka
"..."

Yo found himself grinding his teeth in frustration.

Zero
"Speaking of which! 24 Tribe only has one player, which means the next batter up is... yours truly!"

What Zero said next caught Yo completely off-guard.

Zero
"One run should be enough for me, though. I think it's time for the bottom of the inning.
Shall we go ahead and switch?"

Yo Kuronaka
"Wait, what?"

Kazuki Aoyama
"Let's take him up on it. We shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

As Yo's body quaked with anger, Kazuki tapped his shoulder.

Yo Kuronaka
"Kazuki..."

Kazuki Aoyama
"All we need to do is win.
There's no point in staking our whole pride as XB players on a game with Zero."

Kazuki was right—Yo did his best to convince himself of that.
There was no denying that even when it came to XB, Zero was incredibly strong... but what they needed to do was focus on coming out victorious.

Kazuki Aoyama
"Zero's got his guard down. If we can take advantage of that, I'm sure we can find an opening to beat him."