Episode 25: "XB vs. Kazuma: Part 1"

Shinagawa Station Plaza. 1:00AM.

Yo and his team were warming up on the stove pavement as the night breeze blew past them, chilling.
The plaza they found themselves at could once be found full of businesspeople, going about their day.
And yet, ever since the governing rules had been enacted, the hustle and bustle was no more. Travel between cities had ceased, trains had stopped, and the plaza was now dead silent.

Yo gripped his bat firmly with both hands, then closed his eyes.

(We were so close to saving Shinagawa City from Kazuma's control. So close to avenging the Manager.
But Zero took that away in a moment. Now we're having an XB rematch.)

He was still struggling to wrap his head around the whole thing.
Kazuma should've been laid off—dead. And yet here he was. Not to mention that Zero seemed to not care about the goings-on, carrying about with his usual whimsy.
Anger and frustration burned deep inside him. But that wasn't it all.

There was something building up within the depths of his heart. But it wasn't anger or irritation. It was different—sharper. It was exhilaration.
He gathered his strength, clenching his fists. The uncontrollable pounding of his heart swelled. He'd been waiting for this.

(Here I am, playing XB again.
If I lose here, the governing rules will be brought back. There will be layoffs. I can't lose.)

A shiver carried from his legs all the way up. He felt hot. Was he excited? Nervous? He didn't know.
But he did know one thing.

(I will win this XB.)

Kazuma Ichinose
"It was YOUR fault that I lost!
Unforgivable! Completely unacceptable! You will forever rue the day you failed me!"

Petite 24 Tribe Member
"I-I am terrible sorry! It's all my fault!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Huh? What's going on over there?"

Yo opened his eyes, focusing on the angry yelling coming from Kazuma's side.
Many of his subordinates stood there now. They may have fled before, fearing for their lives, but they'd come back once the XB rematch had been decided upon.
Was Kazuma yelling at one of them?
Yo and the rest of his team headed toward them, worried for Kazuma's enforcers.

Q
"What happened here?"

Kazuma Ichinose
"What happened?!
This filth here just confessed! I knew something was wrong with her, and she admits it now!"

Petite 24 Tribe Member
"I noticed there was something wrong when I took the castella from Kuronaka. But I didn't say anything...
S-So... it's all my fault! Mr. Ichinose lost because of me!"

Kazuma Ichinose
"I knew something was off! I'm too perfect to ever lose to riff raff like you!
It was your fault that all this happened!"

Kazuma pointed at her, angry, as he continued on with his raging spiel.

(Can I even do anything here?)

She must've been the subordinate who had mentioned her concern about the castella's weight but hesitated to report it.
They'd come so close to failure. Had she just reported it, the plan would have crumbled, and Yo's heartbeat was ringing in his ears at the time, worried.
But she didn't. Or it was more like she couldn't.

And no wonder she couldn't. Not with the way Kazuma treated his subordinates.
Even if Kazuma couldn't see it.

Yo looked at him with an expression caught somewhere between exasperation and pity.

Kazuma Ichinose
"What's with that horrid look?
Do you wish to take the blame, you filthy skunk?! Because there's plenty of blame to go around!"

Kazuma stepped forward, hurriedly making his way to confront Yo. Yutaka, however, stepped in between them, raising his arms in protection to block Kazuma's way.

Yutaka Gotanda
"No, it wasn't Kuronaka's fault.
The fault lies squarely with you, Ichinose. Of that, there is no doubt amongst us.
Though, with everything that's happened, why don't we give it another go? Let's see if your subordinates are really the reason you lost that XG match."

Zero
"Oho! Does that mean the game is on? Say, who's pitching?"

Yutaka Gotanda
"I'll take the mound."

Zero
"Oookay! Then take this XB Ball!"

Zero tossed an XB Ball toward Yutaka, who caught it in one hand and stared at it, silent.

The XB Ball.

It was a special ball that only the leader of the tribes governing each city could possess.
XB hadn't disappeared from Neo Tokyo just because of the dawn of governing rules.
It had also been because there were no more XB Balls.
The XB Ball worked as a device that sent signals to Space Envoy 3.
Once you pressed the eye-looking button in the center, the ball transmitted a signal to Space Envoy 3. Once this signal was received, the entire city would transform into an XB field.

However, Yutaka had informed Yo that Shinagawa City's ball had vanished right before the instating of the governing rules. Ever since Zero's attack.

Yutaka Gotanda
"No wonder we couldn't find it anywhere... Zero had it, after all! Let's go, Oi!"

Minami Oi
"Yes, Mr. Gotanda."

Yutaka lifted his head, signaling Minami, the catcher.
He pressed the button. The moment he did, Shinagawa City became engulfed in a bright light as it shifted into an XB Field.

Bzz!

A loud buzzer rang out to signal the start of the game. The XB match had begun.

It was the top of the first inning.
Kazuma's team was up to bat first, while Trash Tribe was playing defense.

Yo's team spread out, taking their defensive positions and stretching their shoulders, loosening their muscles.
A large hologram monitor floated above them, showing the view from a central camera.
Everyone settled into their positions.

Kazuma stepped into the batter box, being the leadoff hitter.
The air was heavy with tension. Kazuma's gaze landed on Yutaka.

Yutaka Gotanda
"It seems as you don't understand business at all.
A subordinate's failure is the responsibility of the superior."

Kazuma Ichinose
"Hah! Don't act so high and mighty. You know nothing!
You could never understand the hardships of standing above others!"

Yutaka Gotanda
"I'm a company president, you know? Well... *sigh* You can bring a horse to water...
Regardless, you've no right to blame your subordinates for their mistakes!"

As soon as he was done, Yutaka raised his right arm gauntlet gear, Mistilteinn Δ, and pitched the ball with such force as if what he was shooting was a laser instead.
It streaked forward like lightning cleaving the sky in two. A blazing fastball, launching on straight toward the batter's zone.
His skill was undeniable, fitting of the Shinagawa Tribe's former head.

Kazuma Ichinose
"Hah. Keep on trying to deny me. I will show you just how helpless you really are!"

Yutaka Gotanda
"What?!"

Ching!

Kazuma hit the ball straight on and sent it flying back.
A sharp crack echoed through the stadium as the ball shot straight through the infield gap.

Kazuma Ichinose
"Hahahaha! Behold!
Behold Kazuma Ichinose's power! The Number One!"

Kazuma tossed his bat aside and sprinted off with a grin.
The ball bounced deep into the field. The defense scrambled to retrieve the ball as Kazuma dashed across the bases and stepped back on home plate.
As he did so, the home plate sensor lit up, adding to the score. The whole team gasped.

Yo Kuronaka
"No way..."

Kazuma Ichinose
"Hmph. XB is not quite the challenge I expected."

A delayed wave of murmurs spread through the field.
No one had expected that Kazuma, an XB beginner, to be able to hit that fast ball.

Yutaka Gotanda
"My apologies... I take full responsibility for this first run."

Q
"...No. Don't blame yourself for this.
He's a lot more capable than we even thought he'd be."

As Yutaka apologized over the hologram, Q followed up with sympathies to clear the air some.

Kazuma always boasted being Number One, after all.
If that number represented his ranking in strength, then who they were facing off against might very well be a monster.

And their shock didn't end there.
Starving for victory, Kazuma had hand-picked the most skilled XB players among his subordinates to be his starting lineup.

It was working. The top of the first inning ended with a score of 2-0.

Some of Yo's team was showing hints of unease, but it was far from over. The match had just begun.

With the sides now switched, Trash Tribe was now on offense.
When Yo stepped into the batter box, he found himself face to face with Kazuma.

Kazuma Ichinose
"Oh? You're up next, you unsavory skunk?"

Yo Kuronaka
"Have you ever pitched before?"

Kazuma Ichinose
"I remember playing catch when I was a child."

Yo Kuronaka
"And you're still gonna pitch?
Don't you think it'd be better to leave it to someone with some actual experience?"

Kazuma Ichinose
"I want to show you and your Trash Tribe firsthand that you should be fearing Number One.
Subordinates! It's time!

Ichinose's Subordinates
"Yes, sir!"

Kazuma's subordinates burst into motion at his command, the bottom row spreading out on all fours in a straight horizontal line.
Then the second row climbed onto their backs, also on all fours. They were followed by the third row, then the fifth, then the sixth... One layer after another, crawling on top of the previous layer's backs.
Their shoulder blades locked together, spines stacked like beams, forming a rising, triangular frame.

Yo Kuronaka
"Wh-What are they doing?"

Tsuki Iroha
"A p-pyramid?!"

Q
"Have they completely lost their minds?"

The formation was so sudden that no one in the Trash Tribe could even begin to comprehend what was going on.
Kazuma swiftly kicked his way up the now completed ten-layer pyramid as if he was just sprinting up a regular staircase, bounding lightly from back to back.

Kazuma Ichinose
"I am Number One—Kazuma Ichinose!"

As he reached the top, Kazuma extended both arms to form a large '1' as he spun rapidly on his axis and then proceeded to pitch the ball.
The ball sliced through the air at an incredible speed, streaking past the field, and spearing right toward the batter's box.
There was no time to react, much less swing. The pitch was too fast.

Yo Kuronaka
"...!"

Now way. How could a total beginner throw a pitch like that?

Yo's teammates back on the bench were just as stunned.
Kazuma was performing like a tribe's ace in both defense and offense. No one could hide their shock.

The Trash Tribe couldn't get their lineup going and the next two batters after Yo also fell silent.
With no one reaching base, the bottom of the first inning came to an end.

Kazuma Ichinose
"Hahahaha! Too easy!
Just you wait! Once we have the governing rules back where they should be, all of you are getting LAID OFF!"

Kazuma pointed to the Trash Tribe with both hands, taunting them.

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"What the HELL?! Man, that bastard pisses me off!"

Tsuki Iroha
"Oh my god. You're so AGGRAVATING!
He should be the one with his back to the wall! How is he this strong?!"

Yo shared in that frustration.
They'd intended to teach Kazuma a lesson, but found themselves on the wrong end of a schooling. And by someone who hated XB as much as Kazuma did.