13 A league of their Ed
The day after the incident with Shiro and Itona, the rainy season was finally over for Kunugigaoka Junior High School. This made the walk across the new campus all the more enjoyable for Eric, the Eds, Nagisa, Sugino, and Karma as they went towards the train station at the end of the day.
"Ahh!" Sugino yawed and stretched his arms up, before putting his hands behind his head. "The crappy weather's finally over!"
"And might I say that it's a lovely day today," Double D said, looking up at the sky and soaking in all the heat waves.
"It's gonna get hot soon," Nagisa told them.
Ed turned to Eddy and Eric and asked, "Can we go outside and play?"
"We already are outside, knucklehead," Eddy said with an irked looked.
"But he's right," Sugino said with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. "I wanna be more active."
"Well, if you're up for a little midnight fun, you could help us chase after Ed whenever he has another one of his sleepwalking episodes," Eric said with a wry smile.
Nagisa gave an awkward chuckle as he whispered to Eric"That's still a pretty weird episode to have" as he sweat dropped in awkwardness.
Eric just raised his eye brow as he said "You clearly don't remember who you're talking to" as he gave a slight chuckle.
"We had 69 episodes plus our Big Picture Show" said Ed as he just chuckled to himself. Eddy just grabbed Ed's unibrow, pulled his face towards him, and said "Shut up, lumpy. You'll scare the kids away" as he let go of Ed's eyebrow and made Ed jiggle his head back and forth.
Nagisa and the others just sweat dropped at what had happened as Nagisa said "Right. Forgot who I was talking about."
"How about fishing," asked Karma.
Eddy shrugged. "Yeah, sure. As long as I'm not slapped with it," he said, still feeling the many hits he got when he was forced to duel Rolf. That was a really sucky day for him.
"What's in season," asked Nagisa.
That's when you could see Karma grow devil horns and tail as he grinned evilly. "In the summer months, delinquents are out in droves. Use Nagisa and Eric as bait there's no limit to how many of the bastards we can shakedown."
They could hear the sound of a cash register going off in Eddy's head as he stopped and froze with wide eyes and his hair sticking up. He then zoned over to Karma and grinned greedily, "Karma, my man, I like the way you think."
"I had no idea delinquents had a season," Nagisa sighed.
The seven friends continued to talk about what they will be doing for the sunny days ahead. Walking past a baseball field where a group of girls was standing in front of, watching the school's baseball team practice.
The pitcher threw the ball at the catcher, and with it made contact with the player's mitten, it kicked up some smoke from it. "Good one, Captain! Nice throw," said the catcher, as the girls fangirled over the pitcher.
The pitcher was Kazutaka Shindō the captain and pitcher of the Kunugigaoka Junior High School Baseball Club. He was a large young male with an athletic build, short spiky black hair, sharp eyes, and tanned skin.
Shindō took off his head and caught the ball when it was thrown back to him. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he then noticed the E-Class students. More specifically, he noticed that Sugino was with them.
"Hey, hey. If it isn't Sugino," he said with a smile that indicated that he was happy to see him. That's when the rest of the players on the field looked towards the boy and saw him. "Long time no see, man."
Sugino was a little hesitant but smiled at walked over to the flinch of the baseball field. "Yeah. What's up?"
That's when the other players and Shindō ran over to greet him. "What's up, dude?" asked one of the players.
"How could you've never come by to say hello to your old teammates?" Another one joked.
Sugino scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I know, I suck," he said as Eric and the others watched from afar. It was odd. Most of the time the main campus students would be hating E-Class students or making fun of them. Hating more of the Eds and Eric for destroying the trophy case.
"You're pitching in next week's baseball game, right," asked a player.
"Huh? Come to think of it, we haven't decided yet," Sugino said with his arms crossed. "But, yeah, I'd like to be the pitcher."
"Man, it would be epic if you did," said one of the players, putting his fist to the cage and Sugino fist-bumped him on the other side.
"Yeah!"
"You have no idea how jealous we are of you, man."
"You get to be in E-Class, fooling around all day." When that sentence was said out loud, Sugino felt depressed. Remembering that he was sent to the class where failures go. As the players talked about balancing studying and practice, they were stopped when Shindō walked over.
"Hey, come. Be nice," he said, placing a hand on one of his teammate's shoulder. "Don't make such a big deal out of it. He would've understood. Balancing sports and schoolwork is a privilege of the gifted."
"Geez, aren't you high and mighty," Eddy mocked as he and his friends and Karma walked over. He then placed his hand on his forehead and acted over dramatically. "Oh, look at us~! We're the kings of this sport with a stick up our ass~. We're all chosen ones."
However, instead of getting angry, the team captain scuffed. "Yeah. We are." That response threw Eddy off for a moment, as the Eds and Eric stared at Shindō. "You're the Eds and Eric, right? Is it hard to accept for your four? Well, we've still got a bone to pick with you for ruining our trophies, so we'll prove it to you next week at the tournament. We'll show you who's at the top and who's at the bottom. As if we didn't already know by now."
'Welp, he just opened up a can of worms he can't reseal. If he wants a game battle, then we'll give him one. Batter up'
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Cue Seishun Satsubatsuron by 3-nen E-gumi Utatan)
{Intrumental}
{Seishun... Satsubatsuron!}
(The opening starts with the crescent moon as it gradually change to Korosensei's head. Then Ed, Double D, Eddy and Eric appeared upside down with their names shown as they fall and tried to attack Korosensei as he panicked before dust picks up around them as the title appeared.)
Welcome Back, Mr. ED!
{Kuchi ni dasu no wa jikkō suru toki}
{Sore ga kakkoī koto shitteru sa}
(The scene start with Eric waking up in bed as he gets up and gets ready for school. As he walk out of his room, Eddy and Double D were at the living room while the latter was preparing breakfast. He look around only to see that Ed's not up yet so he went to his room to wake him up, only to find that he was not here and saw his window was open.)
{TARGET, sagashite bokura wa satsubatsu}
{Omoi wa mayou mayoedo susumu}
{Migite to migiashi issho ni de sōda}
(Eric panicked and ran out of his room to tell Eddy and Double D that Ed's gone. Eddy groaned in frustration while Double D worried about him, Eric ran back in to his room and came out with his uniform on and a toothbrush in his mouth. Double D quickly pack small breakfast along with their lunches before they head out to find Ed.)
{Nan nanda iraira no hadō wa}
{Bokura no sonzai no shōmei?}
{Tsuki wo miagetakamaru}
{Sā sā! Satsu satsu sattō START!}
(Scene changes to Eric opens a fridge of their neighbor's house and found Ed sleeping in his underwear and half eaten food. Eddy laughed while Eric took Ed out of the fridge and slaps him back and forth to wake him up. Double D look at the time and finds that they are going to be late for school, Eric and Double D panicked while Eddy groaned as Ed woke up from Eric's slapping before he was pulled by Eric and ran out the door along with Eddy and Double D.)
{Yari kittenaikara yarikirenai}
{Yari kittenaikara yarikirenai}
{Genjō daha wo chīsana koe de yagate zekkyō shitaku naru}
(The Eds and Eric, with Ed now in his uniform, rushing to the train station but they missed the train. As Eric and Double D mope in depression, Eddy yelled at Ed before he had an idea as he grabbed Ed the the other two. They're now at a park as they sitting in a box with a tree that is cartoonishly pulled down like rubber below them while Ed was holding the tree down by sinking his teeth in another tree. Double D was calculating their trajectory while Eddy was getting impatient and Eric was starting to regret it. Double D conclude that they would land in the field behind the building but isn't sure about it. Eddy isn't surprised as he signals Ed to let go as they're launch in the air heading to towards school.)
{Yari kittenaikara yarikirenai (Yareba dekiru sa)}
{Yari kittenaikara yarikirenai (Kitto dekiru sa)}
(Eddy, Double D and Eric screamed while Ed laugh as they flew through the sky. Then Eric saw Korosensei flying by as he pulled out his anti-sensei knife and tries to kill him but no avail as Korosensei sped up ahead of them.)
{Dōse, to iu no wa kantandakedo}
{Ima wa agaite mitainda kimi to hajikete mitainda}
(Meanwhile in E-Class, Yada was sitting by her desk and glance at Eric's desk in front of her as class was about to start. Korosensei arrives through the window and begun roll call, Yada asked him if he seen the Eds and Eric this morning making Rio teased her about it as she blushed in embarrassment. Korosensei answers as the Eds and Eric crashed through the roof and landed in the floor next to Korosensei, surprising the students.)
{Saredo seishun wa mirai he GO!}
{Sā sā sā! Seishun satsubatsuron!}
(Ed recoiled from the floor as he pulled the other three out with him as the class aside from Korosensei look at them with white eyes and jaws dropped. Korosensei tells them to take their seats as Ed lets go of them and went to their designated desk thus begins class.)
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EDventure #11 — "A League of Their ED"
It was during class that the guys told Korosensei about the match. Eric also noticed that the girls and guys had changed their clothes. The girls were now wearing vests with red bow ties or ribbons in them. Eric also noticed that Toka had changed her scrunchy to a little blue color. Not a bad choice, just that he liked her red one better.
"A friendly class versus class baseball tournament, eh?" Korosensei read out loud to the class from a paper informing him about the tournament.
Isogai and Kataoka were writing on the chalkboard the baseball event in big words as the rest of the class were in their seats.
The yellow creature nodded his head in an approving way. "A healthy body promotes a healthy mind! Approved!"
As soon as he said that, Eric tensed up by grabbing the seat of his chair in a death grip and staring at the back of Hinano's head, who sat in front of him with big eyes that held fear in them. Ed, meanwhile, threw his hands up and happily shouted. "Hurray!"
Korosensei then looked at the class with sweat on his face. "Except, uh..." He held up the paper and showed that Class A was going playing against Class B and that C was against D. However, it didn't say a thing about E-Class. "Why wasn't E-Class on the tournament roster?"
"They leave us out to keep things nice and even," said Mimura with his left elbow on his desk. "It's hard to have a tournament with an odd number. We get to play the exhibition at the end, though, so there's that."
"Exhibition game?"
"Yeah, it's just for show. The guys face the varsity baseball team, and the girls face the varsity basketball team in front of the whole student body. It's for the regular students...the students on the teams can't play. It gives them all a chance to show off. And classes that were knocked out of the tournament can feel better about themselves after watching E-Class gets their butts whipped. It's a good warning to the students. To see how miserable it is to get shunted down into E-Class."
Double D sighed. "I see this is just another one of the usual E-Class treatments."
"Yep." Kataoka then said, "But don't worry! We've built up our stamina with all our basic assassination training!" She then turned to the girls in the class. "We'll put up a good fight and dampen everybody's mood instead of lifting their spirits!"
The other girls cheered and threw a fist in the air. Even Ritsu wanted to play, after creating a ball shooter that'll never miss the basketball. However, Kataoka denied her from playing. Saying that she was too square to be on the court. It was clear to Eric from her interactions with him that she was a very responsible and great leader when it came to planning assassination attempts.
But right now, he was still shaking in his seat in fear. Yada was the first to notice his shaking and became worried about her secret crush, "Eric?"
"GAH! Don't hurt me!" He shouted and cowardly curled up and held up his hands. Startling the students a little.
"Eric it's okay!" Yada placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it. "Is everything fine? You looked like throwing up."
After panting for a moment, Eric sighed and said, "I'm sorry, it's just that after 'Tight End ED', I've kind of been afraid of playing any sport."
"'Tight End ED?'" Yada blinked in confusion.
After remembering what he was talking about, Double D said to the busty girl. "It's a long story, but the four of us were placed on the football team for a game against our rival school's team, the Lemon Brook Lumpers. They won 62-0 by...utterly destroying us."
"It couldn't have been that bad," said Isogai, not seeing what Eric was so traumatized about. But then he was grabbed by Eric, who stretched his arms all the way across the room.
Eric pulled him over and got close to Isogai's shocked face as the fractured-eye boy looked at him. "Not that bad?" He asked rhetorically, but then he froze in place and looked straight. Eyes wide with a blank, unfocused 1000-yard stare as he remembered that game in perfect detail. Seeing the gigantic, monstrous players coming at him. How they destroyed, obliterated, and crushed all of them and whoever had the ball. The broken bones he's gotten when the ball was passed to him.
All was quiet in the classroom as they looked at Eric, who continued to give the thousand-yard stare.
"NOT BAD. I almost lost my other eye that day, Isogai. Not to mention I was nearly dragged into the dirt and almost turned into a human sized jelly mound from all the bones I nearly broke, so don't go saying 'Oh it couldn't have been that bad' when you don't know what real pain is. So I suggest you shut ya trap," he said grimly, before dropping the boy to the ground.
Isogai just shook in fear as he spoke in a feared way "Duly noted" as he got up and walked away.
"Well, then it's going to suck for you four," Mimura said. "I've been hearing that all the classes in the tournament are gunning to play the exhibition game. How they were really looking forward to getting you guys back for the trophy case."
"What?!" Eddy exclaimed with an angered expression. "What is it with these people!? It was a freakin' accident!"
"True as it may be, it's still a blow to the school," Double D said, getting Eddy and the others to look at him. Even Korosensei paid attention. "That chase had every aware the school ever earned. From sports to academics. It was a showing that they're the best and that the chairman's system worked."
Then they heard some people getting out of their chairs. It was Terasaka and his goons. "If you idiots are the reason the other classes are gunning for us, then I and the boy are leaving," he said with an irked face. "We aren't looking to being laughing stocks."
Isogai got up and yelled, "Hey! Hold on a second, you can't just—!"
But the tough kids closed the doors behind them on their way out.
"Well, that's too bad," said Ed. "They won't be able to see me being the mascot."
"You were a mascot, Ed?" Asked Fuwa.
"Duh. Yep I was the Peach Cobbler's Cobbler. I was delicious" said Ed.
"Huh" said Maehara.
"He dressed up as a pie of Peach pie since we were the Peach Creek Cobblers. Ed was really into the whole dancing thing" said Eric and then smirked as he said "And then what happened Eddy."
Eddy grew a nervous expression as he remembered what he went through at the game. He just hid himself in his shirt and said "I don't remember. It was a long time ago."
Rio just chuckled at how Eddy was being and embarrassed and thought it be fun to tease him so she turned to Eric and said "Oh do tell. What did happen."
"He didn't like the attention Ed was getting so he dressed up as a giant hammer, misunderstanding that differences between cobbler and clobber, and just made a fool of himself. It's honestly his shtick sometimes. And he ended up going home with the other team, taped to back of the bus" finished Eric as he began laughing, as did some of the class. Eddy just sunk more into his clothes, wanting to disappear from the world. Wanting to change the subject Eddy said,
"Okay, well since they're out of the game, how are we going to keep ourselves from looking like idiots out there?" Eddy asked.
"We should ask Sugino for some pointers," Maehara said to Eddy, before the two of them and the other students looked to their friend. "He's the baseball guy, right? What do you say, man, any tips?"
"If it's a tip, we only accept cash!" Ed said, getting the term mixed up.
"Yeah! Twenty-five cents a tip!" Eddy said with a greedy smile. But he knocked it off when Double D glared at him.
"Not that kind of tip Eddy" said Double D
Sugino was quiet at first and looked down at his desk. "Not to be negative, but we're screwed," he said with a morbid tone. "Like royally. The Kunugigaoka team has Shindō as their captain. "The dude can throw a fastball like nobody's business. High schools are already scouting him." All of the class stared at him and listened with expressions of empathy.
"Sounds like you have some history with the guy," Eric said.
The boy nodded. "He's the guy who stole the ace pitcher position from me. He's a top student and an incredible athlete. It's not even fair. Not gonna lie though, I'd give anything to beat him. And not just put up a good fight! I want to beat the arrogant S.O.B at his own game. Baseball's my first love, my life, it took getting kicked off the team to understand that," he proclaimed, clenching a baseball in his hands. "The odds are not in our favor, but—"
"Swing, Batta Batta! Swing, batter!" Korosensei exclaimed with excitement. He was now wearing a baseball uniform with his face turned into the shape of a baseball, a blue cap, and long green grass in his mouth. His tentacles were holding a baseball, a bat, a glove, a blue microphone, and a bamboo sword.
The class stared at him with dumbfounded, dotted eyes. "Oh, right, you don't need much persuading when it comes to any baseball," Sugino said.
Korosensei giggled his famous laughter.
"Nuruhuhuhuhu. I've wanted to be the feisty-no-nonsense coach in a sports flick since forever!" He exclaimed. "Don't worry, I won't push you kids around, but I brought a table of flip!" And just like that, he held up an actual small table out of nowhere with food on it.
"You put a lot of thought into this!"
"He's just as random as Ed!"
"I've been watching you grow more focus on which direction you'd like to head in lately, and it's been marvelous!" Korosensei told the class.
"Whatever the odds, the name of the game is always Kill! Win! And to reward that fighting spirit, Coach Koro will teach you a strategy that's guaranteed to secure our victory!"
"And I can be the mascot!" Ed yelled, standing up with his figured pointed to the sky.
"...Yes." Eric sighed.
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When the day came for the tournament, almost everyone at the Main Campus was out at the baseball field to watch the games. Standing outside the fenced field and cheering on the team. The winners of the tournament were Class 3-A after beating their opponent. Now it was time for the exhibition game, and the losing teams were excited to see them fail.
Eric, Eddy, Double D, and the rest of the boys of E-Class were in their gym clothing. Ready to take on the baseball club. Ed was with them too, but he was the E-Class mascot, the E-Class Baller! His costume was a giant baseball that looked like it was put together by his friends, with his head sticking out of a hole in the front, and there was an E painted in red on his back.
Ed started off by dancing for his class. "Look at me, at my vict'ry dance. Shake it like you've got ants in your pants!" He stopped when he got his legs tied in a knot and fell over on the ground. He, however, rolled back on his feet and continued by flipping upside down. "A B D, one two three, my butt's bigger than a small country! Alley-oop!"
He then bounced up, before leaping into the air. He then came down with his arms and legs tucked into his costume, bounced on the ground once, before landing on one leg and balanced himself. All the boys cheered for him, while the rest of the student body looked at Ed in confusion, with some insulted that the failures were in such high spirits.
["Alright, time for the exhibition game!"] The announcer exclaimed. ["E-Class vs the Kunugigaoka Baseball team!"]
That's when the star team itself walked out onto the field. The E-Class team watched as they started doing various things like swinging their bats and jogging in place.
"What's with these yahoos?" Eddy asked rudely and held his hands out towards them. "Their brain sorted out?"
Sugino smiled sheepishly. "It's a great opportunity for the baseball team to show off to the other students."
"They're also expecting an easy victory over us, I presume," Double D with a glove. "But something tells me we're not going to be taken lightly."
A minute later, and the teams are lined up and facing each other. Shindō looked down at Sugino as he stood in front of him. Behind them, they could hear the sounds of the other students cheering on Shindō and his players. "Only the Chosen ones get bragging rights, my friend. Remember that," he said, but Sugino remained silent. Victory goes to the player with the most skill; on the field and in the classroom. But you...you are the dregs of this school—and neither of those things. So not a lot of hope for you. I'll crush you so badly in this game that you and your Class-E friends will be ashamed to show your faces in public!"
"Jesus, will you shut the eff up!?" Eric snapped, getting Sugino and Shindō to turn to him. A little taken aback. "You're a good player, big deal. So, are you going to shut your mouth and put your money where it is? Or are you all bark?"
Shindō glared at Eric for a moment, before turning and walking away. "Whatever. Good luck." He said before going to his team. "Let's play some ball!"
Sugino could hear them cheering as he walked back over to E-Class's dugout. "Holy crap, why're they so fired up all of a sudden," asked Kimura.
"Even better question, where's our coach?" asked Sugaya, as Korosensei was nowhere to be seen. "Isn't he supposed to teach us his method?"
Nagisa then pointed off in a direction. "He's over there." When they turned in the direction he was pointing, they saw Korosensei's baseball head sticking out of the ground far from the crowd.
"Karasuma told him he can't draw attention to himself, so he's using forced perspective to look like a baseball. "He'll signal us with the colors of his face."
"I see, using Morse code to deal with the intimacy of our situation," Double D said.
Eddy stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "And you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
Korosensei ducked down and popped back up with a green face. Then again and now have a purple face. And then again with a light orange face but with his mouth open. He then repeated this with the class watching.
"So, what'd that mean?" Sugino moaned and pointed at Korosensei. Karma just waved to the teacher and commented on his disgust.
"Kill the opposition!" To everyone's surprise, it was Ed that spoke up. They all looked at him with comically wide eyes.
Nagisa snapped out of it and pulled out his notebook. When he found what he was looking for, he gasped. "You're right, Ed! Ed, you can understand him?"
Eddy and Eric looked at Ed with an impressed expression. "Damn, I'd never thought I'd say this, I mean ever, seriously, but, good job monobrow," said the short Ed-boy.
"Aww gee, Davey. I'm just really glad someone appreciates my genius," Ed said, before turning to walk onto the field. Only to trip and fall on his face.
'Typical Ed.'
"Good advice," Isogai said with a grin. "treat the other team like our target and we can't go wrong. This will be excellent practice for when we finally assassinate Korosensei, right?"
"Right!" Eric agreed and held out his fist. "Let's kill 'em all!"
"Yeah!" All the boys playing held out their arms and formed a team circle.
There was a silence for a moment before they, excluding Karma, sweatdropped. Double D sighed. "...We really need to find another way to say it..."
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["Okay folks! Top of the first inning! Let's see the first pitcher has in store!"]
The first one up to bat for E-Class was Eddy. When Shindō threw the first throw, he, however, didn't attempt to swing. Only standing with wide eyes by how fast the ball was going. "Strike!" Call the umpire.
["What an amazing pitch by Shindō! Eddy from E-Class didn't even move! You could at least swing the bat! Make an ef—AH!]
The announcer screamed when Eddy threw the bat at him and nearly hit him in the head. However, it did stab into the wall. "How's that for an effort, dickweed?!" Eddy roared at the person. He then took a deep breath to calm himself, then grabbed another bat to swing.
He heard some of the people behind him talking about Shindō throw, and although Eddy wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was impressed by the pitcher too. Apparently, his pitch is around 87 mph. Pro-level throwing. But that meant nothing to Eddy. He looked to Korosensei and saw the signal. Red, purple, and pink.
Eddy grinned. Getting the message.
"Let's go, you chicken! Hit me, you Babe Ruth hack!" he yelled.
Shindō showed little interest from Eddy, who was a slow fry to him. The only one that he was looking out for was Sugino. The younger boy wasn't able to hit any of his pitches before when he was still on the team. It didn't surprise him as they were, in Shindō world, on different playing fields.
As for his coach, Kiyoshi Terai, he didn't look all that worried. "Shindō will strike out three batters in the top of the first inning. We'll score ten points in the bottom and of the inning and that'll be it."
Shindō pitched.
Eddy then bunted it. A gentle tap to the ball without swinging.
"What!?" Shindō yelled.
Eddy took off running to first base as the ball rolled in the same direction. However, the infielders couldn't decide which one of them should get it. Eddy was the first to bat because he and Kimura were the fastest runners in the class. The team had him go first because his attitude made people think that he was nothing but a loudmouth. So, when he caught them off guard, Eddy would easily reach the base before they could catch him.
And reached it he did, and the announcer and referee called it a safe. "WOOHOO! Suck it, losers!" He cheered, giving the baseball club the middle finger.
Shindō grunted his teeth. "Sneaky little cricks." But it just shows that they're amateurs. If they stay alert, then they won't be able to bunt again.
Now it was Eric's turn to bat. Once again, one of the four transfer students was up to bat for the first inning. Everyone in the main campus wanted to put the Eds and Eric in their place, so the E-Class team decided to let Eric and Eddy take on the first two bats.
Eddy took them by surprise, and now Shindō wasn't throwing any punches with his pitches. However, as Eric walked over to the home base, he saw some of the players whispering to each other. Even hearing how his 'bad eye' was going to put him at a disadvantage.
Only they didn't know that Eric's reflexes allowed him to see time slow down and react quicker than normal humans.
Eric looked to Korosensei as he signaled to him: yellow, green, white.
Eric bunted the ball harder than Eddy did along the third baseline. The third baseman tried to catch it but had moved up too far and the ball rolled right past him. Shindō growled and ran for the ball as Eric called out, "How's that for a freak, huh?! Which I would like to reiterate I am NOT!"
Korosensei very pleased with his students, while sticking a straw into a can of soda.
"They're good, but they're still just Junior High kids. Even pros can't deal with bunts," he said as the announcer yells about what's going on in the game.
As Eric landed on first base, Shindō froze in place. He couldn't believe what was happening. The same could be said about the Main Campus students watching the game from the sideline. The coach of the baseball team stood up with his eyes wide in shock. "No way! You don't bunt a fastball like Shindō's and get it going where you want it to! That's not how it works!" He yelled, staring at E-Class as they cheered for their teammates and Ed dancing and cheering like a mascot. Among them was Sugino. But his pitches are too slow. There's no way they could have practiced on him.
"So far, so good couch," said Maehara with a grin as he looked to Korosensei. "Nice job." As they looked out and saw Korosensei smirking widely while showing an invisible purple aura around him.
"Playing against him really paid off," Nagisa said as he walked out onto the field.
Double D put a finger to his chin. "Well, it didn't help matters that he didn't go easy on us."
'That was putting it mildly.'
-(Flashback)-
"KORO PITCHER CAN THROW BALLS THAT FLY AT 186 MPH!" Korosensei yelled as he threw a fastball at his clone. One of them caught it, before dropping it, and a few clones were just standing around the ball on the ground. "And the Koro Infielders have a defense—thanks to his visual clones!"
But all the clones did was encourage Kimura, who ran for the ball.
"And the Koro Catcher breakers the batter's concentration with his expert trash talk!" Said the clone playing as the catcher, as Mimura was up to bat. The clone then started whispering to the boy. "I saw you secretly playing air guitar behind the school building, Mimura. You sure were enjoying yourself," he said, and Mimura blushed in embarrassment.
Korosensei ran them ragged all day, and by the end of it, almost every one of the boys was either lying on the ground, on their hands and knees or sitting on the ground and panting. Mimura was still embarrassed and had his hands on his face, while Eric was lying on the ground with his tongue rolled out on the dirt.
"Now that you've gotten used to my Mach baseball, it's time to research our opponents," Korosensei said as he stood in front of the boys. He then pointed to Double D and Takebayashi as they stood off to the side. Having not participated in the exercise. "I had Takebayashi and Double D spy on them these past three days."
"Thank you, sir," Double D said with an eager smile. "And might I say that for the past few days, I and my partner have learned..."
"Get on with it!" Eddy yelled.
Takebayashi sighed and pushed up his glasses. "Your friend's a pain..."
"You don't even know the half of it," Double D said before the glasses-wearing boy opened his computer. On the screen, it showed a video of Shindō pitching, a chart of some kind, and his hand holding a baseball at different angels.
"Gentlemen, we've analyzed the captain of their team, and the maximum speed of his pitch is 87 mph. He only uses a fastball and a curveball. And he uses the fastball 90% of the time during practice matches."
"He sticks to what he's best at," Sugino said, holding up a hand in a way that he would hold a baseball. "We're talking about Junior High School baseball, so he can ace any game with that fastball of his."
Eric sucked his tongue back into his mouth and sat on his butt. "So, we're screwed?"
"Not exactly. We can win as long as we can defeat his fastball," said Korosensei.
"How do we do that?" asked Ed.
"During our next practice, I'll use the same pitching form and type of pitches as Shindō," the teacher informed the big Ed-boy.
"Then I'll throw the ball much faster than him. His ball will seem immobile in comparison to pitches. This way, you'll be able to practice bunts to perfection."
-(End Flashback)-
Isogai was next to bat. Shindō threw the ball, and thanks to Korosensei's training, he was able to see the ball coming at him at the near same speed that Eric saw, locked on and targeted the ball. And just the two that went before him, bunted the ball. This shocked everyone as three of the catchers stood there and looked at the balls, as it was declared a fool. As the announcer yelled, all three bases were full.
Shindō stared in shock and disbelief. And then he saw the next person stepping up to the home base. And that person turned to glance at the pitcher, and it's revealed to Sugino.
"Sugino?!" Shindō muttered.
Korosensei gave Sugino the signal: Light blue, green, and then black with red eyes with an evil chuckle.
Sugino put on his helmet and smirked. Time to get serious. He got ready to swing, but then switched position and held it with one hand on the bat. As if he was going to bunt the pitch.
But for Shindō, it was as if Sugino was aiming a gun straight at him.
Just what was going on with this team? He's never played against a team like this before. And the way they were staring at him was like they were hunting him.
Sugino stared at the pitcher. In his head, he remembered about Shindō talking about being a scholar and a warrior. He was right, and Sugino accepted the fact that he wasn't a warrior like him. But even the weak can defeat a powerful warrior with one precise stab.
As Shindō threw the ball, Sugino suddenly changed his grip on the bat and held it properly. And with a swing, he hit the ball hard and far.
As the announcer yelled into the mic, it was a high fly ball that was going straight over the outfield. As two catchers ran to grab it, Eddy, Eric, and Isogai landed at home base. Sugino then landed on third base, he threw off his helmet and jumped up cheering.
For Shindō, he was frozen in place with wide eyes and teeth gritting hard as he sweated. This was impossible. How could they hit his pitches so easily? This was supposed to be his time to show off his skills in front of the entire school. He was a chosen one! How can he undergo such humiliation? But then he took a look around himself and felt like something wasn't right. It was like the players were aiming at him with guns. That's how intimated their eyes looked.
Eddy looked up and the scoreboard and when it showed E-Class getting 3 points, he yelled out in victory. Ed was dancing around and chanting for his class to win. Eric then looked at the coach of the other team and grinned when he saw the fish-like expression on his face.
However, he then saw Principal Asuna approach the coach. As he walked back into the dugout, he watched as the man that ran the school talk to the shaken coach about something. The fractured-eye boy couldn't make out what was being said, but when the Principal got in the man's face and the coach fainted, that meant only one thing.
They were no longer going to be playing baseball, but they were going to be playing his game.
"Oh no..." he thought.
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Meanwhile, the girls and Irina were walking from their game after getting utterly destroyed by the main campus' girls' basketball team. "Wow, that was a beating," said Rio, pulling her shirt's neck out to get some air inside.
"We had so many chances to beat them," Kataoka said with the basketball spinning on her finger. "We'll get back at them next time!"
Kayano looked down with a saddened expression. "It was my fault. I just dragged the whole team down. I'm sorry," she moaned.
"That's not true, we all sucked," said Yada with a smile.
Kayano just grew an angry/slashed annoyed tone as she glared at Yada's face then down to her boobs ina rapid movement as she said "I don't want to hear that from you, especially because I got distracted by their huge, jiggling boobs! It made me so mad I couldn't concentrate."
"WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND HATING BIG BOOBS!" Yada yelled comically. "I DIDN'T ASK TO HAVE THEM!"
"But I'm betting that you're glad you have them," Rio said with a teasing smirk. "Especially since Eric's a big fan of them."
"Huh?!" Yada snapped her head at Rio with a bright blush and stammered a little.
"N-n-no. Eric's not like that. He's not like Okajima. He's too nice and sweet to be a pervert" stumbled Yada. That's when Irina comes over and placed an arm around the busty girl.
"He might not be like that scrawny weasel but he is still a boy. And if that's the case, stick with me. I'll teach you all that you'll need to know in order to make that boy yours," Irina said with confidence. With a lick added by her suggestive persona, which just made Yada blush at Irina's words.
"Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs!" The girls heard the sounds of a familiar Ed-boy. What they saw was Eddy standing next to a wheel barrier that had a mountain of hotdogs on it. "Fresh and ready for scarfing down! Only 100 yen!"
The girls walked over to him before Double D ran over with a panicked expression. "Eddy, what are you doing!?" He yelled, waving his arms around.
"Relax, sockhead. I'm just making a little bit of money on the side," said Eddy, before handing a student a hotdog. He then pulled out his infamous glass money jar, and the student threw in 100 yen, much to Eddy's delight. "We're sitting on a gold mine! These kids are filthy stinken rich, so I might as well make an honest living."
The girls looked confused at one another, before Okuda said, "You do know how much 100-yen equals, right?"
Eddy looked at her with a confused expression. "...Yes...no?"
"You're only making about 95 cents for 100 yen," Rio said, right before Eddy speeded over to her. He grabbed her, pulled her close so that their faces were touching, and looked directly into her eyes with a big grin.
"Are you serious!? Are you really serious!? That's more than 25 cents!" He yelled as Rio blushed by how close they were to each other. Eddy then jumped up into the air with a giant grin. "YEEHA!"
As the girls were staring dumbfounded by Eddy's logic, Double D got a call on a telephone headset he made from two tuna cans and a clothes hanger. One round can was the earpiece, the other was the microphone for him to speak into, and the hanger kept it all together.
It gave off a really weird ringing (AN: you know the sound), and it got the attention of the girls as Double D answered it by placing a hand on it. "Double D here. Over."
Eric was using an empty can with two antennas that were just a clothes hanger. "Uh, I don't want to alarm anyone, but I think we've got a situation," he said, watching the principal walking towards the baseball team. "Looks like the final boss is showing up early."
Why was Asuna doing what he was doing? It's simply because he couldn't permit E-Class to win. He saw it in their eyes. Their confidence returning, all because of that monster's doing. And only amplified by those Eds and Eric. He couldn't let them get too uppity. He couldn't permit them to think that they'll be able to do it with hard work. His system was rocked when that smart Ed-boy was allowed to return to the main campus, only to decline the offer. He needed E-Class and those four troublemakers to stay down in the gutter where they belong. To Asuna, his educational ideals are all for naught if those who are inferior are permitted to excel and become superior.
["Ah, okay, this explains it, folks. According to a note I've just been handed, Coach Terai has been severely ill before the game started. Apparently, the team is so concerned about his health that their hearts haven't been in the game. In a show of support, the Principal has offered to coach the team personally!"]
As the students of the main campus cheered, Eric was starting to get worried. "Okay, this is bad," he said, watching as the principal gather the team together.
The next person to bat was Nagisa. As he got ready to bat, he was shocked by what he saw next. The entire team has gathered in the infield, with no players in the outfield.
Eddy jumped onto the fence and looked at the team with shock. "What the hell is this?! They can't do that!" he yelled, before shaking the metal fence to get the umpire's attention. "HEY! Umpire! Are you really allowing this!?"
"Actually, they can," Double D said somberly. "According to the rules, fielders are allowed to defend anywhere in their territory. That is, of course, unless the umpire says otherwise. But even he's on their side. In simple terms, we're screwed."
Nagisa gulped as he stared at the players in front of him. It was clear that something was up with them. There was this look in their eyes that said so. Whatever was said to them, Asuna had complete control.
Shindō threw the pitch and Nagisa bunted it, but with the force of the throw, it made him go off balance, and the ball went up into the air. One player caught it and was about to throw it to third base, but saw that Sugino hadn't moved from it.
Next up was Okajima and even he was freaking out. With the opponent's defense, they'll never be able to roll the ball past it. When he looked to Korosensei for guidance, Korosensei just showed his normal baseball face, then a face with sweat drops on his head, and then another other with him hiding his face, acting defeated or embarrassed.
"Seriously, nothing else" thought Okajima.
Okajima was out in three strikes, and then Chiba was struck out too. The announcer and all the students of the main campus cheered for Shindō as he walked back to his team's dugout. Asuna waited for him, and said, "You're on the right track, Shindō. You just need to throw a four-seam fastball now. Pitch the ball in an aggressive, intimidating manner. Sugino is the only student capable of hitting your ball into the outfield."
"Yes, sir!"
"Let me repeat myself; this is not a baseball game. It is a one-sided exercise in defeating the opposition."
"Yes, sir!" Karasuma heard the captain of the baseball team yell. As Irina read a book, and the girls watched with an anxious expression, the agent stared at Asuna with a troubled face.
The man was an extremely skilled educator, like Korosensei. He remembers the faces and strengths of each student, and he's excellent at teacher and motivation them. Asuna and the target use very similar methods. So why are they such different teachers in the ends? It's an interesting battle between those two.
It was now time for the two teams to switch. E-Class as the catcher, and the Baseball Club as the batters. Sugino was up, and he threw the first pitch. The batter swung, but to his shock, it was a curveball. The swing missed, and Nagisa caught it as the home base catcher.
The girls on the sideline cheered for Sugino, as Nagisa threw the ball back at his friend. "Don't let them hit the ball, Sugino!" Said Sugaya. "We can't promise we'll catch it if you do!"
As Sugino scored another strike, Eric looked from his position at first base towards the Club's dugout and saw Asuna talking to Shindō. By the looks of it, the principal was feeding him more of his ideals. Poisoning the young man's mind.
Meanwhile, Karma was standing in the outfield, when he heard a voice from under his feet. "Karma..."
When he looked down, Karma saw that it was Korosensei who was sticking his head out of the ground.
"Not the best idea to be right under my feet, coach. Unless you want to get stepped on."
"You're next up to bat, right? I'd like for you to help Ed provoke them. Shake them up a little."
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The game was now at the top of the second, and once again, the baseball team continued their bunt strategy and got close to the home base. That's when it was time for Karma and Ed to make their scene.
Ed ran over to stand before the main campus students watching the game with a uniform of the team on a stand. "It's a pie in the eye for the Baseball Club! The Baseball Club are bad and they ain't got no chance, so go home and wet your pants!" He sang while kicking some dirt onto the uniform. Seeing him disgrace their school's uniform already started to anger some of the students.
"Hey! Get off the field!" Yelled the umpire.
"Why should he," asked Karma, taking the man aback for a moment. The redhead then looked to the principal, who just smiled. "After all, it's only fair since you're playing dirty, sir. If the rules haven't, this little gambit. Why call out Ed when he should be calling out this defense. Don't the other students think that's weird? Oh. I get it. You guys are morons! Baseball's like a second language to you."
'Boy did that make them angry.'
"Quit making a big deal about it, E-Class!"
"This is just an exhibition game!"
"Who do you think you are, complaining about the defense?"
"If you've got a problem with it, do better at batting!
The students continued to shout angrily at the Ed-boy and Karma while continuing to dance and taunt them. Karma puts on his helmet and got ready to bat. He wasn't really sure if it was working, but it was fun to do it.
Korosensei gave him his orange face and ring face. It was perfect. The important thing was to call out injustice when you see it.
The game continued onto the top of the second inning. All of E-Class was struck out. And then it was the second inning, and then it was Shindō turn to bat, there was something really wrong with him. Whatever Asuna was telling him, it was really starting to have an effect on him.
'Proof? His eyes were glowing red and he was drooling, as he swung his bat with all his might. Hitting the ball far away as the girls watched in shock and disbelief. The score was now 3 to 2, with the baseball team having scored two runs this inning. We began to think we were in trouble now'
As he watched the game, in his head Asuna thanked Korosensei for helping him educate his students. Weaklings who try to win using petty tricks and the eminently powerful who can so easily crush them? Which side would his students want to be on?
E-Class were struck out by three at the top of the third inning. All that's left in the game was the baseball's team's offense. As Eric walked over his position, he saw the principal talking with the first player that was up to bat.
That turned out to be a bunt from the player. A "token" of Asuna's gratitude for Korosensei's help. As the batter ran to first base, Kimura ran to catch the ball. When he did, he turned to Eric and was about to throw it, but the fractured-eye boy shook his head with his arms crossed in an X. The player made it to first easily.
Asuna was pleased, as the next two players used bunts against what he viewed as an amateur team. Sure, it wasn't exactly what the spectators hoped to enjoy watching under normal circumstances, but E-Class used this strategy first, giving his team a justification to do it themselves. Just to show how it's done right. This would give his other students the impression that the Baseball Club was skilled in every technique, including bunts, thereby solidifying their victory.
Asuna wanted Korosensei to see this, as this was how winners win.
Right now, the bases were loaded. If E-Class didn't strike out this next player, then it was game over for them.
But when they all turned to see who it was, they got scared. The main campus' superstar Shindō was walking onto the field with veins popping, his eyes glowing red, and smoke coming out of his mouth as he walked onto the field with three bats tapped together!
"I will crush you, Sugino!" He roared.
Double D sweated a little. "Oh my."
Eddy looked with wide eyes. "Talk about getting messed up in the head," he said, before eating a hot dog.
Eric watched as Shindō stepped up to the plate. Asuna's been brainwashing him to the point of insanity. This was the endgame, and if they didn't come up with an idea soon, they were going to lose the game.
Suddenly, Korosensei popped out under him. "Eric, I know that it's risky, but I'm going to ask you and Karma to make use of his earlier provocation," he whispered to his student.
Knowing what he meant, Eric turned to Isogai. "Isogai, you're on first! Karma, you're with me," he ordered.
And so, to the shock of everyone in the stands, Eric and Karma were now standing a few feet away from Shindō. Moving up their defense, just like the team before.
"We're obviously defending here to make the batter lose focus," Karma mocked as he looked to the principal. "But the umpire didn't say anything when you did it, so can't complain, can you, principal Asuna."
"In translation, suck it!" Eric grinned his sharp teeth.
Now Asuna understood the reason for complaining to him about his team's defense. It was so he couldn't object to E-Class when they do it too. It is considered interference by the defense if the fielder comes in contact with the bat. But whether the fielders moving in so close to the batter is an act of interference or not is up to the umpire to decide. But he can't rule on it now after dismissing their earlier complaint. The same goes for the spectators.
It was a clever plan, but to him, it was a pathetic one. "Proceed as you will. You cannot distract a chosen one with petty tricks," he told his students. He's boosted Shindō's concentration to the utmost with his "coaching". The two boys' strategy will fail and only make them look all the more worthless.
"Alright, you asked for it," Eric said. He and Karma then took everyone by surprise. The main campus kids, the E-Class girls, Double D, and Eddy all gasped and their eyes widened when the two boys stepped even closer to Shindō. As the announcer shouted, they were now within the distance that they'll get hit.
"They've gone mad!" Double D yelled.
Yada grabbed the fence as she started shouting worriedly at Eric. "What're you doing!? Get out of there!"
"Just swing, man," Karma said. "We wouldn't do anything."
Asuna looked on with a dark expression. "They're bluffing. Swing the bat, Shindō. If you break their bones, E-Class will be penalized for interference!"
This shocked Shindō. Were they serious? This was a mockery of him. They'll likely jump out of the way when he swung.
Sugino threw the ball and Shindō swung.
Eric's reflexes kicked in and seeing the bat coming at him allowed him and Karma to lean back just at the last moment.
Shindō missed the ball, and Nagisa caught it. "Strike!" Call the umpire.
Finally, Asuna's smile drop.
Korosensei was looking pleased as he ate some sweets on the field. He moved at Mach 20, and their reaction time has been accelerated through all their assassination attempts. Eric was a special case with his mind able to see things more slowly and react quicker. Karma's reaction time wasn't anywhere close, but it was the second best. Add that with those students having the greatest courage.
"You really think that swing was going to hurt anyone? What a joke." Eric said with a menacing sharp grin, freaking out Shindō with his bad eye as he was trembling and sweating. He raised his catching mitten, and it was as if it had turned into a knife.
"Do you know how many times our dumb asses got the shit beaten and crushed out of us. One swing to the head isn't going to do anything to me, moron. But I bet you don't want to risk it. But if really think you're chosen for jack-shit, then do us both a favor and swing the bat? Do it! Do it, motherfucker! Swing the fucking bat!"
'Too intense? Good. At that point, Shindō couldn't maintain the Principal's strategy anymore. All the runners and spectator couldn't take their eyes off the spectacle before them. We had him right where we wanted him.'
As for Shindō, it was now as if he was facing against a giant scorpion. Eric and Karma were the claws that had grabbed him, their prey. And Sugino was the tail armed with poison and ready to sting.
'This was no longer a baseball game. This was E-Class' world.'
The scorpion brought its tail down as Sugino threw the ball.
Shindō yelled in fear backed away and swung. Again, Eric and Karma got out of the way of the swing. But instead of hitting it far away, it bounced off the bat, bounced off of house base, and it up into the air.
Eric jumped up and grabbed the ball. "Nagisa!" He yelled and threw the ball at his friend. With his mask off, Nagisa caught the ball and touched home base. Outing the runner on the third. "Now third!"
Nagisa threw the ball at third, and Kimura caught it before the runner could make it. Kimura then threw the ball to first base, and Sugaya caught it. Shindō was too shocked to stand and fell on his ass. He was out and so were the others by a triple play.
Suddenly everyone heard a crashing sound on the intercom and then some fighting going on. When Double D heard a familiar voice yelling 'Give me that!' he looked to where Eddy was standing and found him gone. "He didn't," he whispered.
And just as if his nightmares came to life, Eddy was seen standing behind the window of the announcer's booth with the microphone in hand. ["E-Class wins! We've beaten the best baseball player in this shitty school! Put that in your toupee and smoke it, you smug principal!"] Eddy gloated with joy. On the field, the boys cheered and celebrated with hugs, high fives, and fist bumps. Acting just like any other baseball team that's won a major game.
Ed even ran over and grabbed them all to bring them in a crushing huge. Double D was happy that they won but facepalmed at Eddy's action and how that last line didn't make sense. Yada and the girls cheered like cheerleaders for the boys. Behind them, Terasaka and his gang didn't celebrate with them. And of course, the main campus was disappointed in their lost and was pissed off with Eddy's gloating. ["Before we go, I've just received word that any challenge that you throw at us, you've better get ready for a fight! I'm Eddy. Goodnight, Everybody!"]
Eddy then jumped on the guy he knocked out and ran out of there as fast as he could.
After being let go by Ed, Eric and Nagisa looked towards the principal and saw him walking away with a smile on his face. They didn't really care want was going through the man's head and were just happy to have won.
The spectators had no idea that battle of wits between the two teachers on the sidelines of the baseball game. Sugino was able to talk to Shindō, and after really discussing why our friend risked everything to win, the two came to a better understanding.
Sugino just wanted to show off his new friends to his old friends.
'Guess that's the beauty of E-class. Even when we are playing a game, it can act as a battle field. Full of precision, strength, sneak attacks, and silly cheers from Ed. It's a crazy and mostly insane class method but it's one we've made our own. Are we perfect group of students? Hell no! We're E-class. The outcasts but we're showing people that just because we're a part of something that no one wants to be a part, we are a force to be reckoned with.'
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{Playing Welcome Back by John Sebastian}
[Instrumentals] The opening of the ending fades into showing the old school building in the afternoon, as the sun was starting to go down.
[Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out] The scene then cuts to show the kids of E-Class packing their bags and leaving. Eddy was asking Double D if he had today's notes, which Double D responded with a smile. Ed was packing his things, before pulling out an old piece of food from his bag and eating it.
[Welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about] The scene cuts to show Eric exiting out of the room, only to stop when Yada ran up to him. She asked him something, to which Eric smiled and gestured for her to follow.
[Well the names have all changed since you hung around] The Eds and Eric, Yada, Nagisa, Karma, Kayano, and other students are then shown walking down the street to the train station.
[But those dreams have remained, and they've turned around] The scene then cuts to show the doors of a train opening, and the kids walking out of it. They waved goodbye to one another as they went their separate ways
[Who'd have thought they'd lead ya (Who'd have thought they'd lead ya)] The view is then taken to the inside of the Eds and Eric's dorm. The front door opens, and Ed runs into the dorm, followed by Eddy walking and tried, then Double D chipped, and then Eric, who closed the door behind him.
[Back here where we need ya (Back here where we need ya)] They are then shown eating dinner in the living room. Wide Eric, Eddy, and Double D ate their noodles normally, Ed slurped up all that was in the one go. This caused the others to laugh.
[Yeah we tease him a lot 'cause we got him on the spot] The Eds and Eric are then shown working on homework.
[Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back, welcome back] Just like in the intro, Eric is shown brushing his teeth in the bathroom. After a moment, he took the toothbrush out of his mouth and drank a glass of water. After swishing the water in his mouth, Eric spits it out and walked out of the bathroom, heading for his bedroom.
[Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back] Eric quickly came back in and turned off the lights, ending the outro.
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Next time: EDventure #13 "A blast from the Ed"
