<@Grysar> [Date: March 21st, 2004] <@Grysar> [Right fielder Ohsaki Yutaro had asked Kyon to help him some with his hitting over at the training facility. His average was steadily dropping off at the end of last season, so that isn't a huge surprise.] <@Grysar> [The time slot they find to get together is also the same one that SATO Hiroto will be present for. That pitcher is a hot new prospect that came up to the Lions in the middle of last season and while not always an exact personality match has looked up to Kyon as a bit of a mentor.] <@Grysar> [Shortly before heading over to the facility, Kyon also got an email response from Chikako. She politely wondered why Kyon was contacting her after so long, and notes that she's well but quite busy.] <@Grysar> [The Lions training facility has a variety of dedicated baseball facilities plus a range of fitness equipment, weight lifting, and a larger gym area for when it is too cold for outside practice to be pleasant.] <@Grysar> [Ohsaki was already here and has been practicing with a batting machine when Kyon arrives at the meeting point.] <@Grysar> [Start!] * Kyon shows up at the door to the batting cage, wearing a Lions windbreaker over a grey t-shirt, navy sweatpants, and navy and grey sneakers, as well as a Lions cap. He just watches until Ohsaki is done with whatever round he's working on. * Ohsaki has adjusted the machine to target the edge of the strike zone closest to him. He hits reliably but his expression is somber when he finishes and turns over to Kyon. He's wearing a somewhat more worn version of his uniform, not the one he usually relies on in play. He looks a little chilly but manages it well. <@Grysar> Sorata-san, I'm sorry to interrupt your own training, thank you for coming out. * Kyon shakes his head quickly, and laces a hand through the mesh of the cage. "Sure. No hitter, but if you think I can help, I'll try helping." * Ohsaki grunts. "It isn't the hitting that's the problem exactly. Coach says I need to work on getting to base, one way or another, when the pitcher throws on the inside." He scowls. "Well, he was a bit less polite about it." * Kyon nods curtly, and smirks. "Not good at politeness. So you want to work on bunting? Keeping in on the ball? You move away too much?" * Ohsaki nods. "Yeah. I think taking a few more bean balls is also part of his program, but other approaches work too." * Kyon smirks. "Getting hit is one way. But try to keep your head out of it." He rocks back on his heels. "So what do you want me to do?" * Ohsaki grips up on the bat a bit and practices his bunt posture. He lets out a breath. "Maybe just throw a mix of inside balls and I'll try to pick the right response, make sense?" * Kyon nods curtly. "Sure. What speed?" He opens up the batting cage, and starts stretching more. <@Grysar> [And so you get started. It does seem like good practice for Ohsaki, but no real break throughs here, yet and he remains stoically troubled. Keep going or do you try something new?] <@Grysar> [Meanwhile Sato Hiroto has started practicing at a nearby cage. He's playing around with a radar gun the team recently acquired. He's more one for curveballs and change ups than fast balls, but he does try to not neglect his speed.] * Kyon offers to do another 10 minutes or so of practice! * Ohsaki bows in practice and resumes his stance. He's a bit rigid with a determined scowl, the coach may have insulted his bushido spirit. He likes saying that sort of thing, though rarely to Kyon. * Kyon is clearly full of bushido spirit. He ups his speed a little, and keeps throwing inside. <@Grysar> [Ohsaki flinches a bit at first but then does get better at leaning in. That said, he's probably showing a bit too much faith that you aren't actually going to hit him. If you want to give him realistic conditions, you'll need to Go Aggro or try a different approach.] * Kyon calls, "You want to get a few full-speed ones in?" * Ohsaki grunts and nods. "Other side won't give me that choice." * Kyon nods, squares up, and starts throwing real live pitches! <@Grysar> [Ohsaki bunts a few away, gets close in hints, takes several strikes in between, and then actually takes one hit with a turn and a oof.] * Sato looks over and whistles. * Ohsaki rubs his side, but does smile a little. "That... wasn't as bad as the one I took in September." * Kyon peers in, and tucks his glove at his side. "Sorry. You okay?" * Ohsaki nods and pats his side. "Yeah, looks like I am healed up." He pats with a bit more gusto and then winces. "Though a hits a hit. So that was real heat? I think I picked my pitch and turned better, but..." * Kyon nods curtly, and takes a few steps closer. "Could have cut in towards you more. Harder to react and get out of the way if you've already decided to bunt if it's cutting in at you." * Ohsaki nods and rubs his chin. * Kyon comes in more towards him. "Could try stepping more off to the side as you square off, but your coverage of the plate'll go down some if you think it's going outside." * Ohsaki nods. "So really about knowing the pitcher and picking a stance to match, at least until I lose this rep coach is talking about?" * Kyon nods curtly. "If pitchers know you can do something with the inside pitches, we'll start trying something else." * Ohsaki nods and rests his bat over his shoulder. "Right, and if they don't adjust they're in for a surprise. Thanks Sorata-san." * Kyon smirks. "Just give us more run support, and it'll be worth it." * Ohsaki nods and bows solemnly, expressing his gratitude again before suddenly smiling. "That's right, we haven't talked much since last fall. Have I shown you the latest picture of Kenichi? He's grown a lot since he met your..." Ohsaki glances over to Sato. "Friends." * Kyon smirks, and closes the rest of the distance between them. "Yeah? Don't think I've seen it." * Ohsaki beams as he whips out his wallet with his free hand and shows a picture. Oddly, it's a manga cover. <@Grysar> [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenichi:_The_Mightiest_Disciple#/media/File:Ken ichi_The_Mightiest_Disciple_vol01.jpg ] * Sato glances over. He'd laid down his glove earlier and has his phone out. <@Grysar> [The manga cover is a print out to be clear, wallet photo sized, in a place where you'd normally expect a real picture.] * Kyon looks at it, and frowns. "That's your kid?" * Sato points his phone over in your direction. * Ohsaki looks mildly offended, looks at his wallet and then makes a remarkably puzzled expression. "What? No. Where'd the photo go?" * Sato nonchallantly slips his phone in his pocket and ever so casually walks to pick up his glove again. * Kyon snorts a small laugh. "Can't say. Didn't take it." * Ohsaki flips through his wallet, he apparently has like a half dozen photos stuffed in there in a somewhat weakened little album. "Wait, these are all covers... What the... Sato!" * Sato looks over, innocently smiling. "I didn't know your kid was in manga Ohsaki-sempai, that's cool." * Kyon raises his eyebrows and looks at them as they go by, and then off towards the other pitcher, just watching them both for the moment. * Ohsaki shakes his head. "Hand them over please." Sato grins slightly, reaches into his bag, and tosses the right field what looks to be a new wallet. * Ohsaki flips it open and is relieved to flip it open and find the pictures, immediately showing one of Kenichi to Kyon. He actually is quite the cute little boy, he's got his own little Lions uniform too. There's another one with the whole family shown right thereafter. * Sato gets out his phone again and fiddles with it, watching the showing with some interest. * Kyon nods dutifully. "Good uniform. Same number as yours, too." * Ohsaki laughs. "He insisted. I tried to convince him to pick his own number, but Mayumi buckled to him." * Ohsaki glances over the wallet after elicting some more dutiful nods from Kyon. "Hey, this is better than my old wallet. Uh, thanks, I guess, Sato- san." * Kyon smirks. "Just being a good teammate, right?" * Ohsaki reaches for his other wallet to offer reimbursement but Sato waves him off. "Just don't complain when I share the pictures on my Shuffle account. I've got a series where you show off your kid to everyone on the team and three members of the grounds crew." He grins. "Today is crown jewel." * Kyon snorts, and looks at him sidewise. "You use Shuffle?" * Ohsaki lets out a breath. "Sure. Man, I can't even keep track of these things anymore. Ayami texts me and I just call her." * Sato takes that in without comment, but there's amusement in his eyes. He looks over to Kyon. "Yeah, it's kind of gimmicky, but hey, it works to meet people and build fans." * Sato finishes typing something on his phone, he's actually quite dexterous surprise surprise, and then puts it away. * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Not worried about who's going to get your info from there?" * Sato looks thoughtful for a moment. "Well, when I did the friend draw thing, I got Lovers twice, so maybe they do know something. I mean what are the odds?" Drawing the same card twice if you shuffle? 1:51. * Sato deflates slightly. "Yeah yeah, I think it was just a gimmick for the dating side anyways. But hey, found someone cool, so what does it matter." * Kyon turns and looks at him more full on, eyebrows up and smirking. "Yeah? Who'd you find?" Martial artist, kind of intense sometimes but in good space and she's not all 'Oh, Hiroto-kun, giggle' all the time. * Sato does a surprisingly good ditzy girl when he wants to. * Kyon nods quickly, and cocks his head to the side a little. "What's her name?" * Ohsaki shakes his head. "Man, the old fashioned ways work." He looks to Kyon. "Well, mostly. I mean, modern women have different expectations, but that's not bad." * Sato looks over at Kyon with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, you're actually interested in this romantic stuff? You're going to destroy my series of 'evidence that Sorata-sempai is actually a pitching android sent back from the future' anecdotes." * Kyon smirks. "Not including the time in the trainer's room after games in that." And he nods to Ohsaki. "Yeah." * Sato grins. "Naw man, that's just recharging. Like a watch with a kinetic battery." He then shrugs. "But, since your asking, it's Remi. She has a kicking page. I'm hoping she can actually show me how to set up mine properly." * Kyon nods, and pats his glove a couple of times against his side. "Mind showing me? Been wondering what a good page on their looks like. Got some friends who are getting into it." * Ohsaki shakes his head. "And this is where I exit. I'm only going online kicking and screaming." He then leans in and comments quietly to Kyon. "Ayami has been bugging me to find out when you and that nice girl set a date. Please make sure I'm not the last to know." He then waves at Sato and puts together his stuff in a bag lying off to the side. * Sato looks a bit puzzled. "Sure, I mean, I trust that you aren't trying to steal my girl. Well, I mean it's been two dates, but like I said, she's kind of intense. We can go use my laptop." * Kyon nods to Ohsaki. "Right," he says, and then turns to Sato, smirking. "Nah. Not looking for any girls right now. Just want to get some research in on what makes the site good." * Sato snaps his fingers. "Right, pitching android. This all must be very primitive to you." * Kyon smirks harder. "Be surprised the kinds of tech my friends can get their hands on." <@Grysar> [And on that note, the two of you head to the locker room. Sato's actually got a pretty good commercial laptop and has a variety of stat tracking programs on the desktop. He plugs it into an ethernet port in the nearby office and loads up Shuffle. When he logs in he skips the step to draw a card to access special features and just pulls up Remi's page.] <@Grysar> [It is indeed Remi Okui. Her page is fairly minimalist but does have a few professional photographs that really fit well with the interface and a bit of video impressive video from a recent match.] I think this embedded video thing is going to be big. I've got this idea for just doing a rapid cut through a bunch three up, three down inning. * Kyon looks coolly at the screen, eyes flicking between the different pictures, and then says flatly, "Right. Video could go well here. Lots of strikeouts." * Sato nods. "You have to be careful, not do scouting against yourself, but done right it'd add to our intimidation factor." * Kyon nods quickly. "Yeah. If it's from game footage, wouldn't be anything people wouldn't have already." He gestures at the pictures. "So you've seen her fight?" He smirks. "Or is that a later date?" * Sato pulls back slightly giving Kyon a somewhat exagerated wide eyed look. "Just what sort of things do you think I do on my dates?" <@Grysar> [Sato scrolls down a bit, there's another picture of Remi with her younger sister, looking the most relaxed you've ever seen the girl, if a bit distant.] * Kyon states back, "With someone like her? Street fights. With music." He smirks. "Then a movie." * Sato shakes his head. "Damn man, you know all my moves." Too predictable. Should throw a change-up in there. "Too true. But seriously, not yet. I think it's kind of a personal thing, but I do think it'd be fun. And I've told her I'll get her some tickets when I'm next starting. * Kyon nods casually. "Let me know. Got a box we usually use for the games. Good view of the game." * Sato nods eagerly. "I don't think she's a crowds person. Which might actually be an obstacle someday, but for now a box would be better than even seats by the dugout I think. * Sato stretches. "Anything else you want to see on Shuffle or should I close up?" * Kyon shakes his head and straightens. "Nah. Got a good look at the page. Can pass the design idea onto my friend." * Sato nods and closes the program then the laptop. "It's still in beta I think, but I've got invite codes if anyone needs them." * Kyon nods curtly. "Right. Keep that in mind. Thanks." Speaking of, I should be off for date number 3. Catch you later. * Kyon nods, and tucks his heads into his windbreaker pockets. "Right. Good luck." He starts to head back to the locker room! <@Grysar> [End!]