Doraemon: Starting by Taking Care of Tamako Nobi

"Let the game begin!"

A student with a forgettable face stood in as referee, while the opposing team's pitcher stepped up to the mound.

Following Shizuka's instructions, Hiro Nobita assumed his stance: knees slightly bent, weight lowered, both hands gripping the wooden bat with knuckles aligned in a straight line.

"Where did Gian dig this guy up from? Never seen him before."

"Who cares? That baby-faced kid's already annoying me. Let's strike him out quick."

The rival team muttered among themselves, but soon got into position.

The pitcher raised his right arm, twirling it for momentum before hurling a fastball straight at the plate.

"Here it comes!"

Eyes locked on the incoming blur of white, Hiro swung. The bat whipped out in a clean arc.

Crack!

The ball connected and soared into the sky in a clean parabola. But Hiro didn't waste time admiring it.

With a smooth twist of the bat and a burst of speed, he sprinted toward first base.

"Nice one, Hiro!"

Gian pumped his fist excitedly. With that, their team scored the first run.

As expected of the guy who'd once defeated him this level of play was no fluke.

"No way... It has to be luck. That guy's just lucky!"

Noby bit down on his glove, his face twisted in disbelief.

He couldn't even see the ball clearly, and yet Hiro hit it? No way was that skill. It had to be luck. Nobody could be good at everything!

"Huff... huff..."

By the end of the first half, Hiro was exhausted, leaning against the fence with the bat in hand, trying to catch his breath. He'd played hard but had reached his limit. Gian had already subbed in ten minutes earlier.

"You were amazing out there, Hiro. If I hadn't known better, I'd never have guessed it was your first time playing baseball."

Shizuka, relieved her earlier worry had been unfounded, pulled a handkerchief from her skirt pocket and gently wiped the sweat from his brow.

He had been nothing short of dazzling.

A few other girls had wanted to help too, but seeing Shizuka take the lead, they quietly stepped back though they still handed him bottled water.

"Thirsty, guys? I've got extras."

Hiro handed out the water bottles he'd collected like prizes. No way he could drink all of them himself.

"Thanks, Hiro. You're more popular than I thought. Kinda makes me jealous!"

Gian laughed, slinging an arm around Hiro's neck while gulping down water.

"Hey! You! The guy who's been slacking the whole first half. Hiro's handing out water get over here already."

Suneo raised his voice just loud enough for everyone to hear. Noby sulked over with a gloomy face. He didn't care for the water... unless it came from Shizuka.

Watching Hiro and Shizuka's warm interaction made Noby feel even worse.

If this went on, Shizuka his future wife might get snatched away.

"Gian, let me take over the second half!"

Noby turned to Gian with determined eyes, holding up the bat that looked like it had never touched a ball in its life.

It practically gleamed like it was still fresh from the factory.

"You? Come on, Noby. Maybe just stick to fetching balls, yeah?"

Still, Gian was in a good mood from their lead and didn't sound too harsh.

"No worries! Leave it to me!"

Thumping his chest, Noby looked overly confident. He had to turn the tide his whole plan to embarrass Hiro had backfired, and now Hiro was the one getting all the glory.

He needed to do something. Anything.

"Fine. Go ahead and give it a shot."

Seeing Noby's enthusiasm, Gian relented. With a three-run lead, they could afford the risk.

"Hey! Noby's up next! This is our shot to turn the game around."

"Got it! No idea why Gian's letting him bat, but this is a golden opportunity for us."

The opposing team's morale soared. They knew a weak spot when they saw one.

"Watch this! If Hiro can do it, I can too."

Ignoring the whispers, Noby copied Hiro's stance and readied himself.

Whoosh!

"Strike!"

Whoosh!

"Strike!"

Whoosh!

"Strike three! Batter out!"

It was over in an instant. Noby hadn't touched the ball.

Outside the field, Hiro and Shizuka watched with growing concern. They quietly prayed that Gian wouldn't go too hard on him.

"You idiot, Noby! Another strikeout? What are you even doing out there?!"

Gian exploded with rage.

Noby clutched his bat, on the verge of tears. He had copied Hiro exactly so where did it all go wrong?

"Easy, Gian! Don't beat him up now. The rest of the team's still resting, and Noby still has to fetch balls."

Suneo managed to hold Gian back. The iron fist of fury was forced to wait.

"Noby, if you don't redeem yourself, I swear you're done for!"

"I'll... I'll do my best..."

Shivering, Noby put on his glove and returned to the field. The thought of an enraged Gian chilled him to the bone.

His already mediocre skills took another hit. He missed an easy high-fly ball and ended up face-down in the dirt.

"Damn it, Noby! The score's tied now!"

"Hiro! You've got the final at-bat. Please! We're counting on you!"

Gian clapped Hiro on the shoulder with grave seriousness. As the kingpin of the team, losing was not an option.

"I'll try my best..."

Having caught his breath, Hiro stepped back onto the field. One look at the scoreboard confirmed it.

If they wanted to win, it wasn't enough to just hit the ball. They needed a grand slam.

His pulse quickened. This wouldn't be easy.

Then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind, calming his nerves.

[Ding! Baseball skill +1]

[Ding! Physique +1]

Exactly thirty minutes had passed. No need for more words. This next hit would shake the heavens.

Crack!

A sharp, clean sound rang out.

It was a home run!

The ball soared up... past the sun.

"Hiro! That was awesome!"

Gian roared from the sidelines, his blood pumping with excitement. It had been ages since anyone hit a home run like that.

The crowd went wild. Every eye followed the disappearing white dot in the sky.

Even Shizuka jumped up from the grass in joy, forgetting all ladylike restraint.

"No... no way!"

Noby stood frozen, wide-eyed, watching Hiro being lifted into the air by the crowd.

Before he could process it, a shadow loomed.

"Noby, we may have won, but you're still getting punished!"

"Ow! Gian! Please, just let me off this one time!"