trigger happy team (danganronpa baseball AU)

-4-

Leon yelled, getting everyone's attention. "Alright. Play's to first, and no outs. Ready?" 

He turned on his heel and whipped the ball towards the ground halfway between him and Mondo. It bounced on the dirt and rolled over to Mondo's right. The biker fumbled for the ball and clumsily made his way to first base. Instead of just stepping on the bag, he tapped it with the baseball.

"You only need to step on the base when it's a force play. If there's no runners and the play's to first, it's a force play. Got it?" Leon explained, catching the weak throw that Mondo gave him.

"I already knew that, Kuwata. Dumbass." 

"Then why did you- you know what, nevermind." He sighed. "Hey princess! Catch this!" He threw Aoi a grounder, startling her. She flinched and covered her eyes with her glove. 

The baseball rolled between her legs and slowed down to a stop on the grass. She hesitantly removed her hands, looking around. "I-Is it gone?" 

Makoto laughed nervously as she picked the ball off the ground.

"Damn it, Leon, you can't just throw it when I'm not looking! You could've cracked my skull open!" She hollered, chucking the ball at him.

He yawned. "Pay attention next time. Eggy, you're up." Makoto looked up, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh, it's Naegi, and-" He didn't have time to finish before his vision was clouded with white leather and red laces. A scream was threatening to escape his lips. If the ball hit him on the head like this, he'd be knocked out. With less than a second to spare, he threw his head back, trying to dodge the incoming bullet. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for impact. But it never came.

The ball flew past his head and into the outfield, where Sakura picked it up and studied it with curiosity. Makoto whipped around to make sure he was seeing things right. He just dodged that ball. It was like something from the Matrix. His talent of luck was finally put into good use. "Didja see that, guys? I dodged that! That was pretty cool."

Kirigiri scoffed. "I'm not impressed. I mean, you are the Ultimate Lucky Student, right? It's only natural that it would work out for you in the end."

He just gave her a sheepish smile and tidied up his hair. Leon gaped in astonishment. Not even professional players could pull off a stunt like that. Maybe it was all luck.

Leon was brought back into reality when he heard Sakura call his name and throw the ball back to him. Next was Kirigiri, and he was excited to see her full potential. "Kiri, you ready?"

She bent her knees, getting into a ready position that released the tension in her shoulders. "Yes. Throw the ball." He did as she told, stepping forward with his opposite foot and whipping the ball towards the infield dirt like a slingshot. It landed a few feet across from where she stood. 

Kirigiri immediately turned and ran over to scoop up the ball in her glove. She slid across the dirt and spun around towards first base. Then, with a surge of strength, she hurled the ball towards Mondo's chest. 

The biker kept one foot on the base but extended his body towards third base, putting all his weight on his front leg. He could topple over at any moment, but his sheer determination prevented him from doing so. Then, as he raised his glove, the ball fell perfectly into the weaved leather net. A smirk played at his lips. He raised a triumphant fist.

"See, guys, that's how you play baseball." Mondo boasted.

"No it isn't! You extended with the wrong foot and didn't even squeeze the damn glove! It could've fallen out at any moment!" Leon yelled, analyzing every detail and complaining about it.