The game continued, with the Cleaving Chefs taking the early lead in the opening innings. But soon after, the Brainiac Engineers proved their strategy of slow but steady paid off as they evened out the score.
Finally, it was the bottom of the ninth inning. This was the last chance the two teams would get to score.
The Chefs were pitching, while the Engineers were batting.
Kong was up at the plate, swinging his bat as he eyed the pitcher on the mound.
This was a crucial moment, yet there was no nervousness in his face. He was excited!
Finally, the pitcher threw the ball high up on the box, making it seem as if it was out. But Kong was not deceived. He charged his shoulders, swinging the bat a little bit below where the ball seemed to be going.
And just as Kong predicted, the ball suddenly curved downwards, perfectly meeting the metal bat in the perfect spot, eliciting a very satisfying DINK, before sending the ball flying off into the air.
“Another homerun!” the crowd cheered.
Kong and his two other teammates rounded out the bases, scoring a crucial three points for their team to take the lead.
But of course, the Chefs didn’t let the game be over yet.
Finally, at the top of the ninth inning, they were the one to bat. This was their final chance to decide who would end up the winner.
The Chefs used their brute strength to send the balls flying to the field, letting three of their players stand on each base.
However, this came at a cost. They had two outs. One more, and they would lose the game entirely.
They needed a miracle home run to convert those three players into points on the board.
In such a crucial do or die situation, the Cleaving Chefs finally sent in their trump card.
Michael slowly walked towards the field, with the HobMankeys and the dwarves cheering in excitement as the two best players finally faced off in the final minutes of the game.
Kong was on the mound, his eyes burning in competitiveness as he finally got the chance to try and strike out his Boss.
Ever since Michael showed them this game, none of the HobMankeys had ever won a game off of him. But Kong had prepared for this moment. This was his chance to show off his hard work.
Michael, on the other hand, welcomed Kong’s intense stare down with a simple shrug of the shoulders, showing his relaxed attitude even in the tensest of situations.
Finally, Kong threw his first ball, sending it straight down the middle of the catcher’s mitt.
This was perhaps the fastest pitch in the game, making the crowd erupt in excitement and hype.
Michael let the first pitch go without swinging, meaning that it was his first strike.
He just smiled and nodded in respect at Kong’s improved skill.
Then, on the second pitch, the ball seemed to be as fast as the first one, making the crowd think Kong pitched the same ball as before. Yet, when the ball was about to reach the mitt, it dramatically curved downwards and landed perfectly on the catcher’s mitt.
Michael let this ball go as well, making it his second strike. He just had one more chance.
The whole crowd was silent. They were on the edge of their seats. The dwarves all stood up and stared at the game with bated breaths.
The tension was palpable. This last pitch would decide it all.
Kong took a deep breath and wound up his shoulders before sending the last ball flying towards the plate.
Just when everyone thought it was over, Michael finally twisted his shoulders, brining the bat speeding towards the incoming ball.
And as the ball got closer, it curved to the left.
But Michael seemed to have predicted this and moved his bat accordingly, hitting the ball high up in the air and out onto the field.
Everything seemed to have turned into slow motion. The crowd watched as the ball flew into the air and curved down towards the middle section of the bleachers.
The dwarves were stunned, not expecting the ball to fly towards their section.
One brave dwarven child raised her hand, letting the ball fall perfectly in her hand.
Then, silence.
The crowd of spectators and the players on the field all looked at the dwarven child holding the ball in her hands.
“I…I caught the homerun ball!” she screamed.
And finally, everyone erupted in cheers, celebrating such a momentous occasion.
The game was so close, with the Brainiac Engineers looking to have finally clutched a win. Yet, at the very last moment, Michael was able to pull off a miracle home run that scored the Chefs four points, winning them the whole game.
But the results of the game didn’t matter for the crowd of HobMankeys or the dwarves. They cheered at the sheer entertainment and excitement they felt throughout the whole game.
The dwarves and the HobMankeys celebrated together, jumping and hugging each other in celebration.
Even the two sides of the bleachers finally broke their rivalry and celebrated together. Blue-uniformed fans hugged their red-uniformed rivals, applauding each other for such a good game.
While they were celebrating, Thrain took a moment to himself and observed his surroundings.
His fellow dwarves were shouting in excitement and showing smiles that almost made the braids on their beards open up.
It was hard to believe that they experienced something calamitous only a few days ago.
For a moment, they all forgot the sorrows of yesterday and let go of the anxieties of tomorrow. For now, they enjoyed the moment with everyone else.
It hadn’t even been a day, yet he was starting to love this village, this community.
After the game, everyone took their celebrations to the village plaza, where food and drinks were shared all around.
Michael took to the stage and unveiled one of his current projects that he had been working on.
“Sorry kids, but this one is just for adults,” he said as he used his magic to bring multiple barrels to the plaza, each one with a tap on the bottom.
“This is called beer, and it is best enjoyed cold!”