But no matter how much his Canine other half wanted to go into the field and fetch the ball, he couldn't. His Chieftain was adamant in his orders to never interfere with the things of the humans. After all, they needed to earn their favor, not their ire.
So, the Orcanine Orc stayed his hand and allowed himself to simply watch the strange ritual of the Rebornians.
The Dragonborn once again threw the ball towards the one opposite her, and just like before, the demi-human's swing missed by just a hair's width, landing on the mitt cleanly.
"Argh!" the Orcanine groaned. He felt like he could have done better if he was in the position of the catfolk holding the bat.
But of course, he had to let go of his urges and simply watch as it unfolded.
Through observation, the Orc rightly assumed that this was some kind of competition between the two teams. And it seemed that whoever hit the ball with their bat would end up winning the rivalry between the two.
As he listened closer, he heard the crowd chant towards the demi-humans, cheering them on.
"Come on! You can hit a home run!"
"You can do it!"
"Go! Go! Go!"
Through context alone, the Orcanine figured out that scoring a home run must mean hitting the ball so far away from the opposition that they couldn't catch it any longer.
"This must be their way of worshipping the Earth Goddess, it must be!" the Orcanine exclaimed.
After all, it was only when the ball was hit by the metal bat did the crowd cheered and shouted, just like how their tribe shouted at their Sacred Grounds to show thanks to the Goddess.
'Figuring' this out led the Orcanine Orc to become a lot more intrigued with this little competition within the Rebornians. Not only did he like the fact that they were worshipping the Goddess, but he also liked the rivalry aspect between the two teams.
It gave him the same feeling as when he was facing their very own rival, the Orcupine tribe.
He watched for hours and hours, figuring out how the game was played and the rules that bound it. He completely forgot about the fact that he had to give the sack of Kakao beans to Neo Orcus.
And throughout the different games, the Orcanine Orc found himself cheering for the underdogs of the competition. They seemed to be named the 'Montgomery Escorts', and were weaker compared to the team led by the Dragonborns.
He saw himself within them and wanted them to succeed just like how he wanted his own tribe to succeed.
Whenever the Montgomery Escorts were up to bat, he would anxiously grasp the metal fence with such force that he unintentionally bent it with his fists. And when they failed to hit the ball and score a point, he would groan and express his disappointment.
When the game was over, he would feel himself longing for more.
After eavesdropping for a little while longer, he was delighted to find out that this game was a recurring event within Neo Orcus!
The Orcanine Orc decided then and there that he would always volunteer to deliver the sack of Kakao beans to Neo Orcus so that he would be able to catch a glimpse of their games.
He successfully left the sack at the gates of Neo Orcus before he left to return to his village.
A day passed, and the Orc couldn't help but crave to watch the baseball game. He had to slap himself silly so that he wouldn't feel this way.
Finally, the next day, the Chieftain tasked him to deliver the Kakao beans again!
"Why do you look so excited?" the Chieftain asked.
"Uhh… I just want to gain the favor of the Reborn company," he replied, tapping his foot in nervousness.
"Good! We must never let the Orcupine tribe earn their favor first! They will always be our rival until we can oust them from this forest!"
The Orc slapped his chest for the Chieftain before leaving to deliver the Kakao beans.
But of course, after reaching the forest, he made a slight detour and found himself behind the baseball fence once again. His joy and excitement were palpable as he saw the players take their positions on the field. It looked like he made it just in time for the start of the game.
It was the Rebornians versus the Montgomerys once more. But this time, it seemed that his favorite team had a new addition to their lineup.
There was a young girl within their midst, who regarded her metal bat with suspiciously good movement. She did some light swings in the air, which was sharp enough to send a whipping sound reverberating throughout the field.
The Orc knew there was something different about her and was cautiously optimistic about their chances to win the game. The last time, they weren't even able to get a single point!
Finally, the game started with the Montgomerys up at bat.
Unfortunately, their main opponent this time was once again the female Dragonborn with white scales. She was the one who never missed a single strike in the last game. A true scary opponent indeed.
And just like before, the first two players were quickly struck out, leaving the Montgomerys just one last chance before the inning ended.
The Orc thought they were going to lose once again, but this time, it seemed that the new girl was finally up to bat.
She took her position and waited for the ball to come to her position.
Then, within the first pitch, she took a large swing.
A very euphoric DING resounded throughout the field before the ball was sent flying through the air.
A home run.
The crowd cheered and shouted, praising the young girl for her strength and skill.
The Orcanine Orc grasped the metal fence and bent it from his excitement.
Seeing this was exhilarating!
He couldn't help himself and finally shouted in triumph along with the crowd.
"YEAH!"
"ALRIGHT!"
The Orcanine Orc was suddenly startled as he heard another shout just beside him.
He quickly turned around and saw the last person he wanted to see.
It was an Orcupine Orc, who seemed to have also stopped his celebration as he realized the Orcanine Orc's presence.
The two Orcs stared at each other, not knowing what to do.