Episode 7

## Sucker for a Pretty Face

* Title Screen
* Screenshot

## Episode Guide

**Sucker for a Pretty Face**is the seventh episode of the *Cross Game* anime.

Coach Shuugo Daimon recruits Aoba Tsukishima from the middle school to pitch against his varsity team, in an attempt to 'break' her. Yuuhei Azuma steps up to the plate as Aoba is quickly tiring and wears her down even more before being able to hit one of her pitches out of the park.

## Plot

Kou Kitamura, Osamu Akaishi and Daiki Nakanishi are on the roof of their school, watching Coach Daimon walk by. Akaishi starts talking about Coach Daimon's achievements as coach, including how he appeared at Koshien eight times in both the Spring and Summer Tournaments. Akaishi admits that Daimon is a great coach, but despite his talents, none of the teams he coached produced a player who lasted past a year in the pros. Kou points out that Daimon doesn't seem to care about his players' futures. It was also revealed that Daimon tends to abandon teams if they become weak. Daimon even encouraged other students to beat up on the weaker players then outed those players to the High School Baseball Association. Kou wonders if the players Daimon is currently coaching heard about those rumors. Akaishi tells him probably but since they are talented, they think they are different than the players before them and they are just interested in going to Koshein. Not wanting a coach like Daimon, the three boys decide to drive Daimon out of the school.

Daimon makes his way over to the middle school where he is greeted by the middle school baseball coach Tooru Itoyama who eagerly offers him a chair. Daimon tells him he's there to watch and to see if there are any players he can recruit for next year's team. He soon spots Aoba pitching and asks about her. Itoyama tells Daimon that Aoba is their team captain and a 9th grader. Aoba caught Daimon's attention. Itoyama tells Daimon that people often get surprised when they first see Aoba pitching, and Daimon is surprised that she's a girl. Itoyama says yes she's a girl but she loves baseball. Daimon isn't looking for someone who 'loves baseball'. He then gets up and leaves.

The prefab team are practicing. Since their field is small, the ball is hit into the trees behind the field because Tsuneki is unable to go far back enough to catch the ball. Makihara is frustrated with the small field. Coach Sentarou Maeno tells him that every team has different environments and conditions, learning how to be creative in those environments and conditions is what it comes down to. Akaishi, who is practicing with Kou, points out Wakaba's uncanny observations when it comes to gauging people.

The varsity team is also practicing. Keiichirou Senda is tiring but Daimon tells him no breaks. In order to please Daimon, Senda perks up right away and continues pitching. Azuma tells Daimon that Senda is going to break soon, but Daimon doesn't seem to care. Daimon tells Azumathat for his turn, they will use the ace Noboru Kamikawa. Azumaprefers to practice with the pitching machines. Before he gets too far, Daimon stops him and tells him that there is one person who might be good enough to practice against and it doesn't matter if that pitcher is ruined. The pitcher he's referring to is non other than Aoba.

Senda gets his elbow looked at by the nurse and is told that it's not wise for him to continue pitching at that time. Daimon rips up the note that Senda gives him, and then tells Senda to pack his belongings because he doesn't belong on the varsity team. Not wanting to be kicked off the team, Senda tells him the nurse probably didn't know what they were talking about and runs to get changed into his uniform. but before he leaves, he spots Aoba on the pitcher's mound. Two male students are catering to varsity manager, Risa Shidou. They ask her why she's not over on the baseball diamond managing the team and if it's okay that she's skipping on her duties. She tells them that no one is going to complain and that her job doesn't start until the team starts getting recognition and reporters are interviewing the team. They tell Risa about Aoba who is famous in junior high with both the girls and the guys. Just having come back from overseas, Risa doesn't know who Aoba is and acts indifferent to the news, but she did hear that Coach Daimon intends to use her, break her and then dispose of her. Kou overhears and asks Risa to elaborate on that statement. The two students ask Kou who he is. Nakanishi and Akaishi appear behind the students and Nakanishi tells him they are the prefab members who can even silence crying babies.

Back at the field, Senda is watching Aoba, both in amazement and concern, as she grows more and more tired. Daimon brings her another full box of baseballs. Yuuji Kubo, who is at bat, grows impatient with Aoba and tells her to pitch. Kou, Akaishi and Nakanishi appear at the field and Daimon asks about them and some of the baseball players tell Daimon that those three are the players on the prefab team who didn't take the selection exam. Daimon tells Kou, Nakanishi and Akaishi that they better not disobey him or they will spend their entire high school baseball career on the prefab team, which Daimon also refers to as 'compost for the varsity team'. This statement angers both Nakanishi and Akaishi, but the ever composed Kou just simply states that that wasn't a nice thing to say.

Nakanishi asks Daimon how much longer is he going to have Aoba pitch for, the response is a cold 'until she breaks.' Kubo insults Aoba by calling her 'just a girl with light pitches." In response, Aoba pitches at almost her full power, surprising both Azuma and Daimon. Kubo is unable to hit any of the pitches. Kou warns Daimon to be careful, because with sunglasses as dark as his, he might end up falling into the compose one day. Kou continues to watch Aoba pitch and not a single varsity team member is able to hit any of her pitches. Azuma decides he's ready to bat and steps up to the batter's box. This surprises Aoba, Kou, Nakanishi and Akaishi. Azuma says that now that Aoba is warmed up, she should start pitching at her full power. Aoba agrees and asks for catcher change as Kinji Takizawa, the varsity team catcher, wouldn't be able to handle her fully powered pitches. She asks Akaishi to step up, which Daimon allows.

Aoba then pitches at her full power, which surprises the members of the varsity team. Azuma misses the first pitch due to it's speed, he didn't even swing. He swings and misses the second pitch. Daimon is speechless. It's then revealed that it's rare to see Aoba pitching at her full strength since she's only allowed to pitch in practice games and if she pitched at her full speed, it would no longer be practice. Azuma tells Akaishi that he's going to foul off some of the pitches and fight it out. Aoba continues pitching and Azuma keeps intentionally hitting foul balls. Not one ball has gone forward. Aoba, already tired, is almost at her limit. Azuma is pleased that he's getting some good practice in.

Risa shows up at the field and orders someone to wipe a chair off so she can sit. Senda is too eager to do so. Senda starts to introduce Risa to Kou and Nakanishi. As Senda is going on and on about Risa, Kou and Nakanishi have long lost interest and had gone back to watching the action on the field. Risa calls Aoba "pathetic" and "an idiot" for wanting to get sweaty and dirty, Kou, showing off his talent in voice impersonations, pretends to be Senda and says that Aoba is more attractive than a girl who can only gloat about her parents and her appearance. Risa gets angry at Senda, thinking he's the one who said it while Senda tries to defend himself. Risa soon begins to grow bored and starts yawning. Kou, still pretending to be Senda, calls her stupid and tells her to stop yawning. Once again, Senda tries to explain that it wasn't him who said that.

Nakanishi asks Kou if he wants to take over the pitching for Aoba and Kou says he does and that he wants to 'hit him,' referring to Azuma. Aoba throws one last pitch, finally at her limit and Azuma easily slams it out of the park. Aoba finally collapses from exhaustion. Azuma says they can call it a day as he found a good batting center and would hate to ruin it in one day. Over on the sidelines, Nakanishi tells Kou that he has really learned some control and restraint, because if this had been junior high, Azuma and Daimon would have been attacked by now. Kou agrees.

On the train back home, Kou is sitting next to Aoba who isn't happy that he's sitting so close to her. Kou tells her that Akaishi told him to and he had no choice in the matter. Aoba tries to grab her schoolbag from Kou but her arm is still hurting and she winces in pain. Kou tells her that he know she's frustrated that she couldn't best Azuma and that she should give up, and not do anything else 'sunglasses guy' tells her to do (referring to Daimon) She tells him it's his job to take Azuma out while she takes care of the rest of the team. She feels that she can at least find the weaknesses of the rest of the team if she were to pitch to them again. She quickly says that it doesn't mean she believes in his abilities, but she wants to believe what Wakaba and Akaishi said. Kou doesn't understand and asks what Wakaba said. "The best in the nation." Kou asks the best in the nation at what. Aoba doesn't answer and just sighs in annoyance and continues sighing as they walk home from the train station.

## Characters

### Order of appearance

* Kou Kitamura
* Daiki Nakanishi
* Osamu Akaishi
* Shuugo Daimon
* Tooru Itoyama (debut)
* Aoba Tsukishima
* Tsuneki
* Makihara
* Sentarou Maeno
* Wakaba Tsukishima (flashback)
* Yuuji Kubo
* Minoru Ishiguro
* Keiichirou Senda
* Noboru Kamikawa (mentioned)
* Kinji Takizawa
* Yuuhei Azuma
* Risa Shidou
* Tatsumasa Miki
* Keisuke Kishibe
* Seiji Tsukishima
* Kensaku Kitamura
* Nomo

## Trivia

* **Title drop/reference**: "Sucker for a Pretty Face" is similar to what Aoba tells Takizawa when he asks why he isn't good enough to catch her pitches.
* Mitsuru Adachi was referenced in this episode
* Although brief, this episode shows that Aoba does have some faith in Kou's abilities as she tells him it's his job to take Azuma out while she takes care of the rest of the team's weaknesses, although she tries to play it off as wanting to believe what Wakaba and Akaishi said
* This episode also shows a bit of Kou, Akaishi and Nakanishi's protectiveness when it comes to Aoba
	+ Nakanishi when he said he would have attacked Daimon and Azuma if this had been middle school
	+ Akaishi when he tells Kou to keep an eye on Aoba on their way back home
	+ Kou when he tells Aoba not to do anything else Daimon tells her to do and agreeing that he would attacked Azuma and Daimon as well had this been middle school