I walk upon to the large green field from the bench. My experience of the Home Run Derby from a realm that even hell would be afraid of has been preparing me for this moment. My views upon reality has been shaded since that day. The day I met the one who could pass judgement to even the Gods of all being. On that day, I learned the most important part of myself - no, of humanity itself. It is our greatest weapon, and yet is also our biggest weakness.
Persistence.
Humanity's desire to never give up on their goal has shaped history in all sorts of ways. Good and bad. But like any great weapon, we rely too much on it. We hunger too much for victory. It is our most desired outcome in any ongoing activity. It is our objective, our legacy, our ultimate source of motivation. To us, victory is a sign of greatness, and is how we allow ourselves to be remembered beyond our time of life. Since the dawn of mankind, it is how we survived. Competition is everywhere, it is how we find our mates, how we secure our own food, how we live. Persistence itself is the most vital tool for any living creature. We make sacrifices for it, for our own benefit. It shapes us into who we are.
Because of how powerful it is, it's what makes it so dangerous. To others and especially to ourselves. We are rather thoughtless creatures, and because of that we rarely question our desires. I realized that too late. But there's no point changing it now. I made this decision long ago, and despite my self-awareness, I cannot overcome the persistence I have at this point.
Is it worth it? All this persistence of mine? Where does it come from? And for what? A gaining of satisfaction from victory? Is that really worth all the sacrifices I made to get here?
Sanity, hope, life. I clanged to these like any existing creature. Those are what matter the most. But I've already gone too far. Ever since I met that boy who was a demon, nothing has been the same. What does it take to beat a demon? A god? That would be wrong. I'm no god. The only alternative would be a stronger demon. Fight fire with fire. This is what I've become. A demon on earth.
I was just a child once. A small, nerdy and timid young fellow. I had no interest in baseball back then. Yet here I am. Bat in hands, ready to pitch in the biggest game in baseball history. I bet the demon boy too was just a friendly young boy before he gained his power. Yet his reign of terror is over. All thanks the power I have been granted as a living creature: persistence.
The crowd is chanting. The pressure, or lack thereof, is familiar to me. I hold my bat with an iron grip, ready to strike. My thoughts continue to reflect on what I've done. I wish I never met him. I wish I had put the bat down and gone back to my normal life back then. Why did I allow persistence to drive me to a small success but a bigger failure. It wasn't worth it. It never will be. I've become the demon boy himself.
You planned this all along, didn't you? Your inner childhood innocence wanted your body to be put to rest. You too, suffered due to your persistence and wanted to pass the crown. And what better way to do that than to use me, another being driven to beat you with my own persistence. I can see now, but an end must be made to this vicious baseball demon cycle. The way to do that, is right in front of me. This disgusting field surrounded by players and fans too absorbed by the competitiveness of sport, which continues to drive their persistence to their own end. I'll put an end to this.
This is what you wanted, isn't it?
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