Mal Riley and his Quest to Destroy the New York Yankees: A Rebooted Tale

Part 2: Beginning

Vote win.
[]Plan power
-[]And Sent the Ball Flying:
-[]A Regional Hatred
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Gain Trait:

The Boy who Chased the Ding!: You believe that the way to win games is by out-scoring your opponent, crushing baseballs, and sending them flying across the fences(You begin with an additional 15 Power stat, but suffer a -10 to contact, baserunning, stealing, and other additional debuffs you are too young to Train)

A Red Sox Hatred: Dad taught you that there are two things that make a good Red Sox fan. A Love of the Sox, and hatred for the Yankees. Not necessarily in that order. And emulating his own… mannerisms has made you a little… harder to (-5 to all social rolls)
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Dinner that night was a quiet affair—or at least as quiet as it could be with Gram bubbling over with excitement. He couldn't stop talking about his home run, recounting every detail as though he were narrating it for the highlight reel. Dad and Mom indulged him, smiling as they listened, and even Joe managed to set his phone aside long enough to nod along. Gram was over the moon, thrilled not just because he'd hit the ball clean out of the park, but because his whole family had been there to see it.

Well, almost everyone.

You'd never missed one of Gram's games, and he knew that. Maybe that's why, as the plates clinked and the conversation swirled, he suddenly reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out the ball—the one he'd sent sailing into the outfield.

"Here," Gram said, leaning across the table to hand it to you, his grin as bright as the stadium lights had been.

"Hey, no baseballs at the table," Dad interrupted, shooting Gram a mock-stern look over his glasses.

But Gram just shook his head, still smiling. "It's for Mal," he said simply, and Dad didn't argue.

The ball felt heavier than you expected as you turned it over in your hands. The stitching was rough against your fingers, and a faint scuff marred the leather where it had connected with the bat. It wasn't just a ball; it was a symbol of everything you admired about your brother—his passion, his determination, and the way he seemed to belong out there on the field.

The conversation started to pick up again, but you barely noticed. Your heart was pounding, and your thoughts were racing. This was your chance.

"Dad," you said, louder than you intended. The room quieted instantly, all eyes turning to you. Your pulse quickened, but you pushed through. "I want to play baseball."

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, no one spoke. Even Gram, who usually had something to say about everything, was silent.

Dad leaned back in his chair, his expression a mix of surprise and something else—concern, maybe? "Why now, kiddo?" he asked, his voice calm but cautious. He stood up and walked to the counter, leaning against it with his arms crossed. "You've never shown any interest before. When Gram started playing, you didn't want to join in. You said video games with Joe were more your thing."

You felt a pang in your chest because he wasn't wrong. Baseball had always been Gram's thing, not yours. But that was the past. Things had changed.

"I know," you admitted, gripping the ball tighter. "But I've been watching. I always watch. I love the games, Dad. And I know how to throw, and I can run fast—really fast!" You grinned, trying to channel the confidence Gram always seemed to have. "So why can't I play?"

Dad frowned, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought. "Gram started when he was six, Mal," he said finally, his tone measured. "I had more time to focus on helping him learn the basics back then. It's not as easy now, especially with how busy things are."

"But Gram can help me!" you blurted out before he could finish.

All eyes turned to Gram, who was quiet for a moment, studying you. Then, to your relief, he smiled. "Yeah, I can teach him. I'll help him train, and we'll see what he can do."

That was all the encouragement you needed. "YAY!" you shouted, practically bouncing in your seat.

Dad sighed, but there was a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Alright," he said finally, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "If Gram's willing to help, we'll give it a shot. But you're going to have to work hard, Mal. No quitting halfway."

"I won't!" you promised, your face glowing with excitement.

That night, you went to bed clutching the home run ball like it was a trophy. Your mind swirled with dreams of the diamond—of stepping up to the plate, hearing the crack of the bat, and watching the ball soar into the sky. You dreamed of cheers, of bases left behind in a blur, and of being the hero who saved the day.

You were going to play baseball. And you were going to be great.

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December 15th, 2006.

It was seven in the morning when you stood out in the field. It was quiet, it was dark, but the sun would soon be rising.

And you were with the one person who could teach you the true art of Baseball.

But Where do you Live:

[]Vancouver Washington: The Southernmost city in Washington, just a hop skip and a boat ride to Portland, and their basketball… and the Minor League Team, the Portland Beavers. It's Cold in the winter, but in the spring it's a beautiful place

[]Petaluma California: A Small Town Two hours north of Oakland and San Francisco, a small town with multiple public baseball fields and schools that allow anyone to use the fields during the summer. The problem is the weather. Some days it never rises above 50, with winds going up to 20 MPH… and other times it's a scorching 95 degrees Fahrenheit… dry.

[]Seattle Washington: Home of the Mariners, a bustling city and a place where many dreams are born and created. Let's see if you can join that dream. Hopefully, it will not rain tomorrow... or snow, that tends to make practice harder.

[]Write in (Must be in the United States)


Who was that:

[]Your Older Brother: Gram is someone who is still learning like you, but what he lacks in experience, he makes up for in experimentation, in energy, and just some all-out ideas that a more entrenched and established baseball mind like your father, would never allow you to do. (Gain Trait: Two Sons)

[]Dad: Your Father smiled as he looked at the sunrise, and quietly took in a deep breath before whistling Union Dixie. "Alright, you want to play baseball, I'll teach you." He is an established genius when it comes from the baseball diamond due to playing when he was a kid, and teenager… but he's a little set in his ways, and will force you to be a more… traditional player, in his mind. (Gain Trait: One Father)

What Side do you throw and Bat:
[] Bat Right, Throw Right
[] Bat Left, Throw Right
[] Bat Right, Throw Left
[] Bat Left, Throw Left
[] Bat Switch, Throw Right
[] Bat Switch, Throw Left
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What do you focus on for your first training session?:

For every successful training session, you gain a d10 to an attribute. As you are not 12 yet, your attributes cap at 40.

(Choose 1)

[]Slugging: You Wish to try and hit home runs (Note, due to being so young, you get a -20 to the training roll for this skill. You can still increase stats, but only up to 5)

[]Contact Hitting: You need to do something really important, and that is hitting the baseball… with a consistent basis. It might not be flattering, but it is… useful.

[]Baserunning: You need to be able to know how to run the bases… as best you can at least.

[]Conditioning: You have natural energy in your step, but you need to be able to use that energy for a long time, for 6 innings of baseball

[]Fielding: You need to know how to field, for Baseball is a two-way sport, that of the bat, and the glove.

[]Playing Catch: You don't really know how to catch a baseball that well.
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What do you do at home?:

Choose 2.

[]Spend time with Dad: Hopefully, your dad is home tonight. You want to see if he's trying to prepare for your inevitable little league debut in the spring.

[]Spend Time with Mom: Mom needs some help cooking dinner tonight, and you want to ask her what she thinks.

[]Train with Gram: He's doing some training over the winter break, and now you want to join him, hopefully, he's not so annoyed at you joining him.

[]Video Games Await!: Your Twin has been playing Halo 2 for the last two weeks and has been trying desperately to get you to play so he can finally finish the game on Legendary difficulty. What the heck, might as well.

[]Do Homework: Mr. Berns has assigned some very small amounts of homework for the winter break, you might as well get it done now before… other things get in the way, like Christmas.

[]Go Around the Neighborhood: There is bound to be someone who can talk to you, maybe even about baseball… or something else.


AN: Enjoy and please vote in plan format please.