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Jul 24

The Ideal Apothecary Diaries Baseball Team: Coach Ah-Duo ⚾

While reading the previous parts is recommended (they're fun!), you can read this post on its own because it catches you up on everything necessary as it goes. This is written to be accessible to non-baseball fans, and it's more of an uplifting Ah-Duo character study and relationship study framed around baseball instead of a solely baseball-focused post. Just like all the previous parts in this series.

Previously...

The Ideal Apothecary Diaries Baseball Team

Part 1 - Defense & Other Roles

Part 2 - Offense

Prequel (Part 0) - What if the Emperor, Jinshi, and High Consorts Threw Ceremonial First Pitches?

Something I alluded to in the first two parts of the Apothecary Diaries Baseball Team building saga was the need for a great coach to anchor the Mighty Ducks and improve on their weak spots, but I never once specified who that might be. Enter Ah-Duo.

Light novel spoilers ahead. (Word count: ~4.6k words)

How Ah-Duo Became Coach

Sometime before the current Emperor took the throne, travelers from a western country brought a game called "baseball" to Li. Linese citizens saw these foreigners playing a game with a bat and a ball, and they were oddly intrigued. The game unexpectedly caught on among commoners in Li's western towns and villages. It didn't reach the capital and become integrated into the country's culture until one day, the current Emperor in his first year of ruling saw a demonstration and thought, "This looks fun."

It all snowballed from there. Many government officials, palace servants, and guards started playing baseball in their free time, and ball games quickly became a regular activity at festivals and other ceremonial events. A tradition also began of special guests like military officers, consorts, and theatrical performers throwing ceremonial first pitches to signal the start of each game.

Ah-Duo immediately loved the new sport, finding it to be a fun, vigorous, disciplined activity. Thanks to her favor with the Emperor, she was able to convince him to set aside part of the rear palace grounds as baseball fields for servants, ladies-in-waiting, and even consorts to enjoy in their free time. She enjoyed throwing pitches and playing ball with any ladies she could from time to time, which allowed her to steadily refine her pitching technique and develop a deep understanding of baseball just as it was taking root in the country.

She showed off her skills when she delivered a blazing ceremonial first pitch at the garden party. As the first high consort to ever do so, her pitch inspired the Precious Consort Gyokuyou (who thought it looked really cool) to try it herself. As a result, a tradition began and the Wise Consort Lihua, the new Pure Consort Loulan, the Virtuous Consort Lishu, the Emperor, and the Moon Prince all eventually got to throw ceremonial first pitches of their own.

Even after Ah-Duo was removed as Pure Consort, she continued regularly playing the sport in the villa she oversaw with her ladies-in-waiting and the Shi clan kids, all of whom enjoyed it themselves. She wouldn't play in any public or ceremonial games, but she received permission to watch them and loved doing so. Over time, she amassed plenty of foundational skill and knowledge in baseball, enjoying it as one of her favorite pastimes.

One day, Chue came to Ah-Duo to report on her mission to make the Moon Prince happy. She told her that a delegation from the western country (the one that brought them baseball) visited as part of a diplomatic and cultural exchange, in which they suggested a friendly series of exhibition matches to celebrate goodwill between the two countries. The Emperor established an imperial team to represent the nation of Li, entrusting the Moon Prince (Jinshi) to be the face of the team and select the roster.

Chue informed her of the team the Moon Prince assembled, which consisted of himself and eight people he trusted: his confidants in the Ma clan (Chue, Basen, Gaoshun, Maamei), a trusted soldier friend of Basen's (Lihaku), a farm boy who did exceptional work in the Western capital (Lahan's Brother), the governor of the Western capital (Shikyou), and a doctor who Maomao vouched for as a good, trustworthy, and muscular man (Dr. Li). However, given how young baseball was and the lack of any true "elite" players at this stage, they weren't sure who could possibly coach them. But Chue told them she knew just the person.

Ah-Duo's smile was as bright as ever. She readily accepted the offer.

Coach: Ah-Duo

As a baseball coach, Ah-Duo will be demanding, but fair. She won't be a Suiren or Taomei-tier drill sergeant, but the team will see a side of her she doesn't show off very often. Her maternal, caring nature mostly appears in the form of tenderness in canon, but now it'll manifest as tough love as she pushes everyone to be the best they can be.

In both Parts 1 & 2, I covered the team's main weaknesses that a coach should focus on:

The infield's volatility due to Basen and Chue

Basen's super strength in general

Basen's inability to hit wild pitches (i.e. pitches that aren't simple, relatively predictable fastballs)

Running speed for everyone (but especially the outfielders Shikyou, Maamei, and Dr. Li whose speed feats are unproven in canon)

(Plus, she needs to get Lahan's Brother and Dr. Li used to being around the Moon Prince and his godly beauty, which will be done during breaks.)

For this section, I'm going to briefly cover how Ah-Duo would interact with each member of the team, both personally and in terms of what they'll work on baseball-wise. Every character will get standard baseball training like batting practice, baserunning, and sprint work, but these will focus on the most important thing(s) for each character, if applicable. I'll go through them all in batting order. For reference, here's all the team members in batting order with their defense role in parentheticals, so you know what to expect:

Chue (Second Baseman)

Jinshi (First Baseman)

Lihaku (Third Baseman)

Basen (Shortstop)

Gaoshun (Catcher)

Lahan's Brother (Pitcher)

Shikyou (Center Fielder)

Maamei (Left Fielder)

Dr. Li (Right Fielder)

Ah-Duo & Chue (Second Baseman)

From Vol. 13 Ch. 14

“May I take it that you’re Miss Chue’s real master, milady?” Indeed, she had hit the mark. “That’s right,” Ah-Duo said. “Yes indeedy!” added Chue.

Ah-Duo and Chue already have a working relationship since Ah-Duo employs her to keep the Moon Prince happy. Given that Chue is allowed to be playful ("Yes indeedy!") and freely enjoy sweet treats under her presence, they appear to have a much more relaxed relationship than Chue has with Taomei (who she fears and keeps making excuses to get away from in the second western capital arc).

Because of this, Ah-Duo won't ever get Taomei-level strict, plus she already knows Chue is athletic and multitalented. Ah-Duo will appreciate her versatility while also taking care to hone her wild energy productively. Her chaotic nature is great for disrupting the offense and playing mind games with them, but Ah-Duo will have to make sure Chue can work well with her teammates on defense, especially her adjacent basemen Basen (Shortstop) and Jinshi (First Baseman). Since Chue is established as the leadoff hitter (the person who bats first in offense) and the first to observe the opposing pitcher's tendencies, Ah-Duo will have her studying baseball strategies and types of pitches even more than the rest of the team. Chue is such an encyclopedia of knowledge that she'll absorb everything she can.

P.S. In Part 1, I established that for this scenario, prosthetics in Li will have advanced enough that Chue can use a prosthetic right arm to replace the one she lost.

Ah-Duo & Jinshi (First Baseman)

Ah yes, some nice mother-son bonding, even if the son is unaware that it is. As you've seen with the above image, she won't pull any punches as a coach, even with her son. She's aware that Jinshi's representing the country with this baseball team, so she's gonna be damn sure her son will have the tools to succeed in front of the western nation. She'll drill the fundamentals into him so he doesn't rely too much on his paralyzing beauty (a power established in Parts 1 & 2).

Also, because he's the first baseman (a role that frequently receives throws so they can get runners out), he's gonna have to learn to catch a lot of balls. I won't go into the nitty-gritty baseball details, but Ah-Duo and other team members will throw him the ball frequently while he works on a variety of different techniques to catch it. Amazingly, this means that mother and son will actually get to play catch on a regular basis!

You'll see this at the end of this post, but Ah-Duo will be especially cognizant of Jinshi's progress since he's her son, and it will be incredibly gratifying for her. Jinshi won't know (at least not during practice) precisely how important this is for her right now, but he'll inherently appreciate working with a woman who's always looked out for him.

Bonus: Jinmao Vignette

By this point, Maomao (who doesn't care much for baseball) has solely experienced the sport through other people making such a big deal out of it: Ah-Duo's garden party first pitch that amazed the crowd, Gyokuyou having fun practicing her ceremonial first pitch with the Jade Pavilion girls, and Jinshi taking his own ceremonial first pitch seriously years before this team formed. When she finds out about the "imperial baseball team" that Jinshi's a part of, she'll be surprised at just how much this odd sport has risen in importance since her youth.

That being said, unlike Jinshi's Go tournament escapades in LN8, she'll understand that a skilled swordsman like Jinshi has more inherent chance for success in a physical sport. She won't be wildly encouraging or anything, but she'll support him where she can. While Jinshi is scouting out members, he'll eventually ask Maomao if she knows anyone. After she makes a dry joke lampooning her own lack of athleticism ("I assume I wasn't considered for the team"), she'll recommend Dr. Li on account of his arms that can easily subdue one Tianyu.

As mentioned in Part 1, she'll be assigned to the medical staff at all baseball games alongside Yao, Dr. You, and others, a decision made long before the games even begin. When Ah-Duo invokes Maomao by saying "her," it actually will a light a fire in Jinshi because it'll remind him Maomao will be there at the games, watching him (if she's not busy tending to a patient). Jinshi will be aware she doesn't care that much about him trying to show off, but he doesn't wanna make a fool out of himself in front of Maomao.

Ah-Duo & Lihaku (Third Baseman)

They'll get along well! Lihaku's a loyal, obedient soldier and Ah-Duo will respect his overall stability and likeability. Outside of standard coaching expectations, I don't imagine she'll have to do extra reps with him on anything, but the ever-diligent Lihaku will go above and beyond anyway. His positive golden retriever energy will also soothe Ah-Duo on the team's hardest days, perhaps when Basen's too hotheaded (with Maamei being too harsh on him) or Lahan's Brother's unpredictability makes things go off the rails. After all, nobody on this team is as consistently kind and reassuring as Lihaku (Chue and Jinshi are kind, too, but not in the same way as Lihaku). Ah-Duo will value him as someone who needs little supervision and can set a good example to all the other young men and women in this group. She'll also notice Lihaku calling her son "Jinshi," and she'll appreciate that her son found such a sweet, trustworthy man as a confidant.

Ah-Duo & Basen (Shortstop)

Oh, you know she's gonna have a field day with this guy. In the first two parts, I identified Basen as a highly valuable player in both defense and offense, but a huge double-edged sword in every respect due to his abnormal strength and sometimes poor judgment. On defense, she needs to instill discipline and restraint so he doesn't lose his cool and hurt his teammates when throwing them the ball. On offense, she absolutely needs to teach him how to predict and hit all types of pitches (fastballs, curveballs, etc.) so his immense batting power can actually be put to use.

As for their personal chemistry, Basen may be afraid of women, but he's used to having older women with authority (Taomei and Maamei) boss him around, so he'll get over that pretty quickly and respect his coach as much as he would a real military officer. Ah-Duo won't be as merciless as Taomei or Maamei, in fact she'll be the first older woman in his life to patiently guide him without intimidating or mocking him. Basen can learn under such tough conditions (evidently), but having a coach like Ah-Duo would be eye-opening for him and it will make the mentally demanding job of learning how to predict pitches easier.

Now, if he ever gets too complacent because of that, well... his sister and fellow teammate Maamei is still there and she's perfectly willing to play "bad cop" if she needs to!

Ah-Duo & Gaoshun (Catcher)

Nearly identical to Lihaku, but even better because Ah-Duo and Gaoshun were childhood friends and have a lot of history and immense mutual respect. They'll enjoy catching up and shooting the breeze between sessions, but they'll be serious when it comes to training. Since he's old and his recent duties haven't seemed to require much running, Ah-Duo will have to make sure his running speed is up to par.

Also, because of how important the catcher is in baseball (In Part 1, I established that they're essentially the on-field manager of the team during play), they typically end up being an (unofficial) additional coach who assists the main coaches. Childhood friends and mature adults Ah-Duo and Gaoshun coaching the team together would be perfect; I would certainly trust these two to wrangle a team of weirdos. Gaoshun can definitely help with coaching Jinshi since he arguably knows him even better than her. He'll also be important for coaching Lahan's Brother, as you'll see in the next point.

Ah-Duo & Lahan's Brother (Pitcher)

We've seen Ah-Duo keep a cool head most of the time (outside of her talking to the Emperor before his surgery), but Lahan's Brother will truly confound her with his sheer unpredictability and capacity for misfortune. Ah-Duo will also quickly realize his hard-worker's persistence and unwavering resilience is second-to-none (even through endless foul balls and tripping into the dirt), and she'll respect that. Deep inside, she'll be amused and find Junjie oddly charming, like her son with the looks and persistence and cleverness but more "normal" and greatly lacking in luck. But in the end, she knows she has to rein him in to make a good ball player out of him.

This is where her and Gaoshun working together will be valuable, especially since Gaoshun needs to develop synergy with Lahan's Brother anyway due to them forming the "battery" (the pitcher-catcher partnership). Gaoshun has more experience handling chaotic people (see Maomao and sometimes Jinshi), so he can stabilize Lahan's Brother with his mentorship, at which point he'll also notice Lahan's Brother's similarities to the Moon Prince. They can't mold him into a stable Lihaku-type man, but they can make sure that as a wildcard, he hits hard at his best. On the pitching side, Lahan's Brother will be great at throwing odd types of balls (e.g. curveballs, off-speed pitches), sometimes not even on purpose, but Gaoshun will be able to catch them anyway. Examining Lahan's Brother and Gaoshun's potential relationship (both on and off the field) could be a whole post of its own, really.

Ah-Duo & Shikyou (Center Fielder)

Shikyou's been known to be rebellious with his family, but I doubt he'll have trouble respecting Ah-Duo's firm, but fair authority given that she is not that prick Gyoku-ou. In fact, I think he'll enjoy being on a baseball team where he can do real, visible work with feedback from a coach.

From Vol. 12 Ch. 30, after Chue tells Maomao that Shikyou will be the new leader of the western capital:

“Are you sure [Shikyou] won’t have, as the saying goes, the head of a dragon and the tail of a snake?” His resemblance to Gyoku-ou would probably win him a good deal of support in the beginning. As the shine wore off, however, there was no telling how people would ultimately react to him. “Even a slithery snake must do what he needs to do,” Chue intoned. “We need Shikyou to be the hero of the western capital, and that’s what he’s going to have to be.”

He's the governor of the western capital, but it's more of a formality. He has a leader's charisma, but it's his council that does most of the work for him. He needs something to do that's undeniably his own work and visible to the public. Thankfully, his position as governor of the western capital makes him a natural representative for a diplomatic exhibition against the country that brought baseball to Li (his administrative duties can be temporarily delegated to his council and appointed deputies). Ah-Duo certainly has experience giving counsel to leaders (The Emperor and Jinshi), so she'll do well with a governor under her care. Through her, he can even learn a thing or two about leadership (the center fielder is expected to lead his fellow outfielders) and using his influence for good instead of just being a pretty face!

Shikyou himself has shown he can cooperate with Chue and the lady biaoshis he supervises, so he'll adapt naturally to working with Ah-Duo and his teammates. His biaoshi training will also shine through when Ah-Duo works on his speed, agility, and ability to quickly read plays so he can do well as a center fielder.

Ah-Duo & Maamei (Left Fielder)

From Vol. 8 Ch. 5

If Maamei had been a man, she would have been Jinshi’s aide, and he would have trusted her implicitly. She was quick-witted and had studied swordsmanship until she got married. Unlike her brothers, each of whom inclined a little too far to either mind or muscles, Maamei seemed able to do anything.

Maamei's been known to boss around her own father, and it's suggested she clashes with Taomei due to their similarly iron wills. But Ah-Duo strikes me as a quietly assertive, likeable enough figure that Maamei will immediately respect her more than Gaoshun (Gaoshun is technically such a figure, too, but Maamei knows him to be a "henpecked husband" [Vol. 15 Ch. 10] to her mother whereas Ah-Duo wouldn't have similar baggage in her eyes). Gaoshun, as the unofficial second coach, can certainly help coach everyone else, but only Ah-Duo will be able to talk to Maamei. At Maamei's request, Ah-Duo will work on swinging technique with her (mirroring her known swordfighting skills) so she can adapt to different types of pitches and deliver solid, reliable hits. And as a skilled swordfighter, she already has a good athletic foundation needed to learn the nuances of baserunning and work on her sprinting.

Ah-Duo & Dr. Li (Right Fielder)

From Vol. 14 Ch. 11

“Get going, or I’ll tell Dr. Li—you know how much muscle he’s put on. In fact, he’s kept it on even after we got back to the capital. Did you know he hung a sandbag from a tree in his garden and spends all his time punching and kicking it? And that on his breaks he sometimes goes down to train with the soldiers? Do you want to be a sandbag?”

Ah-Duo's coaching style (demanding, but fair) will remind him of Dr. Liu, so Dr. Li should have no trouble acclimating to her. He's described as "a dedicated if sometimes stubborn man" (Vol. 11 Ch. 13), so Ah-Duo will appreciate how he'll go above and beyond. Dr. Li already exercises with soldiers in his free time, so he'll have no trouble meeting baseball's physical demands. Ah-Duo's challenge will be making sure he applies his discipline towards refining his technique instead of just pushing himself harder. He'll incorporate Ah-Duo's teachings as best he can even outside of baseball practice, thus running will become a regular part of his exercise regime.

Bonus: Ah-Duo & The Umpires (Taomei, En'en)

The umpires will mostly have training sessions on their own, but they'll also occasionally work simulated game scenarios with the team so they can practice their skills and get used to each other.

Coaches and umpires aren't supposed to be enemies, but in real life, their goals can conflict despite both parties wanting to ensure a fair game. The coaches want to advocate for their players while the umpires need to be neutral and fair when enforcing the rules and deciding close plays. Thankfully, this Coach-Umpire lineup is pretty stable: Ah-Duo is mature and levelheaded, Taomei is harsh but can be trusted with enforcing the rules, and En'en has no strong allegiance with this team since Yao is not in it. On that note, Yao will have to attend any practice sessions so En'en doesn't suffer Yao deprivation; maybe Yao can even bring Zhizi along to watch the big boys and girls play!

If Ah-Duo and Taomei ever disagree on a rule interpretation, I actually think Taomei would be professional enough to respect Ah-Duo (unlike her husband) and hear her out while still ultimately laying down the law. Taomei would win a battle of wills with any coach, really. Meanwhile, Ah-Duo will find En'en to be a peculiar, observant person similar to Maomao. She'll also quickly notice Lahan's Brother has a crush on her and figure out how to prevent that from distracting him too much.

Conclusion: Ah-Duo's Happiness

Ah-Duo loved watching her son's team grow, and she enjoyed getting to know her son's closest, most trusted confidants. Yue treated mastering the game like it was his duty to the country, but she liked to think he was also having a lot of fun. She sincerely hoped Yue grew to love the game as much as she did. When she asked Gaoshun what he thought, he said the young prince seemed happier than he'd ever been outside of his times with "Xiaomao."

One night, Ah-Duo came back to her villa feeling elated at the progress her team had made. She was too tired to play games with the kids, but she promised to give them some time tomorrow morning. She checked in with Suirei, who had been taking care of the kids a lot more since she'd taken on the coaching position.

"How are you, Sui?" Ah-Duo asked with a smile.

"Good," Suirei replied, taciturn as ever, but lately she'd learned not to stop there. "Did you enjoy coaching today, Lady Ah-Duo?"

"I did."

There was never a day she would've said otherwise. Ever since she left the rear palace, her days had become quieter. She enjoyed watching over the kids from the Shi clan and attending ceremonial games, but that's all she was able to do most of the time.

When Chue came to her with the coaching offer that day, she was delighted at the thought of getting to work with her son and people he knew well. But as the sessions went on, she realized how important this project was for herself. She'd been given the opportunity to nurture nine people, including her own son, and watch them grow in a sport that was near and dear to her heart. She was grateful for every moment.

Ah-Duo continued. "Yue's nearly perfected his swing. He's improved so much since we started." She smiled. "And that Junjie kid." She chuckled. "It's taken a while, but I think I've finally figured him out."

Suirei merely nodded. "That's nice, Lady Ah-Duo."

Ah-Duo quietly sighed. Sui never had much to say about baseball. She merely sat and watched when Ah-Duo and the kids played it in the villa. Ah-Duo invited her once, but she declined. That night, Sui told her it reminded her of "her," Suirei's sister who she'd never see again.

When Lady Loulan was still a high consort, she prepared for her ceremonial first pitch by practicing as the maidservant Shisui, and she insisted on bringing Suirei into it.

"We shouldn't be doing this!" Suirei had insisted as her little sister dragged her out to a rear palace field. "What if someone sees us?! What if she sees us?"

Shisui simply laughed. "It's okay! We're just a servant and eunuch playing catch on our break, aren't we?"

Sui called it foolish, but Ah-Duo could tell she cherished the memory. She thought about her son, who once stressed himself out preparing for his own ceremonial first pitch. Even then, he managed to find his way back to the game through royal duty, and if Gaoshun was right, he learned to enjoy it, too.

"Sui."

"Yes, Lady Ah-Duo?"

"You say you'll follow my orders, correct?"

"Yes."

Ah-Duo smiled. "Tomorrow morning, I will be playing baseball with the kids. I order you to come and participate."

Suirei blinked. For a moment, she furrowed her brow, but quickly reset her expression. "As you wish, Lady Ah-Duo."

"It'll be fun," Ah-Duo said. "I promise."

Final Team & Crew Map

The Apothecary Diaries Baseball Saga

The Ideal Apothecary Diaries Baseball Team: Part 1 - Defense and Other Roles ⚾

The Ideal Apothecary Diaries Baseball Team: Part 2 - Offense ⚾

The Ideal Apothecary Diaries Baseball Team: Part 3 - Coach-Ah Duo ⚾ <- You Are Here

Side Stories

(Prequel) Apothecary Diaries Baseball: What if the Emperor, Jinshi, and High Consorts Threw Ceremonial First Pitches? ⚾

(Player Analysis) Lahan's Brother & Gaoshun: An Unexpected Duo ⚾

(Non-Canon) The Apothecary Diaries Cast Play Baseball, with Baryou and Jinshi Commentating ⚾

AO3 Version

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

This is the final part of the main team-building saga, but if you enjoyed, I highly encourage reading the side stories. I recommend moving to the Player Analysis (Lahan's Brother & Gaoshun) from here because that's what came out after this.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!

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