"I bet I can strike you out thrice"

Only as the words left his mouth did Sawamura realize that he had done the worst possible thing one could do on the first day of his high school baseball life. Picking a fight with a senior and on top of that insulting him.

Ohh I have done it now

He understood very well that there is no way he can strike out this guy thrice. It is the worst insult one can give to a batter. It takes an extremely lousy batter to get struck out thrice in a row. Definitely not this batter to whom hitting home-runs looked as easy as breathing. Of course, on his best condition, he could absolutely strike him out. But he didn't know how his control would be today. But then his mind taunted him.

Just like that, all forms of rationality deserted his mind. His confidence and spirit got revived back as quickly as they had drained away.

Maybe I can even strike him out twice

Azuma was angry. It was the understatement of the year. His anger knew no bounds. It spread and intensified exponentially with time. Pride was wounded by the fact that a flimsy first-year would even dare imagine such a thing. Let alone say it.

Just as he was going to do something unimaginable to the little brat, a mellow laughter, contrary to his state of mind, filled the place. For a second, it weirded him out.

Laughter?

When Azuma saw the boy who was laughing only then did he understand that the laughter was aimed at him. His anger which had seemed to have reached the maximum, went over the bar.

Sawamura was totally confused. He could not comprehend what exactly the boy with glasses found funny in this tense and honestly quite serious situation to have the laughter of one's life. At the same time, he was curious too. The boy did not look like a senior even though he was quite tall. Suddenly the boy stopped laughing and an amused expression adorned his face . He pointed his finger towards Sawamura.

"Picking a fight with the senior on the very first day. You are sure interesting."

Sawamura was flustered a bit at being reminded of the idiotic thing he had done. But he couldn't hold his curiosity any longer and asked in a loud expectant voice, "Who are you?"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?", Azuma yelled at the same time.

"Miyuki Kazuya. A first year catcher."

The unfamiliar boy spoke in a slow speed as if some forty people were not looking at him at that instant.

Sawamura's eyebrows rose up as he recognized the name immediately.

Hmm so this is him

Unbeknownst to Sawamura, Miyuki also knew who Sawamura was due to the courtesy of Rei-san.

Beginning Of Flashback

"We have an interesting pitcher this year." Rei-chan said with a subtle smile on her face.

"Interesting?"

"He could evolve into my ideal version of an ace." Her smile expanded just a bit.

Miyuki was shocked. For Rei-chan to say such a thing, he was extremely curious.

"Who is he?"

"Sawamura Eijun. A pitcher from Nagano."

"Nagano? From such a remote place?"

"Don't underestimate him. You will know when you meet him. He has quite a personality. You two might even form the ultimate battery"

End of Flashback

Ultimate battery.

The words that kept Miyuki awake the whole night. An intense desire to meet the pitcher who was admired by Rei-chan, overwhelmed him. He never thought that he would meet him first thing in the morning in such an interesting way. He couldn't deny that the pitcher had made a spectacular first impression on him.

"You, little brats. First-years have gotten little too arrogant. One laughs at me and other dares to challenge me." Azuma yelled making Miyuki break out of his daze.

Azuma then glared at Sawamura, expressing his explosive anger in a way words could never could. Never in his life had Azuma faced such disrespect from someone younger than him. Everyone in his life acknowledged his ability. Everyone listened to him. He was always right. He has to be right. There is no other way.

"You. You said you will strike me out thrice. Strike me out once if you can in the first place. If you are capable of doing that, I will apologize to you for being rude." Azuma said picking up a nearby bat and getting ready to bat. He swung the bat a few times, hitting the imaginary ball in his head swiftly.

"Challenge accepted." Sawamura said grinning. His body which was completely relaxed before became tense in the anticipation of the duel. His eyes burned bright with his spirit and resolve, gleaming for everyone to see. He was excited and down for the challenge of facing a tough opponent after so long. The frustration that was built from the fateful loss flooded his entire being. He cannot afford to be weak anymore. He had to become strong no matter what it cost. He will be become strong.

This change did not go unnoticed by Miyuki. His eyes showcased his determination, stubbornness and most importantly his self-confidence. A tad bit of arrogance mixed with it. Miyuki was surprised by how confident this pitcher looked when facing the legendary batter of Seidou who was scouted to be a pro. His eyes reminded Miyuki of someone he knew. Someone Miyuki dreamt of fighting against. Someone who can only be described as a storm, much like Sawamura. The authority that Sawamura's eyes strongly resembled Narumiya's eyes.

Rei-chan was sure right about this pitcher

Miyuki himself was getting excited at the thought of forming a battery with Sawamura. Even though he had no idea what kind of pitcher Sawamura is, the possibilities of what they could be saturated his mind. There was this innate connection that he felt with the pitcher which was funny seeing that it was him that felt it.

I must have gone crazy to feel like this

Even then seeing as this conflict as the perfect opportunity to catch for him, Miyuki said cheekily as he approached the two.

"How about I catch for you?"

"Sure. You can catch for me."

Sawamura said looking at Miyuki. He openly exhibited his curiosity about the catcher who was declared a genius by Rei-san. He was intrigued by this catcher who seemed to attract trouble rather than staying away from it. He wondered if Miyuki would have difficulty catching his pitches, remembering how long it took for Nobi to get used to them. "If Miyuki was truly a genius, surely he would have no definitely problem in catching all of my pitches the very first time", Sawamura thought wickedly.

"How long are you two planning on standing there? Planning on backing up? It is not too late you know. All you have to do is kneel and beg for forgiveness" Azuma-san said laughing, seeming rather content with himself. He felt a sense of unease at the thought of facing the brat. That irked him. Of course, he would never admit it even if he was on his deathbed. His pride wouldn't allow that.

Just as Sawamura was about to respond, a familiar voice uttered in concern.

"What is happening here?"

Sawamura was surprised to see that the owner of the voice was Chris. His heart skipped a bit. A wave of shock and giddiness washed over him. It has been so long since he had last met Chris. He can feel himself smile from delight. Chris was definitely one of the reasons why Sawamura had decided to join Seidou. One of many.

Sawamura greeted Chris politely, "Good morning Chris-senpai. Long time no see". He wanted add more. He had wanted to talk to Chris for so long ever since their first meeting.

Shock was evident on Chris's face upon discovering that Sawamura was standing right in front of him. In Seidou. Chris had not expected him to come to Seidou but he was happy that he did. He still vividly remembered the time he caught for Sawamura.

Chris was not the only one who was shocked. Miyuki seemed equally flabbergasted by the fact that Sawamura knew Chris. Miyuki thought about it deeply.

How? Nagano is so far away. There must be no way for him to meet Chris-senpai who went to a senior league in Tokyo.

"It has really been a long time isn't?" Chris responded with a huge smile that was uncharacteristic of him. All the seniors surrounding the them blinked fiercely just to confirm if they had seen it right. Especially Azuma, seeing that Chris is Azuma's favourite junior.

But Sawamura returned Chris's smile with a smile of his own.

"But tell me. What is going on here? I clearly heard yelling." Chris said in a seriously concerned tone.

Azuma interrupted sharply, "This brat picked a fight with me.", pointing his finger at Sawamura to ensure it was understood that "this brat" referred to him.

"He started it" Sawamura shouted, letting go of any respect he had for Azuma so far. He had reached his limits of self-control. Both of them faced off against each other glaring. It was clear there was going to be a fight soon if nothing was done to avert it. Being the peaceful soul he is, Chris intervened at the right time, placing one hand on both of their shoulders.

"I don't what is going on here but both of you need to stop this. The coach will be coming here with the second-years soon. He is not going to let it go if there is a dispute that interferes with practice."

As though Chris's words were a prophecy, footsteps were heard at the same instant. Forceful footsteps of people nearing the ground. Lots of them. Soon their figures were visible. A bunch of boys marching. But it was the man at the front of the group, who had an annoyed expression, upon entering the ground, that scared the shit of the seniors.

The man noticed how the third-years on the ground had stopped practicing and how their eyes seemed to switch between himself and the four people standing at the center of the ground. Upon reaching the center, the man spoke directly to Azuma, who was glaring at a kid that glared right back at him. His intuition told him that there is a problem here.

"What happened here?"

His voice was serious, promising consequences if he hears anything that displeases him. Azuma understood this more than anyone being the one to experiences these consequences the most. He was hesitant to answer even though he surely thought that he was not in the wrong here. A heavy silence ensued. Losing his patience, the man turned to Chris.

"How about you tell me what happened here, Chris?"