Get your own Free Home PageThe show begins with the final of a highschool baseball tournament in Koushien (which is like Wembly of soccer in UK). Hayakawa Hidehiko is about to win the championship.
An amateur baseball team, the Wild Cats, is in danger of losing their lead and the match. They are desperately waiting for their relief ace, Hayakawa Ryou [voiced by Nagasawa Miki]. One of its members is at Ryou's home to pick her up. She's just come back from her school and wants to change her clothes. But the man insists the situation is too tight and there is no time to lose. She has to go to the mound in her school uniform.
She arrives just in time; the Wild Cats are still one run up and only one out to finish although the bases are full. The opponents, the Dolphins, are surprised to see a girl pitcher and tease the Wild Cats, but fail to annoy the captain of the Wild Cats... as well as a lady in a black car watching the game from the bank. Ryou's first three balls are awful. Despite the catcher's worry, she herself shows no sign of concern and says she was only testing. To justify her confidence, the next thee pitches are perfect and lead her team to victory. The woman who has been watching the game seems to be content, "After all, she is his daughter."
Yamanoki Junior Highschool finishes the day's lesson. A boy, Seishiroui, is stopped by Ryou, who invites him to a sweet restaurant. She declares "Although we've been friends since we were very young, I should say what I should say." Seishirou turns a little red in a certain "expectation", which turns out be in vain. "Congratulations for passing to Kisaragi Highschool!" She is proud of her bright friend and wanted to celebrate his success. Seishirou wants to know which highschool Ryou is going but she won't go to any; she wants to help her mother, who has been running a small pub since Ryou's father death 10 years ago.
In the restaurant, An local TV program introduces two young sports players in its area. Takasugi Hiroki is a slugger and will soon join Kisaragi High and Himuro Izumi is a wonderful tennis player and will go to Kisaragi Girls' High. When asked "What's you dream", replies "To keep beating the opponent in front of me". Seishirou asks Ryou, "What's your dream?" "Of course, to be the best 'odenya' in Japan."
EYE CATCHER
The reporters continues interviewing Hiroki and Izumi. They have been friends ever since they were very small and both are from really rich families. Just then, Himuro Keiko, the lady who watched Ryou pitching the other day, comes in. She is a head of a big industry group and runs Kisaragi High and Kisaragi Girls' High. The reporter comments that her two schools will have a big impact on the highschool sports scene this year and she answers, "Yes, but not in the way you are expecting. We will announce something surprising soon."
Izumi wants to know what Keiko meant but she does not answer the question. While she discusses her "project", Izumi stands outside of the door, feeling left out.
Ryou runs back to home to find the members of the Wild Cats are already enjoying their drink and meals which her mother, Shino, [voiced by Shimamoto Sumi] has prepared. After changing her uniform, she helps her mother in the pub. The guys are optimistic about their victory in the local league and remember the first time they saw Ryou's pitching.
While Ryou are serving a drunk man in the corner, two baseball players come in and ask for "Hayakawa Ryou of the Wild Cats". They came to dare a match with the pitcher but, having found she is a mere girl, insult her. They and the Wild Cats members are about to start fighting when the drunk guy intervenes and suggests they settle it with baseball.
Hiroki is mourning over the untimely puncture of his bicycle when the lights of the baseball ground are turned on. Ryou is about to throw against the first batter, who wonders why Keiko ordered them to do this. But, of course, her first ball is enough to stop him wondering. He is out with only three pitches. Again Keiko is watching the match from the car on the bank. The second batter manages to hit her ball to the foul area. But to everyone's surprise, Hiroki hits the ball back to Ryou ^o^;; He tells the batter that he won't be able to hit her ball however many times he tries. The batter is furious but persuaded by the drunk guy who tells him the same thing. This is a pleasant surprise to Keiko. Now Hiroki is the pinch hitter and Ryou needs one more strike to save her honour.
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