Major 2: The Next Generation

Synopsis: After a disappointing first year of Little League, Shigeno Izumi, came back as the new star right fielder for the Dolphins. On the first day of practice she meets a boy...

A/N: Not mine, not mine, not mine.

A/N 2: Warning: there will be Japanese vocabulary in this story written in romaji, reason being I wrote this in Japanese then translated it, despite being fluent in English first :P. That's because some words have more impact or at least in my mind sound better in Japanese. Also I don't know how often I'll update since I have at least 3 others active or semi-active, but I'll try my best.

"Okāsan, who is that?" Shigeno Izumi asked her mother as they walked with her little brother towards the Mifune field that the Mifune Dolphins play on.

"I don't know, maybe a new member?" Shigeno Kaoru guessed, watching from the hill above at the unknown boy pitching.

"Sugoi! Satoshi-kun," they heard Kaoru's friend and Izumi's coach, Komori Daisuke say to the boy as they got closer.

"Arigataugozaimasu." The boy bowed, apparently the boy had very good manners.

"Komori-kun," Kaoru called out, "Here she is, your new star right fielder," Kaoru teased.

"Ahh Izumi-chan, have you been training?"

"Yes, all winter and most of spring with Otōsan," Izumi said proudly as Satoshi looked at the girl his new coach was speaking to.

While in the middle of explaining her rigorous training, she noticed Satoshi looking at her, as if trying to figure her out. She looked pass her coach and at the boy, Komori saw this and introduced them.

"Ahh gomen, let me introduce you." Komori stood between his two players, "Izumi-chan, Shimizu-chan," he never broke the habit of calling Kaoru by her maiden name or calling Gorō, Honda-kun. "This is Matsuzaka Satoshi, our new Ace."

"Hajimemashite," the boy bowed again.

Izumi and her mother were surprised by the boy's politeness, what with her father's bluntness and her little brother's little knowledge of Japanese honorifics due to age it was a bit of a shock.

But then Kaoru spoke, "New Ace what happened to Aki-kun?"

"He moved, his father got a new job in Tokyo," Komori explained.

Kaoru walked up to the boy, inspecting him. He blushed. "Are you good?"

"Shimizu-chan!" Komori admonished

"Gomen'nasai, I guess being married to Gorō for so long, he's been a bad influence on me."

"You don't have to worry, Shimizu-chan, he's more than capable."

"Yosh! Pitch to me," Kaoru said taking the catcher's position.

"What are you doing, Okāsan?" Izumi asked.

"It's all right Izumi, I just want to see if he's good that's all. Is that all right with you, Coach?" Kaoru said with a wink to both.

Komori nodded, thinking he knows where this is headed. "Satoshi, pitch to Shigeno-san please, and don't worry she used to be a catcher so she knows."

"Hai, understood." Satoshi said as he walked toward the mound.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Satoshi-kun," Kaoru called out.

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," he said before winding up.

Wind-up pitcher? Kaoru thought. Soon the ball was launched into her mitt before she knew it. Sugoi, he's only 7 but pitching as fast or faster than Gorō was at 9. She snapped out of her thoughts in time to see the next one. Knuckle-ball? Indeed it was a knuckle-ball since she saw no spin but plenty of movement causing her to catch it low and inside. The next pitch came as quickly as it was returned. Curve. It was a curve with a heavy 3-9 break.

"Shigeno-san, the next pitch is the last in my repertoire, watch it closely, please," Satoshi said.

"Hai, anytime you are ready, Satoshi-kun." The last pitch reminded Kaoru of her husband's gyroball. It was fast, it broke, and it simply stuck to her mitt without much effort.

S-s-sugoi. This boy is just like Gorō when he was young, extreme confidence and a lot of talent. Kaoru thought as she stood up and walked toward the mound. Everyone there had witnessed a true spectacle with Satoshi's pitching demonstration.

"Satoshi-kun, when did you start playing?"

"At age 3."

"Your pitches are incredibly fast and with amazing control for someone of your age, who taught you?"

"My Otōsan. He's a pitcher in the Major Leagues with the Seattle Sailors."

Just like Gorō. Kaoru smiled, "Satoshi-kun, ganbare."

"Hai, arigataugozaimasu."

She walked back toward her daughter and son, "Izumi, have fun. Let's go home, Diago," she grabbed her son's hand.

Izumi, I hope you can be his battery too, someday. Kaoru thought smiling walking home.

(***)

When she got home, she saw Gorō bench pressing in the backyard, today was supposed to be his off day for a 6-game home series against the Tokyo Warriors and Henshin Tigers, but as usual he just couldn't keep still.

"Diago, why don't you go play upstairs I'll make you some onigiri later."

"Yaata!" Her youngest exclaimed as he ran upstairs.

Kaoru opened the back screen and walked outside, "Tadaima."

"Oh Kaoru, Okaeri," Gorō says as he sets the bar back.

"Anata, what would you say to converting Izumi to catcher?"

"Huh? I thought she liked right field?"

"She does, but this morning a new member of the Dolphins showed up, a pitcher—"

Gorō snuck behind his wife and spoke in teasing voice, "Ho, and you want Izumi to get noticed by the boy so that one day he'll ask her to form a permanent battery as his catcher, just like I did with you?" He ended with a grin.

Kaoru blushed deeply. Her husband knew her too well. She simply nodded shyly.

"Well I don't know, Izumi spent a lot of time training to be a star in the outfield; is the boy good?"

"Probably better than you at his age," she admitted.

"And how do you know this?" Gorō narrowed his eyes.

"He pitched to me, a running fastball, a knuckle, a curve and a gyroball."

"Nani! A 7 year-old has those pitches?"

"Hmm," Kaoru nodded.

"Yosh, I'll talk to Izumi tonight about a position change and then you dearest will teach her, after all you became my catcher, no?" Gorō said as he leaned in for a kiss.

Kaoru smiled. "All right, that's fair. I need to go make onigiri for Daigo, finish up and come help me—"

"With pleasure," he said with a wicked grin.

"After you take a shower."

His grin dropped.