"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the meek and the needy; deliver them from the hands of the wicked."- Psalm 83:3-4

______________________________________

{8 Years Before Leviathan’s Invasion.

Afternoon Hanabi City Park.}

Pure white, scattered puffy clouds slide across the bright blue sky above the large, popular city park and pass in front of the sun at it’s highest point in the day.

Children are heard laughing and playing, spastically shouting just to shout, or arguing over whether they were actually tagged before touching "safety" or not.

Sitting on his usual rock, looking at the empty grass field in front of him, Saku has his football on his lap and the 8 year old introvert looks ticked off.

Y. Saku(to himself): "Tsk. It only took a week and a half...

I freaking knew this would happen, once that kid found more people to be around, he won’t want to come by and throw anymore...

*sighs*

And just when I thought I had found a decent QB who could throw me a perfect back corner fade ball..."

The lonely football enthusiast turns around to looks at the nearby playground full of other kids around his age, having fun together.

Little boys are following each other while climbing the monkey bars, girls are gleefully pushing one another to get higher on the swings, and a small, stacked pile of innocence, giggling at the bottom of the slide after playfully colliding into each other.

However, none of the kids are even interested in playing catch with young lonely boy...like when Katsu had first approached him.

Y. Saku(thinking): *Everyday is the same damn thing.

Even if I don’t want to be at home when I don’t have to, why do I still come here? Bringing a football but nobody to throw it to or catch passes from.

God damn it.

I must look like such a pitiful loser.

No wonder that gullible loser was the only one who tried to be friends with me."

Aside from the groups of kids playing their own games together, there are dedicated parents having meaningful playtime with their child.

Effectively engaging with their highly impressionable and daily growing purpose.

Saku, only knowing a life of living in a single mother household, looks over at the single fenced in baseball field on the other side of the playground.

His gorgeous green eyes begin to watch as an encouraging father is standing on the pitching mound, and properly lobbing baseballs for his batting teenage son waiting at home plate.

Saku’s face is full of obvious envy, witnessing the young batter wildly whiff three swings in a row and the boy gets competitively frustrated.

Slamming the bat down on the five sided slab of rubber at his feet.

The admirable and commendable father figure stops the drill then calmly walks to his frustrated purpose.

Solely from his animated body language, it’s apparent that ’Coach Pops’ is undoubtedly as knowledgeable in the international sport of baseball, as much as Saku is with Vinland’s most popular past time.

The man takes the aluminum/alloy bat and slowly mimes the mechanics for a proper swing while at the plate.

He starts by holding the very bottom of the rubber grip, hands together.

Quickly displaying a way to "choke up" his grip on the bat, but the man’s hand movement translates to him telling the boy ’...that technique is for another day’.

Returning to the original grip, and ever so slightly, ’Coach Pops’ tips the barrel above his shoulder, explaining how adjustability is the purpose of the specific mechanic.

Continuing his tedious step by step explanation, the coaching dad lifts his left leg a few inches off the ground, while adjusting all his body weight on the planted back right leg.

Keeping his eyes on the mound, the father’s torso barely twists, and the two handed grip slides back, stopping at the batter’s right shoulder.

The purpose of the ’Stretch and Fire’ mechanic, energy storage.

The coaching dad brings his left foot back down to the dirt, but he drops his hands by extending his elbows. It’s just enough to make him animatedly shake his head and point to the sky. Lecturing to his future Major League prospect, if they drop their hands on a swing, it will be the detrimental cause to a slugger’s "pop fly", and easy out.

Figuratively rewinding his presentation, Coach Pops points to his back shoulder and fluctuates his hand up and down. Signalling, the logic behind the Matching Swing Mechanic, ’Low Pitch, Low Shoulder. High Pitch, High Shoulder’.

Properly leveled swings are more likely to be successful base hits and RBIs.

Not every swing should be for a home run.

Having the ability to ’aim’ or drop a hit ball in an open spot on the field takes more talent than wildly chasing at exotic pitches.

With the observing son at a safe viewing distance, the man puts all three phases of the lecture together for an actual full swing. The compound metal bat cuts through the air and with impressive vigor from a veteran of the sport.

Wanting to show his son the results of a proper "cut" at bat, the father points the bat at the mound 46ft (~15m) away, with the pail of baseballs still beside the rectangular rubber block.

The Junior jogs to the dirt hill, his glove on his left hand, and he takes out a single red stitched ball from the recycled 5 gallon bucket.

Using the opportunity to also practice his pitching wind-up, the 13-14 year old slings a respectable fast ball to his caring father waiting in the batters box.

Exactly how the grown man had rehearsed, he takes a professionally powered swing at the >55mph (~88kph) strike...

*TINK!*

*THUD!*

In an alarming (but also comedic) instance, the baseball ricochets off the bat with a velocity that is impossible for the young inspired player to react to.

The frozen rope line drive returns back to the sender. Hitting the adolescent pitcher painfully in the stomach.

The groaning teen falls to the ground while the immediately remorseful dad drops the bat and hurries to the mound to make sure it isn’t anything serious.

Watching the whole wholesome to comedically unfortunate scene play out, fatherless Saku chuckles, but after processing everything, he looks down at the dirty football in his hands.

Y. Saku(whispers): "... that family shit is corny anyway..."

To his surprise, snatching his immediate attention is Katsu walking with the same twin bullies who tried stealing his football.

The mischievous grinning twins are leading the gullible Katsu towards the woods, and away from the park.

Y. Saku(to himself): *sighs* "You’re lucky I have an annoying conscious that won’t shut the hell up.

Freaking nerd."

With his cherished football tucked in his arm, Saku gets up.

[7 Minutes Later]

Exiting the ’Trap Woods’, 7 year old Katsu is untouched and uninjured. However, he now has possession of the football. Spinning it back and forth between his hands.

Y. Katsu: "I still think it was too quick of you to react, Saku.

Who knows, maybe they actually did see a Chupacabra egg and knew I would want to see it before the government took it away..."

Behind the successfully protected Quarterback, Saku exits the forest with a few fresh grass stains on his clothes, a bloody nose, and scratches from a recent juvenile brouhaha.

But the tough wide out is unfazed by the damage.

Y. Saku: "Chupacabra’s don’t lay eggs you dumb idiot! They give birth like humans and dogs and stuff..."

Y. Katsu: "Ohhhhh..."

Katsu perks up as if remembering something and quickly turns in star eyed excitement to face his new friend and guard.

The over enthusiasm eventually invades Saku’s private space and just like the short tolerance of the future Yin Vessel...

Y. Saku: "What the hell is wrong with you? Okay!

Just take it easy!"

Little Katsu stops his obnoxious bouncing and finally runs across their usual playing field with the football.

Getting further from his new friend until he is a little more than 50 yards away and turning to face him.

Y. Katsu: "You ready?!"

Saku has a baffled expression and shrugs his shoulders while shaking his head.

Y. Saku: "Sure?"

Katsu holds the oblong ball with both his hands out in front of him.

The pure born athlete takes two steps. Right foot, left foot, and then drops the ball.

Before anything else happens, Saku has already deciphered Katsu’s proud new talent and his eyes grow wide in matched excitement.

Saku(thinking): *Catching a spiralling pass may be one thing, but..."

Katsu’s sneaker on his swinging right foot makes perfect contact and sends the dark leather ball soaring high, flipping end over end.

A cloud passes across the sun, shading the purely amazed Saku while he watches it reach it’s apex and fall right to him. He catches the punted football, but cradling it into his chest.

Y. Saku(thinking): *Now that Katsu can both throw and kick, I’ll be able to get better by the time we get to high school!*

Out of nowhere, Katsu attempts to make a surprise tackle on the punt returner, but doesn’t wrap up and falls to Saku’s still planted feet.

Y. Katsu: "Hahaha, you didn’t signal for a fair catch!

Hahaha!"