Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“...You alright Hyakuichitaro?”
The older of the Senju’s had noticed how the other had been acting strangely these past few days. He was especially shocked when he woke up to the smell of burning eggs and found his little brother in the kitchen, flustered that he had been caught. Currently sitting in front of Hyakutaro was a plate of slightly burnt scrambled eggs, a bit messily plated, and a slightly red Hyakuichitaro sitting in the chair in front of him.

Avoiding making eye contact, the youngest cleared his throat.
“I’m fine! I've always been like this… Just, enjoy the food.”

Contrary, that was wrong. He had never had an interest in his brother’s shenanigans. The youngest of the two would always avoid Hykuataro, not wanting to associate himself with a supposed “delinquent”.

Witnessing his brother brawl with randos from the sidelines various times, Hyakuichitaro was disappointed to see that his brother was no different from the rest of the Adachi Tribe. Although, he guessed that was to be expected from the leader and found acceptance for it. Not that it meant he would necessarily like it.

The tribe was known to be made up of rugged, reckless delinquents who had no sense of morality or order. Every day, Hyakuichitaro would be woken up by someone making a huge ruckus outside in the alleyway over a small dispute. Even the streets were littered with unparked bikes, blocking others from continuing business and creating vast amounts of traffic. It frustrated him significantly.

At this point, Hyakuichitaro had lost all hope that the tribe would ever be as magnificent as the one he had imagined when he was younger.

However, it was that one day that changed his entire view: where his immense admiration for his brother began. Where he found out there was more to just being a delinquent, there was a role as a protector of justice that he had found embodied his brother’s soul—a soul of gold.

It was the exact vision he had of the Adachi Tribe: one that fights for honor– for what they believe is right without hesitation.

Reminiscing about that time, Hyakuichitaro’s eyes sparkled with awe as an unconscious smile began to form, causing a bewildered expression to appear on his brother’s face.

From what the eldest knew, Hyakuichitaro had always stayed behind, watching from a distance, but never wanting to join in with him and the rest of the Adachi Tribe. At first, he thought it was because he was shy, but over time, he came to realize maybe his little brother never liked the Adachi Tribe as much as he did. As reckless as some of the members of the tribe were, he had formed a close bond with everyone and had hoped that his real family would find comfort with the rest of the group as he did. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like he had any interest.
Resigned, he decided to leave the boy alone to live his own life. However, while performing missions in Adachi territory, he would sometimes see Hyakuichitaro in his peripheral vision hiding in the shadows or the background, curiously observing.

These moments would give Hykutaro a bit of hope that his little brother would come around, but he never did.

Well… until today.

Still looking at the plate of food in front of him, with an additional eager Hyakuichitaro, he picked up the banged-up fork set aside on the table.
Honestly, the food looked questionable… but, this was the first time in a while where Hyakuichitaro had opened up to him.

Of course, when they were both extremely young, their relationship was a lot more close. They would often go running around together, playing tag and hide-in-seek within the vast maze that was Adachi city. Sometimes Hyakutaro would get panicked when he couldn’t find his little brother and would end up getting an entire search team with him, resulting in Hyakuichitaro becoming upset that he made such a big deal out of nothing.

He couldn't just not try the food that was so graciously made for him.

“Thank you for the food, this looks great.”
Although he said that, he was concerned about whether his stomach could handle the scrambled egg mess. He would do it though, it's not every day he gets to see Hyakuichitaro cook. “I'm pretty surprised that you wanted to cook.”

“I can't just leave the leader of the Adachi Tribe starving!”
Triumphantly exclaiming, a little flustered at the praise. His facial expression turns a bit softer as he adds on.
“…Plus I know that you don't really eat breakfast, so I made a batch.”

He was taken aback, he never told Hyakuichitaro about his eating habits.

Had Hyakuichitaro been watching?

Most of the time, he assumed that his little brother slept in when he needed to leave early for tribe activities, but maybe he had been awake. Hyakutaro smiles to himself, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

“...You know, I really miss this.”, Hyakutaro hums in an endearing tone.

“Miss what?”

“Nothing, let’s eat! Can you give me another plate?”

“What for?”

“To share with you dummy, you didn’t eat either.”

Almost on cue, Hyakuichitaro’s stomach audibly growls, a red tint climbing up his cheeks. Chuckling, Hyakutaro decides to spare his little brother the embarrassment and gets up from his chair, walking over to the wooden cabinets.

After settling back down at the table, he separated the scrambled eggs into two even halves between the two plates and gave a fork to the red-faced boy. Compliantly grabbing the fork, Hyakuichitaro begins chowing down on the food, face lightening up when he realizes that his attempt at cooking was successful… besides the unappealing appearance.

Seeing his little brother enjoying the food, Hyakutaro decides that it’s safe enough to eat.
Just the two of them enjoying the present in the comfort of their home reminded him of what they were like in the past.

Maybe it’s time for the Adachi tribe to be led not just by Hyakutaro alone, but by both Hyakutaro and Hyakuichitaro.

Chapter Text

A screeching alarm echoed throughout the cramped, darkened room. Dark blue curtains gracefully draped across the window, holding back the radiance from disturbing the calming shadows.

However, a small opening between the ocean-like fabric allowed sunlight to steadily creep in, eventually reaching the closed eyelid of a certain blue-haired boy.

Within the depths of the small room laid a bundle of blankets, cushioned on top of a medium-sized mattress. A small lump could be visibly seen, shifting around endlessly. Abruptly, an arm reaches out from within the plush pile, slamming onto the small desk beside the bed. Realizing that they had missed their target, they continue feeling around the table until their fingers feel something rectangular and plastic. They frustratingly pressed a large button residing on top of the device, resulting in the shrieking alarm coming to a halt.

“Mnn….”

Slowly opening his eyes, Hyakuichitaro was met with a subtle sunlight seeping through his curtains. He stares at the ceiling for a moment and tries to regain his senses.
Why did he set an alarm again?
After contemplating a bit, he begrudgingly rises from his comfy bed and turns his head to the alarm clock he had stopped beside him.
The glowing green numbers read 8:00 AM.
8 AM…?

“... Crap.”
Stumbling out of bed, he untangles himself from the cozy cavern that enveloped his body. He stretched out his arms over his head and yawned.
Hyakuichitaro usually didn’t wake up this early, Still, he had made an appointment with his brother the day prior and he couldn’t back out from it– that just wasn’t in his nature.
He walked over to the closet doors, slowly opening them with his hands. Grabbing his iconic jacket, he threw it over himself and changed out of his sleeping attire.
After doing his morning routine of brushing his teeth and combing out his fluffy bed hair, he drowsily made his way to the kitchen.

The room was dim, with only the natural light radiating through the windows providing any visibility.
“He must’ve left already.”
Noticing a small plastic-wrapped object on the wooden dining table, Hyakuichitaro strolled over to it. He found a packaged sandwich with a yellow sticky note stuck on top.
Trying his best to read the bold, messy ink, he smoothed out the paper.
‘For the sleepyhead who can’t get up on time: I went out early to set some things up, meet me at the location when you’re ready! From - Adachi Leader’
At the very end of the note was a small doodle of a smiley face with a poorly drawn thumbs-up.

Baffled, Hyakuichitaro let out a small laugh at the doodle. It was these small moments where the boy’s admiration for his older brother only grew.
He decided he would eat it while on the way to the meet-up location to save some time and grabbed the sandwich. Tearing open the plastic cover, he took a bite, eyes lighting up with happiness after realizing that it was an egg sandwich- one of his favorites.

The blue-haired boy departed the house with high morale, nibbling on the delectable sandwich on the way. After a while of navigating the confusing alleys of Adachi city and avoiding any possible conflict from other members, he finally reached the building of a small, rundown arcade.
Standing in the front, he took in the view and reminisced.

‘Racer’s Gambit’.

Although he was really young during that time, he fondly remembered the vague memories of him and his brother playing there quite frequently. In fact, he still has the small fluffy dog plushie that Hyakutaro won from a claw machine for him- not that he would ever tell him that.
In the past, the arcade stood proud in all of its glory, with teenagers and kids actively going in and out. Now, the arcade was empty; shattered glass littered the front, presumably from the missing windows of the building. Even the Arcade Sign was missing a few letters, reading ‘cer’s Gamb’.

“Thinking about something?”

Startled by the abrupt voice, Hyakuichitaro flinches, quickly whipping his head towards the sound.
His eyes were met with his brother’s smug grinning face, seemingly amused by Hyakuichitaro’s mental nostalgic journey.

“...shut up.”
Contrary to his harsh words, he had a similar grin on his face.
“Anyway, here I am! I didn’t fall into a ditch on the way here and- oh, the food was amazing.”
Hyakuichitaro highly praised his brother’s food, resulting in the elder returning a ‘you’re welcome’, feeling a bit embarrassed. Especially by the fact that he didn’t put THAT much effort into making it.

“So, are we starting our practice session?”

Yes, the whole purpose of this appointment was so that the younger of the two could get some more XB training. Specifically, trying to learn the technique behind his older brother’s pitch. The first time he witnessed Hyakutaro’s famous ‘Fireball’ pitch, the event had been embedded into his memories. No matter how many times the signature throw was performed, Hyakuichitaro was in absolute awe of how his brother was able to pull off such a stunt without any injuries.

After a few XB practice sessions, the youngster asked Hyakutaro if he could teach him the specifics. At first, Hyakuichitaro’s request was denied as the elder thought that it was too dangerous for him to learn. However, the adolescent proved himself to be a lot stronger than he thought. On Hyakuichitaro's birthday, Hyakutaro decided to gift his little brother an XB bat that he hadn't been using, saying that he could use it for both combative and XB purposes.

Although most of the Adachi Tribe members were known to be pretty peaceful, there were a few who could be rowdy, causing Hyakutaro to worry a bit about the youngster. Killing two birds with one stone, his little brother would have better a way to defend himself when he was alone and a stronger tool to turn the tides in XB matches.

However, he wasn't prepared for the boy’s hits to be so intense during their practice sessions. He almost fell over as the catcher during the first time the adolescent debuted the new bat. Eventually, the tool became an extension of Hyakuichitaro, even the youngster couldn't imagine playing without it.

“Of course! But I wanted to show you something before we start.”
Hyakutaro went into the abandoned building disappearing in the back area where the arcade machines were usually held.

In the back of his head, the younger of the two was hoping that Hyakutaro woke up early to prepare something special for today’s session. Maybe whatever was inside the building was for him?
Lost in his thoughts, the blue-haired boy didn't notice the sound of a large amount of approaching footsteps from the direction that Hyakutaro disappeared to.

“I’m back! And I brought some company!”
Snapping out of his contemplation, Hyakuichitaro looked up and was met with the sight of a decently sized group of Adachi Tribe members, staring at him with confusion. Similarly, the youngster was bewildered at the unfamiliar faces, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

“Oi, Hyakutaro, I thought we were playing XB? Who’s this brat?”
Some of the Adachi Tribe members whispered among each other; some recognizing Hyakuichitaro while others questioning why they’d been called out to meet a random kid.

The remark about being a child sparked fury within the blue-haired boy. His brows began to furrow as his fingers curled into fists. It became more visible overtime that Hyakuichitaro may explode into an uncontrollable rage if Hyakutaro didn’t do something.
“Haha…You might have seen him around, but I never really got the chance to introduce him properly. This is my lil’ bro, Hyakuichitaro!”
Trying to do damage control, the older brother ignored the statement by the Adachi member and tried to change the subject. He went over to his little brother, gently placing his hand on his back, trying to calm him down.

“...Hyakutaro, I thought we were going to practice… by ourselves”
Feeling betrayed, the youngster irritatingly glared into his older brother’s eyes, demanding an answer. Hyakutaro nervously laughed and quickly took his little brother off to the side to have a private conversation with him.

“Look, I know you don't really like them, but you can't just spend the rest of your life by my side. Plus– it's good to have connections!”
Softly smiling, the young adult put his hand over Hyakuichitaro’s head, assuringly ruffling his hair. 

“Every XB game needs teamwork, think of this as a lesson in practicing your leadership and communication!”
Still unconvinced, Hyakuichitaro turned his head away from his brother, clearly unwilling to discuss the situation any further. The man tried to think of a way to convey his thoughts without upsetting his little brother while awkwardly scratching his head.

“I’m sorry for tricking you into this, but it’s been on my mind for a while.”
He sighed with a somber look.

“I’ve always wanted you to be officially a part of the tribe— not only in name but as a recognized figure.

I know I might be asking a lot from you, but…could you do this for me?”

After hearing his older brother’s words, Hyakuichitaro takes a moment to look up at the man. His violet eyes were filled with hope and vulnerability; as if the youngster refusing this request would break him. As much as the blue-haired boy wanted nothing to do with disorderly delinquents… who was he to refuse his brother after that revelation? Besides, he knew deep down that he was just looking out for him– that’s just the kind of person he was.

“If it makes you feel any better, the loser in this XB match does whatever the winner asks~”

After a semi-long period of silence, the adolescent spoke up with slight annoyance in his voice.
“...Fine. You’ll regret this though.”

The young adult perked up at Hyakuchitaro’s reluctant agreement and grinned ear-to-ear. Before he could say anything though, the teen crossed his arms, a mischievous smirk creeping upon his face.
“Cause I'm not backing down from a challenge. You got my XB gear?”

“As always, I left them in the arcade. They’re by the car racing machines.”
A bit surprised at his little brother’s abrupt determination, he watched him vanish into the building. He’s happy that Hyakuichitaro was able to regain some of his liveliness… but he was a bit worried about what that would mean for himself.

A few minutes later, a loud clang echoed throughout the alleyway. The culprit– a grinning blue haired boy grasping an oversized spiked bat over his shoulder. It almost looked impossible to carry with his petite form yet he casually was. Everyone in the radius turned to look at the scene, jaws dropped in both intimidation and amazement. Murmurs immediately exploded within the crowd of Adachi members; the older brother laughing a bit at the dramatic entrance. Hyakuichitaro had always tried to put on a strong appearance in front of strangers and although it might have been terrifying to newcomers, it was an amusing sight to Hyakutaro.

Tatsuo, one of the Vice-leaders of the Adachi Tribe, stared wide-eyed and walked over to where Hyakutaro was.
“Your little bro can be pretty scary huh?”
“Nah, that's just him being excited,” chuckling, the older brother shook his head nonchalantly.
Rankichi, the second Vice-leader, butted in after overhearing the conversation.
“Excited? He looked like he was about to murder someone– actually, why does his XB gear look like he’s going to fight?”

“If you think about it, XB is a kind of fight,” Hyakutaro remarked wittingly with a shrug. Switching his attention to the rest of the tribe, he clasps his hands together, preparing for a speech.

“Alright, everyone gather around! I’ve been planning this for a while, but now I’ve been able to make it a reality–thanks to my lil’ bro.”
Giving a slight nod in the direction of Hyakuichitaro, he continues.
“The special event I’m holding today is an XB event, however, it’s only exclusive to the Adachi Tribe. That means I’m going to be splitting everyone up into two teams, feel free to call yourselves whatever you like.”
Bewildered eyes roamed, trying to scope out who the best XB players were. Chatter began to erupt from the tribe members with arguments breaking out about who would be the least wanted on a team.

Loudly clearing his throat, Hyakutaro tried to regain everyone’s attention. After he knew that he did, he paused for a few seconds before making a bold statement.
“To make it fair, I’ll be leaving my lil’ bro in your hands… Tatsuo and Rankichi.”
“Wait, what-”
“I’ll be leading the other team on my own, can’t be having an unfair match with how strong I am.”
“Hold on wait a second!!”
“Alright, first things, first-”

“Stand with me and I’ll bring us victory,” Hyakuichitaro abruptly interrupted his brother, eyes gleaming with a fiery determination that Hyakutaro had only seen in small instances when he was pumped up for a fight. The man silently prayed that his vice-leaders would be able to handle this active ball of fire.

“If you want to join my brother, be my guest–but I don’t want any slackers on my team.”
Glaring at the offended and perplexed crowd, he placed his bat on the ground beside him, base side down. He roamed his eyes over the shocked faces of the members and ominously smiled.

“We ARE going to win this.”

Hyakuichitaro’s competitive nature was on full display and to everyone’s dismay, it was not pretty. At this moment, it was clear to everyone that the Adachi Leader’s little brother was terrifying.
However, Hyakutaro took this as a great sign and reciprocated his brother’s determination with his own thumbs up, oblivious to the rest of the tribe’s shock.

“Alright! Let’s make this a great one y'all! I know you guys might be a bit biased, so I prepared a little something…”
He strolled into the arcade and picked up a small red plastic bucket from the counter of the cash register. Bringing it outside, he waved the object around trying to get everyone’s attention.
“We’ll be taking little paper slips from this bucket I prepared. There should be enough for everyone here besides me, Hyakuichitaro, Tatsuo, and Rankichi.”
He pulls out a slip as a demonstration.
“Each of these paper slips have your names on them, me and my bro will take turns picking them out to see who’s on our team. Tatsuo, Rankichi, you guys can also help pick out paper slips too if Hyakuichitaro allows it.”

Peering over to the aforementioned blue-haired boy, both Tatsuo and Rankichi were met with a dismissive scowl. They assumed that was a no…
Hyakuichitaro regripped his bat and trekked over to where his older brother was. He knew that some of the tribe members here didn’t like him, and that was fine. The feeling was mutual. They never got to know him, so why should bother trying to get along with them? Besides, none of them could stand a chance against his brother. They didn’t have any qualities that he valued in a friend, let alone someone he could admire the way he did with Hyakutaro.

However, remembering who he was doing this for, the teenager gave a slight nod towards his older brother’s direction, signaling that he was ready to start. Hyakutaro offered the bucket, wanting his little brother to get his first pick.
Hyakuichitaro accepted the offer and pulled out the first name, promptingly reading it out loud.

“...Ueda Ryuu”

He lifted his head to see who the name belonged to. The crowd split away, revealing the man in question. He was medium-sized, and a bit lanky, but had a rugged exterior. Small locks of black hair framed his face though most of it was pulled into a bun that lay behind the top of his head. Small peach fuzz could be seen growing on his chin. Like most of the Adachi tribe, he wore a fitted black leather jacket with the Adachi Tribe logo adorning one of the collars. A black leather belt held up the crumpled pants that seemed to sadly drape across his legs. Finally, grimy, scuffed boots completed the set. Fitting for a biker.

From the expression on his face, Ueda was not pleased by this situation. He had been one of the newer members of the tribe and had never seen nor heard of Hyakutaro having a little brother. Just because he was family, didn’t make him better than everyone else in the tribe.
Needless to say, Hyakuichitaro and Ueda were both disappointed with the first pick.

Dispelling the tension, Hyakutaro decides to go next and pulls out another piece of paper. Both the brothers continued this routine until the bucket was empty. Expectedly, many of the tribe members who ended up on the Adachi Leader’s team were thrilled, both Hyakutaro and his teammates were chatting up a storm– a picture-perfect version. On the other hand, none of the members of Hyakuichitaro’s team wanted to make eye contact with him. Most of them either stayed silent, scared of the wrath he might bring upon them, or snickered under their breath, accepting that their team would lose under the leadership of someone so inexperienced.

This was exactly why Hyakuichitaro didn’t bother with talking with them– either they were too arrogant or weren’t strong-willed enough like his brother.
Seeing him in turmoil, Tatsuo tried to comfort the young boy.

“Just ignore them. They’re always like this whenever they see someone who they think is weaker than them.”

“If you can prove your strength and leadership out there on the field, they’ll turn right around. You just gotta show them who’s boss,” Rankichi cheerfully answered, appearing by Tatsuo’s side with a judgy expression.

“If you can’t do that, then maybe they’re right about not wanting to follow you.”

After hearing Rankichi’s harsh words, Tatsuo gave him a stern glare – successfully shutting him up. He didn’t want to make the boy even more upset.
“Still, you got a few folks willing to help. Some of the members were pretty impressed with your entrance–heck, you might have the potential to surpass even the Adachi leader.”

“Hah, the Adachi leader?”

Scoffing, the blue-haired boy became more vexed. His glare was like daggers, sharply cutting into Tatsuo.

“He’s the strongest, most greatest XB player I’ve ever known. It would be an insult to say that his skills are lesser than anyone else's.”

Hyakuichitaro closed his eyes and took a small breath to compose his exasperation. When he opened them once more, he took on a gentler tone.
“There’s no way I could beat him, but I’m fine with that.
As long as I can be the second strongest person next to him, then I’m satisfied.”

In all of his years of being a part of the Adachi tribe, Tatsuo had never seen such intense loyalty and admiration between family. When going out on joyrides with Hyakutaro, the man had never talked much about family, let alone about his little brother. However, recently, the Adachi Leader began bringing up his little brother in conversations more and more. There was a sort of liveliness that flared whenever the man would excitedly discuss the newest bits of information he found out about his little brother to his vice-leaders– it was honestly adorable.

Over time, Hyakutaro seemed to have lost that spark that motivated him to continue but when Hyakuichitaro began opening up, the older brother made it his mission to try and reconnect.
Hyakutaro would never inform his little brother about the cheesy compliments and things he’d said about him, but to both Tatsuo and Rankichi, it was clear that the loyalty and admiration between both brothers were mutual.

“Then if you’re ready, let’s get this show on the road… Captain,” gently smiling, Tatsuo gave a slight nod of approval.
Despite Rankichi’s protests, the man drags him over to gather the rest of the group, preparing for the XB match.

The blue-haired boy watched the large man walk away as his heart filled with a sense of warmth– with a sense of belonging. Maybe… not everyone in the tribe was bad after all.
After Tatuso and Rankichi got everyone situated, both teams headed off to the main playing field of the Adachi Tribe. The alleyways were empty as most of the civilians were told to clear out due to the XB event. Staring at the white home plate on the floor, Hyakuichitaro began to feel the anticipation and excitement accumulating within him.
This was actually happening…could he even do this?

An arm suddenly draped over his shoulders from behind. Instinctively, he raised his fists about to strike the perpetrator until he felt his attack abruptly halt– his fist was stopped by none other than the Adachi leader.

“Woah there, it’s just me!”
After realizing who he was about to hurt, Hyakuichitaro immediately retracted his fist and murmured a small apology. Hyakutaro assured him that everything was fine and ruffled his hair.

“You seemed pretty lost in thought there, you ok?”

“I’m good, just trying to think of what I could ask you to do for me once this is over,” Hyakuichitaro jokingly replied, trying to change the subject.

“Ya know, I’ve played on this field for a while, but even I get lost sometimes. This city is just so confusing.”
Hyakutaro chuckled, roaming his eyes over the playing field with a warm smile. After taking in the sight, he turned to his little brother with a serious yet tender expression.

“Be confident. You have what it takes– you’re the brother of the Adachi Leader. Whatever I can do, I know you can too.”

Just like that one day, and the day after that, Hyakuichitaro’s admiration never faltered and had only increased with every word his brother spoke.

“Remember our practice sessions! Just because this feels like a real XB match; it doesn’t mean you can slack on the basics”
Giving one last pat on Hyakuichitaro’s shoulder, he smiled.

“Now get out there and most importantly, have fun! Best of luck to you lil bro.”
Hyakutaro performed a little salute and strolled over to the pitcher’s plate to get into position.

Left alone with his thoughts, the blue-haired teen felt a whirlwind of emotions crash into him. A slightly red hue began to creep up his face as his eyes became glossy. This was exactly why he couldn’t surpass his brother.
No one was as heroic, selfless, or kind as his brother under that rough exterior; not even him.
That’s why he had to give this match his all– to prove that he’s worth being the brother of Hyakutaro.

As his vision began to blur, he quickly wiped his face with the sleeve of his gray jacket.

“Yo, you’re up pipsqueak.”

One of the members of his team signaled the boy to get into position as the first batter. Usually, Hyakuichitaro would say something to refute that comment but he was feeling renewed with a different emotion; resolution.

Like the ignition to a motorbike engine, the boy’s drive roared to life. …Is this what it felt like playing on the big stage?
Hyakuichitaro's became more focused as he approached the home base plate with his spiked bat. Standing in front of the field felt immensely overwhelming; especially with a majority of the Adachi Tribe watching his every move. Taking a moment to review all of the few practice sessions he’d participated in with his brother, he steadily took a batting stance.

“I’m ready!”

Hyakutaro grinned and stretched out his muscles, prepping them for the game. He held out his gloved hand while someone from his team tossed him an XB ball. The man grasped it with fierce determination reflected in his eyes.

“I won’t go on easy on you just cause you’re family!”
With the last word, Hyakutaro tightly winded up his throwing arm and released the XB ball. Dust particles flew around as the projectile sped straight toward Hyakuichitaro.

Clenching his teeth, the youngster tightly gripped the bandaged handle of the bat. Locking onto the target, he began to pull back his bat to gain further momentum. As the seconds passed, the projectile seemed to accelerate.

The ball was a few feet away from Hyakuichitaro when he let out a yell, swinging the bat with all of his might. The wind seemed to push against the force, but abruptly, the spikes on the bat began spinning rapidly; seemingly accelerating the harder the swing was. The small lights embedded in the tool began to glow an intense bright orange; symbolizing the blazing flames that ran through the Senjus’ blood and the ones that lay upon the blue-haired boy’s jacket.

Within seconds as the ball made contact, a loud resounding crack of thunder echoed throughout the city.
All of the Adachi tribe members stared in absolute awe at the scene, not being able to comprehend what had just happened.

“Tatsuo!” Hyakuichitaro called out to the vice-leader as he sprinted over to the large man on the motorbike.

Before the match began, Hyakutaro realized that his little brother didn’t have a motorbike license—nor did he know how to ride Hyakutaro’s manual bike. To keep things fair, the older brother assigned Tatsuo and Rankichi to be Hyakuichitaro’s ride. It would not only level the playing field but also give his brother some experience with the vehicles.

Immediately revving the engines, Tatsuo took off the moment Hyakuichitaro hopped on board.

Meanwhile, Hyakutaro was still mildly stunned at the raw strength that was demonstrated; he barely processed where the XB ball even went. Hyakuichitaro had grown so much with only a few practice sessions… he was so proud.

Hyakutaro hurriedly dashed towards his lucky red bike and hopped on the cushioned seat with ease. Steadying his boots on the mechanical platforms beneath, he began pedaling; the cranking of the gears accelerating as more force was added.
Hyakutaro spoke into the microphone speaker on his face and alerted everyone on his team.
“The ball’s heading over North West by the food stalls!”
“On it!”

One of the members currently positioned near the estimated location of the XB ball’s landing location prepared themselves, scanning the sky for the approaching ball. In the blink of an eye, they spotted a flash of glowing turquoise and took off on their motorbike. The distance between them and the ball was vast, but they didn’t want to let the Adachi leader down. Turning up the acceleration to the max, the tires screeched loudly as the exhaust pipes coughed up tons of smoke. The Adachi member reached out their gloved hand as the motorbike’s speed eventually matched the ball.
Their fingers slightly grasped the edges of the sphere until it fell into the gloved hand. However, they were unprepared for the immense impact of the ball and lost their balance on the motorbike, almost tipping over. Hastily trying to regain control, they had to temporarily stop their vehicle.

“I’m at the mid-way section between the pitcher's plate and 1st base, where’s the ball?!”

“Sorry! I just got it, throwing it your way now!”

The Adachi member hastily threw the XB ball across the city over to Hyautaro’s estimated location. Noticing the incoming object, the older brother pedaled faster toward the landing spot and grasped it within his glove.
He could see an approaching motorbike in the distance with the vague shapes of a large man with a small figure behind them. Grinning, Hyakutaro pedaled to 1st base, intending to interrupt their progress.

“Not so fast!”

As they approached, the older brother could see the stubborn aura radiating off of the adolescent. They both glared at each other with an intensity that even frightened Tatsuo a bit.

Hyakuichitaro decided to make the first move and hopped off Tatsuo’s bike in a split second, rushing towards his older brother. Taking this as a challenge, Hyakutaro grasped the XB ball tightly and also hopped off his bike, charging towards his opponent.

Both brothers brawled ferociously– from afar, a wolf and a tiger seemed to emanate from Hyakutaro and Hyakuichitaro respectively. Punches, kicking, and scratching were dealt between the two. Hyakutaro tried tagging the ball on Hyakuichitaro’s left shoulder, but the youngster weaved to the right just in time. Seeing an opening, the boy continued running forward until he felt an arm grab his jacket from behind, halting his movements. He immediately struggled to get out of the grip as he felt himself getting yanked backward; if he didn’t do something fast, he would get tagged.
To save himself, he quickly slipped himself out of his jacket and began sprinting with as much speed as he could muster. He hadn’t even noticed that he reached the base until the judge robot announced it with loud air horns.

“Hah…I-I did it.”

Hyakuichitaro felt exhausted already but the adrenaline was flowing through his veins like he had just chugged an entire can of an energy drink. Hyakutaro came over and handed over his little brother’s jacket.

“Congrats on your first base run! But don’t get cocky—we’ve still got a long way to go,” Hyakutaro said with a grin that bordered on ominous. He pressed his fist into his palm, radiating confidence.

“You haven’t seen the real Adachi Leader yet.”

Unfortunately for Hyakuichitaro, the next few pitches would reveal that his older brother had been telling the truth.
As soon as the other members of his team began batting, they promptly got tagged out. There had been a few instances where Hyakutaro had been close to tagging the teen, but he had somehow managed to dodge him.

For the next few rounds, both teams seemed to be evenly matched. The demonstration of strength by Hyakuichitaro’s batting inspired a majority of his teammates and they began changing their perspectives on him. With boosted morale and Hyakuichitaro slowly learning how to lead, it seemed like they were doing well.
However, it was when their team was switched to offense once more that the blue-haired boy felt a shiver crawl up his spine. Everything’s been going swell… so then why did he feel so anxious?

Examining the surroundings, his eyes widened when he spotted the reason why.
His brother had a glass bottle with him with transparent liquid inside. One that he and many others were very familiar with.

“He’s going to perform it this pitch…”

“The legendary fireball,” Tatsuo nodded, confirming the team’s worst nightmare.

“We’re so screwed!”
Rankichi began panicking and making a ruckus. How were they supposed to deal with that? It was the Adachi Tribe’s ace move!
Ignoring both Rankichi’s panic and his own racing heartbeat, Hyakuichitaro dragged his bat over to the home plate. He needed to face it head-on– he knew this fact very well.
Maybe this was Hyakutaro’s plan all along.
After all, the best way to learn the technique behind it is to face it yourself.

Hah… maybe he shouldn’t have asked him for a practice session on it.

It was too late though; he must continue on. This scoreboard was currently tied and this round would be the final one. From the boy’s limited knowledge, he hadn’t seen anyone in the tribe, nor outside it, able to bat his brother’s iconic pitch. If he failed this chance, there was no way anyone else in the tribe would be able to do it.

Finding his resolution, Hyakuichitaro closed his eyes and took a breather. This is it, you ARE going to make history today. Find out how he does it and target its weaknesses.
Reopening his eyes, he focused on his brother’s face. There was no sign of vulnerability in those eyes, only a laid-back expression. When Hyakutaro made eye contact with him, he gave a small apologetic smile. Ah, he knew that the boy found out about his plan. If Hyakuichitaro ended up winning this match… Hyakutaro would have a lot of work cut out for him.

Taking a steady stance, the teen readied his bat as usual. Hyakutaro, on the other hand, opened the glass bottle in his hand and poured it over the XB ball that was in his other.

“Are you ready for your final exam Hyakuichitaro?”
As the man dropped the glass bottle onto the floor, he pulled out a small red lighter from his pant pocket.

“I never was the best at academics– but bring it on!”
Taking Hyakuichitaro’s declaration as confirmation of his readiness, Hyakutaro flicked the metal gears of the lighter, a small flame coming to life. He tilted the tool towards the soaked XB ball and smiled. In a flash, the entire ball erupted into scorching heat; red, yellow, and orange particles dancing around the object. The entirety of the Adachi Tribe audibly gasped with a few ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’.

“Let’s see you dissect my technique!”

Unlike his other pitches, this one was both physically and metaphorically on fire. The flames surrounding the ball only seemed to grow more intense with its user’s raging determination.
Winding up his throwing arm, the flames swirled around beautifully. Finally, the ball was released and began rocketing towards Hyakuichitaro with extreme speed; faster than any other pitches his older brother had thrown.

Before the boy could even blink, a loud whistle could be heard from the judge robot behind him. He turned over to look and was shocked to see the XB ball softly cushioned within gloves.

He hadn’t even been able to see the ball pass by him at all…

“Oh this is so bad… he’s a great XB player for sure, but trying to bat THAT? That’s insanity!”
On the bleachers, Rankichi was expressing his concerns to Tatsuo and had accepted that their team was going to lose. Staying silent, Tatsuo continued to watch the game’s progression without bias. However, many of the Adachi Tribe members began to lose faith, and murmurs of a possible surrender began to spread across the crowd.

Readying himself once more, Hyakuichitaro tried to maintain his composure, yet he could feel the momentum slipping away.
He's still got 2 more tries left. 

…Unfortunately, on his second try, his bat barely came close to touching the ball. The blue-haired boy began to feel the pressure accumulating within him.
Hyakuichitaro closed his eyes and began to review what his brother had told him about the technique in the past. Memories of the previous practice sessions began flowing through his mind.

“Try not to focus on the visual position of the ball, instead, feel the path that it has carved through the wind. The ball will be going too fast for you to see normally.”

“Instead of thinking about how hard you can hit the ball, try positioning your bat in a strategic way that can counteract the impact and get the most surface area.”

“Sometimes… you just gotta let the fire resonate within you.”

Fire…
That's it.

“Oi, Hyakutaro! Can you toss me that glass bottle next to you?”

The aforementioned man was in his little bubble, in a celebratory mood, until his little brother’s strange request. He looked over at the glass bottle he had been using for the past few pitches and wondered what use Hyakuichitaro would get from it.

“Yeah! …Why exactly do you need it?”
His eyes narrowed with skepticism as he crossed his arms.
“You're not planning on dumping out the rest right? Cause that would be very dishonorable.”

“Tch, who do you think I am?” Rolling his eyes, Hyakuichitaro put out a hand, signaling for the older man to give it.
Resigned, Hyakutaro shrugged and safely handed the glass bottle over. He was pretty curious about what the teen was scheming.
The moment Hyakuichitaro grabbed hold of the item, he popped open the cork and swiftly dumped a thin layer of the transparent liquid onto his bat.
Alarmed, everyone, including Hyakutaro, began questioning his actions.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“Finding my own fire,” Hyakuichitaro nonchalantly states, eyes glimmering with ferocity. He then closed the bottle and returned it.
Hyakutaro continued to stare at his little brother, absolutely bewildered.

What is he thinking? 

However, there was no time to contemplate further as the judge robot whistled in the final pitch.
Needing no words, both brothers got into similar stances from the last two throws. Contrary to the last few pitches, Hyakuichitaro seemed the most pumped up he’s ever been.
And honestly… that kind of worried Hyakutaro.

Preparing his fireball, the older man reeled back his arm, twisting his foot around to get as much momentum as he could. This was the final shot.
Like a taut rubber band abruptly getting released, the ball whizzed once more towards the batter with scorching heat and impressive speed, fitting the name fireball.

Hyakuichitaro, however, had his eyes closed this round. Scrunching up his face, he delved deep into his senses and tried to feel the intense wind that the XB ball radiated throughout his surroundings. Trust your instincts… feel where it’s going…
The boy intensely gripped the handles of the bat, the rotating spikes accelerating rapidly without warning. The sound of grinding metal accelerated in volume as some of the Adachi tribe members swore they saw small sparks of light coming from the object.
Then in the span of a second, the entire bat burst into a red, fiery blaze. Similarly to his brother’s fireball, the fire bit and scorched its owner but Hyakuichitaro stood his ground, determined to tame the flames.

He clenched his teeth in pain and began to feel the intense heat waves from the approaching XB ball grow stronger as it was milliseconds from reaching him. His heart was pounding out of his chest. This was his moment to make a statement; that he was a Senju.
Taking the chance, Hyakuichitaro swung as he always did, with a blazing determination that even compared to the flames on his bat.

BANG!

At that moment, everyone watching was utterly speechless. In the split second that the ball made contact with the bat, they witnessed the flames on the XB ball being extinguished.

…Hyakuichitaro’s fire burned brighter than the Adachi leader’s?!

Slowly opening his eyes and wondering what all the silence was about, Hyakuichitaro was astonished to not hear the familiar whistle of the judge robot announcing another out. He– he did it? Looking over at his older brother’s face, he confirmed that something extravagant must've happened. He had never seen his brother look so in awe before… especially with him.
It made him a little uncomfortable, knowing that Hyakutaro was looking at him with the same admiration he does with the man.

“HYAKUICHITARO! RUN!!”

The loud yelling snapped him out of his thoughts as the entirety of the boy’s team began encouragingly shouting at him to run. Contrary to the poor morale his teammates were showing before, everyone was now cheering him on.
Is this what it felt like to be Hyakutaro…?
Feeling a vast warmness take over his body, the boy left the flaming bat and ran towards Rankichi who was waiting for him on his bike.

Surprisingly, the rest of the game went relatively smoothly as Hyakutaro had run out of the flammable liquid after the last pitch.
Maybe it was slightly a part of Hyakuichitaro’s plan to use up his resources…

Panting with exhaustion, Hyakuichitaro rested his hands on his knees as the judge robot announced the winner to be his team.
They won by a single point.

“That. Was. AWESOME!!” Hyakutaro ran over to his little brother and roughly pulled him into a strong hug. Having no energy left, the boy wasn't able to push him off even though it was embarrassing having the rest of the tribe witness this.
“I knew you could do it bro! Though I wasn't expecting you to steal my signature move, I'll let it slide this one time since it's not exactly the same.”

The older man finally let go of Hyakuichitaro after realizing how unbalanced he was. However, when he looked down at the boy’s face, he was flabbergasted to see small tears streaming down his cheeks. Hyakutaro began panicking as his mind began filling with guilt that he might have possibly caused this. 
However, Hyakuichitaro interrupted him before he could do anything rash.

“Stealing your skill was never my intention… I just– I just wanted to stand by your side,” he struggled to get the words out, straining his voice. The more he spoke, the glossier his eyes became.

“You're the only person I've ever looked up to and– if I could somehow prove that I could deserve to be your brother… ”
Hyakuichitaro’s voice began to falter.
The older man decided that he had heard enough and stopped his little brother from speaking.

“...you didn't have to do all that.”

Hyakutaro gently leaned down to meet Hyakuichitaro’s line of sight and tried to get him to look at him. Just hearing the subtle change in breathing and the small sniffles was enough to make his heart shatter.

“You’ll always be my brother no matter what, even if in the future, we end up going our separate ways.”

Giving Hyakuichitaro one last assuring hair ruffle, he got up from the ground and stretched out his sore muscles. Thinking about something for a bit, he chuckled.

“It's kind of funny– I guess our ace moves will forever be a connection between the both of us.”

Both of the brothers laughed a bit and took in the pleasant atmosphere. Remembering something important, Hyakuichitaro mischievously grinned.
“...you know you have to hold up your end of the bargain.”