Ryo arrives home from school to be whisked away to finish pitching in a local baseball game.  Unknown to her, she is watched by a woman from a car on the street.  That night two men come into her mother's Oden bar and challenge her.  A drunkard volunteers to umpire.  She strikes the first man out and is working on the second when a high school batting wonder named Hiroki Takasugi walks by and offers to finish up the challenge.  He manages to hit her fast ball but breaks his bat.  Ryo catches the ball and he's out, thus winning the competition.  He is amazed since no one has ever broken his bat before.  He carries her home and introduces himself to her mother as her new boyfriend.