Chapter 1

The new transfer student stepped onto the campus of Kiryu Academy with a smile. She stretched her arms above her head while taking a deep breath of air. “Alright! Looks like this is the school for me! I can’t wait to see what kind of sports and clubs they have!” As she approached the school, she was greeted by staring and whispering. At 175 centimeters, or five feet and nine inches, she really stood out like a sore thumb. It also didn’t help that she was quite muscular, and her school uniform seemed a bit tight. Once she went through the lockers, exchanging her shoes and putting a few things in her locker, she headed to her classroom, which was room 1-C.

She sat down at a desk near the window and in the back left corner of the room. She pulled a small notepad out of her bag and looked over the notes she made with a smile. She planned to make at least ten friends and join one sport or club as well as get a boyfriend who would last until she graduated! It didn’t take long for the homeroom teacher to walk in and tap his ruler on the desk to get the students' attention. “Alright, class, as you know, it’s the first day of school, as well as signing up for any clubs and activities. However, I’d like you all to introduce yourselves so everyone can know your name and face. I would like to add that-“ he was then cut off by the exchange student’s hand shooting up. “Ah, yes? Young lady?”

“Can I go first?!” She asked rather excited,

“Oh, uh,” he rubbed the side of his head as he looked down at the roll call sheet, “I mean, we usually go in alphabetical order, but, sure. You can go first.”

“Alright!” She then stood up and gave a beaming smile as she said, “My name is Choki Minami! I’m a first-year and a transfer student from Okinawa! I hope to make lots of friends and join a club or sports team! It’s nice to meet you all!” The students all stood there whispering to each other.

“She’s got a cute face, but with those muscles, she might destroy somebody.….” One boy whispered to another.

“Ah, well,” the teacher said as he went down the roll sheet before he found her name, “It’s nice to meet you, Choki-San! You’re more than welcome to have a seat!”

“Alright!” Minami said as she sat down. As she did, a boy with glasses turned around in his desk and looked her in the eyes,

“Hey, Choki-San, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?” She responded,

“Why are you so muscular?”

“Oh, I’ve always been really athletic and have trained most of my life. I do a lot of weightlifting, but I’m usually at my family’s dojo in my free time. We’re related to the legendary karateka Choki Motobou. As such, I know his fighting styles Shuri-te, Tomari-te, and Motobou Ryu.”

“Ah, I see, that’s interesting.” He responded, “What kind of sports do you play?”

“Oh, well, I’ve always wanted to play either volleyball or basketball.”

“Those are good,” he said before he looked at the teacher before turning back to Minami. He then whispered, “Have you ever played dodgeball?”

“Dodgeball?” She said, “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never played it.”

“This school is huge on dodgeball, and my older brother is holding tryouts for the team after school. With your muscles, I think we might have a chance this year! Would you mind stopping by?”

“Yeah, sure!”

“Awesome,” he said as he held out his hand, “It’s nice to meet you Choki-San, I’m Serizawa Ryusuke; Serizawa Daisuke is my older brother.”

“It’s nice to meet you too!” She said with a smile as she shook his hand. The teacher continued to go through the roll before starting today’s lesson. The class times shifted and changed all day before it came to the end of the day. Minami left the classroom before she quickly met up with Ryusuke.

“Hey!” She said with a smile, “So where are these tryouts?!”

“Oh! They’re just in the gym!” Ryusuke said with a smile, “Follow me!” Ryusuke said as he began to walk down the hall. “So, you’re from Okinawa, right?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“What’s it like there? I’ve always wanted to visit.”

“It’s very peaceful; there's a lot of countrysides and not a whole bunch of big cities. Everything here in Tokyo is new to me.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll like it here,” he said as they turned the corner, “My brother and I have lived here our whole lives; however, our mother is from Hokkaido.”

“Oh, Hokkaido, have you guys ever been there?”

“Unfortunately not. However, we plan to go there during summer break.” He said with a smile, “What’re your plans for summer break?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know. I’ll probably just stay in my apartment.”

“What?! Why?!”

“Well, for now at least, I don’t really have a ton of friends. However, school is only just beginning, so I’m sure that it’ll change.”

“I’m sure it will,” he replied, “You look big and scary, but you’re pretty nice from what I can tell, at least so far.”

“Thanks,” she said with a smile as they came to the gym. As they walked inside, there were lots of kids gathered, most of them were men, and they were all waiting in line for tryouts to begin. “So, how do these tryouts go?”

“Well, first you get in line; afterward you get a number, and you wait on the bench with everyone else. They’ll call your number with random other people, and you’ll have a short exhibition match against last year's team.”

“Oh, I see, it seems easy enough.” She said, “Will you be trying out?”

“Of course,” he said as he pushed up his glasses, “If I didn’t, my older brother would kill me.” He then pointed to the line with his thumb, “Come on, let’s go stand in line.” Minami looked around at the other students as the two stood in line. They were all different shapes and sizes. She eventually came to the table where Ryuske’s older brother sat. He didn’t look up at her as he said,

“I need your given name and surname.”

“It’s Choki Minami.”

He then looked up at her to see that she was a girl. “Hm,” he responded, “We don’t normally get girls for this sport.”

“Oh, well, Serizawa-Kun said that you needed help for this year. I was going out for a sports team anyways, so I figured, why not?”

“I see,” he said as he wrote her name down and then handed her a large piece of paper and a clothespin, “You’ll be number 54. If you get on the team, then your number will change. Usually, it goes by weight classes, but there isn’t anything like that in dodgeball, so you’ll get to choose your number.”

“Alright,” she said as she took the paper from him, “Thank you!”

“Sure, now have a seat.”

“Okay!” Minami said as she walked over to a bench and sat down. Once the exhibition matches started, she began to take mental notes. The rules were simple and effective. If someone got hit, they were out; if someone caught the ball before it touched the ground, the person who threw it was out, and the other team got a member of their team back. After a few matches of the veteran team dominating the tryouts, it was eventually time for Minami to step onto the court.

She stood in line with her other teammates before a whistle blew. The opposing team took off at neck-breaking speeds as they each grabbed a ball from the line in the middle of the court. They then each threw a ball at immense speeds with immeasurable force. Minami stood there and looked around as each of her teammates got eliminated. She swallowed nervously as a ball rolled over to her feet. She bent over and picked it up before tossing it back and forth between her hands. Daisuke watched from the other side of the field with his arms folded. “Daisuke,” a member of his team said, “We’ve never played against a girl before. How do you think we should play this?”

“Well-“ before Daisuke could finish, Minami hurled the ball through the air and took out the team member Daisuke was talking to. Daisuke’s eyes widened before he turned to Minami. He clenched his teeth before he picked up a ball and looked to the other team members, “Go all out!” The other team members nodded before they threw the balls they had in hand. Minami stepped aside, avoiding the first ball, before spinning out of the way of the second. As she finished her turn, she swung her right arm through the air and caught the ball with the palm of her hand, causing a loud boom to echo through the gym. Daisuke gave a soft grin as he said, “Well, who do you want to bring to your side?”

“I don’t need anyone else,” she said, “But since I have to, I guess I chose…” she then turned and looked at everyone else before she pointed to Ryusuke, “Serizawa-Kun!”

“Wh-What?! Me?!”

“Yeah!” She said with a nod,

“I-I-“ he then turned to Daisuke before looking back at Minami and nodded, “Yeah! Alright!” He then took his glasses off before taking out some sports goggles and putting them on his head. He then walked out onto the court and came to her side. He picked up a ball as he said to himself, “I can do this! I’ll prove myself to Daisuke!” He then looked up to Daisuke and his team as he said, “Let’s go! Choki-San!” Minami nodded as the two then reeled back their arms and threw their balls through the air.

Ryusuke’s ball was slow and pathetic, but Minami’s ball came up behind it and helped it speed up. The two balls then rotated through the air before they looked almost like a drill attack. Daisuke panicked before he could dodge at the last second, only to sacrifice the team member behind him. “Ryusuke’s throw was pathetic! However, that girl's throw greatly improved his!” He then turned and threw a ball as hard as he could. It flew past Minami’s face before it bounced off the wall and hurdled back towards her head. Minami moved her head to the side, causing the ball to fly past her and strike one of Daisuke’s teammates. “Wh-What the…?!” The same ball rolled across the floor and over to Minami’s foot.

Minami kicked the ball up to her knee, where she then dribbled it for a bit before she caught it in her hands. She threw the ball with immense strength, taking out Daisuke’s last teammate. “What the hell is she…?!” Daisuke thought to himself as he felt the room grow dark as a dark purple aura surrounded Minami, “She has to be a demon…!” He looked down at his hand to see a bead of sweat drop onto it, “A-Am I nervous…?! What the hell is this??!?!?!!!” He looked down at his feet to see a ball. He clenched his teeth before he bent down and picked it up. “Whatever! This is the end for her!” He reeled his arm back as he grinned evilly, “My deadly finisher move!!!” He then threw the ball with immense force, “Beast Domination!!!”

“Oh crap! My brother's signature move!” Ryusuke thought as his eyes darted over to Minami, “Even with her muscles, I don’t think she’ll survive!” He then turned to the ball as it started to grow closer, “And if I step in the way, then I’ll frickin die!!!!” Minami stood still before she was struck in the face. A massive explosion of sound came from the back of her head as she began to bend backward. “Oh, crap!!! She got hit!!! I’m screwed!!!”

Daisuke gave a soft chuckle, “Looks like I still got it!” Minami’s eyes suddenly widened as she bent forward again. Chills shot up Daisuke’s entire body, “Wh-What?!?!?!!! Impossible!!!!” The ball then fell to Minami’s hands before she wiped her mouth, “SH-SHE CAUGHT IT IN HER MOUTH?!?!?!!!”

“Yuck!” Minami said, “The rubber balls really don’t taste very good.”

Daisuke scoffed before he then sighed and said, “I see,” he then walked over to Minami and held up his hand, “Well played. I got out fair and square, and last I checked, there are no rules against catching the ball in your mouth.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.” Minami said with a smile as she shook his hand, “I figured I wasn’t quite fast enough to catch it with my hands, and it was also a slim chance I would’ve been able to pull it off.”

“Very interesting,” he said with a chuckle, “Well, the rules of the team are as follows, if you beat the team, then you’re automatically on it. And since you beat me, that would make you the team Captain.”

“O-Oh, are you sure?”

“Yes,” he said, “Especially since you and the students with you were the last group before we started to choose a team.”

“Oh wow,” she said, “So since I’m the captain, can I pick the team?”

“That’s right,” Daisuke responded, “A team consists of 6 to 10 players.”

“Alright,” she said with a smile, “Well, I don’t really know anyone else here. So, I think I definitely want you on my team,” she then turned to Ryuske as she said, “And you as well.”

“Wh-What?! You mean it?!”

“Yes, of course!” Minami said with a smile,

“Th-That smile…so cute….” Ryusuke said to himself before he nodded and said, “Y-Yeah! I’ll do my best!”

“Interesting,” a voice said as someone walked into the gym. Everyone turned before their eyes widened in total shock.

“Oh shit!” Daisuke said as a man walked into the room.

He looked around before he folded his arms and smirked, “Looks like you’ve got a woman on your team. Is she even any good?” The man was greeted by silence.

“Who’s he…?” Minami asked Ryusuke softly,

“H-How do you not know?!” Ryusuke responded, “That’s Kanamori Yakuza! He’s the Student Council President as well as the Captain at our rival school! He’s more dangerous than any weapon on the planet! He even was able to shot put a Boulder the size of a building!!”

“So she’s not very good?” Yakuza responded only to be greeted with more silence. “Of course she isn’t; I wouldn’t expect anything else.”

Minami turned to Yakuza as she said to herself, “I can tell this guy is bad news just by looking at him. Even now, something about him just seems evil.”

Yakuza looked down as a ball rolled over to his foot. He chuckled before he kicked the ball up to his hands. “Fine then, I’ll find out for myself!” He then threw the ball at speeds far too fast to see, which then hit Ryusuke in the gut. Ryusuke let out a groan of pain before he fell onto his face unconscious. Minami gasped before she knelt to Ryuske’s side and shook him,

“Serizawa-Kun! Hey! Wake up!”

Yakuza chuckled before he looked up at the other students who had all gathered around. He chuckled before saying, “Come and get me,” he then gestured for them to attack, “I’m right here.”

“Gladly!” Daisuke said as he and the other students charged Yakuza with a ball in their hands. Yakuza chuckled before he accelerated towards to horde of students. A student threw a ball at Yakuza, which he quickly caught before spiking it at the student's face. As the ball bounced off, he quickly caught it before he sidestepped and moved his upper body from side to side, avoiding an oncoming assault of numerous dodgeballs. Yakuza then performed an underhand swing which hit a student in the gut before he was sent flying, taking out several others in the process. Yakuza was struck in the side of the face with a ball before he quickly spun around and caught it. He then performed an overhand throw hitting one student in the chest; the ball flew back to his hand as the student fell before he threw the ball once more. He repeated this same process at least three times before Daisuke approached him.

Yakuza dropped the ball he had in hand to catch the one Daisuke had thrown at him. Daisuke went to throw the ball before he quickly spun around Yakuza’s back, where he went to throw the ball at Yakuza’s face. He then swung his left arm in a downwards diagonal direction as he threw the ball; Daisuke quickly dodged and caught the ball before he stood up and threw the ball upwards. Yakuza bent backward slightly to avoid the ball before he reached up and grabbed it before he spiked it into Daisuke’s face causing Daisuke to fall onto the ground.

Yakuza was then hit in the side of the face with a ball once again; he quickly snatched the ball and turned as two balls hit the ground around him. Yakuza chuckled as he dropped the ball and began to walk towards the other students. He moved his head to one side, avoiding one ball before he ducked to the other side to avoid the other. In rapid succession, he shot his right arm across his chest and caught a dodgeball before swinging it out in front of him to backhand an oncoming ball before he threw the ball with tremendous force. The ball bounced off the side of one student before it flew and bounced off of several others. Yakuza chuckled as he bent down and picked up a ball before looking at the other downward students. “Hey! You!” Minami said as she clenched her fists. Yakuza turned around and faced her as she picked up a ball, “What have you done?! How am I going to pick my team now?!”

“I suppose you’ll just have to find another school,” he said,

“No way!” She said, “I-“ Memories began to flash in her head as she began to speak, “I’ve gone all over the country from school to school, hoping I could make it in at least one of the sports teams! Being a girl, I was never accepted, but now that I’m here, I’ve finally made it onto a team!” A fire ignited in Minami’s eyes as she reeled her arm back and screamed, “I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME!!!” She then threw the ball with all her strength. Yakuza quickly raised his left arm and blocked her ball with his own. Minami’s ball continued to move forward, causing a massive gale of wind to pick up, and the rubber on the balls began to burn.

Yakuza pushed forward slightly, causing Minami’s ball to fly back through the air before crashing into the wall behind her. “From your stature alone, I can tell that you’ve trained your body well. You taught it new things, how to adapt and how to survive.” He then grinned as he said, “However, you didn’t teach it everything.” Yakuza then threw the ball he had in his hands at full force. It struck Minami in the gut, causing her to gasp heavily. She flew through the air before he crashed into the back wall before she slid onto her feet and hunched over. Yakuza grinned before he then turned and began to walk off. He then stopped when he heard a soft scoff. He looked over his shoulder to see Minami gasp before she coughed up a little blood. However, what stood out to him was the fact that Minami had actually caught the ball thrown at her. He gave a smile before he turned and started to walk off, “I’ll see you all later!” He said with a wave.

When Minami came to, she had woken up in the hospital. She gave a dull groan as she rubbed her head and sat up. “Ch-Choki-San!” Ryusuke said as he stood up and raced to her bedside, “Are you okay?!”

“I’m alright….” She responded as she placed her hand on her face, “My stomach hurts a little, but I’m fine….”

“Thank god!” He responded, “Listen, I’m sorry.”

“For what…?”

“Kanamori! I didn’t think he would show up today! He usually stays in his own lane, and we only ever meet at a match!”

“Oh…I see…” She said as her eyes softened and her face began to turn a slight shade of red,

“I didn’t mean to drag you into this! If you want to quit, I don’t blame you! My brother can take over the team and-“

“He’s so cool….”

“Huh?”

“Yakuza…” She said as her eyes dazzled, “He was really kind of cool, wasn’t he…? I’ve never seen anyone so strong and handsome before!”

Ryusuke gasped as his eyes widened, “Sh-She’s gone insane!”

“I think I like him….”

“Wh-What?! Why?! He nearly killed you!!!”

“That’s the whole reason,” she said as she turned to him, “He beat me; he’s leagues stronger than me!”

“Uh, wha-“

“Being as strong as I am, I’ve always felt like an outsider; it’s very rare to find a guy who is actually stronger than me! My father always said to go for someone who’s stronger than me! That way, he can push me to become even stronger so I can one day surpass him!” She placed her hands over her face before she leaned back onto the bed and kicked her legs, “Yakuza is so cool~! Aah~!”

“Oh, uh…” Ryusuke said as he scratched the back of his head, “Well uh….”

“How old is he?!” She asked as she sat up, “I need to know!”

“O-Oh, well, he’s a second year, so about 16.”

“An older man?!” She then turned and screamed into her pillow before turning back to Ryusuke, “How can I ask him out?!”

“I-I don’t think that’s possible…!” Ryusuke responded, “Even so…it would possibly compromise you. Are you forgetting he’s our school rival?!”

“Oh, yeah…” She said, having totally forgotten, “So like…what do you mean by rival?”

“His school is on the opposite side of ours in terms of competition. His school, Mishima Academy, is a top-ranking school in everything! Academics! Sports! You name it! Even Harvard would be jealous! It’s a school for all the highly elite and rich kids! They’re the Apex Predator when it comes to dodgeball! Absolutely no one has beaten them, and wanting to beat them has become even harder since Yakuza joined!”

“When did he join?”

“We hear he joined as a first-year in Junior High! He forced his way in and somehow made it onto the team!”

“Oh, okay, and he’s our rival because…?”

“Our school is the absolute worst!!!”

“Oh…great…” Minami said to herself

“Our dodgeball team never actually competes competitively because we are such trash! Hell, Yakuza and his team only gave us because they’re our rivals and they have to! It’s really more of a pity match because our team is such garbage!”

“Oh…I see,”

“However,” he said as he looked Minami in the eyes, “With you, we might actually have a chance. When everyone found you, we had discovered that you had caught the ball Yakuza threw at you. Considering its Yakuza, a feat like that is impossible to accomplish! Or at least it was until you came!”

“Wow, really…?”

“Yes, really!” Ryusuke said as he stood up and clasped his hands around hers, “You can quit if you want to, I won’t blame you! But if you stay, we might actually make it to the top! The choice is yours!”

Minami then smiled as she said, “Of course I’m staying; you’re the first sports team to actually let me play, and not just on the sucky girls' team.” She then grinned as she held up her thumb and said, “I plan on staying! We’ll make it to the top, and when we do, I’ll ask Yakuza out in the process!”

“Yeah…cool, as long as you’re happy.….”