Under the Blood Red Sun

The game between the Rats and the Kaka’ako Boys is intense and fiercely competitive. The Kaka’ako Boys’s new pitcher, the Butcher, proves to be as skilled as Billy. However, his tendency to lose focus becomes evident when a fastball unintentionally hits the Rats’ “Tough Boy” in the arm. Billy grabs Tough Boy, preventing a fight. The Butcher, surprisingly, apologizes in a soft, wispy voice. The Rats manage to hit a home run, but the Coral Street gang interferes by tossing the ball back in, costing the Rats the run.

As the Butcher tires, his pitch accuracy diminishes, even though the speed and force of his throws remain constant. Apologizing genuinely each time, he unintentionally hits several Rats players. The game is tied when the Rats take their final at-bat. Tough Boy steps up to the plate for the last out. The Kaka’ako Boys cheer on the Butcher, revealing his name to be Gayle. Tough Boy, however, tauntingly calls him “whale.” The tension rises when the first pitch narrowly misses his head. The second pitch is a strike, but Tough Boy secures a homerun on the third. The Rats emerge victorious.

Upon leaving the park, the Coral Street gang launches an immediate attack.