⬛️[Alpha] V.2

New York, Bronx

September of 1927.

"Alfie!!"

"Hmm?" A young 9-year-old with black hair turned towards the younger kid.

"They're here! They're here!" The kid said hurriedly, the excitement in his voice palpable.

"Who?" Another kid asked.

"What are you talking about, Bitty?" Alfie questioned.

"The Baldy Aces from the Northside!" Bitty revealed. "They said they want to play us again, they're at the park!"

"Ahh, the guys that shave their heads every summer." Alfie nodded, remembering the group of older kids.

"At the park? Are they stupid? They've already lost to us on their own turf, but now they wanna come to ours and lose again?" A tall but thin sniffy kid asked with a raised brow.

"You're asking all the right questions, Timid." Alfie chuckled towards the thin kid with glasses.

"It's Timmy!!" Timmy rebuked Alfie. Despite his usual haughtiness when around the group, he was known back in the days as Timmy the timid.

"…and it flies!! Babe Ruth with his second home run and seven RBIs!!"

"Yeahhh!!"

"The Great Bambino!!"

"Whoaaaaa!!"

The kids around Alfie huddled around the radio, just beside the entry of the barbershop near the streets.

The kids shouted in excitement as the commentator described the Yankees thrashing the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series Baseball Pro League.

The Yankees, with Babe Ruth and a powerful lineup of players, which Alfie knew quite well, is a trend every kid in New York follows by heart.

Babe Ruth, nicknamed The Great Bambino, is an idol to the youngsters who play their own ball game in the parks.

Which made them wonder why the Baldy Aces would abandon the chance of watching or listening in to the World Series, and come calling for a challenge.

"Why now?! Tell them to turn their bald heads and run home, we don't have time for them." A redhead tomboy, Rose, stated to Bitty.

""Yeah!""

The gang shouted in agreement, showing that the Yankees hold more importance than some Baldy group of ball players.

"Besides, we've already beaten them last summer, they're no challenge at all." A black kid, Billy, gave his thoughts.

"But…they said they are better now, their captain said they'll crush us easily this time." Bitty conveyed his troubled thoughts. When he was riding his bike to meet Alfie and the rest of the gang, he ran into the Baldy Aces at their own neighborhood park to which they pressured him into calling Alfie and the gang.

"Huh?! Those scrubs!"

"Those sorry saps are gonna get it now!"

Billy and Rose jerked their heads towards Bitty, angered by the words of the Baldy Aces coming out of Bitty.

Alfie chuckled as he saw their reactions. "Well, it might not be such a bad thing, it just might line up with our goals." He smirked.

"Our goals? You mean to be the best team in the Bronx?" Timmy the timid asked as they turned to Alfie.

"Correct. As we all know we have beaten almost all the teams that proclaimed to be the best in the Bronx, but only a few of them, like the Baldy Aces, would never admit to us being the best."

"So, I say we use this chance to make a bet when we win." Alfie said as the gang's attention turned towards him.

"What kind of bet?"

"The same bet we always make, we take all their good equipment and bikes if anyone needs one, but one more bet on that." He said as the gang listened in. "When we win, they will have to join the competition."

"Competition?"

"Alfie, what are you talking about?"

"There's a competition?!"

"Just like the World Series, we will make our own competition, our very own tournament in the Bronx. And whoever wins it, can finally be the best team in all of Bronx!" Alfie exclaimed as he gestured his hands to his fellow gangsters who have great imagination. "We'll call it the Bronx Ball Competition, BBC and—actually, no we'll call it the Bronx Ball League Tournament!"

"Our own tournament…" Rose muttered under her breath.

Billy and the others seemed excited at the thought of a tournament as well, every summer since their team was formed, they would travel through the Bronx with their bikes to play against other teams in their own turf, which is fun.

But the thought of all those teams in one place playing against each other at their best for 1st place is a different story.

"What point is there for a tournament when we already beat everyone?" Timmy questioned. "And even if we do, how are we gonna get everyone together for it?"

"As I've said, Timid. No matter how many times we beat the other teams, some of them won't admit it. But with the tournament, we'll have all the teams together and maybe even some spectators who will witness it themselves who will come out on top. And when someone asks who the best is, then we'll have this summer's tournament to prove it." He explained despite Timmy's frown at his nickname being used.

"As for how we bring everyone together, it's easier than you think, at least I hope it is."

"You little rascals!!" The shop owner shouted as he came shouting at the kids blocking his doors, leaving him with no customers. "Scram, away from my door!"

"Haha, there goes our sign to depart." Alfie chuckled as he grabbed his bike mid-run and rode off.

Usually when the gang wants to listen to the radio which can provide news, music comedy, and most importantly - for the kids - sports, they would huddle up in one of their houses and listen in for the likes of Babe Ruth in Baseball or Jack Dempsey in Boxing.

But at some point, every parent gets exhausted from monitoring the gang.

Alfie at the head of Morris Cubs, Morris being the neighborhood they live in which prompted them to call themselves the Morris Cubs, led more than forty kids around his age.

"Alfie, wait!"

As Alfie rode his bike away from the barbershop and into the streets, a wave of kids followed after him.

Though it was a bit under half of the gang accounted for, it was still quite a lot for a group roaming the neighborhood.

But for those who reside in the Morris neighborhood, they were quite used to the small gang of kids with their bikes.

Many of those who work in the community knew their child to be part of the Morris Cubs.

Exhibit A:

"William!"

A man driving an automobile, which Alfie noticed to be a Studebaker Special Six, slammed the brakes just as the Cubs crossed the streets carelessly, but he saw a familiar face in the gang.

"Hey dad!"

One of the kids behind Alfie waved his hand with a smile.

"Boy, get off the streets. Alfie! You punk, stay off the streets unless you want to get run over!" The man shouted annoyed.

This wasn't the first time he caught the gang in front of him in the streets.

"Haha, of course, Mr. Graham. Thanks for sharing the road!" Alfie waved towards the man before turning his attention towards his path.

"Thanks, Mr. Graham!"

"Thanks for sharing the road!"

"Share the road, old man!"

"Bye, dad!"

It took some time, patience, and mental healing to gather this many punks under Alfie.

Dealing with kids as a kid himself is a challenge, one he took on willingly. Fights after fights, situation after situation, manipulation after manipulation he recruited young soldiers to fight for him willingly.

He was once named Bully McBride for his rebellious and menacing behavior, where he happily kicked kids in the face, smacked them around, and more than once stripped nasty girls of their dignity. Verbally.

With his memories of how unbearable kids can be, he happily and without holding back assaulted those who needed it. Though it didn't sit well with those who only spectate without knowing anything, he did not give one load about them.

The only thing he didn't like was his parents getting involved, depending on the situation he gets himself into, his father would either approve or knock his head around, but his mother would scold and always knock his head around which would involve whatever she had in her hand at the time.

But in the end, he got what he needed, he also found that forming a baseball league of his own would bring in many baby soldiers under his wing.

Though it was something he noticed not just around the neighborhood.

Many other kids around his age or older tend to make their own little team, their league which made baseball more trendy as there is no TV for any kids to stick their heads onto.

After some time, he recruited quite the diverse team in their little community, of course, diversity is nice but skill is better.

So he made sure to instill skill into his diverse group with countless practices in the game before they roamed around and played against other teams. He made sure their skills and abilities in the game are at least basic before instilling camaraderie into them, making them more comfortable in the little Morris Cub team he made. And with that, they roamed the Bronx playing against other teams and let everything play out as he wanted.

Diversity is something not exactly positively looked upon in most places, especially the early 90s. Alfie knew that, and so with that in his head and camaraderie built into his little league team they roamed.

And with the first game against a neighboring community called Claremont, it was also the first fight for the Morris Cubs.

The Morris Cubs and the Claremont Cyclone couldn't even finish the game before Billy reacted angrily towards one of Claremont's players, starting a fight between the teams.

The majority of those in the Morris Cubs didn't know how to fight, some hadn't even been in fights yet, though the same could be said of the Claremont Cyclone.

But that day, Morris Cubs had hatred for the Claremont Cyclone.

The park that day was in chaos, kids scrapping on every corner of the field.

Alfie soon took action and the Morris Cubs had an advantage in that little scuffle.

After a somewhat victory in their team-wide scrap, the Cubs rode their bikes out of Claremont straight back to the Morris neighborhood.

Some were angry while most were shaken up, but Alfie worked his magic and before long the Morris Cubs resumed on their travels around the Bronx, but this time fully prepared and hardened.

Soon after that, the Morris Cubs made names for themselves after winning their games and fights altogether.

The title Alfie was crowned with in the Morris neighborhood, Bully McBride, spread towards the Morris Cubs to which they used numbers and experience against those who asked for it. But back at home, Alfie made sure the kids treated their neighbors kindly, which started to bloom in their heads that the fights are outside of town while they take care of their people and home.

The gang did what their little hands could do and contributed to the Morris community, something as small as helping the family next door with their lawn or protecting the kids from the real bullies.

Their character was soon praised by the adults and elders of Morris, and Alfie finally felt as if he accomplished something.

It could be said that he was grooming the kids. The good kind of grooming.

But it would be best for them, this era was basically "survival of the fittest" for the poor and weak as well as the discriminated. As long as they learn offense against the offenders and defense for their home then they will learn the rest sooner or later.

The more they know to fight against those who put them down and defend and raise each other the better.

For a good while now, whenever the Cubs play against another team, they made sure to put up a bet where they would win the baseball equipment and bikes from the opposing team.

It was even better when bets were made against the rich kids in the Bronx who had everything, and the best of all? They were kids, they are barely reprimanded by any adults if any.

"Bitty." Alfie called out behind the gang of bikes.

"Yeah, Alfie?"

"Go get the rest of the Cubs."

"Hehehe." Bitty with a mischievous glint, immediately strayed from the rest of the gang.

They soon arrived at the Morris park, spotting around 18 bald-headed kids warming up on the field.

Billy and Rose sped up followed by a few others as they entered and skirted in the field catching the Baldy Aces' attention.

"You scrubs are far from home." Rose gazed on menacingly.

Billy stepped off his bike and spoke. "I'm gonna smack you baldies, you couldn't wait until after the World Series?!"

As the Baldy Aces frowned and watched the Cubs, Joseph, the Baldy Aces Captain turned to Alfie who slowly rode his bike with the rest of the Morris Cubs to the side of the field before they left their bikes and entered the field.

"Joseph." Alfie greeted the bald captain.

"McBride, we want to play the Morris Cubs and take back everything you took from us!" Joseph, just a year older than Alfie, declared.

"Well, you know how this goes, let's start the bet."

•••••••••••••••

Short story?

The game against the Baldy Aces didn't take long, it was just one game after all.

As the Cubs held new equipments on hand and watched the Baldy Aces leave in anger and embarrassment, Billy wondered aloud.

"Man, at this rate I could definitely make it to the Major League."

"That's the spirit." Alfie chuckled.

Rose scoffed. "As if, the best you can do is the Negro Major Leagues."

Alfie snickered, holding his laugh in from Rose's heartless comment.

"Hey! At least I got a chance, unlike you! The best you'll get is cheering on the stands." Billy shot back.

"What?!" Rose she threw her new baseball gloves towards Billy's face.

*Pah*

"Agh! You crimson witch!" Billy responded to the assault as he threw his newly owned glove towards the redhead in return.

*Pah*

"What did you call me?!" Rose, whose face turned red in fury along with blood flowing from her nose rushed towards Billy.

"You heard me!" Billy took a step towards her as well.

"Wahh!" Bitty, one of the youngest of the Cubs, who happened to stand between the redhead and the chubby black kid was hurled to the side by Rose.

But before they could clash and destroy the State of New York, Rolo stepped in and held Billy while Timmy fearfully grabbed onto the flaming red tomato.

All while Alfie sat on a bench to the side laughing his head off feom the situation.