The coach on the sidelines noticed beforehand the kid hiding her presence and watching their play consistently for the past few days. He knows the kid is probably interested, and it is very painful for him to act like he hasn't noticed anything.

He asked the child if she wanted to join, and she readily agreed. He noticed the slight excitement on the child's tone.

While watching them play from the sideline, the coach noticed there is something different with the girl. At first, he thought the excitement was probably because she wanted to play and get along with the other kids her age.

But soon he realized that the girl did not just come to play. Every time she makes a mistake, her face will show distressed but with even more determination. It was so unlike the other kids he is teaching who slowly lose their attention and enthusiasm.

He knows those kids probably just went to attend because their mother's had pushed them or they thought they would be playing around.

This time, he was sure that the girl was very serious about the sport after he watched her slap her face and gave an intense focus on the game.

Soon the practice ended, and most kids went home. However, the new girl is still holding the ball, like she is yet to be satisfied with the earlier practice and wants to play more.

"Aren't you going home?" the man couldn't help but ask.

The girl's face shows hesitation. Her small hands are gripping the ball very tightly.

"Yes... I supposed so." she replied looking downcast.

But she suddenly looked up again and stared at him earnestly and asked,

"Can I join again tomorrow?"

"Well, tomorrow is Sunday. We don't practice on Sundays." Hearing that, the girl showed a disappointed look again.

However her face changed to another hopeful look. The man couldn't help but be amazed by this girl's changing moods.

"Then can I borrow this ball so that I can practice by myself? If not, can you tell me where I can buy a good quality ball like this?"

The man could not help but smile, "You like volleyball?"

The girl also smiled gleefully, "Yes! I like it. I once watched a woman play volleyball on TV. She was so awesome. I want to be like her."

"What's your name, kid?"

"It's Amary. You are Coach Miguel, right? I heard one kid call you that."

"Yup. Well then, Amary, you can borrow this ball. Tomorrow, you can come here as well, I will teach you the other basics of volleyball."

Amary then decides to go home straight. Before she goes to bed, she takes medicine for fever as she is feeling feverish with some body pain.

The next day, Amary went to the park earlier than the usual meet up time. Since she still has some spare time, she decided to practice spiking at the wall.

She noticed that there were few families who gathered to picnic. Maybe because it's Sunday, a day off for both work and school. Amary stopped playing for a while and stared at the view in front of her.

She realized that this park is really beautiful and spacious. It was a lovely spot on the river's edge. There was a vast green field with numerous bushes and trees strewn throughout. At the horizon, the water and the sky collided. A pleasant breeze blew continuously from the river to the banks. Children play and fool around in the playground space. It was a fascinating thing to see.

Amary smiled to herself before going back to practicing spiking by the wall.

Coach Miguel on the other hand saw the desolate figure of Amary from afar. Somehow, he felt uncomfortable looking at her lonely form from the crowd.

Growing up, he only had his single mother to raise him. Even then, she usually works hard and spends most of her time at work. Basically, he grew up very independent. Somehow, he felt that the kid is probably like him.

When he arrived, the girl looked up at him and smiled. He handed her the watermelon flavored sports drink.

Before teaching her some basic volleyball plays, he decided to ask her some questions first.

"You said you wanted to play volleyball because you watched someone play it on TV, right?" The girl nodded as a reply.

"What's her position?" he added.

"A wing spiker."

"You want to be a wing spiker?" he asked, a little shocked.

"Yes, is that shocking? I know my height isn't the tallest, but even so, I still want to do it." Amary replied.

Suddenly the girl stood up and jumped, which caught the old man off guard. However, her jump looks a little clumsy, like a chick imitating a frog.

"Right now, my jump isn't high, and my limbs are really weak. To be honest, I have never played a sport before. I have no foundation at all. But..." she stopped speaking, her eyes gazing at the grass beneath her. Her whole form in deep thought.

Amary remembered the first time she saw the woman play volleyball on TV. It was in her previous life. She was 14 years old back then, and is bored off her mind while casually strolling the channels on TV. Suddenly, on the sports channel, one of the matches of the woman was shown. It is not a live match, and the video is low quality. But even so, it was shown on TV as a dedication to her, as one of the greatest volleyball players of her time. It was one of her matches on her youthful days.

It was said that she passed away 10 years ago, however, her legend remained alive to sports enthusiasts.

To Amary, that was the first time her heart thumped and she felt her persona much more alive. She adored that one low quality video so much, and the girl she saw in it, that she even saw her in her dream before dying.

"...But I want to be strong, and prove that I can be someone who I want to be, despite being at disadvantage." she continued.

Coach Miguel could not help but laugh. The kid in front of him is probably the most mature one he has met so far. She is both passionate and determined. He thought, 'this kid will definitely go places.'

He patted the girl's head and cannot help but encourage her, "Alright, since you are this determined, then who am I to stop you? A child's dream is the most wonderful."

"Since we are already here, I want to know what your goal is. Do you want to be a professional volleyball player?" he continued.

"I want to be a world-renowned player! I... I want to reach the summit." she said. Her eyes flashing a glint of hope.

"Alright, let's do it." Coach Miguel said, and he gestured his hand for a fist bump, which the girl readily returned.

On that day, a pact was made between a young girl and an old kind man-- a pact encompassed by hopes and dreams.