Years ago.
Perhaps people imagined that history's greatest encounters ought to have weighty events as their backdrop. Momentous events often brought extraordinary people together, and this was true across countless parallel universes and countless Earths. But here, on this particular Earth, things were different.
That meeting, unheard of by most yet important enough to be recorded in history, began with nothing more than a baseball that had flown too far.
It happened outside a farm in Kansas, where a black luxury car had unceremoniously broken down beside a wheat field. The winding road ahead stretched endlessly into the distance, and there was not a soul in sight.
The lazy, cool breeze unique to the countryside drifted over the wheat field, bending the golden stalks like ripples spreading across a golden lake. Farmhouses seemed to stand at the far end of the field, and a sign at the intersection bore the name "Kent."
A young boy in lively sportswear and a baseball cap chased a baseball that he had accidentally hit too far, crossing the wheat field to reach the roadside. When he saw the expensive toy broken down there, his little eyes widened in surprise. That was hardly strange; opportunities for a farm kid to see such a high-end car were few indeed.
The middle-aged man working beneath the hood, trying to repair the car, noticed the adorable child staring with curious eyes and gave him a friendly smile. The man had a goatee and a kindly face, which gave the farm boy a little courage. He stepped forward and asked softly, "Need any help, sir?"
"Oh, no, thank you, young man," the man said with a smile. "I already know where the problem is. It'll just take a little time."
The boy nodded, his attention drawn back to the