A/N: Late by a week birthday fic for my darling Senpai-midnightstealth- XD

Characters: Kenya, Shiraishi, Tezuka, Sanada, Shishido, Ibu, Chitose, Yamato, Tokugawa

Tokugawa sighed as he stared at the list of names of all the middle school representatives. The decision of who could make the Japan representative team was going to be tough. He stared.

Yamato, sitting beside him looked through a couple of names, and sighing.

"You know..." Yamato spoke. "We could somewhat get a grasp on some by going through each captain."

"...I see." Tokugawa circled a few names on the list. "If we're going with this approach-these are a few that stand out-"

He handed Yamato the list with the circled names.

"Seichii Yukimura, Kuranosuke Shiraishi, Atobe Keigo, Tachibana Kippei and Kunimitsu Tezuka," Yamato read.

"Do you want to go with an interview approach...or what?"

"We'll try that."

"Hello." Yukimura's soft voice sounded in the room where Tokugawa and Yamato were sitting in, behind a desk as they observed Yukimura. "I brought my most trusted vice captain, just as you said." Yukimura gestured to a glowering Sanada standing behind him, looking as if ready to slap anyone who insulted Yukimura into oblivion.

"Good. This is a brief interview that should be over in a few minutes, so just cooperating should be enough." Yamato informed them.

"Of course." A polite nod of the head.

"First question:" read Tokugawa. "What do you think of your teammates?"

Yukimura glowed as he smiled. "Oh why, they are absolutely the most adorable things ever!" He gushed, clasping his hands, content smile on his face, "I wouldn't trade them in for anything!"

Tokugawa had a brief flashback of the RikkaiDai team, comprised of a boy who had bloodshot eyes, another with delinquent hair, one who dared bring gum on court, and of several other freaky things.

"I meant their playing ability." Yamato explained.

"Their playing ability..." Yukimura pondered a loud, "Well, I'm proud to say people have thought of our team being magicians, not tennis players."

"And why is that?"

"For example, they often tend to think that a tennis ball cannot steal someone's senses..." Yukimura trailed off, looking quite smug. "But of course it can! Just like how a person can create the illusion of looking like another person while playing a tennis game without special effects of green screens is perfectly plausible!"

Yamato and Tokugawa smiled and nodded, seeming pleased at this answer.

"Second question, do you have any special abilities or hobbies?" Tokugawa questioned.

Sanada spoke up at this one: "...I do."

"Do show us-"Yamato smiled.

Sanada turned to the wall next to him and with a mighty bellowed, smashed through the wall with his right hand. Looking pleased, he explained: "This is what I use to punish our teammates when they're slacking off."

Yamato, looking as if he needed air, slightly gaping and staring wide-eyed, he whispered, "This is how you punish your teammates?"

Sanada nodded, "It's very effective."

"...That will be all. You may leave." Tokugawa managed to choke out as he waved them through the door.

"Good morning-"Shiraishi greeted as he walked through the door. "I brought these two," He gestured to Kenya and Chitose beside him.

"Sit down, please." Yamato invited, looking not completely recovered yet from the Sanada Encounter.

"Of course."

"First question: what do you think of tennis?"

Shiraishi pondered, tapping his leg. "Tennis is...a very beautiful thing to me...the feeling ...can only be described as ECSTASY!" Shiraishi burst out feverently, "Have you felt it? That pure, happy bliss, Ecstasy is the only word fit to describe-OOH THE ECSTASY-"Shiraishi swooned onto Chitose, trembling in contained excitement.

Meanwhile, Tokugawa was searching through Shiraishi's records to see if he had any past experiences with drugs.

Yamato stared nervously at the swooning Shiraishi, and asked Kenya, "Does this happen often?" Kenya nodded vigorously. "Often, actually."

"So...tell me about yourself?" Yamato asked awkwardly as this interview was going nowhere.

"NO SPEED NO LIFE!" Kenya bellowed at him as he stared running around the room.

Yamato was speechless as he watched the boy quite literally, turn into a gust of wind, seemingly unable to stop himself from running.

Tokugawa then proceeded to search Kenya's files to see if he also had any past experiences with drugs. One could never be too careful.

"Yo."

"You're not Atobe Keigo."

"Nope, but the lazy rich kid decided that an interview was a waste of time that could be used for his rosewater bath instead." Shishido shrugged and plopped down on a chair, staring questionally at the big hand shaped hole in the wall and the streak makes around the perimeter of the room.

"...Okay. So you're here in his stead?" Tokugawa asked cautiously. You never knew what to expect with middle schoolers these days.

"Yup."

"So then..." Yamato looked down at his notes. "What do you think of your captain?"

Shishido snorted deliriously. "Are you kidding? He has such a huge ego, he even made his own private cheering team at Hyotei, not to mention brainwashed every living girl that comes in two meters of him and he uses conditioner, for gosh sakes."

"So you don't like him?"

"Of course not."

"Are you sure you're not just jealous?"

"Of the gray haired old man? NOPE."

"His skills then, as a tennis player?"

Shishido paused. "Well, he's bragged that he sees ice crystals on the court when he plays, but other than that, he's fairly good. He matched up against Echizen Ryoma."

"The mada mada dane kid?" Tokugawa asked, distaste evident on his face.

"Uh-huh. Can I go? I really don't care what happens to your verdict on Atobe. I wanna go and sleep some more."

"...Sure?" Yamato nodded and gestured toward the door. So, he pondered, Atobe was a boy who took rose baths and used conditioner, had his own cheering council, and had the ability to brainwash girls. Oh, and he could match up against the mada mada dane kid and sometimes hallucinated ice crystals while playing tennis.

"Tachibana Kippei." Tokugawa read from the list. "He seems like a fairly normal, nice boy."

"They all do seem that way at first glance." Yamato warned, sounding grave.

A knock.

"Come in." Yamato called, and the door opened.

"Hello." Tachibana said as he sat down, followed by Shinj Ibu. The boy seemed to be talking to himself.

Tokugawa made a side note to avoid that mumbling boy.

"So, first question: What are your feelings being a rep for all middle schoolers?"

Tachibana smiled and touched his fingers together. "I was very excited when our team got the invite, and coming here was one of our best opportunities, who could turn it down?"

Yamato visibly relaxed at this relatively normal answer.

Shinji then decided to speak up.

"I agree with Tachibana. He is correct. He is always correct."

The robot like tone did nothing to help Tokugawa and Yamato, who were both tensed like springs at his sudden speech.

"...okay, then. Next question: How far do you think you can go in the tennis world?"

"I have to say, I am pretty confident. I have met great people that have helped me improve immensely, met rivals, fell and got up..." Tachibana paused. "I think I could go very far if I wanted to."

"Tachibana could go very far if he wanted to." Shinji said determinedly as he stared at Tokugawa, as if daring him to say something.

Yamato leaned to whisper in Tokugawa's ear, "The Tachibana boy is a brainwasher of teammates."

Tokugawa nodded discreetly and announced the dismissal of the interview.

" I like him." Yamato announced as Tezuka left his interview.

"That's only because you are biased, him being on your old team."

"Psh, no. "

"...I have to agree, I quite enjoyed that interview."

"Yes. I was quiet and normal."

FLASHBACK

"What do you think of your teammates?"

"Good."

"Skill?"

"Good."

"And?"

"Good."

END FLASHBACK

"Let's make him captain."

"Obviously."