"Reigaku High," began Inui pushing his glasses up as he read from his notebook, "a private school in Tokyo that opened two years ago. Fifty percent of all their clubs were National competitors."
"Only half?" inquired Momoshiro curiously as he drank from his soda.
Momoshiro and Echizen had just finished some burgers when they ran into Inui, who had just returned from Reigaku High.
Nationals were over and the top five schools along with the champions were entered into the International Tournament. The teams were as followed: Seishun Gakuen, Rikkai Dai Fuzuku, Shitenhouji, Nagoya Seitoku, Hyoutei Gakuen, and Fudomine. However a couple of days ago a memo was sent out stating where the International Tournament would be held and that a Reigaku High from Tokyo was also entered into the tournament.
A fairly unknown school Inui went to the academy to gain more information only to be turned down at the gate. However he did get some information from a student.
"Fifty percent of all the clubs – minus non-sport clubs it's one hundred percent," replied Inui
"WHAT?!" spit out Momoshiro spraying the arriving Kikumaru and Kawamura with coke.
"Momo!" yelled Kikumaru as he wiped off his face.
"I'm sorry," apologize Momoshiro as he turned red with embarrassment.
"It's ok," said Kawamura as he wiped his own face off.
"One hundred percent, eh," said Echizen returning the conversation back to Reigaku.
"Eh?" questioned Kikumaru as he and Kawamura entered the conversation.
Inui cleared his throat as he began, "Yes Echizen, all of Reigaku's sports clubs have been placed in Nationals for both years they've been open. Their volleyball, soccer, basketball, and karate clubs were National champions."
"Eh?!" exclaimed Kikumaru, "What about their tennis team?"
"Created a day after Regional's," answered Inui.
"WHAT?!" yelled the senpais and Momoshiro as Echizen choked on his coke he was drinking.
"Hey Echizen," said Momoshiro as he hit Echizen on the back.
"You ok ochibi?" asked a concern Kikumaru as Echizen quit coughing.
"This year's Regional's?" was his reply
Inui nodded.
The four of them walked in silence. Reigaku High, who and what were they to be formed right after Regional's miss Nationals and still be able to be in Internationals.
"I don't get it," said Momoshiro after a while, "don't you have to be in Regional and National in order to be in International?"
"Eh, Momo has a point," said Echizen
"Ochibi is right," said Kikumaru in surprise, "how come Reigaku is in International?" he asked Inui.
Inui played with his glasses nervously as he answered, "I don't have-"
"I don't have that data, it what you were going to say," said a voice behind them.
"Renji," said Inui in surprise as Rikkai Dai's own Data Master walked up to them in the company of none other then Rikkai Dai's demon Akaya Kirihara.
"Akaya," said Momoshiro in surprise.
Akaya just smiled knowingly, "You Seigaku are pathetic," he said.
"What did you say, demon!" demanded Momoshiro as he got in Akaya's face.
"You heard me, punk," retorted Akaya not backing down.
"Akaya," said Renji calmly.
Akaya sneered but backed off as did Momoshiro.
"Renji, you know how Reigaku made it into Internationals?" inquired Inui
"Yes," replied Renji, "if a club is created within a day of a tournament they can enter another competition but only if they defeated fifty schools in official games with a score of 6-0 and if they defeat two competitors in the competition."
"I never heard of this rule," said Inui has he looked in the official tennis tournament book.
"That's because it's an old rule back when tennis first became a sport," explained Renji, "they were supposed to get rid of it a few years after the sport became popular but never got around to it."
"Why?" asked Kawamura
"Officials feared schools would create clubs after a tournament on purpose so they could automatically be in the next one, assuming they met the standards. However the schools that did do this always failed in the second half of the deal and over time no one even tried to take the short cut," Renji shrugged, "since no one did it over time it was forgotten that such a rule ever existed, most officials nowadays haven't even heard of it."
"Then how come you now so much about it?" asked Momoshiro
"A little birdie told me," he said as he looked at Inui, "the same one you ran into when you were at Reigaku High this morning."
"How did you-" started Inui
"How did you know I was there, is what you were going to say," said Renji
"We saw you talk to her as we came to get information," answered Akaya, "Renji got pissed that you were there and asked the girl for information."
Renji glared at Akaya while everyone except Echizen had their mouth open.
Renji get mad, was that possible? The guy had a stone face. And since when was Akaya and his senpai on such good terms that he could embarrass Renji like that?
"Eh, sounds interesting," said Echizen
"Yeah," said Momoshiro, "to defeat fifty schools 6-0 and two competitors in such a short time."
"Eh, they must be pretty strong," said Kikumaru thoughtfully with his arms crossed behind his head.
"It's just some wimpy schools and a couple second place competitors," said Akaya all laid back.
"Wasn't Rikkai Dai second place?" questioned Momoshiro starting a fight with Akaya
"They sound scary to me," said Kawamura absently as Akaya and Momoshiro quarreled.
"Mada mada dane," said Echizen, "is that all?" he asked as he took a sip of his coke.
Everyone went silent.
"Heh," chuckled Momoshiro, "cocky as ever, heh Echizen?" he asked as he gave Echizen a knuckle sandwich.
"Ouch, ouch, Momo!" yelled Echizen
'Ochibi,' thought Kikumaru respectively
'Little bastard,' thought Akaya with a smile like Kawamura's.
'Echizen Ryoma,' thought Renji, 'you truly are-'
'- Seigaku's Pillar of Support,' finished Inui in his head.
"Seigaku and Rikkai Dai High, correct?" asked a voice behind them
They looked behind them but all they saw was a sidewalk full of people talking to each other.
"Yo who said that?" asked Momoshiro
"Watch out!" yelled a couple of boys as they separated the couples ran toward the tennis players.
"Hey, what's the rush?" asked Akaya as he grabbed one of the kids by the collar of his shirt.
"Hey put me down!" yelled the kid.
"Yeah put him down!" yelled the other one with a blue cap.
"He'll put him down as soon as you tell us why you're running," replied Momoshiro, Akaya gave Momoshiro the look of 'Who made you my boss?' as the brat squirmed in his grip.
"Reigaku is playing at the street tennis courts," replied the kid with a blue cap
"Yeah, and if you don't release me we'll miss the game," replied the other kid as Akaya dropped him.
"Thanks," replied the kids as they began to run off only to be stopped again my Momoshiro and Akaya.
"Yo," said Akaya as blood started slipping into his eyes
"We're coming too," finished Momoshiro as he stood intimidating.
"Yeah," replied Kikumaru
The blood drained from the kids faces as they stared into the smiles of some of Seigaku and Rikkai Dai Highs' tennis members.