Disclaimer: - I wouldn't be here if I owned Prince of Tennis.
It was a challenge she would have accepted in a normal case. She was the last person to walk out of any confrontation…
But as Sakamoto Michiyo, the vice-captain of the St. Rudolph girls' tennis team was given a dare by her own team to follow - actually stalk - a particular person, all her courage left her.
The person she was supposed to follow was none other than Mizuki Hajime, the manager of the boys' tennis team.
Ostensibly a manager, he was nothing less than outright eerie, for he was one of the so-called data collectors.
Michiyo was ready to concede defeat, perhaps for the first time in her life, but the captain, Tsuyoshi Reina, convinced her effectively.
"Look, Miyo, tomorrow is the Metropolitan tournament, and you won't encounter any of the people other than the team members themselves. Also, you'll get to watch the boys play tennis with other schools, so you could pick up some good tactics. You do remember ourtournament is next week?"
"That is what I'm trying to say," Michiyo said insistently. "Why should I waste my time pursuing a creeprather than train along with the rest of you?"
Reina winked at the other regulars and spoke, "That's why we assigned him to you, dear. Now go; you'll definitely get something out of this experience."
"Not a stalker at my trail, I hope," Michiyo spoke resignedly, as the others walked off towards the clubroom, while she turned towards the courts, making sure everything was in place.
"Is Reina trying to make mea data collector?" she couldn't help thinking, as she left the courts.
The morning of the Metropolitan Tournament dawned, as the various schools across the city geared up to fight it out on the tennis courts. The tennis park located in the heart of Tokyo soon became a hustling and bustling place. As bus upon bus arrived, the various players made their way to the registration booths. The fan clubs were already in place; so were the not so usual spectators, and the rare journalists.
Mizuki Hajime glanced at the surroundings before returning to his contemplation. The conversation between his team members was not missed; it only assured him that they were thoroughly prepared and confident. He looked at all of them at least once before making his final calculations about the outcomes of their matches. Yes, his meticulous scenarios were going to be vital in ensuring their win today.
Musing about the minute details yet alert enough to scan the environs around, his eyes didn't fail to catch a St. Rudolph girls' tennis uniform, supposed to be nothing but a rarity.
The girl seemed to be looking around almost frantically for someone till her gaze rested in his direction. Sighing with relief, she began to advance towards him.
Mizuki regarded the advancing person with slight amusement, trying to place who she was. She wasfamiliar, it seemed to him.
The girl inched closer but stopped firmly a foot away and bowed, "Hello, Mizuki-kun. I had been looking for you."
Mizuki remembered who she was. Opening his notebook, he glanced at the data of the girl regulars before speaking, "Ah, you must be Sakamoto Michiyo, third year, vice-captain of the girls' team, counter puncher by playing style and basically a singles player along with your captain, Tsuyoshi Reina-"
Michiyo interrupted him politely, "Forgive me for asking this, but do you have dementia?"
Mizuki nearly choked at that word. "Dementia? What makes you ask such a thing?"
Michiyo shifted from foot to foot, appearing to be nervous. "Well, as I see, you had to refer to your book for recognizing me and I thought, maybe you must have, you know…" she trailed off, her eyes downcast. What Mizuki could only see was the meek demeanor, not the smirk that played at her lips or the sparkle of mirth in her eyes.
Mizuki looked at her skeptically as Michiyo raised her eyes to meet his. He didn't utter a word for awhile till finally…
"I'm wasting my time here." Saying, he turned and left for the courts, not even bothering to spare Michiyo with a cursory glimpse.
Michiyo stared at his retreating back, an unreadable look in her eyes. Well, that tactic didn't work, after all, she thought. Then she proceeded towards the vending machines, smiling as she walked.
"It has only begun, Mizuki Hajime. Just wait and see."
Mizuki arrived just in time to see the Rudolph team already on the court, facing an unseeded school. The formalities were done; the referee declared the commencement of the Doubles 2 match.
He watched with approval, as Kisarazu and Yanagisawa stepped on to the court, and promptly began their attack. Mizuki stayed there for half an hour, till he saw the doubles pair clinching a 2-1 lead. He figured it would be more prudent to observe other leading schools and gather some information. His team members as is it had the blueprint of their matches at hand.
As he ambled along, he would occasionally stop to view the matches but move ahead since none of them caught his attention; those teams were too minor to be bothered about. He was interested in the schools they would face: Seigaku, Fudomine, Hyotei…to name a few.
However,he did make sure to keep out of the sights of that vice-captain, Sakamoto. That girl was up to something, he sensed, and much as he would like to deal with it single-handedly, he didn't want to be distracted.
No sooner did he think about it, that he was almost startled by the arrival of the said girl, slipping beside him casually, inconspicuously - the latter action which failed to prevail.
However,he did make sure to keep out of the sights of that vice-captain, Sakamoto. That girl was up to something, he sensed, and much as he would like to deal with it single-handedly, he didn't want to be distracted.
No sooner did he think about it, that he was almost startled by the arrival of the said girl, slipping beside him casually, inconspicuously - the latter action which failed to prevail.
"We meet again, Mizuki-kun. Gathering some data, are you?" The voice tinged with strident innocence was grating to Mizuki's ears.
"Yes, I am, but that is none of your business, I presume," he said, emphasis laid on each and every syllable. He continued, "Unless, youwish to extract something."
Okay, Reina's job is done here. How nice of him to offer that.
"Yes, pleasedo hand over a little information about strategies on court and variations in set play styles to my captain," she asserted. Mizuki looked at her, his eyes conveying the message that she could leave now, but of course, Michiyo refused to acknowledge it.
She turned her focus towards the ongoing match, Singles 3 between two schools, their names she didn't know. Or wait, she recognized one of the players and the school also. It was Ginka.
The Ginka player was in trouble, she assumed. Deep shots from the other player forced him to remain at the baseline. Normally, under the impulse, any player would have dashed for the net. But he remained where he was, thus continuing the rally. He sure is impulsive or even reckless perhaps, she noted.
But then, he made a play for the net and ran ahead. The other player stepped backwards and lobbed the ball, which landed near the baseline. A common trick,she thought.
"That other player is foolish enough to try such a predictable move, and he will continue to do so," Mizuki spoke all of a sudden, startling Michiyo.
"No, it's not like that," she found herself saying. "The Ginka regular is unable to read his moves; I can tell that."
Mizuki glanced at her doubtfully. "What makes you say that?" he couldn't help but ask.
Michiyo forgot about her so-called mission as she concentrated on the match. "That guy," she spoke, "is deliberately using a lob to establish a predictable pattern to the Ginka player, only to come up with a surprise."
"You are lending too much credibility to that player," Mizuki countered. "Besides, that school is unseeded; there's no way Ginka will lose this match."
"Just wait and see," she muttered, waving her hand to hush him. Twenty minutes of silence passed till…
Ginka lost the match.
As Michiyo had noted, the unseeded player had turned the tables by hitting service aces. He had been saving his strength while the Ginka player had gradually weakened, being forced to run across the baseline to return the shots.
Mizuki turned to look at her, dubious. "How is this possible?"
Michiyo didn't meet his gaze. "Anything is possible. Who are you to determine the fate of any match?"
"I'm a person who can analyze and calculate the chances. Predictions on such data prove to be true."
Michiyo clenched her teeth. This guy wasn't being any more discreet. Spying on tennis teams and then either manipulating line-ups or not hesitating from pinpointing weaknesses of opponents – and he claims to be a sport player. Sighing, she said, "Each to his own, then. But let me warn you: don't depend too much on your so called scenarios. It will be like playing blindfolded." She turned away but paused to finish. "Logistics, are worthless beyond a point in sports, mark my words." Saying this, she left.
Mizuki only smirked in response. "We'll see, Sakamoto Michiyo, we'll see."
It was despairing. No, it was downright miserable. For his calculations to go wrong so dastardly, so fatally; he was at his wits' end.
Mizuki Hajime clenched the fence fiercely, furiously brooding over the day's disaster – the face-off with Seigaku.
At first he was confident: the undoubtedly famous team was thoroughly scouted and scrutinized. And the Districts had taken care of the new addition to the team – rookie Echizen Ryoma. Mizuki thought he had it all – comprehensive data and detailed scenarios. Until the matches proceeded to rip apart almost every single scenario.
The first match – Momoshiro–Kaidoh (what an odd pair, in his opinion) vs. Kisarazu-Yanagisawa in Doubles 2. The match, excruciatingly long, ended abruptly with Yanagisawa knocked out by that powerful Dunk Smash, and a shot thought to be a fluke: Boomerang Snake.
Second match: Doubles 1 – the Golden Pair vs. Captain Akazawa and Kaneda. Another insufferably long match, which succeeded in wounding Mizuki's psyche as the Oishi-Kikumaru pair broke all the conventions of his scenario, only to lose nevertheless. At least, his prediction of the score turned out to be right – 7-6.
Third match: Singles 3 – Echizen Ryoma against Fuji Yuuta. The skills behind the title of 'Lefty Killer' and the dangerous Twist Spin shot couldn't stand against the overwhelming potential of the freshman player.
And the most disastrous: Singles 2 – he, Mizuki Hajime, against the genius, Fuji Syuusuke. Mizuki thought he had complete data on the tensai. He was determined to end the string of wins for Fuji, who had never been defeated before in an official match yet. The beginning had been well; every single ball Mizuki had hit across the net was a winning point. Victory was just one game away; he had led the genius to a humiliating 5-0 lead. Until…
That calculative, sly, vain tennis prodigy turned the tables at him at the very last moment. While changing courts, never would he have imagined that for causing harm to his oh so precious brother Yuuta, this person would then proceed to return every single shot he previously failed to do so and win seven straight games in match that was more of a reprisal for Fuji's own sake rather than a win for the Seigaku team.
If any of his scenarios had completely turned turtle, it was this match. Underestimation came with its too dear consequences.
And now…? The future of St. Rudolph's team was already in shadow. It seemed so uncertain that they would secure the fifth place to make it to the Regionals, not after this.
In his preoccupations, he didn't miss the vice-captain standing afar and watching him. Sakamoto had been tailing him for the day, rather inconsistently, but part of that so called plan had fallen away in that confrontation over the Ginka match.
Meanwhile, Michiyo had been busy observing her subject's body language. She still couldn't gauge whether it was safe for her to pass that way. The way Mizuki had his fingers around the wires; she could almost imagine those hands lunging out to strangulate her, as if she had predicted dire outcomes for his team.
She did walk down that same path, head held high and eyes focused straight ahead, silently conveying the message to the data collector that she had nothing more to do with him.
However, this time Mizuki refused to acknowledge the warning as he looked up, glaring, " Hey, you. Sakamoto, stop at once."
Michiyo stood still, before turning to face him. "What do you want?"
"Just what did you mean by that statement?" Anger was clearly evident in Mizuki's voice.
"Oh, you mean that logistics are worthless beyond a point? Of course, it's true."
He looked away, still seething. "Maybe you should have just kept quiet."
Michiyo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you think it was on mysaying that you lost the match?" She came a little closer, directly in front of him. "Face it, Mizuki Hajime. You lost and lost badly. That too because of your sense of superiority."
Mizuki glared at her lividly. "Who are you to say that? And don't remind me of what has already happened!"
Michiyo almost smiled, "Brush off that ego and try to see. There is a thing called free will, and you cannot manipulate it beyond an extent." She leaned forward, murmuring, "Perhaps you should try playing on your strength rather than maneuver through the means of winning, foul or fair."
He glanced at her, conveying that whatever she said didn't make any sense, and Michiyo laughed. "See, that's where you are going wrong. You aren't a true sportsman, Mizuki. I wish you the best in the consolation matches, but I doubt you would make it." She began walking before she turned back to face him, "Unless you mend your ways. Goodbye, then. I hope we never meet again." Saying this, she strode towards the gates, disappearing in moments.
Mizuki was left staring at the receding figure of Sakamoto Michiyo, confused over the adage of intuition versus logic.
It was evening: end of another long session of practice. Michiyo wiped her sweat-ridden face as the captain approached her, a bottle in her hand.
"How did the rendezvous go, Miyo?" Reina asked, throwing the bottle towards her.
"Easily forgettable," Michiyo simply replied. The captain only winked in response.
"Then why do we have a certain data collector hiding behind the bushes here?" she merely asked.
"What?" Michiyo jumped and looked around only to spot Mizuki at a distance, apparently scribbling in his notebook.
She looked towards Reina for support, who only smiled. "Maybe he wishes to learn how to invoke intuitive powers?"
"That's not funny, Reina."
Reina shrugged, "Whatever. I leave it to you the task of enclosure. I'll be leaving now."
Michiyo slapped her forehead, sighing. "God save me now, from this idiot of a person…"
Far-off, Mizuki smiled as he made another entry into his book. Ah, all this would help surely help the Rudolph team, he couldn't help thinking…
A/N:- How did you like that now? It may disappoint those who were expecting romance, but still... reviews are appreciated.