Chapter 1
It was a boring summer to say the least. If he was honest with himself, the summer break was, in fact, very disappointing. Don't misunderstand. The weather was hot, but beautiful. There was no shortage of things to do. He played tennis with his friends from the club. He went to an amusement park with those same friends. All of the summer break extra credit was completed. Everything was great fun, but there was something missing...or rather...someone. Without that element, all the fun stuff was just not the same.
Tezuka Kunimitsu knew the graduation of the third year junior high students would be emotional. After all, their rock solid team was splitting up. The third years were moving on to high school, leaving the rest of the team behind.
Tezuka schooled his expression as always, keeping a stone face as he watched his teammates...his friends say goodbye with promises of seeing each other during the break. Eiji and Momo were emotional and dramatic as expected. Oishi shed a few tears as he watched his best friend, knowing it hurt to say goodbye. Takashi apologized profusely for almost twenty minutes. They already knew he wouldn't be joining the tennis club in high school. He promised his father he would start seriously training to take over the business. Inui kept it together, jotting down last minute notes before saying his own farewells. He made sure to hand out training menus to the team so they could keep in shape during the break. Fuji and Kaidoh were mostly silent. Fuji smiled and laughed where Kaidoh grunted and hissed. It did not escape Tezuka's notice that Echizen simply watched, all the while fielding hugs and pats on the back.
After the closing ceremony, they all agreed to make plans and hang out over the summer. Tennis would be involved of course. Indeed, they made several plans. Over the summer, the club got together a total of seventeen times. However, though they met up as planned and had great times, Echizen was a constant no show. He was the missing element.
Tezuka sighed as he gathered and packed his bag for his first day back to school. It would be his first day as a high schooler. He would be a freshman again. He enjoyed his time with this friends, but Echizen always made things more interesting. It sort of upset him that Echizen never showed; he didn't even call to say why. He would see Fuji, Inui, Kawamura, Oishi and Eiji. They were starting high school with him. He knew that in a year, Momo and Kaidoh would be joining them, but the tennis team would not be complete until Echizen joined them again in three years, when they were again the seniors. It frustrated him that the boy hadn't thought it was more important to see them as much as they wanted to see him.
"Mo...how could Ochibi ditch us?!" Eiji whined after the fourth time he failed to show.
Tezuka was aware Momo and Fuji tried to call on him at his house, only to be told by his father that he had no inkling as to his whereabouts. Obviously, that was a lie, but why the secrecy? Even Inui's data couldn't help them locate their mysterious kouhai.
So naturally, summer break was coming to an end. Tezuka climbed into bed and fell asleep, wondering how Echizen was doing. The next morning was business as usual. The opening ceremony was dull. Tezuka discovered that he had a few classes with some of his friends, but most of his classes he shared with Inui. They were comparing schedules in the hall before the bell rang. The promised to get together for lunch and went their separate ways.
He and Inui were placed side by side and were waiting for class to start when the teacher cleared his throat.
"It turns out we have one more student. He is joining us from Seigaku Junior High. He has passed the Senior High entrance exam and is skipping three grades. That is quite a feat. Please give him a warm welcome and be on your best behavior."
The teach turned toward the door and waved the student inside. Tezuka, who hadn't been paying attention, his nose in a book, looked up when he heard Inui gasp.
"Why don't you introduce yourself." The teacher suggested.
"Hai. Echizen Ryoma, thirteen years old. I look forward to working with you. Please take care of me." He bowed, his hands still in his pocket.
"Echizen?" Inui asked, startled to see his kouhai in his class.
"Echizen?"
"Ah. Inui-senpai. Tezuka-buchou. Yo." He greeted them with a nod.
The other students were whispering again. Tezuka and Inui were well known students. They were known to be heads of the class and very popular due to their reputation as National Tennis Players from last year's National Tennis Competition. Everyone was either afraid of them, or in awe of them. How did this kid know them?
"You know each other, Kunimitsu?"
"Hai, Sensei."
"That's good. Why don't you take a seat in front of Tezuka, Echizen? Then we'll get started."
"Hai."
Echizen took his seat, nodding to his Senpai's. Tezuka and Inui stared at each other, dumbfounded.
Quietly, "Echizen. You know I will want an explanation later."
Ryoma heard the commanding tone he was familiar with. He knew from the beginning that he would have some explaining to do for missing out on their get-togethers during summer break.
"Hai, Buchou."
First and second period went on without much incident. There were a few whispers, some stunned looks and a few glares. Tezuka and Echizen barely noticed. Inui was intrigued by the boys' presence. He'd been taking notes all morning. Inui loved to observe people and Echizen was always one of his favorite subjects. Some of the attention his kouhai was getting was amusing, but some game him cause for concern. A few of the students found his presence annoying. The few guys who glared seemed to be annoyed by the fact that someone so young was clearly smarter than they were. Some of the boys and a few of the girls were annoyed and made comments about his familiarity with himself and Tezuka. It was true, since Echizen appeared, he and Tezuka only made brief conversation with their kouhai and nobody else. Inui made a mental note to keep an eye on Ryoma.
Third period was a lab. Oishi would be joining them. They were choosing partners when Oishi entered the room. More whispers could be heard. His reputation as one half of the Golden Pair also preceded him.
"Ah, Tezuka. How has your morning been?"
"Interesting to say the least." Tezuka responded, his arms crossed.
Oishi passed Inui, "Inui...hey Echizen."
"Yo." Inui waved.
"Senpai." Echizen was brief.
Oishi froze, doing a double take, "Echizen!"
"Oi, Oishi." Tezuka warned, watching the students around them.
"Sorry, Tezuka." He sat next to his friend and turned to look at his kouhai, "Echizen, what are you doing here?"
"Class starts soon."
"Class? You...how?"
"Later, Oishi." Tezuka said.
"If it's okay with you, Echizen, we could..."
"Uh...Sadaharu-kun," a girl with black hair in pigtails began...stuttering, "w...wwould you like to...to b...be my lab par..partner?"
"Sorry, I was just about to partner with Echizen."
The girl was on the verge of tears. It was clear she was attracted to Inui. He noticed her friends glaring at Ryoma while consoling their hysterical friend. Tezuka and Oishi noticed it too. Echizen was going to be a moving target. The lab was awkward. The entire lesson was filled with certain people talking behind their hands and shooting their kouhai nasty looks and glares his way. Ryoma was either completely oblivious to them or he was ignoring them.
Oishi leaned toward his friend, "Tezuka, how did this happen?"
"He will explain later."
Oishi watched the boy. Echizen didn't seem to be having any trouble with the material. In fact, he seemed to completely understand it. It was a big deal to skip grades. He knew Ryoma was a good student in Junior High, but had he really been this exceptional?
As they were leaving at the end of class, it dawned on them Echizen was no longer with them. Looking around, they saw him walking the opposite way.
"Echizen! Where are you going?" Inui yelled after him.
The other students who showed their displeasure earlier were watching him closely.
"I'm going to class."
"This way." Inui pointed.
"I have English next."
Echizen was going to be alone. Though Ryoma was a tough kid and he was usually the one to provoke in tennis, this was a very different scenario. It didn't help them to worry about him any less.
"See you later."
"Uh, wait...Echizen. Why don't you meet us for lunch?" Oishi suggested.
The people watching growled at the prospect of the new showoff getting to spend lunch with them. Inui and Oishi cringed even as Ryoma agreed, but they didn't know how else to protect him. Oishi hoped that they would leave Ryoma alone if they knew that he would be seeing them later.
"Echizen! Don't let your guard down!" Tezuka ordered.
"Hai."
Thankfully, by lunch, they learned that he had English with Eiji, who was more than happy to see his kouhai in the same classroom. Kikumaru was delightedly surprised and embraced Echizen excitedly the second he spotted him. He spent the entire class whispering and chatting with his favorite kouhai.
"Nya, Ochibi, why didn't you tell us you were going to be here?" He asked as he stuffed his face with rice.
"Gomen."
"Echizen."
Ryoma looked up at his Captain. Tezuka was telling him it was time to explain.
Echizen sighed, "I spent the summer at an American School for the Gifted. I studied hard and took a bunch of extra classes so I would be prepared for the Senior High entrance exam."
"Why?" Oishi asked.
Echizen shifted uncomfortably, "I wanted to play tennis."
"You were already on the team. That doesn't make any sense."
"Momo-senpai and Kaidoh-senpai are great, but it wouldn't be the same. I didn't want to wait and they'll be here next year. We'll be a team longer this time."
It was the most they'd ever heard him speak.
"So, you took the entrance exam, just so we could play tennis together?"
He nodded.
"There is a different coach. We are the freshman this time. There will be seniors and juniors much better than us to defeat first. It will not be as it once was in Junior High." Tezuka warned even though Ryoma's reasons for skipping three grades warmed his heart.
"There is only a 22% chance that one of us will be a regular." Inui calculated.
"I'm willing to take that risk."
He had that look in his eye. The fighter, the samurai. He would see to it be became a regular and he had nothing, but faith in the others.
"Well, this is certainly a surprise."
They all looked up to see Fuji and Takashi standing over them.
"Echizen?!" Takashi exclaimed.
"Hello, Echizen." Fuji greeted, taking his own seat.
"Yo."
Oishi relayed the story again to catch them up.
Takashi was moved. "You went through all that, just so you could play tennis with us?"
"Us?" Eiji asked.
"Un...my father and I talked. He said there was plenty of time to learn the trade. He said my love was tennis, and I should pursue it."
"Hoi Hoi...yay! Taka-san is back. We are almost complete."
"We'll have to wait a year for Momo and Kaidoh," Inui reminded him.
"That's great news, Kawamura-senpai." Echizen smiled.
"Arigato."
It turned out their kouhai had only one class alone after lunch. Math. He made no mention of any trouble, so they didn't ask. After school activities started soon, so the group made their way twoard the tennis courts to register. The students from earlier were quite certain their idols would be joining the tennis club and went to watch.
"I don't believe it. That brat is already overly friendly with the most popular guys in school, and now he's even bugging them by joining the tennis club too." One of the guys said.
"To think...he has a lot of nerve. He'll never make the team." A girl sneered.
After registering, the group of friends went to the lockers to change, then rejoined the other members on the courts. It looked like everyone was hanging out until the regulars and the coach arrived. It was a few minutes before a familiar voice called out to them.
"Echizen!"
The group turned around to see Horio, his friends and the Junior High Tennis Club. Momo and Kaidoh came into view.
"Oi, Buchou." Momo yelled.
The entire Junior High tennis club was around the former Junior High regulars. The Senior High tennis club watched, confused.
"Momoshiro. Kaidoh. What are you doing here?"
"There was a note on the locker room door that said practice would be held here. Oba-san is up to something." He informed Tezuka.
"Momo-senpai, Kaidoh senpai."
"So this is where you've been, Echizen." Momo ruffled his hair and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"That hurts, Senpai." Ryoma complained.
"Oi, Echizen, I can't believe you skipped the first day." Horio said, astounded.
Tezuka set to explaining the situation.
"You little sneak," Momo laughed.
The was a hushing sound. They all turned to see the Senior High Regulars and their Captain approach.
"Look alive." Tezuka ordered, his own Captain persona falling into place. The Junior High tennis club came to attention. Practice as about to start now that the regulars were there. The Captain and the regulars confronted Tezuka, looking around at the younger ones with disgust.
"I am Captain Hashimoto. You're freshman here, aren't you?"
"Hai!" Tezuka responded promptly.
"You should know better than to bring your Junior High friends here during practice."
Tezuka was clearly not at fault.
"It seems they were told by their coach to come here, "Buchou."
His friends cringed. It just sounded wrong for Tezuka to call anyone Captain.
Hashimoto took his response and cheek and sneered, "You Junior High brats take a seat. We'll see what OUR coach has to say about this. You six freshman...laps. Now!"
Eiji and Oishi started to protest, but Tezuka held out an arm, stopping them.
"Hai." He said.
"Now get moving. One hundred laps. No one goes home until you've run them all."
"Hai." He said again.
Kaidoh had to hold his emotional Second in Command back before he caused more trouble for their former Captain. Tezuka knew it was completely unfair, but he would be the example. The Captain held rank and authority. If any of them had any intention of becoming regulars, they would obey no matter what.
"Let's go. One hundred laps as requested."
Hashimoto expected resistance and was stunned when they simply submitted. He watched as Tezuka led the freshmen outside the courts. A fleck of red and white caught his eye.
"Oi! I said all Juniors were to sit on the sidelines!" Hashimoto growled, grabbing Echizen by the back of his jersey.
Echizen simply stared at him. Hashimoto didn't like his eyes. They were defiant. Tezuka was all for following orders, but he wouldn't stand for anyone manhandling his fellow teammates.
Tezuka forced Hashimoto to release Echizen, "He's in the same year as us. He passed the entrance exam. He will be running as well."
Hashimoto and the regulars just stared.
"Echizen, get started. You are already a lap behind."
"Hai...Buchou!" Echizen responded, purposely falling into old habits. He knew they were listening.
It had the desired effect. Hashimoto was fuming as the entire tennis club watched them run laps. After watching the seven freshmen finish lap fifty, Momo finally stood.
"Horio, fetch water. Kachiro, towels. Katsuo, you and Arai-kun get the nets ready in court D. Tezuka will want to start drills when they're done."
"Right!" the three saluted before running off to do as they were told.
They all fell into it so easily. Momo wasn't about to stand by and watch. This was supposed to be a practice. The Senior High members were stunned. The Junior High members were very efficient. Practice was going on around the Senior tennis members. It amazed them how willing the Junior members were will to help the freshmen from their own club. Court D was cleaned and ready for drills in a matter of minutes. Kaidoh had the members start on drills: racket swings, stretches and ball control. He would clear the court for Tezuka when they were finished running.
"Horio, let's get the water ready."
"Okay, Momo-senpai."
Lap sixty four had Tezuka and the others coming around the corner at a dead heat. No one fell behind. No one even looked particularly tired, but then, they were National Champions.
"Hashimoto, they aren't giving up."
"I'm not blind, Matsura!"
Matsura Izanagi, at third year, was a brilliant player, but obnoxious.
"But, Buchou, even the brat is keeping up."
Hashimoto ground his teeth irritably. Momo and Horio were ready with bottles of water, which each runner took gratefully.
"Buchou! They're on lap ninety four!"
"Shut up, Matsura!"
"You're making him angry," another regular warned.
"Gomen, Sakurai, but shouldn't they have given up by now. Running one hundred laps is exhausting."
Sakurai Toru grunted in response. It wasn't odd that these freshmen stood up and met Hashimoto's challenge. Tezuka Kunimitsu had a reputation. They were a part of it. He took his team, these freshman, to Nationals. Hashimoto was starting a fight with the wrong person. The idea was to have the best players on the team. If they wanted to go to Nationals this year, they would need Tezuka.
Tezuka led them around the corner, finished their hundredth lap. They drank the remainder of their water, then turned to their leader.
"Well done. Hit the courts."
"What?!" People were shrieking around the courts.
Were they mad? They just wasted all their energy and strength on running, and they were going to keep practicing?
"Oi, Oi, Hashimoto, this isn't funny."
That's right. This was far from funny. This was the intense training Tezuka Kunimitsu put his club through in order to get them ready for Nationals, Sakurai thought.
Tezuka approached his new Captain.
"Laps completed. Permission to continue practice on court D?"
"You wanna practice with the Junior High club?" He laughed, "Knock yourself out!"
"Arigato." Tezuka bowed respectfully.
The Senior club was so fascinated, they surrounded court D to watch, forgetting all about their own practice.
"Freshman, you know what you need to do. Juniors, drills on half the court. Seniors, matches on my order. First match, Inui/Momoshiro!"
"Me?"
"Hai." Tezuka nodded.
"Alright. Inui-senpai, I'm not letting you beat me this time!"
"I have your data." Inui grinned.
The match was amazing. Inui won, overall, but the score was 6-5.
"Eiji/Oishi!"
"Yay! The Golden Pair!" The Junior members cheered.
"Did they said Golden Pair?" A club member asked, "They are a National level doubles pair."
Hashimoto growled. All the club members, Senior and Junior, were cheering now. The Golden Pair match was very entertaining. They were excited by Eiji's acrobatic play and awed by Oishi's Moon Volley.
Tezuka didn't slow down," Takashi/Kaidoh!"
Kaidoh hissed and Takashi hollered his usual taunts as they both approached the court. Taka-san's burning phase and power hits were just as off-putting as Kaidoh's Snake. People were completely caught off guard. The atmosphere was nice, Tezuka thought, but why not take it up one more notch.
"Echizen!"
They were whispering now. First off he was a freshman. Second he was younger than anyone on the court. He was still supposed to be in Junior High, and worked his way into Senior High somehow. How did he expect to live up to the players they'd all just witness play?
"Hai?"
"You versus me and Fuji."
Silence fell around the court. Everyone of the former regulars smiled. This was going to be good.
"You're going to play, Tezuka?"
"Hai."
Fuji grinned. Tezuka was putting on a show for the Senior High club. They deserved it after the way they treated him.
"Is it okay if I win, Buchou?"
Fuji smiled, his eyes wide open, "It's okay with me."
"Show me what you've got."
The match was incredible. Fuji, the tennis prodigy was so awesome. There was nothing he couldn't reach. They were even lucky enough to see two of three triple counters. Tezuka played with everything he had. They witnessed THE Tezuka Zone. Hearing about it was amazing, but seeing it for real was...there were no words. Echizen, who they thought would have no chance at all, was impressive. He was keeping pace against, not one, but two very skilled National level players. In the end, Echizen lost, but only after a tiebreak, making the score 7-6.
They were out of breath, but feeling good. The former regular team gathered together and raised their hands together. The Junior High members were cheering. The Senior High members were cheering with the exception of the regulars, who were very, very angry. Sakurai was more than impressed. He would expect nothing less from Tezuka or the team he took to Nationals.
Hashimoto walked away. Just who did they think they were?
The angry Captain gathered his regulars. He'd clearly been humiliated in front of his entire team. He yelled at his club members to get started on drills, ordering the remaining freshman to collect balls and set up nets as the Junior High members had done so efficiently. However, everyone was so in awe of the former Nationals team that nothing was getting done. Hashimoto and his regulars decided to have an emergency meeting.
"They have a lot of guts going against you, Captain."
"You knew Tezuka would be a freshman this year. He has a very renowned reputation in the district. Everyone in this school knows about him and his team, regardless of whether they follow tennis or not."
"What's your point, Sakurai?" Hashimoto snapped.
"Tezuka, isn't famous for nothing, Captain. He took his team to Nationals and won. This school hasn't won a medal or trophy in six years. This club is poorly managed and has been for a long time. Did you really expect any less of Tezuka Kunimitsu?"
Hashimoto threw his racket. It hit the fence and bounced back, almost hitting a few of the first years, "I didn't expect him to be so defiant!"
"I'll admit, he made his presence known, but he isn't being defiant."
"Yo! Sakurai! Who's side are you on?" Matsura scolded.
"The Captain's, of course. I'm just saying, he's been rather obedient. You told him and the freshmen to run laps and he did. He even made certain they didn't retaliate, called you by your title and got them to follow suit. He asked permission to continue practice on the D court, instead of just doing so on his own."
"Yeah, he was obedient, but he was damn smug about it. All commanding , using his previous leadership skills to show me up. I saw the fire in his eyes when I grabbed that runt. He was pissed at me and figured he would show me the way he does things. That was all a show." Hashimoto growled, biting his nail furiously.
"That's right, Buchou. That Tezuka is just a showoff. Thinks he's better than everyone else just cause he made it to Nationals." Matsura agreed.
"Oh, so you're the Captain?" A voice asked from the gate of the court.
The regulars turned to see an old woman dressed in a pink warm up suit.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'm the new coach. You can call me, Ryuzaki Sensei."
"New coach?"
"That's right. Your sorry excuse for a coach has abandoned you. Turns out he quit last year without informing the board. So, here I am. Gather everyone together."
Hashimoto pinched the bridge of his nose, but complied. How was this old bat going to be any better than their last coach?
"Everyone gather 'round. The Sensei has something to say!"
Tezuka halted all drills and ushered his classmates and his old club into A court. Ryuzaki cleared her throat. Tezuka was not surprised to see her. If his old club was here, obviously she would be.
"Very good. I am the new coach for the Senior High tennis club. It seems Kira Sensei will not be returning. My name is Ryuzaki Sensei."
Whispers circulated around the members.
"However, I am also responsible for the Junior High tennis club. So, what am I to do?"
More murmuring rose above the silence. They watched her expectantly.
"I will simply have to take on both..."
"Ryuzaki Sensei."
"it's alright, Tezuka. I'll pace myself. It will be a lot of hard work and as always. I expect a lot from my members, but I believe we can do it."
Whispers once more and a lot of surprised looks. They were not able to believe that this old woman could handle coaching one team let alone two. What could they possibly learn from her?
"Now, I'm not really worried about my Junior club, but it's my understanding that the Senior High tennis club hasn't won anything in a while. That was Kira Sensei's fault. He didn't have enough faith in you and he didn't take the time to teach you anything. I will be watching you all very closely. I was told the only truly gifted players are the current regulars. This true?"
"The club currently has mostly freshmen. The others are okay, but the best players are the regulars, yes." Hashimoto informed her, quite proudly.
"Right, this year will be changing a bit then. I watched your matches from last year. Unless there is serious improvement, I will not be sending the same regulars again."
"There is no one else." He smirked.
"On the contrary, there are now two clubs from which to choose. I will allow Senior High freshmen and Junior High seniors to participate in the inter-ranking matches."
"You can't do that! You can't have a team mixed with Junior High and Senior High students!"
"As a matter of fact, I can. If insufficient members results in an incomplete team, I can pull star players from a sister school. Seigaku Junior High is right down the street. I only want the best players going to Nationals. I can do that, and I intend to if improvements aren't made."
Tezuka wanted to smirk, but kept his face clear of any such feeling.
"This is outrageous!" Hashimoto yelled, "We are the Senior High Regulars. There is nothing wrong with our performance on the court!"
"Calm down. The inter-ranking tournament to decide the regulars is fast approaching. You'll still have the opportunity to defend your positions."
Hashimoto and the regulars turned and glared at Tezuka and his team. They shouted and protested, but it all fell on deaf ears. Ryuzaki waited for the noise to die down.
"Echizen Ryoma!"
He stepped through the mass of people and stopped at the front.
"Hai?"
"Your father called me and told me about your exam. Congrats."
"Arigato," he said, turning pink.
Tezuka looked away. It was too much. He'd been able to keep a stern face on all day, but as usual, Echizen pushed him to his breaking point.
"I expect you all to work hard...and...there is one more thing. Hashimoto. If you fail to hold your position as regular by losing in the inter-ranking matches, you will no longer be Captain."
Shock formed on his face, "You...you...you can't do that. I was made Captain of this team. It's my right."
"No, it's a privilege. You earn the privilege to be Captain. If you fail to maintain your position, I'll appoint someone else. So I can and I will. I want a Captain who can serve as an example. Captains for my teams are the best players in the club overall. Captains are willing to teach and train their kouhais. They don't look down on others and encourage their teammates to better themselves. Do I make myself clear?"
He ground his teeth and fisted his hands angrily. This was a disaster.
"Hashimoto?"
"Hai, Sensei. I will not be relinquishing my position. Not to anyone." He glared at Tezuka, who glared back, his eyes showing the will to fight.
"Very well then. Dismissed. Hashimoto run drills with the Senior High club. Kaidoh, same with your own club. Hashimoto and I will decide the match-ups for the inter-ranking tournament."
"Hai, Ryuzaki Sensei."
"I'll leave you to it then. Hashimoto with me. Echizen!"
They watched as he returned to her side, "What is it?"
"Would you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"Take a group of freshmen. Change every hour or so. I want you to help them nail the basics. Gives them a fighting chance."
He sighed. Tezuka let a smile slip. He was still the pillar for Seigaku. Ryuzaki Sensei was trusting him with more responsibility. It made him proud.
"Hai." Echizen agreed.