Chapter 1 – A year's supply of Ponta

The following article was found in the August edition of the Monthly Tennis Magazine:

PONTA SPONSORS MIXED DOUBLES
by Inoue Mamoru.

The new sponsor of Japan's mixed doubles tennis association is Ponta.

The popular soft drink brand has agreed to pay for the upcoming mixed doubles championship in Tokyo.

The Monthly Tennis Magazine will provide exclusive coverage of the junior and open divisions of the championship between the 26th - 31st of August.

According to Ponta spokesman Nomu Kenta, promotional activities are already under way.

"We believe in encouraging boys and girls to play tennis," says Mr Nomu.

"Hopefully, our decision [to sponsor the mixed doubles] will go a ways to increasing the popularity of that form of the sport."

Ponta is offering a year's supply of free Ponta to the winner of the mixed doubles championship. See Ponta's website for more details.

Echizen Ryoma was thirsty.

"Ponta... Ponta..." He muttered the name of the beverage aloud as he searched the exterior of the machine before him. His sharp, catlike golden eyes lit up and he sifted through his pockets to pull out a single, shiny coin. He put it into the machine and waited.

There was a clanking sound.

Glancing around quickly to see if anyone was looking, Ryoma reached out and took the chilled can out of the flap. It was time to indulge in his dangerous addiction.

As Ryoma lifted the can to guzzle its contents down, he noticed that there was something different about it. Usually, both sides of the can would have that generic grape logo on it, but this particular can had writing on the back:

ARE YOU GOOD AT TENNIS? WIN A YEAR'S SUPPLY OF PONTA!

Ryoma was shaken. He forgot whatever business he was on, propped himself on the grass and read the fine print of the can avidly.

Ryoma was a Ponta addict. More than that, though, he was a tennis prodigy. Not so very long ago, his junior high tennis team had won Nationals, and Ryoma had plucked the crown by defeating the child of god. In other words, Ryoma was plain awesome and he deserved a year's supply of Ponta. (Well, in his humble opinion, he did.) And if all he had to do to win that Ponta was to succeed in a tennis tournament, then consider that Ponta his.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.

"And your partner's name?" the lady on the phone said when Ryoma rang that night to register. "This is a mixed doubles tournament."

…

CRAP!

That was the word to describe Ryoma's skill at doubles. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Then he thought of the Ponta. The sugary, delicious, grape-flavoured, mouth-watering, to-die-for drink that he was addicted to.

Yep. It was worth it.

"Your partner's name?" the lady on the phone prompted him again.

Ryoma was not the type of person to act impulsively. He usually left that to others so he could be all smug and 'mada mada da ne' them. But at that moment, Ryoma, without thinking of the possible side effects and consequences of his actions, went ahead and blurted out the name of the first female he could think of.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno." Then, feeling as if some sort of explanation was due, he added, "She's going to be my doubles partner." As if that wasn't obvious.

Next chapter: (It'll be longer, I swear! This was pretty much just a teaser.) Ryoma and Sakuno pair up for the first time. The tennis match of the chapter will be RyoSaku vs. The Golden Pair. Who here is thinking it won't end all?