Chapter 3
Fuji Syuusuke and Jin Charleston went to the court. The girl chibi held out a coin.
"Which?" she asked.
The tensai simply smiled. "Heads."
Jin flipped the coin and they watched it roll in the air before finally taking its way back down. The coin bounced twice at it hit the pavement then finally ending to a halt.
"Heads." Jin said as she picked the coin up and showed it to Fuji. "You're choice."
"You serve." the tensai said.
Jin simply smiled. "Please go easy on me." she said with a small bow of her head. She turned around and walked towards the right part of the service area. She raised her left hand signalling that she's about to serve.
Fuji nodded.
She tossed the ball up and positioned herself. She hit it with such power that even the tensai was unable to return it.
Fuji blinked a few times before smiling again, his Pacific blue eyes showing in the process. It sent shivers along Jin's spine.
Fuji played with vigour and elegance that it sent such a huge impact on Jin. Jin, on the other hand, showed power and control over her shots. She made sure that every one of her shots was within the singles court. It was a habit that hasn't been gotten rid of ever since she was little.
"Game, Fuji! 4 games to 3!" the umpire announced. "Charleston to serve!"
Jin took a deep breath before slowly letting it out. It's been a long time since I last used this. I hope it works. She tossed the ball up and the moment it stopped going up, she hit it.
Fuji prepared himself to hit the ball but as the ball bounced, it took a wild turn towards his face. He was forced to dodge and was not able to hit it.
"15-love!" the umpire announced.
"W-was that a twist serve?" Kawamura Takashi asked.
"I... I guess so." Momoshiro Takeshi answered, equally shocked as his teammates.
"Was the ball moving in the air just now?" Kikumaru Eiji asked.
Jin sighed. It seems that I can still use it. She smiled at Fuji as she signalled for the next serve.
Fuji prepared himself again. This time, I will definitely return it! He thought with a sadistic glint in his eyes.
Jin smirked as she tossed the ball in the air.
"He won't be able to return it." Echizen murmured which caused his teammates to look at him.
"What do you mean, Echizen?" Kawamura asked.
Echizen watched Jin hit the ball. Her position... Her stance... everything seems to be out of place... "It's the ball." he said as the ball bounced in front of Fuji and just as he predicted it, the tensai was not able to hit it.
"What? What, What?" Eiji asked.
"The rotation of the ball is out of place. It is not like my twist serve. And... it's moving in the air."
"Huh?"
"The rotation of the ball is indeed 'out-of-place' if we would compare it to Echizen's." Inui Sadaharu said as he pushed his eyeglasses up. "In Echizen's Twist Serve, the rotation of the ball is the main reason why it takes a wild turn thus sending the ball towards the opponent's face but in Jin-chan's Twist Serve, the rotation of the ball is only a secondary reason for the wild turn of the ball."
"What?" Momoshiro asked.
"It means that the reason why the ball is taking a wild turn is force of the wind." Echizen answered. "Technically, her serve is just a simple one but if you watch her arm when she does the Twist Serve, it makes a 90 degrees angle so once she hits the ball, it sends a sliding effect on it and thus giving it enough space to roll and have a rotation. This rotation simply gains speed by air."
"I still don't get it." Momoshiro said.
"Me neither." Eiji said.
"Me too." Kawamura agreed.
"It's simple physics." Inui said. "The force of the wind accumulated by the ball causes it to 'move' about in the air. It gets enough wind power while in the air then when it bounces, that wind power is releases thus the wild turn that it makes."
"She plays softball and baseball. She likes science and I know that she can use her intelligence in a game like this but to think that she was able to pull off something like that was shocking."
"Game, Charleston! 4 games all!" the umpire announced. "Fuji to serve!"
Fuji served, expecting Jin to return his service so he positioned himself at the end line.
The game went on until '6 games to 4' was achieved.
Fuji won. He used his triple counters on the girl in just one rally and that was already on the match point. He smiled at Jin who was practically pouting. Wow! I thought only Tezuka can counter my Triple Counters. He thought as he walked towards the net and offered his hand to the girl chibi.
Jin smiled back as he accepted his hand and shook it. "Thank you, Fuji-senpai." she said.
"Thank you too, Jin-chan." Fuji replied.
They walked towards the benches and drank water.
Echizen went to the court holding his racket. "Jin, one set with me." he said with a commanding tone.
Jin looked at Echizen. "You sure?" she asked.
"Yes, I am so come on now." he said with an irritated tone.
The girl walked towards the court again and stood in front of him. "Which?" she asked again as she showed him the coin.
"Heads."
She flipped the coin and it turned until it bounced off the pavement and stopped. "Tails." she said as she picked it up and showed it to him. "You serve."
Echizen just nodded as he walked to the service area. Jin stood at behind the end line.
Echizen signalled Jin about his service. Jin simply nodded.
Echizen showed her his Twist Serve.
Jin was not able to return it. She only managed to stare at Echizen. "Cool!" she murmured to herself.
The first set score went to Echizen.
Jin is next to serve. She moved her racket to her left hand which had the audience and even Echizen shocked. She signalled Echizen that she'll serve.
She tossed the ball up followed by a jump and she hit the ball. The ball bounced in front of Echizen then it took a wild turn to the left side of his face. "What the-!" he exclaimed as he dodged the ball.
"Wah! Twist Serve!" Kikumaru said.
"It's not the same as she showed me a while ago." Fuji said.
"Huh? What do you mean, senpai?" Momoshiro asked.
"That's a real Twist Serve but I think she modified it to her own convenience. Just like Echizen's Twist Serve, she uses the hand that is not really her dominant hand to give it an abnormal rotation."
The second set score went to Jin. At the start of the third set, she had used her left arm as her weapon.
"Wait! Is she left-handed?" Kawamura asked.
"Just as I thought." Fuji said. "This means that she just played me. That little brat..." a dark aura came out of Fuji's body that Eiji and the others had to hide behind Tezuka to prevent themselves from getting killed by the sadistic tensai.
It was a game of pride. Neither one was letting the other win easily. They gathered set scores in alternation.
Jin surprisingly used the techniques she learned efficiently. She used Momoshiro's Dunk Smash, Kaidoh Kaoru's Boomerang Snake, Oishi Shouichirou's Moon Volley, Fuji's Triple Counters and even Tezuka's Tezuka Zone and Zero Shiki Drop.
They arrived at a tie breaking set. Echizen used his Drive A and B, Cyclone Smash and used his teammates' counters too.
"5 all!" the umpire announced. "Echizen to serve!"
Echizen sighed. He took a ball from his pocket. He looked at Jin who was already panting like he is.
He used Fuji's 'Disappearing Serve'. It was a service that is done by twisting the ball as you let it go and let gravity work its magic on it.
Jin prepared for the serve as she smiled. She can return this and she'll win. But as she swung her racket, the ball disappeared then suddenly reappeared behind her.
"6-5!" the umpire announced.
Echizen prepared for the next serve again. He used it again and just like the first one, Jin was not able to hit it.
The girl stood there, shocked. She lost. She can't believe it. She lost.
Echizen walked towards Jin. "Nice game!" he said as he offered his hand for a hand shake.
Jin pouted. "Aah! I lost!" she said as she sat on the floor. "That's unfair! You used a weird technique just now, Onii-chan!"
"Hey, stop acting like a baby. Stand up!" Ryoma said.
"I don't wanna! I want another round! I'm gonna beat you!" she whined.
"Stop it!"
His teammates walked towards them with smiles on their faces.
"Umm... Echizen... there's been a question running in our minds." Eiji said.
"What is it?" Ryoma asked as he pulled the still whining Jin up.
"What exactly is your relationship with Jin?" Momoshiro asked.
"Huh?" Ryoma looked at his senpais.
Jin started to giggle. "You really are slow, aniki." she said. She looked at Ryoma's teammates. "I'm his younger sister."
"Whhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttt?" they all reacted except, of course, Fuji and Tezuka.
"Didn't I tell you that she's my younger sister?" Ryoma asked.
"But isn't her name Jin Charleston?" Kaidoh asked.
"Oh, that's my American name. My real name is Echizen Ryojin." she said with a smile.
"Wow. So that's the reason why you two are so close." Kawamura said.
"Uh-huh." Jin nodded.
"I have another question." Oishi said. "Are you a lefty or not?"
"I can use both of my hands in anything. But I was born a lefty but it seems that even my dear older brother didn't know that." she said. "What a shame."
Ryoma didn't say anything until he remembered something. "Where is aniki anyway? Shouldn't he be with you everywhere you go?"
"Oh, yeah, Ochibi has another sibling except Jin-chan. Ryoga-san, isn't it?" Eiji said.
Jin smiled. "Yes." Then a dark aura suddenly enclosed her. "About him... he... he..."
