Since she was a little girl, Ryoma found herself with troubling dreams, and abilities which she keeps hidden. She is also plagued by demons, another thing she hides from her team until she gets a fateful invitation...
A:N- Of course, Minagawa Junko voices Ryoma-chan's male voice, but when I heard her real voice in her concerts, I liked it a lot...
The District Tournaments
Three weeks later...was the District Tournaments. The highlight as the lone female Regular would be soon appearing...so Seigaku has a lot of attention when they arrived at the Tennis Park. Ryoma's shirt and jersey were sleeveless so everyone could see her skinny but toned arms.
'Sheesh, take a picture, it lasts longer.' Ryoma grumbled as earlier than that...
Yusuke was ordered to go to the Mountains to participate in Genkai's Succession Tournament in order to not only become her apprentice and heir, but also track down and capture the youkai Rando. He wasn't too happy and phoned his complaints to her while she was away from her team, under the pretense of going to buy a drink.
'Ma, don't complain about it. It's not everyday one gets taken in by a master.' Ryoma told him over the phone. 'What's more important, a dangerous demon getting his grubby hands on a powerful technique and kill as many humans or the Wrestling Match in Tokyo Dome, while deaths escalate everyday? Set your priorities right, brat.' she scolded with a grunt. 'Just good luck. If you did your training, this should go smoothly with little trouble...and I hope you did! Well, bye.' and she put her phone down. 'Troublesome kid...and Koenma had to pick a kid to clean up his mess.'
xxx
In Reikai...Koenma sneezed.
xxx
Back at the Courts,
'Seigaku's Regulars are here and assembled.' said Tezuka as he submitted the team line-ups to the commitee. The employee looked at the list and nodded.
'Everything's in order. Please proceed to court 1 for your first match, VS (insert school name).' and the Tennis Team headed for said courts.
'Well, this is your first debut as a Regular so you might want to make an entrance.' Inui advised Ryoma.
'Nah, I'll just end it quickly.' said Ryoma. 'I'll save my moves for people worth it. Any noteworthy people around here, senpai?'
'Well, there's Gyokurin and Kakinoki. They're pretty good.' said Inui. 'They're among the first seeders here.'
'Oh, sou ka.'
'We'll have to go through our first opponents to play with them though.' said Fuji with a chuckle. 'Let's see how this ends up.' needless to say...in their first three matches with three different schools with Ryoma always on Singles as she was lousy in Doubles...she ends her match quickly. She only serves...and never allows her opponent to score. Five minutes was enough. Serving and changing courts she practically much, destroyed any self confidence in her three opponents and reduced them to bleating sheeps.
Later...
'Everyone did well.' said Ryuuzaki as they hung out for lunch break by the fountains. 'Now then, our next opponent...wait, am I reading this right?' she wondered as they looked at the bulletin boards.
Kakinoki, their predicted next opponent, lost to Fudoumine.
'Fudoumine? That school that dropped out due to violence?' Kawamura piped up as Kikumaru shuddered.
'I never liked their coach.' Kikumaru grimaced. 'Too arrogant.'
'What happened?' Ryoma asked Inui as she tugged on his sleeve. 'I'm not here when that happened.'
'Well, apparently a couple freshmen and one sophomore assaulted their coach and regulars.' Inui told her. 'So they dropped out of competition. But for them to be back again and defeated Kakinoki...we mustn't underestimate them.' he said as he took out his green notebook. 'Apparently, the current team...new people, not the guys we're used to, is comprised of said freshmen and sophomore from last year...and they trounced Kakinoki badly. Very skilled indeed compared to the former regulars...' he trailed off as Ryoma had been tapping him for quite a while now... 'Hm?' Ryoma pointed at somewhere and when he looked up, it was a case of 'speak of the devil and he shall appear'. 'Ohya.'
'They're here.' Momoshiro smiled as the Fudoumine Team looked along the lines of being thugs. Their jersey styles didn't help matters in first impressions but Ryoma could sense that they were good people.
'You're Tezuka, right?' the buzz-cut boy asked Tezuka who nodded. 'I'm Fudoumine's player-coach Tachibana. 'I hope we meet and have a good match.'
They stared each other and good-naturedly shook hands. Tachibana then glanced at their lone female player and glanced at Tezuka who nodded after a meaningful stare. Tachibana then led his team away.
'Looks like things will be interesting.' Fuji chuckled as Ryoma latched on Tezuka's arm with her right hand. The team thought it was for security. Afterall, no matter how manly she acts, being with many boys is another story entirely for the lone girl. If only they knew the truth that she was slowly healing his injury. Apparently, Ryuuzaki told her that a jealous senpai whacked his arm with a racket that caused a lifelong injury only expert medical help can cure, but it was beyond Tezuka's family's income so Tezuka had to live with it for the rest of his life.
So Ryoma secretly pitches in. Tezuka will be in one heck of a shock when he finds that he could play normally soon.
'Listen up everyone! As we can see, Fudoumine's a strong team so be at your very best!' Ryuuzaki cried. 'Doubles 2: Fuji and Kawamura! Doubles 1: Kikumaru and Oishi! Singles 3: Kaidoh! Singles 2: Ryoma! Singles 1 Tezuka!'
'Oh, one piece of advice...' said Inui. 'Everyone, take off your power wrists and ankles. Sensei DID say to play at our best, didn't she?'
And so...the finals commenced. And Seigaku was astonished that Fudoumine's level increased...but they weren't the only ones who had a level up. Seigaku did as well...although a certain move caused Kawamura and Fuji to forfeit.
Doubles 1 relied more on Kikumaru's acrobatics. Singles 3 went to Kaidoh's tenacity even in the slippery floors...
'This is it.' said Tachibana as Ryoma came to the courts.
'...my opponent is a girl? This sucks...' Ibu mumbled.
'But she defeated three of their regulars and there's no way Tezuka of all people will lie about this.' said Tachibana as he shook his head. 'Be careful Shinji.'
'Usu.' and they faced each other in the courts.
'Which?' Ryoma asked him in her manly voice. Shinji raised an eyebrow at this.
'...is that your real voice?' he asked her.
'No, but this is.' said Ryoma as she spoke in her real voice which startled those who heard. 'But I prefer my manly side.' her manly voice was back which creeped Ibu, some Fudoumine members and a few audience spectators. 'What can I say, I'm a man at heart. Now which?'
'...she can say that so easily...' said Kamio with a sweatdrop.
'I prefer her real voice though, it's cute.' Kikumaru complained.
'No, preferences aside, she wants to be taken seriously.' said Fuji. 'Hence her boyish voice, speech and act to be like, 'one of the guys'.'
'Yeah but her real voice sounds cute.' Momoshiro agreed while going schweet. On the other hand, it was Ryoma who would serve first and she showed half her strength on her first serve.
'Well? Referee, the call!' Ryoma called out with a mischievous grin.
'E-er right...' the referee sputtered. '15-0!'
'This is it...' said Tachibana as he narrowed his eyes. 'We'll see how good she is if she could defeat three Regulars but who were these Regulars though...?' he wondered as he glanced at the opposing team as the two began playing seriously. "Tezuka and Fuji are out of the question, considering their reputation..." he thought. "So it could only be three of the remaining six."
'...Echizen...she's playing it half.' Momoshiro whispered to Kaidoh who nodded. 'That wasn't her level when she trounced us!'
'She's taking it easy on him. Analyzing him.' said Kaidoh. He fell prey when she used his strategy against him...five minutes into their match when she figured his game out.
Later...Ibu was forced to use his trump card...his Spot technique. At first, Ryoma could not figure out why her arms are going numb...but she kept on playing until her racket slipped out of her numbed right hand, smashed against the metal frame with her racket ending up in pieces, with the sharp handle with sharp, pointy edges flinging back at her and everyone realized what was going to happen in horror if she doesn't get away on time.
'Echizen!' Oishi cried as they watched in horror for the worst...
She caught it in time with her left hand, perfectly in the handle with the point 1 cm away from her eyeball. And she moved truly fast. Truly expected of a youkai of her caliber. 'Hyaah...abunai abunai!' she chuckled sheepishly as everyone let out a sigh of relief.
'Mou hime-chan! Don't scare us like that!' Kikumaru wailed, 'We thought...we thought...!' he sniffled.
'Good thing she caught that one. She's got good reflexes...' Ryuuzaki sighed in relief. 'That person will cause mayhem if anything happens...'
'...he has every right to.' Oishi squeaked weakly.
'She caught that so easily...amazing!' Tachibana croaked, thoroughly impressed. 'But good thing too...this almost got bloody!' he sighed in relief as Ryoma went back to get a spare racket.
'Now where were we?' Ryoma grinned as she twirled her racket like a baton. 'Nice trick you got there...certain spins could numb your opponent's hands. But...however neat that is, it has a few weaknesses...'
'This is it...' Inui commented. 'She's seen his weak points.' they were waiting for this.
'For one...can you do it with an ambidextrous player?' she asked him innocently as she put her racket on her left hand, and hit twice as hard. Ibu tried to rally with another attempt at Spot but the ball had no spin! 'Or use it using a sinker ball?'
'Crap!' Ibu swore. She was right...his technique won't work if his opponent is ambidextrous or hits sinkers! And Spot requires topspins and slices! And she hits twice as hard on her left hand...she had a tendency of knocking his racket off his hand. And she won 6-4. Seigaku won three matches.
xxx
After the formalities and closing ceremony were over, everyone was about to go home, when a pretty redhead waited by the park entrance. 'Hey there, Ryoma. Nice match.' he greeted as Ryoma grinned.
'Who is that guy?' Kikumaru asked Fuji.
'Saa...but what a pretty person.'
'He's on yobisute with her so they must be pretty close. Ii data...' Inui commented as he took note of it.
'Thanks. You must've skipped school just to watch.' Ryoma smiled. 'Shuichi. What's up?'
'Oh, I came to pick you up.' said Kurama as the regulars STARED, and Ryuuzaki blinked. 'Wanna come after a shower?'
'Sure.' and Ryoma ran off, and Kurama found himself severely questioned by the more outspoken members of the club.
'Nyaa! You Hime-chan's boyfriend?' Kikumaru wailed.
'So young...youth these days!' Momoshiro commented with a grin.
'How did you two meet? Both of you are in different schools so spending time together must be really hard...' Oishi, Seigaku's mama kicked in and poor Kurama's mind was SPINNING.
'U-uhhhh you got it all wrong!' Kurama sputtered. 'We're not a couple!' "How'd it get to this?" he thought in disbelief with a sweatdrop. He came here for a chat regarding 'business' and here are the 'big brother brigade'...
'You're not?' Kawamura blinked.
'Ryoma and I are chat buddies.' Kurama lied with a convincing act. 'We met online in a chatroom back when she still lived in America and we both decided to meet here for the first time. She said I should come when her team wins the Districts.'
'Ohhhhh...'
'Alright you lot! Go to the showers!' Ryuuzaki ordered her brood who followed to hit the showers. 'Ohoho...this would be quite entertaining in the future.' she chuckled. '...your name, boy?'
'I'm Minamino Shuichi, freshman in Meiou High School.' Kurama introduced himself. 'Still 14.' he said with his charming smile.
'Ma, if you'll court Ryoma...you got to through a lot of powerful people.' Ryuuzaki chuckled. 'They're fiercely protective of her.' Kurama sweatdropped.
'Like I said it's not like that...'
