Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis material.
AN: Slight Horio bashing, but then again I think even Konomi does it too sometimes. Some of the dialogue explaining the Half Split Step and tennis action comes from manga chapters 12-16.
"Speech in Japanese"
"Thoughts in Japanese"
"Speech in English"
"Thoughts in English"
Chapter 9: Intro to Data Tennis
The freshmen were busy sweeping the courts to prepare for the next set of matches later in the day. Many still could not believe that Rin had been able to beat a Regular. A few were trying to give encouraging words to Umi after her lose to Fuji. However, someone just didn't know how to keep his mouth shut.
"Hey Umi-san! Echizen is going up against your aniki next. Why don't you tell her some of his tricks to help her out?" Horio yelled out to the girls sweeping in a neighboring court.
Umi was currently studying her notes in her left hand, while holding the broom in her right hand. She had been dragging the broom across the court. When she reached the end of the court, she pivoted on her left heel in a 180-degree about-face. The broom would twirl around as she spun and she would then drag the broom across the court again. Horio's question had caused her to stop and look up from her notebook.
"Oni-chan hasn't told my opponents my tennis style or moves, so it is only fair that I not divulge his style or moves as well." Umi pushed her glasses back up and continued her one handed sweeping.
"Can you believe that Echizen?" said Horio. "She's probably bitter about how she got beaten by Fuji-sempai, while you were able to defeat Kaidou-sempai. It's her fault for being a weaker player."
The only sign that showed Umi had heard Horio's words was Umi's tightened grip on her notebook, as she continued to sweep the floor. The other girls were close enough to be able to still see it though.
"Horio-san, that's not a very nice thing to say. Apologize," Sakuno scolded Horio, and walked over to Umi to make sure she was all right.
"Gomen, Umi-san. I didn't mean it like that. I meant comparatively to the Regulars..." Horio tried to reword what he said, to make it not sound as bad.
"Shut up, Horio. It doesn't matter who wins or loses. Let's just hurry up and finish sweeping." Rin coldly replied.
Rin was rather upset that Horio had said something so harsh to Umi, especially in front of her. It reminded her too much of the hurtful things that were said to her in America. Rin's statement had immediately silenced Horio. Umi ignored the girls' concerns as she worked faster. Umi finished sweeping first and quickly excused herself. The remaining freshmen continued to sweep in awkward silence.
- Line Break -
Afternoon practice ushered in the next set of matches. Umi was already starting her match against a tall, muscular third year, named Kawamaru Takashi, in Block D. It had looked like Umi would have a fair chance at winning against the meek player, until he picked up his racquet. Rin could still hear cries of "Burning!" being yelled from the court next door. Rin could only shake her head and think about the bad luck Umi had in her block placement.
Rin was busy tying her shoes as she prepared for her match against Inui. Her opponent had just placed his notebook onto the bench with his other things. This made Rin start to wonder if the entire Inui family had an obsession with notebooks. He proceeded to check the strings of his racquet, as Rin finished tying her shoes.
"Looks like she's finally going to play Inui-sempai, a third year Regular," stated Kachiro as the other freshmen looked on.
"Is Inui-sempai really strong?" asked Katsuo.
"Yeah, he is. He's one of the top third year players and hasn't been cut from the Regulars for the past six months. Even for me, he is a tough opponent." Momoshiro was currently watching the proceedings with the freshmen.
"Hey Momo-chan. Are you watching the Ochibi's game?" Another Regular with wavy hair and plaster on his right cheek appeared behind Momoshiro.
"Ah, Kikumaru-sempai. Echizen-chan's game is about to start. I really wanted to watch it."
"Well too bad because you have a match with me right now." Kikumaru headed towards Court B.
"Urk." Momoshiro quickly ran after Kikumaru, leaving the freshmen to watch the game.
"Oh…. I can't believe Umi-chan's aniki is so tall." Tomoka said to Sakuno.
"It's like watching an adult play a kid." Horio pointed out to the group, as the game was about to start. The two players shook each other hands before they took their positions on the court.
"The best of one! Inui service play!"
Inui started with a high-speed serve. Rin immediately caught up to the ball and returned it. The ball was hit back and forth at a fast rate. After returning the ball, Inui rushed to the net. Rin saw an opening to Inui's left, towards the backcourt, as he ran towards the net. She immediately aimed her hit to send the ball to the opening. Inui seemed to sense Rin's intentions and intercepted the ball at the net, scoring the initial point.
"15-0"
"Ah. It looked almost like Inui-sempai knew where the ball was going to go," said Sakuno.
"It's probably just a coincidence." Horio was quick to point out.
Play began again with Inui delivering another high-speed serve. The two began to rally. Rin aimed at another opening; however, Inui intercepted the ball again to Rin's surprise and annoyance.
"30-0"
"That wasn't a coincidence. Inui-sempai ran back to a defensive position the moment Echizen hit the ball. He seems to know what his opponent is going to do and counters." Kachiro pointed out to the other freshmen. They continued to observe Inui.
Rin was also starting to notice Inui's ability to counter her moves. Both of them were close to the net. Inui sent a shot over the net. Her proximity to the net made most of the spectators think that she would perform either a lob or straight shot. Instead, she executed a cross shot that sent the ball diagonally across the court to test out something.
"The probability of you making a cross shot is 75%."
Inui was already in position to return the shot, surprising everyone. Not to be outdone, Rin chased after the ball and was able to hit it. However, Inui did not move from his position. The ball struck the net, allowing Inui to score another point.
"Just as I expected."
"Wah, Rin is in trouble!" Tomoka exclaimed.
"1-0. Inui leads!"
"Inui-sempai is so much stronger than Kaidou-sempai," Horio stated.
"Of course," a female voice cut in.
"Fuji-sempai," the freshmen chorused together.
"Inui has won 3 out of 3 matches against Kaidou." Fuji was casually standing behind the freshmen in her female Regulars uniform.
This was the first time the freshmen had seen her in the female version of the uniform. She had previously been wearing a variation of the male uniform, but with shorter shorts. Ryuzaki-sensei was not as strict as other tennis coaches in terms of dress code for the girl tennis players. Plus she did not think she would be able to enforce a dress code on Fuji anyways, especially if Fuji ever decided not to follow the rules. The top of the female uniform was the same as the male uniform only more form fitting. Today, she was wearing a blue tennis skirt ending mid-thigh with navy blue bicycle shorts underneath instead of her usual white shorts.
"Wow, is that what the female Regular's outfit looks like?" Tomoka asked Fuji.
"Hm... oh, yes. Tezuka-kun felt it would be good for the freshmen girls to see different appropriate tennis outfits. A few of the girls have been sent home recently for wearing... inappropriate outfits for tennis. He thought I could set a good example of what to wear. Personally, I just think Tezuka-kun just wanted to see me in a skirt." Fuji joked to the freshmen. The freshmen just sweat dropped, unsure if she was just teasing about Tezuka or if her statement was true.
Back on Court C...
"I've watched all your matches so far, including your match with Kaidou and Arai." Inui was speaking to Rin as she was preparing to serve. "12 straight shots, 5 cross shots, and 3 lobs. Just right now, the probability of you returning my hit with a cross shot was 25%. But because of my height, you would not lob the ball. Nor would you take the straight shot to your right because of you're cockiness. You would want to hit the more difficult shot to make me look bad. This increased the probability of you performing a cross shot to 75%."
"Did Librarian-chan get her habit of quoting percentages from you, or is that just an Inui family quirk?" Rin asked blandly.
"What an annoying style of tennis. I hope Librarian-chan doesn't use it too, or else I don't think I want to play a match against her."
"Ah. Imouto always did like to emulate my actions when we were little. Okaasan thought it was cute and didn't discourage the practice. It is now as much a part of her personality as it is mine." Inui commented.
"Huh," as if she had found the comment interesting. Rin served the ball. Instead of crossing over the net, the ball hit the net. This puzzled everyone including Inui.
"Did you expect that Sempai?"
*Giggle* "It looks like Echizen-chan is quite stubborn." Fuji commented.
"You mean she did that on purpose?" Horio asked. Fuji only nodded.
Inui didn't reply to Rin's question. He was busy trying to figure out what Rin's intentions were. The two continued their game. Rin lobbed the ball well above Inui's head. Unfortunately for Rin, Inui stepped back and using his height, easily sent the lob back for another point.
"That lob was quite good. You had calculated my height and sent it well above my head. However, as long as I can anticipate your shots, there won't be a ball that I cannot reach. You will easily become a Regular with Imouto in the future, but not today." Inui was rather confident in his win.
Rin was still annoyed by Inui's tennis style, but was actually happy about the situation. Inui was taking her seriously enough to have researched her tennis style. He had even complimented her on her tennis, which is more than she can say about many of her previous opponents. This was the type of tennis she wanted to play. This was the reason why she moved to Japan, for a serious match between players. He did not care about her gender or age.
*Chuckle* "I'm glad I came to this school. I get to beat a variety of different tennis styles here." Rin smirked.
"I can't believe Echizen is laughing at a time like this!" Horio exclaimed.
Rin started to bounce on the balls of her feet, confusing many of the spectators.
"I just learned this move before I came to Japan. I wanted to save it for the Nationals," as Rin continued to hop up and down.
"It won't matter." Inui served the ball. He started to calculate which side Rin would return the ball to.
"Sheesh, you don't need to guess which side it will be because I'm going to hit it to the right." Rin then hit the ball to the right as she had stated.
"Is she trying to confuse me? Because it won't work."
Inui returned the ball. Rin again called out where her ball would go next.
"Now the left!"
The ball flew towards the left side at a quick rate. This practice continued, where Rin would state the direction she would send the ball, and then hit the ball in the direction stated. People started to notice that she appeared to be moving faster. Rin sent another shot towards the left. Inui did not intercept the ball, surprising everyone. The ball landed just outside the boundary.
"Out of bounds!"
"I thought you said you could return any ball, as long as you knew where it was going?" Rin said mockingly to Inui.
The spectators started to wonder if Inui had not moved because he knew it was going to be out, or if he had not moved because he had been unable to return the shot.
"Are you watching her feet?" Fuji asked the freshmen. Horio was the first to spot it.
"The Split Step."
"Split Step?" asked the others.
"I can't believe you guys? You need to know these things if you plan on being tennis players. When your opponent returns their shot, you hop with your body tilted forward and land on your toes. This will increase your reaction time by a half step." Horio explained.
"How does that work?" Katsuo asked.
"Well... ano..."
Luckily, Fuji decided to answer for Horio.
"She's faster due to her muscles expanding and contracting at a faster rate from the bouncing. This allows her to dash forward a half step faster and reach balls she would normally be unable to reach."
"Wow, what an amazing freshman," another voice was heard next to them. The group turned to see a young woman holding a camera with an older gentleman who was also watching the game.
"Eh, who are you guys?" Horio asked.
"Oh, I'm Inoue Mamoru and this is Shiba Saori. We are with Monthly Pro Tennis Magazine," the older man explained to the group.
"Their magazine likes to send a reporter to come watch our inter-ranking matches sometimes. Hello again Inoue-san," Fuji bowed her head in acknowledgement towards Inoue.
"Ohayo, Fuji-san. Shiba and I were able to watch your match against that other freshman earlier. It was actually quite interesting, especially when she started to…."
"Yes, Umi-chan will make a fine addition to our club." Fuji interrupted Inoue before he could say anymore about Umi's tennis style.
He seemed to realize what Fuji was trying to do and turned his attention back to Rin's game, leaving the other freshman confused.
"Have you noticed Fuji-san? It's more than just the split step," Inoue pointed out to the group. They stared at Rin's feet more as she moved across the court. Rin could be seen bouncing on one foot and then switching to the other foot when she landed.
"Hm… fascinating." Umi startled everyone by her sudden appearance.
"Wah! Stop doing that Umi-san/chan," Horio and Tomoka cried out in unison.
"Ah, gomen Tomoka-chan." Umi did not apologize to Horio, since she was still a little upset over what he had said earlier in the day. The others did not understand what Umi's comment had meant.
"So how did you do against Taka-san?" Fuji stated.
"I need to work on my moves against power players and my stamina. It was a 6-3 lose." Umi was writing things down in a red notebook.
"Don't feel too bad about it Umi-chan. Taka-san gives a lot of people trouble with his 'Burning' power shots." Fuji consoled Umi. "Just use your next match as a way of gaining more experience on the courts." Umi only made a noise of confirmation that she heard Fuji. She then looked up from her notebook towards the match.
"If you look carefully, Rin-chan is only landing on one foot. A normal Split Step has the player land on both feet." Umi pointed out to the group.
"That means she is reaching the ball even faster than a normal Split Step." Fuji nodded in agreement to Umi's observations. Awed by this revelation, the others turned back to watch the game.
"We saw this at Rikkaidai too, didn't we Inoue-sempai?" Shiba asked quietly to the more experience journalist.
"Yes, Rikkaidai's second year ace, Kirihara Akaya."
Back on Court C…
"There is a 90% chance that she will return it to the right."
As he predicted, the shot was sent towards the right. Inui positioned himself for the shot, but was unable to reach it in time. Rin was indeed getting faster with her Half Split Step technique and reaching balls that she could not before with her regular steps.
"Inui-sempai is able to predict her moves, but can't react fast enough to return them." Katsuo pointed out to the rest.
"Hm… I can't believe this. To think you can hit predictable balls that are also unable to be returned." Inui started mumbling calculations under his breath.
"Hey, Inui-sempai! I've got another shot that you can predict the path of, but won't be able to return." Rin assumed a familiar stance to the surrounding freshmen, as she got ready to serve using her right hand. Inui could already figure out what serve she planned to do thanks to her match against Arai and prepared for the Twist Serve.
The ball bounced towards his face. Much like Arai, his instinct at experiencing the Twist Serve for the first time was to dodge. Rin scored an instant service ace.
"That move, that stance, it's like Samurai Nanjiro." Inoue was staring at Rin with more scrutiny, trying to look for more signs to confirm his theory.
"Hm… that Twist Serve is amazingly strong for using her right hand when she is left handed. The speed and angle is much greater than when she was using the older racquet. She is far more skilled than I had initially calculated," as Inui started to furiously recalculate his equations using the new data.
"Using my right hand reduces the power of the serve. But I wanted to knock your glasses off. I want to know what color you and Librarian-chan's eyes have." Rin called out to Inui. Everyone else seemed to realize that they have never seen either of the Inui siblings' eyes, thanks to their thick glasses. Now people were curious and were looking at both of the Inui siblings for a reaction. Both of them did not seem to notice, as they were both calculating equations in their heads.
Rin served another Twist Serve. Inui took a step back in anticipation of the serve and readied himself to slice the ball in return. The ball made contact with his racquet, but Inui was unable to maintain his grip. The racquet dropped to the ground.
"You shouldn't rely on data to win. You need to strengthen your tennis skills first." Rin directed the statement to Inui. Inui just chuckled. The game continued, but everyone already knew how it would end.
"Game set! Won by Echizen, 7-5!"
"She defeated Inui."
"Unbelievable, a freshman beat two Regulars."
"Wait, this means Echizen is a Regular now." Kachiro pointed out. All the freshmen started to cheer.
"Yeah! Echizen you're a Regular now!"
"Represent us freshmen, Echizen!"
"I accept my defeat. You gave me some interesting data to work with." The two shook hands after the match ended. Inui turned to exit the court, while muttering about what the new data meant.
"Inui-sempai! I'm still a little annoyed by your tennis style, but it was a fun match. I don't think I want to play against you again." Rin told Inui before he left the court. Inui's glasses glinted in the sunlight.
"It will be interesting to see how you feel about Imouto's style then." Inui left the court to prepare for his game against Kaidou the next day.
All the freshmen gathered around Rin to congratulate her. Rin started putting away her things into her tennis bag.
"Hey Librarian-chan do you play the same way as your aniki?" Rin casually asked Umi.
"You will probably be able to see it tomorrow, since your match will last less than 20 minutes." Umi stated.
Rin just shrugged and figured that Umi was probably right. She decided to focus on the fact that she was now a Regular, and she could not be happier.
AN: Hehe I think I like startling the freshmen with Umi's sudden appearances too much. I'm not bothering to do Umi's earlier matches because I wanted to focus on Rin's matches against Kaidou and Inui. However, I'll be writing Umi's match against Arai for a bit of fun in the next chapter. I'm sure by now, most of you have figured out her tennis style. I've haven't exactly been subtle about it. Read and review please.