Chapter 14: The Nationals: Semifinals
Ryoma walked to the vending machine and saw Ayame sitting on a bench next to it, drinking from a cherry-flavored Ponta can while reading a book on her lap. She heard his footsteps and looked up.
"Yo," she greeted, and then looked back at the pages.
"Hey," Ryoma greeted back.
Ryoma went over to the vending machine and bought a grape-flavored Ponta. He sat down next to Ayame and started drinking from his Ponta while eyeing the book she was reading.
"How far are you?" Ryoma asked.
"I'm on chapter fourteen," Ayame answered, not taking her eyes off of the book. "I think if I keep up this pace, I can finish reading by… three in the morning."
Near them, Tooyama Kintaro was sleeping in a tree. He woke up, and he accidentally fell off the branch and onto the ground near Ryoma and Ayame's feet. Both Seigaku freshmen looked up and saw the Shitenhouji freshman lying on the ground from falling off the tree.
"Isn't that the strange Osaka kid we saw after the second round?" Ayame asked.
Kintaro got up and spotted them.
"You're Koshimae!" he called to Ryoma.
Before Ryoma could say anything, a man on roller skates stole a woman's purse.
"Ahhhh! Dorobo!" the woman yelled. "Stop him!"
The thief rolled past the three freshmen. Ryoma and Ayame acted as Ayame grabbed her tennis racket, and they both hit a ball. They added side spin to avoid the nearby shrubbery. Their balls hit the thief at the same time a third ball tore through the shrubbery and connected as well. They looked over to see that the third ball was hit by Kintaro.
He tore through that? Ayame thought as she closed her book and packed it away. That's a lot of power…
"I'm Tooyama Kintaro!" Kintaro introduced. "Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!"
He's not only a strange kid, but he's really… energetic. Ayame thought.
She looked over to see an exasperated Ryoma.
Ryoma hates noisy people… Ayame remembered. I doubt that he's having the time of his life just listening to him right now.
"Koshimae, you're damn strong, aren't you?" Kintaro asked Ryoma. "Want to play a match?"
"No way," Ryoma immediately said. "Let's go, Ayame."
He already started leaving, and Ayame followed him without hesitation.
"Wait, Koshimae!" Kintaro called. "Let's play a match!"
Kintaro was about to go after the two Seigaku freshmen until someone held him back.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he said to the person, but stopped short when he saw who it was. "Oh, Shiraishi."
"What are you doing?" Shiraishi asked. "It's almost our turn."
"But Shiraishi, look!" Kintaro spoke very fast. "This is the guy that Kenya was talking about with the big body of steel, poison dripping out of his fingers, and three eyes that stare you down! The giant who came back from America!"
At that description, Ayame did a pratfall.
"It's Koshimae!" Kintaro said excitedly.
Ayame saw the displeasure on Ryoma's face about being called a giant with a body of steel with poison dripping out of his fingers and has three eyes.
"Oh, right," Shiraishi said. "Well, to be more accurate, he's the one with the nerves of steel, is extremely cocky, and stares you down with his San Paku Gan; back from America, Echizen. Right?"
Ryoma sighed. Ayame knew that even though Shiraishi's description was a lot more accurate than Kintaro's, Ryoma was still pretty unhappy being described that way.
"Since I came down to Tokyo, I really wanna fight you!" Kintaro said to Ryoma. "Shiraishi, can we play on a court right now?"
Shiraishi's answer was no, but Kintaro resisted. It all changed when Shiraishi began unwrapping the bandages on his left arm. Kintaro immediately looked terrified as he referred it as a poison. Ayame and Ryoma stared in confusion as Kintaro started rambling about reading a manga about poison and sand. Shiraishi then told Kintaro that if they beat Fudomine, then they could play against Seigaku, which made Kintaro excited as he left.
"It seems like he caused a little uproar," Shiraishi said as he wrapped the bandages back onto his arm.
He looked up to see the two Seigaku freshmen still staring with bemused expressions.
"If I don't make up those lies, that blockhead won't understand," he simply answered.
Then that kid is a complete idiot, Ayame thought. He believes in crap like that and he can't even get "Echizen" correct…
Ryoma joined his fellow Seigaku members to watch Shitenhouji's match against Fudomine. Ayame didn't watch and ended up wandering around the grounds. She came back after Singles 2 ended with Shitenhouji winning all three games. When she came back, she ended up eavesdropping on a conversation between Tezuka and Chitose. She learned about the three doors of Muga no Kyouchi from the conversation.
The semifinals match with Seigaku against Shitenhouji soon began. Singles 3 had Fuji against Shiraishi. Shiraishi managed to defeat Fuji's Triple Counters as well as Kagerou Zutsumi, and began to dominate him. It wasn't long before Shiraishi took five games and Fuji hasn't even won a single game.
Is this really Fuji-senpai? Ayame wondered. I thought he was a lot better than that. He was called a tensai, too…
It became match point when Fuji dived for the ball and missed. He didn't move after that. Ryoma climbed out of the audience stand and got onto the court.
"Play seriously," he said to Fuji.
"Hey, you," the referee said to Ryoma. "Go back to your seat."
Ryoma obediently walked back.
"What are you doing in the middle of the match?!" Momo demanded as he knocked Ryoma on the head.
Ayame avenged Ryoma's head by delivering a hard, left-footed kick on Momo's head.
"Shpow!" she shouted as her foot landed on Momo.
"What was that for, Ayame-chan?!" Momo demanded in irritation.
"Now you're both even," Ayame said, grinning while giving Ryoma the thumbs-up.
Fuji got up and went into what Ayame would call the "serious mode" (Ryoma told her that Fuji's eyes are open whenever he's serious). He began to play completely different than before.
He's playing as stubbornly as this one good friend I know, Ayame thought while shooting a glance at Ryoma. Perhaps that "pep talk" encouraged him.
Fuji soon used upgraded versions of his Triple Counters – Houou Gaeshi, Kirin Otoshi, and Hakuryu – and revealed a fifth counter: Hecatoncheires no Monban. With the Hecatoncheires no Monban, Fuji managed to catch up. However, as each game went by, Shiraishi was slowly countering it. Shiraishi managed to counter the technique, and the game was brought into a close tiebreak that he ended up winning.
Ayame stared at Fuji as he rejoined the Seigaku regulars. Ryoma had told her that Fuji has never lost an official singles match before.
Must be a pretty big shock for him, she thought.
Doubles 2 soon began with Kaidoh and Momo against Koharu and Yuuji. Ayame stared at Shitenhouji's Baka Pair.
HOMOSEXUALS! her mind screamed.
Ayame then grabbed a book from her tennis bag and held it in front of her face as she flipped it open. She refused to watch the match, and Ryoma noticed.
She really hates homosexuals, does she? Ryoma thought. I'll bet that she wished she could beat the crap out of them right now…
Ayame didn't move the book from her face until the match was over, and by then Momo and Kaidoh won. She closed the book and packed it away as Singles 2 began with Kawamura against Gin. Kawamura had used the Hadoukyuu, but Gin easily returned it. Ayame watched as Kawamura kept hitting Hadoukyuus while endangering his arm, only for his shots to be effortlessly returned.
It's over, Ayame sighed, grabbing her book again. Better not watch and see him play a suicide round…
Though Ayame didn't watch the match, she was soon aware that Gin started retaliating with his Hadoukyuus, blowing Kawamura out of the court. She paid no attention, assuming that Kawamura was "bleeding like hell" and "broken everywhere", and she didn't even want to look.
However, Kawamura unexpectedly hits an incredibly powerful Hadoukyuu, causing Ayame to look up from her book, and the ball broke Gin's strings as well as fracturing his arm. As in result, Kawamura won.
Damn, is that what you call lucky? Ayame thought as she put away the book.
Doubles 1 began with Tezuka and Inui against Chitose and Zaizen. However, rather it being an actual doubles match, it became a singles match between Tezuka and Chitose.
What the hell…? Ayame thought. What did this match even turn into…?
Chitose activated the Saikikanpatsu no Kiwami and dominated Tezuka with it. However, halfway through the game, Tezuka managed to unlock the Saikikanpatsu no Kiwami and used it against Chitose. With that, Tezuka won the match.
Damn… a stunned Ayame could only gape at Tezuka. He unlocked two out of three doors. Then he must be the closest to the third door… Too bad Ryoma didn't play this time.
Ayame joined the Seigaku regulars by the court as they said their goodbyes to Shitenhouji. While they did so, Ayame got onto the court and began doing a self-rally, with her Ninja Dashing from one side of the court to the other, hitting the ball to the other court.
"Echizen's friend could play tennis this well?" Shiraishi asked.
"Oh, right," Oishi said. "Kanna Ayame and Echizen played a match a while back, but it was left at a tie when they both collapsed and fainted."
"She's really fast," Kenya remarked, obviously interested in her being able to run fast enough to do a self-rally.
"Too bad she's a girl," Fuji said. "If she was a guy, she would've been a good addition to the team."
Ayame stopped rallying and noticed the Baka Pair apparently breaking up. Disgusted by them, she went over to beat them up, stunning the Shitenhouji members again and amusing Zaizen.
"Is Kanna always like that?" Chitose asked, still not really getting over the time she attacked him.
"Echizen says that she attacks people who make her angry," Momo replied. "But it seems like she also attacks people who do stupid things."
"Ochibi's got himself a pretty murderous girlfriend," Kikumaru said.
Unfortunately for Kikumaru, Ayame heard what he said, and rounded on him.
"I'm not that bastard's girlfriend!" she shouted as she kicked him repeatedly.
Shitenhouji began to already fear Ayame for her violent acts. Ayame calmed down immediately after she was done kicking Kikumaru, and then Shitenhouji turned around to leave and return to Osaka.
"Wait!" Kintaro interrupted. "What about me? I haven't played Koshimae yet!"
"Kin-chan, we lost," Chitose told the first year regretfully.
"No way!" Kintaro shouted. "I have to have my match with Koshimae now!"
"Echizen, don't play," Oishi said to Ryoma. "You can't afford to get injuries from a meaningless match."
"Uissu," Ryoma said.
"You can wait until next year," Gin said.
"Idiot! A year is too long!" Kintaro kept shouting. "Koshimae! Play me!"
Ryoma only stared back.
"You can't always get what you want in life," Shiraishi said regretfully.
Ayame knew that perfectly well. She had learned it the hard way when she was four.
I still remember praying at the funeral… she thought sadly. People always said that if you prayed to God, anything could happen. But nothing happened when I tried. They lied to me…
"Play him!" somebody called from the audience stand.
Everyone looked up to see an older boy. It was Horio's cousin, Horio Jyunpei. Jyunpei had accompanied Kintaro when he ended up at Shizuoka rather than Tokyo, and they had been acquainted with each other ever since.
"Play him!" Jyunpei went on. "He's really wanted to play you and all the way here from Shizuoka! It's okay if it's one point, right? So please, play him! I beg you!"
"I don't know what's going on, but I'm begging you too, Echizen!" Horio said.
Ryoma looked at Kintaro, then the Horio cousins.
"Fine," he said. "It's okay if it's one point."
Ah… Ayame thought. He's going to play after all… but only one point.
Ryoma and Kintaro got onto the court, and Ryoma hit a Twist Serve. Kintaro managed to return it, and they began rallying. Ryoma soon activated Muga no Kyouchi, and Ayame watched as she saw him use other tennis players' moves, including her Ninja Dash and her Gemini.
Forty-five minutes passed, and neither side had scored.
This is no good… Ayame thought. Ryoma will lose if he keeps this up.
As Ayame dreaded, Ryoma felt the side effects of Muga no Kyouchi and fell to his knees. Kintaro began to execute his signature move, the Super Ultra Great Delicious Daisharin Yama Arashi. From the audience, Ayame heard Gin warn that it was stronger than his 108th level of Hadoukyuu.
"Kin-chan, that's enough!" Shiraishi shouted.
Ayame knew that Shiraishi wanted Ryoma to avoid getting injured so he could play in the finals, but Kintaro refused to stop. He smashed the ball, and right before the ball landed, Ayame saw a distinct movement from Ryoma before the whole stadium was covered in an explosion of dust.
The dust cleared. The ball was revealed to have split in half, and each half landed on both side of the courts, thus making the one-point match a tie.
"Whaaaaaaat? It's over already?" said a disappointed Kintaro.
"Che…" Ryoma seemed unhappy about not being able to win.
Ryoma, you… Ayame thought, staring at her childhood friend. You managed to perfect that…?
Seigaku and Shitenhouji went their own ways, with Seigaku going out for some yakiniku. Ayame wished she could tag along, but she claimed that she needed to study. Before she left, though, Rikkaidai showed up in front of them. Seigaku invited them to go to yakiniku, but they declined, claiming that they have practice. Ayame left to go home while Seigaku went out for yakiniku.
I hope Ryuzaki-sensei is prepared for the bill, she thought as she stepped through her front door. I know a few lunkheads from the group who love to eat.
Ayame had been half right. She had missed out on an eating contest between Seigaku, Shitenhouji, Higa, Rokkaku, and Hyotei. The result was a much higher bill than she had been expecting.