Disclaimer: Konomi Takeshi owns Prince of Tennis material, not me.
AN: Filler chapter. Sorry about that. I'm following the manga events for a majority of this chapter. I also upped the timeline on Rin's encounter with Ginka. To make it up to my readers, Atobe makes his first appearance in this chapter and I wrote an omake that introduces some of the Hyoutei Regulars. ;) Enjoy.
"Speech in Japanese"
"Thoughts in Japanese"
"Speech in English"
"Thoughts in English"
Chapter 20: Countdown to Prefecturals
- 9/8 Days till Prefecturals -
She continued to stare up at the ceiling. It was well past midnight, but Rin's mind still kept thinking about what had happened earlier in the day. At the time, she had felt confident and ready to prove herself. But now, her past insecurities about her wins in America haunted her thoughts. Tezuka was definitely not holding back his skills, which bothered her. He mentioned even stronger players at Nationals. Would she be able to beat these players? Even after her defeat, Tezuka wanted her to be the one to lead the team to Nationals. Why her? He was obviously more skilled than her. So the question remained, why her? Did he see something she didn't? As Seigaku's buchou, why is Tezuka not the "Pillar of Strength?"
Rin then remembered that Tezuka had been leading the team for over a year and a half. The team had never made it past Prefecturals. The same thing had happened to her father when he played for Seigaku. He was a brilliant player, but he could not carry the team to Nationals. Did Tezuka not have faith in his teammates? No, that was not it. He drove the team to do better, much like she had when she made it onto the team.
It finally dawned on Rin why Tezuka asked for her help. Tezuka saw that she motivated her teammates to do better. When her teammates saw her do so well, they worked to get better too. Rin was warmed by the thought that Tezuka had seen the effect, and wanted her to be aware of it. Rin was not as worried about what tomorrow would bring. She would help her team, in order to keep her promise to Tezuka. A promise of Nationals. But first, she had to get stronger to beat all her opponents on the road to beating her father.
- 8 Days till Prefecturals -
"Daijoubu Rin-chan?" Sakuno asked at the next tennis practice.
"Yeah, Ryuzaki-sensei said you were feeling sick," Kachiro added.
"I'm fine, just cramps." Rin bluntly stated. The guys who knew what cramps referred to cringed, while the girls gave nods of understanding.
"Gah! Echizen, we don't need to know that!" Momoshiro exclaimed in horror.
"If you are still feeling bad, I'm sure Obaasan would let you off practice today too."
"Don't worry about it Sakuno-chan." Rin tried to reassure her friend.
"I have some medicine if it bothers you anytime during practice, Echizen-chan," said Fuji.
"Lalala... I don't want to hear this." Momoshiro covered his ears. He and the other boys ran off. They did not want to listen anymore about women issues.
"I don't see what their problem is. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I have some chocolate, if you want," Umi offered. A bar of chocolate was handed to Rin.
"Arigato, Librarian-chan." Rin was about to take a bite, but was interrupted.
*Clap* "Minna-san, gather around." Oishi called out. The team lined up in front of Tezuka, Oishi, and Inui.
"You may want to keep that on hand for later, if Oni-chan brings IT out," Umi whispered to Rin. A shiver ran up Rin's spine. She quickly pocketed the chocolate for later.
"Prefecturals are next week, so remember yudan sezu ni ikou. Inui, explain today's practice."
"Hai, Tezuka. Today we are working on endurance. That means we will be running laps for most of the practice." There was a collective groan from the club.
"I'm sorry you feel that way. But if you need more motivation to run, I made a new drink that will help." Inui pulled out a pitcher with a fluid of various shades of red. Rin looked at Umi in alarm. The other girl sighed and nodded her head, confirming Rin's fear.
"I call it Penal Tea." Inui's glasses glinted. Everyone backed away from Inui, except Fuji.
"Saa, it looks tasty. Can I try some now, Inui-kun?" Fuji asked.
"Everyone will get to try it if they don't start those laps." Inui said calmly. A cloud of dust obscured the tennis courts. When Inui and Fuji could see again, the rest of the team were halfway through the first lap.
Once the terror of trying Inui's latest creation wore off, the club members tried to pace themselves. A few of the freshmen and juniors could not keep up the run. They were able to run up to 50 laps or so. Screams of terror helped motivate the rest of the club to soldier on.
"Ah, I forgot to mention that you have to drink Penal Tea if you can't make it past 75 laps. Also after 75 laps, I will be shortening the time you need to finish the laps by 1 minute until you have to finish in 3 minutes. Then you have to finish 100 laps in total." Inui called out to the group.
"We're doomed!" Kikumaru cried out in despair. A lap generally took 4 minutes to complete.
"Just keep a steady pace, Eiji." Oishi tried to encourage his doubles partner.
"I don't see the problem," said Fuji.
"Of course you don't Fuji-sempai. You like the crap that Inui-sempai makes!" Momoshiro exclaimed.
"Fshhh!" Kaidou hissed in agreement. It was the one thing the two rivals could agree on.
"If you guys have energy to talk, then you aren't running fast enough." Tezuka scolded the Regulars as they finished the 75th lap.
"AAAHH! So spicy!"
Thuds were heard in the background. The Ichinen Trio, along with Arai and another junior, fell victim to Penal Tea. They were just shy of the 75th lap. The only ones left were a few seniors, Umi, Sakuno, and the Regulars. Rin had been training her friends every Sunday, so the girls had been able to increase their stamina quite a bit. Unfortunately, the girls had reached their limit.
"Umi-chan and I aren't going to make it Rin-chan. Go on without us," Sakuno gasped out. Rin looked back to see that Umi and Sakuno were the last of the pack.
"Don't worry about us. I've got it covered." Umi gave Rin a tired smile for encouragement. Rin gave the girls a nod and kept running. The two girls dropped to the ground after completing the 76th lap.
"Well, Imouto looks like you and Ryuzaki-chan get to try my Penal Tea." Inui smirked. He handed them each a cup of Penal Tea.
"That's where you're wrong Oni-chan. It was my turn to do the dishes last night. You left enough of a sample of Penal Tea in the blender for me to make this." Umi pulled out of her bag a small bottle containing a dark brown substance. On the bottle was a label reading "Umi's Awesome An-Tea-Dote" with a chibified Umi in a victory pose to the right of the name.
"Umi's Awesome An-Tea-Dote?" Inui read out loud.
"Hai, this one was pretty simple to counter. Now one spoonful each should work."
Umi poured out her brown, viscous An-Tea-Dote onto a large metal spoon. Taking Sakuno's cup, Umi stirred her newest counter into the Penal Tea. The color changed from a blood red to a chocolate brown. Umi handed the cup back to Sakuno. She added the counter to her own cup.
"Go ahead, Sakuno-chan it should be neutralized now." Umi said with confidence.
Sakuno not wanting to hurt Umi's feelings carefully took a small sip of the "neutralized" Penal Tea. It tasted like chocolate milk, with a spicy kick, and a hint of cinnamon. It was actually pretty good. It reminded Sakuno of gourmet chocolates Tomoka's cousin brought back from a trip to America. Tomoka had shared the box with the girls earlier in the week (1). The drink had the right amount of sweetness and chocolate to counterbalance the spiciness.
"This is actually really good Umi-chan." Sakuno drank the rest of the cup in one gulp.
The club members that had to drink the unadulterated version of Penal Tea were shocked. There is no way that drink could be made to taste good. It was like drinking a bottle of hot sauce. Inui immediately took notes about Umi's counter. Sakuno's emptied cup was snatched out of her hand by Inui. He glared at the remaining liquid, thinking that glaring at it would answer how his sister came up with a counter so quickly.
"Remind me to thank Tomoka-chan for giving me the idea for this counter. I must admit, this is the first time I got a counter right in the first try." Umi said as she drank her cup with an equal amount of flourish before her brother could take it away to learn her secret formula.
"Why didn't you give us some too?" Horio yelled out in anger. The few conscious tennis club members grumbled their agreement to Horio's statement.
"I didn't have enough ingredients to make more than two doses."
The Regulars who had heard there were no more An-Tea-Dote doses quickly picked up the pace. They were determined to make it. There was only one lap left now. The finish line was in view. The group collapsed onto each other just as they passed Inui. Inui was too absorbed in being beaten by his sister to notice the Regulars had completed the run. It took him a few minutes to notice the pile of bodies in front of him.
"Oh, you guys are finished already? Now what should I do with the rest of the Penal Tea?" Inui asked.
"Throw it away!" was the collective cry amongst the tennis members.
- 7 Days to Prefecturals -
"Moi, Rin-chan, your Kaasan is just as weird as your Tousan," Tomoka complained.
"Yes. It is rather strange that she lets her husband dress as a monk while looking at erotica. Yet, she finds it sacrilegious to be using the side of a temple wall to practice tennis." Umi added.
"Hn." Rin grunted in agreement. She stopped trying to figure out her parents long ago.
It was far too early to be up on a Sunday morning in Rin's opinion. Rin was starting to regret agreeing to help the girls with their tennis in exchange for free lunch and snacks after they finished practicing. Being up early when there was no school or tennis practice just was not right. Umi had nixed the use of a Ponta fix for quick pick me up, stating the caffeine in the soda would stunt her growth.
Today the girls were planning to work on Tomoka and Sakuno's accuracy. They met at Rin's house like always. This way, they would have a tennis court readily available. Umi had taped a few targets on the side of the temple wall for the two to aim at. They had just started, when Rin's mother, Echizen Rinko, came out to check on them. Rinko immediately kicked them out after discovering the group was hitting the temple's side with tennis balls.
Tomoka had gotten bored during the short bus ride to a nearby park. She had taken the three tennis balls the group had brought with them, and started doodling. One ball ended up with a chibi face of Rin, much to the amusement of the other girls and to the annoyance of Rin. Another had random swirls and stars. The last one had a large flower on the side of it.
They had found a deserted backstop for the two girls to use. It was next to a poorly maintained tennis court, making it perfect for the girls' needs. Rin had wanted Umi to help her with a new move she had been planning ever since her match against Tezuka. She needed someone to help work on the timing of the jump at the end of her counter. After explaining what she wanted to do with her counter, Umi immediately started planning the training regime for the day's practice.
In the mean time, Sakuno and Tomoka got to work trying to hit the center of the targets. Tomoka was able to hit the outer rings of the targets on a consistent basis, but kept missing the center. Sakuno was making progress in that she at least was able to hit the paper the target was on. When she first joined the club, she would not have been able to hit the wall, let alone a 1x1 meter piece of paper. Unfortunately, Sakuno still had issues on power and control. The ball struck the top of the wall, before it careened off into the foliage behind the wall.
"Oh, that's my only tennis ball," Sakuno lamented.
"It should be easy enough to find. That's the one I drew Rin on, neh?" asked Tomoka.
"I think so." Sakuno nodded.
The two went off in search of the ball. Rin and Umi continued to practice Rin's newest move. When the others did not return after ten minutes, the remaining girls started to get worried.
"It couldn't have gone that far. Wonder what's taking them so long." Rin mused out loud.
"Ah, there is an 80% likelihood that Sakuno-chan got lost in there." Umi answered back.
"Hmm… You're probably right. I guess we should go after them then." Rin started to head behind the practice wall, with Umi following after her.
The two girls did not see the others right away, and went further into the growth. They soon came to a fenced wall. Tomoka was on their side of the fence. Beyond the fence were a few school tennis courts. Sakuno could be seen frantically searching through tennis balls littered around the closest court.
"Eh? I didn't know we were so close to a school," said Rin.
"Ginka if I'm not mistaken." Umi adjusted her glasses.
"Oh thank goodness you guys came. These bullies are making Sakuno-chan search for our ball through all of theirs." Tomoka angrily stated once she noticed Rin and Umi join her by the fence.
"That's right. She interrupted our practice. We're actually being quite generous by allowing her to look for her ball," said a third year with shaggy black hair.
"She wouldn't have had to search for it, if you hadn't knocked over all of yours!" Tomoka retorted back.
"Fukushi Michiru, third year buchou. They made it to Prefecturals too." Umi identified the third year softly so only Rin could hear.
"Great another bully. I swear they're everywhere." Rin thought.
"Oy. How about a match? For every game I win, I get to take one tennis ball." Rin called out to the Ginka members. She felt like teaching these punks a lesson.
"Hah, like we'd play against a weak, little boy like you." Fukushi laughed out.
"See Rin-chan, that hat keeps making people think you're boy." Tomoka argued.
The two still got into arguments about whether Rin should wear the hat when the group went out. For everyone's sake, they eventually agreed that when they practiced tennis Rin got to wear the hat. When they were out doing other things, Rin was forced not to wear the hat.
"That's a girl?" a Ginka tennis member mumbled to another.
"I know what you mean."
"Either way, we aren't going to play against a weakling like you." Fukushi cut off anymore talk amongst his club members.
"Heh, you scared to lose to a little girl." Rin taunted.
"Grr… I was trying to save you from getting humiliated by us, but now I'm mad enough not to care!" Fukushi's face turned red with anger.
"Ano… Rin-chan, are you sure you want to do this." Sakuno asked. The other girls entered the court to join Sakuno.
"Rin-chan has a 100% probability of beating them without any problems." Umi reassured Sakuno.
Rin had already made her way to the net to wait for her first challenger, so she had not heard her friends' comments. Fukushi stepped up first, confident he could beat the arrogant freshman.
"Let's see how quickly I can make you cry."
"Which?" Rin asked in a bored tone.
"It doesn't matter because I'm going to wipe that arrogant smirk off your face." Fukushi answered back. His fellow club members laughed along with their buchou, certain that the girl would be beaten quickly.
"Hoe~ If you're going to be like that, I'm going have to teach you a lesson in manners." Rin gave Fukushi an even bigger smile. A glare was the only response she received.
Rin walked away from the net and prepared to serve. She took an all too familiar stance with her racquet in her right hand. The racquet made contact with the ball. It soared over the net towards the unsuspecting Fukushi. He could only watch in frozen horror as the ball flew at his head. It had happened so quickly that he did not have time to move. The Ginka club members were shocked into silence, staring at their fallen buchou.
"Mada mada dane."
By the time Rin was done with Fukushi, he flinched every time a ball was sent towards him. His teammates, not to be outdone by a lone freshman, took up Rin's challenge. They fell down in defeat even faster than their buchou. Thirty minutes after the challenge had been issued, Rin stood undefeated over the sprawled out Ginka members. Every member had played against Rin, and they had all lost.
"Well, that was a good warm up. So who's next?" Rin asked innocently. Groans were all she heard in return.
"That's not a girl, it's a monster!" yelled out one of Ginka's Regulars as she ran away. The rest of her teammates followed her example. The Seigaku girls watched the Ginka tennis club flee from the unusually strong freshman girl.
"Way to go Rin-chan! You beat all of them." Tomoka cried out in excitement.
"That was amazing Rin-chan," said Sakuno.
"Since they all left, does that mean we get all their tennis balls?" Rin asked the others.
"I don't see why not. This day has proven far more productive than I had planned. I got some great data." Umi was busy scribbling notes down in a purple notebook.
"Let's go celebrate with lunch." Tomoka suggested. The girls all agreed, never noticing the large figure watching them from the second floor window.
- 4 Days till Prefecturals –
"Thanks for helping me set up for today's practice," said Umi.
"No problem, Umi-chan," Sakuno replied.
"Yeah, but what are in all of these?" Tomoka asked.
The three girls were hauling several shopping bags towards the tennis courts' surrounding area. It was twenty minutes before practice started. Umi had asked the girls for help at lunch. Only Sakuno and Tomoka were available. Rin had been assigned to class clean up again. Minagawa-sensei followed through with his threats against Rin. She had been caught sleeping during group presentation that day. It was the second time this week alone.
"Ah, let me show you guys." Umi dropped her bags to the ground. She reached into one. The bag had a sports supply store logo it. In her hand was a tennis ball tethered to an elastic band. At the other end of the band was a square weight.
"What is it?" Sakuno tried to puzzle out the purpose of the new training equipment.
"After our last 'adventure,' I felt we needed to work on control more. This device allows you to rally on your own, increasing your swing strength, speed, and control." Umi said, while Sakuno blushed lightly at being reminded of what happened that weekend.
"That's great, but what's all the other stuff?" Tomoka inquired impatiently.
"All the bags have these," Umi stated in a matter of fact tone. She started emptying the bags to prove her statement.
"Eh? There's has to be over 25,000 yen worth of stuff here!" Tomoka cried out in surprise.
"Where did you get the money to afford all this? Did you spend all of the club's savings?" Sakuno asked worriedly.
"I earned the funding for this equipment from sales of my Veggie Special Counter Agent (2) and Awesome An-Tea-Dote to pay for them all. After our demonstration on Saturday, many of the club members have paid quite a lot for my counter drinks." Umi beamed happily.
The girls sweatdropped at the idea that Umi had been profiting off the club's fear of her brother's drinks. They then realized how come they were not given the same option to buy the counters too. Being the good data specialist that she was, Umi answered their unasked question.
"Your counters come free of charge."
They sighed in relief. The three started to place the tethered set up in different areas around the courts to avoid accidents. Umi had explained to them, that although she was able to buy several of the devices, the Non-Regulars would have to pair up when using them. The Regulars had enough control not to need them, and were scheduled for a different training menu for the day on the courts.
The girls still had some time before practice started. Tomoka decided to test out the device while they waited for the rest of the club to arrive. She borrowed Umi's racquet. After missing the ball a few times at the start, Tomoka had found her rhythm and was putting up a good show of returning the ball by the time Rin arrived for practice.
"That looks like a pretty good training method." Rin had wanted to see what the trio had been up to before heading to the locker room to change. She watched Tomoka jump around trying to be in place for when the ball returned.
"It's actually pretty fun. Want to try Rin-chan?" Tomoka purposely missed the ball. It fell to the ground behind her.
"Sure," Rin took out her own racquet with her right hand. Soon the ball zoomed out in a straight path, before returning to Rin's waiting racquet. The other girls stared in awe at how it looked like Rin was playing paddle ball instead of a tethered ball and unattached racquet. She had not moved from her spot the entire time.
"Hey your ~form~ is pretty good." An auburn-haired third year boy wearing an all white school uniform said with a lecherous grin. Sakuno gasped in surprise when it looked like the boy was about walk into the path of the ball. He stopped just short of the ball's reach.
"Wow, he knew when to stop to not get hit," stated Tomoka. The other girls could tell Tomoka was going into her fan girl mode and backed away.
"In fact, you all have pretty nice forms," the boy gave the girls a wink.
Any fan girl ideas that Tomoka was developing for the cute, older boy were squashed immediately by his latest remark. Sakuno and Umi shifted uncomfortably under his leering stare. Rin ignored the boy's comments, and continued to hit the ball. The boy continued to stand right in front of the ball's path, unconcerned by its proximity to his face.
"Heh, if you put your body weight towards your front foot, you would be able to hit the ball with more power." A friendlier smile replaced his previously creepy grin.
"Hn, thanks." Rin swiftly switched the racquet from her right hand to her left.
"Interesting, a lefty," was all the boy could think before the ball flew straight at his forehead, knocking the boy to the ground. The world swirled around him. He smiled goofily as the girls surrounded him to see if he was ok.
"I must have gone to heaven because I'm surrounded by beautiful angels," the boy was having a hard time sitting up on his own.
"Oh dear, should we take him to the nurse?" Sakuno asked.
"Get the Horio and the others to take him. I don't trust hentais like him," warned Rin.
"Who is he anyways? I've never seen that school uniform around here." Tomoka mused out loud.
"Sengoku Kiyosumi, third year Regular for Yamabuki, nickname: Lucky Sengoku. He replaced Tezuka-buchou in the Junior Senbatsu Training Camp last year. He's probably here to spy." Umi supplied from her purple notebook.
"He doesn't seem that lucky if he got hit with a ball." Rin commented blandly. She left the others to deal with Sengoku, and headed to the locker room.
- 2 Days till Prefecturals -
Momoshiro exited the sporting goods store with a fellow club member. He had been told to help the goods manager, Kuwahara Naoka (3), get some supplies Umi had ordered earlier in the week. They had just finished checking that they had everything when a yell rang out.
"Stop! He just took my purse!"
A large man wearing a beanie ran towards the two teenagers. Momoshiro took a swipe at the man as he passed. The man dodged under the swing, and kept moving. The two could see a woman frantically gesturing at the fleeing man, while shouting about a stolen purse. Without much thought, Momoshiro immediately took off after the man, leaving Kuwahara alone with several bags.
*sigh* "There's no way I'm taking this all back to school by myself." Kuwahara dug out her phone from her book bag.
Momoshiro chased after the thief, but was unable to catch up to him. He finally noticed that the thief was wearing roller blades. Seeing no way of catching him on foot, Momoshiro quickly grabbed the nearest bike, apologized to the owner, and took off on the bike in pursuit of the purse snatcher. Kamio took a few seconds to understand what had just happened to him. He had been walking along with his bike to the nearby bus stop, when his bike was yanked out of his hands. He glared at the retreating figure with his bike.
"You think you can get away bike thief. Well I'm in the rhythm!" Kamio in a burst of speed, chased after his stolen bike.
"Eh, Fudomine's Kamio?" Momoshiro mumbled looking back at the boy chasing after him. It surprised him that Kamio was gaining on him, and Momoshiro immediately started to pedal harder. The two quickly gained more speed.
The purse snatcher looked back to see two boys barreling towards him. He was knocked down to the ground as the two rivals raced past. The thief lay stunned on the ground trying to figure out what happened. The victimized woman ran up to the downed thief and took her bag from the man before he noticed. He only realized he did not have the purse, when the woman started to beat the man with said purse.
The racing duo kept on going until they reached the stairs leading to the street courts. They collapsed onto the steps, panting heavily. Once the two caught their breath, Momoshiro was finally able to tell Kamio about the thief he had been chasing.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me you were chasing a thief sooner?" Kamio grumbled out. He was not as mad now that he had his bike back.
"I tried to. It's not like I steal other people's bikes on a regular basis." Momoshiro quipped.
"With the way you look, I wouldn't be too sure." Kamio retorted back. Momoshiro's faced colored with both embarrassment and anger. He took a calming breath, remembering that he had been the one to wrongfully take the bike.
"So how's Fudomine doing?" Momoshiro decided to change the subject.
"We're stronger than ever. We won't lose to a reserve player like you." Kamio smirked.
"Reserve player…" the anger Momoshiro felt earlier towards Kamio returned.
"Hey let go!"
The two boys looked up the steps they were sitting on towards the street courts.
"Eh?"
"That voice…" Kamio said to himself, before quickly running up the staircase. Momoshiro followed closely behind to see what was happening. The two found themselves looking at several defeated tennis players standing opposite of two boys in unfamiliar Regular uniforms.
One of the boys towered over everyone on the court. He had broad shoulders, muscled arms, and cropped black hair. The other boy had a perfectly coifed head of silvery hair. He had a rather regal look to his stance that was complimented by the beauty mark under his right eye. None of these details mattered to Kamio or Momoshiro. All they had noticed was that the silver haired boy's right hand was grasped tightly onto Tachibana An's shoulder.
"You told Ore-sama that if he defeated all of the players here, you would go on a date with him." The boy smiled down at An, as she tried to pry herself loose.
"An-chan!" Kamio cried out, drawing everyone's attention to the new pair.
"Tachibana's sister?" Momoshiro looked around the court and noticed some familiar faces.
"Gyokurin, what happened to you guys?" Momoshiro called out to Izumi and Fukawa. The two were surprised to find Momoshiro back at the street courts. The Gyokurin doubles pair looked worn out.
"Ah, Kabaji, it looks like we missed two." The regal boy stated to his taller companion. He let go of An. She immediately went over to Kamio and Momoshiro.
"Usu."
"Daijoubu An-chan?" Kamio asked.
"Hai, these guys are just being jerks. He said that 'Street courts are…,'"
"For the weak." The boy finished An's sentence, drawing angry looks from the defeated players.
"~Really? Neh, Kamio, let's teach these two a lesson." Momoshiro grinned at Kamio.
"Yeah, but do you even know how to play doubles?" Kamio took out his racquet.
"Of course, doubles are my specialty."
"Since when?" Passed through the minds of the Gyokurin pair.
"Hey, can I borrow a racquet from you?" Momoshiro waved towards Izumi. Reluctantly, Izumi handed Momoshiro his racquet. Kamio and Momoshiro squared off against the unknown Regulars. Much to their surprise, the silver haired boy sat down on the court.
"Kabaji, take care of them," the seated boy order his other Regular with a snap of his fingers.
"Usu."
"Is he seriously going to sit there?" Kamio looked at his new doubles partner for an answer. Momoshiro just shrugged his shoulders in response.
Kamio was the first to serve. Pissed off that the boy was not taking them seriously, he aimed at the seated boy. The ball flew straight at the boy's face; however, the boy's doubles partner immediately intercepted it. With a powerful swing, the ball careened towards Momoshiro at an alarming speed. Momoshiro, surprised by the speed of the swing, moved his racquet to intercept. The ball connected with Momoshiro. The world stood still, as Momoshiro curled into himself. The stillness broke when Momoshiro stood up to show that he had been able to stop the ball from hitting him in the stomach with his racquet.
"So you want to play it that way." Momoshiro smiled deviously. It was time he showed the two why he was known as Seigaku's Rascal.
The ball went back and forth over the net. It continued to be a two on one match: Kamio and Momoshiro, against the boy so far addressed only as Kabaji. The other boy remained unfazed by the movements around him, having complete faith that his doubles partner would take care of everything. Momoshiro saw his opening, when Kabaji lobbed the ball.
"Dunk Smash!"
Momoshiro leapt into the air with practiced ease. He swung his racquet down with all his power, aiming for the arrogantly seated boy. The boy actually seemed to take interest in Momoshiro's latest move, but remained seated.
"Not bad." The seated boy thought.
"Kabaji, get the ball." Another snapped order.
Kabaji moved with more speed than Momoshiro thought someone of his size could manage. The smash was sent flying back past Kamio and Momoshiro's defenses. Momoshiro gaped at the ease his Dunk Smash had been returned. Only Fuji or Tezuka had ever been able to counter his signature move. Before the match could continue, a voice rang out.
"Momoshiro Takeshi! You left me with all the equipment, so you could play street tennis!" An angry Kuwahara yelled at the sheepish looking Momoshiro. He looked at the top of the stands to see Kuwahara with Tomoka, Sakuno, Umi, Rin, and much to his dread, Fuji. The freshmen girls were carrying the bags he had left with Kuwahara. Looks of annoyance were shared by all the girls at being forced to do Momoshiro's job.
"That's was very naughty of you Momo-kun. Naoka-chan called me to let me know you abandoned her. I don't like it when you guys do those sorts of things to my girls." Fuji openly glared at her wayward kohai. Momoshiro fidgeted under Fuji's stare. Fuji always did take it upon herself to look after the girls in tennis club. It was a left over reaction from being the girl's buchou for her first year at Seigaku.
"Ah, Shuuko-hime. I didn't know he was one of yours. You still look as lovely as ever." The silver haired boy got up from the ground to move towards Fuji.
"You know him Fuji-sempai?" Momoshiro asked, trying to draw her attention away from himself.
"Atobe," Fuji acknowledged the boy with a nod. She turned back to Momoshiro to address his question. "He's Atobe Keigo, the buchou for Hyoutei Gakuen. The boy next to him is Kabaji Munehiro."
"Ore-sama, keeps telling you to call him Keigo-kun." The now identified Atobe Keigo pulled out a rose to hand to Fuji. She made no move to accept the rose. After realizing Fuji had no plans on taking the rose from him, he tossed it to the closest girl with Fuji. Instinctually, Rin caught the rose thrown at her face with annoyance.
"Watch where you're throwing things you Monkey King!" Rin reprimanded Atobe.
"Hmph, I see you are still hanging out with commoners, my Cinderella. I don't see why you lower yourself with them. You could be with Ore-sama as your Prince Charming. Together we would rule over Hyoutei and the tennis courts," Atobe had lightly grabbed Fuji's hands, while making his pleas for Fuji to transfer to Hyoutei.
"Hmm… fascinating. I didn't know anyone could say something so romantic, yet so insulting at the same time." Umi commented blandly to the other girls. Atobe turned to glare at Umi. Fuji used the distraction to remove her hands from Atobe's.
"This guy has put me off from wanting to be a princess, if he's Prince Charming," Tomoka replied back. The glare shifted to Tomoka.
"I can't believe all those stories about him talking in third person are true," Kuwahara wondered out loud.
"This guy has an ego bigger than Tokyo Tower." Rin added.
Sakuno was torn in trying to stop the others from insulting the boy, or laughing at their statements. In the end she lost after Rin's comment, and started to giggle. Momoshiro, Kamio, and An had no such qualms and started laughing at Atobe's expression. He was not thrilled that the Seigaku girls were making fun of him. Fuji was having a hard time not to join the others in their laughter. It was rather amusing watching Atobe's cheeks color in anger.
"You plebeians just don't have enough of an understanding to be able to appreciate Ore-sama's greatness." Atobe ran his hand through his hair.
"Remember my offer, Shuuko-hime. We could be great together." His eyes locked onto Fuji.
"I'm quite happy at Seigaku under Tezuka-kun's leadership." Fuji smiled serenely. Atobe's eyes darkened hearing his rival's name with such endearment from Fuji. He swiftly turned around so Fuji would not see his stunning good looks marred by his anger at the mention of Tezuka's name.
"Let's go Kabaji." He snapped his fingers again. Kabaji appeared by Atobe's side with their bags. The two left without further incident.
"What a character," Kamio voiced after the Hyoutei Regulars left.
"Saa… now Momo-kun, I believe we still have to discuss what you did to Naoka-chan earlier today." Fuji's eyes were upon Momoshiro again.
"Urk… can't we talk about this…" Momoshiro backed away in fear.
"No."
- 1 Day till Prefecturals –
"I said I was sorry. Isn't that enough?" Momoshiro pleaded.
"No. This way you will remember your responsibilities." Fuji answered back.
"Fuji-chan, don't you think this is a bit cruel…" Oishi trailed off, seeing the look Fuji gave him.
"This is nothing. Just because I gave up my captainship, doesn't mean I won't take care of my girls."
Momoshiro had what remained of the Penal Tea Inui had introduced days earlier placed in front of him. The tea seemed to have gotten darker and thicker since the last time he had seen it. He could only watch in dread as the tea was poured into a large glass by Inui.
"I'll do anything but this!" Momoshiro begged to Tezuka.
"This is what Fuji-chan decided for your punishment." Tezuka walked off to speak with Ryuzaki-sensei before practice. Momoshiro had a look of betrayal seeing Tezuka ignore his plea for help.
"Just do it quickly Momo-kun."
"That's easy for you to say Taka-san. You're not the one who has to drink it!" Momoshiro exclaimed. Kawamura looked hurt at being yelled at.
"Fshhhh. Stop being such a baby about it." Kaidou replied.
"What? I'll show you." Not wanting to look like a coward, Momoshiro grabbed the glass. The contents were swallowed in two gulps. It only took a few seconds before his face started to heat up.
"Gahh!" Momoshiro quickly fled to the drinking fountain.
"Oy, since you guys are done, get your butts over here!" Ryuzaki-sensei shouted at the tennis members who had watched Momoshiro receive his punishment. Once she saw everyone was paying attention, she signaled Umi to flip the bulletin board next to her. On the board was a large sheet of paper.
"This is the play bracket for tomorrow. We are going to be up against some strong teams, so don't lose your focus." Ryuzaki-sensei pointed Seigaku's position on the bracket. She continued to lecture on which teams to watch for. Hyoutei was the last to be discussed.
"Heh, we get to see Monkey King in the finals." Rin smirked when she heard about Hyoutei.
"You're right. I can't wait to show up that arrogant snob." Momoshiro agreed now that he washed the taste of Penal Tea out of his mouth.
"Neh, Fuji-chan. We might be up against Saint Rudolph in the quarter finals. Are you going to be ok with that?" Kawamura tentatively asked Fuji. She remained silent.
"Yuuta…"
End Chapter
AN: Following omake is part of the storyline. I just didn't feel like making it into a flashback or finding a place for it in a later chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it.
Omake: First Encounter
Fuji could not help but stare at the ornate gates in front of her. The gates were made of shining steel, with ornate golden decorations all along the grates. Past the elaborate gateway, was an equally awe inspiring building with a well manicured front garden. It made Fuji question the directions Ryuzaki-sensei gave her for Hyoutei Gakuen. Shaking off her unease from the sheer opulence of the school, she made her way towards the tennis courts.
Several of the male students gawked at her as she passed. The female students openly glared at the intruder. No one stopped her, thankfully. Fuji was still annoyed that she had not had time to change out of her Regulars uniform before coming to the school. She felt rather under dressed and slightly indecent in such a fancy environment. The female Regulars uniform had not been altered from Leiko's designs, so the skirt was still on the shorter side. Luckily she had a pair of matching bike shorts to cover herself.
The familiar sounds of tennis balls being hit told her that she had arrived at the courts. She gaped for a second time at the sheer number of members practicing in front of her. Ryuzaki-sensei had said something about Hyoutei having a large tennis club, but this was mind boggling. Fuji's quick mind estimated there had to be over 200 members. The multiple tennis courts spanned a quarter of the school.
The players noticed their observer. A few started to show off their signature moves after seeing the pretty girl watching them. Others ignored her after seeing her uniform. They thought she was there to spy on them. Some stopped their practice to head over to flirt with Fuji. The first to approach her was a boy wearing glasses, with long bluish hair.
"Can I help you miss? I'm Oshitari Yuushi. May I know the name of the lovely lady in front of me?" The boy spoke with a deep voice and Kansai accent. He gently took Fuji's hand to kiss it. The other boys decided to go back to practice after seeing Oshitari work his magic. They knew they did not stand a chance against Oshitari once he set his sights on a girl.
*chuckle* "My, my, aren't you the charmer." Fuji withdrew her hand, while giving the boy the smile she normally gave to flirtatious boys when she was trying to be nice.
"Will my charm earn me the honor of knowing your name?" He smoothly continued.
"It might, but first do you know where I could find your advisor, Sakaki Tarou?" Fuji asked.
"Sakaki-sensei is over there." The boy directed Fuji's attention towards a tall blond man in a business suit of all things sitting on a bench. Fuji was so used to seeing coaches in casual wear, that wearing a business suit on the court was foreign to her. His arms were folded against his chest as he gave orders to the players in front of him.
"Saa… Arigato, Oshitari-san." Fuji started to walk towards the man.
"Don't I get a reward for helping the damsel in distress?" Oshitari asked.
"Fuji Shuuko." Fuji continued her path towards Sakaki. Oshitari quickly followed after her.
"A name which matches your beauty perfectly."
"Oh, he's good."
Fuji had to give the guy credit; Oshitari was very good at flirting with girls. If she did not have an important errand to attend to at the moment, it would have been fun to see what pick up lines he could come up with. She reached Sakaki before Oshitari could flirt more. Sakaki noticed the girl, but did not find her important enough to bother with her. Fuji remained standing next to him, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. Oshitari knew it was best not to hit on the girl with his coach so close by. After awhile, Sakaki decided to see what the girl wanted.
"Yes?" He raised his right eyebrow questioningly.
Fuji handed him an envelope Ryuzaki-sensei had addressed to Sakaki. Recognizing the handwriting of Seigaku's tennis coach, he took the envelope without further questions. He scanned the contents of the letter. Sakaki looked at Fuji to see if she knew the contents of the letter. Her smirk told him all he needed to know. The letter was reread more carefully to make sure he was not mistaken.
"An ambitious plan. I can admire that, but you won't get approval from me," Sakaki told the girl.
"Saa… can I not convince you to reconsider?" The girl had on a predatory smile. Sakaki shivered involuntarily upon meeting her gaze.
"Eyes like that don't belong on a twelve-year-old girl."
Tearing his eyes away from the girl, they landed on his most promising new player. Atobe Keigo was currently playing against four older club members. Even with the odds stacked against him, Atobe was easily keeping up with his opponents. Sakaki looked back at the girl.
"Let's see why Ryuzaki thinks so highly of you." Sakaki motioned for Atobe to join them.
"Fuji Shuuko, this is Atobe Keigo. I'll give you a chance to prove yourself to me by playing a match against Atobe."
Fuji nodded in agreement. This was not the first time a coach had asked her to play for their endorsement of her plan to merge the genders. She knew this match would be the hardest one yet. It did not escape her notice that the boy had been playing against four opponents and winning.
"Ah, you must feel honored to be able to have a match with Ore-sama." Atobe flipped his hair back casually. Fuji looked back at Sakaki quizzically.
"Did he just speak in third person using Ore-sama?" She could not tell if Atobe was being serious or joking with her.
"Yes, he normally talks like that." Oshitari took pity on the confused girl.
Fuji shook her head to clear her thoughts about arrogant boys. The surrounding members started to gather upon hearing Atobe was going to play against a girl. Many were already betting how quickly he would beat her. Others said he would probably go easy on her because she was pretty.
"What's with the onna playing against Atobe?" A brunette boy with a long ponytail asked Oshitari.
"The enchanting Fuji-chan over there wants Sakaki-sensei to support something important. Sakaki-sensei wanted to see what she could do, Shishido." Oshitari responded back without looking. He was too busy watching Fuji walk over to the nearest court.
"Che, this is a waste of time. She's just going to lose." Shishido Ryou said as a matter of fact.
*Yawn* "Don't be so mean Shishido-kun." A boy with light brown, fly away hair scolded his friend. He yawned again and rubbed his eyes.
"Whatever Jirou," Shishido did not feel like being lectured by Akutagawa Jirou on his behavior.
"Shut up, they're about to start." A red head with a short bob snapped at the two boys.
"I see you decided to join us Gakuto-kun." Oshitari smiled.
"Hn." Mukahi Gakuto acknowledged his new doubles partner.
On the court, Fuji and Atobe were at the net to shake hands. Instead of shaking Fuji's hand, Atobe took it and kissed it in greeting. Fuji rolled her eyes in response, as she yanked back her hand. It was cute when Oshitari did it to her. Oshitari meant it as a way of flirting with her. When Atobe kissed her hand, it felt like he was mocking her.
"Ore-sama will let you have the first serve. After all, ladies first."
Fuji openly glared at the boy. This was going to be one of those matches where she would not be taken seriously at first. She was tempted to start out with a Disappearing Serve just to see everyone's reaction, but thought better of it. That move should be saved for when it was an official match. Instead she started out with a fast serve towards the back of the court. Atobe easily caught up to the ball and casually returned it.
The ball flew back and forth between the players. Fuji used the time to analyze her opponent and to warm up. Atobe was surprised at how well the girl could keep up. Most of the senior members of the club would have already lost a point or two by now. He started to actually pay attention to the game now that he knew the girl would not lose so easily.
"Not bad for a girl, let's see how you handle this." Atobe sent the ball to the far back corner of Fuji's side of the court.
The ball bounced right on the baseline. Fuji was already sprinting to the backcourt after seeing where Atobe aimed the ball. She dove for the descending ball before it could bounce a second time. Her racquet connected with the ball and lobbed it onto Atobe's side of the court, just shy of hitting the net. Channeling her inner Eiji, the dive turned into a small forward summersault. Fuji sprang back up at the end of the summersault. Expecting the return shot, she quickly spun around to counter it, but the shot never came.
Everyone openly gaped at the girl. They were certain she would never catch up to the ball, let alone return it. Atobe was also surprised by the girl's drive to return the ball. He could not help, but watch her rolling figure rather than the ball. Her lob bounced lightly next to the net before rolling off to the side of the court.
"15-0" Sakaki yelled out. He had not expected the girl to score the first point.
The game resumed with Atobe paying more attention to his opponent. He started to see her graceful returns and sprints. Atobe could easily admit that the girl was rather pretty. On the courts, the girl went beyond that description. It was like a majestic gazelle prancing across the plain. Oshitari was right in describing her as enchanting.
"I guess that makes me the lion." Atobe smirked at his own thoughts.
"40 all"
They were tied up now for the first game. The Hyoutei club members were no longer too sure about the fate of the match. They had never seen anyone other than Oshitari put up as much of a fight against Atobe. Fuji was determined to win her service play to set the tone of the rest of the match. Atobe decided he should start getting serious. If he wanted to be King of Hyoutei, he could not show weakness amongst his subjects.
He watched Fuji deliver a fast slice across the court. A rally began between the two players. The ball was lobbed towards Atobe. Seeing an opportunity to win the game, Atobe jumped into the air. He used the force of his descent to increase the power of his smash. The ball rapidly sped towards the ground. Fuji quickly spun to a crouch, her back facing Atobe. Fuji delivered a quick backhanded return as she spun. The centripetal force of her spin absorbed the power of the smash. The ball arched over Atobe's head. It landed with a dull thud on the baseline.
"1-0"
Atobe could not believe he lost the first game. Not only that, it was to a move his own teammate used against him already. His teammates could not believe it either.
"Wasn't that…" started Shishido.
"Higuma Otoshi." Gakuto completed Shishido's sentence.
"Wah! That was cool! That's the same move you did to Atobe, Oshitari-kun!" Jirou was now wide awake and shaking the shoulder of Hyoutei's self proclaimed tensai.
"I see. This proves we are destined to be together." Oshitari smirked.
The expression of disbelief on Atobe's face brought an even bigger smile to Fuji's face. It was too bad she could not take a picture of it. It was likely one of the few times the boy had ever been shocked silent. He seemed to snap out of it after seeing her smile brightly at him.
"Ore-sama underestimated you. It won't happen again." Atobe put his left hand over his face. His fingers were spread apart to be able to see Fuji.
"I can see your weaknesses."
Atobe had decided to use his Koori no Sekai to find Fuji's dead angles. In Atobe's mind eye, icicles rose up on Fuji's side of the court. He quickly memorized the locations of the icicles before starting his service play. His serve went towards one of the icicles' positions. Fuji was unprepared for the awkward position the serve made her body move to try to return the ball. She almost lost her balance. Atobe sent his return towards another icicle position. Not having recovered from her misstep, Fuji missed the ball.
"15-0"
"At least he is getting serious." Fuji thought blandly. The same patterned continued, with Atobe aiming for where he saw Fuji's dead angles. Fuji was unable to keep up. The second game went to Atobe.
"1 all"
Her emotions were conflicted. On the one hand she was happy that the boy was taking her seriously. On the other hand, she was annoyed at how the last game went. Fuji decided it was time to stop holding back too. She looked across the court to see Atobe in the same pose as earlier of having his left hand over his face. It was very odd to see.
Atobe was using his Koori No Sekai to check her weaknesses as she served. The icicles that formed around her shattered just as the ball flew towards him. Surprised by his insight failing him unexpectedly, Atobe missed the serve.
"15-0"
"Did Atobe just let her have a service ace?" Gakuto asked. Many in the club were thinking Atobe let Fuji score a point.
"No, he was genuinely surprised by something," said Oshitari.
"How did her weaknesses disappear?"
"Since you finally decided to play me seriously, so will I."
Her statement made Atobe smile in amusement.
- Line Break –
"6 all!"
The two players were panting from exertion. They had played for over an hour now, each winning their service play. Fuji had to use Higuma Otoshi a few more times. Atobe revealed his Jack Knife by the fifth game. No other special moves were shown. The players were too concentrated on returning the ball to think about such things. The surrounding club members were still silent. They were witnessing history. Fuji prepared to serve the first tie break serve, when she was stopped by someone clapping.
"Bravo. Your performance has moved me. You can count on my support Fuji-san." Sakaki stood up from the bench he was seated at.
Fuji could not help but run over to Sakaki and hug him in gratitude. She did not see the jealous looks Oshitari and Atobe sent their coach.
"Ah, sorry, I got carried away." Fuji realized her forwardness and hopped away. She started bowing profusely, while saying many thank yous and apologies.
*Chuckle* "It's quite alright." Sakaki laughed off the hug. If any of the Hyoutei girls were like Fuji, he would be happy to have them on the team.
"Oy, we still have a match to finish!" Atobe called out from the court.
"Of course, Atobe-san." Fuji started to return to the court when she heard her phone go off. She quickly searched through her bag to find it. The caller ID indicated the caller was her older sister, Yumiko.
"Moshi, moshi, Onee-chan."
"Shuuko, where are you? You're late for helping me make dinner," Yumiko scolded Fuji over the phone.
"Nani?" Fuji glanced at her watch. The digital face showed 6:00PM.
"Sorry Onee-chan. I'll be right there." Fuji snapped the phone shut. She quickly shoved her things into her bag.
"Thank you so much again for your help Sakaki-san, but I have to go now." Fuji bowed deeply.
"Sorry, we're going to have to finish our match another time Atobe-san." Fuji bowed towards Atobe.
"Goodbye Oshitari-san." Fuji waved towards Oshitari while running off, leaving the boys bewildered and Sakaki even more amused.
*sigh* "And she disappears just as quickly as she entered into my life." Oshitari said wistfully.
"You've been reading too many of those trashy romance novels." Gakuto complained to his doubles partner.
"Hmph, Ore-sama wished to continue the match." Atobe stated to Sakaki.
"Probably better that it stopped, or you would have been beaten by a girl." Shishido teased. Atobe glared at his teammate.
"You'll have your chance if Seigaku goes to Prefecturals next year." Sakaki cut in. It was too tiring to hear the petty squabbles that these two players always got into.
"Eh?"
"She had come to ask for my support in her plan to merge the tennis clubs so that they would be coed." Sakaki walked off to avoid having to hear the aftermath of his revelation.
"Nani!"
"I guess we better finish practice then. We don't want to lose to a bunch of girls like Atobe." Gakuto jokingly said. The other boys followed Gakuto's lead and left to finish their drills. Only Oshitari and Atobe were left by the bench.
"This makes things more interest doesn't it, Atobe?" Oshitari smirked.
Atobe was not listening to him. His mind was still thinking about the girl that had all the qualities his future queen must have: beauty, tennis skills, and with this latest news from Sakaki, intelligence. With a girl like that by his side, he would finally have everything.
"Fuji Shuuko, I'll make you my queen."
Somewhere near Hyoutei, Fuji felt a sense of foreboding. She hoped it was just her fear of Yumiko yelling at her for being late.
End of Omake
AN: I hope you guys liked the chapter and the omake. Please read and review. I'll be posting up the first chapter of my collection of one-shots/omakes for this story under the title, "Dreams of Belief" hopefully by the weekend. Make sure to look in my profile for when it comes out. My first one shot that I have planned will go more into what happens now that Atobe has his sights on Fuji.
(1): So I'm sure you are wondering what exactly is in Umi's Special An-Tea-Dote. It contains a combination of dark chocolate, condensed milk, and a touch of cinnamon. The gourmet chocolate shops where I live sell chocolates with cayenne pepper, wasabi, and other spicy things in them. This gave me the idea that Penal Tea, which is mainly hot sauce, could be countered using a mixture of chocolate, milk, sugar, and cinnamon.
(2): Veggie Special Counter Agent contains simple syrup (concentrated sugar for those who don't know), peppermint extract, and a little bit of lemon juice. The syrup sweetens the drink to make it more paletable. The peppermint masks the taste of the other ingredients. The lemon juice breaks down the algae to help the texture. Of course I wouldn't recommend this counter in real life. At least An-Tea-Dote might taste good in moderation.
(3): Gender bent Kuwahara Naoya, who is listed as Seigaku's goods manager. One of the few third year girls left from Kuki Leiko's reign of terror. You don't need to remember her.