(I don't own Prince of Tennis!)

LivesForTennis0001: Thank you for pointing that out to me. In fact, this is why this chapter will be different. After all, Mai would be taking more of a beating here. Also, thank you for telling me what to do instead of just criticising me on the details. I didn't understand before that having a horrible family makes her a Mary Sue but honestly, I thought the flat footedness could be one of her flaws and she does have a minor injury which you will see later when she plays in the finals. She just tries to mask her pain but I know how it feels like because she's my character! XD I will definitely take your suggestions. Some people don't do it just as politely as you do. Don't worry – Haruka did have her moment with her sister Ino, Momo had an insanity moment and Rin just had a sugar rush! XD but Hitomi and Isane will reveal their side of the story soon. I just thought now's not the time yet. But Shizuru tries to look perfect but as you can see – Atobe doesn't like her. XD

Chapter 28 – Crushed; Battle of Endurance!

Slicing it under, Mai brought out the Hofuku Yamaonna as Umeyumi bent down to lob it. The only thing is that...

"Net, three –zero," Umeyumi glanced at her racquet and then at the ball.

Mai's amber eyes analysed Umeyumi carefully. "What makes you think a lob can return it?"

"Grrnk," Umeyumi withheld her laughter. "HAHAHAHA, there you are again!"

Haruka face palmed, sighing. "God, doesn't she ever stop laughing at serious faces?"

"I guess that's what makes her dangerous," Isane shrugged. "People normally get pissed off at people who laugh too much."

Hitomi nodded as she looked at Mai. "Mai however happens to be like that."

"Geez, what's wrong with you," Mai pointed her racquet towards Umeyumi, twitching at the same time. "For goodness' sake, will you serve already!"

Umeyumi stopped her snickering as she picked up the ball. "Well, time to crush you then."

Mai stepped back to see Umeyumi's glowering eyes while throwing a glance to Shizuru. You better warm up, I'm not sure if I can handle her.

Shizuru turned to Momo. "Momo-senpai, please follow me to the empty court next door."

Momo stared at her, puzzled. "What's up?"

Mai smiled cheekily at her while Shizuru nodded as the two left the benches.

"What was that for," Kiyone glanced at Haruka who simply sighed.

"She knows that the percentage is low," Hitomi tilted her glasses. "It's Mai's way of telling her to get ready for a battle of a lifetime."

()()()()

"Buchou," Momo glanced at the younger girl. "Were you the one who kicked Mai?"

Shizuru's head swivelled up. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not the type to pry but," Momo bit her lip. "It's rare for Mai to get a footprint on her shirt."

Shizuru hung her head, smiling faintly. "Well, guilty as charged."

Momo sighed inwardly; how could Shizuru do that? "I don't get it, why don't you want us to help you? We're willing to take the risk."

Shizuru shook her head as she laughed softly. "No, everyone's only scraping the surface."

Momo slapped her own forehead while hearing a few loud sounds. "Whoa, looks like Hyotei Gakuen and Seishun are having a heyday out there. Wanna go check it out?"

Shizuru nodded weakly as Momo and she reached the bleachers overseeing the match in the boys' division.

Atobe ran from left to right as he returned most of Tezuka's shots. You're really something, Tezuka. Every one of your shots is coming after me. You of all people should know the plan... playing a long game with that handicap is insanity.

Watching a forehand come straight at him, Atobe ran for the ball. "Now hurry up and attack me!"

However, what grabbed Atobe's attention was that now Tezuka started returning the shots at him and found one coming in between his legs.

"Don't tell me," Atobe gaped in horror. "You're telling me that you're willing to do it!"

Tezuka's eyes glared holes into Atobe's as he kept on playing. Tezuka felt his body move by itself even with his mind yelling at him to hurry up instead of accepting the challenge. However, even he couldn't understand why his body mechanically moved by itself. Until, a small flashback showed itself in front of him.

Tezuka-kun, kimi wa Seigaku no hashira. (Tezuka, become Seigaku's pillar of support.)

Tezuka smirked barely at what echoed in his ears. No matter what, Seigaku will go to the Nationals.

Everyone would have seen Inui's eyes slightly widen if he had no glasses. "I can't believe he chose the long method..."

Oishi recalled everything that had happened to them in first year and freshman Tezuka's words echoed in his mind.

Oishi-kun, in our time – we'll definitely lead Seigaku to the Nationals!

"To become Seigaku's pillar," Oishi smiled bitterly to himself. "You had to risk everything but I didn't really expect this..."

From the sidelines however, Sengoku shook his head disbelievingly. "It's all up to him now. Tezuka has chosen his victory as the Seigaku captain over his arm."

"Game, Tezuka: six games to five!"

With chants howling left and right, Tezuka took in a deep breath as he prepared for a service. Atobe stood warily, waiting in front of him. Tezuka closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he tossed it up in the air. However, something went terribly wrong as his racquet clattered on the ground with the ball dropping along with it. Tezuka dropped on one knee, gripping his shoulder tightly and gritting his teeth. Oishi stared in horror as Momoshiro, Kikumaru, Inui and Fuji left the bleachers to help the fallen captain.

"Don't come," Tezuka's deep voice caused the others to halt.

Oishi gaped in shock as Tezuka took a few steps towards them. "The match isn't over yet."

Shizuru couldn't believe what she was seeing and Momo glanced towards Atobe. Taking a quick assessment, Momo watched the Hyotei captain carefully analyse Tezuka's movements as the Seigaku captain made his way to the baseline once more. Damn, this man is crazy! That injury is career threatening! What's the moron thinking!

Shizuru however didn't budge from her spot but chose to analyse his eyes. "I see... so that's what it means."

Momo swivelled her head to the captain's direction. "What are you talking about?"

"The Nationals," Shizuru smiled as she watched Tezuka begin his service, noticing him wince before he served. "It is too important for him to lose sight of."

Momo whacked the upside of her kohai's head. "That doesn't mean he needs to destroy himself for it!"

Shizuru faced Momo with a slight twitch. "But that's something a captain should do. His or her health is secondary for the sake of the team. Even," – her voice slowly rose, "even Midoriyama-senpai knew that about Kotetsu-senpai."

The two of them had a slight silence before watching the game again. "I'm sorry," Shizuru hung her head. "I forgot how..."

"Like what Mai once told me," Momo brushed it off. "You'll never understand how it's like to be a doubles pair."

()()()()

"Four – zero," Umeyumi watched the ball fall on her side again. Interesting, the ball has such a heavy spin that no matter what I do – there's no return.

Mai glared intensely at Umeyumi until the Jyosei Shounan regular smirked. "Thanks for giving it to me though."

Taken aback, Mai served the shot as Umeyumi sliced it the exact same way which forced Mai to bend.

"Net, Four – one," Mai gaped slightly. No way, she copied it!

Ayane yanked her hair. "How did she copy her technique that fast! Mai-senpai was already leading in the points!"

"She bided her time," Hitomi began scribbling down. "Like I said, Tousaka Umeyumi is known as the Awakened Angel. She already mastered her Self-Actualization and can do it consciously. Kabaji can only absorb it but has to erase his memory of the former match for the next. She can use whatever experience she had earned even from long time ago to take down an opponent."

Haruka stared in shock. "She never faced Kotetsu-senpai right?"

"Worse," Isane bit her lip. "She faced Midoriyama-senpai. She's the only one who could ever bring her down..."

Umeyumi snickered to herself as she twisted herself in mid-air and sliced the shot down, creating a backlash on the ball. "Do you remember that technique, Nagisaki? The technique you could never hope to defeat... it's the one even Shizuru could not figure out ne?"

Mai gripped her racquet hard. This is bad, what am I going to do now? That shot's called...

"It's somewhat similar to Kiyone-chan's Chire Gaigetsu Sakura," Hitomi pulled out her cell phone and played out one of Kiyone's match. "Because of the heavy spin, the ball shoots forward and makes a heavy whiplash against the opponent thus scaring anyone who faces the shot. It's deemed unreturnable due to the wild flash it creates and also the wind it whips back with. This is what Midoriyama-senpai called the Backlash Drop. Something she got inspired by when Momo and she simply went roller skating in the park."

Kiyone tugged her collar. "She's that good?"

"Believe me," Isane nodded vigorously. "She was offered a chance to enter Wimbledon Doubles Team but turned it down because it meant leaving Momo-chan behind."

"Net, Two – Four," Mai stared at the ball that bounced in front of her while Umeyumi tossed her hair back.

I can't believe it, Mai shivered a bit. She saw her opponent changing into a lavender haired girl with dreadlocks and tanned skin. Mai's eyes widened as the girl stared at her for a few moments, realizing who Umeyumi had now changed into. Taking a few steps forward, the girl smirked at Mai while pointing her racquet down at her.

"Don't you feel pathetic that even your own doubles partner won't trust you?"

Mai shuddered at the sound of the girl's voice as she tried to stand up. "M-Midoriyama-senpai... is that...?"

"You knew that she was afraid to trust," 'Midoriyama' continuously smirked at her as she lowered her racquet. "She only became your doubles partner in order to get you in. She's low on confidence; you of all people should know that."

Mai froze at Midoriyama's words as the lavender haired girl turned around. "You're not a genius – you just pretend that you are to make people think that you are."

She's right, Mai bit her lip. "You're right on one thing... I forgot to consider that she never had good confidence levels. She only became captain because of her insane skill but confidence became more my league. But, you're also wrong about one thing," –she closed her eyes. "There's one thing that makes me different."

Midoriyama (a.k.a. Umeyumi) clucked her tongue. "Alright, show me what you got."

Inhaling deeply, Mai stared her down before closing her eyes. How long have I been playing this way? Why did I even start playing this way for that matter?

"If you truly wish to be her doubles partner then, keep up with her."

Mai spun around to see Kotetsu Naomi behind her. "What the hell? Now, I'm hallucinating..."

"Put it this way," Naomi smiled gently at the younger tensai. "A doubles partner is not supposed to wear his/her partner down. You should remember that. They should have complete and utter trust. While you learn how to trust, you always tend to hold back. You better get yourself in gear if you want to maintain that title."

Mai laughed bitterly as she faced 'Midoriyama' again. I was always afraid, alone and hurt. When Shizuru and I joined the team, that's when everything changed.

'Midoriyama' raised an eyebrow as Mai lowered her stance. "Hou~, so what's this?"

"You're not going to work on me anymore," Mai raised her racquet. "Midoriyama-senpai is the past!"

()()()()

"Wow," Gakuto whistled as he turned to Oshitari. "Atobe's getting desperate isn't he?"

Oshitari watched annoyance flicker in his captain's eyes. "This time he's going to go for it. He knows what's going to happen..."

Atobe saw a lob and targeted Tezuka's wrist right away. "This is... the Hamutsu e no Rondo!"

From the sidelines, Yanagi winced a bit. "Here it comes..."

Sanada glanced at Tezuka who didn't even twitch despite the pain or the insanely fast smash coming at him. What will you do now, Tezuka?

Tezuka, wincing slightly, forced down his racquet down as the ball lobbed into the air.

"Whoa, that's an insane amount of tenacity!"

"Go Tezuka-buchou!"

Atobe shook his head while desperately searching for a place to attack, casting his eyes towards the right side. Tezuka, you lowered your racquet instantly. I'm surprised that your shoulder is still cooperating with you...!

As he attacked the right side, the ball swerved towards Tezuka which allowed him to return it.

"You still have the Tezuka Zone?" Atobe stared aghast at the Seigaku captain. "Will you risk everything for this one match?"

Tezuka narrowed his eyes a bit as he readied a return. "I'm sorry Atobe; Seigaku is going to the Nationals."

Glancing towards the side, Momo found Atobe biting his lip as he backhanded Tezuka's return. She couldn't believe that Tezuka still had that kind of willpower despite the injury in his shoulder. Most sane people would choose to forfeit the match.

Geez, men and their stupid pride, Momo snorted as she glanced at Shizuru. "Shouldn't we head back to Mai?"

However, the violet haired Shinigami earned no reply from the captain as the brunette kept her eyes glued. "For the love of God," –she tugged Shizuru roughly. "Will you peel your eyes away before you get hypnotized into doing something that stupid?"

"Hey," a bouncy orange haired vice captain smiled cheerfully. "Need any help with her?"

"If you're going to flirt," Momo glared holes that would have made turtles turn into runners. "Then, get the hell out of my way before I hammer your little tongue to the roof of your mouth."

Sengoku winced but grinning cheekily either way. "Aww, but you're so cute when you're mad."

Momo twitched visibly. "Damn it, what kind of boy just approaches you just like that?"

"Some people would be blind if they didn't see a beauty like you," Sengoku snickered as he poked Shizuru. "I guess she's too mesmerized by Tezuka-san."

Momo rolled her eyes. "Hence the reason why I think he's a bad influence, she's probably going to do the same with Souma Fuuka at the Finals!"

Sengoku waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sure she'll always have the team's best influence at heart."

"Problem with her is that she believes that captains have this annoying 'code' to follow," Momo yanked Shizuru's left arm. "Come on buchou! Agh, forget it – I'm leaving you."

Shizuru grabbed Momo's wrist. "Wait, there's something I need you to clarify for me."

Momo rolled her eyes as she shrugged. "Now you respond, what is it?"

"How long has Atobe-senpai kept that Hamutsu e no Rondo hidden?" Shizuru watched the ball fly back and forth. "His two part smash wasn't as fast as the one he fired at me."

Momo stared at her aghast. "What makes you think I know that?"

Shizuru pointed at Atobe's face. "I've never seen Atobe-senpai so desperate. Also," – she smiled slightly. "You're the one who knows human anatomy better than anyone else."

Momo exhaled sharply while looking at Atobe's form. "Well, judging from his stance and breathing rate – I'd say he's been hiding it and it only came out now. His type of challenge was never for endurance. Come to think of it, what kind of idiot prolongs a game?"

Sengoku exchanged glances with the two girls. "How did you make that conclusion so fast? Wow, your team's lucky to have you two!"

Momo shushed him, earning a slight pout from the Yamabuki vice captain. "Will you keep shut? I'm trying to figure out what this guy's antics are supposed to be for. Normally, he'd drive his opponent up to the wall until he couldn't play anymore."

Sengoku tapped his chin, snapping his fingers. "Hey, I remember seeing that in the Junior Senbatsu Camp!"

Momo glared at him as she grabbed his collar. "You moron, why didn't you tell me earlier! It would have helped instead of you flirting with my captain!"

"I wasn't flirting with your captain," Sengoku stared at her quizzically.

"What," Momo flushed into a deep colour of red. "Will you shut the hell up and get away from me!"

Shizuru cast a glance towards the Shinigami. "Momo-senpai, please stop making a scene."

Many of the Hyotei students stared quizzically at Momo while Seigaku somewhat twitched at how Momo held Sengoku by his collar.

"Well," he shrugged. "I'm lucky to have met you, what's your name?"

Momo tightened her grip. "Do you have to know! It's Sanada Momo! There, go ahead and say the facts!"

Sengoku grinned goofily at her. "Wow, such a nice name! Lucky~ for such a pretty girl!"

Momo drew back her fist. "You know – there's a reason why boys avoid me!"

Shizuru stood in between the two of them. "Momo-senpai please put him down."

"By the way," he gave her a thumb up. "I'm Sengoku Kiyosumi! Yoroshiku, hime-chan!"

Momo gnashed her teeth together. "Whatever, you're even worse when you're in person!"

After a few pleads, Shizuru managed to get Sengoku down from the raging Momo's grasp. "I'm sorry, Sengoku-san."

"It's okay," –he leaned over to whisper. "Do you have her phone number?"

"Momo-senpai's? Why," Shizuru tilted her head to the side. "I don't think..."

"Shizuru," Momo grabbed Shizuru by the wrist. "Let's leave this flirt to himself."

Sengoku waved goodbye cheerfully as Momo stomped away furiously towards the courts. "Some nerve," –she growled inwardly. "He has some nerve to think I'll fall for those lines!"

"Didn't you say," Shizuru found her senpai's hand clamped over her mouth.

Momo smiled sickeningly sweet. "Say it and you're not going to play properly, buchou."

"Hurt me and you have Mai to deal with," Shizuru pulled off Momo's hand with a faint smile.

Snickering, Momo ruffled Shizuru's hair. "If Midoriyama-senpai were here, I'd be using her as the threat."

Shizuru hung her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Momo-senpai. I forgot that..."

"It's no big deal," Momo shrugged it off, smirking inwardly. "She's the past. She's not a part of your regime anymore."

Watching Shizuru smile faintly at her, Momo curled her fist as she recalled seeing Midoriyama appear in one of her games. At first, she brushed it off but started explaining to her senpai until that semi-final match in the Nationals Tournament against Rikkai Dai. Momo's nails nearly cut into her hand as the score flashed in her mind.

"Inuzuka Miaka," –she hissed under her breath. "We'll meet in the semi-finals. I just know it!"

Feeling her phone vibrate, Momo pulled it out as she read the message.

Bring Kurenai-buchou in. Hoshimura's warming up and Mai's taking hits. – Yamaguchi Hitomi

Slapping it shut, Momo turned to her junior. "We better get going, buchou. Looks like Tousaka sealed up Mai for this round."

()()()()

"Game and match, Tousaka: seven games to six!"

Mai pounded her fist on the floor as Umeyumi resumed to her normal form. "I have to admit," –she extended her hand. "You're a genius to a certain point. But you're kinda an idiot when it comes to improvising."

Standing up by herself, Mai gave her a cursory handshake as she dragged herself to the bench. She silently took a seat as the Hyotei team members stared in shock; Mai stared blankly at the floor as the towel remained draped on her head.

"Even Fuji didn't make her this miserable," Haruka glanced at Hitomi. "This is one of her first official losses right?"

Ayane slapped Mai's back, earning a blank stare from the tensai. "Come on Mai-senpai! You win some, you lose some! No one's perfect!"

"I thought I had it all sewn up," Mai stared blankly at her racquet. "I didn't even expect to see Midoriyama-senpai come at me. Kotetsu-senpai just flashed in my mind the moment I took my stance to crush her. How did she even know all those things?"

Haruka took a seat beside her. "As half of a doubles pair, it's quite easy to see if your partner doesn't trust you or not. Kotetsu-senpai had her become a Singles player to fill up for Midoriyama-senpai after all. Even with Momo as the partner, Seigaku would have crushed us into pieces."

"But is that worth the cost of a friendship," Isane rubbed her forehead, timidly. "I mean – our performance relies on how much faith our captain has in us."

Rin's face became more crestfallen. "She does – it's just that it's not the kind of faith we want, kuwee~."

"The one who probably has the biggest amount of her trust here is Kiyone," Mai glanced at the sandy haired control specialist.

Kiyone pointed at herself with a tilt of her head. "Huh? Why would she trust me? I'm only first year!"

"You're a sapling that just needs a lot of guidance," Mai bitterly smiled. "She doesn't do it with me. She usually makes things cryptic then makes me figure it out. Then again, there was no one in the team to back me up."

Ayane rolled her eyes as she swatted Mai's head. "You stupid genius, don't you get it!"

Mai stared at Ayane as if she had grown a second head. "You didn't need one because you already had everyone!"

Kiyone face palmed. "Yane-Yane, I just wonder how badly your beloved 'hubby' has affected you. Your IQ has now increased by sixty percent. Well, not like you had any to begin with."

Ayane grabbed Kiyone, shaking her repeatedly. "Why I oughta...!"

"H-h-help m-m-me," Kiyone yelped as Ayane's shaking increased in speed. "Yane-Yane's trying to kill me!"

Ayane twitched visibly. "Damn it, don't say things like that!"

"For the love of God," a voice came from the bleachers. "We only leave for ten minutes and this is what happens?"

They found Momo with Shizuru as the captain passed her jacket to Mai. "Mai," –her face softened with concern.

"Save it," Mai waved her hand dismissively. "Kick my butt after you give Hoshimura a good taste of your tennis."

Shizuru saw the crestfallen blank gaze of the tensai as she went to the court to face the honey haired captain of Jyosei Shounan herself, Hoshimura Florence.

"Well," Florence cast a glance towards Shizuru. "It seems that you might end up like her later on."

Shizuru's smile dropped immediately. "I have no intention of losing to you or making anyone's sacrifice in vain."

Florence shrugged. "Well, about that – what makes you think you can beat me?"

"What makes you think I'll lose," Shizuru whispered before spinning her racquet. "Which one: Smooth or Rough?"

Florence shrugged nonchalantly. "I call smooth."

The racquet landed on smooth, allowing Florence to take the service. Shizuru stayed at the baseline, swinging left and right as she watched Florence toss the ball.

"Mai, maybe you should watch," Hitomi placed a hand on the tensai's shoulder. "There's a different look in her eyes this time."

Mai glanced up as Shizuru returned Florence's serve with a quick draw backhand. The captain jumped to the side to return Shizuru's shot with a forehand as the Hyotei captain volleyed it over to force her to the front. Gripping her skirt tightly, Mai glared inwardly as she hung her head.

Why? What is it I lack? The enthusiasm, the skill, what is it I lack!

Isane watched the ball fly back and forth. "Hoshimura-san really knows how to make us look bad."

"Hoshimura Florence was the Junior French Open champion," Hitomi skimmed through her notes. "She took down most of the big guns in the French Open and after her fourth time – she returned home to Japan to find new opponents. Some like Souma Fuuka, Yukimura Ai and Amakusa Natsuki had persuaded her to stay."

Momo gripped the fence. "The Jyosei Shounan captain before her was nothing. She couldn't even score a point."

"Kotetsu-buchou was one of the supreme Angels of Kantou after all," Haruka recalled looking at a tennis magazine. "Even now, she continues to take the tennis world by storm."

Isane felt her phone vibrate as she picked it up. "Hello, who is this?"

"Hey Isa-chan," a cheerful voice rang out. "How's my favourite sniper, hmm?"

Isane's face lit up. "Ferero-senpai, where are you?"

"Take a 180 degree turn and you'll see where," –Isane made a turn as the former vice captain stuck out her tongue. "Boo."

Isane, stumbling back, yelped as she clung on to the female Sanada. "Waaah, Ferero-fukubuchou! You're here!"

Lulu scratched behind her ear, tossing back her olive green hair. "Meh, I know. Naomi sent me over to check on her protégé again. Besides, it's a refreshing change to see the former sophomores. So, who's winning?"

Momo pointed at the score board. "Well, we're currently stuck in a tie."

"Ah, Hoshimura's now carrying the torch," Lulu glanced at the court as she adjusted the chopsticks in her hair. "Well, this is going to be one hell of a fight. So, who's the current vice captain?"

Rin yanked up the strawberry blonde freshman. "Here she is, Kobayagi Ayane!"

Observing her carefully, Lulu hummed to herself while folding her arms. "Well, you sure have bigger assets than them. Momo is clearly normal, Isane's a pomelo, Haruka's a teacup, Rin probably has oranges and Hitomi here has cantaloupes and you – have watermelons for it."

Ayane flushed red. "Wha- hey, I'm not that big!"

Lulu looked down at the smaller girl who sat on the bench. "I suppose the little girl there is your doubles partner?"

"Yeah," Ayane bit her lip deep, curling her fists. "Why? Is she a gingerbread woman or something?"

Lulu shook her head. "She reminds me of a toddler. Then again, she'd look cute in a cat suit"

Ayane snorted, fuming and popped a vein. "Hey, she is not that short! And my God, what did you just say!"

"I forgot to tell her," Isane sheepishly fiddled with her thumbs. "Ferero-senpai is very fond of..."

"Erotic manga and fantasies," Momo face palmed. "God, that's just disgusting."

Lulu shrugged as she began pinching the smaller girl's cheeks, earning a glare from the sandy haired control volleyist. "Well, it's true. Especially if you make her wear brown cat ears and maybe white fur and brown paws... it makes her look sweet! I'm sure a bushy brown tail won't hurt either." (A/N: Guess what kind of cat that is.)

Haruka sighed into her hand. "You never changed, did you Ferero-senpai?"

"Hey," Lulu lazily shrugged. "Even though I like imagining little girls in cat suits, it doesn't prove anything about me being a pervert."

Momo glanced at her chest. "You just said my boobs were practically normal. Most girls don't do that!"

"Maybe that's just you," Lulu raised her eyebrow while shrugging.

Rin pressed her boobs but earned an upside whack from Haruka. "You said mine were oranges!"

Clearing her throat, Haruka pointed at the court. "Guys, as disturbing as the topic sounds, I think we should resume back to the game."

Isane nodded as Lulu turned to watch the game. "Hey," –she turned towards Isane. "You guys want to train with us before fighting with Seigaku?"

Mai's head shot up whereas the two first years gaped at her. "Wait, we'll get to train with the former regulars?"

Lulu tapped her chin nonchalantly. "Well, we're not much but we can handle you guys, easy peasy."

Hitomi skimmed through her notes as she took a listing of all the former regulars. A lot of them though were either replaced by them or the first years during their time but somehow, something pestered her to do it. Even their time as regulars was charted there and all the techniques learned but there was one page that remained almost completely blank.

Kotetsu Naomi, Hyotei Gakuen no Espada, Hitomi flashed through all her notebooks and found nothing. What was it that Naomi so great? She plastered almost anyone who challenged her for the Hyotei captaincy and some happened to be winners of Wimbledon and minor tournaments. Whereas Naomi simply refused to go international despite her level of skill, many members constantly pressured her and constantly gave her problems to make her give up the captaincy.

"Never got any good data on Koko-chan did you?" Lulu loomed over Hitomi's shoulder, causing the data girl to slap her notebook shut. "Come on, there are a few people who can get good data about her."

Hitomi hung her head. "That wouldn't make my efficiency any better."

"But, you still have a chance," Lulu's face became serious. "I mean – everyone is always given a second chance. Mido-chan isn't as crazy as everyone still remembers... but, the drugs did one problem."

It was Momo's turn to have her eyes widen. "What would that be?"

Lulu shook her head. "We'll leave that for another day. I'm here to accomplish this one thing."

Florence backhanded the next shot as Shizuru sliced it down. However, Florence took a split forward and tripped it over the net.

"Fifteen – love," Hyotei stared in awe as Florence recovered her stance.

Hitomi bit her lip while opening her book. "Hoshimura Florence, also known as the "Floating Nightingale", has exceptional styles and no one knows what her true style is."

"The true embodiment of "Trickery and Unpredictability"," Lulu clucked her tongue. "Naomi's protégé is going to have a heyday with this one."

Haruka looked at Shizuru whose smiling facade dropped instantly. "Never seen her so serious; half time, Shizuru's smiling or simply staring at them."

Lulu folded her arms, nodding. "Well, Hoshimura Florence is one of the few Naomi told Shizuru-chan to be wary of."

Florence balanced her tennis racquet on her finger. "You improved a bit. But, I never realized that you would start an attack that early."

"Huh," Ayane raised an eyebrow as the others frowned a bit. "What did she mean...?"

Mai sullenly raised her head. "She knows Shizuru's style inside out. They may have never faced each other before but I think their predecessors did give them a heads up."

Hitomi bit the top of her pencil. "This is going to be one hell of a fight..."

Shizuru glanced at the ball in Florence's hand, readying her position. Her crimson orbs watched every twitch of Florence's hand while the ball flew into her side of the court. Sliding forward, Shizuru sliced the ball which forced the older captain to run forward with a slight lob.

"Buchou had her shot returned," Kiyone jumped up from her seat.

Mai shook her head, smirking. "Knowing her, she picked up this trick from a senior back from the training camp..."

Fair enough, Shizuru closed in for the smash while sending Florence reeling back.

"Fifteen all," Florence clucked her tongue while Shizuru smiled faintly at her.

Tossing her hair back, Florence watched the ball roll back towards her. Certainly, she wouldn't have gotten this far if Nagisaki didn't slap some sense into her.

"Nagisaki Mai and you used to be Doubles partners," Florence placed her racquet on Shizuru's right shoulder. "Am I right?"

Shizuru gently pushed the racquet away. "Yes, but what's its connection to now?"

"To trust in one's self," Florence retracted her racquet. "What kind of captain would you be without it?"

Shizuru didn't reply but turned around to start another rally between her and Florence. With the ball zooming past her, Shizuru sliced it heavily causing the ball to make an awkward curve on the floor.

"The Ayame Gaeshi," Florence whistled to herself. "Unfortunately, I know how to return it."

Bending low, Florence sent it back at her with a top spin while Shizuru flashed to the front.

"Hou~," Florence snickered with her French laugh. "Well, show me what you got!"

Shizuru ripped the ball with a backhand, forcing Florence to move back to send it zipping past Shizuru's left side. Flashing back to the baseline, Shizuru returned it with a forehand which zoomed towards Florence's baseline.

"Shunpo," Kiyone whistled. "Yay, go for it buchou!"

Rin jumped from her seat. "Take her out, Shizuru-chan!"

Momo watched Florence's body tense up. "She's not taking Shizuru seriously."

"Hoshimura-san would have used the style by now," Hitomi browsed through her notes while biting her lip. "Whatever Hoshimura-san has planned, it's about to destroy Kurenai-chan's stamina or mental stability."

Shizuru forehanded the next shot as Florence dropped the shot again. Flashing forward, Shizuru sliced the ball to the other corner which caused the Jyosei Shounan captain to jump for the next slight lob. Sensing another trip ball, Shizuru scratched the ball with the tip of her racquet as it fell on Florence's side.

"Fifteen – thirty," Florence ran her fingers through her hair with a small smile.

"I have to admit," Florence's blue eyes gleamed in the sunlight as she tousled her honey hair. "Your flashes are pretty good but..."

Florence tossed the ball, sneering at the younger captain while zooming towards her. "But not as good as mine..."

"She has the Shunpo too!" Kiyone swivelled her head towards Hitomi who sullenly nodded.

"Hoshimura Florence in her first year was the very first "Flash Goddess"," Lulu tapped her chin. "She managed to beat Naomi at speed but somehow her style changed drastically after a clash between her and Naomi. Her speed dropped insanely but her skill maintained."

Momo's hand balled into a fist. "In our first year, she was already going around with a title known as..."

"Hoshimura Florence of the Blue Flash..."

Florence snickered as she started her rally. "A mere carbon copy... That's all Naomi made you to be... Can't you see it? How naïve..."

Shizuru didn't say anything as she backhanded the shot back to Florence. Her eyes glimmered as she sliced another shot towards Florence as the said girl reappeared right in front of the net.

"Battle of the Flash," Rin bit her lip. "I never thought Hoshimura would really kuwee~..."

Lulu nodded solemnly. "Hoshimura Florence was the original Flash Goddess until Shizuru-chan revealed the same style. Question is: who's is better?"

Florence watched the sweat trickle down the Hyotei captain's face. She's feeling it already... should I use it?

Glowing with a different aura, Florence slammed the shot with double the force which sent Shizuru backwards towards the wall.

"Thirty all," Shizuru coughed a bit, gasping for air while trying to gain back her stance.

Lulu whistled. "Damn, that's gonna hurt."

Shizuru, shaking herself out of the daze, glanced at Florence who stood smirking at her.

"You can never call yourself a "Flash Goddess" with that crappy speed," Florence shrugged as she pointed her racquet at Shizuru. "Sorry to keep you, but you're up next."

While watching, Ayane heard a loud cheer coming from the other side. "Guys, I'll be right back."

Kiyone snickered. "You going to see if your hubby's gonna get himself killed?"

"He always tries that," Ayane rolled her eyes while running towards the boys' side.

()()()()

"Game, Atobe: six games all! Tie breaker will now begin!"

Atobe clucked his tongue a bit as he saw Tezuka stubbornly saunter towards the receiving end. Is this man insane?

Soon, loud chants erupted again which caused Atobe to smirk. Yes, he hadn't lost the game yet. All he had to do – was crush Tezuka's arm all in one go and the tie breaker would be his. Taking a farther look with his Insight, Atobe gaped at Tezuka for a moment while shaking his head.

This man's willing to throw everything away just for this one match?

Atobe smirked inwardly. "Your choice is brave but not a very wise one, Tezuka."

Kikumaru bit his nails. "Eep, this Atobe guy's serious!"

Shousha Atobe, Shousha Atobe, Shousha Atobe...!

The Hyotei captain heard the chants echo all over the place as he readied a serve. "Arn~, ore-sama will do the honour of sealing you then... Tezuka..."

"ATOBE," a loud cheer caused Atobe to freeze.

Don't tell me, Atobe turned towards the bleachers to see a very familiar strawberry blonde vice captain squeezing her way past the onlookers. "Kobayagi, what are you-?"

"You egotistical jerk," Ayane shrieked. "What kind of match is this!"

Atobe snapped his fingers, causing the cheers to cease. "Kobayagi," –he got ready to face Tezuka once again. "Just sit back and watch the show."

Gnashing her teeth together, Ayane gripped the fence until she noticed the wire started bending and gathering a bunch of older seniors. "Ah hehe," –she scratched her head sheepishly. "I didn't mean to bend it, I swear! Some moron over there made me do it!"

Atobe mentally slapped himself. Obviously, everyone knows who that "moron" is, Kobayagi.

Gakuto snickered to himself. "Geez, Atobe's going to get it big time, isn't he Yuushi?"

"As much as I don't want to enjoy it," Oshitari found himself smirking. "I'd like to see what happens when she hears how he achieved his victory."

Atobe froze when he heard Oshitari's words. As long as his conclusion about Ayane was correct, he shuddered at what she was capable of. He recalled the time Getsugan Kiyone got bullied by the martial arts seniors and Ayane managed to give one of them a suplex. Some even came to him for complaints that some "random watermelon tangerine haired girl" came at them for harassing her "Pomeranian". Atobe could only recall that because Getsugan Kiyone was nicknamed a "Pomeranian", Ayane became more like "Xena Warrior Princess".

She has the volume to match the title too, Atobe sighed to himself as he continued rallying with Tezuka.

Ayane glanced around while finding Oishi biting his lip hard. "Hey, what's going on? Why do you look so nervous?"

"Tezuka," Oishi managed to splutter out as his captain continued to take a beating.

Ayane raised an eyebrow. "What about him? I don't," –she glanced at Tezuka's arm which looked like a car ran over it. "What the... AHOBE!"

Oshitari winced at the volume. "God, she can scream until glass breaks."

"Your glasses haven't broken yet, Yuushi," Gakuto checked around the rims to see if there were cracks.

Hiyoshi unplugged his fingers from his ears. "Someone call the crazy Shinigami-senpai to shut her up."

"I don't think Momo's that scary," Oshitari shook his head. "Only Kiyone can divert where she screams."

Shishido, being slightly shaken by the volume, plugged in his iPod again. "Damn, what was that?"

"I think Kobayagi-san and Atobe-san are going to remake World War II again," Ohtori sheepishly laughed to his doubles partner.

Shishido rolled his eyes. "World War II's nothing; Kobayagi makes Hitler look like he's an opera singer."

"I didn't know she used kansai accent," Oshitari raised an eyebrow at the glaring tangerine haired vice captain. "Then again, she will use any insult to take down Atobe."

Ayane turned to Oishi. "What happened to his arm?"

"Tezuka was challenged to a battle of endurance," Fuji offered to explain for the stunned vice captain. "Tezuka accepted it and his limit... was an hour..."

Ayane checked her watch. "Wait a minute, that hour has been long over! He shouldn't be able to lift his arm at all after this...!"

"He knows," Oishi renewed his resolve. "We just have to believe in Tezuka. He chose victory over his arm... that's something even I'm not sure I can do."

Horrified, Ayane watched Tezuka take point after point along with Atobe returning the favour each time. Students stared with her as the match intensified with each passing shot.

"2-0," Tezuka forehanded the shot.

"His shots should be flat by now but," Ayane shook her head. "But, I'm still seeing spins and insurmountable strength! What is he...?"

Fuji smiled with his eyes shut. "Tezuka is our captain after all..."

Ayane looked around and saw nobody at the bench. "Hey, where's your coach?"

Oishi shook himself out of the daze. "Ryuuzaki-sensei had to bring Taka-san to the hospital. Echizen and Momoshiro went off to warm-up. Tezuka knows..."

Suddenly, Atobe tripped over his feet, crashing to the floor with a sound thud. "NO!"

Ayane bit her nails. "This is it...!"

However, Tezuka's final shot sadly smacked into the net and rolled by his feet. The whole crowd was stunned with silence until the arbiter declared.

"Game and match, Atobe: seven games to six!"

Atobe stared in awe as the ball lay on the other side before getting up to congratulate Tezuka for a well fought match.

"You're one insane man, Tezuka," Atobe smirked as he raised Tezuka's right arm for Hyotei to recognize him and Seigaku to understand the dedication their captain had for the match. "When you're at full power, ore-sama would want a rematch. What you showed us just now barely scraped of what you're truly capable of."

"Ah," Tezuka nodded as he shook Atobe's hand. "Thank you..."

Oishi and the others ran to their captain while helping him to the bench. "Tezuka," Oishi bit his lip. "May I take a look at your shoulder at least?"

Tezuka slowly revealed his shoulder which was red, purple and blue all mixed together. While some of the members cringed, Oishi gaped in horror while Fuji's eyes peeled open. Kikumaru couldn't lock his jaw back into place, Kaidoh's eyes widened every three seconds while Inui passed Oishi Tezuka's jacket.

"Hey guys what's," Momoshiro ended up gaping at the colour of Tezuka's shoulder.

Echizen pulled down his cap. "That is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen..."

On Hyotei's side, the regulars and members of the Hyotei tennis club congratulated Atobe while Ayane had her arms folded with a frown.

"Kabaji, towel," Atobe caught the towel the bigger boy handed to him.

Ayane shook his head, darkly whispering. "I can't believe you..."

Atobe, quizzical, raised his head to face the horrified Ayane. "HOW COULD YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN INJURED MAN LIKE THAT, ATOBE!"

Despite the volume, Atobe remained calm. "Ore-sama did what he had to do in order to win."

"Was it necessary to crush someone else's chances of ever playing again," Ayane retorted back.

To Atobe, this was like salt being rubbed into an open wound. Ayane liked victory so, what was the problem? "Ayane," –Atobe stood up to glower a bit. "Do you think he would want me to hold back! The man made his choice!"

Atobe's answer however met a solid punch and him sprawling to the floor.

"You jerk," Ayane hissed icily. "That wasn't your real style at all! In other words, you were holding all your shots either way!"

Atobe stared at her as many of the Hyotei members glanced at the loudly hissing Ayane. "I thought you had a bit of kindness in you," –Ayane tightly balled her hand into a fist. "At least now I know, that you're nothing but a two faced jerk who can't even face himself!"

Atobe's eyes widened as she turned around. "I'll still stick to the bet but," –she glared. "There will be some boundaries that I'm going to break."

Watching her walk away, Atobe felt a pat on the shoulder. "Just ignore her, Atobe-sama," –one of his fan girls glared at Ayane's back. "Her brain's gone all into her boobs after all."

Glaring icily, he brushed the girl's hand away. "Look who's talking."

The girl stared stunned while Oshitari had to apologize to her. Ayane on the other hand had marched over to Seigaku handing Oishi some ointment.

"Here," Ayane smiled kindly. "I think this should stop the swelling a little."

Oishi felt his jaw drop but accepted it gratefully. "Thanks, it's rare that Hyotei cares for other teams..."

"My buchou taught me that," Ayane cheerfully grinned. "At least she teaches me how to care unlike a certain somebody."

Atobe bit his lip but resisted every urge to yell at the tangerine haired vice captain. However, something stung him deeply: was it because she showed sympathy for his rival whom she has absolutely no idea who exactly he is? Or was it more that Oishi managed to make her smile while all he got was a yelling and a punch in the face once in awhile?

"Atobe," Oshitari watched Atobe's arrogance fall away from his face.

What's driving her away from me? Why am I so bad in being nice...!

()()()()

"Game, Hoshimura: two games to love!"

Shizuru watched Hoshimura's body glow with an eerie blue aura at the same time felt the power the aura emitted.

It feels as if I'm going to be decimated by that aura alone, Shizuru gripped her racquet tighter. No, I can't. I'm the captain of Hyotei and I won't let anyone stop me...

Soon, Shizuru's body was engulfed in a similar aura except more flame like.

"Hou~," Florence tapped her chin, sniggering at the younger girl. "What makes you think that your mere imitation of an aura can shake me?"

Mai's eyes widened. "That aura... it actually has a shape..."

"It does?" Momo glanced at the red haired tensai before looking back at the court. "I don't see anything."

Mai bit her lip. "Each captain has their own animal that projects their power or personality. That's why the Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami in our case is so much different from the boys'. If I were to describe their states, Hoshimura's the nightingale and Shizuru right now is a..."

"That's odd," Haruka watched the auras dance around. "Why doesn't Shizuru's have form?"

Hitomi glanced through her notes. "After all her matches, it hasn't changed shape."

"Maybe it was never meant to have a shape," Momo shrugged while glancing at the former vice captain. "What's with you?"

Lulu turned around, pulling out her cell phone. "I think I've seen enough."

Isane raised an eyebrow as Lulu began dialling buttons. "Yeah it's me," Lulu's brows knitted themselves together. "It's still there."

Isane exchanged glances with Haruka. "What's still there?"

"Hoshimura Florence won't be enough," Lulu added while listening in for a bit. "We need someone who could press her farther."

Someone to press her farther? Mai looked up as Lulu continued. "It's actually an improvement for her Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami to change colour and intensity."

Actually an improvement, Haruka raised an eyebrow. What's she doing now? "Wait, what do you mean...?"

"Her Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami used to have no colour before," Lulu glanced back at the courts. "Shizuru's still using that pilot light she calls a "flame"."

However, unknown to Lulu – Shizuru's aura started growing bigger and soon Florence's doubled returned just quadrupled in force which sped past the Jyosei Shounan Captain in a new time.

"Game, Kurenai: one game to two!"

Florence watched the ball smoke up a bit before taking it out of the hedges. "So, that little pilot light does do something to you."

Kiyone shivered at the intensity of her captain's gaze. Normally, Shizuru would smile but somehow the sandy haired girl started feeling as if her captain was already imagining ways to tear Hoshimura to shreds. Hitomi madly began to scribble while the others froze in shock as Mai watched Shizuru brutally attack the corners with quadrupled force.

"Game, Kurenai: two games all!"

Lulu whistled to herself. "Well, it seems that she did get somewhere after a year."

Hitomi looked at Lulu's cell phone. "You never dialled up Kotetsu-buchou's phone number did you?"

Lulu clucked her tongue, scratching her head. "You were always so perceptive, Hitomi."

"You knew Shizuru would flare up," Momo crushed a bit of the wire in her hand. "Are you insane?"

Lulu didn't flinch under the intensity of the Sanada girl's stare. "Shizuru's holding back – time to make her show what it means to be a queen. She didn't become Hyotei's Angel by being who she is."

Mai stared horrified. No, please no... Don't tell me...

Shizuru started glowing in another colour. "Twelve shots..."

Kiyone gulped. "Is that Insight too?"

"Nope," Rin shook her head, cowering behind Haruka. "This is her true self right?"

"I don't think so," Isane shivered a bit. "This is too... demonic to be her... I've never felt anything so... dark..."

Lulu's expression didn't change. She quietly watched her captain's protégé start revealing her true nature to the team members; the true monster that Shigetsu Kaori feared that day.

Naomi, Lulu bit her nail. Did you know that she was this powerful? Will Hoshimura survive this ordeal?

Soon, her phone began ringing and when Lulu opened it, it was a message:

Return back to the camp. I think I know what's going on. – Kotetsu Naomi

Lulu cheerfully waved goodbye. "Well, looks like my job here is done. Ja, you guys..."

While Lulu vanished, Florence watched Shizuru's auburn eyes become bloodier than normal. "Ah, so this is why... you're truly a fearsome piece of work. What did Aomaru-senpai call you before she left? Oh yeah," –she sniggered. "While Sanada Momo was the Shinigami, you were the Shikabane Ginn'ei. I'm glad I got to see your monstrous style before anyone else. Has Souma Fuuka seen this yet?"

Shizuru however didn't respond as she walked towards the baseline.

"This is bound to get interesting anyway," Florence yawned a bit while heading towards the baseline. Show me what you got, Shikabane Hime...

Tossing the ball, Shizuru served noiselessly as Florence backhanded it back to her. Shizuru attacked the left corner, forcing Florence to slide all the way. The Hyotei captain continued attacking the corners while Florence started breathing heavily.

So this is what it means, Florence watched Shizuru's eyes become even darker red. Come on; show your teammates the monster you truly are!

Shikako shook her head at Florence. "Geez," –she continued smiling her usual innocent way, "How can you be so foolhardy when Kurenai looks like she wants to tear you from limb to limb?"

"That's always been her style," a smooth voice came from behind as the smiling girl spun around. "Then again, this might not work in her favour this time."

"Kajimoto-kun," she stared at him, albeit shocked. "I thought..."

Kajimoto scratched his head. "Fudomine was really a big problem. We couldn't even get a point from Tachibana. To think I thought he gave up his violent style. So, did the Shikabane Hime finally show her face or did she continue smiling like she always does?"

Matsuri glanced at her notes, throwing them to the ground with a snort. "All my data against her... useless..."

"Not all," Hikaru blew up a bubblegum, picking some of them up. "Florence-chan did pick up something from it."

Matsuri gaped at the girl. "But all I got was...!"

"Tell me," Florence picked up the ball after Shizuru took another point. "When is your Tsuuro no Shichihenge going to come out?"

Everyone froze; Isane gaped. "But no one knew about that technique except Kotetsu-buchou and Souma Fuuka!"

Florence smirked while tousling her hair back. "I've created a counter measure for that. Observe," –she readied her stance. "Come and attack me, Kurenai!"

Shizuru didn't waste any time in trying to attack her. Soon, the ball spun faster and faster until the fifth spin which became invisible to most. Ayane began rubbing her eyes while Kiyone became all swirly eyed and dropped on Haruka's lap. Rin on the other hand yanked her face as Hitomi caught most of them on camera.

Seeing the ball spin faster and faster, Mai stood up immediately. "Shizuru, stop the Tsuuro no Shichihenge! She's going to...!"

Shizuru watched the ball zoom past her but stood emotionlessly as the ball spun right on the baseline and nearly hit her squarely on the face if not for her racquet blocking it.

"Love – fifteen," Florence clucked her tongue.

"In exchange for increasing your skills," Florence glanced at Shizuru. "You threw away your merciful side... Good, show me everything you've hidden away!"

Lulu clucked her tongue. "I better call Naomi."

"Why," Ayane found Mai shivering. "Mai-senpai, are you okay?"

Mai bit her lip hard. "Shizuru, what is this... what are you...?"

Seeing Mai starting to babble nonsense, Ayane couldn't believe the dark side of their captain. She stared back at them which they couldn't believe they were seeing.

It was eyes of a corpse.

Shizuru attacked again, throwing Florence off guard with a top spin backhand.

"Fifteen – all," Florence whistled in surprise as Shizuru began another attack.

Shikako glanced at Matsuri. "Are you getting everything down?"

Matsuri watched a crimson flash appear in different places. "That's why I'm using a camera... Their speed is almost invisible to the naked eye."

"Guys have more upper limb power than women," Hitomi scribbled down. "But, Kobayagi is quite the exception."

Kiyone nodded firmly. "Yeah, she has wrestlers for brothers!"

Shizuru went for another top spin drop shot while running towards the net. Florence smirked at the younger captain before tossing it towards the other side. Watching the rally progress, Mai bit her lip as Shizuru relentlessly attacked the older captain without letting out a sound. The tensai watched the sweat pour down her best friend's face as the ball zoomed from left to right. Momo's jaw hung a bit as she glanced at Shizuru's knees.

"She better let go off that relentless style," Momo winced at the swelling at Shizuru's knee. "That leg's going to undergo surgery soon."

"Fifteen – thirty," Florence panted heavily while Shizuru stood there but soon, her knees buckled under her.

"Buchou," Isane and Rin ran towards her with Momo following behind while Ayane, Kiyone and Hitomi dashed past the tensai.

Florence watched Shizuru stand up again. Hmph, so – you're going to be suicidal about it?

"Stay where you are," Shizuru's serious tone caused the other members to freeze. "This match isn't over."

Oh no, she ain't, Momo still advanced towards her. "Just because that idiot of a captain sacrificed his arm for victory doesn't mean you have to apply it to you! For the love of God, we can handle a reserve match! Who's more stupid: the stupid one or the one following the stupid one!"

Shizuru didn't respond as her eyes glimmered again before she faced Florence. Mai stood up and walked towards the arbiter, signalling for a time out. After the arbiter agreed, Momo hauled Shizuru on her back towards the chair while Haruka popped open a can of Coke and splashed it in Shizuru's face.

Coughing, Shizuru glanced up at Haruka who shook her head disapprovingly. "Guys, my leg is fine..."

Face palming, Momo pointed at her swollen knee. "Tell that to someone who's blind. Don't you dare pull off that damn stunt!"

"What stunt," Mai turned to Momo who sighed.

"We saw the game between Atobe and Tezuka awhile ago," Momo glared a bit at her captain. "After that, the stupid genius Tezuka decides to forsake his arm over victory. She's doing the exact same thing for the love of God! She thinks that victory is more important than her own health!"

They all stared at their captain as if she had grown a second head. "KURENAI-BUCHOU, ARE YOU NUTS!"

Shizuru stood up again, despite her leg shakily taking a stance. "I'm not nuts," – she flatly stated. "I'm going to get us to the Nationals, whether my leg likes it or not."

Mai bit her lip before walking over to Shizuru. "You..."

When Shizuru turned to face her, Mai slapped her across the face. "You stupid idiot, how could you not see that she's trying to tire you out! Are you that blind! Ever since awhile ago, Hoshimura's been forcing you to play as the Shikabane Ginn'ei in order to turn your leg useless! Are you that unobservant!"

Shizuru remained quiet until she took a seat. "Then, do you have any better ideas?"

"I'd say give up but you'd make me run laps," Ayane shook her head. "Besides, unless – there's a reserve for Doubles then we have no way of winning."

Shizuru rubbed her knee a bit. "Tch, I didn't expect it to give out that fast."

"By the way, how were you able to make it last," Mai checked her watch. "Well, one set to you did end in thirty minutes flat. You're only in the first game and it's been past thirty minutes!"

On the other side, Florence folded her arms as she tapped her foot. "I didn't expect that to come out."

"Well, you're holding your own pretty well," Matsuri commented as she looked at the new sets of data. "A lot of people said that this is the 'true' Shizuru. That smiling one was just a total crap façade, considering it was more of a promise."

Florence's head swivelled towards the data girl's direction. "What do you mean?"

"Souma Fuuka has best experience with this," Matsuri checked her notes. "I clarified data with Amane-san and it turns out what she used in the Nationals wasn't the Teni Mu'hou as many say."

Shikako's eyes revealed themselves. "The Teni Mu'hou taps into all the happy memories of tennis you have. Unfortunately, Kurenai Shizuru will never be able to do such a thing."

Florence pointed at the brunette seated at the Hyotei bench. "Clearly, she was smiling in her other matches."

"How sure are you that's real," Matsuri tilted her glasses a bit. "Honestly, Florence – I thought you could see through her."

Florence bit her lip. "I just never understood it. I understand people by seeing the colours from them. The thing is – Kurenai's is so dense I can barely see anything..."

"It's dark isn't it," Hikaru blew up another bubblegum as Florence remained silent. "I kinda figured that."

Florence hugged her body. "I've never felt anything so cold and sadistic in my life. It's like Shikako times fifty."

Shikako sighed. "Did you have to say it that way?"

"All those smiles are fake," Matsuri pointed out. "Can't you peel her open like a banana?"

Florence glanced back at the Hyotei bench and then smirked. "Hey, you actually gave me an idea..."

Shikako shook her head. "Don't leap just yet – she's still a captain."

Florence nodded as Shizuru and she returned to the court. "Are you ready?"

Shizuru nodded wordlessly while beginning her service. Florence narrowed her eyes, watching Shizuru's movement.

Alright, show me those other demonic colours that your persona is made of...

Soon, Florence started seeing other colours. Black, crimson, violet, gold and hints of dark blue flickered violently in front of her while Shizuru's smile returned onto her face.

"Hoshimura Florence has something called 'Prism Empathy'," Hitomi explained to the team as they watched Florence change stance.

Ayane gaped at her. "Is that even in English?"

Mai glanced at the honey haired captain. "Hoshimura can see what one feels by looking at the colours emitting from her opponent's body. Shizuru may be an empath but Hoshimura Florence is more exact; she can attribute each colour to different emotions. It's kind of like Insight but hers is more colourful. That's why... they call her..."

"You're disheartened aren't you," Florence smirked as she forehanded the ball. "You're disheartened that you can't trust anyone because of your fear of being them getting hurt. You tend to run away from your own problems while you help others. With your leg collapsing under you, deep down – you already know that this game could end in my favour."

Shizuru's eyes slightly widened while everyone stared in shock as Mai bit her lip. "She is known as "Queen of Prisms"."

Shizuru sliced the ball. "I have no intention of explaining myself to you," –her voice remained polite despite the revelation.

"That's hilarious," Florence volleyed it over. "You want to silence me, don't you? You just have no idea how you're going to do it. Your eyes tell me everything... Shikabane Ginn'ei. Crimson Angel is just a title Naomi made up to disguise the true brutality of your power. Ojou-sama is not that blind you know. Your polite self hides what the real "you" is. So tell me, what is the truth?"

Shizuru's eyes flickered angrily as she smashed the ball on Florence's side, "Thirty all!"

Florence laughed while pointing her racquet at the younger captain. "You're a bigger coward than you are, Kurenai! I'll peel you open like a banana when this match gets fun."

-That's chapter 28! I made sure there were a lot of insults coming here and there. Please review!