Mata POT Ryosaku!! Yoroshiku ne!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own no nothing, really!
Chapter 2
Seigaku on a weekday afternoon.
The tennis team was holding their famous intra-ranking again. All the members and regulars were gathered and the promise of exciting matches drew about half the entire school population to the courts too. Most of the spectators were female students who were screaming their heads off for one or the other of the Regulars. Weeeell, so maybe the main attraction was not the exciting matches.
The Golden Pair was playing against each other on court A. Next to them, Kawamura was trashing a unknown 2nd year member.
"I love to play with Ooishi best, Nyaa! I will defeat you with my acrobatics this time, Ooishi!"
"Eiji, you can always try, but don't forget that I have my Moon Volley! Let us both do our best!"
"C'MON BABY!! BURNING!! STAND UP AND FIGHT, YOU WUSS!! YEAH!!"
Spectators at Courts C and D were seeing action from Kaidoh against a 2nd year member, who was really scared into immobility by the ever-hissing mamushi, and from Echizen Ryoma against Fuji Syuusuke. The latter came into being at the special request of Ryoma, and since the team's tensai had no objections, team manager Inui was more than happy to arrange for it. It was, after all, the last ranking games before the final exams, and before third years graduate. It was undeniably an excellent chance to obtain even more data on the two tennis prodigies. Bright light reflected off Inui's glasses where he stood by the fence, carefully observing the match between his teammates.
"FIGH-TO!! FIGH-TO!! RYOMA SAMAAA!!!" Tomoka was putting on her best performance ever, complete with short skirt, skimpy top, and neon pink pom-poms. It was too easy to overpower other Ryoma's Fan Club President-Wannabes.
Sakuno, clad in a similar outfit at Tomoka's insistence, was cringing beside the enthusiastic cheerleader, and her hands alternately tugging at the short hem of her skirt, and clasping prayer-fashion at her chest as she worried, quietly, for her prince.
"Ne, Echizen, your fangirls are very genki today," the third year tensai commented, smiling as always.
He had already clinched 3 games to Ryoma's 2, using his famous Tsubame Gaeshi and Higuma Otoshi counter moves. He was rather free with his special moves today, perhaps in honor of it being possibly the first and last official match between himself and the tennis prince. Ryoma was keeping an eye out for the Hakugei, which should appear anytime now that they have changed courts, and the wind was in Fuji's favor.
"Souka? It's your turn to serve, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma was focused on the intense match, and couldn't care less about the noise coming from the other side of the fence.
He suspected that Fuji-senpai was merely baiting him. He had seen 2 of the triple-counter moves more times today than over the last 6 months, and he was lured into anticipating the Hakugei. But given previous examples of Fuji's sadistic mind games, Ryoma was getting a nagging suspicion that he would not actually get to see it.
Despite the small revelation, Ryoma could not help but be distracted by his preoccupation with the tensai's special move. He was observing Fuji very closely; every movement was swiftly evaluated in case he missed any small but important part of the Hakugei counter. The pressure was building; he could feel himself come alive as the match progressed, his blood singing to each swing of the racket, and his heart picking up the rhythm from the landings of the ball.
He played smoothly, losing sense of time and place, concentrating on his opponent and the ball. His world shrunk, or widen, to the conceptually extensive space of the tennis court.
"3 games all"
"5 games to 4"
It took them 2 hours, but the game finally drew to the match point, and Fuji had the advantage. The crowds were holding their collective breaths; even Tomoka was quiet, clutching Sakuno in apprehension. Sakuno was worrying about Ryoma's reaction to losing a match against Fuji-senpai. Both Ryoma and Fuji-senpai had worked so hard; their white and blue shirts were soaked in sweat. Fuji-senpai had very good technique, but his limited stamina was stretched to the last during this extended match. And Ryoma was hardly any better. Yet both seemed determined to see this match to its end.
The other regulars and members had long since finished their games, and were all gathered to watch how this one turned out. The regular list was out, it seemed that Inui would remain as team manager until he graduated. All eyes were on the pair of tennis prodigies, battling it out on the courts.
"Echizen, you tried very hard. But zannen desu, it is still too early for you to defeat me," Fuji iterated, his eyes were mere slits of blue set into a pretty face. "And now, I know you have been waiting for this …" so saying, Fuji finally displayed the Hakugei counter, and thusly finished the match 7-6 in his favor.
Ryoma was tired. He did try to study and analyze the Hakugei, but his eyes were tired, his mind was tired, he could do no more than stand and watch the ball return smartly into Fuji's waiting hand. If he could watch this a few more times, he could definitely come up with a counter move to save this match point, but he knew it would be futile to try now, the Hakugei was still beyond his grasp.
He lost. Echizen Ryoma lost a tennis match against someone other than his ex-Pro father.
Ryoma was mildly surprised that he could feel nothing. No great disappointment at losing, no overwhelming grief. Perhaps that was because it was Fuji-senpai, whom he had gotten to know a little over the past year, and whom he acknowledged as a worthy opponent.
A little dazed, Ryoma shook his senpai's hand and took to the sidelines. There would be no problems with the ranking; he and Fuji were the last of their group, so both would remain regulars. All that had changed would be that Echizen Ryoma had officially lost to the smiling tensai Fuji Syuusuke.