Yeah, another one of my in-exam short fics...
Well, this one had to be altered a little bit to suit my topic... (Change) So, yeah...
And, I don't want to reveal who I'm talking about; I wanna see how many peoplz can recognise who the persona is and who he/she's talking about, and at which point!
It would be nice to know if some peoplz got it wrong too, and who they mistake them for... Don't worry, everyone makes mistakes ne?

If you want to read the actual parody, I've going to upload the Manga Default Version, so yeah... You don't need to read this section ne?

Disclaimer: I don't own Tenisu no Oujisama/any other name you might call it nor do I own the characters... sobs>


The first time I took much noticed of him was the match against him and a second grader. Obviously something had happened by watching the face next to me. Oishi watched everything from beginning to end and could never tell a lie – he was too obvious.

The old racket, obviously many decades old yelled a cry of help; strings too loose to punch the ball with energy of any sort. Oishi studied my face closely, watching for any response. When he asked me, I denied it. But inside me, I knew that the boy on the courts had caught my interest – drawing me in.

-

The second time was face to face. He was small with golden eyes as though the real ones had been pulled out and amber had taken place instead. His mischievous smile told me his past almost instantly – he had never lost. I found myself lost in his glance.

-

The third and forth time was the monthly inter-club tournament. His opponents were those who fought for third place at the club with three others – not an easy challenge for that short olive green haired rookie. He was young and had natural talent. Every win, I could see a change – his natural talent fed on the win. The more wins, the more it fed and cried for more. That was when it struck me. From memory, he was always challenging someone – provoking them.

-

I soon lost count how many times I saw him after that. Too many. But every time I noticed that greed. The same challenging words, the same provoking irritation, the same boredom which looked down on the losing opponent, and the same final words.

'You still have lots more to work on.' Only words which could come out of a matured person who had learnt all, seen all, and heard all. But he had not.

----
----

I forgot when it was, but without thinking out well, I had asked the head instructor of the court to allow me to play with him. The day I got lost in his eyes, I knew this day would come. Defeat – that was something he has to learn. The only way for him to go higher, to reach the top.

-

The shorter figure crouched down on the other side of the courts. His face down with shock – of defeat. My lecture was finished, and he had taken in all and everything. His famous Fila hat lay lifelessly on the other side of the courts; blown away a strong wind blew against him as he dived for my drop volley.

The golden eyes watched the tennis ball sneak away from him towards the back fence. For the final time, he wrapped his small fine hands over the grip of his tennis racket. Gradually he loosened his grip, and once more his eyes lay upon me. But power was lost and defeat was written all over his usual confident face.

Something I never realised before until now finally struck me. This boy had drawn me in and caught my eye, for sure, but I had never realised why. This boy was like me. This boy was a shadow of me. At his age I was like him. Full of confidence and glory, never known defeat or shame. It didn't exist in my dictionary. But there was a day when it did come. The former captain of the club gave me a hard blow on the back – I had lost. He showed me things which could only be learnt through loss. Now it was my turn to teach this younger apprentice of mine. I was the captain now – and he was me.

'Ryoma Echizen, become the pilar of the Seigaku Tennis Club.' My job was complete, but with one more mission – to watch this new to-be-pilar become higher.

The golden eyes looked as though they had been struck by lightning, but grew with power as my words slowly sunk in.

Walking away, I knew the boy, Ryoma, would do it. He would learn from this loss and escape from his old self. He couldn't bear the thought of change, and, to Ryoma, the change meant loss. But through this change he'd learn. He would take my place – or even better, stand higher than me.

'Finished Tezuka?' Oishi asked from the other side of the fence. I nodded. I was satisfied. Once again I glanced at the boy's face – Ryoma Echizen.


Short I know...But hey! I only had 40 mins! (Self timing)
I know... I made Zuka loose... PLS IGNORE THAT.
I had to make sure Zuka in turn also had learnt a lesson, otherwise my teachers wouldn't be pleased ne?
I really regretted that, that's why I wrote a Manga Default Version too... So you can read that section too ne?

Please R&R!I wanna know results ofhow manythought who was who ne? I won't get angry/critisise you, so it's K!
I'll accept flames too! I love writing, and I wanna improve!