Tennis Tournament 5

Misty gulped hard. What was Klahador thinking, pitting her up against Zoro, the club's 40th ranked member. Sure, he may have been in a lower rank than Nami, but he was still better than she was in many areas. In fact, it was a miracle that he wasn't ranked 10th or 20th. Misty breathed in long and hard and soon accepted her fait. It was time to face Zoro for the first time. The timing may not have been that great, but Misty felt ready for this. Misty thought to herself long and hard this same thing. 'If I could beat Rex and Sanji, this guy should be a walk in the park. Maybe I AM skilled enough to come out on top. I may even be able to beat Brock.' Misty's confidence grew as this thought raced through her mind. Maybe, just maybe she was right. Maybe she COULD beat Brock when the time came.

As soon as the two contestants entered the arena, Klahador announced their names and issued the game to start. Taking out Zoro would be no easy task. Zoro fought with Santoryu, better known as three-sword-style. But when it came to Tennis, he played three-racket-style. He lovingly called it Rakettoryu. (Raketto is Japanese for racket) He stared Misty down and stated, "You may have beaten Rex, but you'll never beat me." Misty ignored this completely and tried to figure out why it was legal to play with more than one racket. Let alone that fact, she also wondered how he could so clearly with a racket handle in his mouth. Misty snapped out of her train of thought and served the ball. Zoro hit it with ease and total precision. Misty managed to hit it back only to have it volleyed back at her side. Finally, Misty's racket created a huge waterfall, which sent the ball hurling back at Zoro. Misty had scored the first point. Klahador grimaced and thought, 'Come on, Zoro. Use the Onigiri Demon Strike.' Zoro couldn't believe that someone, a beginner no less, had scored on him. "That's it! Let's see you get the ball past my Tiger Style!" Zoro rapidly hit the air with his rackets waiting for the ball to come his way. Seeing as this would never tire him out, Misty had no choice but to try. But every time she hit it back, Zoro would just send it straight back. It didn't take long for Misty to realize that Zoro hadn't even tried to move from his current position, so as long he was doing this, he wouldn't start moving in time to react. Misty smashed the ball far away from Zoro's reach, but Zoro stopped his insane frenzy and barely managed to hit the ball back onto Misty's side. Heck, he even had to give up one of his rackets to do it for he had thrown one of his rackets at the ball. The hit was so light that Misty couldn't get close enough to the net to hit it back. Zoro had scored a large 15 in his score box. Misty sent the ball back at him as Zoro went back to his old strategy. He just couldn't stand to see himself abusing one of his own rackets. Misty continued to volley it back. Then it hit her. She had finally learned to hit like a pro in only three matches. Misty would often hit the ball far away from Zoro, but Zoro would always hit it back. Occasionally, Zoro would score and Misty would score. It took around twenty deuces for a winner to be declared, and that winner was Misty. Zoro smiled and shook Misty's hand. "Congratulations. I never actually thought you would win. You're a good player. I wouldn't be surprised if you joined one the top ten ranks." Misty beamed at this comment. She had received praise from one of the most highly respected members of the club. Zoro had never given any opponent praise, even when he lost. Whenever he lost, he would often blame it on his racket or claim that his opponent had cheated. For once in his life, he had actually been gracious in defeat.

Misty was hanging out with her new friends in the lounge while enjoying a congratulatory lunch consisting of chicken strips and hot dogs. After lunch, Klahador placed his hand on her shoulder and stated, "Misty, now that you are ranked 65th, it's time for you to see your new dorm. You will be placed in the same dorm as 64th, 63rd, 62nd and 61st. That means you'll be spending your time with Lee (Card Captor Sakura), Lan (Megaman), Amy and Knuckles." Upon entering, Misty was greeted by Amy. Amy was even stranger than Zim. She had pink fur and beautiful hair. Misty tried to comprehend what kind of creature she was when Knuckles, who happened to be a red echidna, approached her and stated, "Hello, let me introduce you to the guys. Lee doesn't talk much unless you bring up some little flying teddy bear named Kero. Lan spends his life net battling and doesn't even care that much about Tennis. Heck, the only reason he made it this far is because his net navi, Megaman, tells him what to do. Amy is the only player here who I think should be higher ranked. She uses her Pico-Pico Hammer as a racket. Yeah, everything is legal in this tournament. I use my fists to hit the ball." Misty smiled and asked, "By the way, what exactly IS Amy. Is she some kind of mutant or cat?" Knuckled snickered at this and answered, "She's a pink hedgehog. If you called her a mutant within her hearing range, she'd pummel you with her hammer, and that thing's even bigger than Tetsusaiga. It a miracle she can wield it so well." Misty freaked out as Amy snuck up behind Knuckles with her hammer raised and asked, "What was that about me having a bad temper?" Knuckles trembled in fear and stuttered, "I didn't say you have a bad temper." Amy grinned wickedly and remarked, "But that was the message, was it not?" Knuckles curled up into a ball as Amy smashed him like a golf ball into the wall. "That'll learn ya'." She said as she walked off. Misty was beginning to find the people here interesting.

Misty decided to rest in the lounge as Ash approached her. (He hasn't been around for a while) "So, I heard you beat Zoro." He commented. Misty nodded as Ash laughed. "Wow, I guess you achieved your first goal." Misty smiled and stated, "You should have seen it. For the first time in my life, I was hitting like a pro. I guess Klahador was just using all those high-level members to teach me proper hitting." Ash smiled and played along with her enthusiasm. See, he was well aware of Klahador's plan to eliminate Misty from the club. He just couldn't find the heart to tell Misty in person. She was just so happy with her victory. Ash also didn't want to get Misty involved with this plan of his either. If she knew, the results would have been disastrous. Misty knowing could have spelt her death.

Suddenly, the announcements came on as Klahador's voice announced, "Will Misty and Zatch please report to the arena immediately?" Misty cringed. This time her opponent was in 30th place. This would be a hard one. But it was one that Misty was willing to win.