Chapter 11: Kings of the Court

Mario and Rolf entered the court and walked on opposite sides. Gloria, now in brown shorts and a somewhat revealing dark blue long-sleeve shirt, walked on the court. "Hello, boys!" She said, making the male Toads drool. Unlike his younger brother, Mario remained composed and bowed to Gloria.

"My name is Gloria and I will be your umpire today!" Gloria introduced and climbed up to the umpire's chair.

"So, you are the famous Mario." Rolf said, "I have never seen you in action, but I know you are my equal. I will prove that to you today!"

Mario tipped his cap and grunted to show he is ready to face the "Unparalleled King of Tennis".

She then took out a coin. Gloria said, "If it is heads, Rolf will serve first. If it is tails, Mario will serve first." She flipped the coin and it hit the ground. She called, "Tails."

Gloria tossed a pair of tennis balls to the mustachioed plumber in red. "OK, Mario." Gloria said, "You may start."

Mario bounced the tennis ball on the court. He tossed it up and hit it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Rolf volleyed the ball back to Mario. The plumber hit the ball back to Rolf. Rolf sliced the ball back to Mario. Mario sliced the ball back to Rolf. Rolf sliced his shot back to Mario. Mario volleyed the ball back to Rolf.

"Predictable." Rolf said and sliced the ball past Mario.

"Love-15." Gloria called

Mario tossed the ball up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Rolf volleyed the ball back to Mario. Mario hit a powerful topspin shot to send the ball back to Rolf. Rolf tapped the ball, but the tap was so light that the ball was sent to the sky. Mario rushed to where the ball is and volleyed it past Rolf. "Whoo-hoo!" Mario cheered

"15-All." Gloria called as she gave Mario two more tennis balls.

Mario tossed one up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Rolf got enough of the serve by the tapping the ball with enough strength to send it back to Mario. Mario countered with a hard topspin shot. Rolf tapped the ball to stop its trip and send it back to Mario. Mario tried another topspin shot to send the ball speeding back to Rolf. Rolf and Mario then traded slice shots.

Rolf thought, "I have to hold down the fort... I cannot let Mario have the point."

After a light tap to raise the ball high in the air, Mario hit the ball with a light shot. Rolf dove for the ball but he missed. "30-15." Gloria called,

Mario tossed the ball up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Rolf volleyed the ball back to Mario. Mario hit it with a hard topspin shot. Rolf tapped the ball to send it high as Mario rushed towards the net. Mario hopped up and hit the ball with a light smash shot. Rolf extended his arm, but he missed. "Oh yeah!" Mario cried happily,

"40-15." Gloria called as she gave Mario two more tennis balls.

Mario tossed one up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Rolf got enough of the serve by the tapping the ball with enough strength to send it back to Mario. Mario countered with a hard topspin shot. Rolf tapped the ball to stop its trip and send it back to Mario. Mario tried another topspin shot, but he angled it enough to confuse Rolf and force him to miss.

"Game to Mario." Gloria called,

"I think it's time to change sides." Gloria called as both men switched sides. She then tossed a pair of tennis balls to Rolf.

"I shall bring it to you, Mario..." Rolf muttered as he bounced a tennis ball on the ground.

He tossed it up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Mario hit it back hard to Rolf. Rolf sliced the ball over to Mario. Mario countered with a volley as he was close to the net. Rolf volleyed the ball back to Mario. Mario volleyed the ball again. Rolf sliced the ball, only to be volleyed back. Rolf tried a hard topspin shot, and this time, the ball eluded a diving Mario. "Hmph." Rolf said,

"15-Love." Gloria called,

Rolf tossed up a tennis ball and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone and it eluded Mario. "Same as always." Rolf said after getting the service ace.

"30-Love." Gloria called as she gave Rolf two more tennis balls.

He tossed it up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Mario dove for the ball and managed to get contact with it. Rolf volleyed the ball towards Mario, who was rushing to the net. Mario countered with a volley. Rolf volleyed the ball back to Mario. But it was high enough for Mario to hit an overhead smash. The ball whizzed by a diving Rolf. "30-15." Gloria called,

Rolf tossed up a tennis ball and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. This time, the ball was angled enough that it eluded Mario again. "Too easy." Rolf said after getting the service ace.

"40-15." Gloria called as she gave Rolf two more tennis balls.

Rolf tossed up a tennis ball and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone and it eluded Mario once more. Rolf took the other tennis ball and hit it with his racket. The ball sailed into the crowd. It hit a brown mushroom-shaped creature, known as a Goomba, in the head!

"Game to Rolf." Gloria called

Mario bounced the tennis ball on the court. He tossed it up and hit it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Rolf hit it back and hard with a hard slice shot. Mario dove for the ball, but he missed it. "Love-15." Gloria called,

Mario tossed the ball up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Rolf sliced the ball back. Mario, as he rushed to the net, volleyed the ball back to Rolf. Rolf hit the ball with a topspin shot, but it was high enough for Mario to hit it with an overhead smash.

"Not enough for you!" Rolf cried and countered with a hard slice shot that eluded Mario

"Love-30." Gloria called and gave Mario two more tennis balls

Mario bounced the tennis ball on the court. He tossed it up and hit it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Rolf volleyed the ball back to Mario. Mario hit it back with a hard topspin shot. Rolf countered with a slice shot. Mario and Rolf traded volleys. Mario rushed to the net and blocked some of Rolf's shots.

"Heh. Try this!" Rolf cried and volleyed the ball past Mario

"Love-40." Gloria called,

"Come on, Rolf!" Colin cried from the stands, "You can do this!"

Mario tossed the ball up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Rolf returned the ball with his slice shot. Mario volleyed the ball back to Rolf. Rolf hit the ball with another slice shot. Mario volleyed it back to Rolf.

"How's this?" Rolf cried and hit the ball with a volley. It eluded Mario very easily.

"Piece of cake." Rolf said as he raised his arm.

"Game to Rolf." Gloria called,

"I think it's time to change sides." Gloria called as both men switched sides. She then tossed a pair of tennis balls to Rolf.

"It will be over very quickly..." Rolf muttered as he bounced a tennis ball on the ground.

He tossed it up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Mario and Rolf traded volleys. Mario sliced the ball over to Rolf. Rolf volleyed the ball back to Mario. They engaged in a semi-long rally, in which Rolf started to rush to the net.

"I have to pressure this plumber to make his mistake..." Rolf thought,

Mario continued to make hard shots with the ball. Finally, he hit a hard topspin shot that sailed past Rolf. "Oh yeah!" Mario cried happily

"Love-15." Gloria called,

Rolf tossed up a tennis ball and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Both men traded slice shots. Rolf volleyed the ball over to Mario. Mario hit a hard topspin shot back to Rolf. Rolf tried to volley the ball, but it failed to go over the net. He groaned at the error made.

"Love-30." Gloria called as she gave Rolf two more tennis balls

Rolf tossed a tennis ball up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone and it zoomed past a diving Mario. "Too easy." Rolf said as he raised his arm in celebration of his service ace.

"15-30." Gloria called,

Rolf tossed up a tennis ball and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Mario volleyed the ball back to Rolf. Rolf then returned the ball back with a backhanded stroke of his racket. Mario countered with a backhanded stroke of his own. Rolf sliced the ball back to Mario. Both men traded volleys. Mario hit the ball with another slice shot. Rolf reached for the ball, but he missed.

"15-40." Gloria called and gave Rolf two more tennis balls.

"Yay, Mario!" A Toad cried from the stands, "Keep this match alive!"

Rolf tossed a tennis ball up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Mario returned it with a slice shot. Rolf countered with a topspin shot. Both men traded slice shots. Rolf's second slice shot whiffed by Mario. "30-40." Gloria called,

Rolf tossed up a tennis ball and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Both men traded slice shots for the whole rally. But Rolf, upon his third slice shot, got the better of Mario. "Deuce." Gloria called and gave Rolf two more tennis balls

Rolf tossed a tennis ball up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Both men traded slice shots to start, but Mario changed up his game and hit the ball with a topspin shot. Rolf volleyed the ball twice as he approached the net. Mario hit the ball with a topspin shot.

"Got you now!" Rolf cried and hit the ball with an overhead smash

"Same as always." He then said

"Advantage to Rolf." Gloria called,

"And now... To end this." Rolf said, knowing full well that he'll defeat the legendary Mario, win the match and play in the Star Cup final with his victory on the next point.

Rolf tossed up a tennis ball and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Mario sliced the ball back to Rolf. Rolf volleyed the ball back to Mario. Mario hit the ball with a topspin shot and it eluded Rolf. "Deuce again." Gloria called as she gave Rolf two more tennis balls.

Rolf tossed a tennis ball up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Mario caught the ball with a volley. Rolf returned it with a slice shot. Mario countered with a light lob. Rolf stuck to his slice shot game, while Mario stayed with his volleys. As soon as Rolf volleyed the ball and rushed close to the net, Mario hit the ball with a hard topspin shot that Rolf couldn't reach. "Advantage to Mario." Gloria called,

"It's all you, Mario!" A Toad cried from the stands, "You can do this!"

Rolf tossed a tennis ball up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Mario returned it with a slice shot. Rolf countered with a topspin shot of his own. Both men traded slice shots. Mario hit another slice shot to send the ball back to Rolf. Rolf countered with a topspin shot. Both men traded lobs. Mario hit the ball with a hard topspin shot and it eluded Rolf.

"Game to Mario." Gloria called, and then announced, "Tiebreak."

"Hmph. I'm impressed, Mario." Rolf admitted, "You have lasted longer than most opponents I have faced! I have to give you credit for being the best of the best in the Mushroom Kingdom. Now... I shall give you a match of a lifetime."

Gloria tossed a pair of tennis balls right to Mario's left hand. "OK, Mario." Gloria said, "You may start."

Mario simply nodded and bounced the tennis ball on the court. He tossed it up and hit it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Rolf returned it with a swift volley. Mario hit the ball with an overhead topspin shot. Rolf countered with a slice shot. Both men traded slice shots as Rolf rushed close to the net. Mario hit the ball with a slice shot. Rolf dove for the ball, but he missed.

"0-1." Gloria called as Mario hit the tennis ball he had to the crowd. Gloria then gave Rolf two tennis balls.

Rolf tossed a tennis ball up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Both men traded volleys. Mario then hit the slice shot to Rolf. Rolf countered with a topspin shot. Both men traded slice shots as Rolf rushed to the net. Mario then hit a slice shot, but he angled it enough to force Rolf to miss. "0-2." Gloria called

Rolf tossed a tennis ball up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Mario returned the ball with a volley. Rolf countered with a volley of his own. Mario hit the ball with a slice shot. Rolf hit the ball back with a topspin shot. Mario volleyed the ball back to Rolf. Rolf countered with a topspin shot. They engaged in a long rally.

"Whoa..." Colin said, "Sounds like Rolf is getting beat by Mario."

"I'm actually surprised." Sam admitted, "Rolf was just like this when I lost to him. I would be shocked if he lost to Mario today."

Finally, Mario hit the ball with a volley that eluded Rolf. "0-3." Gloria called,

"I think it's time to change sides." Gloria called as both men switched sides. She then tossed a pair of tennis balls to Mario.

He tossed a tennis ball up and hit it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Rolf returned it with a slice shot. Mario rushed to the net and smacked the ball with a volley. Rolf dove for it, but he missed. "0-4." Gloria called,

Mario tossed a tennis ball up and hit it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Rolf countered with a light lob. Mario hit the ball with a hard topspin shot. Rolf countered with a slice shot. Both men traded volleys, but Rolf's volley was high enough for an overhead smash shot by Mario! Rolf dove for the ball and missed! "0-5." Gloria called and then tossed a pair of tennis balls to Rolf

"I can't lose to this plumber..." Rolf thought as he bounced a tennis ball on the ground, "I can't suffer a repeat of the Central Phoenix tournament!"

Rolf then tossed a tennis ball up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Mario missed on his return. "1-5." Gloria called,

"I think it's time to change sides." Gloria called as both men switched sides. Rolf tossed a tennis ball up and smashed it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the left service zone. Mario volleyed it back to Rolf. Rolf kept to his slice shots, while Mario continued to hit volleys. They engaged in a long rally as Rolf ran close to the net.

Finally, Mario hit a hard topspin shot. Rolf jumped up to reach the ball, only to miss. "1-6." Gloria called and then gave Mario two tennis balls,

"Yay, Mario!" One of the Toads cried from the stands, "Win it for the Mushroom Kingdom!"

Mario tossed the ball up and smacked it with his racket. The ball bounced inside the right service zone. Rolf hit it with a slice shot. Both men hit a volley, but Mario's second volley eluded Rolf. The crowd cheered. "And... Game, Set & Match to Mario." Gloria called,

Mario jumped up and cheered, "Oh yeah! Oh boy! I'm-a gonna win!" He spun around on his left foot and back standing.

"I... can't...!" Rolf cried as he dropped to his knees

Mario then walked to center court and held out his hand. Rolf looked up. At first, he didn't think he would shake hands with his opponent who was victorious. But as soon as he looked at Mario, Rolf recognized that the plumber that he sees before him is not only above him as a tennis player, but Mario is showing class as the most gentlemanly human in all of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Rolf smiled, got up and shook hands. The crowd soon cheered as both Mario and Rolf waved.

Rolf then turned to Mario and said, "I only have one thing to say... You truly are above me. I wish you luck in the championship final."

Mario simply nodded and grunted in approval. In a couple days time, it'll soon be a match made in heaven for the legendary hero of the Mushroom Kingdom...