BP: Someone asked me how is the ITM legal. Well, it's just a story. I know, I come up with ridiculous stuff. If only you knew me in real life, you would see I am more realistic and I don't believe in fantasy stuff. Also, I am more serious in real life than I am in fanfiction. So anyway, back to the story! Please, no more stupid questions.
The sun shone through the windows, shining on a certain captain's face, as if it wanted to put his face into the natural spotlight. The boy shielded his face from the irritating light, and got up. He smiled at his sleeping boyfriend next to him. He gently prodded the older boy. "Keigo, wake up." He said softly. The older boy opened his eyes and squinted at Ryoma through sleep gummed eyes. "Ryoma, morning." Ryoma smiled. "Morning to you too." They got up, and refreshed themselves. "So, today's the day, huh?" said Ryoma, wiping his face with a cloth. Atobe nodded. "Yes, today's the first day." Ryoma smiled, and wrung his cloth dry, before stepping out of the bathroom and changing to his New Day Academy regulars' outfit. He grabbed his tennis bag, and went out for breakfast. They were the first ones to arrive at the table. They chose a seat each, and began to fill their plates.
Meanwhile, in another person's room, another pair of eyes opened, sapphire blue could be seen through those eyes. Pakura gasped softly in surprise as she felt a warm presence pressed against her back and when she looked at her waist she saw two arms holding her gently and protectively. Pakura frowned. Her shirt has moved higher to her chest. She blushed as the arms are wrapped around her bare waist. Out of the corner of her eye, she smiled as she found out who is the owner of the arms. She carefully turned, and slowly brought her hand up to Ryoga's face to caress the soft cheek. Ryoga groaned softly and opened his hazel eyes that are so much like Ryoma's. "Today's the day." She said. Ryoga nodded. She sat up on her bed. "I have no intention to reveal I am left handed until my match with Tezuka. I want to catch him by surprise." Ryoga smiled, and nodded. "As you wish, sweetheart." They then went to refresh themselves and Pakura changed into her New Day Academy regulars' outfit as well. They went down to breakfast only to find Ryoma and Atobe already there, eating. She and Ryoga sat down, and she shoveled some French toast onto her plate. She poured syrup over it and took a bite; it tasted like cardboard for some reason. "Chibisuke, who is your opponent today?"said Ryoga.
Ryoma drank his orange juice, and said, "Tachibana Kippei, one of the Two Wings of Kyushu."
Ryoga whistled. "Good luck, Chibisuke."
Ryoma smiled. "Thanks, Aniki."
Just then, the door opened and the other champions came out, wearing their school regulars' jersey. Chris said to Atobe. "Well, I hope we would have a good match today." Atobe smiled. "Thanks. You too, Christopher."
Chris laughed. "Call me Chris."
Atobe laughed. "Alright, Chris."
After breakfast, the Champions (including Atobe) shouldered their tennis bags, and marched into the gym. "Is it just me, or does it seem that there are more people the usual?" Tyler muttered. They looked around, and sure enough, every single seat in the gym is occupied, and people are holding betting slips. Coach Levi walked over, and said, "Sorry, I forgot to mention, this is a public event, so some members of the public came to watch the matches. Also, the matches you guys are playing would be broadcasted on live television, for the benefit of those who couldn't make it. To make it more fun, we allowed them to bet on their favorite players. It was planned a few days beforehand" He was met with glares from the Champions. Pakura narrowed her eyes at Coach Levi. He wasn't looking at them when he said "It was planned a few days beforehand". She knew he was lying. It was most likely thought up of at the last minute. Finally, Ryoma said, "Whatever." And they headed towards the section where the camp players are sitting at. They took their places in the very bottom bleachers, as it was reserved for them, according to the sign on the bleacher. They barely had time to sit down and get their tennis equipment ready, when Coach Mabi announced for the champions and players to take their positions. They did, and the screen lit up. The screen divided the 16 players' names in 8 equal sections that show their odds of winning and their scores. Ryoma looked at his name. His name is in the same section as Tachibana Kippei. Hid odds of winning were 7-1, while Tachibana's were 5-1. 8 of the coaches are now refereeing one match each. The 8 matches are going to happen together.
Next to him, Pakura is looking at the odds board. She was given the odds of 10-1, while her opponent, Kajimoto Takahisa, was given the odds 7-1. Ryoma looked at 5 courts to his left. Ryoga was going to referee the match between Jude Harrison and Muhaki Gakuto. The champions all nodded, silently wishing each other luck. Coach Levi was recording down their bets, and they appeared on the screen, next to their names. Ryoma saw that around 56% of the people bet that Tachibana would win. Also, their latest training scores has been posted as well. The scores give the people an idea of which players have the better chance of winning their matches, and therefore which to bet on. After Coach Levi has finished writing down the people's bets, he nodded towards Coach Mabi, who took her mike and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, let the matches begin!" The people on the bleachers cheered, as Ryoma's referee said, "One set match, Tachibana to serve."
Tachibana smiled. "I hope you won't go easy on me, Echizen."
Ryoma smiled. "You too, Tachibana."
Tachibana threw the ball in the air, and used his Wild ball serve. Ryoma saw multiple balls coming to him, but he heard the impact of the racquet hitting the ball, so he knew the course of the real ball. He hit the ball, and said, "There's only one ball."
Tachibana smiled. "You have improved a lot, Echizen."
He returned the ball, only to have Ryoma at the net, using his left hand to add a weird spin to the ball. The ball didn't bounce, but span on the same spot until it stopped.
"15-0!" cried the referee. The score was also shown on the screen, for the benefit of those who can't keep track of all the matches (which basically means everyone). Ryoma stole a glance at the screen and was surprised Pakura didn't even score a single point against Kajimoto. Kajimoto was leading 2-0. As for Atobe, apparently he was struggling with Chris, as they were tied 1-1, and 30-30. Ryoma looked back in time to see Tachibana serving again. The shots were more powerful and faster this time. Ryoma was forced to swap to his left hand. "Not bad, Tachibana, you should be proud of yourself. You actually made me use my left hand." Tachibana smiled, but it quickly turned to surprise as the ball bounced past him. "30-0!" cried the referee. Tachibana served again, and Ryoma returned it. This time, Tachibana returned it with Super Rising Shot. Ryoma smiled. He knew how to return the ball, due to the match with Fuji Yuuta once. Tachibana returned the ball, and Ryoma hit it with such force, he blew Tachibana's racquet away. "40-0!" Ryoma is impressed with Tachibana. He was good enough to force him to use his left hand. He nearly missed the real ball as well when he used the Wild Ball (Abare Drama) serve. Tachibana served again, and Ryoma returned it, and this time, Tachibana returned with such force, Ryoma actually was knocked down by the force of the ball. Tachibana realized what he has done and asked, "Are you alright, Echizen? I am so sorry, I didn't mean to."
Ryoma nodded. "It's alright, Tachibana." He got up and said, "You can serve." Tachibana nodded, and served again. Ryoma returned using his Twist Serve. However, instead of bouncing towards Tachibana's face like expected, it actually bounced away.
"Game, to Echizen, 1-0!" cried the referee. Next to him, Pakura's referee announced, "Game set, to Goldstein, 6-4!" Pakura turned to Kajimoto, who was panting on the ground. "Mada Mada Daze." She said, a line she learned from her boyfriend. "So, you were pretending all this while?" he whispered so that the audience couldn't hear. Pakura nodded. "Glad you noticed." Ryoma turned back, and smiled. Of course. She pretended to be pressurized and the, when the opponent gains confidence, she would shatter it by revealing she could actually return his serves easily. "Echizen to serve" said the referee. Ryoma thought, 'Sorry, Tachibana, I want to end this quickly.' He threw the ball in the air, and served.
1 hour and 30 minutes later….
"Game set, to Echizen, 7-6!" the referee announced. Tachibana shook hands with Ryoma. "That was a great match, Tachibana. You actually forced me to use Muga no Kyōchi, in addition to my new moves." Tachibana smiled. "You are not bad yourself. You made me use Wild Beast Aura (Mōjū no Aura)."
Ryoma swung his racquet over his shoulder. "I hope to have more matches with you in the future."
Tachibana nodded. "Yeah, me too."
Ryoma checked the results of the other matches. He was surprised to see Tyler losing to Kenya, 7-5. Even William lost to Yukimura, but that's probably due to the fact that he used the yips on William. (He was actually sent to the sick room after this). Atobe lost to Chris 6-3, Philip lost to Niou 7-6, Jude lost to Muhaki 7-6, and Derek won 6-4. However, even if you had won the first match, you still have to play in the second match, to test your abilities against the other champion. He walked to the bleachers where the other champions were sitting. Despite the losses, they were grinning because even William (who insisted on coming back to watch Ryoma's match.) had fun playing against the strongest players. "They really have the potential." said Jude. The others nodded their assent. "Let's hope tomorrow's matches would be even better." said William. They watched the coaches (except Ryoga, because he is now standing next to Pakura) giving money to those who had won their bets.
"Let's go, everyone." said Ryoma. Once they finished their matches, they can rest for the day. They stood up, and walked out of the gym. However, they found themselves surrounded by a crowd, and in the process of trying to get out, they were separated. By the time they broke out of the crowd, Ryoma couldn't find his fellow champions, Atobe or his brother. Ryoma sighed, and just navigated his way to their lounge. Meanwhile, Pakura looked around her as she broke out. She knew they would just go back to their rooms, and that's what she did. However, she didn't know she was being followed by a member of the public.
As if by instinct, she shouted, "Come out. I know you are there." She had heard some footsteps that weren't her own, and she knew she was being followed. The boy stepped out. Judging by his appearance, he must be at least twice as old, if not even older, than her. "What do you want?" she said. The man gave her a lecherous smile, and said, "Would you like to go for lunch with me?"
Pakura fought the urge to roll her eyes. She has seen scenarios like this before, strangers (even those that look older than 40) asking her out just because she is very good looking, powerful and talented. "Sorry, I won't go out with men that are so much older than me. Besides, I don't know you."
"Oh, come on. You're single, right?" said the man.
"No, I have a boyfriend." She replied.
"I have a driving theory test tomorrow."
"What has that got to do with anything?" Pakura narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, sorry, I thought we are naming things we can cheat on."
Pakura snapped. Just like that. She kicked the man where it hurts the most, and when he is down, she kicked him on various parts of the body. She walked away, not even bothering to say anything to the man. Usually, she is a calm, cool and collected individual, but if the person dare tell her Ryoga is not worth her attention, he's going to get it from her.
"What took you so long, Princess?" said William, when she stepped out of the elevator. The other champions, including Atobe and Ryoga, were already at the lounge. Pakura walked over, sat next to Ryoga and recounted what had happened. The champions' faces grew darker as she said each word. When she was done, Ryoma said, "With the public here, I don't think you should go anywhere alone from now on." The other champions nodded in agreement. "I am very sure they are some people who wouldn't take no as an answer."
Atobe nodded. "Yes, although according to Ryoma, you are good at combat, I don't think you should waste it on those people. You still have matches to play tomorrow." They didn't bother to step out of their lounge to train, because mainly, they are tired the ardent fans that constantly follow them and trying to get out of them. Ryoma said, "I think we should just rest for the rest of the day here. The public members aren't allowed to come up and annoy us anyway."
"How did you know that?" said Tyler.
"Before I went up the elevator, there were some people who followed me here, and the guards stopped them. They were protesting at the fact that they are not allowed to come up and meet us up close." said Ryoma.
"I see." said Philip.
"I'm going back to my room now. Let's go, Keigo." Atobe jumped out of his seat, and followed Ryoma back to his penthouse. When Ryoma and Atobe arrived at the penthouse, he sighed. "What's wrong, Ryoma?" said Atobe.
"I don't know. I had enough of those people, only cheering and liking us just because we have skills and talent at such a young age. Maybe they were on to something in Aquinas High School. I heard in there, they drug themselves out and paint god-knows-what on paper. Not such a bad life. Seemed happier than the rest of us, anyway." Aquinas High School was the school that had the most female ITM champions (It's an all-girls school after all). However, according to the latest information gained by Philip, due to their excessive drug intake, many of them died early, which led Pakura to be the only living female champion left.
"Speaking of drugs, did you know what Ryoga told me before you came up?"
"What?"
"Pakura's experiencing withdrawal from white liquor when she tried to stop drinking for your sake. However, she was so determined to fight alongside you against Seigaku, she put up with the symptoms to continue her training. Don't worry, she has Ryoga by her side, so she'll be fine."
Ryoma nodded. "I hope so."
He leaned in and their lips met in a chaste kiss. "Keigo…I hope you win tomorrow. I want you to be in that team." Atobe smiled. "Me too, Ryoma." Their lips met again. This is how they are. Whenever they have the chance for a private intimate moment like this, they do it quietly. There is no need for words. With them it's almost never needed. They understand and know each other so well that it feels that they are born to be with each other, the red strings of fate already tied them together. They both like it this way.
Meanwhile, the other champions are sitting around.
"I guess we can't go training anymore. Why did the coaches have to get the public to come?" Tyler wailed.
"I don't want to get chased by girls again!" William shuddered. "I mean, they don't even know you and they like you for abilities and the looks? No, thank you."
"What do we do now?" said Philip.
"I guess we can't do anything. I mean it's the coaches' decision." said Chris.
Pakura said nothing. She got up from her seat.
"Where're you going, Princess?" said William. She turned to them and said, "I got a few matters to handle. Wait here." She took the elevator to the eleventh floor, and found Coach Levi alone, counting the money he had earned through the course of the day. The other Coaches (except Ryoga) are probably in the meeting room, discussing the matches. He looked up, and found Pakura pointing a knife at the back of his head in the mirror. "Move and I will kill you. Make a sound, and I will kill you. Attack, I will kill you. If you understand, close your eyes." Coach Levi trembled, and closed his eyes. He knew Pakura is not above in hurting others physically. Once, if he remembered, she even stabbed a girl in the ITM to make sure she's really dead. "Now, answer me. You made this a public event because you knew our status as champions would help you earn more money, correct?" Coach Levi meekly nodded.
"I want you to stop this right now. Chase the public members out of the Training Center, and tell them it's a private matter. If you understand, open your eyes, and look at me in the mirror." He did, and saw that her eyes looked like the ones from the underworld.
"But, it was going to be televised anyway, so I may as well-"
"Don't interrupt me, Levi." said Pakura. Coach Levi flinched when she didn't add the word "Coach" in front of his name. "You may be the Head Coach, but if you take one step out of the line, I won't hesitate." Coach Levi trembled. "They can only watch it on television. However, if the players like, they can bring their families to the Training Center and let them watch the matches personally. You better do as I say. Don't use this dirty trick to earn money. Swear it."
Coach Levi nodded, and gulped "Ok, I will."
Later, Coach Levi was talking to Coach Makiyo. "I don't know how the girl can find out about it so quickly."
Coach Makiyo said, "Well, either way, I don't think she can find us alright. Since she only threatened you, it's probably because she knew more about you than any of us. Therefore, she's not an undefeatable player."
"Oh, that's where you're wrong." said a voice. The two coaches looked, and sure enough, Pakura was standing at the doorway. "It has nothing to do with your abilities and position. After all, you are just coaches, so what am I afraid of?" The next second, she was at the windowsill at the other side of the room. 'She's fast.' They thought. "I just thought I can warn you whenever and wherever. When you sleep, when you are in the bedroom….One point of advice, do not try and use us to earn money." With that, she took out a knife, and threw the knife across the room, hitting an insect. "You may be coaches, but I don't respect people who use others status to earn money, Levi and Makiyo. So, if you use our status to benefit you one more time, I won't guarantee you will leave here alive." With that, she walked away. Coach Levi said, "Er…maybe we should stop what we are doing."
Coach Makiyo nodded. "I agree."
Meanwhile, Ryoma was playing Go fish with Atobe. Ryoga was watching them play, while eating an orange, not even bothering to peel off the skin.
"Got any fours?" Atobe asked Ryoma.
"Go fish." Ryoma said, not even looking up from his pile of cards.
"Darn!" Atobe quipped. He looked at his cards again.
"Got any Eights?" Atobe asked.
"Go fish." Ryoma replied.
"Oh, for Pete's sake, Ryoma!" Atobe hissed.
"Got any fives?" Atobe asked.
"Go fish." said Ryoma.
"STOP HAVING NO CARDS, YOU BRAT!" Atobe yelled at his boyfriend.
"Mada Mada Dane, Keigo." said Ryoma, smirking.
"By the way, where do you think Pakura went, Chibisuke?" said Ryoga.
"Who knows?"
"Do you think we should look for her?" said Ryoga.
"Nah. I am sure she can defend herself. I mean, she's the best in combat. Also, she's one of the smartest in the team, that's why she's the strategist of the team."
"Good point." Atobe conceded. "Got any tens?"
"Go fish." Ryoma said
"RYOMA, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Atobe roared.
Just then, the announcement buzzer rang through the P.A. system, "Attention, public members. This is Coach Levi, the Head Coach speaking. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, the matches couldn't be watched live, and you are now unable to bet on the players during their matches. Please leave the Training Center immediately. If you still want to watch the matches, please go home and watch it on television. Thank you." The three boys looked at each other in interest. "So, does that mean…" said Atobe.
"That we are no longer being stalked by the public? YES!" Ryoma punched the air with his fist. Atobe smiled. "Whatever made them decide to do this, Ore-sama is glad. Ore-sama don't want so much publicity either." Ryoma thought back on Atobe on how he was surrounded by fangirls back when he was in junior high. Ryoma smiled. His boyfriend's ego has somewhat mellowed. "Well, at least we can train in peace now, without fearing that the public members will come hounding us. Right, Keigo?" Atobe nodded. "Yeah. I sure want to thank the person who helped us."
Ryoga smiled. "Well, I guess you don't need to be worried about girls asking you to pick a girlfriend, do you, Chibisuke?"
"Aniki! I am going to kill you!" He chased Ryoga around the lounge. Ryoga easily danced out of Ryoma's reach. "Mada Mada Daze, Chibisuke."
"YOU! COME BACK HERE, BAKA ANIKI!" Atobe laughed heartily at the scene in front of him.
Later that night….
The elevator dinged, and Pakura stepped out, only to find the Echizen brothers waiting for her. "Where were you, young lady?" said Ryoma.
"Just wandering around." said Pakura. "Haha, even I don't know where I was going."
"Right." said Ryoga. "Next time, please finish your tasks earlier."
"You say the same thing as Ryoma, Ryoga." said Pakura. "You shouldn't do that. Expectation leads to disappointment…"
Her laughter rang through the lounge. The Echizen brothers shivered as they heard her laughter. It sounded evil and cold.
BP: No omake, because I am too lazy to think of one. I am sorry that this chapter is bad, because I am also starting to feel writers block, and I only had one hour. I just closed my eyes and typed whatever that is in front of me. I even typed things that I am reading without knowing it. Do review. Oh, I would like to ask you readers something in the next chapter, so stay tuned!