BP: Hmm…I was slightly disappointed by the lack of reviews, but still…never mind. Today, I was in tuition and someone made cookies. My tutor and I tasted it. It was not tasty AT ALL. My tutor took one bite and she stopped eating, while I ate the whole cookie, just to be polite. Later, when I came downstairs, someone asked "How're the cookies?" My tutor shouted from above, "Not tasty at all!"
The next day, Ryoma and Atobe went down for breakfast, as usual. As always, they were the first ones to be seated at the breakfast table. Today, it was heart shaped waffles, (One of the servers said the heart-shaped waffle maker was a gift for them from Martha Stewart, when she visited.) and even ice cream. The door that leads to the bedrooms opened, and sure enough, Pakura and Ryoga walked out. They greeted Ryoma and Atobe morning, before sitting down and taking their breakfast. Ok, correct that. Ryoga took his breakfast. Pakura merely stared at the food. "What's wrong, Princess?" said Atobe. Ryoma, however, knew what's wrong. Pakura isn't exactly the sweet tooth type of girl. She only ordered ice cream the other day because she wanted to pretend she is just another typical girl, and generally, girls like sweets. However, after she started dating Ryoga, she acted more like herself. "She doesn't like sweets." Ryoma replied, shoveling his waffle with chocolate ice cream.
"That's not good Paku." Ryoga said, cutting a piece of waffle with strawberry ice cream, and poking it with his fork. He placed the said fork in front of her mouth. "Here" he said. Pakura sighed. If she said no, there'll be dire consequences, knowing Ryoga. She closed her eyes and opened her mouth, and Ryoga shoved the waffle and ice cream inside her mouth. For the rest of the breakfast time (to the embarrassment of the other champions, except Ryoma) Ryoga alternated feeding himself and feeding Pakura. After breakfast, William and Jude were later seen laughing at Pakura about what Ryoga did during breakfast time when they were in the elevator on the way to the gym. Once at the gym, the champions (except Pakura and Ryoma) found it strange that there are much less people in the gym, except for some that the other players seem to know very well. "I wonder what happened." said Jude. Ryoma looked at him in surprise. "Don't you know? Coach Levi kicked out the public members yesterday."
William looked interested. "Really? I thought Coach Levi is the type to stand firm on his decision, and no requests would waver his choices."
Atobe shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he had a change of heart."
'He should, if he wants to leave this Training Center unscathed.' A certain champion thought. (Who is thinking this sentence?)
"At least we will not worry about being pursued by fans that don't even know us." said Tyler. They placed their bags at the very bottom bleachers, and took out their tennis equipment. They took out their racquets and placed a few tennis balls into their pockets. Just then, Coach Mabi came up to them, carrying a box. "Would you champions kindly pick a number out of the box, please?" The champions obeyed. Ryoma looked at his number. He had a "5". Wonder what that means? Coach Mabi looked at the numbers in their hands, quickly memorized it, and ran to the panel that controls the screen. She typed a few things inside, and the screen turned on. Coach Mabi silenced the other players, before saying, "This would be the order of the matches. Please take note of your names."
1st - Yanagi Renji vs. Tyler Clearwater
2nd - Sanada Genichiro vs. Philip Robinson
3rd – Takahisa Kajimoto vs. William Anderson
4th- Yukimura Seiichi vs. Pakura Goldstein
5th – Oshitari Kenya vs. Ryoma Echizen
6th - Shiraishi Kuranosuke vs. Jude Harrison
7th- Kamio Akira vs. Derek Evans
8th- Muhaki Gakuto vs. Christopher McKiddie
"Would the first players please step on the court now?" said Coaah Mabi. Tyler got up, and took his racquet. "Good luck, Tyler." said Ryoma.
"We will all be behind you." said Pakura.
"Thanks, guys." said Tyler.
Sure enough, an hour later, Tyler won 7-5. He returned, wiping sweat off his forehead. "I'm so tired of people taking data on others and even using it against them." He said angrily. Of course, due to the fact that he is angry, Yanagi learned the hard way that you shouldn't make Tyler angry. Philip got up. His match was next. Poor Philip was pushed back by Sanada's "Fū Rin Ka In Zan Rai". Although Philip has remarkable strength and skill, he still lost 7-6. Sanada actually have to go over to Philip's side of the court and shake his hand. Atobe and Ryoma also have to carry Philip back to the bleachers. Despite the loss and the huge stamina drain, Philip was smiling. He loved the thrill he got when he played Sanada.
Next was William. Poor Kajimoto was overpowered by William, and William won 6-2 in 45 minutes flat. Then it was Pakura. She watched Yukimura walk on the court. According to Ryoma, Yukimura is known as "The Child of God" due to his play style and the fact that he has never lost or dropped a single game before his Nationals Finals match against him (who beats him 6-4 after achieving Teni Muhou No Kiwami). Ryoma also mentioned he was hospitalized due to a neurological disease. Due to the symptoms Ryoma described, Pakura thought the most probable disease is the Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a neurological disease that causes paralysis in the limbs. The surgery he must undergo to cure it only has a fifty percent survival rate. Nonetheless, he took the chance and survived, and that's how he got to where he is today. "Be careful, Paku." said Ryoma. Pakura nodded, as she took her racquet and walked to the courts. "One set match, Yukimura to serve." Yukimura smiled, threw the ball in the air, and served. 30 minutes into the match, Pakura realized why he's called the Child of God. As she returned Yukimura's serves, he took away her five senses. By the time the last sense was taken away, Pakura wasn't afraid, like the other players expected. On the contrary, she didn't even show any signs of distress, because she was in the same situation before, she knew how to overcome it. Yukimura was surprised when he saw a red aura radiating out of the vice-captain's body. Her usual sapphire blue eyes were now scarlet red.
"Oh no!" said Ryoma.
"Not good." agreed Ryoga.
"What's wrong, Ryoma?" said Atobe.
"That's….Scarlet Anger. When a person is in this mode, they vent their hatred, anger, and rage in their serves. Also, the yips didn't have an effect to the person, because the person ignores whatever injuries or disabilities they have to activate this mode. This mode is activated when a person gets exceptionally angry. Pakura's probably extremely angry because the yips reminded her of the ITM. If a person is in this mode for too long, they will….." said Ryoma.
"…lose their minds and in extreme cases, die." finished Ryoga.
Meanwhile, Pakura was smirking evilly. 'The five senses is just an extent of what you feel with your heart. Even if you don't have the five senses, you have to feel with your heart. Also, even if you feel something, if your brain doesn't register it, it's useless.' She threw the ball, and served, trusting her instincts and heart. 'Sayonara, Yukimura.'
2 hours later…
"Game, to Goldstein, 7-6!" Coach Mabi announced. When Pakura snapped out of Scarlet Anger, she dropped to the floor, shaking. She had flashes of the ITM, how she became a monster after unwittingly using Scarlet Anger during her final match. Yukimura, thank God, escaped unscathed. However, Ryoma noted she snapped out of Scarlet Anger easily. He was surprised Pakura can even use it freely. Then he realized why Yukimura escaped unscathed. Pakura deliberately aimed for his right side so that he could return it and avoid injuries. She probably used up most of her energy in order to keep her sanity and the rest was saved for her match against Yukimura, that's why she was tired and shaking (it's a miracle she can even win against Yukimura with her right hand). He didn't know anyone who could keep their sanity through sheer willpower when they get into Scarlet Anger. When he got his racquet out, he saw Ryoga talking to Coach Mabi, before scooping Pakura, and carrying her out of the room.
Ryoma walked to the courts to play against his opponent, Oshitari Kenya.
"One set match, Echizen to serve." said Coach Mabi.
Ryoma started the twist serve right off the bat, and Kenya tried to return it- read tried. The serve bounced away instead of towards his face, which Kenya was prepared of. "15-0!" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma smirked, and did his twist serve stance again. Kenya, who had memorized the path of the twist serve, stood somewhere near the right side of the court, thinking he can intercept it. He was wrong, however. The ball bounced towards the opposite direction, and Kenya was forced to run to the other side in order to return it. Ryoma returned the ball casually like it was nothing, and Kenya swung at the ball, only to realize it was an illusion. The real one was bouncing at the other side. "30-0!" Coach Mabi announced. Coach Mabi barely had time to announce the score before Ryoma threw the ball I the air and served again. This time, it was a normal serve, and yes, Kenya did return it, but Ryoma sliced the ball, and the ball seemingly disappeared. Kenya looked around for the ball, and he realized too late, it bounced behind him. "40-0!" Coach Mabi cried. Ryoma smiled, and served one more time, right all the way to the other side of the court. Kenya was forced to run to the other side of the court in order to return the ball.
Ryoma's strategy couldn't be clearer. He intended to get Kenya tired. Once he is tired, Ryoma will strike from there. The Shitenhouji members were tempted to tell Kenya not to run anymore. However, if he didn't run, he would have missed a ball, which would let Ryoma score points. They were in a dilemma. The ball bounced past Ryoma. "Game, to Oshitari, 3-2! Oshitari lead!" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma looked at Kenya, who was already panting, having been running full speed in order to catch up with the ball. He smiled, threw the ball, and served.
1 hour later….
"Game, to Echizen 6-3!" Coach Mabi announced. Ryoma walked away, and sat down next to Atobe, who had a notebook and was jotting down something.
"So, we need at least 1 win to get in the team, right?" Ryoma nodded, as he took a long drink from his bottle. Atobe went on, "So far, the ones who has one win are Yukimura, Kenya, Muhaki, Niou, Sanada. So, their places are definitely secured. Yanagi and Kajimoto are kicked out due to the fact that they lost both matches." Ryoma nodded. "Thanks for the information, Keigo." Atobe nodded, and leaned down to give Ryoma a kiss on the lips. Later, Jude Harrison won Shiraishi 6-4, Derek won 6-2, and finally, Chris won 6-3. Then, they were dismissed. The champions practically rushed out of the gym, and went back to their rooms, all the while talking about the matches. They met Ryoga at the twelfth floor penthouse. Ryoga said Pakura is resting now, and she would probably be able to play again tomorrow. She showed up for dinner, though, and started on her baked chicken, carefully peeling off the skin (she doesn't like the skin, due to the fact that it is soft and slimy, in her opinion). Ryoma filled her in on the matches that happened after she was carried out of the gym. "…and so, the person who got in the team so far is Yukimura, Sanada, Niou, Muhaki and Kenya. Yanagi and Kajimoto lost both matches, so they are out of the running for the 8 places." He concluded, drinking his juice.
Atobe nodded. "So, Tezuka, Oshitari, Shiraishi, Chitose, Tachibana, Kamio, Shinji, Yagyuu and I are competing for the last 3 spots."
Tyler nodded. "Well, good luck for tomorrow, Atobe, Derek."
Derek smiled. "I won't go easy on you, Atobe."
Atobe smiled. "I was hoping you wouldn't."
Meanwhile, at the sixth floor, a certain captain's phone rang. The person gave a glare at his teammates to be quiet, and then picked up the phone. "Hello?" he said.
"Kunimitsu, is it true you are going to play tomorrow?"
"Yes, mom." said Tezuka.
"Well, who is it?"
"Some girl called Pakura Goldstein."
"Alright! We're coming to support you, Kunimitsu! Playing against a champion, it's quite an honor!" his mother gushed.
Just then, he heard his grandfather's voice. "Goldstein, did you say? What does she look like?"
"Well, she had black hair and blue eyes. Why?"
"No, I was just wondering if she could be related to Chase Goldstein. According to research, the family Chase Goldstein belonged to all had dark brown hair and gray eyes. Since that girl had black hair and blue eyes, it's highly unlikely she belonged to that family. Anyway, the family was said to have only two children, though I don't know who the other Goldstein child is."
"Chase Goldstein? As in the criminal you caught 10 years ago?"
"Yes, apparently he was trying to smuggle drugs into Japan, and he did put up a good fight."
Tezuka smiled. "Yeah, thanks to your karate moves, you caught him."
"Of course, Kunimitsu. Well, we'll be coming to root for you, good luck!" With that, he hung up the phone. Tezuka closed the phone.
"What is it, Tezuka?" said Inui.
"No, Oji-san is just asking me if that Pakura girl could be related to Chase Goldstein, but then dismissed it because they don't even look like each other."
"I see. Well, you better rest for tonight, Tezuka. You are our only hope in representing Seigaku in the Japan team. We don't need you to be tired halfway during the match." Tezuka nodded.
Meanwhile, in Ryoma's penthouse, Ryoma was eating a Nutty Royale ice-cream cone (ordered) while contemplating something. Atobe went over to him and said, "Ryoma, what's wrong?" Ryoma turned and said, "I wonder if Pakura would win her match tomorrow."
"She will. After all, she has trained for this moment, right?" Ryoma nodded, licking his ice-cream cone, and crunching on the nuts. "Yeah, but I'm afraid of what Tezuka has up his sleeve. Maybe he will even injure her during the match."
Atobe nodded, understanding what he meant. Then, a thought struck him. "Then again, isn't she the type to ignore her injuries and continue playing?"
Ryoma nodded. "True." He smiled. "Then, I guess I have nothing to worry about, because no matter what happens, she wouldn't give up."
Atobe nodded, smiling. "That's the spirit, Ryoma. Oh by the way, can I have a bite of your ice cream?"
Ryoma smiled playfully. "No. But you can have this." He coated his lips with ice-cream, and pressed his lips against Atobe's. Atobe took advantage by licking Ryoma's lips until they are free of ice cream, before thrusting his tongue into his mouth. When they broke apart, Atobe licked his lips. "Hmm, Ore-sama tastes vanilla, chocolate with a hint of sugar. Not a bad taste for a kiss."
Ryoma waved his ice cream teasingly. "Do you want some more?"
Atobe smirked. He knew what Ryoma meant.
He pounced.
In Pakura's room, the owner and her boyfriend are lying on the bed. Pakura was sharpening her knives as usual. "So, tomorrow's the day, huh?" said Ryoga. Pakura nodded. She sliced one of the wooden boards in her room with the said knife.
At the different place, but at the same time, the captain and the vice-captain said, "Tezuka Kunimitsu, you're going down!"
Omake (Arm wrestling)
Note: For this omake's sake, the champions are all in the same class and same school
William: Philip, you just have to bomb our school with another one of your inventions, don't you?
Philip: Sorry, Will.
W: Sorry isn't going to cut it.
Chris: Whatever, Let's get to our assigned class in our temporary school, Bronx Academy of Letters.
(In the class…)
Derek: That's weird. I wonder why all of us are assigned to the same class. I mean, isn't Pakura supposed to be a senior and Philip a junior?
Chris: Fair point. Shh, the teacher's here.
Teacher: hello, my name's Alex McLain. Let me just say this: I won't tolerate any of you misbehaving. (Thinks) Maybe I should use one student as an example. (sees Pakura sleeping) Ah-ha! I got myself a pushover. (walks over to Pakura) Hey, you! Wake up!
P: (wakes up) Huh?
Teacher: Why don't you and I have a friendly arm wrestling match? As a way to get to know each other?
P: Are you sure you can win?
T: (thoughts) I may not look it, but I am one of the best in arm wrestling when I was younger. I never lost a match. Beside, you're a girl, what am I afraid of
Teacher: (Grasp Pakura's (right) hand, with his elbow on the table)Ready….GO!
P: (uses too much strength, and actually flung through the wall.) Ah crap…I overdid it.
Ryoma: (Yawns) The teacher is mada mada dane…
BP: Well, I was watching Beelzebub while writing this, so it may be bad. Please review!