DISCLAIMER:
TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: So FlippinWonka is making progress with the story lately. Hmm, the prison cell method must be working. Maybe if we lessen her food supply and taunt her, she'll be desperate and write more for our audience. -goes off into secret laboratory-
2ManyShoez: Just for future reference guys, don't go ANYWHERE near that place... -shudders-
GreenMamushi: Hehehe, The IQ Test has more hits and views than this one even though there's only a prologue and chapter 1!
FlippinWonka: Wahhhh... Why is everyone picking on me? Fail4Ninjas do not own Prince of Tennis~
Amai Masquerade Love
Chapter 3: Atobe vs. Emi
Atobe's POV
Who was this girl? She had suddenly appeared on his courts, and actually had the nerve of disrupting practice! More importantly, she is not awed by ore-sama's beauty!
"Hey, almighty Atobe! Are you done thinking about yourself yet? I'm sort of getting tired of waiting." She turned around to talk to Jirou and Yuushi. "Yuushi, I need to borrow your racket! Oh, and Jirou, if you fall asleep or doze off even a little, I will get mad." Jirou nodded as she said this. Yuushi chuckled and gave her his favorite racket.
Who exactly is this girl? She can boss around Jirou and Yuushi, and they never listen to ore-sama!
"I'll be right over there, my precious hime-sama." Ha, I'd like to see her resist ore-sama's amazing charms. No one can resist ore-sama.
Of course, all of the fan girls started weeping in jealousy. Why wouldn't they?
"Ew! Please do NOT call me your precious hime-sama. I'm fed up with Yuushi calling me that! I don't need an arrogant jerk to give me annoying pet names as well!" she screamed at me.
Ore-sama couldn't believe his ears! A girl had actually said no to ore-sama's charms! Is the world finally coming to an end?
Normal POV
All of the fan girls stood shocked by the girl's actions. She had the nerve to yell at their Atobe-sama? They gave her death glares and threats.
On the other hand, the regulars were enjoying this scene very much. Gakuto was rolling on the floor laughing, clutching his stomach while gasping for air; Yuushi was chuckling to himself; Jirou was smiling; Hiyoshi was grinning; Ootori was blushing, and Shishido was laughing.
"Hahahaha, Atobe got rejected!" cried Gakuto.
"Atobe-buchou got gekokujoued by a girl."
"Aaahh, Atobe gekidasa! (He walked over to where Emi was standing, with a look of disgust plastered on her face.) Hey, you're pretty cool… for a girl I mean," said Shishido.
Emi then turned to face Shishido with a look of amusement on her face.
"Haha. Thanks, and you aren't so bad at doubles… for a boy I mean," she smirked.
Shishido then smiled (YES, SMILED) at the girl. "I'm Shishido Ryou." He extended his hand.
Emi took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, and you'll find out who I am if your buchou returns from his little frozen state and beats me."
At this comment, Atobe snapped out of his state. "Kabaji, give me my racket! And you," he pointed a finger at Emi. "You will lose, and be awed by my prowess." Kabaji handed him his racket, and Atobe stalked over to Court A where the game would take place.
"Well, looks like the pompous king got his act back together. You better watch this, Shishido. You get to watch first-hand as your buchou gets crushed by a girl." She flashed a mischievous smile and walked to the net where Atobe was waiting.
"So Mr. Jerk-face, rough or smooth?"
Normal POV
"Game to Atobe! Five games to love! Change courts."
On Court A, one could see the match between Emi and Atobe progress. Anyone could tell that Atobe was taking this very seriously and wanted to pulverize Emi.
"Where did the big talking, loud-mouthed girl go ann?" Atobe said sarcastically.
From what he could see, Emi was just a weak girl who didn't have nearly enough strength or stamina for playing tennis. The first five games passed by quickly with just his service aces and return aces. He wasn't the least bit tired.
On the other side of the court, Emi was sweating a lot, and her hand was bleeding from a time she slid on the court to try and get a ball. She looked miserable, but sometimes, Atobe's insight could pick up a small bit of a glint lighting up in her eyes. He dismissed this quickly; absolutely no one could fake playing this badly.
As they walked over to their benches to get a drink before switching courts, Jirou went to talk to Emi.
"Ne ne~ Emi~. I know you have a habit of waiting for match point and all, but aren't your tricks getting a bit out of hand?" he asked in a hushed tone.
Emi chuckled. "It's okay, Jirou. I will win this, but I'm just building up his ego a little bit more before I crush it."
"Okiee~. Just making sure his mental damage isn't that bad. We need him as our buchou."
Emi smirked. "So, should I play for real now then? Although, the damage won't be as effective."
"Nah~. I would give anything for Atobe to admit defeat," Jirou added cheerfully, "but stop pouring water on yourself to make it look like your sweating, okay?"
"Okay fine, I'll stop my act, but I won't play seriously until match point."
"Deal," he changed his hushed voice to a loud one. "You can do it. Good luck!"
She smiled at Jirou before making her way to the baseline. It was her turn to serve.
"Are you ready to lose to ore-sama, my precious hime-sama?" He watched her twitch, but to his surprise, she made no comebacks. She just started bouncing the ball.
Then, she served. It was a normal serve, which he returned with a return ace. This happened three times in a row.
"Match point, Atobe!" This is where things get interesting, thought Yuushi.
"Emi~! Don't kill Atobe!" Jirou said.
Atobe looked confused. Don't kill ore-sama? Did Jirou not see he was winning? he thought silently.
"Well, because Jirou is pleading for your life, I'm going to give you an easy serve."
She then tossed the ball high up in the air. It was hardly visible as the sun's rays swallowed the ball up. Emi then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and hit the ball with a lot of power.
"15-Love!"
Atobe stood there, looking very shocked at what just happened. That girl had hit the hardest serves he had ever seen. His insight couldn't even see the ball just now! Could she have been hiding her true potential all this time?
She grinned at Atobe. "How did you like my bone serve? I wouldn't directly hit it if you know what's best for you." She giggled.
Now, Atobe was infuriated! This girl had actually tricked him!
"I'm going to serve a little faster now!" She then threw the ball high into the air, and hit it with more power than before. The ball whizzed past Atobe for three more turns, earning her a game.
"Game to Emi. Five games to One."
On the sidelines, Shishido, Ootori, and Jirou were talking about Emi's serve.
"Choutarou, I think that serve of hers is the same speed as your scud serve!"
"No, Shishido-san, I think it might be faster."
"Wo~~w! Emi's bone serve! I hadn't seen it in a while. Oh and Ryou, Emi's bone serve goes way faster than Ootori's scud serve. She's hitting it slowly right now for warm-up," Jirou happily said.
Shishido and Ootori blinked in amazement.
"Hey jerk! I'm catching up." She grinned.
Atobe gritted his teeth. "It's okay, Atobe. Keep calm. This girl has many weaknesses. You can still win this. After all, you still have your insight."
He served the ball. He put a lot of spin on the ball, so that she would hit a lob.
Emi was watching his movements very carefully. He probably wants me to lob it, she thought.
As the spinning ball came toward her, she hit the ball, adding a stronger spin on the ball. This made Atobe's spin cancel out, and the ball to go straight. It hit smack in the middle, but Atobe wasn't expecting that, and couldn't get to it on time.
"Love-15!"
Atobe served the ball again, this time not adding spin, but power. "So, he thinks he can outdo me in strength?" she thought as she observed.
Then, she quickly hit the ball back and had begun a rally with him. "This is what ore-sama was aiming for! Her stamina would not be able to last very long," Atobe triumphantly thought.
"He thinks he can win against me in stamina. That stupid, ignorant boy. I guess it's best to start using my insight as well."
They continued the rally for about another five minutes. She then saw it: his Achilles' heel.
"There!" She yelled as she hit a powerful forehand that hit Atobe's ankle.
"Love-30!"
He started to tremble in pain. "How did she know that this is my weak spot?"
"Hey, oh great Atobe. If you hadn't figured it out yet, I'll tell you that I have insight as well. Your ice world cannot imprison me," she teased.
Atobe's jaw dropped. "This girl could use ore-sama's insight as well?" The match then progressed quickly again, with Emi taking complete control.
"Game to Emi! Six games to five."
Everyone was in complete shock. How had this girl caught up to Atobe? Atobe is the best in Hyotei! He is the king!
"Hey, Jirou! Who is this girl?" Atobe barked from the courts.
Jirou's eyes had begun to shine dramatically when watching the match.
"Hey, you cocky idiot! Stop asking Jirou about me! You could just say so directly if you were awed by my beauty!" She copied Atobe's hair flip as she said this.
All the regulars erupted in laughter. That was the best impression of Atobe any of them had ever seen.
"Emi-hime, I love all of your comments, but could you commence with the match? Knowing you, you must have some plans with Eri later," said Yuushi while chuckling.
"Okay, Yuushi. How did you know I had plans with Eri? She called me earlier and invited me to dinner. What time is it?"
"It is 4:30 p.m. right now Emi-hime."
Her face changed from amusement to panic. "Are you serious? I have to meet her in Harajuku at six! Augh, she's gonna kill me!" –She turned to look at Atobe- "Sorry, jerk, but I have to get serious now," she said with a grimace.
Atobe was furious at her. She dared to mimic him. Now, she was telling him that she hadn't been playing seriously? He had been more serious playing her than he had been against Tezuka!
"Hey! Stop thinking about yourself and serve already! I don't have time!"
Atobe glared at her. "I'm not going to be responsible for whatever happens to your wrist." He served and added extra spin to the ball.
"Oh, he wants me to lob it?" She thought, Maybe he'll show me something. So, she then lobbed the ball.
On the other side, Atobe jumped up. "This is hametsu e no rondo! Be awed by my prowess!" He then smashed the ball to her wrist. The force of the ball caused her to let go of the racket that was in her right hand.
She twitched at the pain. "I see, the first smash blows the racket off, and the second smash takes the point."
Then, Atobe flew up again for the second smash. "This is ore-sama's win!" He then smashed the ball with all of his strength. Emi smiled. As the ball whirled toward her, she stepped back and picked up her racket with her left hand. She hit a backhand with her left hand, causing the ball to go straight into the other court. Atobe was not expecting this and was barely able to return the ball. He hit a lob.
"Hehe. It's my turn!" She then leapt into the air, and did a flip. "This is my blaze smash!" She put both hands on the grip of her racket and hit the ball with 30% of her power.
As the ball hit the ground, it made a very dark mark before it bounced back up through Atobe's feet. "Aww… I guess 30% of my power wasn't enough to make an indent," she whined.
"Love-5! Emi-hime, when did you learn that? You didn't show it to me the last time you were here," said Yuushi.
"Ama~zing! Emi~ that was so cool!" shouted Jirou.
Emi grinned. "It's new." Then, she paused and looked at Atobe, "Sorry, but I need to end this soon. So snap out of it and serve!"
Atobe POV
She deflected my hametsu e no rondo. My strongest move was deflected. Ore-sama can't win… NO! Ore-sama cannot lose. Not here, not now. Ore-sama will find her weakness and win! I put my hand to my face and started searching. Everyone has a weakness! Ore-sama just has to find it. Now where is it? …
Normal POV
He served. His plan was to have a rally with her until she tripped up and revealed her weakness. He smirked. Ore-sama is still magnificent. Ore-sama will not lose!
Emi POV
Augh! I thought I told him that I don't have any time. He probably wants to have a long rally with me just to see if I have a weakness. I guess I'll just make this quick. I watched his movements for about a minute. "There!" I hit a cross at the same time when Atobe thought I was going to hit a straight.
"Love-30!"
Atobe's face had started to look panicked. Oh? Looks like I'm finally breaking his ego. He served with a lot of power and spin. Oh, so he wants me to lob it again. Sorry, but I really don't have time. I hit a drop shot. Atobe's eyes widened as he realized what is was. He ran to the net to try and get the ball; it was too late. He had just reached it when it touched the ground. When it reached the court, the ball suddenly picked up speed and bounced a few times before going out.
"Summer monsoon." Oh, how I wish I had a camera! I would love to take a picture of his face and send it to Eri. Aah~ that would have been great blackmail~
"Love-40. Emi match point."
The fan girls who had kept quiet until now started booing. I just ignored it. It's not my fault that their precious "Atobe-sama" was about to lose. The regulars were all intently watching us.
"Atobe-buchou is about to be gekokujoued."
"Hahaha. First, he got rejected by her; now, he's going to lose a match against her!" Gakuto started laughing.
"Gekidasa Atobe! Well, I probably would have lost against her, too." Shishido whispered the last part.
As his teammates started talking, Atobe started to look insecure. I almost felt bad for him… almost
"Well, this is where I win, so will you serve?" I asked him with an angelic tone.
"Ore-sama will not lose!" he shouted. Oh dear, the king has lost his temper. I snickered.
He served. It looked like he put everything he had left into that last serve, but still not enough! I added a bit of spin to the ball as I returned the ball. Atobe was not prepared for that and accidentally hit a lob. I chuckled. I am so going to kill that King's pride.
"Atobe~! Emi is going to hit her blaze smash! Be ready~!" said Jirou from the sidelines with a glittering expression.
"Hehe~. Sorry, Jirou, but you are wrong." I leapt into the air and got ready to smash it. "Sorry jerk, but I need your ego to break!" I smashed the ball, aiming at Atobe's wrist. The force of the ball sent his racket flying, and Atobe stumbled. I grinned.
"Oi! It's Atobe's…" Shishido began to say.
I grinned as I leapt into the air for the second time.
"Hametsu e no rondo!" I then smashed it to the baseline. Of course, Atobe was too shocked to move.
"Game and match Emi. Seven games to five." I saw Atobe fall to his knees and pant heavily. This must be his first defeat since who-knows-when.
"Well, I'm going to leave. That was a good match, Atobe." As I started to exit the tennis courts, Atobe started to say something.
"You… what is… your name?" He lifted his face, and I could see it was full of anger, confusion, and despair.
I smiled. Well, he did better than I expected, so I guess I can give him a hint. I walked over to where the regulars were looking at me with shock and respect.
"I'll return this later, Shishido-san." I took his hat and walked back to where Atobe was lying.
"Here's your hint," I said as I put on the cap, crouched down to his level, and tipped it so he couldn't see my eyes. "Mada mada dane, Monkey King."
- The "Otaku Corner"-
FlippinWonka: So I ended it at a cliffhanger as revenge for my captivity. The readers will be so hungry for more and mob Fail4Ninjas. Then, TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist might give me more food to work faster! -glints in eye-
TheSpunky(Short)Alchemist: Like that's ever gonna happen. I would just limit your food supply even more. MUAHAHAHA! -composes oneself again-Now, let's move on to the nickname origin of our co-editor and co-typer - 2ManyShoez!
2ManyShoez: So I came up with my nickname because of my sister's previous obsession on shoes. She went on a shoe purchasing rampage and basically cleaned out all of the shoe stores she went into. Now, right next to my front door is a gigantic pile of shoes that cause any visitors to trip and fall when the step in to my house. Oh well, at least I don't ahve to go out and buy shoes of my own!
GreenMamushi: So that's why my mom got such an ugly pair of shoes for me. They were in storage and apparently, they were too ugly for 2ManyShoez's sister! Great, now I'm stuck with these shoes until they're ruined. -runs to the nearest pavement and rubs shoes all over the ground- Just a few more months at this and I'll be able to get a new pair of shoes! YESSS!