Notes: I had some trouble with the chapters 4, 5 and 6, because they focus too much on the OCs. If you are afraid this will turn into some 'harem' story (all the boys fall in love with some random Mary Sue that pops out of nowhere), I can assure you it won't. I specially put some extra effort to make sure it shows more of the PoT characters' point of view than the OCs'.

The day before the ranking matches

Coach Ryuuzaki Sumire shifted through some papers and grinned to the two boys in front of her.

"So, Tezuka, it seems you made up your mind." She pointed Echizen Ryoma's name at the participant's sheet.

"Aa." – It was the stoic boy's short response. Oishi quickly filled the silence for his captain:

"It's good to have new talented players. After all, they will be the club's future."

Ryuuzaki nodded and her grin got larger. Tezuka bowed and looked through the window.

"That's all for today. I'll take my leave now and make sure they train properly" Tezuka crossed his arms, eyeing the courts outside "If they have the time and energy to play around like this morning, they may as well do some basic training."

Oishi just scratched the back of his head; he knew what would be coming: a marathon and practicing strokes 500 times.

After the boys left, Sumire opened her drawer and took off two international letters. One was from America, written by that lazy good-for-nothing Najiroh, while the other was from Germany, sent by a very prestigious school.

"Well, well… That chibi prince won't be the only surprise for the tennis team… I wonder if this is destiny, indeed. This is going to be an interesting year."

* * *

"Gahhh! Training is a killer here! I can't even stand up and move my arms!" - Horio was loud as always.

Kachiro just replied: "Yeah, but this must be one of the secrets to Seigaku's strength"

Katsuo silently agreed with Kachiro, while he tried to regain his breath.

"Mada mada dane"

The three boys looked at Ryoma, the only first-year that wasn't sprawled on the floor, and Horio felt a bit envious:

"Che, you don't need to show off just because you have a little more experience"

The other two swatdropped at this. After all, it was Horio that bragged all the time about his two-year experience with tennis. Ryoma just ignored and walked away:

"I'm thirsty" He pocketed his hands and turned to the exit. If only Horio was here, he wouldn't say anything and just leave right away, but the two other boys seemed nice enough. Even though Ryoma valued his solitude, he also needed a human friend or two.

"Ah, wait! We're going with you!"

The quartet made their way to the fountain and drank to their hearts content. They also splashed some water on their faces to cool off. After their thirst was taken care of, they finally noticed the ruckus at the girl's courts.

"Hey, what's going on there?" Horio tried to see something past the crowd.

"Ah, Kachiro! It must be about the new girl, right?" Katsuo turned to his bowl-cut classmate, who tried to clarify things to a confused Horio.

"Oh yeah! She did say she was into tennis!"

"WHAT??!!" The monkey-boy yelled at his friends' faces "You managed to talk to that super-cute, ultra-hot german girl???" he grabbed Kachiro's shirt and shook him.

"Well, she sits right between us…" The taller boy started explaining when Horio released Kachiro and cut in:

"Then you MUST introduce me to her!"

While the goofy trio continued their antics, Ryoma adjusted his cap and casually approached the crowd:

"Ne, what's happening?"

A nearby upperclassman answered without taking his eyes off the scene:

"The new first-year is defeating every single regular of the girl's tennis club. They couldn't even make one point against her! Right now she is playing against the captain… First was the freshman from the boy's club, now the girl's. Seishun Gakuen is turning upside down…"

Said 'freshman from the boy's club' merely 'hn'ed to himself and tried to find a way to get closer to the scene. At these times he cursed his low stature and envied the taller student, who could see everything even from the back of the crowd.

Circling the court, he found a good spot and approached the fence. Unfortunately for him, they weren't playing anymore. The captain was kneeling over, too ashamed to raise her face, while the tall blonde pouted. The referee took a while to declare the result:

"Ma-match won by Adde-san! Six games to love!"

A small part of Echizen was a bit disappointed to miss what happened, but the greater part didn't care. In his opinion, girls are terrible players and even women pro tennis is too boring to watch. Shrugging it off, he turned around, just to see the goofy trio closing in.

"How cunning! Ryoma found a good spot and left us behind!" - Horio attached himself to the fence and started fanboying – "Uwaaa, Adde-chan is so cool!!!"

Horio in fanboy mode was definitely a gross sight to see, so the other boys kept their distance. Ryoma just walked past them.

"Hey, are you leaving already?"

The prodigy flatly answered: "Not interested" and made his way to the clubhouse.

No one else was inside so Echizen took this rare opportunity to shower slowly and gather his thoughts. Despite his "I don't care about anything" attitude, the idea of defeating the regulars and play against his captain was burned inside his mind. Would the ranking matches tomorrow prove to be his chance?

He scowled a bit when he remembered that archaic rule that forbids first-years until summer camp.

"Whatever, no use thinking about it"