A/N: IMPORTANT TO TAKE IN CONSIDERATION IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE STORY.

When ever Ryoma is referred by the people in the story (classmates, teammates), who dont' know that she is a girl, Ryoma would be 'he/his'. When it's a narration, for you readers who already know that Ryoma is a girl, Ryoma would be referred as 'she/her'.

Today, the crowd on the tennis court was bigger than the other days.

Why?

Because of a phenomenal first year boy.

It was incredible that a freshman was allowed to participate in the ranking tournament. But when they saw him played during the last days, they understood why Sakaki-coah made an exception to the rules. That freshman beat a player after another without sweating or getting tired. He was still cool when his opponents were sweating like pork.

In the first selection, he won just with his services. In the second, he didn't move a step away from his spot in all his games. Only his opponents were running right to left. Some people could even see that he was half asleep, as he kept yawning up and down during all the game. In the third selection, it took him least than fifteen minutes to finish a game.

However, for some unknown reasons, during the last selection, Echizen Ryoma was particuliary… agressive… dangerous. He looked very much angry… As if he wanted to kill whoever dare to piss him off…

Anyway, he was the new attraction of Seiyou. For the girls, because he was a really cute guy. For the boys, because he succeed to join the ranking tournament when he was only a freshman.

"He is much better than we expected from him, Renji," Inui said as he looked at Ryoma's games on the game chart. Ryoma won all the game 6-0. Yanagi nodded.

"He's a promising first year, nee Sanada," Yukimura said. Sanada agreed.

"He succeed to go so easily through the three selections, but what will happen from now?" Yagyuu said. They turned over to see Ryoma stepped in the tennis court.

"He is facing a regular now. This should be interesting," Oshitari said. They all nodded, agreeing with him. They and the crowd were curious to know to where this Echizen Ryoma can climb.

Today ranking tournament was special. People don't want to miss it. That first year Echizen Ryoma was facing the scariest of all the regulars, Kaido Kaoru, from Seigaku. Kaido was know to be a tough player who never give up until the end. Plus, he used the snake technique to beat his opponent, making them running around the court until they lost their stamina, then attacked them. How will this new freshman face him?

As Ryoma appeared, everybody turned to look at her, but she wasn't aware of it. She was yawning, trying to shake herself up.

'This guy is not even aware of the situation he put himself in,' people thought.

"Echizen, wake up, for Heaven sake!" Kirihara yelled in her ear.

"Hai hai," Ryoma said, grimacing as she rubbed her ears.

"Echizen, Kaido is not an normal opponent. He is strong and determinate to win. You have to take him seriously," Niou said.

"Kaido?"

"He's your next opponent," Ootori said.

"Ah. So his name is Kaido," Ryoma said. Kirihara, Marui, Niou and Ootori felt in anime-style.

"Echizen, at least learn your opponent's name!" Niou said, scratching his head.

"Hai."

"Here, eat this before you play him," Marui said, giving her a box.

"What's this?" Ryoma asked as she opened the box.

"It's a strawberry short cake, my favorite," Marui said. "I always eat one before before a game."

"Why should I eat it?"

"Kaido's tactic play is to tired his opponent with his Snake until his opponent lost stamina. This cake will supply you enough glucose to keep your stamina so you can face Kaido."

Ryoma closed the box and gave it back to Marui.

"Echizen?"

She smirked.

"I will beat him without this cake," she said cockily. She turned on her heels and entered the court. "I will eat it after I win the game."

They looked at her, dumb.

'Cocky bastard!' they all thought.

"He sure is confident of himself," Ootori said. Kirihara, Marui and Niou nodded.

Kaido and Ryoma were facing each other over the net. Even if Kaido was slightly bended, he was still very tall compared to Ryoma. Ryoma looked up at him, her head tilted back, not letting his height intimidating her. She wasn't scare of his snake-like self and his scarry face.

The people around were dumbed. Kaido was a scary boy, but that short boy with the white cap was as scary as him. What kind of person was he?

"Is he really brave or he is just simply stupid, to look in Kaido's eyes like that and not being scared?" Shishido asked.

"I think that Echizen is just cocky," Yagyuu said. Oshitari and Gakuto nodded.

"A cocky brat, that's it! Naa, Kabaji?"

"Usu!"

Kaidoh glared at his opponent. Ryoma glared back. Kaidoh threw her a viper glare. She threw back a cocky glare. Kaidoh's eyes were now scary. She glared him back not frightened at all. The started up a glaring contest up. People around sweat dropped.

"Hey! How long do they planned to do their glaring contest?" Gakuto asked.

"Echizen, Kaido, stop slacking off and start already!" Tezuka snapped, annoyed.

"Hai," Kaido and Ryoma answered. Ryoma took her racket and spin it on the ground.

"Which?"

"Rough," Kaido answered. The racket dropped on the rough side.

"Service," Kaido said.

"End." Ryoma said and picked up her racket. They parted to stand on their position.

"Kaido Kaoru vs Echizen. One set. Kaido to serve," the referee called. Kaido served and Ryoma and him started a rally.

It had been five minutes since they started. Kaidoh hit a ball at the left corned. Ryoma ran and returned the ball at the opposite corner were Kaidoh was. Kaidoh took only a few steps and reach the ball before it turned to be a point for Ryoma.

'He is good, very good. He hasn't miss a single ball,' Kaido thought and hit.

'As Niou-senpai said, he is not a normal opponent,' Ryoma thought as she returned his ball.

'I have no choice but to change tactic,' Kaido told himself. Kaido half turned his body, slightly tilted his racket, swung it upward and hit a backhand ball.

"Ah!" Ryoma was surprised. The ball curved to the right. Ryoma jumped on one leg to its direction, ready to return it. But she couldn't. The ball bounced to the opposite direction from where Ryoma expected.

"15-love," the referee called.

"Oooooooooooh!" the crowd cheered. "It's the Snake!"

'Snake? So this is Snake…' Ryoma watched Kaido. 'Not bad, Kaido-senpai.'

Kaido returned her glare, then went to the receiver position. Ryoma served and another rally started.

"Renji," Inui said. Yanagi nodded.

"Kaido starts using his Snake earlier than usually."

"This means that, even against Kaido, Echizen is also a tough opponent," Oshitari said. Yagyuu nodded.

The rally between Kaido and Ryoma had pulled on fifteen minutes. Ryoma didn't miss any ball.

"Hey! He's really good, that freshman!" a spectator said.

"Hmn!" his companions agreed with him.

"Even against Kaido, he didn't miss a single ball."

"Hmn! Hmn!"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah! Echizen-kun! Ganbatte nee (1)!" the girls squealed.

"We loved you!"

Ryoma don't paid attention to them.

'It's been the same kind of shot for more than fifteen minutes, but the balls have the same speed and the same power. They are easy to be returned back. He his planning something else,' Ryoma analyzed. 'Let's try something too…'

Ryoma purposely slowed down her speed. Kaido flashed. He grinned evilly.

'Got you!' Kaido thought. 'Finish!' Kaido hit a Snake with an more decreased angle, making the ball bounced earlier than the others balls.

"30-love."

'He can even use Short Snake,' Ryoma reflected.

Kaidoh and Ryoma exchanged another rally. Serve. Run. Return. Run. Hit. Then, Kaidoh changed tactic. Snake.

"40-love." The same pattern repeated again. A few ball and a snake.

"1-love. Kaido."

"Woaaaaah!" The crowd cheered.

"As expected, Kaido!" someone said.

From outside the court.

"Now, what are you going to do, Echizen-kun?" Yukimura said.

"If the brat don't do anything, he will lost the game," Atobe said.

'I think it's time for me to be serious now,' Ryoma thought.

"Echizen to serve."

"You're not bad, Kaido-senpai," Ryoma said. "But it's my turn now."

She got in position. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Throw. And serve.

The ball landed in front of Kaido. It spin on itself, then bounced into the direction of Kaido's face. Kaido couldn't return it.

"Fifth-... 15-love," the referee stuttered. The crowd was frozen.

"Wha-… Wha-… What was that?"

"What was that kind of serve?"

"We saw it the other day," someone said. "It's the Twist Serve."

"But today, it is more polish then when we first saw it," his companion said.

"Su-… Sugoi…"

From outside the court.

"Tw-… Twist Serve…" Sakaki-coach muttered.

"And a very accurate one," Ryuzaki-sensei said.

"His Twist Serve even surpassed the one of the professionals…" Sakaki-coach continued. "And to think that he's only a teenager."

Sakaki-coach reflected a moment.

"I understand now why Yanagi and Inui insisted on letting him play in the ranking tournament…" he said. Ryuzaki-sensei nodded.

"Hmn. Very good, Echizen-kun," Ootori said. "But this is only the beginning of the game. Kaido hasn't yet show all what he can do."

"But I think that Echizen has other surprises in his sleeves too," Niou said, seeing her smile under her white cap.

It had been half an hour and the score was 4-3 for Kaido. However, it had been hard on Kaido. Kaido send a Snake and made the white cap boy ran to the left side of the court. Ryoma returned it and ran to the right. As expected, Kaido hit a Snake to the right. Left, right, left, right.

"Ochibi-chan is sweating a lot," Kikumaru said.

"Will he be able to continue like that?" Ootori wondered.

"He should have eat the cake I offered him," Marui said.

"But he is not loosing concentration on the game," Niou said.

"Hey, Echizen!" Kirihara shouted. "If you lost the game, I can eat the cake at your place, right?"

"Don't even think about it, Kirihara! It's mine!" Ryoma replied.

"Che!" Kirihara snorted. Marui, Niou and Ootori snickered. Yukimura chuckled as Tezuka and Sanada sighed.

Kaido watched Ryoma ran. The boy was sweating heavily, but he don't look tired. His balls were accurate and he kept aiming at the base line.

'I admit. He is an incredible first year. Even now, he can still aim at the baseline. He has an incredible stamina. But so I am,' Kaido thought.

Ryoma aimed another ball at the baseline. Kaido slightly bend his knees to reach it and returned it.

'This is strange. His shoot are more powerful than before. How come?'

Fuji didn't detache his eyes from the freshman. He watched Ryoma as she aimed another ball at the baseline, next to Kaido's left foot.

'An excellent tactic against Kaido,' Fuji observed.

"Kaido hasn't realize it yet," Inui said. Yanagi nodded.

Ryoma aimed another ball at the baseline. Kaido bended his knees and hit. Then, it struck him.

'Ah! No! It's not his balls that are stronger, it's me who is becaming weaker. I cannot let him continue like this!'

Kaido returned a ball and ran in the frontline.

'He realized it,' Ryoma thought.

"Ara? Why Kaido went in the frontline?" Kikumaru asked.

"He's not a frontline player," Gakuto said.

"Echizen aims his ball at the baseline, giving Kaido little space to reply. By going in the front, he gives himself more possibilities to return back Echizen's shots," Yagyuu explained. "Kaido felt in his own trap."

"What? How come?" Kirihara asked.

"Kaido makes Echizen run from the right to the left with his Snake to make Echizen lost his stamina," Niou said. "However, Echizen set another trap on his own too."

"He makes Kaido lost his stamina by forcing him to bend his knees each time to reach the balls," Marui completed. "Kaido lost three time more his stamina each time he bends his knees."

"Sou ka…" Momoshiro said.

"What a scary guy, that Echizen…" Shishido said. Kirihara, Marui, Niou, Ootori and Gakuto nodded.

'I'm not going to give up to a freshman!' Kaido thought. 'I still have something.'

Kaido hit and returned to the baseline. He got in position, waiting for the next ball.

'What is he planning to do?' Ryoma wondered.

(1) ganbatte: don't give up;

(2) sou ka: equivalent to "I understand".

A/N: By the way, for those who thought the introduction chapter was short, I rewrite it. Now, it's longer than it was before.