Queen of The Suits

by Scarlette Shizuru

UNDER CONSTRUCTION - They thought only the boys' middle school team was a revolution in tennis. But what other abilities do the girls have? What makes them tick really? "Being clean is not a clinical psychological disorder!" CHP 79 up! I don't own Prince of Tennis! Only the OCs! Chapter 2 - rewritten!

2. Strutting Their Stuff

Me: I don't own Prince of Tennis!

Chapter 2 – Strutting their Stuff

"That was fun!" Rin jumped up and down cheerfully. She beamed at Haruka. "I was half-expecting worse!"

Haruka snickered and shook her head. "Yeah it wasn't that bad until Mayumi had her power shots. Thank God we decided to play seriously. We had to otherwise I could imagine us losing already."

"I guess you're right. But it was still fun!"

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing to have fun. But we gotta be more careful next time."

"Yeah, don't worry Haru-chan! I've got everything all under control!"

The two seniors walked back to their team captain, Shizuru who gave them a nod of approval.

"Good match. Not bad for a warm-up. But I've seen better," Shizuru glanced at the other team. "Schleiden-san clearly outclassed you in terms of power."

Haruka nodded. "We understand, buchou."

"However, that does not mean you cannot outsmart her. In which," a small smile curved up the brunette's lips. "I'm proud that you did."

"Thank you, buchou."

"Remember, a dragon is not only powerful. They are also cunning and intelligent creatures."

"Yes buchou."

Rin beamed and embraced her brunette underclassman. "Buchouuuuu, we won!"

Shizuru laughed and nodded. "Yes, I know senpai -."

"Shizu-chaaaaaaan, why you no notice meeeeee~?"

"... Shimohi-senpai, I'm talking to you right now."

"Why you no laaaaugh?"

At the sight of the black haired gymnast pouting in front of her captain, Kiyone leaned over to Ayane and whispered. "Is it just me or am I more mature...?"

"Oh, Kiyone! You don't have to be that mean," Ayane chided the sandy blonde girl, shaking her head. "You also have your moments."

Mai looked at the score of the last match. Haruka and Rin clearly had the upperhand. Yuugetsu Chuu barely had anything on them. Sure, they had good players and did score some points. She glanced towards Mayumi who began flexing her arm, wincing in pain every time she flexed. The Jack Knife strained her arm, Mai mused. She then looked down at Mayumi's feet - particularly her ankles. Despite the thick socks, she could see that one ankle had swelled up from constant use. She probably thought that using the Jack Knife would scare them, Mai noted to herself.

"They probably intended to use the Jack Knife as a way to end the battle," she heard Hitomi say from behind.

The red haired tensai glanced at the bespectacled blonde girl. "You believe so too?"

"It's not hard to figure out that they were hoping that the instant power explosion from Schleiden-san would instantly turn the momentum into their favour."

"True. But I half-expected that they would drop after 2 games."

"You gotta give them a little credit for their tenacity though."

Chuckling, the tensai stood up from her bench and walked down the stairs to join her captain at the coach's bench. She could see Shizuru's ruby red eyes watching the other members of Yuugetsu Chuu with a beady stare. A small chuckle bubbled from her throat; her captain always preferred observation rather than talking. She glanced at Yuugestu Chuu and watched the interactions. Nagisaki Mai sat herself next to her captain, elegantly folding her legs and tossing her long red ponytail back. "We got the momentum. Let's try to make it one-sided."

"We don't need to try, Mai," Shizuru said coolly. "We were champions before. And we will prove why we're champions."

"Oh? When did you get so cocky?"

"I'm not being cocky, Mai. I didn't say we were going to win."

"Well, you sounded like it."

Shizuru chuckled and glanced at the two girls getting berated. Although she didn't hear exactly what the captain had begun scolding them about, the flailing of arms, the knitting of eyebrows and, the pursing of the captain's lips said everything. Toumanari Yuna hung her head in shame and she could see Mayumi's fists curling tightly until her knuckles turned white. The power house between the two girls gnashed her teeth together while flinching at every word that the captain may have said.

"We've already won," Shizuru murmured.

Mai raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"... Nothing. I was just thinking about something."

Suddenly, the arbiter declared. "Hyotei Gakuen's Uchiha Isane and Yuugetsu Chuu's Sunamyou Shina, please report to the court! Singles One will soon begin!"

"Ah," Isane yelped and jumped out of her chair. She fumbled and dropped her racquet, causing the crowd to laugh at her. "Ohhh..."

Seeing Isane cower in fear, Momo stood up and snapped. "Hey!"

The crowd immediately ceased laughing when they saw Momo's angry black eyes glaring holes at them.

"Instead of demoralizing her, why don't you do something useful like cheer or something!?"

Momo, ignoring the grumbles of the crowd, then turned to Isane, picking up her racquet and placing it in the silver haired girl's hands. "It's okay, Isane. You can do this."

Isane swallowed hard. "What if... what if it happens again?"

"It won't happen as long as you believe it won't."

Isane nodded and shakily stood up from the bench. She cautiously strode forward until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She nearly let out a yelp and turned around only to see Shizuru smiling at her.

"Remember that your mind is your strongest weapon. It's both your strength and your weakness, Uchiha-senpai."

Isane nodded and glanced towards the court only to see a small ginger haired girl picking up her racquet. Her fiery ginger hair bobbed in pigtails in the wind as she skipped towards the net with a big smile. Her pale skin accented her already intimidating amber gold eyes that reflected a sadistic innocence that made chills run down the senior's spine. Despite Shina only reaching her elbow, Isane shivered from a chill that didn't come from the afternoon winds.

"Hiiii," Shina beamed. "You must be Uchiha Isane?"

"Yeah," Isane nodded weakly. "That's me."

Shina blinked several times as her mouth made a small 'o'. "You're so big…"

"Eh?"

"You're really tall."

"... I... I know. I-I get that a lot."

Shina shrugged and spun her racquet. "Choose one."

Isane's eyes watched the racquet carefully. "Rough?"

The racquet spun around before landing right side up. Shina clapped her hands in delight. "Yay, my serve!"

Isane nodded slowly and stumbled towards the baseline. She could hear Shina happily humming to herself while skipping towards her side. Despite the childish attitude, the markswoman knew better than to underestimate the small girl. Momo once told her that the eyes were the doors to one's soul. And when she looked into Shina's eyes, it was then that she instantly regretted looking into them. All she saw was a sadist lying underneath. And the sadist was not in anyway a psychological one.

"Hey," Shina sang, pouting. "Stop dazing out!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

Isane stood at the baseline and felt her palms sweat as they gripped the blue grip tape wound around her racquet. Her body shuddered as sweat trickled down from the tips of her pixie cut silver blue hair and down her tawny cheeks. Her fingers began to twitch and tremble as she slowly turned to face the girl who was barely half her size. She lowered her stance as her knees nearly buckled beneath her. Seeing Shina's wide smile made her heart freeze in fear. Her throat tightened as she watched the ball fly up into the air and Shina sent a fast serve.

"C'mon! Let's play," Shina giggled.

Isane shook herself out of her daze and bolted for the ball. She sliced the ball and sent it spinning over the net while Shina bolted forward to lob it slightly. Being tall has its advantages, Isane sighed in relief. She tapped the ball and sent the ball flying towards the other side. Isane gasped as Shina instantly bolted for the floating ball. She sent it towards the other corner as Isane reached out for it.

Shina giggled with glee while volleying it back. "Wow, you're so good in baseline and net! It's so cool!"

"Um, thank you?" Isane didn't understand why Shina was complimenting her at a time like this.

"But," Shina volleyed the ball across right past Isane with a sneer curving up her lips. "I'm still better!"

Without having much time to react, Isane was forced to dodge the shot which narrowly missed her leg. "Ah!"

"15-love!" The arbiter declared.

At the sight of Shina's sneering, Rin yelped, leapt behind Haruka and shivered with fear. "Kuwee, she's weird!"

Haruka patted the black haired acrobat on the head, reassuring her. "I don't think she's all weird. I think she's just trying to scare Isane-chan. You know how easily spooked Isane-chan gets."

"Yeah, even a small tap gets her jumping."

"That's why, she's probably just toying with Isane's jumpy nerves."

The whole Hyotei male team watched the exchange between Isane and Shina. Despite Isane's height, Shina easily rendered it useless with her speed. Her being small made it easier for her to contort her body and shift direction whenever she wanted. Shina pivoted and bolted for the ball as Isane sent it to the back while she hit the ball right in between her legs. Isane gasped when she ran back and rallied it over to one corner of the singles court, trying desperately to keep up with the small girl. They could see her breathing had gotten heavy and that her legs were dragging themselves behind.

"Wow, she plays like me!" Jirou jumped up and down, fully awake. "Can I play against her, Atobe-buchou?"

Shishido stared at him awkwardly. "This is the first time I saw Jirou get excited over something aside from Marui."

Oshitari frowned. "Isane better do something if she wants to win."

Shishido raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Isane only looks like she has the advantage because she's bigger. But bigger doesn't always mean better."

Shishido glanced back at the field and watched Isane fight back. He watched the sweat pour down Isane's face while Shina had been jumping around whilst giggling. The smaller girl's shots exploded from the other side, zooming towards Isane's body. However, being skinny was an advantage for Isane. All the girl had to do was to sidestep and deflect the shot from her racquet and let it trip over the net. However, he could see that Isane's legs had begun to drag themselves along the blue terraflex court. He could see her rubber shoes skidding against the court and that her knees had begun to buckle beneath her.

"Shit," Shishido gasped.

Oshitari nodded. "Now do you see?"

"She's... She's wearing her down..."

"Isane maybe skinny and lithe but her size still contributes to her weight."

Shishido's fingers clenched tightly into a fist. "Isn't there any way for her to fight against it?"

"There is," he heard a female voice reply.

He looked up to see Hitomi adjusting her glasses and taking down notes.

"Initially, I believed that Isane's height would prove to be an intimidating factor for people. Her height often made her look more intimidating for others. But based from what I see," Hitomi shook her head. "Sunamyou-san knows better."

Shishido frowned. "That still doesn't answer my question! How the hell can Isane win!?"

"It's simple: she has to step out of her shell," Hitomi explained.

The capped dash specialist gawked. "What? Be more aggressive?"

"Precisely. Her being tall and aggressive will scare an opponent. Most people stereotype big people as gentle giants and unable to be aggressive due to the fear of being labelled as a bully. Unfortunately, as long as being aggressive is not in Isane's nature - she will lose this match."

Shishido bit his lower lip anxiously while watching Shina volley again towards Isane.

"Yay, here I go!" Shina giggled as she twisted in the air, volleying it straight towards Isane.

"Oh no!" Isane dove for the ball, forcibly lobbing it. "Ah...!"

Gakuto slapped his forehead, snapping at Isane. "Damn it! Don't give her a chance shot!"

"Eh? I-I-I...," Isane shrank at Gakuto's retort.

Ayane jumped off her bench and hollered. "Focus on the game, Uchiha-senpai!"

Before Isane could respond, Shina sailed into the air and fired the ball straight for her face. Isane yelped and instinctively raised her racquet to shield her face. The strings hummed with a soft boing as the ball lightly bounced off the racquet, rolling at the tall girl's feet.

"Score: 30-love!" The arbiter declared.

Isane's body shivered; how did Shina manage to respond so fast? She managed to send all her shots towards the deepest ends of the singles' court. Yet, she couldn't understand how Shina still had the energy to hum contentedly at the other side. Being smaller, she had expected Shina to run out of energy faster than her. Yet, here she was - feeling her heart and lungs threatening to explode from her rib cage. Her windpipe tightened as she gasped for air. Her knees buckled beneath her and her vision blurred with the sweat pouring from her eyelashes. Her head began to throb in agony as she tried to keep herself standing.

Shina cocked her head to the side. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah, s-s-sorry," Isane shook herself out of her daze.

Shina giggled and served the shot, fast. Isane bolted after the ball, despite her legs feeling like lead. She deflected the shot before kicking back towards the baseline while Shina sent a strong volley zooming towards the back. She winced at the numbness filling her thighs and her calves before pivoting on her ankle and punching her hips to power drive the shot towards the end of the baseline. Shina gasped when it zoomed right in between her legs before she fumbled around to hit it. That was new, the smaller girl frowned. She saw Isane's emerald green eyes focus deeply on her when she backhanded the ball towards the opposing corner. Shina lunged for it only for her to miss, noticing that it landed exactly on the corner of the singles court.

"30-15!"

Shina's mouth formed a small "o". "Oooohhh, where did that come from?"

Isane gasped for air and tried to slow down her breathing, desperately trying to grab control of her pounding heart. She finally got a hit in! Her heart jumped with giddy but she quickly cancelled out the joy. That was only one shot. Isane frowned; how come Shina didn't pursue it? She still had the energy to do so. The fact that she was able to jump back and forth between the baseline and the net was proof enough. Yet, the small girl had let it zip past her legs. She shook her head; whatever it was - she was just glad that it made its way through.

"There's Hyotei's Sniper," Momo chuckled. "Took her long enough."

Ayane raised an eyebrow. "Sniper?"

"Isane's being a marksman was more beneficial than most people believed. She can pinpoint targets even during fast paced games. Heck, she can shoot through a thread through a needle, a dart straight towards the centre of a board. She never misses."

Ayane gasped before cheering. "You can do it, senpai! Believe!"

Mai hollered. "Get on the offensive, Isane! Now's your chance!"

Momo recalled the exchange in her mind, watching Isane attack the net and the baseline. She noticed how Isane's shots at the net weakened considerably, instead leaving the net with a soft poof. She frowned and glanced at Isane who was trying to calm herself down before throwing another look at Shina. The smaller girl bounced the ball as she tossed the ball into the air to serve towards Isane again. The silver haired girl lunged for the shot and volleyed it over. There it is again, Momo frowned. She watched Isane's volley softly whisper over the net while her rally shots exploded with the power she had constantly seen. She couldn't possibly know, could she? Momo glanced towards Shina who showed no signs of fear but instead had a malicious grin hiding beneath her childish facade. It was then her blood ran cold. She let that shot pass by on purpose!

"... Isane's... always been on the offensive," Momo whispered.

They all turned to Momo. "What?"

"Isane... She's always been on the offensive. She's been sending the ball where Sunamyou can't reach. Yet, why did Shina let only this one slip by now?"

Rin shrugged. "Maybe because she tripped?"

Haruka froze in realization. "She knew it was going to happen."

"You noticed that she's been volleying the whole time?" Momo explained to the team. "Watch the consistency of Isane's shots. When she starts volleying, they sound like pillows dropping on the bed. Yet when she gets far, she starts exploding them again. You notice Shina's just been keeping them short?"

Mai shook her head. "I don't think she knew."

"I think she did. It's in her eyes. Her eyes aren't lying, Mai. She's just playing with Isane until she snaps her neck!"

"But where did she get that?"

It was then Momo heard a smooth chuckle behind her. "The little girl has Insight like ore-sama."

Everyone turned around to look at Atobe.

"Not many people have Insight. It's a special gift that only a few develop after they have a deeper understanding of something. Ore-sama developed it in business before branching it out to tennis. This little girl probably has Insight specifically only for tennis."

The female Hyotei tennis team gasped when they heard a chuckle from behind them.

"You're right, Atobe-san. She does."

The whole Hyotei Team looked at Yuugetsu Chuu's captain. The girl smirked and folded her arms, haughtily scoffing at them. "Shina's gifted with insight and precognition. She can anticipate the opponent's movements before one can even do it. Your friend's not going to make much progress against Shina. I see she's pretty afraid to touch the net."

Rin paled. "But that's impossible, didn't she get over that fear!"

"This has always been Isane-san's problem." Hitomi shook her head. "Her inability to cope with fast shots such as volleys and smashes - but... she couldn't have..."

The black haired acrobat stomped her foot on the ground. "No, no, no! She was okay before!" She then turned to Shizuru with a terrified gasp. "Wasn't she?"

Kiyone swallowed hard and glanced at Shizuru. "Wh-what happened to her?"

"It was during her Singles Three game in the Nationals." Shizuru watched Isane tremble violently in front of her opponent. "We faced Shitenhouji back then. This particular player had a penchant for volleying people and targeting their bodies. While Uchiha-senpai already had some sort of stage fright, the match intensified it."

Haruka gasped. "She still remembers!"

Isane fired another cross court ball which was returned by Shina's backhand. "Aww, you're not playing properly!"

I have to keep her away from the net.

That was the only thought running through Isane's mind right now.

Despite attacking the corners, she saw Shina dancing around and playing as if there was no problem. She skated towards the net and volleyed straight towards Isane's body. The silver haired girl yelped and deflected the shot. Shina giggled and jumped around, driving it back to Isane. However, Isane leapt back and drove the shot only to have Shina suddenly position for a slice.

Shina got even more cheery when she saw Isane struggling. "Mou~, I think I should do it now!"

Suddenly, the ball slipped off Shina's racquet and began running on the floor. Isane gawked when it suddenly rolled up the net and landed on her side. The spin died down as the little yellow green ball rolled towards the tall girl's feet. The Sniper shook her head; how in the world did she do that? She looked at Shina who had a giggling smile curved up her lips.

"Score: Love 15!"

Ayane gawked. She leaned over to Kiyone. "Please tell me you can handle that."

Kiyone shrugged. "That depends.

"Like a snake it crawls on the ground," Oshitari tilted his glasses while he was watching Shina use it again after Isane's second serve. "Isane better start bending down and running after the ball if she wants to score."

Jirou jumped excitedly. "Wow, that's such a cool move! It's like Marui's Tightrope Runner!"

Isane sent another cross court back hand but Shina jumped towards the net and did it again. "Wheee, this is fun!"

"No!" Isane jumped towards the net and accidentally threw her racquet and found herself face to face with the ball. "N-No..."

"Score: Love-30!"

Shizuru stood up and went to the Arbiter. "Excuse me, is it okay if I have a moment with my team mate?"

"Sure." The Arbiter then requested a timeout but didn't know why Shizuru requested this but Isane trudged towards the bench.

Isane looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, buchou. I'm just so scared. Every time someone volleys, I can't even run after it. My body freezes the moment it happens."

Ayane goofily grinned at her senpai. "Don't worry. You can do it, Isane-senpai!"

"I'm sure it's just an old flashback." Mai pat her on the shoulder. "You just need to force her back to baseline like you usually do."

Isane gulped. "That's exactly what I did the last time but…!"

The score board in the Nationals flashed in her head and she trembled even more violently. She remembered how the crowd booed her and told her to get lost. The score had become humiliating and her opponent did nothing to soothe the injury but laugh at her. That opponent however soon shut-up when her captain punched her squarely in the face. That - and that Shizuru and Naomi pile-drove the Hyotei Team to victory. But Isane shivered at the echoing mockery in her mind, hiding her face in shame.

"Isane-senpai," Shizuru stood in front of her, causing the upperclassman to look up at her. "I know you can do it. It's not the opponent that brings you down but the fear of defeat that does."

Isane stared at her racquet for a moment in Shizuru's hand. Her body trembled slightly as her hand shakily reached out for the sweaty grip. She glanced at her teammates before exhaling sharply. She looked at Shina who boredly began dancing and waiting around. She glanced at the score, remembering how hard Haruka and Rin worked to get there. She exhaled deeply and calmed her pounding heart, nodding at her captain.

The silver haired player looked at the racquet in her younger captain's hand. "Thank you, buchou."

"As a former queen of Hyotei, I will not expect anything less from you."

"Of course."

Taking her racquet from her captain, Isane moved towards the court with a renewed resolve. She glanced towards Shina who bounced the ball with a mischievous grin. The Hyotei senior breathed deep and closed her eyes to get a hold of herself. Shizuru was right; as a senior, she had more experience. And her mind - everything was all in her mind. She could fight the fear! As long as she kept on saying she was afraid, she was not going to get anywhere. The moment the ball cracked from Shina's racquet, Isane's eyes snapped open as she lunged for the ball with new found vigour.

Shina beamed as she tossed up the ball to serve. "Yay, you're becoming a great challenge! Bring it on!"

Isane fired another forehand cross court which was returned by another volley by Shina. Her knees threatened to buckle beneath her but Isane kicked them back into shape. She lunged across the court to attack Shina's volley and returned it with her own. Sweat poured down her face as she continued to rally against Shina. Her hands were coated with sweat and her palms had become clammy. No, Isane shook her head. She had to keep trying!

"Go Isane-senpai!" Kiyone hollered from one end of the court.

"Don't fall back!" Rin cheered from the bleachers.

Isane nodded and lunged forward for the ball. With a quick punch of her hips, she launched the ball all the way to the baseline. Shina glanced back at the ball and watched the senior run back for it. Her heart began to pound - why wasn't this girl giving up!? She had done everything to scare the silver haired girl. She could hear the loud drumming of Isane's heart within her ribcage and noticed the senior's pale face. But her emerald green eyes said everything. No matter what Shina did, she was not going to just drop dead! The little girl growled inwardly and felt her arm trembling. Seeing the ball, she ran towards it and bent down to receive.

Looking at the even court, Shina was there in an instant with a childish grin. "I don't just play volley you know!"

The ball whizzed past Isane's ear and landed right on the line, "Love 40!"

"That's the," Isane gaped in admonishment. "Rising Counter?"

Shina did a 'v' sign. "You bet!"

Isane's body tensed up but she could see something giving out in Shina's eyes. Fear? Fatigue? Frustration? Those were the first three words entering Isane's mind when she took a closer look at the freshman. Shina's hands had begun shuddering and trembling and her knees swelling. She recklessly began using too much energy thinking she could take me out, Isane mused. She knew that Shina had more power and possibly more skill than she did. But what Isane knew she had over Shina was experience. The experience of fighting someone smarter than her. She didn't necessarily need to be stronger than Shina. Her hands tightened up around her tennis grip before she stared Shina down.

"I'm surprised that your Regular is still determined to win," a haughty voice mocked Shizuru.

The Hyotei captain glanced to Yuugetsu Chuu's side, seeing an auburn blonde girl toss back her long silky straight hair. Her rosy pink eyes spelled arrogance as she blew off the imaginary dust off her fingers. Shizuru schooled her expression into a neutral one, hiding her disgust for the auburn blonde girl. She reminded her much of Kamiya Alice although, she reckoned that dealing with Alice was much easier than the captain of Yuugetsu Chuu.

The captain smirked at Shizuru. "She's only half a player; she's beyond terrified to be near the net. Why is she even a regular? Shina's going to beat her in a score of six-love maybe in around twenty minutes the way things are going."

Ayane, furrowing her eyebrows, lunged at the captain with her fists swinging. "Why I oughta-!"

The moment she did however, Shizuru quickly bent her left arm to hook around Ayane's neck and effectively knocked the tangerine haired girl down. Ayane fell down with a loud thump on the ground when she saw her captain glaring at the captain of Yuugetsu Chuu.

"Don't be so quick to assume. You don't know what she's capable of," was all Shizuru said.

Ayane gawked as her captain walked back to the bench, sitting down with an elegant fold of her legs. "How could you do that!?"

Shizuru raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Why the hell are you letting her get away with an insult like that!? You're the captain! You can kick her ass!"

"... Assaulting her will not do us any good, Kobayagi-san. In fact, it will be detrimental to Isane's success."

Seeing smoke fume out of Ayane's ears, Mai nodded. "Shizuru's right. I know she gets your blood boiling but we gotta focus on Isane. She can harp all she wants. We already know who's going to win. And, it's definitely not them."

Ayane, pouting, nodded and plopped her butt right next to her captain. She clapsed her hands together while watching Isane fight against the freshman. She could see that the silver blue haired senior was really trying. The beads of sweat that flew from the tips of Isane's strands, the sudden jerking movements of the taller girl's knees - Isane had already been compensating! Isane backhanded another cross court to the left corner while Shina returned it with a forehand.

"Wow, you're pretty neat," Shina beamed. "You're baselining me despite everything!"

Isane refused to grace her with a response.

"I said: you're pretty neat! Don't you know how to return a compliment!?"

Again, Isane remained silent.

"Fine but let me tell you something," Shina grinned maliciously. "I've never lost a game to aggressive baseliners."

The moment she said those words, Isane immediately froze and let the ball zoom past her. "Huh!?"

"Game, Sunamyou, 2-0!"

Gakuto threw his hands in the air, gawking. "Oh come on, you gotta be kidding!"

Momo hollered over the bleachers. "Isane, she's bluffing! You know that you can do it! Block it out!"

Rin jumped up and down. "You can do it, Isa-chan!"

Isane shivered and asked with a whisper. "Wh-what did you say?"

"I said," Shina pouted childishly. "I've NEVER lost a point especially to aggressive baseliners. Don't people ever listen to what I say?"

Isane shook her head violently; that kind of thought was impossible! Nobody had that kind of calibre! Well, except her captain and Mai Nagisaki but that was besides the point! They were both counterpunchers in their own sense! She shuddered and trembled, as everything around her blacked out. She could hear the mocking of the crowd during the nationals, remembering even her opponent at that time. She remembered the dark gray charcoal hair and the smirk displayed on the girl's face.

Ah betcha that she got the guts that of a baby goat!

The audience howled in laughter and sent Isane running to her senior. She remembered that day, even remembering the time that her partner - Ferero Lulu, Mai and Shizuru desperately tried yanking her away from her locker. How she managed to cling onto it was amazing by their standards. But she remembered the disappointed looks of the former captain that time when she lost her match. Thankfully, Hyotei managed to secure first place that day. But not without a price. It was a wound she always kept hidden. Another reason why it was hard for Momo to drag her back into the tennis team. She remembered the day Momo threatened to clobber her with her bokken unless she came back.

"Your mind is your strongest weapon. But it is also your greatest weakness," she heard someone once say.

Isane looked up to see her captain with her arms calmly folded. Her crimson red eyes stared deep into Isane's emerald ones. "As long as you still have a racquet and you have your stamina, there is still a chance that you can win."

Nodding, Isane tried to gather her composure again. She glanced at the little girl who jumped around giggling. But she noticed however that there was a different glint in the small girl's eyes. She spun her racquet and looked straight at Isane before showing her hand with five fingers facing her.

The third year student looked at Shina who began to serve. "I will finish you in five shots!"

Haruka's eyes widened at the first year. "Don't tell me she has that…"

"Saiki Kanpatsu? A first year student has it? That's crazy!" Momo shook her head. "Saiki Kanpatsu comes with experience and calmness! Not... that."

Hitomi frowned. "That's downright impossible - her state of mind is not mature enough to hold it."

"That's one point to think about," Mai added. "Secondly, her mind has to be in a state of calmness and freedom. If I were to describe the Saiki Kanpatsu as the soft blowing wind, this girl has a mind with a hurricane in it."

"Okay..." Ayane swallowed hard before pointing at the court. "Then please explain why at the fifth shot, Isane-senpai just froze."

By the fifth shot, Mai saw the ball whiz past Isane once again and land on the corner. "15 love!"

Atobe raked his hair back with a cold hum. "Kurenai, Uchiha's messing up."

Shishido grumbled. "If this keeps up, Uchiha's going to humiliate you guys. Why didn't you put Momo in Singles Three anyway?"

Shizuru's eyes glowered at the two seniors. "I wanted Isane-senpai to get over her fear."

"Fear of?" Ohtori was completely puzzled.

Shizuru sighed and shook her head. "Fear of rushing towards the net. She always played doubles with Naomi-buchou or Vice Captain Ferero a year back. In every game, they were the doubles two pair during my first year in Hyotei."

"Come to think of it," Hiyoshi recalled the Nationals Game for the girls, "she always played doubles. Who were the Singles players anyway?"

"I was Singles Three," Mai recalled and explained to the Enbu Tennis player. "Shizuru played Singles Two and occasional Singles One and Naomi-buchou always played Singles One or Doubles Two."

Shishido raised an eyebrow. "How long has Uchiha been playing Singles?"

"She's been playing for almost a year now." Shizuru continued to watch another backhand go to the corner. "Isane-senpai was the one who asked me to help her play Singles. This is a way to train her. If she doesn't start playing Singles soon, when will she learn?"

Shina fired another fast volley. "Aww, you're slowing down!"

Moving back, Isane fired another shot far away from the net. Her heartbeat accelerated and her mind swirled with all sorts of questions. What if she can't win? What if she can't fight? What if Shina gets stronger? Many "what-ifs" flashed into her mind as her body responded mechanically for her. She returned the shots as the last predicted shot zoomed past Isane, right in between her legs. The silver blue haired senior yelped and staggered back, shocked by the sudden burst of power.

"Tch, she's gotta do better than that," Shishido slammed his fist against the steel railing. "Gekidasa daze..."

"Shina's always been this powerful," the captain of Yugetsu purred while watching the first year student volley against the third year student. "Did you think I didn't do my homework? Of course I did! I knew that your baby little senior was playing in this slot. A little bird told me by the way."

Mai clucked her tongue. "And who would that be!?"

"That doesn't concern you. All that matters is that Yuugetsu Chuu will win this. Especially against your captain."

"Yeah keep dreaming."

"Who do you think you are!? You dare insult me - Motomiya Atsui?"

Kiyone whistled. "She's gone bananas..."

"I heard that, you little pomeranian!" Atsui snapped. "You can't beat me!"

Mai shrugged. "Maybe. It ain't her thing yet."

Atsui smugly folded her arms.

"But," Mai added and gestured to Shizuru. "It is her thing."

Atsui glanced towards the benches to see Shizuru watching the match intently. All that time, she had noticed the brunette kept a calm expression that almost appeared blaise. She scowled; the brunette looked - dare she say it - far better than she did. Her arms and legs were clearly toned from all sorts of training. Despite the training, she still had the au naturale beauty that she knew most girls would kill to have. She scoffed and glanced at Shizuru's beat up and worn out rubber shoes. She was going to beat her and that's all she needed to do!

"Hmph, is that so?" Atsui flipped her hair. "You know nothing."

Mai snickered and shook her head. "Good luck with that."

"You may be Hyotei Gakuen but that doesn't mean you can't be displaced. Shina will win this and so will Yuugetsu Chuu. Shina's already won Three Junior Tournaments in a row. And what has your baby senior won?" She then sneered at the red haired tensai. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Kiyone shook her head. "Oh yeah! Everyone's gotta start somewhere! And you gotta start shutting up!"

Mai quickly grabbed Kiyone. "Kiyone, behave! Not now!"

"Hah, keep your little pomeranian on a leash why don't you?"

"Oooh, you had me at "pomeranian"," Kiyone geared up again to bite her, struggling against Mai's grip.

"Kiyone stop!"

Momo shook her head as Atsui goaded Kiyone. She then glanced back at the match and then at Shina. She couldn't just holler out the weakness; Shina would figure it out! She could already see from Shina's eyes that she was caving in. That, underneath her childish and cocky exterior - was a persona full of insecurity. She could see in how Shina would bolt for the ball instead of calculatingly choosing where to land. She also saw the small nervous tick in her mouth every time she watched the ball. The nervous tick had not been there prior but now that she saw it, that meant Isane was doing something right!"

"Isane," Momo hollered. "Every style has a flaw! Look for it! Use your eyes!"

Isane, puzzled, then looked back at the small girl and returned the shot. She remembered the one instance that she managed to score. How did she do that? Was it a fluke? No, Isane shook her head. There had to be a reason why Shina had let it pass through. It was the only shot that she managed to get through the game! She recalled the shot in her mind. She then remembered exactly where she had shot it: right in between Shina's legs. Replaying the exact image in her mind, she fired the shot straight through Shina's legs. The little girl, astonished, stumbled and fumbled with the shot and sent it to high into the air. Shina gasped as Isane cheered inside.

Found it!

With a devastating back hand top spin, the ball sailed over the net and landed right on the left corner on the service box. "Score: Fifteen all!"

It was Shina's turn to freeze. When did Isane suddenly gain the determination to fight back? Atsui had always told her that she had the guts of a baby goat! Why was it that Isane managed to do it despite the psychic war? She shuddered and glanced at her hands. Had all her planning gone to waste? Had all her playing meant nothing at all? She shivered and looked at the tall senior who landed softly on the ground, shaking her head.

"You've never lost a game, have you?" Isane asked. "You've never even played in the teen tournaments yet, have you?"

"What?" Shina was flabbergasted by Isane's words.

Isane pointed her racquet at her, shaking her head ruefully. "There's a difference between experiences then. I've lost countless of Singles games before I got to who I am today. I had a similar game to yours and because I had no experience in playing against net players, I was devastated. You're just starting your career as a university tennis player now only, while I have," –she positioned herself to receive a serve again, "been playing for a lot longer than you have ever imagined. You've relied too much on your precognition and insight to the point you've lost your ability to strategize."

Shina sputtered. "That's not true! I've played Singles a lot more than you have!"

"But tell me: how many players have you played against? What styles have you encountered? That's what makes you a real player." Isane had a rueful smile curve up on her face.

Ayane shuddered at the thought of facing Isane. "Wow... she figured that out?"

"It's pure truth though." Hitomi tilted her glasses while continuing to jot down some data. "What Isane is saying is correct: the girl never had played in a team before so, there's more pressure while this is her third year playing as a member of the Hyotei Gakuen Girls. Sunamyou Shina, first year student of Yugetsu Chuu, though she had won Junior Tournaments, she had never faced someone who is Nationals material or calibre. She may have faced countless of aggressive baseliners but she has never met someone break her down mentally like that."

Atobe smirked. "Ore-sama thinks that Uchiha just found her key to victory."

"Don't be so sure yet." Mai pointed at a furious Shina. "There's a reason why she was put in Singles Three. The game's just beginning."

Shina's eyes became bloodshot while she began her service. "You're not going to get away from that!"

Isane's face turned into shock while returning it with a backhand. "What in the world-?"

Kiyone frantically shook Shizuru. "K-Kurenai-buchou, isn't that the…!"

Shishido's face cringed at the sight. "Can't Rikkai Dai's Kirihara do that?"

Atobe smirked. "Let's see how far Uchiha can go now. Bloodshot mode is usually activated when a player breaks down mentally or undergoes a certain degree of emotion. Yugetsu Chuu's captain did say that the girl was born with Insight and Precognition. Let's see how far it will take her though Ore-sama doubts that Uchiha will win the match now."

Isane did one pile driver and then Shina appeared right near Isane ready to do a volley. "I HATE YOU!"

The ball slammed right into Isane's eye causing the girl to keel over backwards on the ground. "Isane-senpai, are you okay!"

Turning towards the umpire, Shina hissed. "What's the score!"

"S-Score: Th-30 - 15!" The arbiter shivered.

Smirking in delight, Shina glowered with her nails cutting into her palms. Blood trickled down to the floor and coated her tennis racquet grip with her blood and sweat. "You… you… I hate you… why do the bad guys always have to win! I'm the good guy!"

"You cannot allow yourself to be driven that far," Isane slowly stood up while wiping the blood from her eye. "I can see it... I know how it's like to keep on winning and lose for the first time. But, there will always be someone stronger than you."

Gakuto gaped. "That's something new, a shot with effects of the knuckle serve. Man, this girl's nuts."

Oshitari watched Isane wobbly move towards the baseline. Though she had the upper hand in terms of experience but, the first year was more powerful in terms of power. Shina clearly showed it when the balls soon started exploding from her racquet like cannonballs and headed towards the back of the baseline. Now playing by Isane's terms, Isane began controlling the flow of the game. Her shots, being accurate as they were, had Shina running around. But he could see Isane wincing in pain every time she received a shot from Shina. Shina had gotten physically more powerful than she had!

"I think Uchiha should pull out before she gets more broken bones," the kansai prodigy shook his head. "This one's hell bent in making Uchiha a scarred piece of mass tissue."

Shina served again and before Isane could return it, the ball spun at her racquet and bounced up to knock Isane in the chin. "You… you…!"

Shizuru looked at Yugetsu Chuu captain who didn't do anything to stop the rampaging first year. "You encourage this kind of tennis?"

"It is her style after all. Why do you think she never lost?" The captain had a placid look in her eyes.

Disgusted by her ethics, Shizuru turned away only to watch Isane struggle against the violent first year. Despite Isane's calm way of tennis, there was nothing she could do against the violent first year so far. The longer the game was played, the more violent Shina became. "Come on, how long are you going to be like that! Why aren't you dead yet!"

Isane fired another backhand. "She's so unstable and unpredictable now. It's so difficult for me to send shots because she sends them thrice the original power."

Shina kept volleying again and again. "Why? Why? Why!"

Seeing the frustration and impulsiveness in her eyes, Isane decided to take advantage of it. Aiming another forehand towards the baseline corner, Isane decided to end the match as early as possible. "Sunamyou-san's no ordinary player, I'm glad that none of my kohai had to play her. It would have been a disaster if they did."

Haruka saw the ball increase in speed. "Isane, dodge the ball!"

Without having much time to react, Isane was thrown backwards and hit the bleachers hard. Coughing out blood, Isane slowly slipped onto the ground.

Haruka gripped the rail tightly. "Isane-chan, that's enough!"

Looking up, Isane saw that Haruka was worried about her. "Don't' worry about me. I'm fine, really."

"Au contraíre, you've cut your playing time down by five minutes!"

"I look that bad huh?" Isane giggled a little while hearing the score, "40-15!"

Shishido looked at Shizuru who had concern written all over her face but Isane shook her head. "What the hell is she doing?"

Isane positioned herself in the baseline again. "Alright, serve at me, Sunamyou-san."

Without any hesitation, Shina fired a serve which echoed loudly on the court. Everyone froze in their places because as Isane attempted to return it, the ball cracked her racquet string and sprained the third year's wrist. Crumpling on the floor, Isane hissed slightly at the pain while Shina picked up the ball again. Her tongue licked her lips with a satisfied grin, similarly to that of a lion that had just crippled its prey.

"Warning for on court violence," the arbiter sternly told Shina.

"Oh I don't care," –licking her lips, Shina served again, "I just wanna win!"

The serve increased in speed because of her bloodshot mode and Isane saw the ball coming. Mai suddenly jumped out of her chair and hollered. "Uchiha-senpai, use the frame of your racquet!"

Without any second though, Isane picked up her racquet and backhanded the ball. Shina became more bestial and more violent on the court. "This shot will be your last!"

She underestimated Isane greatly because the silver haired third year sent it back at the same power. "What in the world-?"

Isane bit the pain. "Ow, that hurt."

"Score: 40-30!"

Gakuto's eyes widened. "But how did Isane manage to do that kind of shot with only they frame! Isn't it supposed to be weaker!"

Hitomi explained to the magenta haired acrobat. "Your shot's power depends where you hit it. Isane-chan uses often the ends of her racquet and the more amount of force she puts into her swing, the stronger her shot. She applied that same principle to deflecting Sunamyou-san's shot. However, the limitation is – her injuries sustained from Shina's brutalities, how long will she last?"

Shishido turned to Shizuru. "Are you going to pull her out or what?"

"No, she won't," a weak voice came from the court.

They found Isane wiping blood away from her lip. "This is the first time I've found someone who's more than willing to give me a run for my money. Give me a little more time, Shishido-kun."

The capped regular turned away from her grumbling. "Don't blame me if you get killed."

Isane smiled and turned towards Shizuru. "Captain, will you stop me?"

Shizuru's auburn eyes steely looked at the rampaging first year. "Finish this match in thirty minutes. Other than that – I will drag you off the court, Uchiha-senpai."

"Thank you."

Returning to the court, Isane brought out a spare racquet she had kept over the years. Calmly adjusting the strings, she now had to face a very bloodthirsty and violent Shina. "W-wow, I've never seen anyone... g-go... t-this far..."

Shina licked her lips. "Shall I paint you in a lovely red too?"

Isane shuddered at the image of the violent little girl. "I don't understand how you can play so violently. But, I'll try to make sure that I won't lose!"

Shina fired another serve. "I wonder how many bones I should break in your body!"

Isane sidestepped to give back with a forehand. "Tennis is not a tool to vent your hatred and anger on, Sunamyou-chan."

"Shut up!"

Isane backhanded the ball with a top spin but what scared her was that the strength was beyond her already. She could feel her wrist straining from the damage and from the sprain. Her racquet was lucky enough to still be able to receive some of the shots despite the power. She broke her main racquet in which she cried silently in her heart for it since she just repaired it two days ago. The sniper struggled and continued to push forward, even with her legs absorbing the aftershock of Shina's backhand flew towards her while Isane sliced the ball under.

"I have to force her back." Isane thought to herself. "If I get her too close then…!"

Shina appeared above her with a maniacal grin. "End of the line!"

With a vertical smash, Shina blasted the shot into Isane's chest. The senior gasped as it bounded off her sternum and sent her sprawling onto the ground with a loud thud. The Hyotei onlookers gasped in horror and Yuugetsu Chuu's fans were too frozen in fear to say anything. Isane struggled and coughed, shaking the daze away. She struggled to stand up while trying to keep her vision clear.

"Game, Sunamyou, 3-0!"

Ayane gasped and turned to her captain. "Buchou, pull Isane out!"

Shizuru bit her lower lip and shook her head. "I can't... She's made her choice."

Haruka's eyes began to water. "Isane-chan, that's enough. You're going to destroy yourself!"

Gakuto yanked out his hair and howled. "Isa-chan, unless you want to die, forfeit the match! This ain't worth it!"

Despite the pleas of her schoolmates, Isane blocked them all out. She stood firm on her decision and stumbled forward. If she gave up now, her training would have been for nothing! Sweat spilled down her face as her slick silver blue hair clung to the sides of her face. Her tennis jersey, coated in dirt, hung loosely from her skinny body and showed probably how much damage she could take.

Unfortunately, that wasn't very much when Isane started spitting out blood.

"Isane," Momo screamed and prepared to leap over the bleachers only to stop when she saw her captain approaching her. "Cap?"

Isane gasped and coughed out blood, trying to get her body to move properly. She tried to stand still and held her racquet up only to have someone grab her racquet. Much to her surprise, she saw Shizuru standing in front of her with her gentle crimson eyes now looking more stern than ever. Before, she would have been terrified of the sight of even the slightest change in Shizuru's eyes. But now wasn't the time to give into that fear. She straightened up and stared at her captain.

"I can't let that girl over there get away with what she made Shina-chan do. I will win the match," Isane declared to her captain. "I have to finish this."

"This match isn't worth your life, Isane-senpai." Shizuru shook her head. "Drop the match."

"And if I refuse?"

"Uchiha-senpai, you do know that she can kill you in her crazed state right? I cannot afford to lose a regular."

"Then, replace me if I get hospitalized."

Everyone's eyes widened at Isane who was more than determined to deal with Shina. "I have to play this match. I'm sorry, Captain."

A tennis ball suddenly flew at Shizuru. Isane gasped. "Buchou-!"

Instead of dodging the ball, Shizuru met the shot head on. She opened her palm and caught the ball in one swipe, only wincing slightly from the impact. Shina, despite her bloodied state, saw the power emanating from Shizuru. She could feel the raw power dripping from Shizuru and despite her calm appearance, she felt something else. It was as if she had only touched the surface of a vast ocean beneath those crimson coloured orbs that spelled her death.

"She's getting so vulgar; it's as if she's altered completely." Isane watched Shina's bloodshot eyes beadily stare at them. "Buchou...!"

Shizuru shook her head. "I"ll be fine. Just...," - she shook her head. "Put her down. Quickly and painlessly."

"I'll do what I can," Isane smiled.

"What's taking you so long! Hurry up!" Shina's shrill voice echoed.

Serving as hard as she could with a nod, Isane awaited Shina's attack. However, Shina suddenly placed the racquet in her mouth while running on all fours! Stupefied, the senior quickly repelled her attacks while trying to anticipate Shina's. The small girl's speed doubled as she zoomed towards Isane with her racquet volleying the shot. The spectators could do nothing but look on in horror, watching Shina resort to more bestial means to outpower Isane.

Gakuto shivered and lowered his face behind the fence. "Wow, this kid's even worse than that Kirihara guy."

Shishido shook his head, appalled. "You've... you've gotta be kidding me."

Isane gave her a forehand again but then Shina backhanded it back at her right down the line. "Love 30!"

"What's the matter with you? You were better awhile ago or maybe it was because I was stinking awhile ago!" Shina gave her another forehand towards Isane's legs. "I'm going to win here! NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS!"

Sidestepping, Isane was forced to lob the ball. A pain shot through her wrist as she dropped down to the ground, whimpering in pain. She dropped her racquet only to see Shina's shadow looming over her. Shina flashed a toothy grin and smashed the ball inches away from Isane's body.

"Score: Love 40!"

"She's not as bad as Kirihara." Oshitari stated while continuing to watch the game. "Kirihara would have busted and rearranged her face if he wanted."

"So not helping, Oshitari," Shishido frowned.

"What? I'm just saying."

Mai glanced at Shizuru, snapping. "Why the hell did you let her continue!? Why the hell did you...!"

However, it was then she noticed that her captain's hands had balled into fists. She could see Shizuru's knuckles visibly turning white with the hem of her tennis skirt crumpling up. She also saw a flicker of fury flash in Shizuru's eyes. Mai then could see the anger and frustration in her captain's eyes while they watched Shina decimate their teammate. Another shot however whizzed right in between Isane's legs.

"Game, Sunamyou, 4-0!"

The silver haired regular could barely keep her eyes open but what could she do? Her body had taken a heavy beating from Sunamyou Shina. Her vision swirled as she heard another shot zoom towards her. With her senses completely dimmed, the ball blasted her straight in the stomach and sent her flying. Isane gasped as her head slammed into the fence as she dropped on the floor. To Hyotei's horror, Isane's body wasn't moving.

Haruka and Ayane ran to the court. "Oh no, Isane/Isane-senpai, wake up!"

The male tennis team leapt over the bleacher as people stared in horror. Shizuru, Mai and, the rest of the team rushed towards Isane's unconscious body. Momo however shoved past everyone and grabbed Isane, slinging her arm over her shoulder. However, Isane's legs just buckled and nearly sent Momo falling until Ohtori helped support her body. Mai shook her head; how could someone like that even be allowed to play? Shizuru observed the damage on the fence that had cushioned Isane's blow back. The fence had nearly fallen down and the metal wires had been contorted out of shape!

Atobe glanced at the score, shaking his head with disdain. "Most people would rather forfeit than play a game like that."

"She has tenacity," Momo nodded. "Even I would have given up."

Seeing that Isane could no longer continue, the umpire declared. "Game and set by default, Sunamyou, 4-0!"

Shina grinned maniacally and left the court, skipping towards her captain. "How'd I do?"

Atsui chuckled at the result but now felt an ominous feeling travel down her spine. She glanced at the ones who were rumoured to be Hyotei's ace cards: Nagisaki Mai, the red haired tensai, two of the newest members that had replaced Kamiya and Ukemiya respectively: the tangerine haired Kobayagi Ayane and the sandy blonde Getsugan Kiyone and most of all, the captain herself - Kurenai Shizuru. In her mind, she always thought that the seniors had more power than the juniors. But in this case, she knew she was wrong. She knew them only by their titles and she could only guess who was ranked what.

"You're lucky," she suddenly said.

Shina whirled around to face her. "What?"

"You're lucky you didn't have to face the queens of Hyotei."

Shina became puzzled. "Huh?"

"The one with red hair, Nagisaki Mai - also known as the Queen of Spades. She would have beaten you. She and the Queen of Diamonds herself."

Shina hissed at Mai who was busy tending to Isane's wounds. "I'll play her next time. What spot does she usually play in?"

"I'd say Singles Two." The captain however wasn't paying much attention to Mai but more in searching for the captain. "So, tell me... how powerful exactly are you..."

---

Seeing Isane bloodied and bruised, Ayane shuddered in fear. This was the first time she had seen a tennis match become so brutal. She and Kiyone had played in many tournaments. But people like Shina were usually weeded out before any physical harm could happen to the players. Now, she had seen someone who was around Kiyone's size inflicting her kind of power with the anger of a rampaging bull! She clenched her fist tightly and picked up her racquet. The next match was Doubles One.

"Kiyo-chan, let's show them what we're really made of." Ayane's eyes glowered. "They've overstepped their bounds."

"Heck yeah, we should." Kiyone smirked while bring her racquet behind her.

"Doubles One players, please report to the court now!"

Seeing Ayane and Kiyone walk towards the court, Atobe smirked at Shizuru. "You got these two to play Doubles One?"

"I do not see how that is any of your concern," Shizuru brushed him off. "Kobayagi Ayane and Getsugan Kiyone have clearly proven themselves over the course of time as my members that they are more than capable of playing in a tennis match."

"They are my concern when they are making their debut match with Hyotei's name scrawled all over it."

At this, Ayane glared at the king of Hyotei. "Oh keep your damn nose out of it, mole diva! I've had enough of you already."

Atobe ignored Ayane and scoffed. "Are you sure you haven't lost your mind, Kurenai? These two are your best doubles pair?"

Ayane rolled her eyes and snarled. "Wow, that's rich coming from someone who can't play Doubles even at gunpoint!"

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "Ore-sama has always been better at Singles but he knows doubles as well."

"So says the idiotic jerk who believes that he's king of the world and can twist women around his finger."

"Ore-sama knows that he is the king. You have no need to reiterate that, Kobayagi."

Fuming, Ayane marched off while grumbling. "Go wallow in your egotistical stupidity, jerk. Better yet, go get your useless fan girls to go worship you. They make themselves useful that way."

The two first years went to the court and saw Yugetsu Chuu's players who looked exactly like each other. One of them was a medium height girl with bobcut light blue hair. Holding up her hair was a yellow scarf like headband that formed a pair of bunny ears on her head. Her partner however was towering with pale pink hair and wearing a green officer's cap on her head. Both girls had gleaming green eyes and despite the hair being their only difference, Ayane knew she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference should they dye their hair the same colour.

"Oooh," Kiyone chirped. "One's made of cotton candy and the other's made of bubblegum."

The blue haired girl beamed and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Suzumiya Suzune! Glad to meet you!"

Kiyone jumped and leapt into Ayane's arms. "Waaah, she has so much sugar!"

The audience howled in laughter as Suzune stared at them strangely while Kiyone sat in Ayane's arms. The tangerine haired girl sighed and raised an eyebrow at Kiyone who shrugged. Ayane, rolling her eyes, promptly dropped Kiyone who landed on her feet.

"Kiyone! Don't do that," Ayane chidded. "People will laugh at us!"

"That's their problem."

"Kiyo!"

"Fine..."

Ayane, laughed sheepishly, balancing her racquet on the ground. "You ready to go?"

Suzune nodded and turned to her sister. "You ready, Rima?"

Rima, the pink haired towering girl, shrank meekly with a squeaky voice. "Spin the racquet please."

It took all of Ayane's will not to laugh at her. "Okay, choose: smooth or rough?"

The taller one poked Suzune. "You pick which one."

Suzune's eyes watched how many times it spun. "According to the amount of strength placed on the racquet, I'd say rough."

Fair enough, the racquet did land on rough. The two doubles pairs retreated towards their side as Rima prepared to serve. Kiyone exhaled deeply and stood at the net, staring at Suzune's big emerald green eyes. She glanced back at Ayane who was watching Rima's moves intently. She had seen many junior players before but none of them were the size of Rima or Isane! What do parents feed their children nowadays? Steroids or something, Kiyone shook her head. She glanced at how close she was to floor and sighed. Why was everyone growing except her?

Ayane readied herself at the baseline. "Alright Kiyone, this is our battle now! We're gonna have to him hard with everything we got! Don't you dare fall back!"

"Why?" Kiyone whined while pursing her lips. "Is it because Ahobe is watching?"

Atobe twitched at the nickname which nearly got Oshitari laughing. Stupid brat.

Ayane fumed at her doubles partner. "Of all things, why do you expect me to want to impress him?"

"I know! Maybe it's because you like him!"

"Haha, very funny. I'm laughing so hard that I'm dying."

Suzune gave a thumbs up to her sister. "You can do it, Rima-chan! Just hit it hard!"

Nodding at her sister, Rima tossed the ball and fired her service. The ball landed right next to Ayane which allowed her to backhand towards the left side followed by Suzune's volley. The volley flew high into the air as Kiyone jumped for it, smashing it down to the right side. Rima bolted for the ball and blasted the shot towards Ayane who deflected it back with double the original power at her. Suzune deflected the shot and sent it towards Kiyone.

"Rima-nee-chan, I need you to hit harder than that!"

Rima nodded and the moment Kiyone returned it, she gave it a thundering pile driver. The ball zoomed right over the net and Kiyone quickly ducked, knowing she won't be able to return the shot. Ayane saw the exploding ball and planted her feet into the ground. She smirked and pulled back her arm, waiting for the shot to come towards her. The moment it was close enough, Ayane swung her racquet with pure force and exploded the shot right past Rima and ripped a hole right through the fence after creating a tiny crater at the baseline.

"Love 15!"

Suzune's eyes widened while Ayane and Kiyone resumed receiving stance. "These two are serious! I've never seen anyone hit a backhand like that."

Ayane nodded. "We're going to end this quickly, right, Kiyone?"

"Aww, I wanted to have fun," Kiyone pouted impishly.

"Kiyone, we don't have time for that."

"Aww, okay."

Exhaling deeply, Rima tossed the ball and served it again. The ball thundered towards Kiyone who yelped and lobbed it up. The ball barely made it over the net while Suzune prepared to smash. As Suzune smashed it down, Ayane stepped back and waited for it to bounce. The moment it did, Ayane returned it with a forehand down the line with Rima bashing the ball towards Kiyone again. The small girl yelped and placed the racquet in front of her face as the ball bounced off, flying towards Suzune who cut it right beneath it. The ball spun in the air and floated towards Kiyone who smirked. The sandy haired volleyist flipped her racquet around and sliced the ball twice as the ball dropped right over the net. Suzune gasped when the ball refused to bounce but instead spun around on the floor before popping up into the air. The ball zoomed straight into the air and leapt straight at Suzune.

"Ah," Suzune managed to return the shot, volleying between her and Kiyone.

Ayane smirked; if Kiyone's shots were scary then, there was no way in hell they were going to survive Kiyone showing off. She knew that the little girl could be a bit of a show off. Kiyone bolted towards the left side of the court and spun it again but this time with a different trick. The ball spun in place on the floor before whirling up again right over Suzune's head. When the ball finally bounced high enough, Rima sent a pile driver towards Ayane who sent it back as if it were nothing. Everyone stared agape at the two girls battling it out with their herculean-like strength. Ayane's shots sounded like cannon fire while Rima's shots sounded like thunder rumbling through the clouds. Kiyone ducked as another one of Ayane's shots zoomed right above her head, forcing Suzune to jump out of the way. Rima confronted the shot and blasted it back. The rest of the bystanders could only gawk; how could Ayane hit like that when she was not even a muscle builder?

Shizuru raised an eyebrow at Hitomi. "You didn't give them steroids did you?"

The bespectacled blonde girl shrugged. "I simply edited Ayane's training regimen. No steroids involved."

Gakuto gawked and shook his head. "When did girls suddenly get that strong?"

"Kobayagi's not a girl," Atobe scoffed. "She's a gorilla."

Hearing his comment, Ayane fired a heavy backhand which exploded the racquet away from Suzune. She fumed darkly and turned her emerald green daggers at Atobe, glaring at his haughty stature. How she wanted to wring his neck! Who does he think he is, Ayane growled inwardly and glared holes into his figure. It was only when she heard a slight "ow" that she saw Suzune rubbing her sore wrist, causing her to yelp.

"Oh my God," Ayane gasped. "I... I am so sorry!"

Suzune laughed and rubbed her wrist, sheepishly smiling. "N-no, it's okay. I-I'm fine."

Ayane nodded before turning to Atobe with a growl. "I heard that! Look who's talking you gay mole diva! You're more girl than guy!"

"Concentrate on the battle, Kobayagi. Put that gorilla strength to use."

"Oh shut up!"

Suzune picked up her racquet but found her hand still trembling from the impact. She glanced at Ayane glaring at Atobe before remembering how explosive the shot was. Her palms had begun to sweat and even her arm still vibrated from the impact. They're first years, Suzune mused. Yet none of the two girls looked like they were about to blow a fuse like Shina did. She glanced towards the bench where Shina's opponent lay against the wall. She saw the red haired tensai placing ice on Isane's bruises and also wiping the dirt from her face.

"Love 30!"

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "Besides, often fixing oneself is not gay, Kobayagi. Ore-sama has always looked stunning, nah, Kabaji?"

Kabaji gave his usual reply. "Usu."

"You're asking the wrong critique, you egotistical pompous brat!" Ayane felt a vein pop at the back of her head. "Kabaji-senpai says nothing but "usu" to you!"

The kansai prodigy whistled. "She's the only one who's willing to argue with Atobe while playing a game."

Shishido shrugged while plopping onto the bench. "Well, we can now prove that there is a girl out there who hates Atobe's guts like anything."

Knowing that the argument could get long, Kiyone yanked Ayane's sleeve. "Quit yelling at your hubby and let's play!"

"He's my hubby? Oh no, no, no, Atobe is anything but a hubby let alone mine," Ayane glared with fangs at the smaller girl. "The day I date that dumbass is when the sky starts falling!"

At the sight of Kiyone and Ayane arguing, Shizuru began to double think as to why they became part of the regulars. Because they beat Kamiya and her partner, dumbass, her conscience scolded her. The brunette sighed and shook her head; despite their skills on the tennis court, she could feel her brain melting out of her ears from Ayane's and Kiyone's arguments. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes, trying to calm herself down. It was only when she heard something rattling in a plastic tupperware that she opened her eyes to find Mai holding out a tupperware of honeycomb flavoured cereal.

"Want some?" Mai laughed. "You look like your blood pressure sky rocketed."

"Yeah, I think I will." Shizuru got some into her hand and started popping them into her mouth.

Ayane growled. "KIYONE!"

However, Kiyone did nothing but sing. "Yay, Yane-Yane's gonna kill you!"

The two didn't know what she meant but Suzune smiled. "Are you sure you're not bluffing?"

"Maybe," Kiyone sang again with a shrug. "You should just see it for yourself. Yane-Yane's never in a good mood."

Rima rolled her eyes and sent another serve. Kiyone received the shot and bolted towards the net with Ayane retreating to the back. Suzune volleyed it over while Kiyone drove it down the line. Rima received the shot zooming past Suzune and blasted it all the way to the back. Kiyone grinned and dropped to the ground.

"HIT THE DIRT," she yelled.

It was only then that the two girls realized that Ayane's partner was not joking. The moment the little neon yellow green furry ball appeared in Ayane's range, the tangerine haired girl exploded her forehand like a missile. The Yuugetsu Chuu players yelped and without any choice, followed Kiyone's advice. They dropped down to the ground as the ball dug a trench into the terraflex court, leaving a trail of smoke and a black skid mark on the court.

"Phew," Ayane sighed in relief. "That felt better."

Suzune looked at Kiyone who shrugged. She wasn't joking! She had seen Rima explode shots but Ayane was something else! She had been on the receiving end of her sister's shots; some of them even managed to blow her back all the way to the wall. But Ayane managed to dig a trench into the ground with sheer force! She glanced at her arm, wondering if she could take a shot. No, she shook her head. Receiving Ayane's shot was equivalent to having her arm torn off from her sockets!

Ayane placed herself at the baseline again. "Alright, time to take the first game, Kiyone."

Kiyone returned Rima's service with a volley. "You got it!"

Suzune twisted her body and the ball didn't bother bouncing after she had hit it. The ball spun around on the ground as Kiyone stopped dead in her tracks to stare at it. The ball swirled around before bouncing far away from Kiyone. However, the small girl just shrugged and casually walked back to the volley line and lowered her stance. Suzune gawked; when she first did that to Shina, the girl went bananas and nearly landed her in the hospital.

Suzune eyed the first year student. "You don't seem the least bit rattled."

"Meh," Kiyone shrugged. "I think it's because I've seen better. And -."

"- And she's got me to cover her!" Ayane fired a shot towards the very edge of the baseline.

Rima met Ayane's shot head on. "You're really powerful but I'm sorry, we have to start winning this game."

Ayane prepared a double fisted backhand. "I'd like to take my chances with this then!"

Her backhand was more powerful than her usual ones and her whole body lifted off the floor. Atobe gasped when he saw Ayane load her entire body weight plus her own strength into the shot, exploding the ball with an astonishing amount of force. The force had the ball screaming as if it had been shot out from a grenade launcher, exploding right behind the doubles players. Rima and Suzune gasped from the loud explosion as more people from the other courts were wondering what could possibly be firing in a tennis court with the same propensity as a tank. Kiyone grinned as the ball didn't even bother to bounce high anymore.

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 1-0!"

Clapping hands with each other, Kiyone moved to the baseline to serve. "You sure scared them."

"I just wanted them to know who exactly they were dealing with." Ayane cheerfully moved towards the net.

"Aww, you did quick kill. I thought we do it painful and slow?"

"Yeah but ever since that Sunamyou girl, I think it's best we do quick kill and finish them off."

"Eh?"

Ayane examined the two sisters who were also discussing strategy. "The most dangerous among the two of them would be Suzune, she's more your alley, Kiyone."

"Really?" Kiyone didn't get where this was going. "She doesn't hit like a truck."

"She may not but that doesn't mean she won't try to outsmart us."

"Oh well, I'll pretend I understood that," Kiyone was trying to process whatever Ayane was telling her.

Ayane looked at Suzune's body language. "Yeah and Suzune's telling her to pile drive you later. Once you're done serving, return one baseline shot, I don't mind if it's a cord ball."

"Then, I rush the net and you take baseline again?"

The vice captain pat Kiyone on the head. "Yep, that's right, Chibiko."

Kiyone whined when Ayane began ruffling her hair. "Don't call me "Chibiko"!"

Laughing softly, Ayane knew she couldn't let her guard down here. The Magnolia Blade would win them the point and Kiyone hasn't pulled out anything yet. Hopefully, this game would be a classic six games to love match. "Alright, time to rock down the house. Ready?"

Kiyone readied her serve. "Yay, here we go!"

Her service wasn't as strong as the others but she did make up for it when she was near the net. Hitomi began scribbling. "Kiyone's service still needs work and her skills at the baseline need much more work than ever. Her volleying can be dealt with later. Ii data…"

Haruka stared at her data obsessed classmate. "Seriously, I'm still in shock on how you can take data like that."

"I am analysing their playing style so I know what I can do with their training regimen. Now, if only Kiyone had increased her training weight load by two percent then perhaps, her skills as a baseline player would increase a slight bit." Hitomi tilted her glasses. "Also, I have to make her try out my Yamaguchi Volleyist Remix 5.6.1. It may help her in becoming a better volleyist."

"Or it would most likely poison her," Momo shuddered at the thought of Kiyone drinking a bit of Hitomi's concoctions.

Haruka slapped herself on the forehead. "Seriously, why do you want to poison our kohai? I mean – they're our best players."

"It will make them better players. Shizuru takes it in just fine." Hitomi continued to scribble down.

Oshitari stared at Hitomi write and make more devious concoctions. "She probably pukes at home. Maybe that's why she's thinner than the rest of them."

Creating extra spin in the ball, Kiyone confused them easily and scored a point against them. "30 Love!"

Ayane gave her a high five. "Try another one okay?"

Kiyone started her service. "Don't underestimate my control skills!"

Suzune darted for one of Kiyone's short shots only to have them pile driven by Ayane right down the line, "40 Love!"

Hitomi took in more data. "Kiyone's effectiveness as a volleyist has now increased to eighty percent. This game belongs to us."

Rin shifted and began cheering. "Go for it, Kiyone-chibi!"

Sending another baseline shot, Rima was surprised that someone could keep up with her. "I'm surprised that you two haven't exchanged words yet except in insulting each other."

Ayane exploded the shot again with a forehand. "Eh, we do that all the time, don't worry."

Sending top spins after them, Kiyone confused them almost completely. "Good luck running after them!"

Suzune couldn't believe that someone younger than her had this kind of control. "What in the world- I can't predict where the ball will bounce!"

Ayane exploded another backhand towards Rima. "I guess Yamaguchi-senpai is right, my arms did get big but my power made up for my lack of speed."

Rima returned it with a less lethal force. "Suzune-chan, what do we do now?"

Suzune couldn't believe that the two were completely countering their strategy. They weren't even exchanging words with each other. "How could these two play like this? They're only first year!"

The vice captain knew that they had to make sure that they made up for Isane's loss. Glancing at her partner, Kiyone understood her immediately and the two then entered a different formation. Suzune didn't even understand what formation that was. "What in the world is that formation? I haven't seen that anywhere!"

Mai crossed her legs. "That's not Australian is it?"

"No, it's a different formation. It's the most basic one. Well, it's their most basic one," –Shizuru smiled, "This is what they call the Waltz Formation."

Isane looked at her captain. "What does this do?"

"This formation for the both of them fully utilizes Ayane's strength and Kiyone's speed." Hitomi then began to explain, "Like a waltz, there is a beat and Ayane utilizes all her strength in order to have Kiyone follow the pattern. In the eyes of the other doubles players, they look like they're moving slowly but they're actually rotating in roles."

Shizuru continued. "In a way, this helps Ayane train for net play and Kiyone for baseline play. It also confuses the opponent upon where to hit because if they hit too close to the net, Ayane would be more explosive about her shots. Kiyone on the other hand will do a short top spin which is something they want to avoid also. The good side to this formation is that: the longer they use it, the more they will increase in rhythm and speed. This is the formation that got them into the team because even I don't know how to do a formation when I play doubles. The only one I know is the Australian and the Side to Side formation."

"But every formation has a flaw right?" Hiyoshi raised an eyebrow at Shizuru.

Shizuru shrugged. "I'm not sure about this one because I've played doubles against them before and, I lost."

"You lost in doubles? Who was your partner?"

"I'm not quite sure. I think it was Haruka. It was Hitomi's way of testing out some combinations."

Atobe smirked. "So, there is something that Kobayagi is actually good at."

"If they keep this up then, they're a step closer to achieving Synchro." Oshitari tilted his glasses while he saw another rally ensue.

Mai watched the two freshmen play their doubles. "They kind of achieved it in a way but it's not perfect yet."

"I agree," Haruka saw Ayane send another pile driver, "but they're actually progressing a lot faster than Rin and I ever have."

Another volley landed another point for Ayane and Kiyone, "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 2-0! Change court!"

While walking towards the other end, Suzune replayed the formation carefully. "It's like a waltz, isn't it? This formation of yours was based of a waltz, wasn't it?"

Ayane didn't seem to mind that she discovered it. "Yeah, so it was based of a dance. Is there a problem with that?"

"No," Suzune went to the baseline to serve. "not for me that is."

Ayane played the match in her mind. Wait a minute, she flashed the exchanges in her mind when she realized the niche that they found. At one point, Rima and Kiyone were going to face each other. And there was no way in hell that Kiyone could return a shot from Rima! Neither could Suzune return one from her but that was besides the point. The point of the waltz was to catch an enemy off guard using rhythm and momentum, Ayane frowned. She glanced at Kiyone who cocked her head to the side, waiting for Ayane's orders.

Atobe rested his chin on his hand. "Ahn, she's not just a gorilla after all."

Ayane heard his comment loud and clear while returning one of Suzune's serves. "Don't make me hurt you, pretty boy."

"Love 15!"

Kiyone grinned cheekily and flailed her arms in the air. "Yane always gets a bad mood because of him. I'm actually beginning to believe that they're going to get married to each other in the future. Then again, it's what makes her play harder so I'm not complaining."

Feeling a whack on her head, Kiyone saw Ayane glowering right at her. "Say that a lot louder and you will never volley properly again!"

"But it's true!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"BUCHOU, AYANE'S BULLYING ME! GROUND HER!"

Suzune began her service. "You guys shouldn't be so distracted you know. The game's starting."

The shot then multiplied into several balls and whizzed right past Kiyone. "What in the world was that?"

"Score: 15 all!" Ayane winced at the shot. "I could've sworn I saw that somewhere."

Kiyone gave the server a droll stare. "What was that?"

Rin began shaking Hitomi. "There were like ten balls coming at the both of them, what in the world just happened?"

Mai bit her lip while recalling the pathway of the ball. "She created a spin on the ball. By clipping it at the top part of the racquet and adding an extra spin to it, it created a bigger illusion. When it hits the floor, it looks like there are several coming at the face. This style is probably used to freeze opponents in their track."

"I guess she's planning to ace them in this game." Momo observed Suzune bouncing the ball again.

Kiyone jumped towards Ayane. "Sooo~, what do we do now, Yane-Yane?"

Ayane scratched her head, rubbing her eyes as she did so. "We might as well watch what the shot can do until we have a good idea on how to return it. We might have to drop a game."

The sandy haired volleyist gaped at her, stamping her feet. "But I don't wanna!"

"Have any better plan?"

Kiyone couldn't say anything because she wasn't much of a play maker so she had to go with Ayane's plan.

"I trust you, Yane. I just hope we can find it before they cover up our lead."

Ayane watched Kiyone's back while waiting for another shot. "Think you can replicate the technique?"

"No problemo, give me three minutes. That technique will be jot down in my head in no time, Yane!"

Ayane watched the doubles player play again. "Then it looks like we have to drop a game then."

Another serve came in and Ayane let the ball hit past her. "30-15!"

Mai chuckled and glanced at Shizuru. "I shouldn't tell them now, should I?"

"It's best that they learn about the technique on their own," Shizuru watched the two avoid another serve. "40 – 15!"

Kiyone wailed and flailed her arms. "I don't wanna reach seven-six, Yane!"

Ayane looked at the floor and then at the sun. "Hold up for a moment, I don't think we need to drop a game."

"Yay! What do we do now?"

Ayane smirked and motioned her. "I'll be on the receiving end this time. You stay at the net."

Not knowing what Ayane was up to, Kiyone did exactly as she was told. "Okie dokie. But if you get me killed, my blood's on your hands!"

"Kiyo, you're not going to die."

"I don't wanna die! I'm too young to die!"

Suzune could only stare at the dynamics between the two girls. She shook her head and then looked at Rima who just shrugged her shoulders.

Smiling and making her way to the baseline, Ayane tapped Kiyone's shoulder. "You know what to do."

Kiyone knew what that tap meant. "Alright, I didn't know that we were going to dish this one out but okay, they were asking for it anyway."

Suzune, feeling that they were bluffing did the service again. "I don't think you can return it!"

Kiyone watched the ball fly past her and she closed her eyes. "Yane," –she was praying deep down inside, "I know you can do it."

Smirking with delight that the service was the one she wanted, Ayane looked down on the ground and planted her feet on the ground. "I'm going to sink the shot. Hope you don't mind."

With another Magnolia Blade, Ayane fired the shot back at them. "Return ace, 40 – 30!"

Suzune dropped her jaw. "But, how did you do that!"

Kiyone understood what Ayane had done. "The floor showed what was not there?"

"Yeppers," Ayane did a 'v' sign, "you got that right! Now, let's continue the match and pummel them some more now shall we?"

Kiyone lowered herself down at the net. "Yeah, bring it on!"

Suzune fired a normal serve which Kiyone sliced under. "Whoo hoo, give me everything you got!"

Rima gave her a pile driver followed by Ayane's Magnolia Blade which ran down on the line, "Deuce!"

Kiyone turned to Ayane. "Wow, you sure came up with one fast analysis on the serve. How did you do that?"

The vice captain shrugged. "I don't know. I just used common sense?"

Laughing lightly, Kiyone faced the net again and found Rima gripping her wrist. "Uh-oh, looks like someone didn't make it out properly."

"I'm fine." Rima smiled while removing her wrist band. "This thing was just tying me down. Now, we can play."

Ayane looked at the fallen wrist band. "Ah-ha, weights! Great, now I have another powerhouse to play against!"

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "Geez, I liked it when things were easy."

Suzune served once more which was returned by Kiyone's underspin. Rima fired a heavy forehand towards her and Ayane was able to rival her power. "I've played against Kabaji a few times! This is nothing compared to his strength."

Rima continued to give her heavy forehands. "Hm, interesting, you didn't seem to be the running type either."

Ayane returned her shots with more backhands. "Yeah, you have Suzune to do the running for you."

"Same thing," Rima let a drop shot reach Kiyone, "you have Getsugan-san to run for you."

Kiyone gave her a short forehand. "I don't run for her all the time, just when I don't want to run."

"Advantage: Kobayagi-Getsugan pair!" Suzune began with her service again. "You're impressive for a first year."

Kiyone volleyed towards her with a top spin. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself considering you're one of the very few who can score points against us."

"Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 3-0!" The score was shouted out when Ayane's backhand reached the baseline edge.

Rima smirked while handing Ayane the ball. "Your service, I'd like to see how strong you are."

Ayane went to the baseline to start her service. "I don't think you'll break our service game though. But, I'd like to see some effort."

Positioning herself to receive her serve, Suzune watched Ayane carefully and noticed that Kiyone was just sitting on the floor. "Why are you just sitting there?"

"I don't wanna interfere in Yane-Yane's fight." Kiyone lazily sat at the middle of the court. "Do I look like someone who wants to eat a knuckle sandwich for lunch? No!"

Rima positioned herself at the net and the service flew faster than normal and crashed at the middle. "15-0!"

Shizuru looked at Hitomi. "How fast was that?"

"160 km/h," Hitomi scribbled on her notebook, muttering more incoherent things. "The trajectory of the ball was well placed and well planned and…"

Haruka looked away with a sigh. "She always makes things so complicated."

They saw another serve explode on to the court, "30 Love!"

Another ace exploded in. "40 Love!"

Rin looked at Isane. "You can serve faster right?"

"Somehow, yeah," Isane sheepishly scratched her head. "But Ayane is pretty strong for a first year student. I guess Hitomi-san really made her carry heavy weights."

Hitomi continued scribbling. "Kobayagi-chan has been lifting twenty pound dumb bells everyday. This has always been implemented in her training regimen because she needs to compensate for one thing we all have and she doesn't."

Atobe, nodding, looked at Ayane's playing style. "She's a sinker person. She can't do top spins now can she?"

"Unfortunately, no she can't." Hitomi tilted her glasses to further analyse the game. "But, her strength is something that makes up for her ability. Why do you think she's in doubles?"

Hiyoshi watched Kiyone top spin another shot. "Getsugan makes up for her inability to do top spins and under spins."

Another serve just exploded on to the other side. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 4-0!"

No one could believe that Ayane was clocking her serve at an average of 160 km/hr at her level. "See? This is why I said good luck in returning her service. Isane-senpai does faster though by 20 km/hr." Kiyone yawned while she saw Rima picking up the ball to serve.

Suzune couldn't believe that they weren't even scoring a point. "It looks like we're going to go down here, sis. But, we might as well give them a game they won't forget."

"Yeah, you're right. Play to the extreme." Rima blasted a serve towards them which Ayane easily returned.

Kiyone volleyed another shot. "You guys aren't a bad doubles pair. Just work a lot harder at it, yeah?"

Suzune gave her an awkward look when she volleyed again. "What do you mean? I mean – we haven't scored a single game against you."

The smaller girl fired another backhand towards Rima. "Well, you did score a couple of points and let me tell you this: not very many get to score against us even if it's just a single point in one game."

Rima did a forehand towards Ayane. "You guys play well for first year students. How long have you two been playing together?"

"I don't know. I kinda lost track." Ayane shrugged while backhanding the ball towards the edge of the doubles line.

Suzune did a top spin forehand towards Kiyone. "Well, I hope you can become the best doubles players in Japan then."

"Conquering Japan's best doubles players won't be easy but it will be fun!" Kiyone smirked while she backhanded it, "Love 30!"

Rima did a forehand towards the edge of the baseline. "Yeah, you're one pair who's given us the best game in our lives as third year players."

"Thanks, that's nice to know." Kiyone did another smash and slammed it past the two Yugetsu Chuu players, "Love Forty!"

Ayane did the Magnolia Blade right down the line. "Yeah, you guys aren't so bad yourselves."

The ball slid past them both and exploded on the court. "Game, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 5-0!"

The captain of Yugetsu Chuu stood up and left the two while Ayane looked at her with disgust. "What the heck is her problem? Some captain she is."

"She's always been like that." Suzune tried to get them to ignore her. "Please don't mind her. She just wants to play against your captain."

Kiyone snickered at the thought. "Good luck with that though."

After several rallies, Ayane ended the game with her Magnolia Blade exactly on the line cross court. "Game and set, Kobayagi-Getsugan pair: 6-0!"

---

-I'm sorry if this is so long! I had to squeeze in Ayane's and Kiyone's game. Up next is the game of the tensai and captain, please review!

-Also, I'd like to thank Frog-kun for helping me write this story.