Me: Hahaha, I guess you guys didn't expect Shizuru to lose against Souma Fuuka but now - what's it gonna be? Will Hyotei manage to stay on top despite their best player being put down? Will Tezuka finally get his heart straight and will Atobe get any smarter?
Atobe: Ore-sama was never stupid to begin with!
Me: Sure you're not. You got yourself cornered by a girl with an alpha bitch complex. Care to explain?
Ayane: Humph. Yeah, nice going genius.
Atobe: Ayane...!
Me: Anyway, our special guest for today is... OHTORI CHOUTAROU! Can you please do the disclaimer?
Ohtori: Sure, Scarlette Shizuru-san. Scarlette Shizuru-san does not own Prince of Tennis except the OCs and their techniques. She also owns this fanfiction's plotline. :)
Me: Aww, you're such a sweetheart! What I wouldn't give to have a brother like you.
Chapter 59 - Dance to Victory
Shizuru hung her head lightly, biting her lower lip in shame. She lost against Fuuka; her position would definitely be wrenched away from her now. The law of Hyotei was based on the virtue of power; Shizuru drummed up several prospects - Momo definitely knew the team much better than she did considering she had the experience from the other team members of the past, Mai had more dynamism and willpower and among the rest Ayane struck the most fear. The brunette sighed before picking up her fallen racquet until she found someone picking her off the ground and helping her stand. Her crimson eyes widened when she found Fuuka standing next to her but what shocked her more was that Fuuka raised Shizuru's hand high above her head.
"Seigaku, know this: Kurenai is barely at her full power now," Fuuka narrowed her eyes at her team members, particularly Vera. "All of them are still untapped and ready to explode. You have seen Kobayagi and Getsugan fight Jerrard and Ryuuzaki; Getsugan is more powerful than she looks. And when we face them in the Nationals, we will face the true Terror of the Hyotei Demons. So, until that day comes," - she poked Shizuru's forehead with a smirk and an indignant huff. "FIX THAT DAMN LEG OF YOURS BEFORE I DO IT FOR YOU OR BREAK BOTH OF THEM!"
Shizuru blinked several times until she noticed herself being hauled over Fuuka's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "F-Fuuka...!"
"Can it, squeaky," Fuuka brought her to her side of the team, grinning cheekily. "I look at you as my rival but that doesn't change that you are one of the youngest of the L.X.A princesses next to Yukimura."
As she got to Hyotei's side, Fuuka plopped Shizuru on the bench before glancing at Haruka and Rin. "You two better watch over her. She tends to go a little extreme sometimes."
"Like you don't," Shizuru smirked lightly, earning another flick from the red haired Seishun Gakuen captain.
Fuuka stuck out her tongue impishly, walking away. "Pshe, at least mine's not self-inflicting. By the way..."
Shizuru looked up in curiosity as Fuuka chuckled lightly and ruffled her hair.
"Next time, I won't be so lucky," Fuuka glanced at her swelling knee with a bitter smile, gesturing over her shoulder. "You should head to Kyushu. According to Fudomine's Tachibana Kippei, they have good rehabilitation facilities there for your leg. It doesn't look as serious as Tezuka's. Just don't push yourself too hard. I want to fight you at full power so heal up properly, got it? Besides if you don't go, I've got a chair, rope and knife ready."
Giggling sheepishly at Fuuka's threat, Shizuru nodded before glancing at Fuuka's red arm. "Your Aries' Revenge didn't take to you too nicely either..."
Fuuka glanced at her sore right arm, rubbing it slightly before letting out a sigh. "I guess. But your flash step, you should try to come up with something that won't force you to run. Maybe if you had more courage to ask maybe he'd help you there. Actually, scratch that - he'd be more than willing. Just gather up some guts and talk to him straight."
Shizuru stared for a few moments whereas Fuuka began walking away the moment Momo and Mai returned. Shizuru found herself unable to look at her teammates in the eye as Mai dropped her hand on Shizuru's shoulder before completely embracing her. Haruka dropped her hand on Shizuru's head with a motherly smile while Rin glomped her from behind, nearly throwing the girl forward. The brunette found herself thrown off guard as Mai tightened her embrace, sniffing and slightly sobbing. A small smile crept up her lips before patting the tensai's back gently before she let out a sigh.
"I guess this means I'm off the team," Shizuru sighed deeply in defeat, looking at the score.
Momo's eyes widened before she folded her arms with a darkened frown, flicking the junior's forehead. "No way, you're still our captain. There will be a protest you hear?"
Shizuru blinked several times before looking at Sakaki-sensei, hanging her head abashedly. "I understand. Defeat is inexcusable..."
Sakaki-sensei inhaled deeply before looking at Shizuru's crimson eyes, folding his arms in his usual calm composure. "You have always led the Hyotei team to victory. I believe your team wants you to continue doing so. Henceforth, you'll be given another chance and I do not believe your teammates will follow anyone else."
Shizuru blinked disbelievingly before smiling humbly, bowing low. "And that I will... But, I believe there is one last match that we have to deal with."
The red haired tensai, throwing her jacket aside, smirked lightly before grinning triumphantly at her captain. "You can rest, Shizuru. Leave the rest to me!"
"By the way," Rin glanced at her captain after watching Mai leave for the court, blinking several times. "What does Fuuka mean that she already has a knife, a chair and rope ready?"
Shizuru sighed deeply, rubbing her temples in defeat. "Fuuka is the master kidnapper. As long as she has that, rest assured - she can kidnap or capture anyone of her choice regardless of circumstance."
"Indeed, Fuuka does sound more like a terrorist than any of us," - a British accent caused Shizuru to swivel her head towards the Jyosei Shounan captain who walked up to her. "I've never felt a game that intense in my life. But I do hope your leg heals. You've improved - greatly but you still need more work on that leg. We will find someone who can nurse it back to full health. Also, thank you for giving me something to look forward to after my operation."
Shizuru looked down solemnly, watching Florence slowly leave her. "No, thank you for bringing me back... Don't lose..."
"Singles One will now begin: Seishun Gakuen's Renkeikouji Atoli versus Hyotei Gakuen's Nagisaki Mai! Both players please proceed to the court!"
Mai inhaled deeply before casting a glance towards Yukimura who Rena completely latched onto. She could feel her chest tightening considerably before glancing at the other people staring back at her, waiting for her to enter the court. The tensai inhaled deeply to try and calm herself down only to have her amber eyes slowly trail back to Yukimura Seiichi. The demi-god clearly had no memory as he waved continued looking at the scoreboard before answering whatever Rena's question might have been. Mai slowly sauntered onto the courts with her hand gripping her tennis racquet tightly, glancing at Yukimura.
If you don't remember me, I'll make you remember me!
As soon as Atoli and Mai faced each other, their stares remained heavily focused on one another as sweat started trickling down from their hands. The cheering faded into the background as the wind began howling and the trees danced around with the orange tinted sunset. Mai inhaled deeply once again whereas Atoli took off her police hat, spinning it around before placing it on again firmly. The two tensai stared each other down for a moment as the racquet spun and landed on the rough side.
"You ready to take the silver," Atoli chuckled lightly, tossing back her dark royal blue hair.
Mai smirked darkly with her amber eyes glistening determinedly, twirling her racquet around. "Looks like you're gonna be the one taking the silver, dear. I do a lot more damage than you think."
"We tensai do think alike after all," Atoli walked towards her end of the baseline after handing the ball to Mai, smiling lightly. "May the best player win?"
Mai chuckled lightly with a feline-like smile, letting her racquet rest on her shoulder. "May the odds ever be in your favour."
As the red haired tensai glanced at her team before looking at the scoreboard, she sighed deeply to herself. Mai knew that her captain had always wanted to play Fuuka but why didn't the two of them pick Singles One like always? She cast her eyes towards her teammates as Hitomi began nursing Shizuru's swollen leg which had a mixture of blue and black like some huge bruise. Mai winced slightly but a small smile crept up her lips the moment she started tracing Tezuka's line of sight. He was definitely unnerved; his hands were more clenched and despite the stoic expression on his face - she didn't need to be a genius to figure that out. Shizuru had walked down the same path he did; she made herself a martyr for her team to make sure they could keep on going. Although Mai knew that they had to work out that kink with her, Shizuru would have recklessly shoved herself even more if Florence and Naomi had not intervened.
At least he notices her... Yukimura-kun doesn't remember squat about me...
Mai laughed inwardly with a bitter taste in her mouth, realizing that there was a chance he may never remember her. She glanced at the sky as the doves started flying westward towards the setting sun as a small smile appeared on her lips. Inhaling deeply, Mai tightened her grip on the racquet while walking towards the baseline, facing Yukimura and the other people in the bleachers. Her eyes refused to meet Yukimura's but when Rena and Mai made eye contact - the tensai grinned sardonically with a confident smirk but the way Rena held onto Yukimura started chipping her heart into pieces.
"Game start, Nagisaki to serve!"
Mai bounced the ball several times, feeling the ecstasy running through her body. Her amber feline eyes scanned the area, looking at Atoli swing to and fro. A small chuckle bubbled from her throat as she sent a no-return serve blazing towards Atoli. The blue haired female easily countered with a flying backhand as the ball zoomed straight down the line on Mai's left side. Sliding towards the left side, the dancer lightly sliced the ball as it suspended in mid-air for awhile right above the net. Atoli split right on the ground before dropping the shot right over while Mai covered the distance with a fast drive volley.
"Fifteen - love!"
Atoli smiled lightly before giving the ball back to Mai, glancing over the tensai's shoulder. "I see you've been awakened."
Mai narrowed her eyes at the dark blue haired girl before turning her back at her with a triumphant smirk. "Not really, I just realized a few things. That's all."
The Seishun Gakuen tensai lightly grinned while returning to the baseline, taking note of Mai's amber gold eyes. Despite being distracted, Atoli could see that Mai easily kept up her play. The blue haired girl smirked in acceptance and acknowledgement; it was only to be expected from a tensai and the captains. She remembered the heavy fight between the two titans and how the heavens seemed to dance along with them as they continued to try and bring each other down. Shizuru definitely caught her eye; definitely someone she should go against one day. Fuuka was almost downright impossible; the girl had constantly sent her flying towards the bleachers. However, Mai once again began her assault and cut her thoughts short. Atoli launched herself to begin a volley which Mai suddenly sent the ball spiralling up into the air. With a huge smirk on her face, Atoli went for a smash straight down until the ball zoomed right past her head with Mai performing a very familiar technique, coiling around and sending the ball with a spiralling return.
"That's the Adonis Otoshi!"
"Wow, Nagisaki-san is really something!"
"Go Mai-sama~!"
The red haired tensai flashed an accommodating smile at the boys' cheering before inhaling deeply before looking back at Atoli with a triumphant smirk. Soon, the whole Hyotei audience started howling and cheering for their tensai as the banners began fluttering in the air. Seigaku could only stare in astonishment and awe as to how Mai managed to duplicate Fuji's Higuma Otoshi almost perfectly. Kikumaru had his jaw reaching the floor with Momoshiro sputtering and blinking in disbelief how she managed to replicate the attack. Fuji had now opened his bright cerulean blue eyes in interest; Nagisaki Mai had lost to him during their training camp and how she managed to imbed the Higuma Otoshi on single sight baffled him. Inui muttered something about data whereas Kaidoh, Tezuka and Echizen maintained a very quiet and serious composure. Kawamura could barely say anything and even Oishi stared stupefied at the sudden change of movement. Chuckling in amusement, the dark blue haired tensai raked her fingers through her hair before raising her racquet towards Mai.
"You definitely improved," Atoli lowered her stance while Mai got up to serve once more. "I haven't seen a girl easily replicate his counter just like that. Oshitari Yuushi is understandable; after all, he is the man of 1000 moves."
Mai narrowed her eyes darkly at the female with a cryptic smile curving up her lips. "True but 1000 moves don't amount to much now does it? There are variations to everything."
Atoli narrowed her eyes as another serve cracked off Mai's racquet with an awkward spin. The bluenette stared closely at the ball spinning in an awkward flower-like pattern before spinning around the ground and simply, stopping right there. Atoli's eyes widened; how did Mai manage to make a ball stop spinning right in the middle of nowhere? Keeping her stance lowered, Atoli moved in closely onto the ball until she heard something bouncing behind her. Slightly and slowly turning her head, Atoli soon found the tennis ball bouncing on the baseline as the image of the other tennis ball vanished right before her eyes.
"There it is, the Sazanka Serve!"
"Way to go, Mai-sama~!"
"We love you, Mai-sama~!"
Atoli flinched at the loud fan boys yelling out their admiration for the red haired nekojin female, watching Mai prepare for her service. As the ball cracked off, Atoli launched herself towards the ball for a drive volley whereas Mai danced her way towards the baseline and easily sent the ball towards the deep end of the left side. Clucking her tongue, the Seigaku female tensai dropped down for a volley to send it over towards Mai's side. The red head easily smashed the ball on the other end, giving Atoli no chance to retaliate.
"Forty - love!"
Rena groaned to her boyfriend, rolling her eyes. "Tennis is so boring. I don't understand how you can love it so much, Sei."
Yukimura chuckled lightly, gently ruffling his girlfriend's hair but not removing his eyes from the match. "Tennis is a very fun sport. What I look forward to every time is seeing new styles and taking on better opponents than the last. People can be so fascinating when the circumstances are done right..."
However, I remember seeing this style before but... where?
Yukimura bit his lower lip, trying to search through his memory banks. The demi-god frowned in annoyance; nothing happened to show up except blotches of bright red ever since his surgery. He sighed deeply to himself; Yukimura knew he didn't forget things like these often. Mai's graceful movements started creating more sparks and questions in his mind. The Rikkai Dai captain frowned deeply once again as he started running his fingers through his wavy blue hair in frustration. Her movements had his lavender eyes darting back and forth as she danced across the baseline without much difficulty. Atoli on the other hand struggled with every twist and step on the way as the red head quickly out ran her.
"Game, Nagisaki: one game to love!"
Atoli frowned slightly at Mai's speed but smirked a little at the challenge being posed before her. She glanced at the scoreboard and how Hyotei managed to bring down two of their better players instantly but wondered how powerful the other three were if given time to grow. As is, Mai maintained a calm expression despite the tensions and the anxieties rising between the two schools. She inhaled deeply while watching the feline female continue preparing to swing to and fro and waited to receive the shot. Tossing the ball into the air, Atoli sent in side-winding fashion as it curved towards Mai. Without flinching one bit, Mai darted towards the shot with a forehand whereas Atoli began dancing around to keep the tensai at bay. The dark bluenette bit her lower lip anxiously, wondering at how Mai could remain so focused.
"It seems like the tensai awakened before we could stop her," Karin tilted her glasses a bit, watching the match and having Atoli getting pushed back.
Fuuka chuckled lightly, running her fingers through her hair before glancing at Shizuru. "Physically, she may not be as adept as others but being able to inspire - the girl decided to use herself as a catalyst to awaken the potentials in each of her members. I'm sure if this had happened during Singles Three - we would have lost all our matches. Kobayagi would definitely have broken the Heartbreaker. You know that, don't you Vera?"
The blonde simply snorted haughtily before averting her eyes away. "It doesn't matter. As long as I won, it like so doesn't matter!"
Enma nodded weakly, looking at her own score with an emotionless look. "We would have died way before we could reach Singles One."
Atoli on the other hand crunched her nose a little before preparing for a shot, smirking before slicing the ball in an awkward angle. "I guess I'll just have to push you a little, now don't I?"
As the ball sailed through the air, Mai watched it closely before preparing a parry. The moment the ball appeared right in front of her racquet, something suddenly pushed her wrist slightly back as the ball suddenly flew straight out of the court. Her eyes widened slightly with her lips pursing a bit in curiosity. Atoli barely participated in matches after seeing Shibuya Rangiku easily plough through the other teams as if they were nothing but Mai found herself shivering in excitement. Was this what her captain felt when she played against Fuuka? Mai bit her lower lip in deep pondering but a smile curved up her lips with a determined smirk; breaking a technique like that won't be an easy thing. She glanced at Hyotei and their anxious expressions whereas Atoli had one of a bit of triumph.
"Anemoi: Boreas," Atoli smirked triumphantly, watching Mai's eyes suddenly widen. "Who said that the wind only struck in one direction?"
Mai bit her lower lip, mentally cursing herself for not paying attention to Greek class. Despite being completely clueless in that language, she managed to pick up things here and there but names in Greek completely pissed her off. Shizuru would often laugh at her and now the tensai could imagine Shizuru giving her the "I-told-you-so" look every time she didn't pay attention in the teacher's class. It was a language she barely found herself using but heck, the mythology was good. The one who memorized this more was Shizuru and now Atoli's statement made it even worse. The red haired tensai pondered deeply, knowing that there were other forms. But how many were there? Mai immediately began wracking her brains but nothing showed up, much to her chagrin and annoyance.
Sheesh, I'm not supposed to be the one with memory loss! Think, Mai, think!
"Fifteen - love!"
Mai bit her lower lip, watching Atoli prepare another service to go against her. As the ball flew from her racquet, Mai backhanded the shot towards the corner whereas Atoli forehanded the shot right down the line towards the tensai. Sliding across the baseline, Mai forehanded the shot before dancing back to the centre. Her eyes watched the ball zoom towards her straight for her body but a smile curved up her lips as she sent the ball straight up into the air. As the ball spiralled up into the air, Atoli prepared to smash until the ball seemingly stayed suspended in the air for the next thirty seconds. Seeing that the bluenette had dropped her guard, Mai smiled lightly before pointing behind her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. After all, the primrose is truly an astonishing flower, isn't it?"
The Seigaku tensai's eyes widened when she looked back only to have the ball drop right in front of her, sliding down the net. Atoli bristled slightly at the trick play Mai displayed before taking the ball to serve again. She bounced the ball several times, seeing the Kurosakuraso drop right in front of her. She narrowed her eyes darkly at the tensai before tossing the ball up once again, watching Mai's swinging movement. As the ball sailed over the net, Mai darted forward for a drive volley as the two began forcing one another with volleys. Mai danced around with a spin before backhanding the shot with a strong spin. Atoli, narrowing her eyes calculatingly at the ball, deflected the shot before watching Mai's dance movement.
Is she toying with me? Humph, her weakness is clear as day!
Mai on the other hand continued dancing back and forth, ignoring the beads of sweat trickling down her face. The red haired tensai inhaled deeply before continuing her assault as the ball zoomed back and forth in between the two players. Atoli increased the speed of her volley before going for a fast drive shot while Mai lowered herself down to spring out in response and bounced the shot right back at her. Everything seemed to slow down in front of her as she saw Atoli preparing to take another shot, causing a smirk to curve up her lips. However, her amber eyes slowly slid over to see Rena pointing excitedly at something happening as Yukimura's attention started searching somewhere else. She narrowed her eyes at the two until the ball suddenly curved up on her left side, snaking right past her defences and nearly knocking her racquet away with a blast of wind.
"Anemoi: Zephyrus," Atoli narrowed her eyes before inhaling deeply, relaxing a little. "You're normally not this distracted, Nagisaki. But I guess there were a lot more things the Heart can recognize more than the Mind. He can't remember you but will his heart be able to find you. He is the deity that brought forth your love for tennis."
Mai snapped herself out of the daze before slightly frowning at the information, redirecting her attention towards Atoli. "It seems so. But," - a smirk curved up her lips while watching Atoli. "I just wanted to recall a few things. One is - the Anemoi are eight in number. If buchou can kindly clarify for me..."
Shizuru nodded with a light smile.
"Based on your last two attacks," Mai envisioned the attacks in her mind, remembering the wind blasting her racquet back and her wrist. "Let's see the other winds djinns make their appearance, Renkeikouji Atoli of the Divine Winds. Unless, you haven't thought that far..."
Hitomi tilted her glasses a bit before opening a new notebook and exchanging the memory card with a new one for her camera. "This is truly once in a lifetime chance to see the Queen of Spades make her move."
"Nagisaki always flashed and showed off tennis with dance steps," Oshitari leaned against the railing, watching the tensai take on the attacks once again. "But coming up with special attacks right on the spot - something like that is the worst thing to do right in front of Nagisaki Mai. Fuji was the only one who got past her because he got vicious that time but now that Nagisaki-chan knows better..."
Karin readjusted her glasses, watching Atoli unleash Boreas once again and Mai remained still as the ball zoomed past her. "She dances to the Ode of the West Wind and brings forth the terrible storm that is about to come. The Breeze Stepper was a title invented to not only show her speed but her destructive power as well..."
"Game, Renkeikouji: one game all!"
Momo folded her arms with a stolid gaze, watching Mai calmly take in the incoming attacks. "When the winds cease to blow, Japan believed that without its help - other countries would have destroyed them."
"If there is anyway who can outrun Hoshimura and myself in terms of speed," Shizuru admitted softly; her crimson eyes gleaming with pride and faith. "Renkeikouji-san no longer has the advantage."
Atoli launched the Boreas once again with the wind blowing straight towards Mai. Seigaku's chants became louder as Hyotei's tensai blocked them all out with their cheers fading into the darkness. She resisted the urge to glance back, knowing Yukimura stood right behind her. With another deep inhale, Mai felt his presence vanish from her mind; he was only a distraction for now. The only thing she could feel rushing towards her now was the neon yellow green sphere flying towards her. The red haired tensai closed her eyes before taking a different stance and sent the ball straight up into the air. Atoli's eyes widened as a feline smirk curved up the red head's lips.
"The wind flies only in the direction it is sent," Mai opened her amber gold eyes with a smirk curving up her lips, staring deeply into Atoli's teal blue orbs. "It pushes things whatever lies in its path but cannot compensate for its open defences beneath."
The Kurosakuraso launched the ball straight into the air before dropping onto the ground and spinning with three balls creating a neon yellow circle. Atoli's eyes widened as she looked closely at the ball only to have all three images vanish. She looked up and then behind her. Atoli frowned deeply at her predicament, feeling out the wind. The ball was nowhere in the air so it had to be on the ground. However, there was nothing in sight.
"This is the true form of the Kurosakuraso."
Atoli raised her head and found Mai holding onto the ball in her left hand with a huge smirk on her face. The Seishun Gakuen tensai slightly gaped in astonishment, rubbing her eyes. How did the ball manage to zoom at that kind of speed all the way to Mai's hand without bouncing or making a single noise? She tried running through all the possibilities in her mind but none seemed probable unless...
"Quite a complex technique," Inui scribbled down data while trying to reassess the speed of the shot with physics, studying the projectile and performance. "Nagisaki used the wind from the Boreas in order to curve the shot and send it straight into the air. After that, she places a spin on the ball to reinforce and redirect the wind to curve around the ball. But how she managed to calculate that far astounds me. Even Amagi Karin could not have predicted that kind of attack in an instant."
Atoli frowned lightly; she always thought that the Kurosakuraso just bounced back after using the spin similarly to the Hakugei. Practicing with Fuji kicked up her analytical skills but Mai just came up with something new on the spot. Unlike the Hakugei, the ball landed on the ground and delayed its launch time on the ground but it still had the same principle behind it. Whether she reinvented it or not - Atoli didn't know. But what puzzled her was more that how did Mai conceal the Kurosakuraso for so long? Karin and she had reviewed all of Nagisaki Mai's matches in hopes of finding a weak point. She frowned darkly at the very conclusion.
Nagisaki Mai has no weaknesses. There is a reason why she is one of Hyotei's Queens of the Suits.
In turn, Atoli launched Zephyrus towards Mai's left side in hopes of blasting her back. Mai watched the wind currents swirl around the ball, pulling herself back to wait for the ball to bounce in. However, the moment the ball bounced on the ground it shot straight towards the net and forced Mai to run after the shot. The tensai bit her lower lip as the ball returned straight into Atoli's hand as the Seishun Gakuen female smiled lightly.
"Anemoi: Lips," Atoli twirled her racquet around, watching Mai's eyes carefully. "You're not playing seriously are you?"
Damn it, this girl's playing around with me. I've never had to use the Anemoi so early in the game let alone three of them. Why won't she fight me seriously?
Mai remained completely calm as she watched the shots fly back and forth. She bit her lower lip, noting that the Boreas had been easy to counter. The names had some link to their projection and Mai mentally cursed herself for not paying attention once again in Mythology. If Shizuru were the one playing against Atoli, Shizuru would have surely figured out all the shots barely even before they launched themselves. Mai frowned darkly at the situation before controlling her rapidly beating heart. Now that three made their appearances, Mai pondered deeply before preparing to serve the ball once again. There were five left to make their debut. The winds danced around the entire court as the leaves began floating in front of her.
Boreas is North, Zephyrus is West, Lips is Southwest - Damn it, I don't remember anything!
She tossed the ball as the leaf slowly alighted in front of her, smacking the ball straight towards the leaf as the ball cracked on the ground before shredding the leaf into pieces. Atoli slammed the ball back with a forehand before moving to meet Mai's line of sight. The ball curled around towards Mai as the tensai launched the ball back with a forehand while watching Atoli go for a drop shot. As the ball lightly floated in the air, Mai tapped the ball right beneath the ball before it curled up the net and rolled off the net like a slide.
"Thirty - fifteen!"
Atoli darkly narrowed her eyes at the quick end of the previous volley. What exactly did Nagisaki plan for her? Mai had this eerily calm look on her face and her grip on her racquet seemed relatively normal. The blue haired tensai glanced up to see Yukimura watching the game more intently now as a small smirk curved up her lips but slightly shivered at the thought of the two being together. Yukimura, the famous Demi-god of Rikkai Dai along with Hyotei's Queen of Spades Nagisaki Mai, could make the whole world shudder in fear. She shook her head away from the thoughts before relaxing her position on the court.
"Forget it, he's not going to have an immediate flashback no matter how well you play the game," Atoli watched Mai's amber eyes remain eerily still as the female nekojin remained extremely quiet. "Amnesiacs or patients with brain damage to their memory area don't get instant flashbacks to the stimuli. It usually comes in time. You can't expect him to remember your personality. The best he'll remember is your name at most or have slight recognitions."
Mai bit her lower lip darkly before casting a small sideward glance towards the Rikkai Dai captain who seemed completely clueless off her existence. The dancer remembered all the times she spent with him in the Tutor House ever since she had been enrolled to higher levels of math. Yukimura had easily made Pre-Calculus completely nothing before moving on to Trigonometry. She couldn't believe how fast she absorbed it herself that day. A bitter smile curved up her lips as she remembered the first time she met Yukimura. Mai bitterly bit her lower lip; thankfully she never told him that she thought he was a woman and that he was a Japanese super model.
Flashback
[Summer: One Year Ago]
12 year old Nagisaki Mai sat in the classroom along with her brunette friend as they pulled out a textbook. The red head wanted to laugh at the sight of how big Shizuru's eyes widened because the moment the brunette girl peeled open her book, Shizuru looked like she was staring at some foreign language. She kept on blinking whereas Mai easily understood the concepts and even began taking down notes and reading the next chapter. She yawned slightly at the pace until Shizuru tapped her shoulder.
"Mai, what is this," Shizuru swallowed hard, looking at the text book in front of her.
Mai ruffled the short haired brunette's hime-cut hair with a huge grin. "I can teach you later. Don't worry about it, Shi-chan."
Shizuru nodded weakly before sinking behind her book, letting out a slight whimper. "I don't understand any of this..."
Mai grinned goofily at her friend until the bell decided to ring. The girls immediately gathered their stuff before heading out towards the gates however, the moment the two got outside - there was a small clique of people gathering. Her eyes widened when she saw another colour of outfits, yellow and black instead of Hyotei's typical gray, cobalt blue and white uniform. Shizuru and Mai tried to move their way through the crowd but no one seemed to budge as Atobe and some dark haired guy stood in the middle.
"Who the heck is Atobe talking to now," Mai rolled her eyes as Shizuru tailed quietly behind her. "Does he always have this tendency to piss people off?"
"STOP BLOCKING THE WAY, YOU FREAKIN' MOLE DIVA!"
Mai and Shizuru swivelled her head towards a tangerine haired girl who dragged along a poor shaken sandy blonde girl across the field with murder clearly glinting in her eyes. She had bouncing braided pigtails and she suddenly shoved past one of the yellow and black uniformed students. The black haired boy staggered back along with the bluenette as they both soon ended up in a heap the moment the tangerine haired girl just ploughed through them. Mai blinked several times before casting her eyes to the ground at the fallen people. They definitely looked older than her as she and Shizuru walked over to them to help them.
"Sorry about that, that usually doesn't happen," Mai smiled before extending her hand to the bluenette. "Nagisaki Mai."
Oh my gosh, she is so pretty! Why is she wearing boy's clothes? Why does everyone think like my fashion-dead friend!?
The bluenette smiled at her with a serene smile before dusting "herself". "Ah Yukimura Seiichi, thank you for helping me."
Mai nearly paled but managed to flash a smile nonetheless. "Ah no problem."
THAT BLUENETTE WAS A BOY!? NO WOMAN WOULD NAME HER DAUGHTER SEIICHI!
End of Flashback
Mai shook her head before chuckling darkly. "Who said I was playing for his memory to return?"
Atoli folded her arms as the red haired tensai pointed her racquet towards her.
"I'll make it quick and simple. Tennis is like a dance; you play according to the beat or you make your own," Mai twirled her racquet around her wrist before walking back to the baseline to serve. "The music you dance to is not to the sounds of the tennis ball but the intensity of the match. You can dance through the darkness and still win because as long as you have the rhythm," -a huge smirk curved up her lips. "You can win."
As the ball cracked off her racquet, Atoli's eyes widened when the ball spun awkwardly in a somewhat eight figure before rolling right past Atoli. The bluenette blinked several times as she watched the ball roll right behind her before hitting the heel of her left foot. Blinking several times, she tried to review the trajectory of the ball but nothing appeared. Soon, howls and cats calls echoed throughout the stands with people chanting Mai's name and her title over and over again. Seigaku chanted for their side as Atoli froze in shock at the speed of the ball along with the strange trajectory. She had never seen a ball curve at that kind of speed and power let alone create that impact.
"The Sasanqua finally blooms," Hitomi smiled as she watched Mai toss for another serve, cracking the same serve with a curving eight pattern.
"Game, Nagisaki: two games to one!"
Atoli bristled at how tightly knit the scores were becoming but chose to keep a calm expression the same way Mai had not changed expression for the last few exchanges. She looked at the ball in her hand before she noticed Mai tapping her foot to a certain rhythm. The amber girl's eyes remained beadily focused on her opponent as Atoli winced slightly at the intense focus coming from the feline female. She could feel her whole body trembling but Atoli immediately fought back the urge to fall. Fuuka had set up the stage - it was her job to finish it!
"Do you really think you're going to annihilate me this way," Atoli tossed the ball in the air before firing a no-return serve.
Mai danced towards it before giving it a sharp forehand towards Atoli who jumped after the shot. The Seishun Gakuen tensai felt her chest pounding heavily against her rib cage as more sweat droplets started trickling down her neck and down to the ground. Her breathing slowly became more hoarse as her throat tightened considerably. She could feel her sweat evaporating right off her back as Mai easily slid across the court to return her shot. Atoli winced at the pain throbbing against her ribs, squinting slightly to maintain her concentration. As the ball spiralled towards her, Atoli launched a new move with the ball curling towards Mai's right side as a smirk appeared on her lips.
"I'm guessing that's Anemoi: Apheliotes," Mai pulled back before hitting the shot before it could touch the ground, forcing the wind off with a punch of her hips. "Not a chance!"
Everyone's eyes widened as Mai started returning the shots with Boreas spiralling towards her with the Kurosakuraso flying straight into the air. Atoli rushed forward to get the ball before it touched the ground, smashing the shot. Mai coiled around with the Adonis Drop and sent the ball straight above Atoli's head. The bluenette shoved herself back all the way to the baseline in order to grab the shot with a weak backhand to which Mai smirked lightly before firing a blinding fast shot. Atoli staggered back at the speed as Mai smirked.
"Ikoroze, Shinso," Mai smiled slowly with a snicker, letting her amber gold eyes glimmer under the sunlight.
Haruka's eyes widened in astonishment as Haruka tried replaying the whole image in her mind, causing the Pearl Dragon to rub her eyes in disbelief. "She managed to copy Midoriyama?"
"If there's anyone who can break down special attacks as fast as I can, it would be Mai," Hitomi folded her legs before picking up her other notebook filled with data pertaining to Mai. "Mai's techniques are not the only thing that makes her dangerous. I'm sure Oshitari can also testify for Mai's prodigious abilities."
Shizuru smiled in acknowledgement, placing the ice on her leg. Mai, you've come so far...
Glaring at the red haired tensai, Atoli clucked her tongue as Mai unleashed another speeding shot right past her. "Love - fifteen!"
Atoli fired a service only to have Mai send a flying shot right past her. "Return ace, love - thirty!"
Atoli could only stare in frustration at the red haired female at how she managed to anticipate her next shot. She bit her lower lip before finally deciding to change her stance. Before serving, Atoli decided to go for a different style before tossing her racquet in the air and changing its grip. Mai blinked several times as she sent the ball curving towards her with a snake-like pattern. A small smile curved up her lips, seeing Mai's astonished face as it zoomed right past the red haired tensai.
"Gotcha," Atoli tipped her police cap at the red head.
At the top of the bleachers, Yukimura soon found himself amused by the tennis style of the red head female. She danced fluidly and glided across the baseline as if it were nothing but water. Mai even managed to spin and use the rotation power to curve her shot and send it back towards Atoli. The bluenette dashed forward before beginning a sharp volley with Mai as the red head flicked her wrist to send the ball right past Atoli's range. The bluenette jumped for the shot to cross court the volley only to have Mai instantaneously appear right at the side she supposedly could not reach before blasting the shot straight back at her. Silently berating herself for her lack of speed, Atoli continued to dance around before finally switching hands. Mai soon found Atoli's racquet in her left hand as the ball rushed past her in shock. She expected at least a backhand instead of a down the line.
"I guess Nagisaki never took into consideration that Atoli was ambidextrous," Karin continued writing down on her notebook, watching the next two points get taken by Atoli. "Looks like this match will be a terribly long one as well, Fuuka."
The red head captain shook her head slowly, watching Mai's eyes carefully. "I don't think so. Nagisaki doesn't look like she's a cornered rat nor do her eyes say it. It's as if... she's just baiting Atoli. But what exactly is she baiting her for? She already figured out the eight movements of the wind."
"Atoli's stared too much at the Abyss," Enma held out her tattered Goth doll before fingering the laces it had for hair. "She's becoming part of the Abyss..."
Midori leapt away fearfully, clinging onto Vera before the blonde girl shoved her off with an indignant snort. "Waaah, Enma-chan's taking in riddles again!"
"Regardless, Atoli's going to win this anyway," Vera scowled darkly while tousling around her long blonde hair, folding her arms haughtily. "After all, Atoli's just like waiting for the time to strike."
Vera, Atoli mournfully sighed to herself, overhearing her teammate speak. I wish you were right but Nagisaki's actually cornering me.
Firing the shot back at Mai, the blue haired tensai watched Mai's dancing movements as the red head returned the ball with the same speed as she had awhile ago. Both their eyes met briefly as she sprung away to fire the ball towards Mai's forehand side. Twisting around, Mai danced around the ball before firing a sharp backhand right at the corner of the volley line and forced Atoli to jump for the shot. As the bluenette tumbled on the ground, Mai cracked the ball on the far edge of the court.
"Deuce!"
Rin blinked several times, watching Mai continue the shots. "I don't get it. Why's Mai just keeping the game? Shouldn't she have scored by now?"
Haruka bit her thumbnail, watching Mai dance around plainly with a smirk plastered on her face. She watched the fight carefully until Atoli suddenly started stumbling around with the ball flying straight towards the net and the bluenette crashing straight onto the ground. As the tensai rolled onto the ground, the ball made its way towards her. Everyone in Seigaku stared in shock and admonishment as the smirk on Mai's face became much wider.
"The problem with the wind is that it dies to easily," Mai spun her racquet while balancing it on her finger with a small smirk. "No matter what direction you throw your shot, as soon as the source runs out – your shots become potentially useless. In fact, their spin and the power weakens. Your Zephyrus managed to blast my arm back but now it can barely make its way over the net."
Atoli began breathing heavily as her heart pounded heavily against her chest. She barely could see what was in front of her until her eyes widened with shock.
"Having motion sight sometimes sucks doesn't it," Mai tousled her hair with a triumphant smirk, watching Atoli trying to get up and maintain a little stability. "Not only that, your techniques are very complicated. You actually harness the small streams of wind surrounding you in order to give your attacks more power to make up for your lack of strength. It's quite genius to think about using nature's untapped energy but for you to control it is a different matter, am I right?"
Atoli smirked lightly before standing up and placing her racquet right in front of her, narrowing her eyes at the red haired female nekojin. "Just because I'm exhausted doesn't mean I'm going to fall."
Atoli cracked another serve as Mai watched the ball fly straight towards her with torpedo-like speed. The red head smirked as she returned the ball simply with a slight flick of her wrist for a volley until the ball zoomed towards her from her right side. As Mai prepared to return it back, the moment her racquet touched the ball – the ball suddenly disappeared with her racquet being pushed back. Her eyes widened as she swung it regardless as long as the shot gets over only to have it fly all the way to the bleachers. Her amber eyes narrowed darkly; that wasn't part of the eight Anemoi.
"God of the winds, Aeolus," Atoli picked up the ball once again. "Surprised? It's expected for you to be completely confused the moment you see it."
"Advantage: server!"
Fuuka chuckled darkly while watching her tensai suddenly bend the match into her favour. She didn't expect Mai to get far with the Kurosakuraso however there was one more attack she wasn't displaying. Something that could have easily terminated Atoli and her style in a matter of minutes and as long as she kept using that move to counter, Atoli would have lost ages ago. A frown marred her features as she looked at Nagisaki Mai once again, trying to figure out what the tensai was thinking. She wondered if most of the Hyotei players were this irritating but remembering how Kobayagi managed to pull out of her slump quickly, Getsugan being able to rise to fight the Heartbreaker on a Singles against Doubles – a smirk crossed her features. She glanced at Shizuru with a small smirk; that was where it all laid.
"Game, Renkeikouji – two games all!"
Mai took on the next serve as she glanced at the score with a sigh. Atoli jumped a little while trying to watch her movement whereas the crowd had become increasingly quiet. She inhaled deeply until something mixed into the air. Where did that come from – was that salt? She looked straight into the sky as more clouds began covering the orange skies and the air suddenly became thick. With a darkened sigh, she tossed the ball in the air as slight rumbling reached her ears.
It looks like autumn's coming early this year...
As the ball awkwardly curved off her racquet, Mai watched Atoli completely ignore it. She groaned in annoyance; now this was just getting plain boring. Atoli simply stood there as the next Sazanka Serve cracked off her racquet. As the ball spun around, Atoli tried to attack it only to have it slap harmlessly on the net. Seeing that returning the Sazanka without it bouncing was impossible, Atoli on the other hand remained completely still but the tensai decided to try something else. The moment she tossed the ball, Mai snickered at Fuuka.
"What did Shizuru and Souma use to say," Mai grinned darkly before slamming the shot with crazy speed, shocking Atoli as it went past her in an instant. "Jackpot!"
Isane's eyes widened as the serve blasted right past Atoli without many problems. "That's my... Sniper Serve."
Hitomi shook her head, checking down the numbers of her notebook. "That's one-fourth the speed of your serve, Isane. Don't sell yourself too short."
"Game, Nagisaki: three games to two!"
Mai began breathing heavily as her arm began to wince and ache from the speed of the Sniper Serve. Isane definitely kicked up the speed without even trying but when the dancer had thought about it, Isane definitely had the height and weight to kick up the power and speed of her service. She glanced at the score before looking at Atoli and noticing the sweat puddle forming beneath Atoli. She glanced at her watch before receiving Atoli's high speed service. Mai felt the wind run past her until something wet decided to drop on her nose.
Rain?
The moment the drop of rain touched her nose, more soon came to follow with people pulling out umbrellas immediately and some even leaving and running towards the trees. On the other hand, the tennis teams remained completely stolid. Mai slid across the water easily as a huge smirk curved up her lips. Atoli felt her racquet slipping out of her hands as the ball started flying around awkwardly. Mai continued to keep her focus on the ball as it zoomed right past the net with Atoli releasing the Boreas. Mai leapt back and deflected the shot as Atoli fired another shot that zoomed straight out of the court.
"Out!"
"Tch," Atoli winced at the awkward curvy trajectory of the ball. "But how...?"
Mai grinned darkly while tossing her hair back, noticing Atoli slowly collapsing. "I didn't know it was gonna rain but heck – I remember when Kotetsu smeared all our hands with butter! I don't even get why she did that!"
"More like she innocently gave us red velvet brownies that was HEAVILY SMEARED WITH CREAM CHEESE AND BUTTER," Haruka rolled her eyes with a defeated groan, slumping to the ground. "After that, she decided to have the courts cleaned. My racquet smelled like Philadelphia Cream Cheese and butter the whole day until I washed it with soap and water and then sprayed it with Lysol. I even remember all of us getting onto the court as if we were on ice skates! Although in all fairness, the red velvet brownies were delicious."
Rin happily jumped up and down before clamping onto Haruka. "Now that you mention it, I want one."
Isane pulled out her jersey jacket before throwing it over her head. "Hold on, does anyone know where Kiyone is?"
The whole team paled considerably before looking around. Shizuru immediately sat up from her chair and Mai weakly slapped the shot back in astonishment which still managed to go in much to Atoli's surprise. Atobe began looking amongst the girls and then around before cursing slightly for Kiyone's vertically challenge physique. The small volleyist was nowhere to be found; he immediately dug through Gakuto's bag to find any candy that the acrobat may have kept but no such luck. Hiyoshi began searching around as well before the female team captain regained her composure. Her red eyes glinted with admonishment for her lack of sensitivity at the same time concern.
"Momo-senpai, Uchiha-senpai – please search for both Kiyone and Ayane! If I remember right, Kiyone's afraid of thunder and lightning. If ever, find Kiyone first."
Momo and Isane immediately left along with Shishido and a sputtering Hiyoshi who suddenly got thrown in to the group by Atobe along with Kabaji. Mai on the other hand continued her battle against Atoli as the ball suddenly started spinning out of Atoli's grip and even a few moments that their racquets would actually fly.
As the winds howled, nobody noticed a flash of green and yellow mysteriously disappear from his team.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
On the other hand, Kiyone continued walking around searching for her doubles partner with not much success. She checked all the courts and being caught under the rain was not exactly the happiest thing for her. She immediately found a bench with some roofing before running all the way there. Puddles of rain splashed against her socks and legs as she finally made her way to the bench. She exhaled in belief with her sandy blonde hair slapping against her cheeks with leaves and dirt stuck to her hair and white uniform. She puffed up her cheeks in annoyance; where could Ayane have gone? She sat on the bench while trying to dry her hair and combing out the filth with very little ease.
"YANE-YANE, YOU SUCK," Kiyone kicked against the bench with an indignant snort, pulling out some branch in her hair.
Soon, the winds began to blow harder as the little girl shivered at the cold wind licking against her skin. Her bright blue eyes immediately began surveying the area with not much luck before she hugged her legs while watching the trees bend and rapidly dance around with harsh howling winds. She shivered once again as the raindrops dropped loudly against the stone pavement. Leaves flew more into the shed as it started getting stuck to her hair and the floor began to flood. The rains were getting stronger and come to think of it, wasn't Mai still playing? She shivered slightly; hopefully Mai came out okay.
Suddenly, lightning crackled throughout the sky as Kiyone whimpered and hid at the corner of the shed.
"I HATE LIGHTNING AND THUNDER," Kiyone impishly stuck her tongue out at the grey thunder clouds looming over her head before picking up a rock and throwing it pointlessly at the sky. "YOU SUCK!"
The lightning and thunder roared back at her and sent her this time, hiding under the bench. Kiyone's bright blue eyes loomed up to see nothing but gray skies; she frowned slightly and pursed her lips – the sandy blonde remembered when they were nearly taken in by some slave organization. She also remembered when she found out her captain's true name. But then, did her captain even know? Shizuru never looked like she knew anything about her past or her name for that matter. Everything was about tennis, school and drama to them. There were times they would laugh, crack jokes but other than that – they were very dead-set in winning the nationals. Actually, it sounded cool to her too and having a medal for a paper weight instead of the typical crystal rock. Ayane had dragged her into becoming her doubles partner because she couldn't play volley for crap and Kiyone remembered hooting her butt off for it. However, a scowl appeared on her face when she remembered what Vera had told her.
"You're not worthy to even be a doubles pair."
Directly, it would be insulting Ayane but Kiyone felt the brunt of the hit as well. Kiyone played normally as the one who took orders, the attacker as Ayane and Haruka had explained to her. Kiyone always kicked up the pace, confused the people, called them weird nicknames to throw them off guard (which she had really done so ever since Elementary) but when Kiyone heard the cheer coming from the Hyotei bleachers – it changed a lot. She couldn't understand what possessed her to take the lead in the match and inwardly, Kiyone felt bad for Sakuno for having such a weird doubles partner. Kiyone pursed her lips at trying to figure out how Sakuno and Jerrard became partners. Sakuno was the complete opposite; Kiyone had gone to the bakery where Sakuno had taken a part time job in and boy did her cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate hit the spot! The girl happily complied with her order and sometimes personally made the cinnamon rolls or every Thursday so the volleyist thought. Kiyone grinned happily at the thought of getting a warm cup of hot chocolate with her usual clover design made by the milk and freshly baked cinnamon rolls especially with the cinnamon syrup and the baked enamelled vanilla cream dripping off the rolls. However, she frowned once again while trying to figure out how to bring down the Heartbreaker. She did it during their game but the best way would be to destroy it before it had a chance to make an appearance.
"The Rise of the Clovers," Kiyone pondered deeply before looking straight into the sky, placing her hands together to try and form a clover. "That would be cool... That would be a cool name..."
As the thunder and lightning roared and drummed throughout the sky, Kiyone suddenly and defiantly shook her head to shake out the water before stomping into the wildly crashing raindrops before yelling at the grey thunder skies.
"I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, YOU BIG FAT BULLY! GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT!"
Suddenly, the thunder roared again and the tree bent down as if to swat her. With her tennis reflexes, Kiyone immediately jumped out of the way before running back into the shed and cowering under the bench again. The skies became much darker and greyer as the leaves continued to rustle wildly. Kiyone whimpered softly while looking at the raging storm before closing her eyes at the loud howling and crackling of the thunder.
"You know, if we were playing Hide and Seek – you would've won first prize."
Kiyone blinked several times as someone crouched right in front of the bench and found a familiar face with a boyish smirk crossed over his lips. "O-Oshitari Kenya-san?"
The moment he had left his team behind, Kenya had no idea that the little girl had vanished from her team.
He had been focusing on the match just like everyone else. Shizuru and Fuuka's match pretty much drove everyone up the wall and at the edge of their seat to see who was getting the point or winning the game for that matter. But the rain soon started tilting things into Hyotei's favour after seeing Mai gain back the fluidity of her movements and the match. The speed the dancer had rivalled his and he was supposed to be the Naniwa Speed Star. But the determination of the youngest player of Hyotei really caught his eye. The Rise of the Clovers – the name definitely described how much power she actually had. Kenya smirked lightly as he took off his jersey jacket and threw it onto the bench while trying to pull out a very terrified Kiyone from under the bench.
"They weren't kidding when they said you were terrified of lightning," Kenya chuckled smoothly while leading out Kiyone from a scrunched area under the bench. "Wow, you really are flexible. I had no idea you could squeeze yourself under a gap like that."
Kiyone whimpered as she suddenly began violently trembling with Kenya pulling his jacket and throwing it over her shoulders. "Eh?"
"You're gonna need it," Kenya glanced out at the sky while drawing in his Kansai accent, noticing the rain getting lighter. "Well, I think we can try going back. I happened to pass by another shed so I think we can make it. The rain's getting unpredictable these days."
Kiyone nodded until Kenya dropped onto the ground, facing his back towards her. "Huh? What are you doing?"
"You're not going anywhere with flooded shoes and soaked socks," Kenya smirked his usual boyish smirk, gesturing his back to Kiyone. "I'll get us back in no time."
Kiyone puffed up her cheeks at the incredulousness of the idea; Kenya offering her a piggy back ride? What was she – 8 years old? Okay, she did have the appearance but it did not mean she could be easily be bribed by food or candy. Then again, Momo's constant shoving of a coffee bun into her mouth contradicted her statement. So did the cinnamon rolls every time Ayane and she would pass by the coffee shop to eat and discuss things for school or whichever.
"Okay," Kiyone feebly climbed onto his back before locking her arms around his neck, making sure she didn't choke him. "Sorry..."
Kenya grinned boyishly, bringing Kiyone and treading forward carefully but with speed nonetheless. "No problem, just keep the jacket on okay? Despite the rain, I'm still Naniwa's Speed Star!"
Kiyone blinked before pointing behind her, waving her hands frantically. "Wait, we have to look for Yane-Yane!"
"Kiyone!"
The sandy blonde's face immediately brightened up when she saw Ayane returning back, worried and soaked. Marui on the other hand looked like had been dragged across the whole country side as Kiyone smiled weakly.
"I want a cinnamon roll."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Atoli struggled with sliding and slipping around as the court remained completely wet and slippery. Mai on the other hand seemingly started to dance and even started swaying her hips a few times to keep her balance as her shots echoed with more force. She watched Mai slowly lose her stoic composure and become more determined and more vibrant about the match. Atoli forehanded the shot as the lightning crackled throughout the sky. Water splashed as Atoli slid across the court and unleashed Anemoi: Lips at Mai, watching the tensai stagger a bit slightly from the slipperiness of the court.
Now's the time!
Mai seemingly fell back but not before a triumphant crooked grin appeared on her lips. "Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm gonna beat your butt now! THIS... IS FOR HYOTEI! The weight of the tournament and Nationals is not just for my captain to carry but everyone else as well!"
Anemoi: Lips suddenly started to stop spinning as Mai punched herself up back to a standing position, catching the ball exactly next to her. Suddenly, the dancer launched the shot with a familiar spear-like speed as it zoomed right past Atoli. People began loudly exclaiming "it's the Kosouku Yaribana!", "Mai-sama will win this!" The explosion echoed loudly and repeatedly in the tensai's ears as the ball slowly rolled off towards the wall. Everyone was shocked and Seigaku's faces became distraught but not disheartened. Atoli bit her lower lip before falling to the ground in despair.
"Game and match, Nagisaki: six games to four! HYOTEI GAKUEN IS THE CHAMPION FOR THE REGIONALS TOURNAMENT!"
Atoli stared in shock and disgrace at the ugly score that sat in front of her. She could distinctly hear the loud cheering and chants of Hyotei echoing behind her until she found Fuuka patting her shoulder.
"You did well but Nagisaki will fall the next time," Fuuka glanced at the whole Hyotei team and supporters rushing forward except for their limping captain, smiling lightly. " Hyotei's definitely a growing team. Their captain is still in her prime and so is their tensai. I'm sure they have prospects lined up to replace the seniors and I'm sure they're training them already. Don't worry too much about it; but as Nationals come – you'll definitely win. After all, she gave you the answer to your problem didn't she?"
Atoli stared in surprise before hanging her head with a small smile. "Yes..."
"Yes, she did."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I wanted to give Mai some development so here it is! I know it's not as epic as Shizuru and Fuuka but I wanted something that could punch Mai out of her daze. Please don't forget to review!