Me: Sorry for the extremely late update! I know Queen of the Suits has been running for years now and I'm very glad that everyone has been supporting it. In fact, I might even reboot it a bit now that I've seen the flaws in my work. So tell me in your reviews if you want a reboot! Now, I'm gonna start writing more than ever since Blitzkrieg no Shingeki has been getting a lot of updates and so has my original work – Ravencraft. You can check it out on wattpad if you guys want something more on action and not too much on the cheesy side. By the way, I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the allusions it makes.

Chapter 76 – I Just Knew What To Do

Shizuru never felt so – dare she say it, powerful. She saw her shots soar over the net and she could feel her body instantaneously reacting to whenever her mind thought of something new. She could see Nerissa huffing and puffing after the ball, struggling to return the shots. A small smile curved up her lips while she felt the energy surge into her legs and helped her speed up her game play. She flew again to another end of the court before giving it a powerful backhand that screamed all the way to the other side.

"Where did this all come from," Shizuru stared in amazement while continuing to play on. "My body never moved this fast before."

As she watched the ball, she also saw from the corner of her eye at how Nerissa had begun to struggle badly. However, something began to bubble inside her. Shizuru couldn't understand it herself but it felt so powerful and raw that despite her trying to meld it, she saw her movements becoming more explosive. The audience and her teammates could only stare in shock at Shizuru's sudden increase in powers that even Hitomi who had been analyzing Shizuru through her charts saw everything spiking through the roof.

"Those readings are impossible," Hitomi shook her head in disbelief.

Amagi Karin, who had been supporting Seigaku, looked over her shoulder. "What is?"

Rikkai Dai's data specialist, Amane Kira, blinked several times in disbelief and stared at the screen. "You have got to be joking me."

While the data specialists continued to stare at the numbers, Fuuka, Florence and, Natsuki didn't need numbers to tell them that there was something growing inside Shizuru. They felt the sheer brute force of her power, bursting from her body. Fuuka stared in shock that she could visibly see some electric sparks crackling from her body whereas Natsuki could see a dangerous glint in the brunette's eyes. The Japanese-British girl never expected to see Shizuru exploding with power and making Nerissa Ackerman look like baby cakes.

"Jesus, what the heck is this," Fuuka shook her head and jabbed her finger angrily at Shizuru. "What kind of idiot hides a power source that dense inside her!?"

Natsuki slapped her forehead. "Ahm purdy sure that it ain't artificial. Somethin' in mah gut's tellin' me that the lass got it in her blood."

Florence nodded before whispering softly. "Indeed."

While they were talking amongst themselves, the ball exploded and Nerissa crashed onto the ground. Everyone stared in horror when they saw a huge burn mark on the floor with smoke rising into the air. Shizuru however stood stonily as a cruel smirk suddenly curved up her lips. People saw the dark glint in her red eyes and how she calmly played against Nerissa without much as breaking a sweat. The arbiter himself stared in surprise at Shizuru's sudden explosion of power before shakily declaring.

"Game, Kurenai: 3 games to 1!"

Nerissa gasped for air while trying to gather herself together. She looked at the other woman who stood at the other side of the court while looking at her eyes carefully. She had never expected someone like Shizuru to be hiding that kind of power. In fact, based on the information Natasha had told her, Nerissa had expected Shizuru to be less aggressive and were more on the countering. But she had not used any of her special moves other than the Flash Step and she's been nothing but aggressive.

"Is that the Flash Step or is it something else," Nerissa slowly got up while looking at Shizuru.

Shizuru shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know."

Nerissa paled and protested angrily. "What do you mean, you do not know? You cannot possibly not know what you're doing!"

Shizuru looked at her hand contemplatively when she saw sparks of electricity cracking. "That's the thing."

Nerissa blinked several times. "What?"

"I really don't know," Shizuru shook her head with a determined glint in her eyes. "But I do know this: the time for talk is over. It's time for war!"

Fuuka blinked and gawked. "When the fuck did she get THAT dramatic?"

"I don't know but it is certainly scaring me," Florence shivered slightly.

Natsuki looked at how confident Shizuru stood instead of her calm and more meek self. However, she had not expected a sudden 180 degree personality change. Shizuru had been acting weird lately ever since she had entered the stadium. She had fainting spells, become increasingly moody and where did the sparks come from? Her eyes even had a dangerous glint that spelled real danger. The kansai captain looked carefully as Nerissa exhaled sharply.

"Not the one for words huh," Nerissa chuckled and said with a determined smirk. "Well then, let's dance!"

Nerissa fired a fast serve towards Shizuru who easily swatted it back like it was nothing. But it didn't appear that way to Nerissa. To the other girl, it exploded and slammed into her racket to drill a hole into it. Nerissa could feel the strain as she threw the ball back at Shizuru. The brunette glided across the court and deflected the shot. Nerissa couldn't believe the weight of the shot every time Shizuru had returned it as she could feel her wrist was straining and now it was climbing to her arm. And here was Shizuru dishing it out like it didn't even matter.

"I'm glad I didn't get Kobayagi Ayane though," Nerissa glanced at Irene who could barely lift her arm after taking blows from the tangerine haired vice captain. "She could have ripped my arm right off!"

However, she couldn't help but feel like she was looking at something big and dense yet it was extremely calm like the sea without the winds. Shizuru didn't seem to be breaking a sweat despite the explosive shots and the movements she was making. But she could see how much effort and joy Shizuru put into the fight. She smirked and glided on the court after her before letting out a small, soft laughter. Shizuru watched her carefully until suddenly her form began to change in front of her.

"Let's see how well you can face your worst nightmare," Nerissa suddenly said when she changed her form into Naomi.

"Aw hell no," Natsuki shook her head.

"You gotta be kidding; it's her again," Hitomi shook her head. "There's a 70 percent chance that Shizuru would…"

However, Shizuru decided to just smirk and cut Hitomi's thoughts short. "Good, just the target I was looking for."

Everyone stared in surprise at what the girl just said as Shizuru's eyes blazed bright red with a different intent. There was no malice; it was just pure power and sheer desire to win. Over the many years that they knew her, the members of the Hyotei Team found themselves completely surprised by what was happening. Mai had never seen her friend that aggressive, Hitomi muttered a couple of things that went along the line of 'impossible' and 'what the hell' and, Haruka and Rin exchanged glances with one another before looking back at their captain.

"You see, I let myself live under that image for so long," Shizuru explained curtly before watching Nerissa serve again. "And I don't lose to the same opponent twice!"

Nerissa chuckled and smiled. "Very well then, come!"

Shizuru continued her attack and began pushing Nerissa with her deep backhands and forehands straight to the corners of the court. She narrowed her eyes before attacking Nerissa's forehand. A small smirk curved up her lips as she suddenly jumped in the air and twisted her body to fire a fast shot. Nerissa nearly stumbled and she tried to recall the notes that their manager had given them – wasn't the image of Naomi supposed to stop her or something or to at least scare her? But instead, it was doing the opposite and made Shizuru control the game.

"I don't believe this. Japan had been hiding a monster like this for so long," Nerissa mumbled to herself and looked at the bleachers. "No, it's not just her. It's those main five girls. Natasha had told me ahead of time about this."

Flashback

"Tomorrow, we'll be facing the Japanese team," Natasha began pacing around. "However, these girls are not your average skinny winny Asian bimbos we see on those pathetic soap operas they call cable."

The British female team sat in their locker room with a projector facing a white wall. The eight girls nodded as several photos flashed on screen. Some of the photos were simple casual shots and others were motion shots of the tennis players. They saw Fuuka unleash a power shot that blew a hole in the wall, Florence vanishing and leaving an after image of herself and, many of the other tennis players displaying their signature moves for each and every tennis match.

"The red head over here," Natasha pointed with a laser pointer will most likely be in Singles One. "She will be my opponent. However, if there is a difference – one of you will be facing this Herculean monster. Her name is Souma Fuuka. One of the strongest women in the Japanese team, her physical strength is her asset. Basically, a powerhouse – she'd make a worthy competitor for John Cena in the ring if she were a male."

"So, the question would be," Irene leaned against her chair casually. "How do we crush them?"

Nerissa nodded and turned to Natasha. "Yes, you have fought her before have you not? What do you have to say about her?"

Natasha remained silent for a moment before watching Fuuka explode another shot. "She's strong but even humans have their weakness. Her speed is pathetic."

"She's used to one shot kills," Azola piped up.

"Nobody asked you, Azola."

"Ah… sorry…"

Nerissa sighed deeply at the two half sisters; they never seemed to get along despite everything. She looked again at the other pictures and videos as she saw other players performing their moves. Shizuru had also appeared on screen and she could recognize Hoshimura Florence from the pictures. Natasha and Jenny knew her pretty well; despite being a new member, she knew some of the older members such as Florence, Natasha and, Jennifer. Soon, her attention became focused on looking at the picture of the charcoal gray haired female who seemed to bend even in the most awkward position and return as if it were no problem.

"Who would that be?"

Irene folded her arms and legs elegantly. "From what I understand, that is supposed to Amakusa Natsuki. Osaka's well-known Basilisk."

Nerissa blinked several times in disbelief. "Basilisk?"

"She's known as the Basilisk for her flexibility."

They all turned to Jade who had her eyes glued to the screen the whole time.

"But she's not that big a threat compared to Yukimura, Souma and, Hoshimura. The brunette looks like an extra to me though," Jade remarked ruefully. "Honestly, I haven't heard about her."

Flashback End

"We had no data on her," Nerissa mumbled as she continued to fight against Shizuru. "We only perceived Yukimura, Souma, Amakusa and, Hoshimura as a threat. She seemed to be too ordinary and even then, we didn't expect her to be this powerful."

Watching the match unfold before them, Jennifer continued to watch Shizuru slide across the court without any compromise of power. She heard the ball cracking off her racquet but not with the same explosion as that of Kobayagi Ayane in the former match. She remembered how Natsuki fought as well, managing to secure a win from her. She looked at Natasha who lovingly patted her head and let her lean against her shoulder. Jennifer blinked several times and saw the tender smile on her face.

"It's alright. There is no need to fear, Jenny," Natasha smiled. "We'll just have to even it out with Doubles One and Singles 1."

Jennifer nodded with a smile. "Yes, I know."

"There is no need to beat yourself up over it. The reason why I put you in Singles Three is because I knew you would have wanted to draw first blood if ever."

"You know me too well, Natasha."

"Indeed, I just hope the other girls can do their parts."

Jennifer nodded while looking around. "How come we didn't get Lady again?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Lady…?"

"Lady Hiddleston. Wasn't she the MVP last year for Britain," Jennifer asked.

Natasha shrugged nonchalantly before looking over at the match. "I think she turned down the invitation for this one. She is going to become a doctor after all."

Jennifer nodded slowly before turning her attention back at the game. "I suppose."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Back at the infirmary, Mai looked at Ayane and Kiyone sleeping peacefully on the beds. She also saw Shiraishi who had also gotten clobbered and by who, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. Despite Kiyone getting blasted in the face, she seemed to be perfectly fine as she literally just snuggled herself against the pillow. The sophomore red head chuckled at the sight of the junior before looking at Ayane. Ayane's skin had become red hot from using the Hyakuren or perhaps it was a side effect to their sudden Soul Link ability. If the ability were truly refined then, it shouldn't have a backlash right? Then again, Ayane and Kiyone were still young so it was possible that they were still getting used to it.

"So let me get this straight," Momo tried to put everything together. "Azola Cumberpatch blasted Kiyone in the face which caused them to default. Then all of a sudden, Shizuru suddenly… well, became powered up?"

Isane shrugged sheepishly while trying to follow the argument. "It seems so."

Sanada shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. How in the world can Shizuru just get powered up?"

Sengoku swallowed hard and turned to Momo. "She's not on drugs is she?"

Momo rolled her eyes and whacked Sengoku on the head. "Are you daft or something? Of course not. She can't even drink for crying out loud."

"I mean, I'd get it with the whole getting angry because your teammates got hurt physically but," Sengoku shook his head and twitched. "Apparently, her personality took a 180 degree turn?"

Haruka shook her head. "I wouldn't say a complete 180 degree turn. Let's say she became a little more… well… cocky."

"Oh God, don't tell me she got bitten by Echizen," Momo face-palmed. "That kid's got more arrogant than the monkey king."

"With good reason," Sanada pointed out.

"Yeah but he's still an annoying arrogant little brat."

Sanada chuckled before seeing the worried look on Mai's face. "Shouldn't you be heading back?"

Mai looked at Ayane and Kiyone. "I can't leave them here. After what happened, they weren't even waking up and I was hoping to be there when they wake up."

Haruka smiled and patted Mai on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'm here to watch over with Momo and Isane anyway."

Marui beamed. "Yeah Mai-chan, nothing's gonna go wrong as long as we're here."

Mai looked at all them before smiling and nodding, looking at the sleeping juniors. Kiyone rolled around in bed and began kicking the pillow off the bed as if she were never blasted in the face at all. The red haired tensai sighed and picked up the pillow before putting it at the edge of the bed again to prevent Kiyone from rolling over. However, the tiny freshman instead clamped her legs around the pillow and turned around to hug it like a huge teddy bear. Mai sighed deeply while looking at Isane, Marui, Sanada, Momo and, Sengoku. Speaking of which, she was pretty surprised that Momo and Sengoku sat in the same room after she had heard what had happened.

"So, Momo, Sengoku – mind telling me what happened between you two," Mai grinned widely.

Momo groaned; she knew that grin on Mai when she saw it. "It's a minor set-back."

"Should I be expecting myself to be an aunt soon?"

"Hell no!"

Sanada gawked at the mere mention of that and Sengoku turned bright red with embarrassment. Haruka couldn't help but giggle and Marui broke out into a huge fit of laughter, rolling on the floor. Mai beamed and looked at the dreary infirmary room they were in before hearing the loud cheers from the stadium. If there was anything she knew, it was probably Japan cheering on Shizuru for her extreme sudden power up but she didn't understand when she started getting hallucinations.

"Momo-senpai, I don't know if it's just me but have you noticed that Shizuru-chan," Mai began.

"Started having hallucinations? Yeah, and she started to get paranoid," Momo nodded as her expression became more serious. "She's normally not that insecure unless something happened."

Haruka nodded. "Yeah, her skin started having so much static that you could actually see the electricity sparking off her."

Sanada raised an eyebrow. "When did this start to happen?"

Momo shrugged and then began to ponder. "I honestly don't know. I think it was the moment we stepped into this stadium. She seemed pretty okay when we were just in the training grounds."

"Yeah, did someone feed her something strange before we enter," Haruka asked while glancing at Mai. "We didn't have a big party yet right?"

Mai shook her head. "Well, other than that karaoke night then no. We ate normal food from the training ground's fridge like everyone else."

Suddenly, more cheers erupted from outside and caused everyone to look towards the door. Sanada glanced at Mai who had worry on her face and who wouldn't for a teammate? As much as he kept a cold and calm composure, he did care for many of his teammates even if some of them were as stupid as Kirihara. But nonetheless, they all still mattered to him but he looked at how close the Hyotei team members were with one another. He didn't mean the males considering that Atobe just lorded over them like the arrogant man that he was but he saw how the female Hyotei team held onto each other.

Even if you only see one, you're actually fighting nine.

"You should go to Shizuru-chan," Sanada suddenly blurted out; what was he saying?

Mai blinked several times, shocked by Sanada's sudden break of the silence. "Eh?"

"Go to your friend. She might need your help," Sanada repeated. "If her hallucinations are as bad as you say they are, she's going to need more support."

Mai blinked several times in disbelief; when was Sanada so concerned for her captain? As far as she knew, she only knew him as someone who would watch over Shizuru from afar or be more occupied with the success rate of the Rikkai Dai tennis team. She looked one more time at the freshmen as Haruka and Marui gave her a reassuring smile. They'll be safe with them, Mai reassured herself and nodded.

"Alright, I'll head off then," Mai bowed graciously. "Thank you for watching over them. I'll be back!"

Sanada and the others nodded as the tensai bolted out of the corridor. Momo watched the red haired sophomore run out and what she had heard about Shizuru made her feel more concerned for the junior. Somehow, she knew Shizuru wanted to tell them but she couldn't tell them if it was something she herself didn't know. The purple haired senior quietly leaned on her hands while staring blankly at the white wall.

"Anyway," Niou broke the silence. "Getting back to the whole scene about Sengoku Tohru, where in the world did she get weapons like that?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi shrugged and shook his head. "I honestly don't know. I've been staying in a dorm near Yamabuki for sometime so I don't know what my sister does on her free time."

Marui raised an eyebrow and asked. "Shouldn't you guys be living in the same dorm or something considering how clingy she is?"

"It's gender-locked," Sengoku pointed out. "They don't allow girls in my dorm."

"Ah, right. Forgot about that," Marui grinned sheepishly while scratching the back of his head, turning to Haruka. "Wow, your team attracts all sorts of trouble."

The Pearl Dragon rolled her eyes sarcastically with a retort. "It's not as if they mean to."

"Even then, how is it you guys keep landing in all sorts of crazy stuff? Ayane gets kidnapped, we find out that Yukimura Ai is just a clone of her brother," Marui waved his hands around. "This thing just sounds like a B-rated sci-fi movie gone wrong!"

Niou chuckled with a fold of his arms. "Well, if you're in a team full of rich kids – you could expect a couple of skeletons in the closet."

Sanada however remained silent while looking at the door where Mai had run out. He himself was pretty concerned on what was happening with the match between Egypt and Japan. Then again, it was Tezuka who was playing. Awi Jahi also had his ability as a tennis player and he didn't think Tezuka was going to have an easy time. However, when he had seen Tezuka nicked for the first time – he could feel shivers in his spine. It wasn't the same as the fear he felt for Yukimura but the sheer raw primal power sitting in the man who stood next to him dripped off his sides.

Tezuka, if you're actually this powerful and you're not even fully ticked off – I am not in the mood to see you completely angry.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Fair enough, Atobe didn't know whether to be amused or horrified by what he was seeing.

But there was one thing he knew for sure: he definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of Tezuka's rage.

For everyone in the Japanese team, they have never seen Tezuka play with so much passion before. There was not only passion for the game but also deriving sheer delight of crushing his opponent for whatever personal reason he had. Tezuka kept a stoic expression and didn't even make any sound. No grunts, no nothing. He just continued to fire deep shots into the court. Everyone was more worried as to how his shoulder was taking it but as far as they could see, his shoulder showed no signs of giving in any time soon.

"Tezuka changed his style," Oshitari was the first to break the silence. "He wasn't this reliant on footwork before."

Atobe chuckled with an amused smirk, leaning against the chair. "Ore-sama probably knows what awakened the sleeping lion. Everyone knows not to poke it with a stick and this is what they get for doing so."

Fuji's eyes were fully open, seeing his captain drive Jahi into a corner. "I've never seen him this ruthless before. It's not his usual level of destruction. This one is more like he's trying to prove something."

"When did Tezuka ever get personal? This is a whole different side to him," Oishi stared aghast at his friend as he blew another hole through Jahi's defense. "As far as I can see, the whole game is being controlled by Tezuka!"

"We can't say that for sure though," another voice commented.

They looked to their left and found Inui taking down notes rapidly, calculating certain things.

"Right now, Tezuka's abilities are nothing that I have recorded in my whole life as his batchmate. There's also something different in his movement; he's not relying on his shoulder to much but putting more emphasis on his speed," Inui watched Tezuka leap and land inaudibly to fire a drive volley. "His eyes are also watching Jahi's movement before he does them and he's really attacking his blind spots. Tezuka is usually the type who would attack his opponent head on."

Fuji however knew why. It's Shizuru-chan, isn't it Tezuka? Is it because Awi Jahi threatened to take her away from you?

It was not unknown to him that Tezuka held feelings for Hyotei's female captain. He and Tezuka had passed by Hyotei a couple of times and as much as Tezuka could hide his emotions behind his stoic expression, Fuji knew that Tezuka's eyes were following a certain figure. He had also seen Tezuka read a letter and seemingly sink into bliss every time he read them. As much as he wanted to tease Tezuka looking like a love-sick school girl when he did, he knew that Shizuru and Tezuka had been talking. There were times he would even catch Tezuka not even paying attention to the teacher anymore and would just end up writing another letter.

Tezuka, who knew that someone like you could use your emotions like a power boost?

Momoshiro swallowed hard at the sight of his captain fighting back far more brutal than he had expected. "I don't see him attacking body parts but I think he really intends to humiliate this guy."

Kaidoh growled with an annoyed huff. "Ya think? That's for stating the obvious, Captain Obvious!"

Kikumaru whimpered from behind the bleachers. "Nyah, if buchou ever gets this angry again – how the heck are we supposed to pacify him?"

"I wish I knew," Oishi admitted mildly. "Honestly, this is also the first time I have ever seen him so fuelled."

Despite how his teammates were probably wondering what was running through his head, Tezuka paid them no heed. He just decided to plaster Awi Jahi with everything he had and earned over the time he stayed in the camp. However, what he was seeing was not a trophy. This win was more personal on his part. He could imagine how harshly he would treat Shizuru as is – he saw her trying to squirm out the last time. Another was the way he saw the way the man treated his teammates. If he even couldn't treat his teammates properly then, what more a girlfriend?

How about you, Tezuka? Don't you think you're getting a little too possessive?

I don't want her to end up with a shit hole for a boyfriend, Tezuka reasoned with himself. Yes, he did just call the man a shit hole. He saw how Jahi had just declared himself to be the morning star. The last time he heard someone do that, he heard that the Red Sea just washed him off and smashed him against the rocks after. He also refused to tolerate how Osiris and Set just blasted Shiraishi in the face. Even though he didn't become close to the kansai captain too much, he figured how precious he was to Kiyone. He saw her with the threatening smile and how protective she was over the Shitenhouji senior. Would Shizuru do the same thing? Then again, she did save him from bleeding out when he got stabbed by a psychopath.

"Well, well, Tezuka – this possibly can't be the best you got," Awi Jahi taunted. "So much for being a threat, peasant. Don't worry; I'll take care of the little gem for you."

Now, the bespectacled male was not sure what ticked him off more: the fact that he had been called a "peasant" or that he had objectified Shizuru once again.

Tezuka growled inwardly as he fired a sharper shot that had just zoomed towards Awi Jahi with an increasing spin. Awi managed to deflect the shot and send it back to Tezuka although, not expecting that the bespectacled male would fight back ten times harder than they initially envisioned. Coach Amunet watched Tezuka's moves carefully then looked at her notes. Her eyes widened when she saw none of the movements he was doing matched the data they had on hand.

"How could this be? He wasn't supposed to be that potent," Amunet started searching through more of the data.

Apophis shook his head. "How can you not feel it? Despite that calm façade, it's as if the volcano is getting ready to explode."

Ramuh grinned. "Wow, Awi's really gonna get it now. I think he really ticked this guy off big time!"

Overhearing his teammates' comments, he then glanced at the stoic Japanese male standing in front of him. Tezuka had not said a word to him but his tennis spoke volumes and waves of messages that he had been trying to say. Dare he say it, he could feel his whole body trembling with fear and excitement. He had never met a good match before and here he was, fighting Tezuka Kunimitsu. But still, that didn't mean he wanted to deter from Shizuru. He saw images of the Britain versus Japan match and he saw her fighting Nerissa Beaufort despite everything. He had heard that their doubles two players were eliminated by Azola Cumberpatch and Irene Dumont whereas Jennifer Twilight had been brought down by Amakusa Natsuki.

"Quite an interesting set they have," he mused to himself before letting a drop shot fall over the net.

Tezuka darted towards the net and let it lightly land on his racquet to bounce right on top of the net before falling on Awi Jahi's side.

"Game, Tezuka: 3 games to Love!"

Everyone howled and cheered in amazement as Tezuka's shift of play. He looked back at Awi Jahi before letting his hand move towards his arm. Somehow, his arm didn't seem to bug him as much but he did feel his legs becoming a whole lot tougher than he initially imagined it. Awi Jahi's movements to him looked incredibly slow; comparing to what he had to deal with during the tennis camp's training, Awi Jahi looked like he wasn't even trying. So much for being the Morning Star, Tezuka scoffed inwardly to himself.

"Not bad but you don't know what kind of king you've angered, Tezuka," Awi Jahi chuckled with a determined smirk, flipping his racquet around. "Are you ready to pay the price?"

Tezuka said nothing before picking up the ball again for his service. Without a word, he tossed the ball into the air and smashed it straight towards Awi Jahi. The ball went right on the t-section until Awi Jahi returned it with a quick volley. A chuckle bubbled from Awi Jahi's throat while he watched Tezuka's eyes very carefully. He didn't see any flickering emotion in his eyes but he immediately cut the ball underneath and caused it to jump and spin, gliding on the ground as it did so. Tezuka slightly gawked in shock before looking up at Awi Jahi who smirked.

"Love – 15!"

"Do you recognize it, Tezuka? My little ruby patterned her attack after mine," Awi Jahi proudly declared. "It seems to me that I am much better for her rather than your sad excuse of a peasantry…"

Atobe coldly hummed and folded his arms. "Ore-sama is highly getting irritated with this moron, ahn~."

Oshitari chuckled bemusedly while leaning on his elbows against the railings. "Now you feel what people feel when they deal with you."

"How dare you accuse ore-sama of such pretentiousness!"

"Atobe, you don't need to mention explicitly that they're peasants. Check how much money you throw around."

Atobe snorted with a cold hum while looking at the court, snapping at Tezuka. "What are you waiting for, Tezuka? Are you not going to smash this disgusting peasant after he has insulted the Queen of Diamonds? What kind of man would allow his queen to be insulted?"

Tezuka knew he didn't have to be told twice as he picked up the ball. He looked at Awi Jahi and fired another serve. The two men engaged in a fast rally once again, clearly getting everyone's attention. Coach Ryuuzaki watched Tezuka carefully; this was the first time she had seen Tezuka show signs of visible emotions and making things more personal. She made him captain for his capacity to keep everything professional. But now, this was the first time she had seen him snap. As much as she loved the full display of his abilities, she wasn't sure whether or not she should be impressed.

"Tezuka," Ryuuzaki-sensei bit her lower lip anxiously, watching him attack Awi Jahi with his full tennis ability.

"Jesus, did you really have to feed Tezuka's rage," Oshitari stared at Atobe as if he had grown another head.

Atobe shrugged nonchalantly. "It would be quite a show to see Tezuka lose his composure every once in awhile."

"Atobe, we're in the Goodwill Games. Not some machismo match-up."

"Still, it's quite the entertainment."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

On the other side, Nerissa staggered forward while trying to keep up with Shizuru. However, she soon started to notice Shizuru had already begun sweating and breathing slightly heavier than the last time. She looked up at the score only to see that she had at least narrowed down the margin from one game. But she could still feel the pressure building up on her because of Shizuru's aggressive attacks. Was Shizuru trying to end the game quickly? Or was she just pummeling her down with sheer brute force?

"Fire," she suddenly heard from across the court.

Nerissa looked up and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Excuse me?"

"There was fire that night," Shizuru suddenly said as she looked at her palm. "I…I…"

Fuuka stared quizzically at Shizuru. "What the hell is she doing?"

Hitomi stood up to look closely as she saw Shizuru seemingly not moving. "Wait, something's a bit off…"

Nerissa chuckled lightly before standing up and looking deep into Shizuru's eyes. "Let me see if I can make your worst night become reality…"

Shizuru blinked several times as the court around her suddenly became engulfed in flames. Shizuru staggered back as the flames roared and lunged at her when she saw Nerissa's form slowly change. She swallowed nervously when Nerissa soon took the form of a brown haired girl coated in blood and a white dress. Much to Shizuru's horror, she looked into the set of red eyes that stared beadily back at her. She wasn't the only one who could see it however. Also the other members of the Japanese Tennis team could see what was happening in the court. As much as they knew it was just an illusion, it was very based off Shizuru's consciousness.

"Jesus, what is this," Florence stared aghast.

"This is probably what has been sitting in Shizuru's sub-consciousness for years," Hitomi shook her head as the flames roared louder, looking at her notes. "This is also a result of Nerissa's favorite technique: the Nightmare Court."

Nerissa, despite her being the one who cast the illusion, saw what was happening and couldn't help but be terrified herself. She looked at what Shizuru was seeing and shook her head.

"Good Lord, what is this," Nerissa stared in horror. "What is in this woman's mind?"

Shizuru however stared at the illusion happening around her. The flames roared loudly and tried to lick against her skin as she jumped away to also avoid the flames and simultaneously return the shot. She staggered a bit while looking at the bloodstained girl stand there as if she weren't moving but she could still hear the tennis ball at least. She backhanded the shot again towards the deep side while looking closely at the figure that stood in front of her.

Shizuru swallowed hard while shaking her head with a scared whisper. "What are you?"

The blood stained brunette beamed. "Don't you remember me? Take a closer look."

Shizuru raised an eyebrow before looking around, hearing a flood of voices fill her head.

Shizuru, stay with mommy!

Mommy, I'm scared… what's happening?

It's okay, sweetheart. Daddy and I will protect you. No matter what happens. We'll make sure you're safe – always.

Always.

Always.

Always!

The word "always" echoed loudly in Shizuru's mind as something in her began to rumble. She could feel her blood firing up inside her and there was this huge power that seemed to swell up. The electricity that had sparked out awhile ago now shot through her veins and all the way to her mind. She didn't know what it was but whatever it was, it made her hands tremble with power and even Nerissa noticed the different glint in Shizuru's eyes. It was the first time that even the team saw a far more determined Shizuru. Her eyes gleamed with the instance that she "just knew what to do". The sparks of electricity slowly faded but instead Shizuru suddenly began moving faster with a more determined look. Nerissa could easily see what her expression was.

It was the expression to succeed.

Succeed by any means necessary.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Owie, where am I…?

Kiyone woke up on the bed, staring at a white sealing. She could feel a bump on her face as she sat up only to find Haruka, Marui, Sanada and, Sengoku sitting down and sleeping on the chairs. She glanced to her right side to find Ayane snoring peacefully while Momo and, Shiraishi were lying on their bed with quiet breathing. The small sandy blonde girl blinked several times before jumping off the bed, suddenly waking up Sanada.

"Oh, you're awake," the vice captain of Rikai Dai mused.

"Yeah, my body feels kinda stiff. What happened? Did we win," Kiyone began asking.

Sanada shook his head. "Based on what Mai and Momo told me, you were forced to forfeit because you got blasted in the face by Azola Cumberpatch."

Kiyone pouted for a moment before shrugging it off with a grin. "Oh well, never mind~."

Sanada chuckled at the small girl. "You're pretty resilient. Most kids would take losses badly."

"But I'm not a kid!"

"You're small."

"I'm a late bloomer!"

Sanada couldn't help but chuckle at the pouting reaction of the small Hyotei volleyist. He knew that the Hyotei team was full of crazy people but he didn't expect the team to be this… well… colorful. He looked at Haruka who seemed to hold a more calm composure than most of the members of the team and then, there was Momo who he had grown up with so it was alright. It was Ayane who made a lot of noise, considering how she managed to scream Atobe into submission. But other than that, he was somewhat jealous at how the Hyotei Team seemed so open with each other whereas the Rikkai Dai team… what exactly held them together?

The infuriating part was that he still didn't understand.

However, he was suddenly distracted by Kiyone's sudden walking to Shiraishi's stretcher. Sanada realized that Shiraishi hadn't moved since his fight with Osiris and Set. He could see the worry and concerb flashing in Kiyone's eyes. The sandy blonde quietly stood at his bed as he slowly walked to her. He looked at Shiraishi's bruised body. He didn't expect Osiris to become that much of a monster either. Egypt definitely had their surprises. So did Britain. But Egypt had the bestial abilities going for them whereas Kiyone's opponents were just plain manipulative.

"He'll be fine," he suddenly said.

Kiyone swivelled her head up to look at Sanada. "Eh?"

"I said he'll be fine," Sanada repeated and dropped his hand on Kiyone's shoulder.

The sandy blonde nodded but muttered. "It still doesn't stop me from hoping Yane gets to crush him like Swiss Cheese."

Sanada blinked several times in disbelief as he saw the anger flicker in the Queen of Clovers eyes. Did every Hyotei female have some sort of yandere tendency? Well then again, it was being protective but he had never seen the little one of the Hyotei Team get angry. Ayane was obvious; the moment Niou ticked her off - he had never seen Niou fly straight into the wall with one punch. Mai had Yukimura's anger which involved a sardonic grin and Shizuru apparently adapted a more satanic personality. Suddenly, he and Kiyone heard a groan from the bed.

"Ugh, Sanada? Kiyone-chan?"

They swivelled their heads towards the source when they found Shiraishi letting out a slight groan and pushing himself off the bed. Kiyone's liquid blue eyes beamed with delight and she threw her arms around Shiraishi. The kansai captain was visibly shocked but smiled and patted her back affectionately.

"Hey, shouldn't you be having your match? What are you doing here," Shiraishi asked while gently plucking off Kiyone's arms from around him.

Kiyone pouted and waved her hands frantically in the air. "I got blasted in the face too by Azola Cumberpatch. What is it with people and faces?!"

Shiraishi chuckled with a snort at attempt for humour. "Maybe they think we're the moon...?"

The moment Kiyone heard that, she stared at him before shaking her head."No. Shiraishi-san, just no."

Shiraishi chuckled and ruffled Kiyone's hair. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But who's fighting now?"

"Let's check the TV," Sanada picked up the remote to show what was happening on the television.

Suddenly, a voice blared out.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE IT! HOW COOL IS THIS!? BOTH GAMES AGAINST JAPAN ARE TRULY SPECTACULAR!"

"I'm totally amazed how these two managed to blast through their opponents. It's probably revenge for hurting their teammates!"

"This game is not just a game to them. This is a battle!"

Sanada stared in surprise as the camera was panning on both courts. Shizuru was pushing Nerissa to the farthest end of the court as her shots exploded loudly. An aura seemed to appear around her but there was something else in her eyes. Sheer willpower and determination, he mused. Some things that made her expression sparkle. On the other hand, Tezuka was battling with a furious glint in his eyes. As much as he kept a stoic expression, he could see the anger flickering in his eyes as he continued blasting Awi Jahi.

"Wow, I've never seen Tezuka so angry," Shiraishi mused and watched him play. "I've seen him play but this is the first time I've seen him play so…"

"Aggressively?"

"Yeah, Tezuka-san wasn't always known for being personal. He's more on the professional side of things."

Sanada chuckled when he looked at the other camera, watching Shizuru play on the other side. "I wouldn't know for sure. He is still human."

Slowly, Haruka and Marui woke up when they heard the TV playing. Haruka rubbed her eyes after waking up and let out a small groan. Momo on the other hand remained quiet as she woke up, watching both matches. She had never seen Shizuru fight in a way that showed she was just very certain with her movements. She knew Tezuka could easily take out his opponent but she saw a different glint in her captain's eyes. The camera had panned in close enough to have her get a good glimpse of her captain's face.

"She's changed. What happened," Momo glanced at the others.

Haruka shook her head. "No idea. According to Mai, the moment she entered the stadium – something's been going on in Shizuru's mind."

"No kidding. Her body sparked with electricity and she started hallucinating," Momo added. "I tried to grab her and then she swat me away as if I were some monster..."

Marui raised an eyebrow. "Is she on drugs or something?"

"If it were that simple, we would have sent her to rehab by now."

Marui fell silent before looling at the match, hearing the crowd howl. Shizuru had dominated over Nerissa and all people saw was the British female on the ground. Shizuru on the other hand stood at the other side completely unfazed and level-headed as to what happened. He could imagine the distressed faces of the British team as Shizuru calmly walked off the field.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"GAME AND MATCH: KURENAI! SIX GAMES TO FOUR!"

"Wow! Way to go, buchou!"

"You sure showed her!"

"Time for payback!"

"Payback's a bitch!"

Shizuru nodded stiffly before looking at her hand and then at the LED screen. She saw a replay of her match as she watched herself perform the Subera Kagerou and Nerissa jumped after it only to crash down on the ground. Another screenplay was Nerissa firing a backhand at a seemingly impossible distance but she managed to cover it really quickly. She stared at the flashing images in amazement.

"Wh-what happened," Shizuru whiipered and stared in astonishment.

"We were hoping you could tell us," a voice snapped her out of her daze.

The moment Shizuru turned around, she saw Fuuka coming up towards her and grabbed her jacket. With this, she lifted Shizuru a few inches off the ground and startled everyone else. Rin yelped with fear as Fuuka glared holes into Shizuru. Natsuki tried to hold Fuuka back but the red head refused to relent. Shizuru on the other hand didn't seem fazed.

"You've been acting real strange, Kurenai. And I don't like it," Fuuka hissed. "Don't tell me you've been holding back all this time."

Shizuru met Fuuka's glare with her own. "If I knew, I would tell you."

Fuuka couldn't help but slightly shiver from Shizuru's eerie calmness before slowly putting her down. Shizuru didn't flinch despite Fuuka's angry outburst but she glanced at the next match as Florence and Mai made their way down the stairs. Shizuru smiled faintly before turning away.

"It's as if... I just knew what to do," Shizuru shook her head. "I can't really describe it."

Florence walked over to her and dropped her hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, darling. We understand. Just try to not scare us too much, alright?"

Shizuru smiled; Florence had always been the motherly one among them. "Alright, thank you. I promise - I'll do my best to explain it eventually."

"Good," Florence turned to Fuuka. "Isn't there something you wanted to say?"

Fuuka scowled and turned away. "Peh, I'm sorry for grabbing you."

"I'm sorry for not being able to offer a proper explanation."

Suddenly, they heard the bell ring as Florence beamed and looked at Mai. "Ready?"

The red head chuckled. "It's showtime."

As they began stepping down towards the court, Natsuki grinned. "Ahm purdy sure this is gunna be one helluva fight!"

Florence and Mai stepped down to the plate with two of Britain's members: Jade Bosworth and Lyra Henstridge. Florence smiled at Jade with the latter smiling back. Lyra curtsied in front of Mai who returned the favour. The British-Japanese captain knew almost all the members, save for Azola. Azola probably replaced Lady, she mused. And Jennifer replaced me after I left for Japan.

"How have you been," Jade smiled brightly and gave her a firm handshake, drawling with her thick Londonese accent. "It's been awhile."

Florence nodded. "Definitely."

She then turned to Mai. "Oh, and this must be your new partner?"

Mai shook her head with a shrug. "Nah, it's just for this game."

Lyra nodded. "Oh and wait, weren't you an understudy for Elphaba's part in Japan?"

"Yep, more or less."

Jade grinned. "Well I hope I stay long enough to see your debut on stage. I've only heard of your prowess as a street dancer."

"Oh definitely. Shall we begin?"

"Indeed. We shouldn't waste people's time."

Florence nodded and picked up her racquet. "Smooth or Rough?"

Jade blinked several times. "Huh?"

"Oh it's how we do it in Japan. We use the tennis racquet instead of a coin," Florence shrugged. "It's much easier really."

The coffee blonde haired girl nodded. "Ohh, indeed. It does make much more sense. But pray do tell, how do we tell what is smooth or rough?"

"Insignia right side up is smooth," Florence explained. "The insignia upside down is rough."

"Very well then. We choose," Jade glanced at Lyra. "Rough, okay with you?"

Lyra nodded. "Yes, rough seems okay."

"Rough it is then."

Mai looked over the shoulders of her opponents, only to see Jennifer snuggling up to Natasha. "Oh, uh..."

"Yeah, that's her girlfriend."

Mai swivelled her head towards Florence and blinked. "You know her?"

"I've heard Natasha talk about her," Florence explained. "She's a pretty good tennis player and was reserve when I was still a member."

"They didn't mind?"

"Mind that she was lesbian? No."

"No, I mean that they were in a relationship and that they were teammates."

Florence shrugged with a snicker. "Coach Alice was pretty laissez faire with our social statuses and relationships. Just as long as it didn't affect your performance."

Mai nodded slowly. "Interesting."

As soon as the racquet fell down, it landed on rough. Florence nodded and tossed the ball to Jade who caught it with a determined smirk. Florence laughed softly before turning her back to Jade. As Jade did the same thing, they looked back at one another. Florence's blood bubbled with delight and excitement; it had been 2 years since she had last seen her friend.

Florence smiled. "Shall we dance?"

"We shall," Jade beamed with delight.

"Doubles One will now begin! Japan's Hoshimura-Nagisaki versus Britain's Bosworth-Henstridge! Game start, Bosworth to serve!"

When they walked back to their respective partners, the crowd cheered with a loud frenzy. The British flag waved from the crowd and Japan had their own flag. However, Florence saw the Jyosei Shounan flag waving with Kajimoto and Wakato looking over. Hanamura sat at the coach's post whereas she could hear the cheer from the crowd.

"Go get them," Hanamura beamed with pride. "My greatest masterpiece!"

Florence walked to the back and took her position behind Mai. Jade on the other hand looked at the other side of the court. She was beside herself with giddy; she never thought that she would have the chance to face her old doubles partner again. She smirked and bounced the ball while making sure Jade was in front of her. She bounced the ball a couple of times with a chuckle.

"Well then," Jade beamed and fired a fast serve. "Let's begin!"

The ball screamed towards Florence who returned it with a backhand. Jade chased the ball down and forehanded it towards Mai who easily volleyed it. Lyra followed after Mai as she sent it to Florence at the back. Seeing the exchange, Jade smirked to herself before looking at Mai.

Well, let's see how good you are.

Mai could clearly see the twinkle in Jade's eye. A smirk curved up her lips with her feline amber eyes gleaming with the same response. The ball flew at her as she quickly volleyed the shot with Jade reacting to sending the shot far. Mai didn't chase it and let Florence hit the shot. As the ball flew towards Jade, she volleyed it to Mai who deflected it a bit too high.

"Damn," Mai scowled to herself. "Shot was too high!"

Jade chuckled as Lyra went for the smash. "Go for it!"

However, instead of a shocked expression - Jade saw a smirk on Mai's face. She gawked as Lyra's smash cracked off her racquet. Mai quickly dropped down before jumping up with a coil fashion. The ball spun into the air and seemes to float. Jade stared in surprise as it seemed to stay suspended in air before suddenly spinning and dropping at a very fast rate to the point it vanished. Jade's eyes widened as Mai smiled at her.

"Kurosakuraso," she beamed with pride.

When Jade turned in front, the ball exploded right in front of her. Everyone stared in awe and astonishment at Mai's accuracy. Even Shizuru had visibly gaped at her teammate's sudden improvement. Hitomi began taking down notes while continuing to watch the match. Mai on the other hand flicked back her crimson red hair with her feline eyes gleaming with mischief.

"I'll always be defying gravity," Mai smiled.

Florence stood in amazement; she never expected the genius of Hyotei to progress that quickly. Then again, while everyone was sorting out their own emotional issues - she had continued to progress. Mai had shown agility, flexibility and, sheer rhythm.

"A true genius never stops evolving," Florence beamed with pride.

Jade on the other side chuckled. "Well played, Nagisaki. I didn't know you were that good."

Mai smiled and bowed. "Playing the underdog has its quirks."

Jade nodded before picking up the ball. She looked carefully as Mai now was the receiver instead of Florence. She glanced at Florence, remebering the reason why she left Britain. Her lungs suffered far more than they expected since her family got into industrial work. She even remembered the times that Florence nearly suffocated.

"It was sad to see you go," Jade sighed but suddenly beamed determinedly. "But I'm glad I got to face you again!"

Florence nodded. "Same. I honestly thought I would not survive until my Middle School graduation."

"The airs in Japan are quite beautiful. Better for your lungs, admittedly."

"Oh yes and even the environment here is perfect. Barely any smoke to cause my lungs to overreact!"

Jade nodded before firing another fast serve towards Mai. She watched the red headed tanned skin girl move quickly with her wiry frame and expected a little more clumsy movement. But she saw Mai's movements; every single step and every move she had made was calculated. The Queen of Spades quickly countered the shot with a backhand. Lyra deflected the shot with a volley to Florence who easily caught it and sent it at her. Lyra ducked and let Jade forehand the shot again and blast Mai again. The two British girls exchanged glances with one another and nodded at each other.

Divide and conquer.

If we take out Mai then, Florence will easily go down.

That was their initial premise, assuming that Mai was just a small fry compared to Florence. However, watching Mai made Jade realize that the Queen of Spades had much more to offer than just a pretty face and her performance skills. Despite the crowd cheering and howling, she didn't even flinch. In fact, she seemed to relish in it! Mai glided across the field with Lyra as the two girls began to tango with one another. From the bleachers, the British team smiled in amusement as they saw the sweat pouring down Mai's face.

"Well, Lyra has this little one eating out of her hand," Natasha smirked with a fold of her arms.

Nerissa shook her head. "Wait, some thing's not right. If she were, why is Nagisaki smiling?"

Jennifer watched carefully that despite the sweat pouring down Mai's face, she couldn't help but feel unnerved by her smile. Mai continued to play with no problems and even continued to keep the consistency of her jumps, skips, forehands and backhands. Irene looked at Mai as she saw a different glint in Mai's eyes as she suddenly changed her stance.

"Kosouku Yaribana (Speeding Yarrow)," Mai smirked.

With the fast spin hurtling towards her, Mai gracefully caught the shot and sent it back. Jade couldn't believe how she easily handled them both despite having to cover for Florence. Jade knew however that often times, Florence refused to have any help. In fact, it was rare that she did and even then – it was only because her Alpha 1 Anti-Trypsin deficiency had developed into Cystic Fibrosis. Florence defended the baseline whereas Mai held up the frontlines pretty well. She could see Lyra's body shuddering and panting from the stress. Jade narrowed her eyes as the ball went straight for her.

"Let's try something a little new," Jade smiled and quickly jumped forward. "Lyra, switch places with me!"

Lyra turned back and nodded before pushing herself to the back while Mai fought against Jade. Florence was left to baseline off against Lyra, giving the ball a strong forehand. She couldn't understand what Jade was up to but she couldn't help but smile at Jade's new personality. She remembered the time they were teammates. Most of the time, it was she who was calling the shots. Their captain at that time was Lady Hiddleston; another member from Natasha's batch whereas Natasha had been made co-captain. She volleyed towards Mai and continued to try and push her back. On the other hand, the Japanese team was surprised by Mai's sudden progress. They didn't expect her to get that good in a single sitting.

"I knew there was so much raw potential in this one," Hanamura smiled, beside herself with glee. "She didn't appear like much compared to Kurenai, Hoshimura, Souma, Amakusa and, Yukimura but I knew there was something to this young lady that made her quite the one."

Fuuka chuckled and folded her arms. "If Nagisaki got this strong in a week then, I better start kicking Atoli into gear. She's got the power."

Natsuki nodded. "Ahm purdy sure she was chosen in Hyotei fer a reason, right – Kurenai?"

Shizuru smiled at Mai as the tensai continued to fight. Fight, Mai! There's no reason for you to back down!

Soon, Mai sailed into the air and smashed the shot straight in between Jade's legs.

"Game: Nagisaki-Hoshimura, one game to love!"

Jade nodded bemusedly; she walked towards Mai and handed her the ball. "Not bad, I am very impressed."

Mai raised an eyebrow, bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you were just all show. Apparently, you've got the abilities too. I like that."

"Thanks, most people tend to think that way about me."

As Mai returned to the baseline, she looked back to where Jade was walking. Surprisingly, Jade seemed pretty tame compared to Azola and the other members. She looked at their eyes and then looked at the score board. She saw that everything just seemingly cancelled out. Suddenly, she felt a hand drop onto her shoulder and found Florence standing next to her with a small smile.

"You alright," Florence asked.

Mai nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about me."

"Tell me if I'm not matching your pace alright?"

Mai could see the concern and worry in her eyes. She remembered how Shizuru would ask her to slow down before and she found it increasingly funny.

"M-Mai, please slow down! Um… I mean, only if you want to."

Mai giggled to herself when she looked at Florence and shook her head, smiling and passing a glance to her very first doubles partner. "Don't worry. I've played with someone at your speed."

While watching the match, Hitomi smiled as she continued taking down notes. She watched Mai set up for the serve before taking down a few notes. She glanced at Shizuru who was watching the match carefully as well. However, she couldn't help but feel worried about Shizuru's sudden freeze on the court and why her personality seemed to be so… well, erratic. She looked back at her notes to see if there was anything that happened prior but there was nothing. But she then turned her head to Mai instead and began taking down more notes.

Florence on the other hand watched Mai continue her play style and adjust almost immediately. Now she could see why Banji thought of her as a possible candidate for Juushinhi René. René spoke with her feet and so did Mai. They spoke with the same rhythm! She looked at Mai again play against Lyra while she began countering Jade's shots. She looked over Jade's shoulder to see Natasha biting her fingernails, watching nervously. Florence smirked; she now saw Mai as a threat and would be focusing on her. She glanced at the red head and began seeing the flickering colours of yellow and orange from Jade's body.

"I'm glad she's enjoying herself," Florence beamed fondly, recalling the times she had played with Jade. "She used to be cynical before but I'm glad she's changed for the better."

Jade on the other hand watched her former partner play. She had never seen her very healthy as a huge smile curved up her lips. If anything, she had half expected Florence to do most of the work and tire out by the first game but she hadn't expected Mai to get good. It was my mistake, she mused. She knew that Mai had to be on the team for a reason but she had never expected her to play at Florence's caliber. She quickly retaliated against Mai's quick volley while trying to watch her movement. Much to her surprise, there was barely any sweat trickling down Mai's face and her footsteps were inaudible and there was barely any wave through the floor.

"Damn, she's really graceful isn't she," Jade smiled in determination. "Well, bring it on!"

Lyra looked across the net to see Florence leaping high into the air to go for a drive volley before countering it. She looked at Mai who had been analyzing the trajectory and power of the shots every time it flew over the net. She glanced back at Jade who had been smiling the whole time before looking back at the court.

Well, time to prove to Jade that I'm far better than I look. I can't have this red haired hussy upstaging me!

That's Chapter 76! Sorry for the long wait guys! This is what college does!:P I might have to reboot some of the chapters. So tell me if you want me to or not! Don't forget the lovely reviews!