"Still rundown, naa Kabaji..." Atobe Keigo from Hyotei commented as he went out of the limousine and placed his eyes on Seishun Academy.
"Usu. (Yes.)" Kabaji Munehirosaid.
"It haven't changed... Seigaku Tennis Club..." Kiyosumi Sengoku from Yamabuki said.
"We're not here to fool around, you all..." Takahisa Kajimoto of Josei Shonan told all of them.
"Why on earth was Hyotei and Fudoumine allowed to bring two of their members?" Saeki Kojiro of Rokkaku said, looking over at Atobe and Kabaji, then at Fudoumine's Tachibana and Kamio.
"Why not? It's not as if it's a big deal whether you have one or two. It depends on the intelligence of the member your team sent." Mizuki Hajime of St. Rudolph commented, twirling a lock of hair near his temple.
"Apparently, Mizuki-san sent himself as the representative of St. Rudolph... Talk about unfair..." Kamio Akira whispered to his captain.
"Kikoerundesuyo! (I can hear you!)" Mizuki said, annoyed.
"Let's enter, everyone..." Hanamura Aoi-sensei of Josei Shonan said to all of them.
They entered and proceeded to the tennis courts where the practice of the Seigaku regular players is commencing.
The schools of the Kantou region, well some of them, requested to watch over the practice of the Seigaku Tennis club. Being the national champion, Ryuzaki-sensei gladly accepted their requests although she perfectly know that they were all there for spying purposes.
"Let them... And ifever we request a visit to their own facilities, they are in no position to refuse." She reasoned.
For the meantime, the practice stopped to greet the visitors.
"Sengoku-san... Isashiburi-desu! (It's been a long time!)" Momoshiro said, waving.
"It hasn't been that long of a time, Omoshiro-kun... (Interesting-kun: a pun that Sengoku used for Momoshiro's name)
"It's about time you stop calling me that..." Momoshiro made a face and complained.
"Yo, Tezuka..." Atobe said.
"Still flashy as ever, Atobe..." Tezuka commented, looking at the pair of maids and one butler that Atobe brought with him.
"Fuji!" Saeki said and waved.
Fuji waved back.
"Ara, ara... Inui-san... Have you been getting enough data lately?" Mizuki said.
"If I am, I'm not sharing any with you. Go away." Inui told him.
"I wasn't going to ask you to give any!" Mizuki yelled, annoyed.
Hanamura-sensei and Ryuzaki-sensei shook hands.
"It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you for approving our visit." Hanamura-sensei said.
"No problem... Just remember that if we want, we can also visit your facilities..." Ryuzaki-sensei replied.
"Mochiron-desu... (Of course...)" Hanamura-sensei answered.
They were about to go out of the courts to the chairs that the members placed when a boy suddenly flew from the sky and landed in the middle of the court. Then a ball flew above him. He hit it once.
"Oops... Used too much strength..." He mumbled. The ball fell down from the air and he caught it with his tennis racket.
"Chotto, Sakuno! Mite! (Look!)" Tomoka said from outside the tennis court. They were watching the regulars' practice earlier.
"Nani? (What?)" Sakuno said and looked at where her friend is pointing.
"It's that boy! The one who asked where the principal's office was!" She said excitedly.
True enough, the boy wearing the royal blue cap, resplendent in a pair of white jersey shirt and shorts with red and blue stripes on their sides was standing in the middle of the court. Everyone's eyes were on him.
"Where the heck did he come from?" They all wondered.
"Just went to get my ball... Now if you'll excuse me..." The boy said and was starting to go away when Atobe blocked his way.
"Chotto, omae. (Hey, you.) You think you can cause a ruckus and leave without apologizing? Naa, Kabaji?" Atobe said.
"Usu." Kabaji answered.
"Chotto, Atobe-san... This is our school so we should be the ones interrogating him..." Momoshiro said.
"Dare da anta? (Who the heck are you?)" The boy asked Atobe.
"That's supposed to be our line..." Everyone around the court said hopelessly.
"In you get. Let me teach you some manners." Atobe said. He nodded towards a maid and she took the jacket slung on Atobe's shoulder. His butler handed him his racket.
The boy simply looked at him and smiled. "Hmmm... You think you can handle me?"
Everyone stared, amazed at the cockiness that the boy was displaying despite the fact that Atobe was a lot bigger than him.
"Oh. You remind me of Echizen." Atobe said, looking around.
Because Echizen was tasked to do something by a teacher, he wasn't there yet.
"Let's see what you've got." Atobe said.
"You won't mind if we play a game, right, Seigaku's coach?" He said, looking over at Ryuzaki-sensei.
"I don't mind." Ryuzaki-sensei said with a smile.
"Sensei... We don't even know who that boy is..." Oishi complained.
"It's alright. You'll find out soon enough." Ryuzaki-sensei replied with a complacent smile.
"A new recruit, perhaps?" Hanamura-sensei asked simply.
"Well, you can say it like that..." Ryuzaki-sensei answered mysteriously.
"A new recruit?" The Seigaku members suddenly turned attentive.
"The best of one set match... Atobe versus... uhh..." The referee said.
"Ryuu." The boy said.
"Atobe versus Ryuu. Atobe service play." The referee continued.
"Ore-sama no bigi ni yoi na! (Be awed at the sight of my prowess!)" Atobe yelled and served.
The boy who called himself Ryuu easily returned the fast slice serve.
"Oh..." Mizuki said and placed a finger under his chin. "Is he a member of Seigaku?" He asked.
"As far as I know, he's not even a student of this school." Inui answered.
Mizuki smiled. A chance to recruit a gem.
The boy's stance, play and technique were far from expectation. To describe it, he moved the same way that Echizen Ryoma moves. It was an uncanny similarity.
The rally became endless, until Ryuu suddenly returned the ball with buggy-whip shot. Kaidoh's eyebrows shot up.
"Love-15." The referee announced.
"Hmmm..." Atobe said, smiling and looking at the boy.
Atobe maneuvered his stance and placed his hand over his face.
"Insight!" Kajimoto said. (Atobe is able to use "insight" to quickly determine another player's weakness)
"That was fast..." Kamio commented.
Atobe began to use shots that will make it hard for Ryuu to reach because of his height. They were all awed though when Ryuu suddenly jumped up and returned the high ball with a shot very similar to Kikumaru beam (Kikumaru's sharp volley that is hit with his hand reaching around his back).
"Oya?" Kikumaru said, smiling.
Responding quickly, Atobe returned the shot in the way that the boy will be forced to lob.
"Owarida! (It's the end!)" Sengoku said and whistled.
Anyone who saw Atobe's play style knew what the shot will be. Hametsu e no rondo (Rondo Towards Destruction)
Atobe smashed the ball powerfully and the ball hit the racket. Ryuu's racket was supposed to be knocked away from his hand, but he maintained a firm grip. Atobe's eyes widened as he attempted his second smash.
The boy twirled his body, regaining his sense of balance. Upon facing the net where the ball will land, he received the ball in a calculating drop shot.
The spinning motion knocked the boy's cap out of his head.
A long, single braid of raven black hair swished like a horse's tail.
Ryuu or rather, Ryouko Fujioka regained her balance and pointed her racket at Atobe. "I don't think you can defeat me with that kind of strategy..." She said.
"Mada mada desu ne." She added and smirked.
"Fu—fujioka?!" Momoshiro yelled in shock.
"Eh?!" Kikumaru said, his eyes widening.
"Fujioka! It really is Fujioka!" The other juniors and seniors said and pointed.
"Ryouko-san! What are you doing dressed like a boy?" Horio asked.
"I'm dressed the way I always do though... I was practicing by myself when I accidentally hit the ball too hard and so I chased after it." She reasoned.
"From where?" Oishi asked.
"From there..." Ryouko pointed at the back of the school building.
"Then why did you fall from above?" Kikumaru asked.
"I climbed up a tree to better see where it went. Then I jumped down and approached it." She said.
"From there?" Momoshiro said, looking up at the big ancient tree towering above the school building several yards away from the courts.
Ryouko nodded.
"A— A girl..." Atobe breathed in disbelief.
"That's enough, Ryouko." Ryuzaki-sensei said and went towards them.
"I have to continue the match. It was just getting interesting..." Ryouko told her.
"Maybe some other time..." Ryuzaki-sensei said.
Ryouko blowed out her cheeks and pouted. Nevertheless, she said, "Wakarimashita. (I understand.)"
"May I introduce... Seigaku tennis club's first ever female manager and assistant coach, Fujioka Ryouko." Ryuzaki-sensei announced.
EH???