Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ The Elements of Tennis ❯ Dodge Ball ( Chapter 19 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The Elements of Tennis
Chapter Nineteen

"Yikes!" Kikumaru yelps as he jumps behind Oishi. "She's scary."

"She is, isn't she," Oishi agrees with a sweat drop.

"HOW DARE YOU SMUDGE THE MOST SACRED OF ALL THINGS SACRED!" Akari explodes once again.

"Oh holy hell," Hikaji comments from the sidelines in disbelief. "How the hell does she store all of those damn emotions in that tiny body of hers?"

"Um . . . Seeshin, can I trade places with someone?" Mizu begs.

"Why?" the captain asks.

"You have to pee or something, Mizu?" Shinzoo asks.

"No!" Mizu shakes her head. "But, I kind of want the protective barrier between me and the madness."

"Don't be a baby, Mizu," Hikaji rolls her eyes. "Besides, if you think we're safe, you're crazy. Nothing can protect us from 'that,' not even a fence."

"Eh . . ?" Mizu asks.

"Yeah, I feel sorry for the Seigaku members who are standing behind Oishi-kun and Kikumaru-kun," Shinzoo nods. "I hope they're good at doge ball."

The team members nod their heads in agreement.

"Hey! Seigaku! I hope you're good at doge ball!" Shinzoo shouts.

"Shinzoo!" Koorai shouts as she covers the girl's mouth.

"Hmph. Go! Oishi-senpai! Kikumaru-senpai!" Horio cheers.

"Let's go, Golden Pair!" Tomo joins in.

Oishi serves the ball and it flies across the field, entering into Akari's area. Her aura suurounds it immediately and suddenly, it just vanishes. A cloud of smoke kicks up right by Oishi's left foot and suddenly Momoshiro is on the ground.

"Hey, Momo-senpai," Ryoma blinks as he looks down at the second year.

"Momo-chan-senpai?"? Horio asks.

"Momo," Kawamura blinks as he kneels next to his friend. "What happened?"

The ball bounces once again, this time landing on Ryoma's head and bouncing into his hand. Ryoma looks from the ball to Momoshiro and finds that there is a ball shaped bruise on his forehead.

"So that's what happened," the first year states.

"What was that, Echizen?" Kawamura asks.

"Momo-senpai was hit with the ball," Ryoma explains.

"But, how?" Horio butts in.

"That's how," Fuji states with his eyes open as he points to the hole in the fence just big enough to fit the ball through.

"You mean, it pierced through the fence and none of us saw it?" Horio starts to panic.

"Great, looks like we're mixing tennis with dodge ball," Kurai sighs.

"Um . . . out," the referee calls. "15-40."

"WHAT?" Akari shouts.

"No, that was in, there's not doubt about it," Oishi shakes his head.

"Hmm?" the referee blinks.

"Look for yourself," Kikumaru agrees as he points to the black mark just inside the line.

"You're right. Game won by Kurai-Akari pair, 4-0," the referee re-calls. "Change court."

"Akari, are you all right now?" Mizu asks nervously as the two girls approach. "Remember, it's your team that's standing behind Oishi-kun and Kikumaru-kun, not their team."

Akari takes a drink from her water bottle and throws it back at Mizu before storming off towards the service court, mumbling all the way.

"You might want to keep your mouth shut. You really don't want to provoke her at this particular moment," Kurai points out calmly. "I've only ever seen her like this once before."

"Really? What happened?" Mizu questions.

"Well, let's see, it was last year, right after we had just gotten out new rackets . . ." Kurai starts.

FLASHBACK TO ONE YEAR AGO:

"I can't believe we actually got on the team, can you, Kurai-chan?" a first year version of Akari celebrates.

"Chan?" Kurai, as a first year, blinks.

"Yeah, Kurai-chan. Is it too soon to be calling you that so soon? Maybe you'd prefer Kurai-san," Akari comments.

Kurai grimaces.

"Or, maybe Kurai-sama," Akari gets a sweat drop.

"Let's have a match," Kurai responds as she starts walking towards the street tennis courts.

"A match? Already?" Akari blinks.

"You got a problem with that?" Kurai cocks an eyebrow.

"No, it's just; my racket is brand new and . . ."

"Don't tell me you don't want to get it dirty. You really are pathetic."

With that, the two go and begin their match with their brand new rackets. After about three games Akari notices that there is a smudge on the handle of her racket. The dark, aura emerges and surrounds her body. Suddenly, the game becomes that much harder. Akari's hits become more precise, stronger, and faster. By sheer determination and will power Kurai managed to catch up with the balls to return them.

Three games later, Kurai managed to win 6-0, but both of the players' rackets were so busted that most people would just throw them away and get new ones. Akari calms down and the two meet at the net.

"You were better, Kurai-sama," Akari admits.

"Kurai," the dark girl corrects. "Just Kurai."

"Really?" Akari asks with excitement.

"Well, we are teammates now. Besides, I hate the sound of my name with honorifics attached to the end of it," Kurai shrugs.

"So, looks like we've gotta get us some new rackets, huh?"

"Why?"

"Well, aren't you always supposed to have two in order to be on the team at B.E.T.?"

"Yeah, didn't you get two when you got that one?"

"Well, yeah, but this one's shot."

"No it's not. You were able to play this match with that racket. I doubt that there are many players out there that will cause you as much trouble as I did here. but, do as you wish, I'm just gonna play with this for as long as I can to remind me of today's match," Kurai shrugs as she packs up her racket back and throws it over her shoulder. "Ja!"

With that, Kurai leaves Akari standing out on the court in shock.

The next day, in practice, Kurai and Akari meet up to find that Akari had also chosen to continue playing with her busted racket.

END FLASHBACK

"You coming, or should I start without you, Kurai?" Akari shouts.

"Just try and start without me, Akari," Kurai teases. "Shinzoo, make sure to deliver a message to the rest of the team for me. Tell them to keep their eyes peeled and hope that their dodge ball skills are as good, if not better, than their tennis skills."

Shinzoo nods and Kurai moves out onto the court. Kikumaru and Oishi set up as well, this time in a normal formation. Akari serves and it manages to be a no touch ace. Once again a cloud of smoke is all that almost anyone can see to the side of Oishi's right foot. Hikaji knocks Chikyuu to the ground just in time as the ball hits the wall behind them.

"15-0."

"Yikes!" Shinzoo's eyes widen as she jumps onto the fence and climbs to the top.

"Shinzoo, get down from there before you hurt yourself," Mizu orders as she watches her teammate stand on the top of the fence.

"Don't worry, Mizu, she won't get hurt," Kurai assures her.

"Dodge ball!" Shinzoo shouts.

Akari gets another ball and the remaining members of the B.E.T. team hit the dirt before she can serve it. With each serve, she gains a point, and sends the ball through the fence.

"Game won by Kurai-Akari pair, 5-0, change court."

The final game is no better, each time Oishi serves the ball, Akari hits a no touch ace through the fence and barely misses one of the Seigaku players, even Tezuka and Fuji had had to move their heads at least a few millimeters out of the way in order to save themselves from being hit.

The final serve is hit and Akari hits it back, but this time, Kikumaru manages to catch up with it. He makes contact with his racket and then uses both hands to return it. Akari is too shocked to move; after all, only Kurai had ever been able to return her ace before. Kurai reacts quickly and hits a gravity glitch to ensure that the point would be made. It lands and she sighs with relief.

"Game and match won by "B.E.T.'s Kurai-Akari pair, 6-0," the referee announces.