Another Genius 1: The Black Jersey Revolution
It seems that it was just yesterday that the fifty talented middle school tennis players of Japan were accepted into the U-17 camp. After being split up into a group of winners and losers, the middle schoolers surmounted harsh trials and improved in their own ways. It is now that they must test their might against the U-17's very best, the overseas representative group: the first stringers.
"That month we were away from the camp was fun while it lasted."
Driving through the mountains was a small coach bus, clearly owned by the U-17 and made for the purpose of the All-Japan Junior Tennis Team. Inside that bus were the twenty first stringers, eager to remind the training camp who was really in charge.
"Think the 2nd-String guys stepped their game up? It'd suck if we got the rug pulled from right under our feet, especially after all the techicalities that goes into our training."
The bus came to a stop in front of an iron gate, as it seems that the gate, which is usually automatically opened after confirmation from the U-17's central AV room, did not open. In other words, the first stringer's arrival was not being tended to. One of the first stringers, a tall, slender young man with a snapback cap with the brim turned all the way to the back, stepped off the bus and opened the gates himself. This man was Kōyō Akiba, high school senior, number 20 of the U-17's representatives.
"No greetings, it seems."
Inside the bus, a young man with white hair and glasses sighed.
"I'll set up an appointment with the coaches about this later," said Ikuto Kimijima, a high school senior and number seven of the U-17's representatives.
"Don't think too hard about it, the 2nd-Stringers are just running away with their tails between their legs, don't you think?" asked Rikiya Ban, the muscular number 13 of the U-17.
Kōyō, not wanting to stay on the bus thinking about it with his teammates decided to take matters into his own hands and leave them.
"I'll go on ahead and see what's going on myself."
He walked along the path of trees until he reached an empty court. Well, empty except for one figure who was standing with a tennis ball and a racket at the ready.
"Welcome back, Akiba."
"Irie . . . It's just you."
Back on the bus, two young men, clearly twins, stood up out of their seats. These were the Mutsu Twins, Yūho and Yūma.
"I can hear the sounds of tennis balls-"
"-Not too far from here."
"They way they can continue each other's sentences like that always freaks me out," said Rikiya.
"That's the mental connection between 'twins'. It's said that the bond between twins are many times greater than that of normal siblings," said another player on the bus. This one had a scar on his head, and sat behind Rikiya. This was Danji, number 12. "The bond between siblings is powerful. Venus and Serena Williams are probably the most famous sibling doubles duo in tennis history, and they aren't even twins. But the Mutsu twins, a bond like theirs makes them a terrifying doubles pair."
"I'd say their willing to greet us at the courts," said a built player with a mohawk, a Watanabe Duke, number three of the U-17.
"All right, then. Everyone from 11-20, go have some fun. When you're finished, meet up on Court 16!" exclaimed the white-haired, bearded man who was clearly the leader of the bunch.
Back at the U-17, the participation list for the matches against the first stringers had been confirmed, and to the middle schoolers surprise, they weren't chosen to play.
"What gives?! Why aren't any of us playing?! We had great win records!" shouted an angry Kirihara.
"No . . . " said a shocked Shiraishi. "There was one middle schooler that got chosen, it seems."
That middle schooler was none other than Seīchi Yukimura.
"Oh? Some junior high school brat somehow ended up in the mountains. Do you really know where you stand right now?" asked the 1st-stringer who donned corn-rows in his hair, Tetsuhito Fuwa.
"Shall we begin?" confidently asked Yukimura.
"There's a price to pay when facing us, boy. I'll give you . . . "
At that moment, Fuwa pulled out a bandana and tied it around his eyes.
". . . a nice handicap."
Elsewhere, numbers 11-20 had just defeated their opponents. Ban and Rikiya had just finished beating Nakaguchi and Shinobu, both good players in their own rights, into the fences. The Mutsu Twins had just finished defeating Washio and Suzuki, as their Synchro efforts did not prove to be enough.
Between Yukimura and Fuwa, the game began, as the two continued their rally.
"You're not bad," Fuwa said as he prepared his forehand, "but . . . "
Fuwa's shot made it past Yukimura.
"You're still at the middle-school level."
"Amazing. He's been playing as if his health was in top shape all this time. However, I've realized, and it's begun. The Yips have started taking effect," Yukimura thought.
"It's strange," Fuwa let out.
"Hm?"
"Even with this blindfold on, somehow, for the longest while, I've been feeling as if I'm 'naturally blind' right now. I'm 'nervous,' about something. Even my grip on the racket is loosening. Is this your doing, boy?"
"He realized?! But, how? Before, the Yips always crept up on my opponents, slowly but surely. But he's been rallying with me for this long as if nothing's happened!"
"I've played tennis with people like you before. Frightening people who impose some kind of internal damage on the body itself, as if you pressure my whole nervous system into shutting down. The Yips, they call it?"
Yukimura was shocked. This was the first time someone had identified his ability with such calm fashion. Suddenly, his grip on his racket began to loosen.
"There are people who can have that effect all over the world. That guy Tokugawa has been known to do it sometimes. In fact, I can probably do it too," Fuwa pondered as he delivered a smash into Yukimura's court.
"For a middle-schooler to pull it off, however, is pretty impressive. But then again, you cannot hear my compliments, can you?"
Yukimura's body shook in fear, as he was now stricken by his own Yips. Fuwa then took off his blindfold.
"My eyes are now like mirrors. Your 'ability' has been reflected."
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Originally Posted by -Ken-
