A Substitute to Your Monthly PoT Desires

[Brandnewkid]

awwww. Was hoping for a Little bit more on the Inui match. Interesting to see how it will go from here though.

Sorry about that. Honestly, I just wanted to skip ahead to the G10 games. I had an idea for a Mitsuya vs. Inui game, but in the end, a data player vs. data player match would seem pretty boring to me. They would each know what the other would say before he says it, everything would be according to plan, etc. But who knows, maybe I'll have the two play in the future. It's definitely in the cards.

That being said, I probably won't have any Genius 10 matches until we see what more of the Genius 10 are capable of.

---------- Post added May 24, 2012 at 01:17 AM ---------- Previous post was May 23, 2012 at 12:31 PM ----------

"Swoo~ Cola Vita, my preferred drink after a nice game of tennis."

"And there you have it, even the 'Genius Boy' Kimijima Ikuto agrees ..."

Kirihara, Bunta, and a couple other players watched a television ad in the U-17 main lounge.

"Why is he called 'The Genius Boy?' The hell? Aren't they the 'Genius 10?' They're all 'Genius Boys,' so why does he get to hog the title? You know how serious we take titles," said Kirihara, who almost seemed to have a tint of jealousy in his voice.

"Who knows. One thing's for sure, the Genius 10 are the best of the best," Bunta said as he packed up his bags.

"Where ya' headed?" Kirihara asked.

"Just gonna go hit a few rounds."

On another court, far from the main lounge, two players conversed: the reknowned delinqueint Akutsu Jin, and his childhood friend Kawamura. The two had been reminiscing on the past.

"Ah, I can't believe I've made it this far. I've become the number one middle school power player in all Japan. Even though it happened months ago, it still hasn't hit me."

Akutsu lit up a cigarette, which did not contain tabacco, which he usually smoked, but marajuana.

"That time, if it wasn't for your advice Akutsu, I wouldn't have the strength to keep going."

"What happened back then .. doesn't matter. All that matters is what goes on from now onwards, at the U-17 training grounds."

Akutsu stood up off the bench and picked up his racket which lied next to him. Then, a member from one of the U-17 courts came into the court. He had black hair, rolled up into a regent hairstyle and was fairly tall.

"Yo," he said with a deep voice and sinister smile.

Kawamura sensed the atmosphere change, and was confused.

"Akutsu, who is this?"

"This is the reason I called you out here, Kawamura. This scrub is someone that I originally beat and took his spot on the fifth court."

"Name's Joji Umegara. That was then, this is now, squirt. I'm surprised you actually came here, knowing how effective the U-17 training is when it comes to losers. I'll beat you today and regain my spot on the higher courts ... !"

"Akutsu ..." a worried Takamura mumbled.

"He's nothing. Actually, I wanted to show you something. I told you that the only reason I'm here is to pay back that cheeky freshman brat, professional tennis be damned. In the time I studied overseas, him and some other middle schoolers really stepped their game up, what with all these 'auras' and 'happy tennis' and all kinds of other nonsense and bullshit, that have nothing to do with reality. But I stepped my game up too ..."

Akutsu and Joji stepped onto their respective sides of the court.

"Kawamura, you be the umpire. I promise, this won't last long," Akutsu ensured.

"1 Set Match, Joji Umegara to serve!"

Joji tossed up not one, not two, but eight balls into the air.

"Who needs one ball when we can rally eight?!"

All eight balls homed in on Akutsu who returned them all no problem.

"Tch, spider eight balls, huh?"

"He hit eight balls at once ... Migihashi of the former second court was able to do the same thing against Echizen ... So, this guy has risen his skills from 5th to 2nd-court level? No, it may be even higher than that ... !"

The two continued to rally the balls, until Akutsu managed to make the first score.

"0-15!"

"Tennis was just a hobby I happened to be good at. Just like Karate. So boring. But ... who would have thought that I would end up studying in another country just for the sake of it? Just for the sake of ..."

Akutsu hit the balls back, " ... beating that brat!!"

Joji realized something about the balls, that there was no longer eight, but now nine balls being rallied.

"Hah, snuck a ninth one in, huh? No problem!! Urryahh!!"

Joji hit all nine towards Akutsu.

"Damn tennis! I never thought something could make me care so much!"

Akutsu rallied back,"I'm not revved up yet! I'm not mad enough! This guy hasn't pissed me off yet!"

"Dammit, stop playing games!" Joji rallied the balls back and although he hit them back, one actually went into Akutsu's court.

"15-15."

"Not ..."

"30-15!"

"... Yet!!"

"40-15!!"

"Akutsu, what are you doing?"

"Seem off edge, pissed because you know that the rug's gonna get swept right from your feet?"

"Me?! Never!! I can't lose to you, not before I've killed off that brat!!!"

Suddenly, Akutsu's glare struck heart into Joji as he made his serve.

"One .. more ... ball!"

Joji had successfully managed to serve 10 balls at once.

"All right!!!!"

"Ten balls?! But that's first-court level!!!!" Kawamura shouted.

"Kawamura!! Watch, and don't you look away for a second!! The technique I created overseas, the ultimate shot that can end your tennis career before you know what hit you!"

The ten balls veered to the left of Akutsu.

"Take that! Left-Saver!"

Akutsu, using his sliding talent, was able to slide to the left side of the baseline.

"Akutsu's sliding, it's just like the famous Gael Monfils! Not only can he slide to anywhere on the court, his muscles allow him to attack from that spot too!!"

Akutsu's eerie and strange slide caughed a black streak on the court.

"Finishing move ..."

Bamba-bambambambambambambambam- Finished.

Before Kawamura knew what happened, ten balls had been imprinted into Joji's face, who was now outside the court, blasted through the fences, and bloodied all over with his eyes rolled back.

"'Shun Kyuu Satsu,' the Instant Death Shot ... At about 13%, if anything."

Kawamura was speechless.

"G .. G-Game .. Akutsu .. !!"

"I told you, Kawamura. What happened back then ... doesn't matter. With this, I can't lose."

[LetalHawk]

Lol, you made Akutsu use Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu in Tennis!?

[Brandnewkid]

Lol, you made Akutsu use Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu in Tennis!?

He can also do Air Hadokyuu's ... with one arm.

I think a lot of people forget that Akutsu's a special kind of genius. He's a martial arts prodigy that was able to take out entire dojos as a kid - that says something about human potential.

[-Ken-]

Wait, I thought...

"1 Set Match, Joji Umegara to serve!"

Then how come...?

The two continued to rally the balls, until Akutsu managed to make the first score.

"15-0!"

I like the chapter. Akutsu new tech kind of fit him. I don't like characters rallying with more than 1 ball, though.

[Brandnewkid]

Thanks for pointing that out.

---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:53 PM ----------

The following chapter, folks, was not part of my original plans for the story. It's more of a challenge kind of thing. Y'see, in a certain thread where Yamabuki's Sengoku's tennis prowess was brought into discussion, I argued that Sengoku was actually not that great in tennis and that he's just a lucky hax. To further support this, I joked that I could even write a match where Sengoku is able to hold his own Yukimura of all people, and still make it seem believable. Part of this was due to Konomi's refusal to give us any decent Sengoku-showtime after his match with Momoshiro, other than apparently raping Richard Sakata face first into the fence (Maybe I should do a story giving Richard some time in the limelight?)

So yeah, Challenge Accepted. I gotta say, this was one of the most funnest and most interesting chapters to write. Without further adeu, enjoy.

It was 11:07 PM; nighttime at the U-17 and often before bed, the middle schoolers would do their own things rather than sleep in early. Well, some of them. They never really learned their lesson after the pillow fight incident. In the U-17 lounge sat Yukimura, Shiraishi, Fuji, and Zaizen. Some of the greatest players in all of Japanese middle school tennis and Zaizen just lounging together, talking about mundane things. Suddenly around the corner they heard footsteps and turned around to see who was approaching.

"Over here, and then ... Oh!" the person mumbled.

It was none other than ...

"Ah, Sengoku," said Fuji.

"Oh, heya fellas. Don't mind me, I'm just looking for my cell phone I left somewhere around here earlie-" until the cellphone, which was on top of the vending machine caught his eye.

"Ah! There it is. As for why it's on top of a vending machine, I have no clue."

"Hehehe, you're a funny one, Sengoku," said Yukimura.

"Well, Akutsu returned my books, so no more interesting late-night reads. May as well stay up for a bit."

Sengoku sat down with his fellow middle school players and joined in on the late-night conversation.

"Man, y'know, I should chill with you guys more often," he said.

"Why ya' say that?" Shiraishi asked.

"Because everyone knows that you guys are the chick magnets of the U-17. C'mon, have you guys been on the message boards? The fan girls are all over you guys. No females come my way when they see me hanging around with a scary dude like Akutsu. If I'm with you guys, maybe my chances with the ladies will go up, up, and beyond!"

"Haha, Sengoku, I think it has something to do with our tennis skill as well," Yukimura suggested.

"Bah, tennis skill? I mean, I'd clearly beat all of you in games, but the girls don't know that."

The other four got silent. Sengoku was picking a fight, but it was in his cheery and joking personality to say such things.

"But ... all jokes aside ... anyone up for a late-night game? We have five players, but I'm not much of a doubles player ..."

They all smirked

"A fun game for bragging rights? Sounds like fun. Yeah, ecstasy!"

Yukimura stood up.

"Shall we play, Sengoku, my good man?"

Sengoku whistled, "Now that's more like it."

As they all went to the courts, Zaizen took the position as umpire while Sengoku and Yukimura stretched.

"Yukimura, before we start, let me tell you that today is my lucky day. According to the stars, today was one of the most fortunate days I'll have all year."

"The stars, huh?" Zaizen sarcastically mumbled.

"Whaddya' think, Fuji? Yukimura's got this in the bag, right? I mean, even our Kin-man couldn't beat Yukimura, and he's ... him, haha."

"Hmm, well ... Sengoku is a strong player, but his luck is something else. His luck is what enabled him to beat Momoshiro."

"Yeah, but c'mon, it's just luck. I'm pretty sure he's had a few lucky streaks here and there, but who doesn't? You can't 'train' luck, right? Maybe I'm a bit biased, because Yukimura and I have similar styles of tennis in that we don't do anything fancy or extravagant except serve and return the ball, but I say Sengoku's gonna have a hard time sleeping tonight once he gets Yipped."

"Hm, good point."

"A one set match sounds good?" Zaizen asked.

"Fine with me," said Sengoku. "I'll win tonight's game! Lady Luck is on my side, cheering for me!"

"Best of three games match! Yukimura to serve!"

Yukimura tossed the ball into the air and served it flawlessly, Sengoku returned it. Yukimura returned to the center service line, causing Sengoku to return it.

"Mm, here's good, hah!" he said as he returned it.

Yukimura returned the ball to different parts of the court, making Sengoku run around the place, and each time Sengoku caught up with the ball he would say something like "Not here!" or "Safe!"

"He's trying to tire him out?" Zaizen asked.

"Nah, I don't think Yukimura's even taking this seriously. He's just returning the ball until the Yips take noticeable effect," Shiraishi said.

Eventually, Yukimura returned a shot cross-court to the baseline, giving him the first point.

"15-0!"

"So there's the 'place.'"

"The 'place?'"

"I've figured out your game, Yukimura. Gonna wait it out until the Yips creep up on me, huh? It won't work, I'm a really lucky cat, y'know?"

"Hm, we'll see."

After Yukimura served the ball, Sengoku immediately scored a return ace.

"15-15?!"

"Whoa!"

"That was ... almost too perfect ..." said Fuji.

"Hehehe, I've figured it out, and on the first try too!"

"What are you talking about?" Yukimura asked, unfazed but confused as to how Sengoku could have scored such a perfect return ace.

"I've figured out your 'Unlucky Zone.'"

"'Unlucky Zone?'" everyone muttered.

"Don't know, huh? It's Feng-Shui, y'know, Feng-Shui."

"Feng-Shui? You mean that art that people do when they rearrange their furniture?"

"Of course," said Fuji. "Feng Shui is an age-old Chinese art of geomancy that helps one's life through the culmination of positive Qi."

"Positive Qi?" Shiraishi asked, "This can't possibly be real, right?"

"Supposedly, certain areas are much more fortunate than others in any given space."

"I mean, anything is possible ..."

"No joke, seeing how we have a guy that can biologically jam your five senses through a game of tennis ..." said Zaizen, again, sarcastically.

"I've figured out all the areas where something 'bad' will happen to you."

"Kind of like Atobe's Insight, then? Can see all of my blindspots?"

"Nope, it's just ... well, try not to hit a ball in No Man's Land. Back court's where you're weakest today. So much black Qi has gathered in your back court. That's all I can say. This is my new skill, Unlucky Zones. It works in boxing too, ahaha ..."

"Lets see if what you're saying holds weight!"

Yukimura proceeded to return the ball from the net and then run to the back court.

"Don't ..." Sengoku returned the ball to the back court, " ... do it! I warned you!"

Yukimura attempted to swing his racket but ... at that moment, his hand to stopped in mid-swing and his racket to flew out of his hand.

"15-30!"

"What just ... happened? Yukimura's racket suddenly flew out of his hand! Was it ... evil spirits?" Zaizen asked.

"No, it was the muscles in his biceps and triceps. They happened to contract due to the continuous top spins and slices that Yukimura kept returning and caused an second-long paralysis. It's called the Spot, and is something that Shinji from Fudomine did to Echizen in the past," Fuji explained.

"Oh, so it was just Sengoku's doing."

"No ... That's the thing. To copy another player's move is nothing we're not used to; practically everyone that's a great player can do it. There's only so much you can do, after all. However ... I don't think Sengoku even planned on using The Spot; he just 'happened to have' done it. Yukimura really is playing in an 'Unlucky Zone!'"

On the next serve, Yukimura's serve wasn't that great, it was a pretty slow one, that any player could return.

"Not the best serve, Yukimura!" Sengoku returned it.

Yukimura, still refusing to believe in his misfortune, continued to play from the baseline.

"I'm telling you, the 'Black Qi' is gonna mess your game up!"

But, just as Yukimura was about to return, a huge clap of lightning was heard from the sky,

"!!!"

"Lightning?! I don't remember hearing anything about a storm tonight!" said Shiraishi, who had covered his ears along with Fuji and Zaizen.

Suddenly, it began to drizzle. The drizzle wasn't serious enough that the game had to end. However Yukimura dropped to the court with his racket, meaning that Sengoku's ball went in.

"15-40!"

"Lets ... continue," said Yukimura as he stood up.

"Today's a super lucky day for me ..."

Yukimura glared at Sengoku.

"All the good Qi has been accumulated within me, but where does all the bad Qi go? I mean, it's only natural that 'good' and 'bad' have to co-exist. 'Zen' and 'Aku.' Today, I'm completely Zen. I'm not 'balanced.' That means ... all the bad luck that would usually be around is gathered up and stored somewhere else. Yukimura, all the excess bad luck has gathered on your back court! As of right now, you have more 'black Qi' than 'white Qi! The 'Southern House' is your worst spot right now! Anything 'backwards' or 'facing the back' is bad for you today! Worst case scenario, you try to hit a backhand and you end up dislocating a joint. Don't try any backspins, either. Because you continued to play in your Unlucky Zone, you allowed the black Qi to play tricks with fate and cause a random lightning strike ... Man, they don't call him the 'Demigod of tennis' for nothing, it's like I'm playing against a Roger Frederer or something. A messed up joint would really come in hand- No! I can't take pleasure in others' misfortune!"

"C'mon, that's ridiculous. So, because he kept playing in the back court, he 'caused a lightning strike?' Sengoku, that's kinda warped," said Zaizen.

Actually, Zaizen was the one who was wrong Sengoku isn't totally off, at all.

Readers, if you will, allow me to explain a little misconception of nature regarding lightning strikes. The thing about lightning is that while it appears that the lightning strikes from the clouds to the ground, it actually 'starts from the ground up.' It's a summer night, and the clouds have been causing friction There are negative charges in the bottom of a storm cloud, and positive charges at the top of a storm cloud. (I would like you to remember what Sengoku spoke about regarding balance between Yin and Yang) Well, if there happens to be enough energy within the storm cloud, negatively charged electrons will flow out of the cloud and travel towards the ground. This is called a "Step Ladder." When positive charges, protons, on the ground build up, they go up this ladder causing the positive charges to connect with the negative charges. This link causes more electrons to flow from the cloud, and in return, more protons flow up to the cloud, thus creating the flash of lightning we see in nature.

What happened here was that, due to Yukimura's playing on the baseline, he happened to have kicked up a lot of dust that had been present on the baseline of his side of the court, as the court they were playing on was not completely cleaned up as of yet. Thus, the dust caused many protons to gather, causing a very close strike of lightning. Yukimura should actually consider himself lucky, that the lightning did not strike him. Zaizen should consider himself even luckier, seeing how he was sitting in the umpire's high seat.

Sengoku then held up two fingers.

"The second reason I'm lucky, is because ... your Yips just kicked in ... Just the lightning flashed. Right now, I can't hear anything. The only thing that surprised me was the flash, and it was pretty small. The boom of the thunderclap didn't affect me as much as it did you - actually, it didn't affect me at all. That's because I'm standing in my 'Lady Luck Zone,' which as of today happens to be the right T-line area, on the right side of the line formed by the service and center service lines."

"Lemme guess: that's the spot where 'Lady Luck is,' the best spot for you, right?" asked Shiraishi.

"What an unbelievably lucky dude!" shouted Zaizen.

The two started playing again, and Sengoku won the first game. However, as the second game started Sengoku had trouble serving the ball, as his arm shook, "Figures, I'm losing my touch!"

Not only that, but his vision blurred, "And my sight's fading, I'm gonna go blind soon!"

But despite this, he still managed to hit the ball, although he slipped on the wet ground and fell on his side. However, just as he did it, his cellphone in his pocket vibrated and rang.

"Wait!! Lemme take this call, it might be my roommate wondering where I am," he said.

The two stopped the game, until Yukimura realized something.

"You lost your sense of touch; how did you know the phone vibrated? You shouldn't have been able to hear the ring, either."

"Yukimura, I think ... I think it was the vibration of the phone that was able to revigorate Sengoku's nerves. I once heard that cell phone vibrations and radiations do have effects on the human body."

If anything, Sengoku wasn't supposed to even be playing with a phone in his pocket, but since this was an informal match, they let it slide.

"But, he is lucky though, his phone ringing helped him get out of the Yips!"

"And he didn't plan it either," Shiraishi added.

Sengoku ended the call and tossed his phone off the court.

"Sorry, sorry! Back to the game!"

He re-served, and as Yukimura returned, he rushed up to the net.

"Finally gave in, huh?"

Sengoku leaped up into the air, "Tiger Cannon!!"

His Tiger Cannon, aimed at the baseline, went in. However, Yukimura did not even think of trying to return it. It wasn't that he couldn't handle Sengoku's smashing power; it was an average smash at best, only slightly better than Momoshiro's Dunk Smash. It was because he knew the dangers of No Man's Land.

The drizzle stopped.

"Y'know, up until this point, I never really took him seriously ... I always thought he was just some skirt-chaser." Zaizen stared at Sengoku and couldn't help but see the image of a giant 'maneki neko' cat behind him, and a pink aura which enveloped him; a 'Zen' aura; an aura on pure fortune. "But ..." The image of that illusory maneki neko changed into that of a ferocious tiger. "He's fierce! This is the might of the luckiest man!! Can I ... beat him?!"

As Sengoku jumped for his next serve, he cringed. "Ugh! From my last Tiger Cannon, I hurt myself a bit on the way down!"

"Sengoku's hurt," Fuji said, "Yukimura might be able to turn this around."

Yukimura was about to return again from the net, however, the ball dropped much earlier than he had anticipated, and Sengoku got the point.

"Game, Sengoku!"

"Was it a sinker?" Shiraishi asked.

"An accidental one. It wasn't much, but the ball absorbed a lot of water from the drizzling, causing it to increase in weight. Thus, the time it dropped into the court was much earlier than it normally would've been," Fuji explained.

Sengoku began to laugh.

"I should let you in on something, Yukimura. All this time, I've told you that my Lady Luck Zone was the right T of the T-line ... The right T. The truth is - and I've only just realized this myself - was that - and believe me, even I'm surprised at this-"

"Say it!"

"The truth is, what you're seeing right now, isn't 'reality.' You see, the drizzle came with a mist. There's a mist surrounding us right now. And, it really shocked me too, so I think it's just fair to let you know, but this mist, combined with the drizzling, and the rapid spin of the ball we've been hitting, and the wind, has created a serious change in air density! The change in air density is so serious that a 'refractive lens of air' was created! The image you see of me right now is a refraction of where I really am!"

Yukimura's heart skipped a beat, "You mean to say that ..."

"Although I've been playing on the right side of the T-line, my real Lady Luck Zone ... is the left side!!"

"So when I play from the left side of the T-line today, I'm unbeatable!"

"Wait, wait, so all this time, he's been faking his luck?! All this time, it was actual skill?! No, wait, my head hurts!! This is too much! This has to be some kind of dream! Tell me we all got Fuwa'd! So now ...?!" Zaizen was in utter confusion.

"Now he's invincible!!" Shiraishi shouted, "He's about to show us his 'true luck!!!!'"

"This is ... the final serve!" Sengoku shouted as he hit his serve, "Ultra-Matrix Fortune Booster Ser-" however ...

"It's over." Yukimura returned the serve with ease.

"Wait, what ..." they all said.

Yukimura scored the next point.

"Fif ... 15-0."

Yukimura slowly pointed to Sengoku's tossed away phone.

"Sengoku, I would like you to step off the court and take a good look at the time on your cellphone."

Sengoku did as Yukimura asked, and his jaw dropped.

"What, what is it??" Zaizen asked.

"It ... It is now 12:01 AM ..."

"Right. This means, your super lucky day has officially ended. All the 'zones' on the court have changed. You also said that your luck was something that only happened on a few days every year, yes? What are the odds that you would have two such days in a row?"

Sengoku put on a grin of madness, refusing to believe that his luck was over already.

"Uh, um, hey, uh ..."

"Back to the game."

"30-0!"

Shiraishi, Fuji, and Zaizen laughed.

However, after this time of comedy, Sengoku did put up a "decent" fight, and in the end he lost 6-1.

"Ah, man, you really are something else," Sengoku said as he dropped to the ground.

The other players clapped for him.

"It was a good game, Sengoku."

Yukimura approached him and extended his hand for a handshake.

"I would shake your hand, but I literally can't feel my hands, thanks."

Regardless, Yukimura still held his hand out. It was a true act of sportsmanship. Sengoku did his best to shake Yukimura's hands anyway.

And with that, he walked off the court.

"*Sigh* Oh well, tomorrow will be a lucky day too!" Sengoku cheefully said. "Still ... He's no joke, the Demigod, Seiichi Yukimura."

"Well, that was a good match, don't you all think?"

"Yeah, a real midnight thriller," said Zaizen.

"I think with a little more practice and calculation put into that 'talent' of his ... he'll become one of this camp's more dangerous players," said Shiraishi.

"Actually ... I think Sengoku already is," Fuji added.

[LetalHawk]

There's no way Sengoku would take a game from Yuki even if he's that lucky, I was hoping for Sanada vs Yuki rematch

[Brandnewkid]

There's no way Sengoku would take a game from Yuki even if he's that lucky, I was hoping for Sanada vs Yuki rematch

Wayyyy too early for that. Don't think I'm gonna have a Sanada match any time soon until we've seen what he's gained from the mountain training. That, and I'm not totally confident in my abilities to write a great Sanada match.

[Kaoz]

Part of this was due to Konomi's refusal to give us any decent Sengoku-showtime after his match with Momoshiro, other than apparently raping Richard Sakata face first into the fence

He lost against Kamio. Also the match against Richard was 6-4, so not exactly a blowout.

[Brandnewkid]

He lost against Kamio. Also the match against Richard was 6-4, so not exactly a blowout.

I stand corrected.

---------- Post added at 04:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:10 AM ----------

There's no way Sengoku would take a game from Yuki even if he's that lucky,

I didn't really reply to this, so let me do it now and bump my thread at the same time: the era where Yukimura is this invincible super god that never loses is over. In NPoT we have people that are much stronger than Yukimura. Not to say that Sengoku is stronger than Yukimura, but now it's more likely to see someone like Yukimura, who was invincible before, actually lose a game. Now, if you read my story, I made Sengoku lose 6-1. That mean he took one game from Yukimura. Not something like 6-4. Now that would be outrageous. But for another middle schooler that doesn't have Muga to take a game away from someone like Yukimura, to me, just shows that the U-17 is really doing their job.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that the U-17 will make you a beast. If I put, say, Arai in there and had him go up against Yukimura after receiving training from the U-17 camp, the chances that Arai would take a game would be pretty low. But, this is Sengoku, who according to the manga (supposedly) and you guys (because I've never seen this part myself) was seen as on par with Yanagi and Atobe. If that's the case, then it is very possible.

If that is not the case however, and the original manga in no way implies that Sengoku is a tennis player of such high calliber, please let me know and I will rewrite the story to adjust to it's confines of tennis ability.

[Tsukihime no uta]

I think it was an interestingly constructed match, although I probably also think that Yukimura would not drop a game to sengoku, seems how Yuki easily crushed kintaro in the nationals. But I still don't mind it. Its a fan fic, so I hope you just keep creating unique ideas whether or not they follow the exact parameters of the manga.
Look forward to seeing your next match.

[Brandnewkid]

It was another day at the U-17, and as usual everyone was doing their own things after the mandatory morning-to-afternoon training excercises. Some trained, some relaxed, some slept (Jiro), some read books; it was just another day in the camp life.

At the U-17 main lounge however, sat four players. Inui, Yanagi, Koharu, and a surprise guest, none other than Akuto Mitsuya, who Inui and Yanagi had played a few days before.

"Why have you called us here, Mi-tsu-ya boy~ <3" said a swooned Koharu, who was head over heels for the ex-first stringer.

"I've called you here because you guys are the forefront of the middle school data tennis players. The other one known as Mizuki is better suited off-court, so I figured it wasn't necessary to call him, but I did meet with him prior to this meeting," said Mitsuya.

"So, this is a meeting of something ..." said Inui,

"... That relates to ...." continued Yanagi,

"... Data players and the confines of the tennis court, is what Yanagi thought Inui would say," Akuto finished.

Koharu's face turned into one of disgust. "Um, ew. Are these guys psychic? Don't they realize how creepy this is?"

"Right. More specifically, this is regarding one of the Genius 10. I highly suspect that he is a data player with data skill that surpasses my own."

"!!"

"Actually, I think we all have an idea which one you're talking about," Yanagi said.

"Of course, his form of data, if any, is a ocmplete hypothesis to me right now. I've never been able to get any data on him. In the case that my hypothesis is correct, then he uses a very strange but an often-neglected focus of data that might render him invincible."

"... Please, explain," asked Inui as he pushed up his glasses.

"Data tennis is a 'science style' where precise steps are followed to achieve a result, unlike power tennis which is an 'art,' where the same result can be achieved through different ways. As you know, data players tend to have different 'styles' of data for use. Inui and Renji both use 'statistical probability.' Mizuki uses 'tactics based on persona,' which is what allowed him to pair you lot with the best opponents during the successful Black Jersey Revolution. Koharu uses calculus to calculate all possible variables. But this player, uses a kind of data tennis completely different from that. A data that combines 'art' and 'science!''"

"A form of data tennis that combines 'art' and 'science?!'" the three middle schoolers all said in unision.

"You mean to say that ... the data can always change a different amount of ways and he will always achieve the same result?! That kind of data is ..." Yanagi mumbled.

"... Bizarre, indeed. But, I can't say too much. I still have my pride of a first stringer. Well, good luck, brains of tomorrow."

Akuto got up and left, leaving the three data players left to think.

On another court, a certain Ryoma Echizen was getting ready to play with none other than Kazuya Tokugawa.

Tokugawa tossed up five balls in the air, "Get ready!" and served them all at once.

Ryoma returned all of them with ease, "Too easy."

After a minute of rallying these balls, Ryoma suggested, "Why not step it up to ten? I can hit them."

"As you wish!"

The two rallied the ten balls back and forth.

"I knew it. The mountain training with the drunk geezer was all you needed," said Tokugawa, even though Ryoma seemed to ignore him. "As ridiculous and unnecessary as it is, learning how to hit ten balls at once consistently is an incredible feat. In a real match, rallying ten tennis balls is useless, but it means you are as able as ten normal players."

"Yeah, this is kinda stupid."

Ryoma tossed 10 balls in the air, and nine of them flew passed Tokugawa, while the last one flew towards him in a clockwise spiralling curve.

"Gyro spin?!"

"So I'll just show you a special shot using one."

The spiralling ball hit the ground and bounced towards Tokugawa's face, "This is?!" But before the ball could hit him in the face he returned it ... or so he thought. Though his racket hit the ball, it flew out of the court.

"That's out," said Ryoma with his trademark deadpan.

"Hmm, so you've put a spin on your signature serve, the Twist Serve. It's amazing that you can even hit a gyro spinner as a serve. By putting a gyro spin on it, the ball cuts through the air resistance, and once it hits the ground, the 'twist' from the ball makes it jumps to the opponent's face, like the normal twist serve. However, because of the gyro spin that was on the ball, once my racket makes contact with it, the ball goes out. So, not only do I have to hit the ball fast enough, I have to hit it at the right point of spin so that it won't fly out."

"You've figured it out for the most part. It was a skill I made out of frustration with the old man. I wanted to hit him with it at least once."

"Understandable."

"Also ... I wanted to create a move that I could use to hold ground with two of my most skilled seniors, Captain Tezuka and Fuji. One has a move that makes the ball go out while another has a move that makes the opponent fault. I figured I needed a 'super move' that can 'make me lazy too.'"

"I see."

As Ryoma did another Gyro Serve, Tokugawa returned it, correctly this time.

"There!"

Before Ryoma can return the ball, the ball seemed to speed up in mid-air.

"You can put a spin on the ball when you hit it ... but can you put a spin on the ball after it's been hit?"

"Heh, now that's a neat trick."

As they continued to rally balls, someone in the back ground served his own ball. It was none other than Byodoin, the number one player at the U-17 camp.

"Die."

---------- Post added May 29, 2012 at 12:11 AM ---------- Previous post was May 28, 2012 at 05:32 PM ----------

Both Ryoma and Tokugawa evaded Byodoin's shot, which created a small crater as it smashed the wall behind them.

"You ... !" growled Tokugawa.

"You bastard!" said Ryoma, but before he knew it another ball was coming towards him. Tokugawa, however blocked this one with his own abdomen and was sent flying in the air.

"Hey!! This is power tennis!"

"Guah!"

Tokugawa hurled into the wall.

"One more!" Byodoin served another shot, but before he knew it, the mysterious player who donned the hood stepped in and returned the ball.

"Hmph!"

"C'mon now. Bullying, really? If that's how we're doing things we may as well go play that new Mario Tennis game on the 3DS," he said. He proceeded to take off his hoodie, "Besides ... You know I've gotta protect my lil' brother."

Ryoma was speechless. A big brother? Yeah, right.

"Um ... Who're you?"

"You really don't remember me? I'm Ryoga Echizen, your older brother!"

The next day, on Court 6, Akutsu was doing stretches. He wasn't alone, however, as he had the Higa Middle School players on the court with him.

"Aye boy, ya' sure 'bout this?" Hirakoba had asked.

"Yeah mon, the captain is a real boss, y'zeet? True player, him skill is no joke! Him is the don of Higa Middle School, them call him 'The Killer' for a reason, you know," added in Tanishi.

The powerful Kite Eishiro then stepped up.

"I just want to see how I hold up ... against a guy like him."

"All right," Kite agreed. "One match."

As the two stepped into their positions, Kite served. Akutsu returned the ball easily. They went into a rally with both of them staying at the baseline. The score became 40-30.

"He's good!" thought Kite as he hit his Big Bang Serve.

Akutsu slided up to the front of the net.

"Huah!!"

"A Super Rising Shot!" exclaimed Hirakoba.

Kite was already mid-court ready to hit his forehand thanks to the Shukuchi.

"That warping step!" thought Akutsu, "Now that's what I wanted to see!" as he hit the ball back.

"Trying to test your sliding against the Shukuchi's warp? Interesting."

Suddenly, an aura gathered around Kite's body.

"That is ... Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami, the Pinnacle of Hard-Work!!"

"If anyone knows about hard-work, it would be us," Kite smashed the ball with twice the power he had before, "Okinawa!!"

However at that instant, Kite seen a huge black aura envelope Akutsu's whole being, as if he was becoming a demon, no ... an ashura.

"Ah whah that!?" Tanisha asked.

"Oh, you can double-up everything now? I guess you're cool," Akutsu said in a deep, condescending, sarcastic voice.

"That aura!!"

However, Akutsu didn't even lift his racket. Kite got the point and took the first game.

"... He didn't hit it? Smart."

"I'm not gonna rally a ball that'll get twice as strong every time I hit it back. After the third time I'll be hitting a wrecking ball. Not like I ain't up to the challenge. I could do it in my sleep."

"It's true. It's utterly dangerous to volley shots that have been affected by Hyakuren. It's an aura best suited for aces, unless one can handle the continuous power increase ... But, what was that aura that appeared for that split-second."

"That move ..."

"?"

"The one where you guys teleport from one spot to another ... Is that what you got from your Okiniwan martial arts? That's cool. Lemme show you what technique I gained from my martial arts."

"... We'll see."

"I'll tell you now, it's called Shun Kyuu Satsu and it's a move that ends the game as soon as it's hit. It's based on the final forbidden technique of the karate school I used to go to."

"Such a move actually exists? A move that can end the game as soon as it's hit? You're joking."

Akutsu served the ball, "See for yourself!!"

Kite returned it, to which Akutsu slid over to hit it back, "All I need ..."

The rally continued, and every shot Kite hit Akutsu would slide to and return.

"... Is a little ..."

Kite used his Hyakuren aura once more.

"... Build-up!"

"We came from Okinawa to dominate and make our presence known at the U-17. Don't expect us to go down to a punk that looks down on tennis!"

Kite warped to the net and dragged his racket across the ground, kicking up dust and pebbles at Akutsu along with the ball. Akutsu slid up to the front of the net.

Hirakoba face-palmed himself, "Boss, you they ah use them dirty tricks for so long they become a habit?"

"Front-range too? It's really over for you now."

At that moment, Sengoku walked into the court, alerting Hirakoba and Tanishi.

"Yo! So this is where you were. Oh?"

The demonic black aura once again resurfaced, causing Kite to freeze up.

"Th-This aura again ...?!"

"You're dead."

"Akutsu's about use his ultimate move?" Sengoku's thoughts were right on the money, "Uh ... I dunno if you guys get perfect scores on your eye tests like I do, but this is the part where I close my eyes. The violence gets kinda PG-13."

A drop shot. Instead of his super move, Akutsu faked Kite out and won the point with a drop shot.

"I'm done with you," Akutsu said, "I just wanted to see how my sliding matches up against your warping, but thanks to your efforts ... I think I just gained a new party trick."

"That aura just now ... You just gained it this match?!"

"Keep up the good work and valiant efforts ... in wasting your time being stepping stones for me."

"Aye!" Tanishi and Hirakoba shouted, but Kite put his arm out as if to tell them "No."

"By the way, word of advice ... The warp step sucks when you use it vertically. If I were you, I'd just use it left and right in the backcourt or something. Maybe if you were a doubles player or something, it'd be a bit more useful. Yeah, if there was another guy up front keeping the other side busy. Ah well, doesn't matter, sliding's my thing," said Akutsu as he walked off the court.

"Had fun? I guess it was a decent match, seeing how you put a hault on, y'know, that."

"Tch, whatever. Don't you have a fortune cookie correct?"

"Aha-ha, very funny," Sengoku replied as he crossed his hands behind his head.

The two walked.

"What's the difference anyway? Fast move ah fast move!" said Tanishi.

"No ... There are two main differences between my Shukuchi and his sliding. While the Shukuchi can hit from any place, his sliding allows him to hit from any position. And the second: by sliding around, he gathers kinetic energy that becomes potential energy for his shots, making them much more powerfu-"

Kite then realized something.

"But if that's true then ..." Kite remembered what Akutsu said during the match:

"I'm not gonna rally a ball that'll get twice as strong every time I hit it back. After the third time I'll be hitting a wrecking ball. Not like I ain't up to the challenge. I could do it in my sleep."

"That was no bluff. I see ... Jin Akutsu. A dangerous youth, for real."


Note:

- Regarding the way the Higa team speaks: Okinawan Japanese is so different from normal Japanese. I chose to represent the Higa team's dialect by giving them a pseudo-Jamaican / Caribbean island accent, since the Okinawan islands are pretty much Japan's version of the Caribbean to me.

As Ryoma slept, he couldn't forget what happened the night prior. Byodoin had attacked him and Tokugawa, but then a man calling himself Ryoga Echizen stepped in to save them.

"Who're you, really?" Ryoma asked.

"I told you, I'm your big brother," Ryoga said after taking a bite out of a tangerine. "I get it, you still don't believe me. Lets go at it."

"Brother or not, you're a 1st Stringer, right? One match," said Ryoma.

It was Ryoma's serve.

"Huah!" Ryoma grunted as he hit his signature Twist Serve.

"Light-work! Pops did this all the time when he was pulling his punches!" said Ryoga as he easily returned it.

Ignoring him, Ryoma slid up to the court and hit a Drive A. Once again, Ryoga easily returned it by placing his racket before his face, resulting in a volley right from the baseline.

"Drive ... B!!"

But Ryoga had it the ball on the rise right before the second "D."

Ryoma then ran up and jumped on the steps of the umpire seat, "COOL Drive!"

Ryoga, however, was unable to return this one.

"15-0 ..." Tokugawa calmly said, unofficially becoming the umpire from where he was.

"Yeah, those kinda no-bounce shots always take my by surprise," said Ryoga.

Ryoma was ready to serve once more, "Now I'll get serious!"

He hit his serve, which was none other than the suped-up version of the Twist Serve, the Gyro Serve.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!" Ryoga, however, had returned it easily.

"That one had some 'oomf' to it, little man!"

"You still have ... lots more to work on."

Ryoma was surrounded by a cloud of smoke, it was none other than the ...

"Muga no Kyochi, the Selfless State," said Tokugawa.

Ryoma had used Chitose's Kamikakushi, but Ryoga returned it. He used Hirakoba's Habu, but it too was to no avail. So was Krauser's Hopping Ball, Shinji's "Spot," Sanada's Ka (Fire), and Hiyoshi's Overthrow.

"All those super shots and not one managed to get past, you gotta step it up, little man!"

Then, Ryoma hit Sanada's Rai, and this too was returned. However, this is where things changed. Ryoga's eyes began to blur. Not only that, but the Rai that he thought he returned was actually caught in the gut of his racket.

"Oh? I didn't thnk it'd actually work, so I'm really surprised I pulled it off on my first try."

" ... Hey, little man ... Did'ja say something just now?" Ryoga asked.

"Yeah, your life must suck right now. I've been in your position before. It just creeps up on you, right?"

" ... Hey, little man ... I know it's night time but ... I can't see anything!"

"This is ... the Yips!!" said Tokugawa.

"May as well quit now. Unless you get some sudden flashbacks montages to the good ol' days with dad and realize why you're standing on the court right now, you're probably gonna schedule an appointment with a doctor."

" ... Okay, this is an interesting move. I'll be fine, though," said Ryoga as he closed his eyes.

"FIVE. SENSES. That includes HEARING. Using closed eyes to heighten your hearing and reach the ball won't work very well."

But then, a violet, thin, sphere-like aura had surrounded Ryoga.

"That aura ... It can't be?!" Tokugawa mumbled.

"What're you doing?! Whatever!!"

Ryoma hit the Rai again, but before he knew it it was returned.

"It's useless! That's the Mu aura!"

"My five senses are all gone, but ... It doesn't matter if I have my Mu invoked."

"Mu aura?!"

"This is Nothing," calmly said Ryoga.

"No need to .. brag!" Ryoma replied as he hit the ball, which was instantly returned.

"Mu aura, the aura of 'Nothingness.' ... It's an aura that creates a 'sphere of alertness.' If the ball comes anywhere within the radius of the aura, the user will detect it an react immediately. Even if the five senses are gone, the user can still feel where the ball is with their soul. An absolute defensive aura!" Tokugawa explained. "You may be at the top of the middle school tennis world, but here, you have to remember that you're no more than a frog trapped in a well who is just learning of the wide ocean."


"The Mu aura is something that can only be attained once one reaches the Pinnacle of Perfection, Ten'muho no Kiwami. And, being a chip off the Echizen block, that's childs play for me."

Eventually, the match ended 6-0, Ryoga.

Ryoma dropped to the court, in disbelief. But then, he grinned ... A new 'target' had appeared. It really was a good idea to come back to Japan.

"To be able to use the Mu aura and defeat him so easily ... No wonder he was picked up and made a member of the 1st Stringers without any trials. Where did they find this man?" Tokugawa thought.

"Still got a ways to go eh, little man?"

Grabbing his pillow and throwing it to the wall, Ryoma got out of bed, frustrated about his loss.

"Can't sleep well?" Krauser asked.

"Not really ..."

"15-0!" Shouted the umpire as the tennis ball bounced on the wall behind Atobe.

"What .."

"An ... ace already?" Kirihara muttered.

"Be careful!" Nioh said. But then ...

"30-0!"

This was how it started. It was the destined day, the day that the middle schoolers would face the Genius 10 for reign of the 1st Court. The first two players representing the 1st Court were Mori Jusaboro (10th) and Tsukimitsu Ochi (9th). To everyone's surprise, the ones who volunteered to play this doubles match was a pair never-before-seen, Atobe and Nioh. But, they just got aced ... twice.

Chotaro looked on in astonishment, "His serve is ..."

"... Perfect," thought Kamio, who's sentiments were apparently the same as Chotaro's.

"Hey, King. You might wanna keep your mouth shut and actually focus on hitting the ball back," encourage Mori, with his mocking smile.

"There's no point to this if they can't even hit the ball back," said Yukimura.

"Tsukimitsu's game is something fierce," said Chitose.

"Huah!" grunted Atobe as he hit back the next serve.

"He got it!" shouted the gawkers in the crowd.

"So you returned it, I mean, cool story bro." Mori had returned it with ease.

"40-0!"

"Heh, the fact that I could return it made all the difference," said Atobe as his fingers hovered over his eyes, "Atobe Kingdom!"

Regardless, it Tsukimitsu and Jusaboro still managed to take the first game.

"His serve is crazy, even my serves aren't that perfect," commented Shiraishi.

"A super-perfect serve ... If that's the issue and the players can't return the ball, then there's no chance of victory," added Yukimura.

"Now that's technique," said Fuji.

Atobe tossed the ball in the air, as it was now their serve. "If it's serves you want to compare ..."

He hit the ball with a nice stroke, "... Then I have something up my sleeves also!"

Ochi tried to return the ball, but before he knew it, it dropped to the ground and slid right behind up and bounced once it reached the line.

"There it is, Atobe's Tannhäuser Serve!!" shouted Shishido.

"15-0!"

After that, two more followed.

"30-0!"

"40-0!"

"I've got to do .. something ..." thought Mori.

By creeping his racket along the ground, he guided the ball into the racket's sweet spot and hit a drop shot.

"Wow, to return it like that takes serious timing," said Momoshiro.

Nioh quickly changed form into that of Renji, and proceeded to move.

"Yeah, I remember now ... There was always talk of some freak in the club who loved to pull pranks on people. Is this one of 'em? Renji, it's so good to see you again! Well, sorta!" said Jusaboro.

"Sonuva ... He became one of the 'Monsters!'" shouted Kirihara.

"Kamaitachi!"

The high-speed slice was enough to return the ball, and quick enough to alert Tsukimitsu and Jusaboro.

"Good thinking, Nioh," Renji thought.

"We've got to retreat and better our positions!" Tsukimitsu shouted.

"Got it!" Mori shouted as he dashed in front of Tsukimitsu to return the Kamaitachi.

However, "Renji" was one-step ahead.

"Probability that Mori would return the high-speed slice ... 100%," he mumbled as he hit a drop shot.

Tsukimitsu now, tried to return the drop shot, but it suddenly dropped to the ground and rolled back to the net.

"Cicada."

"Game Nioh-Atobe 1-1!"

"Game 4-4 2nd String!"

The on-lookers couldn't believe it, the middle schoolers were keeping up with the 1st Court's uper Doubles pair. But now, it was the 1st String's serve.

"Game 5-4 1st String!"

"Dammit! That Mach Serve is still a problem!" said Kaidoh.

"All right ... It's time we changed up our gameplan. It was a decent plan thus far, but we've got that serve is killing us," said Nioh.

"Ah, it's about that time?" said Atobe.

Everyone gasped. It was a shocker, and even I, the author, has no idea as to why no one suspected this. Nioh took off his "face" to reveal that it was Atobe underneath, and "Atobe" took off his own to reveal Nioh.

Jusaboro and Tsukimitsu, along with the rest of the 1st Stringers, were taken aback.

"Oh shit!" said Ohmagari.

"You're kidding, right? What's this, a magic act?" asked Byodoin.

"It's tennis, shit happens." Ryoga casually said.

"Heh, I've said it before and I'll say it again ... the Swindler is the most troublesome one on the courts," said Yukimura.

Nioh's trickery had done all of Rikkai, and all of the middle schoolers proud. So did Atobe and his skill in imitating techniques thus far.

"So, it was Atobe who hit the Kamaitachi and the Cicada. To be able to mimic them without Muga to such a degree ... He really is an outstanding all-rounder," said Fuji.

"He did something like that during the Nationals ..." said Ryoma, referencing how Atobe performed Fuji's Higuma Otoshi.

Now that Nioh and Atobe were good and ready, Nioh had to make one final adjustment.

"Shit's about to get puri-ty real."

All of a sudden, he transformed into none other than Tezuka ...

---------- Post added June 13, 2012 at 11:22 PM ---------- Previous post was June 10, 2012 at 04:03 PM ----------

"Right now, it's 5-4, in the 1st Stringer's favor ... But now that Nioh's become Tezuka, they just might ..." Couch Sato mumbled.

"The serve is very crucial to a game ..." "Tezuka" said as he tossed the ball in the air. He hit it, but before Tsukimitsu could react, the ball rolled back to the net.

"A Zero-Degree Serve? Niiiiiiice!" shouted Shishido.

And so, "Tezuka" hit continuous Zero-Degree Serves that the high schoolers could not return.

"15-0!"

"30-0!"

"40-0!"

However, on the last serve, Jusaboro managed to return it, "Seriously, that thing's no joke!"

Atobe returned it, knocking Jusaboro's racket out of his hand, and then leaped into the air, "Leave it to me, 'Tezuka!'"

He smahed the ball right down Jusaboro's lane, and not once did it bounce.

"Fugue Towards Despair!!"

"5-5!"

Atobe glanced at Nioh's arm.

"Hitting all those Zero-Degree Serves has done some damage. From here on out ... No more Zero-Degree Serves! We have to take the next game and break their service, 'Tezuka!'"

And so, the next rally continued. It was tough, as Tsukimitsu's defense was admirable.

"Hah, if only you guys had some power!" Jusaboro teased.

"Ahh~, thanks for the tip. Take it away ..." Atobe replied.

Suddenly, Nioh had become none other than ...

"'Kabaji!'"

"Kabaji's" powerful forehand was enough to blast both of the high schoolers' rackets out of their hands.

"Good job."

"Yeah."

[FrostyMouse]

This became Mission Impossible? Ugh...

Yagyuu and Kaidou, as well as Yagyuu and Niou, had similar shaped faces, so you could pull off Masquerade, but changing faces goes a bit far, in my opinion.

[Brandnewkid]

This became Mission Impossible? Ugh...

Yagyuu and Kaidou, as well as Yagyuu and Niou, had similar shaped faces, so you could pull off Masquerade, but changing faces goes a bit far, in my opinion.

Well, to be honest, that one comes from one of the Pair Puris, where it was confirmed (and the fourth wall was smashed to bits) that Nioh buys all his props to disguise himself as other characters. So I kinda went the Metal Gear Solid route and stood up a brick remaining from the fourth wall and had him ... you know.

Not so sure about the Missle Impossible reference though.

[FrostyMouse]

Well, to be honest, that one comes from one of the Pair Puris, where it was confirmed (and the fourth wall was smashed to bits) that Nioh buys all his props to disguise himself as other characters. So I kinda went the Metal Gear Solid route and stood up a brick remaining from the fourth wall and had him ... you know.

Not so sure about the Missle Impossible reference though.

In both the original tv show, which I never watched, and then the later Tom Cruise movies, one big part of Mission Impossible was this face business. They created life-like masks that properly moved and everything, which also came with perfect voice changers (and everyone used them) for infiltration and mind screws. People would always fuck with someone's head by pretending to have been someone else and then pull off their mask in order to reveal that the person had just revealed secrets to them or some other cheesy plot.

Regardless of the PP, Niou only uses Masquerade once and then Yagyuu does it with Kaidou. Niou does fake an injury, but other than those two moments, it's Illusion that's used.

The Mission Impossible movies were pretty bad, but you're saying you haven't seen them?

[Brandnewkid]

Regardless of the PP, Niou only uses Masquerade once and then Yagyuu does it with Kaidou. Niou does fake an injury, but other than those two moments, it's Illusion that's used.

The Mission Impossible movies were pretty bad, but you're saying you haven't seen them?

Thanks for explaining. I wanted to make this match as different as I could to the original story and give the readers something from left-field. What better way to give Nioh some light by showing him use what he was (originally) most infamous for, I figured. Btw, is that move really called Masquerade?

Nope, never seen 'em.