One Nil to You (A Prince of Tennis Fanfiction)

Chapter 21

Note: This chapter has scenes from Prince of Tennis anime OVA series Episode 20-26: The National Tournament Finals Arc, episode 26.

September 24, 2012

Forest of Arenas Park — National Tournament Finals: Seigaku vs Rikkai

Morning

From the radio on her way to the arena from Narita International Airport, Juri learned that Tezuka had lost Singles 3 and Doubles 2 had to be forfeited since Inui had been terribly injured by Kirihara who was in the Devil Mode. It looked like Rikkai was certainly going to take their third consecutive championship when Fuji took Singles 2 after unleashing his perfected sixth counter the Star Fireworks, and Oishi and Kikumaru won Doubles 1 after revealing that they had achieved Synchro. Like in the Kanto Tournament, Seigaku's victory rested in Ryoma's hands.

And Juri ran as fast as she can like the winter breeze colliding into inanimate objects and crashing waves hitting the shore line to get to the arena where the championship finals was being held. She knew full well that going up against Yukimura who never dropped a single game all his life would not be easy, yet for some reason, she knew everything would be alright.

Just as she was about to reach the entrance, that same light that engulfed her back in the Himalayas radiated from where the tennis court was.

Could it be...? she thought, stopping from her tracks. The Pinnacle of Perfection...? Echizen-kun...

As the light faded, from the entrance, Juri saw Ryoma surrounded by shimmers of silver and his green tinted black hair spiking upwards like he was a new person—someone who had been reborn.

This is it... Juri thought. This is where the real battle begins.

Yukimura entered his battle stance once more as he thought, The Pinnacle of Perfection, huh? I'll see about it!

As Ryoma hurled the ball, Yukimura swore he heard an explosion. His eyes went wide, as Ryoma had already finished his serve and the ball was behind him.

Everyone in Seigaku and Rikkai were dumbstruck at what they had just witnessed.

"What was that just now?" Yagyuu asked, almost losing his cool.

"Hey, umpire?" Ryoma said, pointing his racket to the official. "You gonna call that?"

"Uh, well..." the umpire was uncertain.

"Monitor!" an official called to the closest cameraman. "Get a good shot quickly!"

The cameraman pressed replay, then went a few seconds back in slow motion to see where the ball had landed.

"It's in," he said.

"The shot was in!" the official yelled.

"Fifteen all!" the umpire announced.

"Better get it together." Ryoma said, as he dribbled the ball. He threw it up. "Okay, I'll go a little slower this time."

As Ryoma kept serving the ball, the score was finally beginning to turn around:

"Thirty-fifteen!"

"Forty-fifteen!"

"Game to Seigaku's Echizen! One game to four!"

"Captain Yukimura dropped a game?" Kirihara said with disbelief.

"That's impossible!" Marui agreed.