Takagi Sakuya Maruo Eiichiro
If we're neck-and-neck and I take the first set,
I'll immediately have the upper hand.
I need this set in order to corner him in the second set.
I have to break somehow!
After I defeated Nabae that day, I undoubtedly moved forward.
In order to move ahead even more,
I'll beat Nabae in this tournament, too!
I'm different from you.
You don't know how miserable it feels not to be able to win!
That's why I'll do whatever it takes!
Good serve!
A drop shot here?!
He can go for the left, right, or above...
Or maybe he'll hit it low this time?
Right at me?!
Why did he go for such a risky shot?!
Oh, no!
Good, Evil, and Rules
5-3. Maruo.
He was totally going for his face just now!
He's shown no sportsmanship, and he has a horrible attitude.
He should at least apologize.
Well, it's a tournament, after all. I'm sure it's fine.
Maruo, get him back!
He was watching that one closely.
That was close.
He could've won the point by hitting to the side,
but he chose to try to hit me with the ball and shake me up mentally.
Yet he isn't even trying to hide his malicious intent.
You've gotta be kidding me.
There's no way I can lose to a dirty player like him!
I've been trying to calm down, but I'm not getting the results I want.
Is there some way I can deflect this frustration toward the match, then?
My match with Ide-kun went well because I confronted the pressure head-on.
Then maybe even anger
can be turned into a strength if I get it out of my system.
All right!
I'm leading by two points,
so I can go for it.
Slam all the frustration I've been holding in
into the ball!
Out.
5-4. Maruo.
Hey, is he okay?
Maybe that last move rattled him?
Bro is good-natured, but even he's getting mad.
My delivery was good, but my aim was bad.
But if I adjust it, it should work.
If I can get my anger out, I'll kill two birds with one stone!
I'll unleash my rage!
Crap! I swung too soon, and it hit the frame!
But my swing itself has power to it.
If I can just match up the timing...
Did I put too much spin on it?!
Match up to the faster swing...
Out. 5-all.
I'm getting enough power,
but I can't get the timing right.
I just need to get it in, but this is killing my accuracy.
It's no good.
Anger can't be advantageous in a match.
Only two and a half years behind him...
Where he lacks experience, he really lacks experience.
My heart rate is increasing, and my mind isn't as clear as it usually is.
I didn't think it would affect subsequent points, too.
I have to take some time with this one.
Excuse me. Please call a time violation.
Fifteen seconds.
Huh?!
Maruo, you seem to be taking more time between points. Please be mindful.
Uh, right! Sorry!
From this point on, if you exceed twenty seconds, you'll receive a warning.
He really is a nasty person!
No, no, getting angry only makes things worse!
I have to switch gears!
I have to absolve my rage somehow.
That's right. Takagi-kun is still playing within the rules.
Which means I just wasn't considering the methods
that Takagi-kun chose in order to win.
After all,
if I'm the one who hit a shot he could aim back at my face,
then I'm the one who failed to be ready for it.
And my own inexperience is why I was distracted by his stomping.
And an underhand serve is a legitimate tactic.
Fifteen seconds.
Five more seconds and I'll get a warning.
But breaking a 5-all tie is the most important point in the game.
Takagi Maruo
Whoever scores next will have set point.
I can't miss that, no matter what!
Maruo, twenty seconds have passed. This is a warning.
Whoa, Maruo got a warning.
If he waits another twenty seconds and gets another warning,
he'll lose a point, right?
What are you doing, Bro?
I'll accept the warning.
Right now, it's more crucial that I win this point.
To do that, I'll use the remaining twenty seconds to calm my agitation.
Intentionally accepting a warning... I guess I'm not so different from Takagi-kun.
I'm in no position to judge him.
It's the rules that decide good and evil on the court.
Takagi-kun is just playing with his own style.
I just have to play with my own style, too!
All right...
I'm not angry anymore!
What's with that face?
If you think you can do it, just try!
Getting angry won't make anything better.
I'll just have to believe that my body understands that, too.
A serve and dash!
Off the frame!
6-5. Maruo.
Th-That was close!
But even if my body was stiff, I was able to win that point
because I went for it without being timid.
And if I think about it rationally,
what's scary about Takagi-kun isn't his lack of etiquette.
It's the way his movements haven't weakened at all,
his stamina, that's the real threat.
If I lose this first set, I'll have to face that stamina in a full set.
For me to realize this now...
I lost sight of what was truly important.
Huh?
Now that my anger's subsided, I suddenly feel pressure.
But if I can control this pressure, I can use it to my advantage.
All right. Set point.
I'll finish it here.
He's holding out better than I expected.
But now that I've come this far, all that's left is to crush him head-on.
I don't know what Nabae sees in this guy,
but I refuse to accept it!
After a powerful, flat return, I'll go for a shot I haven't used yet!
A drop shot!
First set winner: Maruo. Score: 7-6.
Yes!
That was a good serve, so why?!
Takagi Sakuya Maruo Eiichiro
With my anger gone, maybe I can actually afford to feel pressure now.
Rage
Heavy pressure
This same feeling of pressure weighing down on me that I felt during my match with Ide-kun...
I can do this!
Time.
I'll take more risks from the second set onward,
and kick it up one gear!
After gaining the upper hand with a quick, flat serve,
go for a deep spin with a light bounce.
Then a fast slice that's shallow and sharp, and doesn't bounce much!
15-love.
What was that?!
Weren't you getting desperate?!
This is it!
I lost to Takagi pretty quickly.
You've gotten so much stronger, Bro.
For Bro, fancy plays like that are the fruits of his labor.
Ten sprints!
Bro's practiced all of his techniques with perfect balance.
That's why he can do all sorts of things.
Okay, that one was good.
Do it like that ten more times!
Next is the backhand!
That reminds me...
Maruo, have you ever hit a shot between your legs before?
That acrobatic move that's for show?
No, it's actually a shot that makes sense in certain situations.
If a ball goes overhead, like a lob, and you can reach it in time,
but you don't have enough time to turn around and hit it properly...
Hitting it between your legs instead of forcing yourself to turn around
gives you more power and makes the ball's course harder to predict.
That's about how much speed you should have.
Th-That was good.
He is a former pro, after all.
Here, Maruo.
Scary!
Go for the ball right before the second bounce.
So close!
Take this!
That's it!
That one was good, Maruo.
Okay!
Bro's growth really is the result of all his training.
Game: Maruo. 1-0.
Second set.
All right! I held!
I'm less stiff, too!
Weren't you pissed just a moment ago?!
He changed after the first set ended.
What's going on?!
I can't find any weaknesses in Takagi-kun,
but I also don't see any strengths on the level of Ide-kun or Araya-kun.
If I can just play my own style of tennis, I won't lose!
But I don't know what he'll do next,
so I have to keep my guard up.
Damn! I can't predict what he'll do!
I can't lose before I get to play Nabae!
Out.
W-Wasn't that one in?
The ref's judgment is getting worse?
It was on the line, but the ref's judgment can't be overturned.
Game: Maruo. 2-0.
Second set.
Damn!
I can't help how much he reminds me of Nabae.
I broke serve in the second set!
Time to kick it up another gear!
Takagi Sakuya Maruo Eiichiro
I don't know what he's analyzing or how,
but he's adapting to everything I do instantly!
What's after that quick flat?
Will it slide? Bounce?
Will it be fast? Or slow?
Consecutive quick flat shots!
Game: Maruo. 3-0.
Second set.
Yes!
Damn!
Damn it...
If you depend on tricks,
your tennis will never improve.
It's exactly as Nabae said.
Game: Maruo. 4-1.
Second set.
I get it already.
This kid...
Game: Maruo. 5-2.
Second set.
...can't be beaten with tricks!
Yes! Bro's got match point!
Game, set, and match. Winner: Maruo.
Score: 7-6, 6-2.
Thank you very much.
But I practiced more than Nabae.
True, I spent a lot of time on tricky shots and strategies,
but I didn't take fundamental training lightly.
What else am I supposed to do?!
I heard Maruo won again.
An unseeded player made the top four?
Seriously? He started tennis in high school, right?
Wait, so it's just been a bit over two years since he started?!
Congratulations, Bro!
Th-Thanks.
As expected of you, Bro.
You managed to hang in there.
Yeah...
I would've been in trouble if he had won the first set.
You'll face players like that from time to time,
but you'll never get to the top if you always struggle with their antics.
Especially if you're planning to play overseas.
R-Right.
The one thing we can say for certain
is that nothing good comes out of getting irritated in a match.
Yes, I realized that very clearly.
Being unable to get the timing right was exhausting,
and I didn't even notice the pressure I was under.
Pressure comes from the desire to win,
but anger comes from somewhere else.
Um...
I see.
That's why I do better when I feel pressure.
Right. Pretty surprising, isn't it?
If you were to put all the mental states in order, it would look like this.
You'll want to remember this.
Pressure comes from wanting to win. Anger has no ties with wanting to win. Apathy -> Anger -> Pressure -> Challenge
This will help you determine what route to take
depending on what mental state you're in.
Well, I think this turned into a good experience for you.
Uh, hey...
Do you have a second?
T-Takagi-kun?
Is it true that you started tennis in high school?
Huh?
Um, yeah, that's right.
What brought this on?
I-If it's all right with you,
could you tell me what kind of training you normally do?
What kind? Well...
Are those the notes you were taking during the match?
Y-Yeah.
Can I take a look?
Sure.
Wow...
He took notes on almost every point.
Just remember, doing exactly what he does won't necessarily help you improve.
You both have different personalities and physiques.
Maruo's training is specifically formulated for him,
whether it's nurturing his perfectionist nature
or reinforcing what he lacks in physical strength.
By doing that, he's searching for his own style of tennis.
His own style of tennis...
I've based my training on competing with Nabae.
It may be none of my business,
but I'm sure there's a training style suited for you.
Even today, we would've had a harder time if you'd utilized the stamina you're gifted with.
Oh... Right.
Thanks for this.
Oh, no problem.
Um, can I ask you something, too?
Huh? Sure.
I heard that you beat Nabae-kun before.
How did you do it?
Where did you hear that?
You can't even call that a win.
We played one-set matches over and over, for over nine hours, until I won a single set.
Which is why I wanted to beat him in an official match.
He played until he won? He really is incredible.
And Nabae-kun, who only let someone this persistent win one set...
Sorry for all that stuff I did during the match.
It's okay. I should apologize, too.
See ya.
Oh, yeah.
Since you beat me, you better beat Nabae.
Beat who, now?
Oh, Nabae-kun.
I guess that means you won, Maruo-kun.
Yeah.
Then I'll be looking forward to tomorrow.
Me, too.
Nabae-kun won, too.
So my next opponent is the All-Japan Junior's number one player, Nabae-kun.
Maruo-kun was strong, wasn't he?
I guess.
I can't believe he only has two and a half years' experience.
Wow, really?
You didn't know?
I did think he had improved pretty quickly.
When I think about it that way, I feel like a lot of my effort was meaningless.
There's no such thing as meaningless effort.
Huh?
Today just wasn't your day. Your efforts will prevail one day.
Regardless, I'm gonna stop depending on sly tricks from now on!
Huh? You're gonna stop that?
You're the one who suggested I stop!
Well, that's true, but if you do those things wisely, they can be useful.
A part of me wants to master that kind of thing, too.
Then which is it? Not that it matters...
The point is, just doing that alone isn't enough.
But at any rate, your desire to win is unmatched.
So you'll continue getting better, whether it happens slowly or quickly.
Wh-What's with you all of a sudden? You're creeping me out.
What? I'm complimenting you.
Oh, by the way, there's something I wanted to ask you about Maruo-kun.
You really are a scary guy.
Well, Bro, we're finally down to the top four.
Y-Yeah...
You even beat Takagi. Your skill is definitely the real deal.
Fukazawa Yukichi Takagi Sakuya Maruo Eiichiro
I'll be looking forward to your match against Nabae!
Nabae Yu
Maruo Eiichiro
Nabae Yu
I was thoroughly defeated last year.
I've done everything I can since then, and now,
I've finally come this far.
Next Time
Takuma-san, I made it into the top four!
And you're playing Nabae tomorrow? That'll be tough.
Nabae-kun doesn't have any physical or psychological weaknesses.
I have no idea how to strategize.
Oh? You didn't know?
When he was younger, he had a huge weakness.
What?! Nabae-kun did?
Next time on Baby Steps,
Existence is the Driving Force
"Existence is the Driving Force."
End