Okay, Echizen! We attack like A-Un, the Twin Guardians!
Gotcha!
Hey, Sis! How do you want your eggs?
Ahh Sunny-side up.
All right!
Huh?
Hey, lucky! Two yolks!
First Central Park
Sushi Kawamura
Well, I'm off
Hey, Takashi! Good luck on your match today!
I hope they don't put me on reserve.
Don't say that!
I got some nice fish,
so I'll make special sushi for you! So do your best.
Aw! Don't put too much pressure on me!
Shusuke? Want a ride?
Thanks, Sis
Ryoma? Are you okay on time?
Seigaku is the #1 seed, so we can be an hour late.
Momoshiro Sempai is coming to get me.
Mom? No Japanese food again today?
Yes.
Aunt loves western food!
Are you a regular yet?
Huh?
I dunno.
Hey! Echizen! I'm here!
I'm off!
Humph! I dunno? What's with that?
This bus is bound for the Shiki no Mori Sports Park.
This is it, Tezuka.
The District Matches are finally starting, Mr. Inoue!
They sure are.
Players who win here will go on to the Metro Tournament,
then on to the Kanto Regionals and finally to the Nationals!
With dreams of making it to the Nationals, which are held just once a year,
players from each school gather here to play.
This is the place to check out the up-and-coming players.
Oh, but I'm happy as long as I see Ryoma!
Listen
Huh? You can't go?!
My parents went out and left me with my little brothers!
Please, Sakuno! Go watch Ryoma's match for me!
Owee!
Hey, stop that!
I said to stop! Now!
T-Tomoka?
Oh
Hurrah!! We won, we won!
Hey! Here they come!
Their grand entrance...
I'd like to register the eight players
on the A team of the Seishun Middle School.
They're from Seigaku!
Oh! Tezuka! Look this way!
Seigaku, huh? They look tough
Hey! What's with that pint-sized kid?
He looks like a seventh grader to me.
Seigaku is so deep, they can afford it.
Hey, Fukawa! Look at those two!
I see em. No mistake.
They're the two we played two nights ago.
So they're on the Seigaku A team
The school we play next
Seishun Gakuin
I guess it's gonna come down
to Seigaku vs. Kakinoki again in the finals.
Probably. They're all tough players.
With that many good players, who else can win?
You think so?
Huh?
Hello?
From your uniform, I see you're from Seigaku, right?
Erryes.
The Seigaku matches are over there.
I can take you--
Oh! Thank you!!
Gee, she's in such a rush.
Oh, well!
The District Matches! Boy, I'm so excited.
Why are you excited? It's not like you're playing!
I know that, but I'm all caught up in this atmosphere!
Seigaku's the #1 seed,
so even though the other matches have started,
our team can come later.
Don't you think that's a waste?
They should watch the other team matches.
We don't need to! Seigaku is in a class by itself!
Seventh graders! Don't wander around, you'll get lost.
The Seigaku matches will start soon, so gather at the court.
Yes!
By the way, have you heard who is playing the #3 singles match?
No, but the #1 singles will be team captain Tezuka,
and #2 will be Fuji Sempai,
so maybe the third singles will be Momo Sempai.
Yeah, I guess!
There's no way that Echizen would be playing that #3 singles match!
This is the lineup I turned in to Registration.
What?! Captain Tezuka?
He's not playing against Gyokurin?!
He's sitting out?!
Huh?! Echizen and Momoshiro are in doubles?!
That's what they asked for.
Coach Ryuzaki was undecided until just before we registered.
What's going on?
-Eiji? -Huh?
-Here. -Right!
Thank you!
No wonder they're called the Golden Pair!
They're so in sync!
Echizen, get that, will you?
Get what?
The towel under your butt!
They are NOT in sync!
For the #1 singles match,
Fuji of Seigaku vs. Suzuki of Gyokurin.
It's a best-of-5 match team play, and the winner of three matches will advance.
Furthermore, since this is Seigaku's first round of play,
even if the winner is decided, all five matches will be played.
Each match will be one set only.
That weird pair will be playing doubles!
What an easy win for us!
Bad miscalculation by Seigaku!
We'll upset Seigaku, the #1 seed!
Well, let's see what happens.
Don't be upset at me, Tezuka.
I don't want you to overdo it.
I know.
The #1 Doubles Match!
For Seigaku, Momoshiro and Echizen.
For Gyokurin, Izumi and Fukawa.
Hmm After they lost so badly the other day,
they're pretty gutsy.
I made it in time!
Huh? Didn't you go ahead of me?
Yes, I got lost.
What?! Doubles?!
This is going to be very interesting
I didn't realize you two belonged to the illustrious Seigaku!
It's really a surprise in many ways.
I'll say. We lucked out.
Yeah! What a break!
If this were singles, you'd definitely have the edge.
Probably.
But it's more fun to beat your opponents at their own game.
Why you--!
Is that why you're playing doubles?!
What a relief. It worked out just like we planned.
-They're psyching each other out. -I get it.
That's the reason
What?! Ryoma's playing doubles?!
If you think you can master doubles in a few days,
we'll show you it's not all that easy!
I wonder. We're geniuses at learning.
Awright Echizen! Let's go with our A-Un strategy!
Gotcha.
A-Un strategy?!
You know what that is?
Nope.
They must've come up with a secret plan!
Oh, Ryoma!
In any case, this is the first step towards the Nationals.
What can they do in one or two days?!
They're bluffing.
One set match!
Gyokurin's Izumi will serve!
Go Fukawa! Izumi!
Show em Gyokurin's power!
Go! Momoshiro! Echizen!
Seigaku! Seigaku! Go! Go!
I'll make you regret ever showing up!
Echizen, don't mess up!
You, too.
I'll humiliate you both!
Take that!
They're gonna watch it go right between them!
-Ahh! -Un!
They returned it!
No way! The other night, they
Love -Fifteen!
They're moving pretty nicely together,
Momoshiro and Echizen!
That was some weird yell!
Great! They got a point!
I thought so. I knew that Echizen could do it!
Oh
Yes!
Hmm Maybe Ryoma can play doubles!
Terrific!
You can't take your eyes off this match!
Right on!
See? I told you!
It says so on this page, In basic doubles play,
a ball hit down the middle should be taken
by the forehand player.
Got it?
Mm But the backhand player wants to take it, too.
Sure, but then it wouldn't be doubles.
Then I'd better play with my right hand.
But if you're just running around your side of the court,
don't you itch to hit the ball?
Hey! Don't you consider me your senior at all?!
We should think of some signals,
like calling out okay!
Let's decide on some voice signals.
Let's see
Ahh?
Yes! We'll go with those!!
Ah!
Un!
Love -Thirty!
Wow! They're terrific!
Right on! They're in perfect harmony.
They may be working perfectly together, but
Those signals are a little embarrassing.
Yeah
We've figured out the secret to playing doubles!
I'm so smart!
I hit the shot, you know.
They've closed up the middle.
And they're doing it with those weird grunts.
Don't let it bother you.
If we keep pressuring them, they'll start to collapse.
Just watch...
I'll drop it behind the net man...
Whoa!
-Thanks! -No problem.
The two of them are lined up!
Just as Izumi said!
All they've learned is how to close the middle!
And they've left half the court wide open!
Fifteen -Thirty!
My, my
They don't have a clue what to do other than close the middle.
They almost got it!
I aimed for the wide open court!
These guys can sprint so fast!
If we were playing singles
Fukawa! We're not playing singles! This is doubles!
And there's a way to win at doubles!
I'm getting this bad premonition
Me, too.
He muffed the serve!
It's a miss-hit!
Great! Put it away!
-That was on purpose, huh? -Yeah.
Being great at singles doesn't make one great at doubles!
They both came up!
With both of them at the net,
there's no place to hit the ball!
Thirty - All!
In doubles, working together is the key.
We're on our way!
They caught up!
And against Seigaku!
Hurrah!
Go for it! Yay!
W-We've gotta cheer, too!
I thought so!
Oh no!
They're trying all kinds of tricks on us.
That muff serve had a purpose.
Don't try! I've got it!
You left the other side wide open!
Huh?!
Forty - Thirty!
Game!
Game to Gyokurin! One game to Love!
This is gonna be easy!
Why those-!
Those two are really upset.
Gyokurin might win this one!
Sakuno?
Huh?
Oh Miss Shiba!
Who was that? A friend?
Huh? Oh, I don't know
You don't know her?
So that's her
What's the matter?
They're behind!
Gyokurin has control of the game.
And no wonder.
Inui Sempai.
If they're put that much out of position,
no matter how good they are as athletes,
getting a point will be difficult.
But Inui Sempai
Is the formation for doubles that much different from singles?
That's the most basic position in doubles.
However...
once that basic formation is changed,
Echizen and Momo who have never teamed up before
end up leaving half the court wide open.
Basically, the player who can get to the ball first takes it,
and the other player switches position to cover him.
In Echizen and Momo's case,
their areas of defense are way too large.
So they end up running after every ball,
and ultimately, they leave big holes in the court.
Game to Gyokurin!
That was my ball!
The one in front can take any ball!
If you can't put it away, don't hit it.
What?! You got a complaint?!
Seigaku! Warning!
Oh no! They're arguing with each other!
This is awful!
Inui Sempai! Is there any chance
that Ryoma and Momoshiro can turn the match around?
Against that well-paired team of Izumi and Fukawa?
Right now, there's no chance at all.
They're goodthat pair from Gyokurin.
Our makeshift pair is having it rough.
Hmm... I think so.
This is really bad!
What'll we do?
Don't worry!
We're talking about Echizen!
He's got some amazing trick up his sleeve!
Oh, sorry!
Huh?
That's Ryoma's bag!
Doubles for Beginners?!
No way!
I'm Katsuo Mizuno, a seventh grader.
Ryoma, you've never played doubles before?!
I didn't know that!
Your A-Un strategy isn't working.
And the duo aren't in sync.
We're going to lose to Gyokurin!
What're you doing, Ryoma?!
And you too, Momo Sempai?!
Next on The Prince of Tennis: Real Men Play Doubles!
Those two are amazing, after all!