Twist serve...
He has to use his right hand to hit it.
Yet...
he can hit a shot like that with his weak hand...?
This kid....
I lose power with my right hand,
but I want it to go straight for your glasses!
Thirty - Love!
Shots that come straight at your body are the most difficult.
To return a twist serve,
push back the left leg as you swing,
then step into the shot from behind the right foot,
and hit a slice while keeping a side posture.
Huh?!
This isn't just theory!
Yes!
Forty - Love!
If you play me with data, I'll just prove it wrong!
Cripes...
He's a cocky newbie.
He returned it!
That isn't going to do it.
Game and set to Echizen! Six games to four.
He won!
He's so cool!
Ryoma!
Wow!
He actually won...
He's creamed two first-teamers.
Not bad at all.
Really!
Momo Senpai!
I keep telling you to just call me Momo.
He's pretty good to do that against Inui Senpai.
He's improved his twist serve since the time he played me.
I got a little mad, but it was a lot of fun--
I gathered good data...
I get it, a twist with the right...
I can't use a side step.
I don't ever want to play you again...
Ryoma! That was amazing!
You're just about assured of making the first team!
See! I predicted this from the very start!
Horio, you sure change your mind a lot.
You're bothering me.
Pipe down already!
Y-Yes!
Go, Ryoma-sama! Four matches, undefeated!
Game to Echizen!
ECHIZEN 5 IKEDA 0 Game to Echizen!
Game and set to Echizen! Six games to Love!
He did it!
Which means...
Four matches, four wins!
He made first team!
A regular!
Amazing! Incredible!
I'll have to congratulate him later!
Right, Sakuno?
Y-Yes...
Damn...
That guy has no mercy!
C'mon, Sakuno!
Umm, Ryoma...about making first team, I...
You're in my way. Move.
The final regular slot is on the line in this match
between players with two wins.
But Inui probably has the advantage.
He's undefeated in all three meetings.
His snake has more angle!
Game and set won by Kaido!
That was fast... Seven games to five!
Tough luck, Inui.
Those guys played tennis that exceeded their data...
That was a buggy whip shot!
Intellectual Data tennis!
Hiss!
This school is going to get a lot stronger...
Yeah.
Now the eight regulars have been decided.
Captain Kunimitsu Tezuka, 3rd year.
Co-captain Shuichiro Oishi, also 3rd year.
Shusuke Fuji, 3rd year.
Takashi Kawamura, 3rd year.
Eiji Kikumaru, 3rd year.
Takeshi Momoshiro, 2nd year.
Kaoru Kaido, 2nd year.
And the only 1st-year regular,
Ryoma Echizen.
I can't take it!
We're no match against the regulars.
Echizen, write your size on this.
Size?
That's an order form for your team uniform!
That's right!
It'll have your name, so it's special-ordered!
Hey! That's so cool!
Hmm...
It's really awesome, Ryoma!
To be able to wear the uniform as a 1st year!
I wonder if I'll ever be able to wear one.
No problem! Once all our senpai graduate....
Ryuzaki...
What is it?
Uh...Ryoma...about becoming a regular...
Ryoma-sama!
What's going on? Oh, you're here already, Sakuno!
Ryoma-sama, congratulations on making first team!
As president of your fan club, I'm so happy for you!
You too, right Sakuno?
Huhyes!
Ryoma, about making the first team, I...
Say! Why don't we stop somewhere?
We'll have a big celebration for Ryoma making first team!
A party!
From now?!
We have to celebrate special days like this!
Huh?!
Hey! Ryoma, wait!
Ryoma! Echizen!
Uh...Ryoma, I um...
Ryoma, congratulations on making first team....
Ryoma, congratulations on making first team...
Echizen...?
Y-Yes, I thought he might be practicing during lunch break
because he's a regular now.
He's not here.
If he's around, he might be on the court.
Oh... Thank you very much.
Echizen?
No, I haven't seen him.
I see...
What? Are you going to confess your love for him?
N-No, nothing like that!
Ah...adolescent love!
It's so nice to be young!
She's only one year younger than you!
You older ones are very diligent...
Coming to the courts on your lunch break.
It's nothing like that!
We're just killing time.
We've just got nothing better to do.
Shall we get started, Momo?
Let's do it!
The first-teamers are awesome...
I...I'm sorry!
Ryoma, where are you practicing?!
Seigaku!
Fight! Fight!
First years, I can't hear you!
Yes, sir!
Our senpai are really into it!
Sure, they are.
The district prelims are coming up.
But you girls must have so much time to waste.
Here to watch again?
We're not watching, we're here to cheer the team.
Cheer the team!
There he is! My prince!
Over there! What're you doing?!
Put more effort into getting those balls!
Here! Here!
Another one!
Right!
S-Sakuno, your grandma's scary...
No, she isn't, not usually.
Okay, line up, everyone!
I don't have to remind you that
the Metro Tournament is right around the corner.
The eight first-teamers we chose through our intra-squad tournament
will compete as a team through the Metro Tournament.
Every school has raised its level of play each year.
We cannot take anything for granted.
That's it!
All right, let's start practice!
Second and third-years take Court C.
First-years take Courts A and B and practice your serves and volleys.
Just a minute. Right!
For you first-teamers...
Huh?
I've asked this young man
to plan out a very special practice regimen.
Inui!
Hey...
To get through the long match schedule until the Nationals,
we'll start with lower body strengthening.
These are "power ankles."
There are two 250-gram lead bars in each.
They'll give your legs one kilogram of resistance.
That's not much weight.
I've also prepared red, blue and yellow cones
and lots of balls colored with red, blue and yellow.
Okay... I get it.
If you miss, you're done.
Here we go, Eiji!
Red!
Huh?! Such control!
Blue!
Amazing!
He sees the color in an instant after Inui hits it.
Yellow!
Then he hits it back to the cone of the same color.
No one is better than Eiji at seeing a moving object--
There is.
Huh?
Look at him.
Blue!
The one in the next court.
Red!
Huh?!
Sakuno, they're not just hitting them.
Look!
They're hitting the balls to the cones of the same color!
C-Can you do that?!
They're both pretty good...
But it won't be long...
until they feel the kilogram of weight.
My legs suddenly feel heavy...
I get it! This might be difficult.
Red!
Isn't that blue?
No way! Hey!
What'd you do that for?! It was red!
Inui! That's dirty! Tricking me!
When your stamina is gone, so is your judgment!
Kikumaru, switch!
Oh, and I forgot to tell you, if you miss,
you get to drink Inui's special vegetable juice.
Huh?
Wh-What's inside it?
It's all edible. Don't worry!
I've fixed the taste, too.
What is this stuff?!
Water! Water! Water!
Echizen!
What're you waiting for?!
Oishi, Kawamura, you're next!
I can't afford...
to miss!
Red!
Blue!
Wow! Oishi Senpai's good!
That's why he's co-captain!
Quiet and effective.
Taka, your racket.
Oh, sorry, Fuji.
Red!
Who's the antsy one? Blue!
Kawamura Senpai.
His personality changes when he holds a racket, doesn't it?
Yeah.
Okay...! Red!
Huh?!
Red!
He's so good.
Momo Senpai has such power!
Blue!
That's his "Snake"!
Hurrah for Kaido Senpai!
Red.
Even Kaido Senpai couldn't take...
Inui Senpai's awful vegetable juice.
Fuji Senpai made a mistake, too!
Fuji! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!
Yeah, I wanted to try it.
Hey, this is not bad!
I recommend it.
Liar!
Fuji Senpai's amazing...
There's somebody awesome...
You all moved better than I had expected.
Kikumaru, your grip loosens on impact.
Strengthening your forearms will make your shots more consistent.
Oishi and Kaido are slow getting to the front and back of the ball,
Kawamura and Fuji are too slow from side to side.
You need to build up the quadriceps and triceps.
We don't even know where the heck they are!
Momoshiro, using just 70 percent of your power
will increase your accuracy.
Right.
Tezuka, you didn't miss. I'll grant you that.
But you need more flexibility.
And you look too serious.
And finally, Echizen.
Drink two of these every day.
I'm not going to grow suddenly,
no matter how much milk I drink.
Drink it!
Inui's telling you to do it. It will work.
He's proof it works.
All right, let's get back to what we were doing.
We'll add one more lead weight.
Wait, Inui...
You can give us five!
Isn't that the same as what you use?
Say, Inui Senpai?
Aren't we going to work up to five anyway?
Even six is okay.
Nope, regulars will have to go to ten.
Quit messing with us!
Demon coach!
Building stamina will improve their technique substantially.
But the greatest weapon these guys have is...
Tezuka, don't overdo it.
Heal yourself and do rehabs for the future.
The only thing I'm concerned about now is
winning our way through the tournaments.
...their desire to improve.
It's amazing how we got such a competitive group together.
Okay, back to practice!
Our goal is to be the number one middle school!
Seigaku!
Fight!
Huh?! This must be some mistake!
This is a small.
We've always been the suppliers of the uniforms
for the Seigaku tennis club team, but this is a first.
Welcome.
Seigaku's first team is great, after all!
What's the matter, Kachiro?
Ryoma is keeping up with their practice.
Doesn't it seem like he's in a separate world?
A separate world...
Ryoma!
Is that...your first-team uniform?
Yeah, I just got it.
I...see...
Th-That's wonderful, Ryoma!
Put it on and let me see.
I'll wear it tomorrow at practice.
Oh, I guess you will... Sorry.
Perfect fit.
Ryoma, congratulations on making first team!
Thank you.
I'm Sasabe!
Been a while, huh? Remember me, everybody?
Frankly, the first one to play that kid Echizen in a match...
was me!
This time, it's a match between that kid and my old man!
Hey, hey!
Dad, you're taking the spotlight away from me!
Next on The Prince of Tennis: "Counterattack! Sasabe Again?"
See what life in the Sasabe family is like!