The so-called street tennis court was a public facility, but in this world of tennis, it was also a bustling hub of activity. The court was well-lit and famous in the area, a popular spot for talented players to show off. Over time, it became a lively place.
As the sky grew darker, Seiya noticed that, besides him and An, there were many other young couples on dates and even some skateboarders. The tennis court was right in the middle of the plaza, surrounded by a large crowd of onlookers, making it a great place to show off.
"So, this is your hidden lair? The people playing don't even look like junior high students. Your plan for gathering intelligence is probably a bust."
An had claimed there were strong players at the street court, so Seiya had paid close attention. But after a few matches, he found that the players were all quite mediocre, a little above amateur at best.
However, a place for showing off wouldn't be complete without a protagonist. Just as Seiya was about to give up and leave, two students, one tall and one short, with tennis bags on their backs, entered the court. The shorter one wore a baseball cap, and the taller one had a striking black spiky haircut.
The two quickly dominated the court, defeating over ten pairs of doubles teams with their powerful serves and returns. The crowd was completely captivated. The rules of the street court were one set per match, with the challenger serving first, and only doubles were played.
An's eyes widened in surprise as she watched the two boys. She had told Seiya that there were strong players here, but she knew that the so-called "experts" here were nothing compared to the players from the famous tennis schools. She had been to this court many times but had never seen this duo before.
"I guess you were right. There are regional tournament players here." Seiya's words surprised An. As a long-time fan, he couldn't remember every detail of the Prince of Tennis anime, but he knew the general plot and the most important matches.
When she heard Seiya's words, An looked at him with a puzzled expression. "They're our rivals in the regional tournament, the regulars from Seigaku's tennis club. The short one in the cap is a first-year named Ryoma Echizen. Don't let him fool you; he uses his right hand, but he's actually a left-hander. He may be short, but he's incredibly arrogant."
"The spiky-haired one is Takeshi Momoshiro, a second-year. He's good at cannonball serves and dunk smashes. He's got a lot of power and great vision, but he's impulsive."
An was completely dumbfounded by Seiya's knowledge. It was one thing for him to know the names of the Seigaku regulars, but it was another for him to know their personalities and moves so well. If she hadn't been classmates with Seiya since their first year, she would have suspected him of being a spy sent by Seigaku.
"Are they Seigaku's doubles team?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Doubles? No, no, they're both strong singles players. Seigaku's doubles are weak, and these two together are a complete mess. The only reason they look strong is that their opponents here are too weak. If there were a slightly better doubles team here, they'd be humbled pretty quickly."
As if on cue, a duo named Izumi and Fukawa challenged them. Although they were no match for Seiya, they were a strong doubles team. They quickly figured out the flaws in Ryoma and Momoshiro's teamwork, and the two were quickly dominated and mocked.
"They're both strong singles players, but they're terrible at doubles."
Defeated, Ryoma and Momoshiro were ready to leave the court when a comment from a girl in the crowd stopped them. Seiya turned to his side with a helpless expression, but the "culprit" just stuck out her tongue playfully. "We finally found the Seigaku regulars here. Don't you want to play them? It's a great chance to gather some intelligence and see how strong they really are."
Since she found out that Ryoma and Momoshiro were Seigaku regulars, An was dying to see what they were made of. But the street court's one-set rule and Izumi and Fukawa's mediocre skills had not been enough for them to show off. So, An had deliberately provoked them.
"I don't know who you are, but you'd better take back what you just said." - Takeshi Momoshiro
"You've got a lot of nerve. In that case, do you want to play a match?" - Ryoma Echizen
Ding! An used "Provocation" on first-year Ryoma Echizen and second-year Takeshi Momoshiro from Seigaku.
Ding! The effect is incredible!
If they had been older Seigaku players, An's provocation would have been useless. But on the first and second-years, it worked like a charm.
Ryoma and Momoshiro were clearly annoyed by Seiya's silence. They had been provoked, but now their opponents weren't even willing to fight.
"What's wrong with you two? She's the one who said you were bad, not me. If you want to prove yourselves, you should fight her! I'm just a random passerby!" Seiya was a little annoyed. An was the one who was being provocative, so why were they mad at him? Was it because he looked stronger?
He was about to sneak away when An grabbed his arm and announced, "We're from Fudomine Junior High, also your rivals in the regional tournament."