Prince of Tennis: Ibu Shinji, 026: Teammates
Title: Competition
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Ibu Shinji, Kamio Akira, Ishida Tetsu, Mori Tatsunori, Sakurai Masaya, Kyousuke Uchimura
Prompt: 026: Teammates
Word Count: 591
Rating: G
Summary: Fudomine has all grown up.
Author's Notes: This takes place when Shinji and his year mates are in 9th grade. Tachibana has graduated from Fudomine.
Main table can be found here and here.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As much as Shinji loved playing tennis, sometimes, he just liked watching it. He could get caught up in the adrenaline without feeling it press on him, he could watch, study the other players, taking apart their play style in a way that was uniquely his. He didn’t really do anything with it, but it made him feel…better, somehow, that he could figure out how to do something just by watching.
Idly, Shinji wondered if this was what Inui or Mizuki felt when watching their opponents. This power, this certainty….
“Shinji!”
Shinji looked up, distracted from his almost meditative state as he saw Kamio and Ishida running up to join him by the fence. “Our next opponents?”
“Whoever wins this match, yes.” Shinji’s fingers curled around the links of the fence as he let his attention get drawn back to the match in front of him. “Doubles One, right now.” He pointed to the pair closest to them. “They’re too flashy. Too overconfident.”
Ishida looked at the pair. “They’re the favorites. They have a right to be confident.”
“Not that confident.” Shinji’s eyes followed the serve. “It’s sloppy. He’s not even trying. Neither of them are. It’s like they’re expecting their reputation to carry them through this match. Watch them.”
Kamio’s eyes narrowed. “That’s Doubles One?” he asked incredulously. “Look at their combination!”
Ishida studied them with the eye of a practiced doubles payer. “They don’t have one. I mean, not really. Sure, they’re not as bad as Momoshiro and Echizen, but they don’t sync. Not the way Masaya and I do, or you and Shinji do, Akira.”
“Echizen and Momoshiro had a better combination.” Shinji’s tone was firm. “They at least understood enough to work their strength-singles. These two…they don’t even have that going for them. If they make it to face us, we’ll have no problems.”
“Is that your tensai powers in action?” Shinji jumped as an arm was slung around his shoulders out of the blue.
“No. You don’t have to be a tensai to see that.” Shinji reached over with other hand to flick Mori’s forehead. “Pay attention, and even you can see it.”
“Hey, stop abusing my partner!” Uchimura insinuated himself between Shinji and Mori. “So, is this the fresh meat we’re waiting for?” he asked with a smirk.
“They don’t really look up to it, either team.” Sakurai came up to join the group standing on Ishida’s other side. “Tetsu and I could take them, easily, no matter who we face.”
“And who says you’ll be first doubles?” Mori’s eyes narrowed. “Presuming a lot, aren’t you?”
Kamio laughed. “Who says either of you will be? What do you think, Shinji? Want to take them on?”
Shinji stared at the pairs on the court. “Not enough of a challenge, Akira. Leave it for the others. We might be needed to clean up in singles if they fail.”
“Fail?” Ishida seemed to take the word as a personal insult. “We don’t fail, Shinji, and you know it! Not against that type of standard.”
Shinji tuned out the rest of the conversation, letting his mind wander some. They had come a long way from the scared freshmen they had been two years ago, and now, even without Tachibana leading them, they had stepped into their own. They were ready and willing to take on all comers, and they had the confidence in themselves to follow through with their plans.
In that moment, Shinji could feel his friends, his teammates, and he felt complete.
--The End--
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Ibu Shinji, Kamio Akira, Ishida Tetsu, Mori Tatsunori, Sakurai Masaya, Kyousuke Uchimura
Prompt: 026: Teammates
Word Count: 591
Rating: G
Summary: Fudomine has all grown up.
Author's Notes: This takes place when Shinji and his year mates are in 9th grade. Tachibana has graduated from Fudomine.
Main table can be found here and here.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As much as Shinji loved playing tennis, sometimes, he just liked watching it. He could get caught up in the adrenaline without feeling it press on him, he could watch, study the other players, taking apart their play style in a way that was uniquely his. He didn’t really do anything with it, but it made him feel…better, somehow, that he could figure out how to do something just by watching.
Idly, Shinji wondered if this was what Inui or Mizuki felt when watching their opponents. This power, this certainty….
“Shinji!”
Shinji looked up, distracted from his almost meditative state as he saw Kamio and Ishida running up to join him by the fence. “Our next opponents?”
“Whoever wins this match, yes.” Shinji’s fingers curled around the links of the fence as he let his attention get drawn back to the match in front of him. “Doubles One, right now.” He pointed to the pair closest to them. “They’re too flashy. Too overconfident.”
Ishida looked at the pair. “They’re the favorites. They have a right to be confident.”
“Not that confident.” Shinji’s eyes followed the serve. “It’s sloppy. He’s not even trying. Neither of them are. It’s like they’re expecting their reputation to carry them through this match. Watch them.”
Kamio’s eyes narrowed. “That’s Doubles One?” he asked incredulously. “Look at their combination!”
Ishida studied them with the eye of a practiced doubles payer. “They don’t have one. I mean, not really. Sure, they’re not as bad as Momoshiro and Echizen, but they don’t sync. Not the way Masaya and I do, or you and Shinji do, Akira.”
“Echizen and Momoshiro had a better combination.” Shinji’s tone was firm. “They at least understood enough to work their strength-singles. These two…they don’t even have that going for them. If they make it to face us, we’ll have no problems.”
“Is that your tensai powers in action?” Shinji jumped as an arm was slung around his shoulders out of the blue.
“No. You don’t have to be a tensai to see that.” Shinji reached over with other hand to flick Mori’s forehead. “Pay attention, and even you can see it.”
“Hey, stop abusing my partner!” Uchimura insinuated himself between Shinji and Mori. “So, is this the fresh meat we’re waiting for?” he asked with a smirk.
“They don’t really look up to it, either team.” Sakurai came up to join the group standing on Ishida’s other side. “Tetsu and I could take them, easily, no matter who we face.”
“And who says you’ll be first doubles?” Mori’s eyes narrowed. “Presuming a lot, aren’t you?”
Kamio laughed. “Who says either of you will be? What do you think, Shinji? Want to take them on?”
Shinji stared at the pairs on the court. “Not enough of a challenge, Akira. Leave it for the others. We might be needed to clean up in singles if they fail.”
“Fail?” Ishida seemed to take the word as a personal insult. “We don’t fail, Shinji, and you know it! Not against that type of standard.”
Shinji tuned out the rest of the conversation, letting his mind wander some. They had come a long way from the scared freshmen they had been two years ago, and now, even without Tachibana leading them, they had stepped into their own. They were ready and willing to take on all comers, and they had the confidence in themselves to follow through with their plans.
In that moment, Shinji could feel his friends, his teammates, and he felt complete.
--The End--