004 [video/action for Ecruteak]
[Taking advantage of the beautiful day, Yukimura is sitting outside on the grass, his Eevee curled up next to him with her head resting on his leg. He's petting her gently, and he seems distant, quiet - less commanding than he has been before.]When you lose - a Pokemon battle, or anything else that's important to you - do you think that it's fair
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You don't wanna be. Trust me. Acceptin' defeat is for other people, not us.
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You're right. It may look less painful, but how can people truly get stronger if they simply accept defeat.
Besides, even if I wanted to, I don't think I could.
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[ Niou chuckles. It sounds lighthearted, but it is - for once - the honest truth. ]
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[And he smiles a little. Yukimura does love his stubborn, terrifying team.]
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[ Niou grins back and winks at him. It's a reassuring gesture, somehow. ]
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Can I ask you a question, Niou?
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[Yukimura does not roll his eyes. He might be thinking about it - but then he gets serious, quiet for a moment.]
What were you planning to do for high school?
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Figured I'd stay in Rikkai's highschool division.... [ He trails off, but there's obviously something more. It's a moment before he continues, though. ] ... Help you take over the tennis team our first year, if you'd have me.
[ 'If you're planning to' was on the tip of his tongue, but he's honestly afraid to say it. At this point, if Yukimura doesn't play tennis, Niou won't play tennis, no matter how attached he's gotten to the sport itself. Even if Yukimura does play, Niou knows he'll never answer to another captain, so joining the highschool team is pointless unless Yukimura's taking charge there. ]
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Ah, good. It would be difficult to achieve three straight victories in high school without you, Niou.
[He's relieved, not just because of the tennis, but because Niou won't be leaving Rikkai. At home, it hadn't been time yet for them to make those decisions, so Yukimura didn't know what most of his teammates were planning to choose.]
I imagine they'll have their own captain... [And the rest he leaves unspoken, but naturally, Niou's help could be vital there too.]
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But it's a deep, heartwrenching relief to hear him say that phrase again - three straight victories, as if nothing can stop them now, as if this season never even fucking happened, and Niou swears if Yukimura wished it hard enough, all of this season's disaster could be willed out of existence - it's enough of a relief to make him breathe again and smile. He drops his gaze to the bed beneath him in a halfhearted endeavour to hide the expression. ]
Yeah, probably, but not for long. [ His energy rebounds, turning the smile into a grin, and he looks up again. ] We'll take care of him.
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And that's why he can't give up. After all that work, to just give up and walk away from tennis would be admitting that he's not good enough. And though Yukimura may have doubts sometimes, about himself and his own abilities, he could never just accept being not good enough.
He catches that smile on Niou's lips, and it relaxes something within him that he hadn't known he'd been worried about.]
Oh, I'm certain we can. I don't mind letting them think they're in charge for awhile, but I'm sure it won't be long before they realize our strength.
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[ He says it thoughtlessly, but afterward, pauses to contemplate. Next year, they'll be without Kirihara, with no alternate. Their lineups will be a lot less flexible, but he's sure (he hopes) Yukimura won't take an eighth regular who isn't Kirihara.
And in the meantime, Kirihara will probably grow stronger in spades, left in charge of the middle school tennis club. ]
... How do you think the kid'll do as a captain?
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[Of course, he fully intends to go back to check on the club occasionally, but Yukimura really does think Akaya will do a good job once he gets used to the position.]
Many of the first-years already look up to him. And I was intending to play a match with him before we left, to show everyone how he's grown. Not least himself.
[He wouldn't have won, of course, but that would've been one amazing match.]
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You'll get the chance, you know. Time doesn't even pass back home; when we get back, it'll be like we never left.
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[He's quiet for a moment. It feels like a completely different world, which of course it is.]
But you're right. When we get back, I'll have the chance.
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