Episode 25: Strongest Man in Seigaku



This is the first 1 hour special of Prince of Tennis. The first few minutes of the episode just showed the significant events after Ryoma first entered the Seigaku Tennis Club. The informal match against Momoshiro, matches against Kaido and Inui, etcetera. It just showcased just how much of a genius Ryoma really is. Anyway, it was Sunday. Coach Ryuzaki had a pleasant surprise when Tezuka visited her on her office. She was confused as to why would Tezuka be at school when it's Sunday. Tezuka told Coach Ryuzaki that he wanted to ask her permission about something. That something turned out to be having a match against Ryoma.

The scene suddenly skipped from there towards Monday's practice. Everyone's so psyched up and were doing practices Inui made for each of them specifically. After practice, Ryoma remained with the other freshmen since it's the duty of a freshman, regardless if he's a regular or not, to clean and fetch balls after practice. Tezuka then called out to Ryoma and asked Ryoma to follow him to a secluded place where no one should be able to see or hear them, but of course, Mother Hen Oishi followed with neither of them noticing. Tezuka faced Ryoma and asked him if he knows the clay court beside Haruno University. Ryoma affirmed that he knows it. Tezuka suddenly threw a tennis ball to Ryoma (which he deftly caught) and told him to meet him there at 3pm after 3 days and he is to come alone. Tezuka also told Ryoma that he would be the one to bring the balls they're going to be using, at that Tezuka left Ryoma standing there. (Is Tezuka-senpai asking for a date?! *snickers*) Ryoma just stared at his retreating back, baffled and confused beyond belief. The scene shifted to Tezuka washing his face and Oishi confronting him about what he saw. Oishi told Tezuka that he shouldn't have a match against Ryoma since the Provicial meet's near. Tezuka just stared at Oishi and told him that it's going to be fine. Meanwhile, Coach Ryuzaki cornered Ryoma on his way out of the school. She warned him that Tezuka's going all out on their match and he's way stronger than anyone he's ever played before.

At home, Ryoma just stared listlessly on the ball Tezuka threw him. He's just looking at it intently that even his father, Nanjiroh, noticed that Ryoma's not being himself. Nanjiroh, just started to annoy Ryoma by switching channels although he's not watching TV but reading a newspaper. Deciding that his father's annoying habits were getting to him, Ryoma told his father to decided whether he's going to watch TV or read newspaper. Nanjiroh just pouted from that lame attempt to shut him up. Ryoma just went and took a bath. He still brought that tennis ball with him to stare at. His mind is still confused.

The next day, Oishi accompanied Tezuka to his (Oishi's) Uncle who's also Tezuka's doctor and who's taking care about Tezuka's left elbow. Uncle Akida told Tezuka that it's nearly impossible to heal a Tennis' elbow once you got it, but in Tezuka's case, there's no problem with the bone. The only problem are his joints there but it's all healed too. Oishi and Tezuka are happy to hear this but Uncle Akida told Tezuka to stay away from prolonged matches and he's not to use his famous Zero-Shiki Drop Shot since it puts much strain on his elbow.

During practice, there's this really invisible strain between Tezuka and Ryoma. There's this thick tenseness around them and it's a miracle no one seemed to notice. Prior to the day of their match, Fuji and Eiji were baffled by Tezuka's behaviour since he's doing more physical exercises than before. They only dismissed it saying that it's Tezuka's way in preparing himself for the Provincials.

The day of their match came. The freshmen noticed that there were many people missing during that afternoon's practice. They've noticed that Echizen, Tezuka-buchou and Oishi-senpai were missing! The regulars noticed it too but Coach Ryuzaki just entered the court saying that Ryoma called in sick. The regulars asked for Tezuka, Coach Ryuzaki told them he's also sick. Then came about Oishi's absence, Coach Ryuzaki sighed and told them he called in sick too. Now the regular members thought something fishy's going on right under their noses.

That day, Monthly Pro Tennis journalist, Inoue-san, came to Nanjiroh's temple duty and told Nanjiroh that he came to ask him about something. Nanjiroh amazingly humored Inoue and asked him what's he came to ask him about. Inoue asked Nanjiroh about Ryoma's tennis style, and that if it was supposed to be a copy of Nanjiroh's tennis, then, Ryoma shouldn't be able to do the Twist-Spin Smash that ended Ryoma's match against Ibu Shinji. Nanjiroh shook his head and told Inoue that it's not about it. Nanjiroh told Inoue that Ryoma's missing something.

Both Tezuka and Ryoma are now on the opposite ends of the court looking intently at each other, sizing their opponents. Oishi hid behind the shadowy area although he could clearly watch the game that's supposed to start anytime soon. It was Tezuka's service game, Ryoma just smiled thinking this would be somewhat an easy match. How wrong he was, as Tezuka served, Tezuka got a no-touch ace from Ryoma no less! Ryoma's eyes widened, he wasn't even able to move, it was much too fast. Ryoma turned to kid his captain about being serious right from the start but his barb died on his mouth when he saw how serious Tezuka's face really is.

Oishi the Mother Hen is horrified by what he's seeing. Tezuka's planning on going all out! He could take the thought that Tezuka could risk damaging his newly healed elbow. Ryoma could do really much because Tezuka's shots were fast and accurate. Oishi really wanted to stop the game but respected Tezuka's decision and remained at the shadowy part. Ryoma's really having a very hard time. He's almost out of breath from running after the balls while Tezuka seemed hardly sweating at all. Tezuka asked Ryoma, "Echizen, Can you beat me?". Ryoma just smirked and told his captain that if he asked to be beaten, he'll do it.

It's now Ryoma's turn to serve. He took his position and let out a very intense Twist Serve. Tezuka in turn, just crouch lower to make that Twist Serve just a high shot for him and returned it effortlessly to Ryoma who failed to hit the ball. Tezuka suddenly asked Ryoma, "What is the reason you play tennis?", Ryoma answered Tezuka's question. He just told Tezuka that he only wanted to beat one person and that's why he's playing tennis. This answer made Tezuka take an offensive position and made Oishi's eyes really worried because he knew what that form is all about. Ryoma hit the ball to Tezuka, who in turn, made a drop shot. It's no ordinary Drop Shot either, it's the one Uncle Akida forbid Tezuka to use. His famous Zero Shiki Drop Shot which is a kind of Drop Shot but instead of the ball bouncing after it hit the floor, this shot just made the ball roll towards the net, not bouncing but just crawled along the floor. Tezuka asked Ryoma, "What will you have left if you've beaten that person?"

We will experience another scene skip. We see Ryoma getting home after the match. Nanjiroh asked Ryoma why he's home so late and if he was on a date. Ryoma pondered on his question and answered, "Yes". (^o^ really, a date?!) At that, Ryoma just went up to his room leaving Nanjiroh blushing and feeling happy for Ryoma's "date". Ryoma walked to his room and plopped down his bed. Clearly thinking about the match. He was so tired and just stared on his ceiling for minutes.




Oishi is now on the train with Tezuka. Tezuka was surprised to see Oishi there, he asked him if he watched the match. Oishi just confirmed that he did. Oishi asked Tezuka why did he go all out? Doesn't he even worry about his elbow? Oishi smiled at his own questions and answered in for himself, "You would tell me that if you didn't go all out you would have lost, right Tezuka?". Tezuka replied to Oishi that if he didn't go all out, this match would have been meaningless.

We went right back to Tezuka and Ryoma's match (this is like a flashback now). It was now the end of their match. Game Set to Tezuka. Ryoma undoubtedly lost badly but instead of Tezuka reprimanding him, Tezuka just told Ryoma: Echizen, Become Seigaku's Pillar of Support!

The next day's practice, Oishi was now able to attend but Tezuka and Ryoma's still missing! Momoshiro asked Horio is Ryoma's really sick. Horio told him that Ryoma seemed normal during their classes so being sick is out of the question. The regulars turned to Oishi for answers which he thankfully avoided due to Coach Ryuzaki calling out that practice is going to start.

Coach Ryuzaki's visited by Inoue during practice and told Coach Ryuzaki that he'd gone to Nanjiroh and now he understands that Ryoma's missing something when playing tennis. Coach Ryuzaki smiled and remembered that there's another person who thought about it like that too. Meanwhile, Tezuka and Ryoma are wandering aimlessly in the city mostly thinking about the match. Tezuka went and visited his doctor whoc quickly knew that he used his Drop Shot recently, he asked for an explanation since he's his doctor and ought to know Tezuka's reason for doing it. Tezuka told his doctor that showing his own tennis to Ryoma is necessary to start Ryoma's own tennis.

Ryoma's now replaying on his mind what Tezuka just told him the day before. "Echizen, Become Seigaku's Pillar of Support". He pondered about that and the sentences "Improve yourself Echizen" and "Show me your Tennis, Echizen".


After pondering about it, he quickly came home and asked his father for a match. Nanjiroh just wondered what happened with Ryoma to have that seriousness. From the start, Nanjiroh noticed that there's something different with the ball and how Ryoma hits it. Ryoma, however, thought that he should show his father (or in his mind, Tezuka) his own tennis. This prompted him to break his barrier and tap onto his potential and hit a shot Nanjiroh was shocked to see that he wasn't able to return that really fast return. It was the first time ever for Ryoma to hit a ball towards Nanjiroh and that his father couldn't return his shot. Ryoma let out a surge of breath and was really really happy then. He told his father, "Oyaji, tsuyoku naritai, motto motto" or in english, "I want to be stronger, much more stronger".