The Ninth Challenge (九度目の挑戦 Kudome no Chōsen) is the 279th chapter of manga, Baby Steps.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Summary[]
Eiichiro fights against Pete by using the data he gathered in the past practices matches and the things he see with his good eyes.
Synopsis[]
The onlookers comment that Pete's match is starting. Someone notes that Pete's a rising star who became the runner-up in the US Open Juniors two and a half years after he started playing tennis seriously. They say his serve is in a different league: he swings downward 2 meters to serve at speeds over 200 kph. His mass-production of aces is exhilarating.
When Ei-chan manages to hit Pete's serve, the onlookers say he responded well. Pete's second serve was even faster, but Ei-chan manages to return it. He thinks he's good, that he can already compete "here," but because Pete has good eyes, Ei-chan will prepare firmly so as not to allow the course to be read. He thinks as he dashes to the net that Pete's reaction is fast but if it's this, Ei-chan has the upper hand. If it's this timing, Pete would have difficulty hitting any stroke other than a straight—then Pete forcibly hits a cross. Ei-chan manages to return the ball and score. He thinks that up to now he wouldn't have reached that distance, and he speculates his being able to decide and jump at the ball was thanks to beach tennis.
The onlookers say Ei-chan is also fairly high level. They're continually amazed that Eichan's able to return Pete's serves even though he's hitting good ones. Pete thinks it's fine since he got the point, but he isn't able to get an ace, and he suspects he's being read. Ei-chan thinks that in a deuce court a slice serve to his forehand side would go out by the time he recognizes the type of ball and he won't reach a considerable proportion of the balls if he doesn't read them but he concludes that Pete's three serves match the data he'd collected in the month and a half. Pete has a habit of bringing his rear foot close in the direction he's going to hit the ball. Iif Pete's rear foot is past the alignment with his fore foot, it will be wide; if it's not past, Ei-chan thinks it's not 100%, but before Pete hits the ball, Ei-chan can already read it. It's a big habit but Pete hasn't fixed it, probably because if his shot goes in, he scores. It's proof that up to now Pete hasn't played against someone who thoroughly attacked that habit. He thinks it's an indication of lack of experience even though Pete's tennis history is no different from Ei-chan's, that or the softness of the environment "here". Ei-chan's able to call the next serve as a center, but it's fast—and it was faster than before. He wonders how far Pete's going to adjust the risk he's taking, and if so, that just Ei-chan's being able to return it has to be big.
Pete thinks that as far as returning the serve just now is concerned, it isn't because Eichan has gotten used to it from playing against him several times during practice; he concludes his serve is being read. If that's the case, if he doesn't hit an unreturnable serve and find a clear solution... Ei-chan reads Pete's next serve as a center, but thinks that if he moves too quickly, Pete can change the course just before he hits, so Ei-chan has to wait until the last moment. Ei-chan's able to return the ball well and thinks he might have a bit of an advantage. He hits the ball to an open court, and Pete hits it into the net, bringing the score to 40-30.
The onlookers start wondering about Pete's opponent. They note that he's Japanese, but they've never heard of him.
Pete thinks he's leading but he/the situation doesn't feel very good. He's used to having an overwhelming advantage with his serves, and he can't find his rhythm. Ei-chan thinks the beginning even has the biggest critical moment: if he can break Pete's serve, it will be big. It's a center and the fastest yet. Ei-chan's able to return it but it's a chance ball. He wonders which side Pete will aim for, but then Pete hits a drop shot to win the game. The onlookers praise Pete, saying for someone with his experience he's good with that delicate shot, which was something of a gamble.
Pete thinks that no matter how many times he aimed for an ace, he hadn't been able to get even one. He thinks Ei-chan is different from how he's been up to now. Ei-chan thinks he hadn't been able to break, but is sure he can break the deadlock of Pete's serve. He concludes that if he can keep his serves reliably, he has a good enough chance of winning.