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| The Singles 1 match has been delayed for a little bit, both bench coaches missing. Sanada calls the rest of the regular team to him and sends them off to attend to Yukimura's surgery. Sanada gives Jackal his coat as a symbol of his presence and goes to his match. Sanada gets first serve, and his mind only with one thought: to win the championship medal for Yukimura. The ball flies by so fast no one even saw it. On top of that, no one even saw that his swing. Echizen predicted where the ball was going to go but wasn't fast enough to catch it. Ryoma loses the first game. Concentrating on the ball will make Echizen tired. On top of that, he can't predict where the ball is going either because the swing is so fast. Twist Serve, Drive B isn't working and Echizen loses his own service game. Shishido reports the current situation to Atobe, who's currently enjoying life in his outdoor pool [note: rich =_=]. After hearing from Shishido, Atobe and Kabaji get ready to go watch the match as well. Echizen is finally getting used to Sanada's swings and can return them. The 3rd game was a close one, but Echizen loses that one too, giving Sanada 3-0 lead. Sanada starts to feel Echizen putting pressure on him, the same kind of pressure that Atobe felt during their practices matches last week. Echizen uses his new move, Cyclone Smash, which leaves Sanada gaping with his eyes wide open. |
Episode 127: Ultimate! Invisible Serve
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| Ryoma continues using his Cyclone Smash to gain points from Sanada, winning himself a game back. Nanjiroh also drops by to watch. Echizen is now also able to see Sanada's 'invisible' swings and can return them. But as a result, he is tiring, having to strain his eyes to see the hits. On top of that, performing the Cyclone Smash takes a lot of energy. And after a while, Echizen makes his first mistake: his smash was out of bounds. His eyes are really getting tired and Echizen decides to... close them! And so he serves with his eyes closed and returns Sanada's hits with his eyes closed. This surprises and infuriates Sanada, as he feels that he is being underestimated. Sanada sets Echizen up for another Cyclone Smash and this time, Sanada is able to reach the ball, but he ends up getting his racquet knocked out of his hands. And Echizen has caught up, 3-3. There is a small flashback: Yukimura had told him one evening that he would need to go to the hospital. Yukimura promised that he would return, and gave Sanada the responsibility to look after the team. Yukimura told Sanada to believe in himself as his last piece of advice. After that thought, Sanada seems to have calmed down and serves. Echizen still has his eyes closed and doesn't know that the ball went by until the referee called it. Echizen opens his eyes for the next serve but is still unable to see it. Sanada takes the game easily. |
Episode 128: Conclusion! Which One Will Win?
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| The rallies are intense, but Echizen can no longer afford to close his eyes. The balls become blurred to Echizen and the power of his Cyclone Smash has decreased. Sanada can now return the smash. Sanada pulls ahead with a 2 game lead. For this final game, Echizen couldn't react to Sanada's serves, allowing three serves to pass by him. Atobe and Akutsu are unsatisfied with his performance and ask him if that's all he's got. Their remarks bring Echizen to an 'awakened' state and Echizen gives Sanada a return ace on the next serve. The game turns around and suddenly Sanada doesn't have the upper hand anymore. Echizen continues with the flow and wins 2 games, using moves from his previous opponents such as Spot, Twist Spin Shot, Deep Impulse, and Hiyoshi and Akutsu's moves. In the end, Echizen wins the match. Seigaku takes the championship. Upon hearing this news on the radio, Kirihara almost bursts into tears but Yanagi stops him, telling him that Yukimura is still trying his best in the surgery. The surgery is not over. Back at the tournament, the gold medals are handed out to Seigaku as Rikkai takes the silver. Afterwards, Sanada approaches Seigaku and shake hands before running off to the hospital to Yukimura. Seigaku does their usual celebration at Kawamura's sushi restaurant. Ryuzaki-sensei also comes to the restaurant with the news that Yukimura's operation was a success. Oishi also calls Tezuka to tell him the good news. |
Episode 129: The Samurai's Ballad
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| The Echizen family are looking at an old photo album filled with Nanjiroh as the 'Samurai'. We get a background story this episode explaining the family's past. Fifteen years ago, Ryuzaki-sensei saw Nanjiroh off at the airport, who as headed to America for his dream. In America, coach Smith and his follower, Jack talk about a newcomer from Japan. A girl is waiting for her food and coach Smith calls her over to join him. She refuses and Smith grabs her arm. Just when things were getting heated, Nanjiroh pours a cold cup of water over Smith's head. The girl apologizes and drags Nanjiroh outside immediately. She explains to him that Smith is a pro and a very important person to get on the good side of but all he cares about are her breats. The girl throws a tennis ball at him as Nanjiroh turns to leave but Nanjiroh fields the ball with his racquet without even having to look. This does cause him to stop and ask for her name, in which she provides Rinko. Nanjiroh is often seen hanging out with some other American girls with a car. One time, Nanjiroh overhears coach Smith and Jack talking about some pro business, although Nanjiroh could care less about it. This attitude pisses Smith off though and he takes it out on the kids that he coaches. Smith even serves the ball at the boy that had dropped his glasses and couldn't see. But Rinko rushes there to protect the boy, and earns quite a few bruises in the process. When asked by Nanjiroh what happened, she lies that she fell and runs off and overhears what happened from a few passerby's. Nanjiroh takes revenge for Rinko and asks Smith to 'teach' him tennis. Nanjiroh taunts Smith's serves for being too slow and provokes him by closing his eyes. Smith then stands right up at the net and serves at Nanjiroh. Nanjiroh returns it right back and hits Smith in the face, causing him to fall back. The crowd, including Rinko, is amazed as Nanjiroh takes the match 6-0. After, Rinko takes Nanjiroh to his next tournament on her motorcycle. Five years pass, and Nanjiroh stopped playing tennis after winning 37 tournaments. He has found a new dream, and that is to raise Ryoma (Nanjiroh and Rinko's child) to become a worthy rival. |
Episode 130: I Want to See Tezuka
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| The Seigaku regulars take a trip to Germany to visit Tezuka. Tezuka's doctor takes them to the hospital from the airport. At the hospital, Oishi presents Tezuka with a championship medal and gives it to him. Tezuka accepts it and thanks everyone. Ryuzaki-sensei appears tired and retires to rest while Tezuka takes the rest of the group sight seeing. He also wants to show them his rehabiliation trainer. After a while, the group notices that a few people are missing: Inui, Kaidoh, Momo and Echizen. Kaidoh is all alone wondering where he is while the other three are together and try to figure out where they are with a map. The group begin to walk in the direction which they think is right while Kaidoh gets onto a taxi. Inui, Momo and Echizen end up at a lively part of town. A man running a small game stand beckons them and will tell them where they are if they play the game (throwing a ball through the target). Momo volunteers Echizen after Inui pays. A little distance away, a lady is watching Echizen and notices that his posture is like one of a tennis player. When he sees that Echizen can't hit the ball through the target, she lends him her racquet and Echizen is immediately able to hit the ball through. The man also tells Momo that he is in the right place and the 3 follow the lady to the bar where they here about her complain about a certain person (identity revealed in next episode). She is mad that Echizen doesn't seem to be listening to her complaints like the other 2 and challenges him to a tennis match. The group heads over to the tennis courts where Echizen is forced to play against the lady. She serves, and it is a strong one. It passes by Echizen in a flash and after that, Echizen becomes a little more serious. As for poor Kaidoh, he gets off the taxi at an unknown place and finds himself asking where he is again. |