7 Exciting Future

The science behind the the Feather Serve was quite simple. If you are able to rotate the ball on its side with enough force, the shape of the ball begins to deform to that of a flatter sphere. This gives the ball more surface area that goes against the air, which lets it fall to the ground more slowly.

[A/N: "Imagine letting go a piece of paper with its flat side facing downward."]

However, the theory behind this is easier said than performed. Without extremely precise and controlled contact with the ball, the ball could be sent flying in a completely random direction. Also, you would need an unnaturally high spin on the ball to deform its shape enough to its surface area viable.

These conditions would usually make this kind of serve theoretically impossible, but it was still accomplished by Akira.

He ran in the beginning to gain some horizontal velocity and jumped just behind the baseline to further increase that. The unnatural way he tossed the ball was actually to put a an initial spin on the ball to help him reach the required RPM to deform the ball. He also tossed it at an angle, again, for the horizontal velocity.

[A/N: "RPM = revolutions per minute. One revolution is the same as spinning the ball around one time."]

The impact, however, was much more difficult and tricky. To transfer almost all of his strength towards the ball's spin, Akira had to make just enough contact with the ball at a very specific angle. This was so that the strength that he built up would all go towards hitting the ball's side, inducing an incredible rotation.

Akira had first thought of this technique around 2 years ago in an attempt to beat Rinko with a perfect score. He thought that if he could come up with some move that was not returnable, he would be that much closer to meeting his goal.

However, he couldn't really practice this technique until a few months ago. At the time he still hadn't solidified his tennis and hadn't mastered the basic forms. There was also the fact that his body, at the time, couldn't physically execute the serve due to inefficient strength and lacking control.

Both Rinko and Nanjiro were stunned by what they just witnessed. That type of serve was only possible for the top pros.

Akira: "How do you like that old man. Looks like I win the bet."

Nanjiro soon got out of his daze.

Nanjiro: "Yeah. Looks like you did."

He then noticed something.

Nanjiro: "You still want to continue?"

Rinko, who was on the sidelines, was confused by his question.

Akira: "...No. I think we should stop. Anymore and I won't be able to move around freely for at least a week or two."

Then she noticed how Akira's arm and knees was a different shade of color from the rest of his skin color.

When Akira was finally able to start practicing this serve, he noticed that this move would put incredible strain on his arm and legs, much more than what his body is currently able to handle. This wasn't much of a problem if he only used it a once or twice in a match due to his Healthy Body ability, but if he were to use it multiple times in succession, even with his ability, he wouldn't be able to play for weeks.

Rinko: "Akira!"

She then opened the fence and proceeded to run to Akira concerned for his health. She then started checking the rest of his body to see if there were any other injuries and even lifted up his shirt.

Akira got a bit annoyed and pulled his shirt down.

Akira: "Stop it. I'm not injured anywhere else."

Rinko: "Shut it and stand still! Knowing you, anything's possible."

She started checking his entire body again before calming down a bit seeing that he was not visibly injured anywhere else.

Akira: "See. I'm fine."

She glared at him.

Rinko: "That doesn't mean that I forgot what you just did! Prepare for a long lecture when we get home."

Akira just sighed, already feeling mentally exhausted for what was coming.

Only when Rinko looked like she was done scolding him was Nanjiro finally able to cut in.

Nanjiro: "You alright kid? A serve like that isn't normally possible to a kid your age. You should probably go to the hospital to get yourself checked out."

Akira turned and faced him.

Akira: "Nah, I'm good. My body's has an unnaturally high recovery rate so my arm and legs should be back to 100 after a day or two."

Akira looked down.

Akira: "I've been through much worse."

Akira's mood dropped down for a moment. Rinko's too when she heard his last statement.

Technically, Akira hadn't been through much worse, only that his body had. The previous owner of his body had died and was replaced through God's power. From then on, his body had an abnormally high recovery rate due to Healthy Body. Akira was reborn right then and there, but that didn't stop him from experiencing the last wave of emotions and feelings coming from his predecessor at the instant he died.

Nanjiro saw the change in the atmosphere and made his own deductions.

Nanjiro: "Seems like you've been through a lot."

The conversation between them got quiet for a moment before Rinko tried to change the subject.

Rinko: "Why don't we go to the hospital to get you checked? After that, we'll go get something to eat."

Akira: "Haaa~? Why do I have to-"

Rinko: "Stop complaining! Although you say you are fine, there's no telling if there will be any long-term damage to your body if you ignore your current injuries!"

Akira relented. He knew that once Rinko set her mind to something, if it within her abilities, she'll definitely follow it through.

Akira: "Fine."

---------- Skipping forward about an hour ----------

After confirming that Akira didn't have any hidden injuries and that he should be back to full health in a few days, Rinko brought Akira went out to eat like she said. But there was someone else that tagged along for the ride.

Akira: "So why did you follow us?"

Nanjiro: "Hey, I had nothing else to do for today and Rinko offered to pay."

Akira: "So you're just here for the free meal?"

Nanjiro: "Basically. Now, let's see if they have anything good."

He said while looking through the menu. With Rinko just smiling there, Akira sighed and browsed through the menu too.

After ordering, Rinko let you the bathroom to freshen up, leaving Akira and Nanjiro alone. Both of them were not talking. Akira didn't know what was going through Nanjiro's head, but at least he didn't feel like he needed to strike up a conversation.

He was looking out through the restaurant's window with a blank look and his hand on his cheek when Nanjiro broke the ice.

[A/N: "Breaking the ice means to start a conversation. Since I am American, there is a lot of slang and phrases that people in other countries/other places within America do not understand/are confused about. I'll try not to use a lot of these slangs/phrases, but sometimes when I write my story, one might be a perfect fit for the dialogue and I might use it. After that I might put in a description below where I used it if I don't think it's very common."]

Nanjiro: "Hey kid."

Akira turned his head.

Akira: "Hmm?"

Nanjiro: "What do you think about tennis?"

Akira: "What do I think about it? I mean it's a fun sport and it's a good way to pass time."

Nanjiro: "Not that. I mean how do you feel when you play tennis?"

Akira: "I just answered that, it's fun. I like playing and getting better."

Nanjiro: "But why do you try so hard? That technique that you came up with can't just be motivated by just wanting to have fun and wanting to get better. Why go through all that pain?"

Akira fell silent. Nanjiro was waiting for his response with a very serious expression.

Akira: "...Because I'm alive."

Needless to say, Nanjiro didn't expect that response.

Akira: "There is only a limited number of years a person is alive and I want to live everyday doing what I want and what makes me happy with what time I have. And honestly it didn't have to be tennis, I just kept with it because Rinko-nee's the one who introduced it to me. I probably act the same way for another sport."

Akira stared at Nanjiro with a glint in his eyes.

Akira: "But, now that there's someone like you I can play against, I don't think I can stop anytime soon."

Nanjiro saw the fire in his eyes and now realized what kind of person Akira is.

Nanjiro: 'Because he recognizes that there will be an inevitable end, he wants to enjoy his life to the fullest as much as he can. That is why he plays tennis, because it's fun and because he enjoys the challenge.'

Nanjiro smiled and reached to sip his drink.

Nanjiro: "Hey, what do you think about becoming a professional tennis player?"

Akira: "No way."

He said instantly while waving his hand. Nanjiro had a was taken off guard and spit some of his drink back into his cup.

Nanjiro: "Haaaaa~? Why not? You got the potential."

Akira: "I enjoy playing tennis and all that and I like to play against good players, but it's not like that's where all the competition is."

Akira spread his arms wide open.

Akira: "There are many other sports that seem fun and I want to try them all. I want to try them, get better at them, and eventually fight others who are at the top of their class. It doesn't matter whether I beat them or not. All that matters is the fight, to go head-to-head with the best with everything you got. Doesn't that kind of life sound like a lot of fun?"

Nanjiro was in awe of his response. Normally, a person would devote his entire life to be the best in one field, but Akira doesn't care about that. He just wants to fight the best sportsmen in the world and enjoy his life to the fullest. It is impossible to do everything and train for all of them from scratch, but something told him that this kid might actually realize that impossibility, that his name would go down into history.

Akira's end goal is to become a teacher and coach teams to be the best in their fields. But how can you coach the best without becoming one of the best yourself? This was Akira's current goal. It didn't matter what kind of challenges he would face, he would confront them all.

Nanjiro shuddered in expectation of this boy's future.

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