Episode 003: "The Seigaku Regular Members Have Arrived"
summarized by:	Rachel
It's a new school day at Seishun Gakuen. A group of 5 older boys are talking about Ryoma. One of them responds that Momo has said that Echizen is not a normal 1st year. One of the boys has faith that if Momo said this, Echizen must be good. Another boy who looks like he is wearing a bathing cap smiles at the others and says that if Echizen is that good, it will be a good thing. The boy who spoke earlier about Momo first replies "Maybe." The boys leave, all are carrying tennis rackets and the last to speak is in the back and has long light brown hair. Ryoma is heading to the tennis courts and Tomoka is spying on him from a window. She calls Sakuno over and they both watch Ryoma. In another window an older male student with brown hair and glasses is also watching the school's tennis courts. Bowl-cut wonders how they (he, buzz-cut, Horio, and Ryoma) are going to manage getting up to practice tennis each morning. Horio suddenly announces that he thinks Momo-chan wasn't playing at full strength when Momo-chan played Ryoma last episode as Momo-chan had a leg injury. He explains that this is why Momo-chan was at the school while the other Regulars were away at a game. Ryoma pointedly ignores Horio, during Horio's speech. Horio asks Ryoma if he is paying attention and Ryoma replies "No." Horio becomes cross and assures the other first years that Ryoma can't be at the same level as the Seigaku Regulars because Ryoma is only a first year. (Hah!) Horio spouts off for a bit about how talented the Seigaku tennis club is and the other two frosh listen attentively. Both first year twins would like to see the Regulars play. In a bid for more attention, Horio, tells them that each month the Regulars play in a ranking competition and only the top players in this competition get to be Regulars. Ryoma gets up and leaves. A group of other first years come up to Horio impressed with his knowledge. Ryoma is not impressed. A pissed off upperclassman asks Ryoma is he is the so-called "Amazing First Year." Ryoma says no and points to Horio and says that Horio is. The upperclassman agrees, while Horio continues to babble about how Seigaku is always in the top 5 schools in Kanto. (With Hyotei and Yamabuki I would assume.) Horio starts to brag about how he wants to play the Seigaku captain at the rankings tournament and brags he might even be able to get a point. o_O The cranky upperclassman who talked to Ryoma earlier tells Horio to be quiet. The upperclassman says that first years aren't allowed in the ranking tournaments, they're only allowed to fetch balls. Arai comes up to the cranky upperclassman and asks him what he's doing. He tries to explain that he is talking to the showoff first year, but Arai says that the first year who played Momo-chan is the one with the hat on. This pisses off the cranky upperclassman more since it was Ryoma who told him the amazing first year was Horio. In the Seigaku clubhouse, Horio is bragging about how wonderful Tezuka the captain of Seigaku is and the first year twins are getting sick of hearing it finally. Horio tries to start a conversation with Ryoma about the fact that Ryoma has been awful rude to the upperclassmen and Ryoma of course ignores him. When Horio notices that Ryoma is sitting on Arai's jersey while he ties his shoe, Horio starts having conniptions. Ryoma isn't impressed and leaves them. Horio tries to impress on Ryoma what a problem this is and steps on an old racket lying on the ground. Much to their relief the racket is really old and does not belong to Arai-sempai or any of the other players. The boys go dashing out of the clubhouse and Horio runs right into an upperclassman. It's Arai who is in a pissy mood. The 3 first years cower, and then Ryoma walks by unimpressed. Arai becomes really angry now because Ryoma isn't showing him proper respect. The other 3 first years make a dash for it. Arai becomes really pissed when he sees his jersey is a mess. Arai complains that it's because of that rotten first year Momo-chan doesn't like him anymore *SNERK* Arai wants to embarrass Ryoma in front of everyone because he's really angry. Later that day, Shiba and Inoue show up at the school ready to take pictures. In a class room, Sumire is sitting near the male student with glasses from before and the boy who looked liked he was wearing a bathing cap. Sumire asks Tezuka how he plans to divide up the players for the ranking tournaments. The boy with the odd hair asks Sumire if she has any particular players in mind for the ranking tournaments, like for example among the first years. Sumire says it doesn't matter what she thinks, as technically first years aren't allowed to enter the ranking tournaments until the summer. The boy says not if the captain makes an exception and smiles at Tezuka. Tezuka ignores both Sumire and the other boy. Horio is gasping exhausted from practice. Ryoma isn't impressed and says "Mada Mada Dane." The boys are then told they have to do sit-ups much to their despair. Inoue and Shiba walk by and check out Ryoma. Inoue says it's too bad that first years can't compete in the ranking tournament. Ryoma finishes his 50 sit-ups as Horio starts getting really excited. Arai and his two cronies from the clubhouse have arrived on court. Arai becomes annoyed about Ryoma's rackets and announces that Ryoma thinks he is talented but he's not, the Regulars are back and they're the real talent at Seigaku. Arai(who uses the honorific "sama" after his name. o_O ) tells Ryoma that he is going to show him. Before Arai can finish this statement though the Regulars arrive. (Note: To me the red, white and blue Seigaku uniforms just look so USA, but I'm sure that is just me.) The first year twins look like they're about to die from happiness overload. It's the 5 boys we saw talking at the very beginning of the episode. At their front is a very disgruntled looking boy in a bandana. Ryoma watches them not completely impressed. Inoue states the obvious that the Regulars have arrived. All of the tennis club welcomes them. The boy in the swim cap tells the assembled members that he wants them all to feel welcome so they're all welcome to practice on any free court. The first years are pleased with this bounty. Horio points to the boy and announces that he is the invincible captain from last year Tezuka. Buzz cut is really impressed with the "captain." The brown haired-boy asks Oishi if he would like to warm up and Oishi tells Fuji that that sounds like a good idea until Tezuka arrives. The first year twins say that that guy wasn't the captain and Horio blushes and pointedly ignores them. Everyone stops what they are doing to watch Oishi and Fuji and the other three regulars practice. Oishi is hitting balls to them and they are hitting them back into the ball basket. O_O Horio is mightily impressed. Arai states proudly that this is his sempai's skill and yells to Ryoma that he can't compare to Seigaku's current Regulars. Ryoma glares. Oishi hits a ball a little long and Ryoma hits it into the basket just like the Regulars were. Horio and the first year twins are extremely impressed and even the Regulars stare. Ryoma smirks and says that that was easy and Arai gets pissy and grabs him by his shirt. A voice asks what is going on and Arai turns to see that Tezuka has arrived. Everyone shows proper deference and Tezuka says in punishment Arai and Ryoma are to run 10 laps around the tennis courts. Arai tries to get out of it and Tezuka increases it to 20 laps and tells everyone to start warming up. Horio is in love. Oishi calls Tezuka aside to talk and Arai is now really annoyed since he was punished by Tezuka. Arai comes up with an evil plot to get revenge. Ryoma is doing his laps. He comes back to find that the first years are supposed to practice swinging their rackets 100 times. Ryoma looks for his racket but it is gone. Arai and his cronies start making jokes about how Ryoma must think he's really good not to have even brought a racket. Ryoma glares at them. Horio knows there is going to be trouble. Arai challenges Ryoma to a game. He says if Ryoma is so sure that he didn't bring a racket with him he can play with anything and gives Ryoma the old beat-up racket from earlier. The first years are all horrified for Ryoma and Arai continues to try and taunt Ryoma. Ryoma looks really pissed. The redheaded Regular motions to the Regular in the thick glasses. The redheaded Regular says that Arai is causing problems for the First Year again. The Regular in the glasses wants to know if they should take care of it, but the redheaded one says that Tezuka will handle it when he comes back. (Way to pass the buck or should I say yen.) Fuji thinks this looks interesting and the boy in the bandana makes an obnoxious noise. Arai tells Ryoma to stop acting self-important and that if Ryoma is lucky maybe he'll see his 3 rackets again. Ryoma is *REALLY* pissed now and starts walking away. Horio wants to know where he is going and Ryoma says that some people just like to play tricks on other people. Arai understands what Ryoma is saying and gets indignant. Ryoma asks Arai if they are going to play or not and Arai is taken aback. Fuji says he wants to see this. Arai tells Ryoma he is going to crush him. The first years are worried. Shiba thinks he has no chance and Tomoka and Sakuno show-up to see what Ryoma is doing as well. Arai hits the ball and Ryoma hits the ball and it hits the net and bounces away. Arai is overconfident and hits it to Ryoma again and Ryoma returns the ball so that it is out of bounds. The Regular in glasses thinks Ryoma has no chance also. Fuji says the problem is one can't put the correct spin on the ball. Arai is really happy because Ryoma is finally going to be embarrassed in front of everyone. Aria tells Ryoma not to act so calm since he is going to lose badly and hits another ball, this time Ryoma turns his body and hits a good shot which Arai promptly misses. Everyone is extremely impressed. Some of the upperclassmen wonder if the racket was really a junk racket. Another wonders how fast the ball was. Ryoma of course doesn't think the shot was fast and Arai is now feeling stupid and peevish. He hits the ball and Ryoma hits a shot Arai missed again. Fuji says a "A great calligrapher isn't because of his brush." The Regular in glasses feels sure that Ryoma will eventually be a Regular. (Little does he realize...) Arai is not dealing well and crumples onto the court. The Regular in the bandana turns away from the game pissed. He feels that the game is making the 2nd years look bad. The Regular in the glasses calls after Kaidoh, but Kaidoh just leaves. Ryoma tells Arai he is just warming up. Arai wants to end the game now, and Ryoma says "No." (Go and get your revenge on the court Ryoma, we know you want to...) Oishi and Tezuka are watching Ryoma play. Oishi wants to know what Tezuka thinks and Tezuka says everyone has to run laps for breaking the rules. Oishi asks if even the Regulars have to and Tezuka says "Everyone." Oishi is rather surprised. Sumire looks at the players chosen for the ranking tournament and sees Ryoma's name. MomoRyo 1/2 heart. Momo-chan isn't in this episode, but Arai says that Momo-chan doesn't like him anymore now that he's met Ryoma *SNERK*