Baby Steps 2

The World and the Wall

Eiichirō arrives in Florida, and Coach Mike introduces him to Marcia, an upcoming junior whose older brother just made the Pro's. Marcia and Eiichirō play a match, and Marcia decides Eiichirō must be training for the French Open because of his slow play style. Eiichirō is introduced to his new dorm mates, among which are Alex O'Brien, the older brother of Marcia. The next morning at breakfast Eiichirō is welcomed by Ike Souji, and his dorm mates begin to see him as a rival since Ike acknowledged him. Eiichirō's dorm mates are introduced to his 39 notebooks of tennis. Eiichirō and Alex are announced as a match for day one, but Alex refuses since Eiichirō isn't a Pro. Ike arrives and promises Eiichirō's dorm mates that anyone that can beat Eiichirō will be able to play him in the next two weeks. Eiichirō plays Alex in his first official match at the Florida Tennis Academy. During the day he learns about the video cameras showing his technique and the resources of the many coaches available.