To the Main Battle (本戦へ Honsen e) is the 309th chapter of manga, Baby Steps.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Eiichiro Maruo
- Shin Asano
- Hiroshi Araya
- Hisashi Kanda
- Kisya Miyamoto
- Natsu Takasaki
- Takuma Egawa
- Yusaku Miura
- Ayumu Monma
Summary[]
Eiichiro tells his friends that he had managed to pass the preliminaries for the All-Japan Championship and expects to face Takuma in the second round of the main tournament.
Synopsis[]
Chapter opens with Ei-chan thinking that he'd won over a pro. The reporter Miyamoto wonders about Asano's mental state right now with the appearance of a new star (face) that resembles himself a lot. After the match, Ei-chan and Asano shake hands. And as Asano leaves the court, one of Asano's supporters tell him he'll be waiting in the audience next year because Asano is our hope. Anyhow, he then goes to where Nene is. She asks him what he's depressed about when he should be used to losing to a youngster and reminds him that he'd said he's resolved to continuing to play professionally. Asano agrees with her, but adds that this time it's different. Araya and Kanda go to meet the victorious Ei-chan. Asano goes up to them and asks Ei-chan if he's considering being a pro. Ei-chan admits his current status is halfway [he's on the fence]. Asano's surprised and tells Ei-chan, "That...is troubling." He adds that he wants to completely support Ei-chan who's the type that's similar to himself. He gives Ei-chan his contact details and tells him to consult Asano about anything essential. In addition, Asano says he has no doubt Ei-chan can play internationally. Ei-chan's happy about Asano's acknowledgment and the two shake hands again. As Asano walks with Nene, he tells her that during the match, he was happy when he imagined Ei-chan's future. And for the first time, he entertained the possibility of becoming a coach. He says it might be all right if he's not the one who actually takes the technical tennis that he's aiming for to the top of the world. Then he proposes again to Nene, and she's all "who knows?" [But at least her reply isn't a flat-out rejection.] Ei-chan calls Natsu to tell her he'd won. Then he calls his mom with the same news. She can't believe her son actually defeated a pro. Ei-chan insists it's true and suggests she come and watch. At the National Training Center, Takuma is practicing while Coach Miura is present. There, they receive the list of the draw for the final selection. Coach Miura suggests Takuma give it a special look in advance, since if Ei-chan wins once, he'll face Takuma. Coach Miura adds that his position is quite complicated, but he's really looking forward to the first competition between the two of them in a regular match. Takuma replies that even Coach Miura should understand how difficult it is to win the first round, but if they actually face each other, it should be interesting. Ei-chan also aware of this. He wants to appeal [probably with his parents or with potential sponsors] to becoming a pro with this draw, so he has to defeat Takuma. But before that is the first round.