At the beginning of the tournament, Tsukushi and his friends are preparing for their first match against Yuigahama, a court-house team. They've lost to them in the past, but now they're going to play in the national tournament, which means they have to win their opening match first. Aww, suck it up, Shmoo. Shmoo is psyched to see his friend back on the field, but he's also worried about how he'll be able to keep up appearances at the tournament since he hasn't been able to get tickets to the ballet.