EPISODE CONTEXT

Sitting at episode 17 of 25, this lands in the season's critical back third where Baby Steps transitions from building Eiichirō's foundational skills to testing his resolve against the realities of professional ambition. It directly follows the high-intensity match developments of Episode 16, using that aftermath as a springboard for deeper self-examination. The introspection here feeds directly into Episode 18, 'Determination and Presentation,' where these internal conflicts crystallize into concrete decisions about the characters' tennis futures.