"The match is over."
The referee on the high chair finally snapped out of his daze, his voice trembling slightly as he announced, "Ishikawa Shin from Hyotei wins, 6-0!"
"Woooh!!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire Hyotei cheering squad erupted in excitement. The roar of over two hundred people was like a tidal wave, leaving players from other teams utterly stunned.
*Ding!*
At that moment, a system notification chimed in Ishikawa's mind.
[Player has defeated elite-level player Fuji Syusuke, earning 1,600 experience points.]
[Player has obtained a special ability dropped by Fuji Syusuke: Mind's Eye Lv1.]
"Oh?"
The drop from defeating Fuji surprised Ishikawa. He had expected to have a higher chance of obtaining one of Fuji's four counter techniques. However, compared to those defensive counters, [Mind's Eye], an ability that could be used both offensively and defensively, was undoubtedly more versatile.
While Ishikawa's max-level chess skills already provided a similar effect, this specialized ability would undoubtedly enhance that aspect even further.
"Senior," Ishikawa said as he approached the net, looking at Fuji, whose expression was visibly strained. "I apologize for breaking your racket."
"No need to apologize," Fuji shook his head. "That last shot of yours made me realize my own shortcomings."
With that, the genius from Seigaku turned and walked away.
It was clear that Fuji wasn't content with the loss. But that final shot from Ishikawa had shown him what truly top-tier, national-level tennis looked like.
Watching Fuji's retreating figure, Ishikawa couldn't help but speculate. After the Metropolitan Tournament, this Seigaku prodigy would likely undergo a transformation far beyond what was depicted in the original story.
"How interesting, truly fascinating," murmured Nanjiroh, who had watched the entire final match with a grin. "If the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament is this exciting, the Kanto and National Tournaments are bound to be even more thrilling, right?"
He couldn't help but make comparisons. Among all the players who had taken the court, aside from Ishikawa, who hadn't yet revealed his full strength, the other middle schoolers—including his own son, Echizen—still had a significant gap to bridge compared to the top-tier players in Europe and America.
However, just like his expectations for Echizen, these middle schoolers were in a phase of rapid growth in both skill and experience. Given time, the heights they could reach would be limitless.
"Tsk, tsk," Nanjiroh chuckled to himself, his smile widening as he adjusted the wooden ice cream cart hanging from his chest.
"What's with this guy..." Shiba muttered, shooting a disdainful look at the middle-aged man with the creepy grin standing next to her.
"Uh, Mr. Nanjiroh," Inoue finally spoke up, unable to ignore the exaggerated smile. "What are you so happy about?"
"Heh," Nanjiroh adjusted his sunglasses and smirked. "I was just thinking about how fun it would be to steal a few treasures from an old friend of mine and see how he'd react!"
"Uh..." Inoue and Shiba exchanged puzzled glances, clearly not understanding what he was talking about.
"Never mind, we'll talk about it later," Nanjiroh waved them off dismissively before disappearing into the crowd.
With the finals over, the intense atmosphere of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament began to fade. However, the remaining eight teams that had been eliminated were still gearing up for one last shot at securing the final spot in the Kanto Tournament.
Among them, the most attention was on Fudomine, who had been defeated by Hyotei, and St. Rudolph, who had lost to Seigaku. Both teams lived up to expectations, easily defeating their respective opponents.
In the final showdown, Fudomine came out on top, defeating St. Rudolph 3-1 and securing the last ticket to the Kanto Tournament from the Tokyo region.
"Is this the level of a national powerhouse?" Mizuki muttered to himself as he watched Tachibana walk off the court. He finally realized how laughable his earlier assumption had been—that a serious Fuji could turn the tables and defeat Ishikawa. After all, he hadn't even been able to last fifteen minutes against Tachibana in his normal state. Meanwhile, Hyotei's newcomer, Ishikawa, had utterly crushed the "Lion of Kyushu."
"So..." Mizuki's mind raced as he pieced together the performances from the various matches. A terrifying thought crossed his mind: Ishikawa might not have even been going all out when he delivered that final, match-ending shot against Fuji.
"With Hyotei in this state..." Mizuki's thoughts turned to Hyotei's captain, Atobe, who hadn't even taken the court yet. He suddenly felt that the upcoming Kanto Tournament, just two weeks away, would be a bloodbath. The reigning national champions' dominance might even be threatened!
*Boom!*
Around the same time the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament finals concluded, in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, at a sports park in the city center, another match was reaching its climax.
"Game over! Kirihara Akaya from Rikkai wins, 6-0!" the referee announced as the curly-haired boy landed a powerful smash.
"Huff... huff..." On the other side of the court, a boy with an orange cap was bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
"Wakato didn't even score a single point?" one of the identical twin brothers on the sidelines exclaimed in shock. "Rikkai is just too strong!"
"This is what it means to be the reigning national champions!" the red-haired woman in the coach's seat, dressed in a white lab coat and wearing a necklace and glasses, thought to herself. Despite her awe, a flicker of intense frustration flashed in her eyes. "If only I could find players with better talent, Jyousei Shounan wouldn't have to suffer such a humiliating defeat!"
"Tch," the Rikkai player who had just defeated his opponent scoffed, blowing a strand of hair out of his face. "The competition in the prefectural tournament is so weak. I hope the Kanto Tournament will at least give me a bit of a challenge."
"Hyotei will be at the Kanto Tournament," a brown-haired boy with a mushroom cut, who had been quietly observing with his eyes closed, chimed in. "I heard they have a pretty impressive newcomer this year. They might become a serious rival for us."
"Hyotei, huh?" The curly-haired boy made a mental note of the school. "If I get the chance, I'd like to play against their regulars. If I remember correctly, their captain, Atobe, is a national-level player."
"Alright, that's enough," the blue-purple-haired boy sitting in the coach's seat stood up, nodding to the woman beside him. "Coach Hanamura, thank you for the match today. We'll take our leave now."
With that, he led his team away, the once-arrogant curly-haired boy now following obediently behind him.
"The captain of Rikkai, the 'Child of God' of middle school tennis, Yukimura Seiichi," Hanamura Kao, the coach of Jyousei Shounan, watched their retreating figures with a mix of admiration and longing. "If only I could have a player with such incredible talent..."
"With my guidance, a genius like that could become the most perfect masterpiece in the world!"
But alas, that was nothing more than a pipe dream. With a deep sigh, Hanamura led her dejected team away.
---
Meanwhile, in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, at another sports park, the finals of the local tournament were also underway. However, compared to the intensity of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, the atmosphere here was much more subdued.
*Thwack!*
Finally, with a decisive net-skimming shot from a bald boy in a red shirt, the referee called the match. "Game over! Rokkaku Chuu's Tachibana Kippei wins, 6-1!"
"That's our Tachibana!"
"Yeah, our new captain is seriously on another level!"
"Haha, stop it, you're going to make him blush!"
Outside the tennis court.
A group of kids, dressed in colorful clothes and full of laughter, were teasing a young boy on the court.
"Gotta admit," said a handsome teenager with light blue hair, standing outside the court with a smile, "Kentarō's skills are definitely up to the task of being captain!"
Saeki Kojirō.
Age 14.
Vice-captain of the Rokkaku Middle School tennis team.
By the old rules, he should have been the one to take over as captain. However, their coach had directly appointed the new boy as captain the moment he joined the team.
But, thanks to the trust in their coach and the harmonious atmosphere within the Rokkaku team, no one had raised any objections. Saeki himself was more than willing to step back and assist the new captain with the team's day-to-day affairs.
"Hmm."
At that moment, sitting in the coach's seat was a thin, elderly man with long white hair and a beard that seemed to drag on the ground. He nodded in satisfaction as he watched the boy leave the court.
This was the successor he had chosen for Rokkaku, and the boy's performance had lived up to his expectations.
The reason the coach had chosen him was simple: aside from his own tendency to act on impulse and disregard rules, he valued the boy's cheerful and optimistic personality. In his eyes, only by truly enjoying tennis could one become a great player.
However, the old man didn't hold much hope in his heart. After all, in his mind, the perfect disciple had already appeared. He believed no one else could ever match the wild, untamed spirit and the genuine joy for tennis that his former student had possessed.
"Eiji..." The old man looked toward Tokyo, lost in thought. "I wonder how far your understanding of tennis has come now?"
Thinking of that disciple, the old man couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret. If only he and another of his students had continued working in tennis after retiring, Japanese tennis would surely be even more remarkable than it is now.
At the same time, in various regions across Japan—Osaka, Hyogo, Kumamoto in Kyushu, Hokkaido, and more—regional tournaments were also coming to an end. The winning teams from each region secured their spots in the national competition. Only by emerging victorious in these regional tournaments could they advance to the national stage.
"The Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament has now concluded."
At 5 p.m., at the Tokyo tournament venue, the announcer's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention to the five teams that had advanced.
"First place, Hyotei Academy."
"Second place, Seigaku Middle School."
"..."
"These five teams have earned the right to compete in the Kanto Tournament!"
"Hyotei!"
"Hyotei!"
"Hyotei!"
In an instant, the cheers of the Hyotei team members echoed throughout the venue. And while the deafening noise might have been overwhelming, none of the other teams showed even a hint of annoyance.
It was simple: this was the undisputed dominance of Tokyo's reigning champions, earned through sheer strength and skill.
Meanwhile, not far from the venue, in another competition area, a group of older, more mature-looking players paused as they heard the faint cheers in the distance.
"Wait, seriously?"
"Isn't that the junior high division over there?"
"Hyotei? Wow, how many people did that school bring? The energy is insane!"
"What's there to be surprised about?" someone chimed in with a laugh. "Hyotei has been the unbeatable champion of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament for the past five years. See that guy over there? He's the one who led Hyotei to the national tournament!"
"Huh?"
At those words, the group's expressions shifted, and their gazes turned to one of awe as they looked at the towering figure in the distance.
*Thwack!*
At that moment, the player in question unleashed a serve so fast it was almost impossible to follow. The ball slammed into the ground at his opponent's feet, and as the faint yellow light exploded, the opponent could only close his eyes in defeat.
"Game over," the referee announced. "Hyotei's Ochi wins, 6-0!"
"Nice one, Captain Ochi!"
"That serve was insane! I doubt even the high schoolers could handle your full power!"
"This is just the regional tournament. The captain's aiming for the national high school championship this year!"
Unlike the junior high tournaments, the high school league was structured around individual matches. As a result, only the truly elite players could rise to the top.
And the young man who had just defeated his opponent to claim first place in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament was undoubtedly one of those elite players.
Ochi Mitsuyoshi.
Former captain of the Hyotei junior high tennis team.
It was under his leadership that Hyotei had made it to the national tournament and achieved impressive results.
"By the way," one of the Hyotei high school team members suddenly spoke up as Ochi walked off the court, "I heard the junior high team has a new kid with some serious talent this year. Apparently, his serve is something else. Even Coach Sakaki gave him high praise."
"Oh?" Ochi, a towering figure at 2.26 meters tall with blue-and-white hair and bangs covering one eye, exuded an icy aura. But for a brief moment, a flicker of curiosity crossed his otherwise cold expression.
"A rookie who earned Coach Sakaki's praise, huh?"
But that fleeting thought was quickly buried under his usual cold demeanor.
---
*(End of Chapter)*