The first team has returned.
No. 8, Tōno Atsukyo, provoked Ishikawa and was sent flying with a single ball. Meanwhile, Ishikawa challenged Byoudouin for a match.
The sudden turn of events completely overshadowed the results of the rookie matches. It was like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil—everything exploded into chaos.
As a result, the top three court players unanimously reduced their training intensity in the afternoon. Everyone was on edge, preparing for tomorrow's shuffle match from this very moment.
After the first team left, at the No. 3 court training ground, the atmosphere lightened with Ishikawa's return. The pressure from the first team had weighed heavily on everyone, but now their spirits were lifted.
At this moment, the players were gathered in small groups, discussing the possibilities of tomorrow's shuffle match.
"Ishikawa," Genichirou Sanada, sitting on the steps, looked at the young man with a cloth bag on his back and asked curiously, "Where have you been these past few days?"
Marui also turned to look at him. He had already guessed that Ishikawa had gone to the same place as Oni and Irie. He was curious about what could attract three such skilled players to that place.
"The back mountain," Ishikawa replied without hesitation. "Behind this base, on a steep cliff, there's a remarkable person. If you can receive his guidance, your skills could undergo a dramatic transformation!"
"I knew it!" Marui and Sanada exchanged glances, their faces showing a hint of excitement.
"Both of you," Ishikawa said with a smile, "if you have the time, you should give it a try. However, that person has a peculiar personality, and the training intensity there is extremely high. Be mentally prepared."
"Understood," the two nodded in gratitude. They were already considering going to the back mountain for special training after the shuffle match.
"Sanada!" A voice called from a distance. Sanada turned and, upon recognizing the person, a smile spread across his face. "Captain Heishirou!"
"Come here for a moment," the young man in a military-green cap beckoned.
"Uh, I'll go over for a bit. You two chat," Sanada said to Ishikawa and Marui before heading toward the captain.
"Do you know him?" Ishikawa asked, pretending not to recognize the newcomer.
"Yeah," Marui nodded. "That's Heishirou Hirakoba, the former captain of Shitenhouji Middle School's tennis team. When I was in my second year, he was already a national-level player!"
"Long time no see, Captain," Sanada greeted Hirakoba with a smile.
"Hmm?" Sanada noticed something and his gaze fixed on the No. 18 badge on Hirakoba's collar. "Captain... are you also a representative of the first team?"
Earlier, Tōno had been too flashy, and Byoudouin's presence was overwhelming, so Sanada hadn't noticed his senior among the first team.
"Correct," Hirakoba replied with a grin. "If you like, I can give this to you."
"Give it to me?" Sanada raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes. "Captain, I don't think you mean 'give' in the way I'm thinking, right?"
"Who knows?" Hirakoba chuckled. "Why don't you try and see?"
"Uh..." Seeing Hirakoba's playful expression, Sanada shook his head. "No thanks. If I want it, I'll take it myself in tomorrow's shuffle match."
"Ambitious," Hirakoba nodded in approval. "I didn't expect you to have changed so much in just over a month. You're right. I also suggest you participate in tomorrow's match, but..."
At this point, his expression turned serious. "In tomorrow's match, it's best to challenge players ranked 11 to 20 in the first team. If you can win their badge, it will greatly enhance your skills."
Hirakoba paused, then added, "That's about it. From now until tomorrow, we're opponents. I look forward to experiencing your 'Tiger Shot'!"
"Captain..." Sanada sensed a hint of杀气 in Hirakoba's words, but instead of backing down, he smirked. "I will definitely break through your 'Bullet Serve' head-on!"
"You brat," Hirakoba shook his head. He had thought Sanada might be intimidated by today's events, but it seemed the opposite was true. Sanada was not only unfazed but also eagerly anticipating the shuffle match.
"Good," Hirakoba nodded. "I look forward to your challenge."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Wait," Sanada suddenly called out. "Captain, do you know about the remarkable person at the back mountain of U-17?"
"Huh?" Hirakoba turned back sharply, his gaze locking onto Sanada. "How do you know about that place? Have you been there?!"
"Uh..." Sanada was taken aback by Hirakoba's intense reaction. "Is it... forbidden to go there?"
"That's a place for failures," Hirakoba said gravely. "Going there means you've lost the competition here."
He continued with a stern warning, "It's a terrifying place, no less than hell. It could very well destroy your tennis career!"
"Hell?" Sanada's eyelids twitched uncontrollably. But then he frowned, "Yet, our teammate returned safely from there!"
"Your teammate..." Hirakoba's gaze shifted to the black-haired young man standing on the steps not far away.
"That guy?" A hint of awe flashed in Hirakoba's eyes. Then, looking back at Sanada, his tense expression softened.
"Sanada, you've found a trustworthy companion!"
With that, he turned and left.
"Captain..." Sanada watched Hirakoba's retreating figure, puzzled. His senior seemed to be warning him, yet there was an undertone of envy in his words.
Meanwhile, the first team members returned to their dormitories.
In one room, a brown-haired young man with a white cap and a small mustache lay down on the lower bunk as soon as he entered.
"It's good to be back!" He stretched comfortably, then looked at the silver-haired young man across from him. "By the way, Kaneshiro, aren't you going to check on Tōno?"
"It's fine," Kaneshiro shook his head. "At most, he has a fractured arm. The abdominal injury isn't serious. Besides, he probably doesn't want anyone visiting him right now."
"Ah," the mustached young man, Oomagari Ryūji, No. 6 of U-17, nodded. "You're right. Given Tōno's pride, he'd likely refuse any visitors during such a low point."
Tōno Atsukyo was known for his arrogance. In his most vulnerable and humiliating state, the more people who visited, the more it would wound his pride.
However, the towering young man with blue-white hair standing nearby gave Kaneshiro a meaningful look. Kaneshiro noticed and smiled back.
"Speaking of which," Oomagari recalled the scene of Tōno being sent flying, his tone serious. "That rookie, Ishikawa, is ridiculously strong. He took down Tōno with just one ball!"
"Yeah," Kaneshiro's expression was equally grave. As Tōno's partner, he knew Tōno's strength well. Even a captain-level player from another country might not be able to defeat Tōno in a single shot.
"However," Kaneshiro shook his head with a smile, "he's still just a rookie. How dare he challenge Byoudouin!"
He knew Ishikawa had defeated Oni, but no one knew the circumstances—whether Oni was sick or injured during the match. Moreover, in a way, Oni was already a thing of the past.
Once, Oni had dominated U-17. But after Byoudouin returned from the back mountain, Oni was relegated to No. 5 and participated in the French Tennis World Cup.
Now, Oni couldn't even hold onto the No. 5 position, having been overtaken by Kajimoto Kazuya.
If not for the record of defeating Byoudouin, the first team, having undergone remarkable transformations through continuous远征 matches, would have long stopped regarding Oni as a threat.
At that moment, the towering young man with the No. 4 badge on his collar spoke up, "He's strong."
"Huh?" Oomagari and Kaneshiro turned to him in surprise. They hadn't expected the usually silent and aloof Mouri to say such a thing.
"Mouri, do you... know that Ishikawa?" Oomagari asked in astonishment.
"That's right," Kaneshiro realized. "He's wearing Hyotei's regular uniform!"
"Ah," Oomagari nodded in understanding. "That explains it. But Mouri, your junior from Hyotei has quite the guts, daring to challenge Byoudouin!"
"He's always been bold," Mouri said, recalling how Ishikawa, as a first-year middle schooler, had challenged him, a third-year, during the Kantō Tournament.
"Too bad," Kaneshiro shook his head. "Boldness alone won't help. He's challenging Byoudouin. Given Byoudouin's personality, tomorrow's shuffle match... might not end well."
As he spoke, he glanced at Mouri. Oomagari nodded in agreement. "If Byoudouin gets serious, that kid is in trouble. At that point..."
He trailed off, glancing at Mouri. They all knew the vast difference in strength between Byoudouin and Mouri. If Byoudouin showed no mercy, Mouri wouldn't be able to stop him.
"I think you've misunderstood," Mouri said, giving Kaneshiro a meaningful look. "I meant his serve is strong."
"His serve?" Kaneshiro and Oomagari's pupils contracted in shock. Mouri actually praised someone else's serve?!
Mouri set down his tennis bag and began changing his jacket, preparing to go out.
Kaneshiro and Oomagari exchanged glances, suddenly feeling that tomorrow's shuffle match might not be as straightforward as they thought.
Evening soon arrived.
In Room 102 on the first floor of the dormitory, the four-person room felt somewhat empty. A shirtless young man was performing a one-handed handstand, supported by just three fingers.
Drip... drip...
Sweat dripped steadily from his body.
However, the young man's thoughts grew clearer amidst this intense upper-body training.
"Ishikawa Shin," the young man, Tokugawa Kazuya, the No. 1 court leader and roommate of Oni and Irie, recalled Ishikawa's image.
Unconsciously, Ishikawa had transformed from a highly talented rookie in his mind to someone who surpassed Oni Jūzaburō, standing as tall as a mountain.
Originally, Ishikawa had no connection to him.
Although Ishikawa was strong, Tokugawa felt no jealousy. Even after Irie and Oni left, he continued his training as usual.
But now, just as he was preparing to challenge Byoudouin, Ishikawa had stepped in.
"So..." As sweat continued to drip, Tokugawa's thoughts became even clearer. "Was the premonition I had back then actually about this shuffle match disruption?"
With that thought, Tokugawa gracefully flipped back onto his feet, wiped off his sweat, and walked over to the hamster cage on the table. After feeding the little creature, he changed his clothes, picked up his racket, and walked out with determination.
By now, the training grounds were mostly empty.
At the No. 3 court, due to tomorrow's shuffle match, Yamato and Nakagauchi had left early. Only Ishikawa and his two companions remained, wrapping up their training.
Thwack!
As Marui's return hit the net, Sanada, acting as referee from the high chair, announced, "Game over. Ishikawa wins, 6-0!"
"Lost again," Marui sighed, lowering his head.
Over the past few days, they had been practicing with Ishikawa daily. Yet, they had never managed to score a single point against him. Today was no exception.
The champion and runner-up of the rookie matches had both been utterly defeated.
However, they didn't feel humiliated.
On the contrary, playing practice matches against a high-level player like Ishikawa allowed them to clearly identify their weaknesses. By addressing these flaws and improving their habits, their skills had visibly improved.
Without Ishikawa, their abilities would undoubtedly be a notch lower.
"Let's call it a day," Ishikawa glanced at the sky and said to the two. "Let's grab dinner. Cancel tonight's training. Tomorrow's shuffle match opponents are incredibly strong!"
"Right," the two nodded.
Unconsciously, they had formed a trio with Ishikawa as their de facto leader.
"Hmm?" Just as they were about to leave, a figure approached from the distance.
"Ishikawa!" The figure stopped in front of them, raising his racket and pointing it at Ishikawa. "Before tomorrow's shuffle match, we must settle this between us!"
It was Tokugawa.
He had made up his mind. Before tomorrow's shuffle match, he would determine the winner between himself and Ishikawa.
The victor would face Byoudouin in tomorrow's shuffle match!
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