Let's leave what happened to Ryōma and the others after reaching the Cliff of the Heart aside for now. Back at the training camp base, everyone was focused on completing their training goals. No one wanted to experience the horror of Mitsuya-brand rice balls.
The day was nearly over. Except for a few, most of the middle schoolers had already finished their training. Now, it was mostly high schoolers on the courts. The tasks assigned to middle schoolers weren't any easier than those given to high schoolers.
At dinner time, Akashi, Oni, and Irie walked into the cafeteria. Seeing everyone wearing their U-17 training uniforms, Akashi nodded in satisfaction. When the others saw Oni and Irie, they all stood up to greet them. In the corner, Mizuki Hajime watched the scene unfold with interest.
"Starting tomorrow, besides the random rotation matches, everyone must begin actively applying for Court Shuffle matches. Push to get into Court 5 or 6 as soon as possible. Ishida Gin, get familiar with the rules of Court 5," Akashi said directly to everyone.
The middle schoolers all nodded. They'd been itching to go. After finishing dinner, they returned to their dorms to rest. Just then, Tokugawa suddenly appeared in front of Akashi and the others.
"Akashi Seijurō! I don't care what you're planning, but Byōdōin is mine to defeat!" Tokugawa said sternly, eyes locked on Akashi.
"You're not qualified to make demands with me yet. Soon, I'll bring a team to challenge your Court 1 in a team Shuffle match. If you want to prove yourself, beat me then," Akashi replied coolly, shooting Tokugawa a glance before walking past.
"Tokugawa-kun, I really suggest you don't go against little Akashi," Irie said, for once wearing a serious expression.
"You'll get your shot at facing Byōdōin eventually. But now's not the time to stir up trouble," Oni warned Tokugawa too.
Because of Akashi's arrival, both Oni and Irie weren't as invested in training Tokugawa as they were in the original timeline. They knew full well that these middle schoolers led by Akashi were incredibly powerful—more than enough to help Japan win the world championship.
In the original timeline, apart from the first-stringers, there wasn't anyone worth developing. Tokugawa had been a rare prospect, almost destroyed by Byōdōin. That's why Oni and Irie had pinned their hopes on him before.
"Are you sure about this? Aren't you afraid it'll crush Tokugawa's confidence?" Mitsuya suddenly appeared as Akashi and the others rounded a corner.
"You've probably finished collecting everyone's data by now, haven't you?" Akashi didn't answer the question. Instead, he asked one of his own.
"Of course. Do you need it, Akashi-kun?" Mitsuya smiled back.
"No need. But sync it with the coaches soon. The staff here might not have as complete a set as yours," Akashi said calmly.
The night passed quickly, and the training camp welcomed a new day. As usual, the middle schoolers were the first to arrive at the bulletin board to check the day's training schedule—and see if they'd been selected for any random rotation matches.
To their surprise, there was indeed a match posted today. But the matchup left everyone wearing odd expressions. The perceived gap in skill between the players seemed massive. The bulletin read: Migihashi Itarou vs. Tezuka Kunimitsu!
As it happened, Akashi had also arrived at the square that day. Seeing the matchup, he was speechless. He couldn't figure out what the three coaches were thinking—what was the point of such a lopsided match?
He remembered from the original timeline that Migihashi Itarou was the figurehead of Court 2, a true oddball. He never challenged Court 1, nor was he ever beaten down to lower courts. A total anomaly.
Migihashi Itarou
"Well, maybe it's fine. This way, Tezuka can move up to Court 2 early. Maybe that's what the coaches are planning. Guess we'll see," Akashi murmured.
Soon, everyone headed to the court. This time, Tezuka arrived first. He quietly sat on the sideline tying his shoelaces, his expression as calm as ever. Not long after, Migihashi strolled in, equally composed.
"Didn't think my opponent would be you, Tezuka Kunimitsu," Migihashi said as he looked at Tezuka across the court. He had mixed feelings but kept a straight face.
"Long time no see, Migihashi-senpai!" Tezuka greeted politely with a bow.
"No need for small talk. Since the coaches arranged it, let's just get this match started." Migihashi said and walked slowly onto the court.
Tezuka nodded silently and followed him in. Neither was the talkative type, so the match started quickly, with Migihashi serving first.
Though Migihashi was a third-year, he didn't use any special serve techniques. Right from the first point, it turned into a rally. Gradually, the spectators started noticing something odd.
The ball flew back and forth over the net, but both players stood motionless at the center of the baseline. Every ball that entered their side of the court was somehow drawn toward them.
But there was a slight difference. Tezuka had clearly activated his Zone—the ball curved along various arcs to reach his ideal strike point. Migihashi's returns, however, all went toward his right side. It looked like a weaker version of the Zone.
"There it is! Migihashi's Right Saver!" a high school student exclaimed excitedly.
The middle schoolers, however, didn't say anything. They already knew Migihashi's style. To put it simply, it was like half of Tezuka's Zone—his control only worked on his right side. He was completely weak on the left.
"Game! 6-0! Match over! Winner: Tezuka Kunimitsu!"
"Migihashi Itarou is demoted to Court 15! Tezuka Kunimitsu is promoted to Court 2!"
The match ended quickly, the result unsurprising. Tezuka won with ease and moved up to Court 2. Most of the remaining players there were third-years, but none of them had any complaints.
Meanwhile, atop the Cliff of the Heart, Mifune was bellowing at the top of his lungs, scolding the gathered high school and middle school students. Last night, when Ryōma and the others had climbed up, Mifune gave them a rough welcome.
Now, he was laying down his rules for the new arrivals. As for players like Niō and Oshitari, who were already third-years, they'd already resumed their daily training. Niō especially—Mifune had assigned him some special programs.
"Listen up, you bunch of trash! I hate hassle more than anything. So around here, my word is absolute! If anyone dares to disobey, I'll throw you off this cliff without mercy!" Mifune roared after taking a swig of alcohol.
The middle schoolers exchanged strange looks. They felt like they'd heard that kind of line before—but now wasn't the time to overthink it. All they could do was follow Mifune's orders.
Soon after, Ryōma and the others began a brutal training regimen. They even clashed a few times with the high schoolers. Fortunately, Niō smoothed things over, leaving quite the impression on those older students.
Time passed in the midst of all the noise and chaos. In the blink of an eye, it had already been a week and a half since the middle schoolers arrived at the training camp. While Ryōma and the others continued sharpening themselves, most of the middle schoolers had advanced to Court 5. A few had even made it to Courts 2 and 3.
From a high platform in the camp, Tanegashima looked down at the middle schoolers and couldn't help sighing.
"Man, watching them move up so fast every day really makes me feel old. What do you think, Tokugawa?"
"Their strength is far beyond what I expected. It's hard to believe these are the next-gen players from Japan," Tokugawa replied gravely, standing behind him at some point.
"That's a good thing. So stop frowning all the time. Smile once in a while. Otherwise, you'll leave a bad impression on the juniors," Tanegashima teased with a grin.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline that request, Tanegashima-senpai," Tokugawa replied earnestly.
"So boring~ But if I've got the timing right, Akashi and the others should be about to get started. Things at the training camp are about to heat up. Be ready, Tokugawa!" Tanegashima said with a stretch, waved at Tokugawa, and walked off the platform, leaving him alone, lost in thought.