Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Night had fallen.
At one of the U17 courts, two figures were engaged in an intense training session. However, this wasn't a normal practice. Every time they swung their rackets, at least five flashes of light could be seen.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that they were simultaneously returning five tennis balls in a single instant.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
The sound of the balls cutting through the air echoed across the court.
On one side of the court, Tokugawa, standing tall and composed, suddenly split into multiple afterimages. Each shadow corresponded to a tennis ball. In an instant, he completed his swing, and with a series of explosive sounds, the balls were sent flying back.
Boom!
However, one ball slipped past Tokugawa, grazing his side before landing precisely on the baseline and bouncing out.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
On the other side, Oni stopped his movements and looked over with a serious expression. "What's going on? Your focus seems off."
"Sorry, Oni-senpai," Tokugawa shook his head. "I'm not in the best state today. I couldn't concentrate during training."
"Is it because of the match earlier today?"
"Yeah," Tokugawa admitted without hesitation. "I haven't seen Inui-senpai since then. I'm worried about him..."
"Don't worry about that," Oni waved his hand dismissively. "He's gone to that place to get stronger."
"That place... the mountain?" Tokugawa suddenly realized. A year ago, when he had first arrived at U17, he too had suffered a crushing defeat and had gone to the mysterious depths of the mountain. In the end, he returned to U17 with unprecedented strength.
If Inui had gone to that place, Tokugawa couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the changes in his strength upon his return.
"Inui has found his goal," Oni said, his voice firm as he looked at Tokugawa. "And you mustn't lose sight of your own. Think carefully about why you want to become stronger!"
"I... I understand!" Tokugawa nodded heavily.
Oni's words struck a chord within him, and he was suddenly reminded of a certain golden-haired figure. His gaze hardened with determination.
"Let's go again!" Tokugawa immediately assumed his receiving stance.
"Good," Oni nodded in satisfaction. With a swift motion, he tossed up ten tennis balls and, in a single motion, sent them all flying toward Tokugawa.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Not far from the two, a black-haired figure was training against a wall.
An hour of monotonous practice had left Ishikawa's forehead glistening with sweat. Yet, his movements remained precise, as if he were a machine, with no variation in his swing angle or power.
Bang!
Suddenly, Ishikawa struck the ball with the edge of his racket, sending it flying with tremendous force.
Crackle...
A flash of lightning accompanied the ball as it tore through the air, leaving a fist-sized hole in the wall before rebounding back.
Hum...
But in the next moment, the ball seemed to freeze in mid-air. Upon closer inspection, one could see a faint, glowing black mark.
Black Hole!
This was an advanced technique Ishikawa had acquired after defeating Inui. After several hours of practice, he had already raised it to level 2.
For Ishikawa, who possessed the Truth of Chess—a skill that allowed him to predict and judge his opponent's moves—he could maximize the potential of the Black Hole.
"I remember that Black Hole has its limits," Ishikawa thought, recalling a scene from the original story where Tokugawa's Black Hole was shattered by the ultimate move of Germany's strongest player.
Black Hole wasn't invincible.
Of course, as the saying goes, it's not the technique that's strong, but the person wielding it. Ishikawa was confident that he could level up Black Hole to level 7, or even 8 and beyond. By then, even that move wouldn't be able to break through it.
For now, though, he wanted to try breaking his own Black Hole. However, neither Gale nor Awakening could penetrate it. Ishikawa's shield was stronger than his spear.
Thus, he continued to increase the power of his shots, attempting to break through his own Black Hole trap.
"Maybe I should try that move?" Ishikawa thought.
Since he was at U17 and had already witnessed the glowing tennis ball, he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to study it.
"According to the original story, the Light Shot is about finding the sweet spot on the racket—the area where the racket can deliver the most power."
Boom!
With that in mind, Ishikawa tossed a ball into the air and struck it with the center of his racket.
The ball flew out, and with his strength and technique, it exploded with considerable force, smashing into the wall and sending debris flying.
"Not bad, but not enough," Ishikawa shook his head.
To others, this shot might seem impressive, but to him, it was just a normal strike.
"The sweet spot isn't necessarily the center of the racket," Ishikawa narrowed his eyes.
In his understanding, the sweet spot was the area on the racket where the most power could be generated. This meant that the sweet spot varied depending on the racket's weight and material.
With that in mind, he began experimenting.
Using a process of elimination, he systematically tested different areas of the racket to find the spot that felt the best.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
One shot after another, the power of Ishikawa's strikes gradually increased as he continued to swing.
Bang!
With a loud crash, the ball, now carrying a faint glow, slammed into the wall like a cannonball. The already damaged wall began to crumble further.
Feeling like he was onto something, Ishikawa focused and continued to practice.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
However, as he analyzed the data, he noticed something strange. After the initial few powerful shots, the subsequent ones were actually weaker than his normal strikes.
"What's going on?" Ishikawa frowned.
The more he practiced, the worse his performance became. It felt like he was losing his original style of tennis in the process.
"Hmm..."
Standing still, he looked at the shattered wall and then at his racket, deep in thought. "The sweet spot... it's probably not a fixed point."
As he had thought earlier, the sweet spot varied depending on the racket. And with each shot he took, the condition of his racket changed slightly.
This meant that every time he hit the ball, the sweet spot on his racket shifted.
"So, relying solely on data to find the sweet spot isn't going to work," Ishikawa realized.
He thought back to Byoudouin and Tokugawa. In the original story, both of them had mastered the Light Shot to an incredible degree. He suspected that the sweet spot was tied to a deeper, more profound level of tennis skill.
With this in mind, Ishikawa resumed his training.
This time, he didn't rely on data. Instead, he used his instincts and experience, focusing on the feel of each shot. He immersed himself in the subtle changes of the ball and the vibrations of the racket, even imagining himself as the racket.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Shot after shot, the power of Ishikawa's strikes visibly increased. Yet, he wasn't using any special techniques—just simple, precise swings.
At this point, while he hadn't fully mastered the Light Shot, his technique had improved significantly as his racket and arm moved in perfect harmony.
Bang!
Another ball flew out, hitting the wall with such force that the surface visibly dented.
Crackle...
Sparks flew as the spinning ball rebounded.
Snap!
Ishikawa caught the ball in his hand.
"This impact..." He frowned slightly as he felt the immense force in his palm.
He remembered that in the original story, Byoudouin had caught a Light Shot from Ryoga with one hand.
"Perhaps the Light Shot isn't just about improving technique," Ishikawa thought.
With that in mind, he decided to work on his grip strength in his spare time.
The next day, Ishikawa woke up early for morning training.
After taking over Court 3, as the court's leader, he received a 20% experience boost during training. However, unlike his time at Hyotei, he didn't enforce strict discipline on the other members of Court 3.
He set some basic rules to prevent any serious misconduct, but how the others trained was up to them.
This relieved Ochi and Nakakuchi, who had been worried that the new leader might come down hard on them. Fortunately, Ishikawa didn't seem too interested in managing Court 3.
Among the players, only Marui and Hara continued to train with Ishikawa every day. Over time, their schedules—eating, sleeping, and training—became synchronized. Many of the high schoolers secretly referred to the two as Ishikawa's lackeys, comparing them to the trio of Oni, Tokugawa, and Inui.
The general consensus was that while Ishikawa was undoubtedly strong, the other two in his group were far from matching the level of Oni's trio.
Marui and Hara, however, paid no attention to these comments. During their training with Ishikawa, they noticed a significant improvement in their skills. The two, already strong, were rapidly crossing into a new realm of ability.
Seeing their dedication, Ishikawa adjusted their training regimen. Aside from basic drills and Light Shot practice, he had Marui and Hara form a doubles team to train against him.
At first, the two thought it was some kind of joke. But when Ishikawa started hitting ten balls at once, they realized the seriousness of the situation.
Multi-ball training!
This was the method Oni and Inui had used to train Tokugawa. Now, Ishikawa was using it to train himself—and to push Marui and Hara to their limits.
Initially, the two struggled to keep up. But gradually, they adapted to the intense pace.
Seeing their progress, Ishikawa increased the number of balls to eleven. The pressure mounted, but Marui and Hara gritted their teeth and persevered.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the afternoon, at Court 3, three figures were engaged in high-intensity training.
On one side of the court, Marui and Hara, tracking the incoming balls, split into multiple afterimages as they swung their rackets.
On the left, seven versions of Hara simultaneously returned seven balls. On the right, Marui split into eight, returning eight balls.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!
In an instant, fifteen balls flew toward Ishikawa like a barrage of arrows.
It was evening, and Court 3 was mostly empty. Otherwise, the sight of fifteen balls being hit at once would have shocked many of the high schoolers.
However, Ishikawa, the target of the barrage, remained calm.
"Not bad. You've finally mastered the eight-ball return," Ishikawa nodded in approval.
Marui's talent was exceptional. After five days of training, he had perfected the eight-ball return. It wouldn't be long before he broke through to the ten-ball level.
Swish!
Ishikawa's gaze shifted to Hara. "Senpai, you can't fall behind either."
With that, he tossed another ball into the mix, bringing the total to sixteen.
"What...?" Marui and Hara's eyes widened in shock.
Sixteen balls? Was this guy even human?
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
In an instant, Ishikawa swung his racket, sending eight balls to each side of the court, targeting both Marui and Hara.
"This..." The two quickly realized what Ishikawa was doing.
Marui glanced at Hara, who wore a look of intense concentration.
The incoming balls gave them no time to think. Marui immediately focused, facing the balls with his full attention.
"Eight balls?" Hara's eyes narrowed.
He felt as if a mountain was pressing down on him. Normally, he might have given up, but under Ishikawa's pressure—and inspired by Marui's flawless performance—his competitive spirit ignited.
With a determined expression, Hara swung his racket, splitting into seven afterimages to return seven balls.
"One more..." Gritting his teeth, Hara mustered the last of his strength to return the eighth ball.
Thud!
After returning the eighth ball, Hara collapsed to the ground, completely drained.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
Meanwhile, all sixteen balls landed at Ishikawa's feet. He nodded in satisfaction. "Well done, senpai."
Both Marui and Hara had nearly reached the ten-ball level. In less than half a month since joining U17, they had made incredible progress. Ishikawa was confident that, with another month and a half of training, they would surpass their original strength.
"Sixteen balls..."
Meanwhile, in the coaches' room, Kurobe watched the training session with a glint in his eye.
On the data sheet in front of him, Ishikawa's entry still read: [Unable to Measure].
Kurobe couldn't even determine if sixteen balls was Ishikawa's limit.
His gaze then shifted to the team battle application form on the side. When he saw the name "Oni Juujirou" signed at the bottom, a complex expression crossed his face.
"Even the Gatekeeper of Hell couldn't resist joining in..."
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