At the same time, across the various courts of the U-17 training camp, intense clashes had already begun.
Boom!
A thunderous impact echoed through one of the courts as Suzuki stumbled backward, barely catching himself before collapsing to his knees.
"Your Synchronization..."
Mikage Kazuya, the forward player, frowned at the twin brothers across the net. Just seven minutes into the match, and they were already being completely overwhelmed.
Had the overseas expedition group really grown this strong?
"Even with Synchronization, the stronger individual will always have the advantage," said Ryouma Vōtsu, tilting his chin up with cold arrogance.
"Oh? Is that so?"
A lazy voice cut in.
Two figures stood up from the nearby steps—one a handsome silver-blue-haired boy who smirked as he spoke, the other an egg-headed youth stepping forward with quiet determination.
"Hmm?"
The Vōtsu brothers raised their eyebrows in surprise. But when they noticed the black jackets their opponents wore, they exchanged glances.
"Black jackets... So they've returned from that place?"
A slow grin spread across their faces.
They'd heard the legends—how U-17's former No. 1, Byoudouin, had gained power beyond imagination after training there.
Now, they'd see if the rumors were true.
Meanwhile, on another court...
Toshio and Nakagauchi had just fallen to Date and Ban's overwhelming strength. Now, Kabaji and Kawamura stepped onto the court, facing off against the two high schoolers.
The burly duo ignored their injured teammates, immediately launching into a fierce exchange.
Boom!
Kawamura opened with his signature Hadoukyuu (Wave Strike), but Ban effortlessly returned it.
"That... was returned so easily?" Kawamura froze in shock.
But Kabaji was already moving, intercepting the next shot with brute force. Seeing this, Kawamura steadied himself, and the two worked together to withstand the high schoolers' relentless power attacks.
Not far away...
Shiraishi Kuranosuke of Shitenhouji, paired with Hyoutei's Hiyoshi, faced off against the legendary former Shitenhouji captain, Hirakoba Ryou, and the current No. 19, Taniguchi Munehiro.
"Captain Hirakoba?" Kuranosuke blinked in surprise.
"Oh?" Taniguchi raised an eyebrow. "Ryou, is this kid from your old school?"
"Not exactly," Hirakoba replied. "Kuranosuke here is still a third-year in middle school."
"What?!" Taniguchi's expression darkened. "You're joking. A middle schooler in this place? That's absurd!"
"Absurd or not, we'll see soon enough."
A mocking voice chimed in.
Hirakoba and Taniguchi turned to see Hiyoshi, his fingers wrapped in bandages, standing with the confidence of a seasoned fighter.
"Well, well," Taniguchi smirked. "Not only are middle schoolers here, but they're even wearing those black jackets."
"Black jackets?" Hirakoba's eyes sharpened as he finally noticed the emblem on Kuranosuke's uniform.
"Kuranosuke," he said, voice low. "Let's see how much you've improved these past two years."
The match erupted instantly.
Both sides were agile, skilled fighters, trading rapid-fire attacks. But as members of the top-ranked U-17 team, Hirakoba and Taniguchi held the upper hand. Within minutes, the pressure on Kuranosuke and Hiyoshi was mounting.
"Fine, then."
Kuranosuke suddenly accelerated, easing the strain on their defense.
"Nice move, Kuranosuke-senpai!" Hiyoshi praised before shifting into a martial arts stance. "I won't fall behind either."
Boom!
His next strike carried the force of ancient combat techniques.
"Oh?" Hirakoba barely had time to react before lunging forward.
With a sharp exhale, he swung—
"Bullet Shot!"
The ball rocketed back like a cannon blast.
"That shot—?!" Kuranosuke's eyes widened.
But Hiyoshi, fearless, dashed forward to intercept.
"Wait—!" Kuranosuke's warning came too late.
The moment Hiyoshi's racket met the ball, the strings melted as if struck by molten steel.
"Hah... So this is the strength of the top-ranked players?" Hiyoshi muttered.
"See the difference now? This is the gap between— Huh?"
Taniguchi paused mid-sentence, sensing something shift. His gaze locked onto Hiyoshi, now enveloped in a faint crimson aura.
"This kid... was holding back?" Hirakoba's eyes narrowed.
Hummm...
Then, Kuranosuke's own aura flared—a shimmering blue energy.
"Captain Hirakoba," he said firmly, "watch closely. This is how much I've grown."
No—not just over two years.
The real transformation had happened in the last two months.
After losing to Hyoutei's Mukahi and Oshitari pair, Kuranosuke had trained relentlessly. And after climbing the mountain, under Oni's brutal guidance, his skills had skyrocketed.
Boom!
Hiyoshi served—a near-supersonic strike, mimicking Ishikawa's technique. Though the high schoolers returned it easily...
"Too slow!"
Kuranosuke blurred across the court, appearing in the ball's path before Taniguchi could react.
Boom!
A clean winner.
"Yes!" Kuranosuke clenched his fist, his aura flaring brighter.
"Kuranosuke..." Hirakoba's chest tightened.
This boy—once a rookie chasing after him, fooled by his pranks—had grown this much?
"Taniguchi," Hirakoba said grimly. "We need to lift our restrictions. Otherwise... we might actually lose."
"...Understood."
Taniguchi nodded. Though older, his rank was below Hirakoba's. Even one-on-one, he couldn't counter the Bullet Shot.
And he agreed—these two were dangerous.
Hummm!
Their auras surged, their full power unleashed.
Yet Kuranosuke's speed was insane.
Their teamwork wasn't seamless, and Kuranosuke exploited every gap, slipping between them to score.
"Is this kid really a middle schooler?!" Taniguchi gasped.
Even among high schoolers, only Kajimoto could match this speed.
"We have to take out the other one first," Hirakoba decided.
"Right."
They adjusted tactics, targeting Hiyoshi.
Though their shots weakened, they stabilized the match—until Taniguchi feinted a drop shot.
Kuranosuke rushed in, returning it—only to fall for the bait.
"Bullet Shot!"
Hirakoba's full-powered strike tore through the air.
Kuranosuke froze. He'd been controlling Hirakoba's positioning to prevent this very shot—but now, their strategy had backfired.
He hesitated, not wanting his racket destroyed.
But then—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Hiyoshi charged forward.
"Hiyoshi?! Don't—!"
Ignoring him, Hiyoshi gritted his teeth.
"I will return this ball!"
Boom!
His racket connected—and held.
"What?!"
Taniguchi and Hirakoba stared in disbelief.
The ball strained against the strings, but Hiyoshi's grip never faltered. His eyes burned with resolve as Ishikawa's techniques flashed through his mind.
"Vice Captain... this is my tennis!"
Whoosh!
With a furious swing, he unleashed the ball—a streak of azure light, accompanied by a phantom dragon's roar.
"Damn!"
Hirakoba lunged, racket raised—
Snap!
The ball pierced straight through.
"Wha—?!" Taniguchi's jaw dropped.
Kuranosuke's breath hitched.
"...Four Gods Martial Arts: Azure Dragon?!"
He recognized it—the signature move of Hyoutei's vice captain, the strongest middle schooler, Ishikawa.
He turned, staring at his exhausted partner.
"Hiyoshi... you even mastered this?"
"Match over."
Hirakoba lowered his broken racket.
"We concede."
"Con... cede?" Kuranosuke blinked. "Captain, why—?"
"What else can we do?" Hirakoba shrugged. "I only brought one racket. Can't play without it."
"Ryou..." Taniguchi sighed, then chuckled.
They had lost.
Taniguchi's strategies couldn't contain Kuranosuke's speed, and Hirakoba's ultimate technique had been shattered by a middle schooler.
Even if they could still win, being pushed this far by players years younger meant defeat in spirit.
"Here."
They tossed their badges—No. 18 and No. 19—to the victors.
"It's... over?" Hiyoshi stared at the golden emblem in his hand.
"Captain..." Kuranosuke watched their retreating figures, heart pounding.
Two months of training... and I've caught up to him.
He took a deep breath, resolve hardening.
"I won't let you down, Captain."
Meanwhile...
"Hey, Ryou," Taniguchi muttered as they walked away. "Was that really okay?"
"What's the problem?" Hirakoba snorted. "They'd have taken those badges next year anyway."
"That's not what I meant." Taniguchi grimaced. "I mean... did we just dodge tomorrow's shuffle matches?"
"..."
Hirakoba stiffened.
Then, adjusting his cap, he muttered, "The badges are theirs now. The rest... isn't our problem."
But beneath the nonchalance, his fingers trembled.
That ball... broke my wrist.
He'd underestimated it—a middle schooler's strike, carrying that much force.
And as Taniguchi had sensed...
Something big was coming.
The storm of shuffle matches would be brutal. ```