The next day, after finishing their basic school classes, everyone gathered at the tennis courts like usual, ready to start the day's training. After a week of the camp, everyone had slowly gotten used to this life. Except for the Fudomine members, everyone was amazed at how effective the new training program was.
More and more players were able to complete their daily training targets, which left Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji a bit disappointed since it made it harder for them to collect enough data to improve their penalty drinks.
But today, once everyone arrived at the courts, the announcement over the speakers told them that today's training for the regulars would be delayed. All regular team members could freely choose any other regular as an opponent for a practice match.
If anyone couldn't decide, the staff would assign matchups based on the situation. Every regular had to play one match before dinner today.
Of course, this arrangement had been approved by Banji, Sakaki Tarō, and Ryūzaki Sumire. They all strongly agreed that matches were the best way to test the players' growth.
Immediately, many players started searching for opponents. As expected, Sanada was the first to challenge Tezuka, and Tezuka didn't refuse. The two of them went off together to find an empty court.
Fuji approached Atobe. Although the one Atobe most wanted to face was Akashi, there was no way Atobe Keigo-sama would turn down a direct challenge.
Meanwhile, by coincidence or not, Akutagawa Jirō actually picked Mōri Juuzaburō. Mōri agreed lazily, yawning without caring at all.
Akutsu, being as headstrong as ever, went straight for Yukimura. After a few days of treatment, Yukimura's condition had improved a lot, and since he didn't feel any problems himself, he smiled and agreed to the practice match.
But what surprised everyone most was that Akashi actually took the initiative to challenge Niō. The Fudomine members had thought Akashi wouldn't join today's practice matches, but clearly, they were wrong. Still, no one could understand why Akashi chose Niō, who wasn't considered particularly strong even within Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku.
Only Yukimura seemed to have a vague idea but didn't care too much, heading off with Akutsu to find an empty court. Maybe because players wanted to keep their skills hidden, very few of the nationally-ranked players chose to play on the fifteen main courts where there would be lots of onlookers.
Soon, almost every regular had found an opponent. There were some interesting matchups too, like the acrobatics pair of Kikumaru and Hiyoshi, the data pair of Inui and Yanagi, and the glasses duo of Kite and Oshitari.
At a court tucked away in a corner of the estate, Akashi and Niō were warming up. Right now, Niō was incredibly curious why Akashi would pick him. Back at Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku, he'd already heard from Yukimura and the others that Akashi was ridiculously strong, absolutely a national-level player.
"Pu-ri~ I didn't expect Akashi-kun to challenge me to a practice match. Please go easy on me—I'm not your match at all!" Niō said with a sly grin as he looked at Akashi.
"Don't sell yourself short, Niō-kun! Your potential is a very special thing~" Akashi replied with a gentle tone.
"Akashi-kun flatters me. I'm just an average Rikkai regular, nothing special~" Niō said, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"I think we're warmed up enough. I'll let you serve first, Niō-kun. How does that sound?" Akashi asked calmly when he felt everything was ready.
"Then I won't hold back, Akashi-kun!" Niō answered without hesitation, walking straight to the baseline with his racket.
The moment Akashi stepped onto the court, his gentle smile vanished, replaced by a cold, indifferent look as he silently waited for Niō's serve.
Thirty minutes passed quickly. Niō stood hunched over, drenched in sweat, hands on his knees, staring at the still calm and composed Akashi across the court. Thinking back on what he'd just experienced, he was overwhelmed with shock—the icy gaze Akashi showed during the match had put him under immense pressure.
The result was Akashi winning 6-0, but that wasn't surprising. Throughout the match, even though it was singles, Akashi tried using his pseudo-Zone special ability. By combining his mental energy and the Emperor Eye's insight, he kept guiding Niō to develop his own potential.
Basically, Niō was led by the nose the entire match. But he also gained a lot himself, even discovering his unique mimicry ability. Under Akashi's guidance, he actually pulled off Sanada's Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as fire, immovable as a mountain, unknowable as shadow, and moving like thunder—though the power was much weaker.
Akashi's face softened into a gentle smile again as he watched Niō gulping water and asked:
"Niō-kun, how did the match feel?"
After catching his breath, Niō squinted, looking uncertainly at Akashi as he spoke:
"Akashi-kun, you did that on purpose, right? I could feel your mental energy guiding something~"
"That's right. I said before the match that your talent is special, Niō-kun. You just haven't fully realized it yet!" Akashi answered honestly.
"Pu-ri~ Akashi-kun's eyes really are terrifying~" Niō said, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Elsewhere, the matches continued. Mōri glanced curiously at Jirō, who had suddenly fallen asleep mid-match, and instead of waking him up, started thinking about something amusing.
Kikumaru lay sprawled on the ground in a star shape, chest rising and falling rapidly, clearly exhausted. Hiyoshi wasn't in much better shape, sitting on the court panting hard.
On the court where Fuji and Atobe were playing, the match was incredibly intense. Both of them were already half a step into national-level territory. Maybe in basic tennis skills and overall strength, Atobe had the edge, but Fuji's return shots were no joke either.
"Fuji Shūsuke! Ore-sama has already seen through your weakness. You have no hope of winning this match!"
"That's not certain yet~ Atobe-kun! Fourth Counter, Kagerō Zutsumi!"
On another court, Akutsu stood with lifeless eyes. Across from him, Yukimura had a gentle smile, the breeze lightly lifting his pale blue hair and jacket—he looked like a living painting.
Soon, everyone returned one after another to the main courts. But one pair's arrival looked a bit odd: Mōri was casually walking toward the Hyōtei group, holding Jirō slung over his shoulder with one hand and his racket in the other. Seeing this, Atobe's face darkened—he didn't even need to ask; obviously Jirō had fallen asleep again.
Then there were Kikumaru and Hiyoshi, who actually had to be carried back by staff. They were too exhausted to walk on their own, which made Atobe's face turn even darker.
From everyone's expressions, you could guess some match results: like Sanada hanging his head in silence, Fuji lost in thought, and Akutsu's murderous glare.
But there were also those whose expressions didn't change much, like Kite and Oshitari, Inui and Yanagi. Through these practice matches, everyone more or less figured out where their current strength stood.
Many players realized they'd made obvious improvements, which made them even more motivated for training. But this kind of clear progress only happened in the first week; as their strength kept increasing, the efficiency of training would gradually decrease.
Even though most of these matches had no audience, the court's cameras recorded every match. Akashi would later use the footage to adjust some players' training plans.
After everyone rested and recovered for a bit, it was almost lunchtime. The three coaches decided to let all regulars head to the dining hall first and start afternoon training after the lunch break.
Time flew by, and the end of the camp got closer and closer. Almost every week, everyone played one practice match, and the opponents never repeated, helping them get used to their growing strength.
Finally, the last day of the camp arrived. In this short month, everyone had become close. Many players from different schools had formed deep friendships.
On the last day, the training volume was a bit lighter, and practice ended earlier. Because of Atobe's suggestion, a big banquet was planned for the evening to celebrate the successful end of the camp.
Before the banquet began, Sakaki Tarō was pushed onto the stage to give a few words marking the end of the camp. Once the banquet started, everyone showed off their talents. Banji even danced disco with Ryūzaki-sensei, making everyone burst into laughter—the banquet hall was filled with lively energy.
After the banquet ended, since it was the final night, some players' restless sides came out. No one knew who started it, but a massive pillow fight broke out throughout the dorm building. Everyone—from Fudomine's regulars to players from other schools—joined in.
Even Akashi wasn't spared. Akutsu slammed a pillow right into his face. Akashi's smiling expression instantly vanished, replaced by a cold stare. He immediately used Absolute Command's feint, making Akutsu lose his balance and crash to the floor—then a storm of pillows rained down on him.
"No one can defy me. Not even in a pillow fight!"
"Take this! Kikumaru Beam!" "Hmph! Against my Moon Return, it's useless!"
"Chance of a sneak attack from behind is 87%!" "Chance of it being predicted is 91%, so success rate for a left-side attack is 97%!"
"How dare you ambush me, Sengoku! I won't let you get away!" "Pu-ri~ Go settle it with Sengoku yourself; I'm out~"
"Be dazzled by ore-sama's brilliant throwing technique!" "Time-Lag Hell! How's that? Genius enough for you?"
"Oh my~ Gen'ichirō, looks like you've lost your sight~"
This epic pillow fight went on until past 1:00 a.m., only calming down after the three coaches finally exploded in anger.
The next morning, everyone gathered at the manor's entrance. This place they'd called home for a month—they finally had to say goodbye today. Many felt reluctant to leave.
The captains of the five schools stood together, saying their final farewells. Interestingly, Yamato stood with Fuji, and Sakata Kuri stood with Minami Kentarō—seemed like they were already starting to train their successors.
"Akashi! Ore-sama was mostly satisfied with this camp, but in the Kanto Regional Tournament, I will personally crush your Fudomine!" Atobe was as confident as ever.
"Let's wait for the bracket draw before you talk big. Don't end up getting knocked out right away!" Akashi usually kept a gentle demeanor, but for some reason, he couldn't help but bicker when facing Atobe.
"This camp was a wonderful experience. Thanks again for inviting us. Soon, I'll welcome all the captains to Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku," Yukimura said with a smile.
Since Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku had dominated the Kanto Regional for years, the draw ceremony had been held there for more than a decade.
"I'm really looking forward to facing everyone again at the Kanto Regional~" Fuji also spoke up with a gentle smile, while Yamato just watched quietly with a satisfied look.
Soon, everyone boarded their buses back to school. The camp had officially come to an end. But Akashi wasn't planning for this to be a one-time thing—though that was a story for another day. For now, the upcoming Kanto Regional Tournament was the real highlight!