In the heart of Tokyo, at the glorious Laosen Tennis Center—a place that once hosted grand tennis open tournaments—the annual Junior Tournament was now in full swing for the elementary school division. If the whispers of history were true, this year's champion would be none other than Seiichi Yukimura, the future "Child of God" from Rikkaidai. And, of course, the future "Emperor" of Rikkaidai would graciously take the second spot.
Today was the quarterfinals, with four courts bustling simultaneously.
Outside the courts, a crowd worthy of a national competition had gathered. Among them, you could spot scouts from renowned tennis schools, eager to find rising stars, along with a few ambitious tennis reporters hoping to snag the headline scoop.
"Hey Ryo, what's your opponent like today?"
"Hmm, just some unknown named Kamigawa. I should glide through this match without a sweat."
"You're lucky! My opponent is Tezuka, the singles champion from last year's elementary school tournament. Looks like my journey ends in the quarterfinals."
Amidst the throng, two young lads held their rackets, their faces displaying a mix of excitement and apprehension.
"Don't you worry, Mukahi! I'll take down that arrogant Tezuka for you!" a boy with a brown samurai-style ponytail declared with a cheerful grin.
He brimmed with absolute confidence in his own skills; even some middle schoolers couldn't stand against him. If it weren't for the sudden influx of incredibly skilled players in this Junior Tournament, he might have even vied for the championship. After all, he was one of Hyotei Elementary's top three tennis prodigies and quite well-known across Tokyo.
"Jiro... he's up against Sanada from Kanagawa next, isn't he?" a red-haired boy with bangs suddenly interjected. "I heard he's incredibly strong, a top-tier player even in Kanagawa."
"Hard to say," the brown-haired boy replied, shaking his head slowly as he glanced at the sheep-like Akutagawa Jiro, who was already napping against the fence. "He's Hyotei Elementary's famous oddball. He won't lose."
Akutagawa Jiro wasn't widely known in Tokyo, certainly less so than he and Mukahi. Yet, despite his constant napping, his fundamentals were more solid than anyone's. Both he and Mukahi had played against Akutagawa, and the outcome was always an undeniable defeat.
"Huh, Ryo!" the red-haired boy exclaimed, pointing behind his brown-haired friend. "Look, those are our next opponents!"
Turning around, the brown-haired boy saw Kamigawa and Tezuka approaching, rackets in their cases. Tezuka, despite his youthful appearance, radiated a profound desire for victory.
"Tezuka," Kamigawa said, placing a hand on Tezuka's shoulder. "If I hadn't come looking for you, you wouldn't even be in the quarterfinals today. Your grandfather is something else, calling you to go fishing when he knew you had a match!"
Facing his childhood friend, Tezuka could only sigh helplessly. "Grandfather didn't do it on purpose. I also forgot to tell him about today's match."
"Oh, come on, don't defend your grandfather!" Kamigawa chuckled. "We're in separate halves of the bracket, so let's meet in the finals!"
"You're not going to lose, are you?"
Tezuka replied calmly, "I won't lose. And I hope you won't either. Our past matches have always ended in a draw. I hope today we can have a truly exhilarating match, giving it our full concentration. And the 'Limit of Thorough Training' you mentioned... I feel like that door is finally opening for me."
Hearing Tezuka speak of the Limit of Thorough Training, Kamigawa's eyes widened slightly. "True to your form, Tezuka! That's one of the three doors of Muga no Kyōchi..."
Before Kamigawa could finish, a voice of challenge cut him off.
"So you're my next opponent?!"
A brown-haired boy, casually spinning a tennis racket with one finger, sauntered over to Kamigawa and Tezuka. Despite his somewhat childish appearance, Kamigawa immediately recognized him: Ryo Shishido, a future regular for Hyotei! And the red-haired boy beside him was Gakuto Mukahi, also a future Hyotei regular!
Just decided to join Hyotei yesterday, and today I run into future Hyotei regulars? And it sounds like this guy is my next opponent.
"You're Ryo Shishido from Hyotei Elementary, right?" Kamigawa said with a smile, walking forward and patting Shishido's shoulder. "I've heard quite a bit about you; your net play is supposedly your forte!"
Shishido brushed away Kamigawa's hand, looking annoyed. "It's your misfortune to run into me. I regret to inform you that your journey in this Junior Tournament ends in the quarterfinals!"
With that, Shishido turned and walked towards Court B2. Mukahi, after glancing at his own opponent, followed Shishido.
"Who was that?" Tezuka asked, turning to Kamigawa.
"Ryo Shishido from Hyotei Elementary," Kamigawa replied with a smile. "He's quite good."
"Never heard of him," Tezuka said after a moment's thought, shaking his head. "Is that red-haired boy also a player in this Junior Tournament?"
"He should be," Kamigawa confirmed, recognizing Mukahi but unsure if he had also made it to the quarterfinals. After all, luck could sometimes be a part of skill, especially in this Junior Tournament, where so many talented players from various schools had gathered.
"Next up, the semifinals for Group B of the Junior Tournament!"
"Number 15, from Tokyo, Ryo Shishido!"
"Facing Number 26, from Tokyo, Muzuki Kamigawa!"
Kamigawa nodded, waving to Tezuka. "Grab me a soda, will you? I'm heading in."
Tezuka was about to say something, but Kamigawa was already jogging towards Court B2. He reluctantly lowered his arm, realizing his own match was probably starting soon too.
"Let's make this quick," Tezuka murmured, picking up his racket and walking towards Group A.
"Ryo Shishido? Muzuki Kamigawa?"
At the boundary between Group B and Group A, a boy wearing a black cap and carrying a racket bag sneered slightly. "I've heard of Shishido, but Muzuki Kamigawa? Never."
This was none other than Genichirou Sanada, the future "Emperor" of Rikkaidai. Standing beside him was a boy with a green headband and deep blue hair, the future "Child of God," Seiichi Yukimura, who would one day dominate the entire middle school tennis scene. They both seemed somewhat naive now, lacking the imposing aura they would possess in the future. Instead, they projected a more approachable and friendly demeanor.
"It seems this Junior Tournament will once again be a showdown between me and Yukimura," Sanada said, pulling his cap lower. His heart burned with fervent anticipation. In his mind, the only one who could truly be called his rival was Yukimura; the other players simply weren't worth mentioning.
"Sanada, don't underestimate others," Yukimura said with a gentle smile. "Tokyo has quite a few strong players."
"Perhaps," Sanada replied, tempering his temper somewhat in response to Yukimura's words. However, that unique arrogance of an emperor remained undiminished. In Kanagawa, besides Yukimura, he had never seen anyone score a single point against him. This was Sanada's foundation for his pride.
His participation in this Junior Tournament was purely because his friend, Yukimura, wanted to join. He had traveled from Kanagawa to Tokyo for this. And now, it seemed the finals would still be their confrontation.
"This time, let's have another great match!"
"Absolutely!"