"Become Seigaku's pillar!"
That declaration truly sent a shockwave through everyone watching from the sidelines. Especially Oishi and Kikumaru. Even Fuji, who usually never shows much emotion, was focused on Yuudai Yamato on the court. At that moment, Yamato seemed to be radiating an extraordinary aura.
Beside them, Inui pushed up his glasses, a sharp glint reflecting off the lenses. He quickly jotted something down in his notebook, saying, "All we can do now is trust Captain Yamato. Besides, this match isn't over yet."
"Right!"
Oishi and the others clenched their fists, their gazes fixed on the court. In that instant, Seigaku's unique spirit of unity seemed to coalesce. It was a shame, though, that out of all the Seigaku members watching, only these few first-years managed to truly create and hold onto that feeling of honor.
"Become Seigaku's pillar, huh?"
Tezuka's eyes flickered slightly. If he had joined Seigaku, perhaps he, too, would have become one of their pillars. But right now, he was at Hyotei.
He truly was a commendable tennis player.
Thwack!!
Tezuka unleashed another high-quality serve right on the line.
"15-0!"
"So fast! It's completely different from what we saw just now!" Kikumaru's voice even trembled a little.
The timing of the serve, the landing spot, and the power—everything had leaped to another level. With such tricky angles, none of them would be able to return that serve.
"Kunimitsu Tezuka..." Inui took a deep breath. "It was a simple flat serve, but judging by its speed and the tricky angle, his control might be beyond what we imagined."
Beside him, Fuji stared intently at Tezuka on the court. That serve, even he would need time to adjust to it, not to mention that strange 'zone' ability.
Thwack!
"30-0!"
Thwack!!
"40-0! Match point!"
In the blink of an eye, two more aces. The same precise placement, striking areas where Yamato couldn't even reach.
"Damn it, I can't even return his serves?!" Yamato lowered his body, gripping his racket tightly, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He was at his wit's end; even returning a single ball had become a pipe dream.
Whack!!
A clean, decisive swing. Tezuka didn't let up, not even at the very last moment.
Thwack!
The tennis ball flew almost grazing the service line, heading towards the baseline. Yamato moved quickly, rushing to the ball, instinctively swinging his racket forward.
A crisp collision sound rang out. But it wasn't on Yamato's racket; it was against the wall.
"Game, Tezuka, 6-0."
It was a complete and utter shutout, a crushing defeat that left Yamato breathless. He collapsed to his knees as if all his strength had left him, sweat dripping like rain onto the court.
"I... I lost again."
He looked up, scanning his surroundings with a dazed expression, then saw the stark score on the scoreboard. He couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. He had lost completely, just like a year ago on the court at the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament. Was it really such a hopeless crushing defeat?
Even after experiencing a crushing defeat once before, Yamato still couldn't quite recover. He felt his dream of leading Seigaku to the Kantou Tournament, and even the National Tournament, had been shattered.
"A very good match, senpai."
Tezuka said blandly, then turned and left the court. He could tell that Yamato desperately wanted to win, even if it meant giving it his all. But Tezuka was like that; he wouldn't hold back in tennis. That was his personality, and his way of doing things.
"Who should go up next?"
"Damn it, even Captain Yamato lost! Can anyone else really beat those monsters?!"
"If it wasn't for Yamato's arm, this match wouldn't have been lost at all!"
Some still grumbled unwillingly, blaming Yamato's loss entirely on his previously injured and unrecovered arm. Yes, even with the facts right in front of them, they still refused to admit they had lost to those Hyotei first-years. This was Seigaku! A prestigious tennis school that had rotted to its core.
But just then...
A figure suddenly appeared on the court, standing beside Yamato.
"Captain Yamato, please allow me to participate in this practice match."
Yamato looked up to see an unfamiliar face. He looked quite handsome, his chestnut hair fluttering in the wind. His face was filled with confidence, something unseen in the other Seigaku regulars. As a tennis player, if you don't even have the confidence to win, then what's the point of playing tennis?! The harsh reality was that, currently, Seigaku, apart from Yamato who had the confidence to make it to the Kantou and even National Tournaments, everyone else lacked the confidence to even make it to Kantou. They always thought, "Let's just play one match, and see what happens."
"Hmm?"
Not just Yamato, but Kamikawa was slightly taken aback too. He didn't expect that at this crucial moment, that guy's competitive spirit would be ignited. As a newly enrolled first-year middle schooler, he was quite competitive. In the original story, if Tezuka's elbow injury hadn't extinguished his competitive fire, perhaps he would have grown stronger much earlier. He definitely wouldn't have waited until his third year to fully mature after being crushed by Shiraishi.
The undisputed genius of the Seigaku Tennis Club, and even the middle school tennis world: Shusuke Fuji!
"I remember you're Shusuke Fuji."
Yamato pondered the name in his mind, then suddenly realized something and said, "This isn't a match you can be involved in. We've lost this practice match for Seigaku."
Yamato couldn't help but admire Fuji's courage for stepping forward at this moment. But admiration aside, the current Hyotei was not something a first-year middle schooler could handle. This year's Hyotei was too strong, so strong that even Yamato had to admit it. Even last year's Hyotei might not have been as strong overall as they were now.
"Captain Yamato," Fuji said softly, "Please let me play this match."
"Alright."
Yamato nodded heavily, a memory of his own past self flashing in his mind. He clapped Fuji firmly on the shoulder. Regardless of the outcome, in his eyes, Fuji would be the best candidate to take over as the next captain of the Seigaku Tennis Club. Just like President Ikeda back in the day!
'Become the pillar of the Seigaku Tennis Club!'
"Next, let this great me..."
At this moment, Atobe, who was sitting in the stands, couldn't hold back his impatience and stood up, but he was interrupted by Kamikawa before he could finish.
"Atobe, I'll handle this next one."
Kamikawa smiled slightly, looking at Fuji on the court. The second in command of the Seigaku Tennis Club in the original story, second only to Tezuka in skill, with genius-level talent. In the U-17 World Cup, he transformed his defensive playstyle into a super-offensive one, once again showcasing Fuji's unique genius.
"Since you're asking for it, I'll let you have this one."
Though a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes, Atobe still relinquished the chance to play this match. Both Atobe and the others could feel it: the handsome young man on the court had a completely different aura from the previous Seigaku players who had stepped up.
"Then I owe you one, Atobe."
Kamikawa unzipped his jacket, tossing it aside, then picked up the racket at his feet and walked towards the court.
At this moment, Inui, watching Kamikawa emerge from the Hyotei regulars, froze. He had seen him before when he was gathering information in the six districts of Tokyo. His name was something like Muzuki Kamikawa!
Support me by leaving a comment, voting, and visiting myPatr-eon at belamy20
Check out another story in my profile original works