"So this is the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, huh? The players participating are weaker than I expected."
In a gazebo, Kamikawa leaned against a pillar, holding a cold soda, speaking to Tezuka beside him.
Their vantage point allowed them to watch Seigaku's ongoing match.
That training match certainly brought about a lot of changes for Seigaku.
Sadaharu Inui and Fuji, relying on their solid skills, defeated the original tennis club regulars. Takei, after that training match with Hyotei, was kicked out of the club, becoming a pariah.
Furthermore, promising future talents like Oishi and Kikumaru weren't selected as regulars. They were still too green, especially Kawamura, who possessed astonishing power but could only hit over-the-net home runs.
Seigaku seemed to be steadily moving in the right direction.
"Yes."
Tezuka nodded, a faint light glimmering in his eyes.
Seigaku had made some changes, but it wasn't enough, far from it.
Judging by the two doubles matches that just finished, the performance of those second and third-year players was as poor as ever. However, the first-year named Sadaharu Inui, playing in Doubles 1, did display impressive skill.
Kamikawa glanced at the court. Fuji was playing as Singles 3. Even if they lost a small game in doubles, they could still rely on that one doubles point and two singles points to break through to the quarterfinals.
"Tezuka, do you remember those two we played against at the JR Tournament?" Kamikawa suddenly asked.
"I remember."
Tezuka thought for a moment. The opponents he faced in the semifinals were quite good. Even though he easily defeated them 6-0, the presence they displayed left a deep impression on Tezuka.
Kamikawa nodded slightly, took a sip of his cold soda, and looked at Tezuka with satisfaction, quietly saying, "This year, they went to Rikkai Dai in Kanagawa Prefecture."
"Rikkai Dai?"
Hearing that, Tezuka was surprised, somewhat unexpectedly.
---
"Rikkai Dai Affiliated Junior High in Kanagawa Prefecture is an old powerhouse in Kanto. Last year, Hyotei lost to Rikkai Dai in the finals, settling for second place in Kanto."
"Is that so?"
Tezuka's glasses flashed a glint of light. "This year's Kanto Tournament champions can only be Hyotei! I will end Rikkai Dai Affiliated Junior High's winning streak!"
Hearing that, Kamikawa chuckled and didn't dwell on the matter. He then said, "Let's go. We've seen what we needed to see. Seigaku stumbled, but they still made it to the quarterfinals."
"We'll face Seigaku in the next round. I hope they can give me a surprise this time."
Speaking of which, it was hard to say if Seigaku had bad luck or Hyotei had good luck, but the two teams actually met again in the quarterfinals. Last year, they also met in the quarterfinals, where Ochi led Hyotei to victory over Yamato's Seigaku.
This year, it's Tezuka leading the team, facing Yamato's Seigaku again!
Among the teams that made it to the quarterfinals this time, aside from Hyotei and Yamabuki, Seigaku, with their current on-paper strength, still had a chance to win. It was just a shame their next opponent was Hyotei.
"Tezuka."
As they were leaving, Kamikawa patted Tezuka's shoulder and reached out, saying, "Don't you dare ditch out on paying for today's drinks!"
"Ahem..."
Tezuka cleared his throat twice and walked towards the match.
He spoke as he walked, "The match is about to start. I need to go back and discuss the next round's lineup with Coach Sakaki."
"Don't change the subject!!"
Kamikawa rolled his eyes. This guy was using Coach Sakaki as an excuse again.
The 'Iceberg Captain' from the original story actually had a cute side, a cocky attitude that was quite similar to the 'Samurai's Son' who returned from Los Angeles two years later.
It's just that these two ultimately went down different paths.
If the first-year Tezuka had grown smoothly like Echizen, perhaps Seigaku could have reached the Nationals, and even contended with Rikkai Dai for the National Tournament championship.
Just as Tezuka and Kamikawa were leaving.
Fuji, on the court, also finished his singles match.
In less than fifteen minutes, he had dispatched his opponent. His playing style was extremely aggressive; his previously defensive stance had vanished without a trace.
Seeing Fuji come down, Kikumaru and the others quickly rushed over. "Just like you, Fuji! You defeated that third-year senior from Akiyama Third Junior High so easily."
"Next up is Singles 2, and that's Captain Yamato! At this rate, we're definitely making it to the Kanto Tournament!"
Oishi also shouted excitedly. The Kanto Tournament gathers top tennis schools that have emerged from the Metropolitan Tournament, and their strength is a level above the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.
"Don't celebrate too early, Oishi."
Under the others' surprised gazes, Inui's voice came through. He held his notebook, seemingly recording something, his glasses gleaming with a white reflection.
"What's... what's wrong?"
"Our next opponent is Hyotei!"
Inui was silent for a moment, then looked up at everyone and said.
Especially the second and third-year regulars, their faces changed dramatically upon hearing the name Hyotei.
They had just had a training match with Hyotei a while ago. Even if Seigaku had undergone a small-scale revolution, relying solely on the two newly appointed first-years, they were absolutely no match for Hyotei.
"Just as I calculated before, our chances of winning this time are infinitely close to zero."
"Unless... Tezuka, Atobe, and Kamikawa all somehow get into an accident, there's only a one percent chance of taking down Hyotei."
"Hyotei's second team is very strong. Their two doubles teams have barely dropped any points in this Metropolitan Tournament; they were Hyotei's previous regular doubles. Furthermore, their Singles 3 player, Kawagoe, even defeated the ace players from various major schools!"
At this point, everyone understood. Even if Hyotei didn't send out their first team, their second team alone was an opponent that the current Seigaku couldn't defeat.
"Then... then is there no other way?!"
Kikumaru looked at Inui, unwilling to give up, hoping to get a winning strategy from him.
That humiliation, even for him, who had only joined the Seigaku tennis club for a little over a month, he didn't want to experience it again. That wasn't a tennis match at all; it was clearly an insult to them, an insult to the entire Seigaku tennis club.
"There is!" Inui said, pushing his glasses up with the hand holding the pen, and looked at Fuji. "That is, for the Seigaku tennis club to produce another genius like Fuji."
At these words, everyone stopped speaking, wisely closing their mouths.
Could it really be possible for another genius like Fuji to appear?
After that defeat, Yamato specifically had all first-years participate in regular training and even re-held the intra-school ranking matches, with first-years also eligible to participate.
Even so, only Fuji and Inui, these two first-years, stood out from the crowd.
Kikumaru and Oishi have excellent talent in doubles, but... they are still too green. In terms of power, speed, court awareness, or stamina, they are inferior to the third-year doubles pairs.
Players like Inui and Fuji, who can shine so brightly as first-years, are truly rare.
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