Ren woke to the sound of his own name. Not whispered, not shouted—chanted.
"Messiah! Messiah! Messiah!"
He blinked against the morning glare seeping through the dorm curtains. Outside, the avenue leading to the National Arena was drowning in banners with his face plastered on them. Reporters clustered at the gates like vultures, their holo-cams stretching like antennae.
Shizuka tossed him a newspaper the moment he shuffled into the lounge.
HEADLINE: "Rank 99 Slays the 25th Seed: Miracle or Monster?"
Ren groaned. "Monster?"
Shizuka folded her arms. "They don't know how else to explain it. You went toe-to-toe with Hoshino in a hundred rallies and didn't die. That's not normal."
Maria lounged on the couch, twirling her racket with a lazy smile. "Be grateful, chico. You're finally famous. Girls outside are screaming your name instead of mine."
Ren choked. "That's... not something I asked for."
"Fame doesn't ask," Maria teased, then her eyes narrowed—serious. "It takes. And it keeps taking until you break."
Daigo's cigarette smoke curled like storm clouds as he argued with a cluster of League officials.
"You want to punish him for winning? What kind of circus is this?"
One official, his tie too tight and his smile too thin, adjusted his glasses. "Don't play dumb, Coach Daigo. That rally went beyond human limits. Our sponsors are nervous. They're demanding an inquiry—match-fixing, enhancement, whatever fits."
Daigo slammed his fist against the desk. "The kid fought with grit. That's all."
But as Ren walked in, the officials swiveled toward him like sharks scenting blood.
"Tachibana Ren. Be advised: until investigation concludes, your coach is suspended from active duty."
Ren froze. "Suspended...?!"
Daigo's gaze softened for once. "Don't pout, boy. A real player survives even without a voice in his corner." He turned, already being escorted away. "Prove them wrong. Every damn one of them."
Back in the locker room, Ren sat with his cracked racket 「Fallen Star」 across his knees. The HUD blinked faintly in his vision.
Copy Technique Lv.2 – Stored: [Iron Wall Return].
Warning: Duration limited. Overuse may damage body.
He clenched his fist. No Daigo. No safety net. Just him, Shizuka, Maria—and the eyes of the entire nation.
Shizuka stood in the doorway, her voice firm. "So what now, partner? Collapse under the weight? Or keep climbing?"
Ren met her gaze, heartbeat steadying. "Climbing. Always climbing."
Maria smirked, stepping in behind her. "Good. Because the next storm is already brewing."
Outside, the crowd still chanted his name, not knowing the walls were closing in.
Padel Knowledge Break #12 — Endurance & the Endless Rally (Ch.60)
Professional padel demands stamina as much as skill. An average point lasts 9–15 hits, but top players may endure 40–50-ball rallies. In Aurelia, legends whisper of the Endless Rally—a duel where the ball was kept alive for hours, until the players collapsed and only the court remained standing.
For Ren, every extended rally is survival trainingfor what lies beyond: the Lost Court, where rallies never end.