My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level

"OK."

Faced with Sengoku's sudden challenge, Shibukawa laughed without hesitation: "However, in my current state, I'm afraid I don't even have a 10% chance of winning against you."

"Of course not now."

Upon hearing that the other party had accepted the challenge, Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief and then continued, "Tomorrow at three o'clock in the afternoon, at the street tennis court under the overpass outside the school, I'll be waiting for you there."

"no problem."

Shechuan nodded with a smile.

Yamabuki is going out for a practice match tomorrow morning, but the match will definitely be finished before 3 p.m.

As for why Sengoku challenged him, Shibukawa didn't know the reason and didn't want to know. To him, this formidable fighter from the original story was a better candidate to test his own strength than Tezuka.

"Okay, it's settled then."

Sengoku nodded and turned to leave.

The other party's quick agreement was somewhat unexpected. After all, Sengoku himself had gone through a long internal struggle before making this decision.

"Tomorrow's match... Shibukawa... I'll definitely win!"

Taking a deep breath, Sengoku clenched his fist.

If either Banta or Uesugi were present, they would certainly have noticed the unease in the other's heart. Anyone else would have assumed Sengoku was full of fighting spirit and confidence.

But those who truly know Sengoku know that his behavior actually indicates that he doesn't have enough confidence.

...

at the same time.

About 50 kilometers west of Yamabuki, at St. Rudolph Academy, which has consistently ranked first in the regional qualifiers, the tennis team's training has also ended.

but.

Inside the tennis club at that moment, two figures were still practicing sparring.

One of them was tall and dark-skinned. He moved like a cheetah in motion, his sharp eyes fixed on the tennis ball.

With a bang.

After catching up with the tennis ball, he violently smashed it back.

"really."

However, upon seeing this person hit the ball, a handsome young man with black curly hair not far away couldn't help but smile.

"Although Akazawa has been adjusting your playing style, habits accumulated over the years are not so easy to change."

The words fell.

The black-haired boy had already appeared in front of the tennis ball's landing point, and without even looking, he raised his hand and smashed it.

Bang!

Then.

A pale yellow light flashed, and instantly the other person's hand exploded to the side. A wry smile appeared on his face, and he gave up the idea of ​​turning around and retaliating.

The boy, Yoshiro Akazawa, the vice-captain of the junior high tennis club at St. Rudolph Academy, knew very well that even if he returned the ball, he still couldn't escape his opponent's script.

That's right.

The black-haired boy opposite him was none other than Guan Yuechu, the regular player and manager of the St. Rudolf Tennis Club, who could manipulate events both on and off the court according to his own script.

"Your data tennis is terrifying."

Recalling the suffocating feeling of being relentlessly pressured and unable to move an inch, Akazawa couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"You're not bad either."

As Mizuki spoke, she placed her left hand on her forehead, gently twirling her curly black hair with her fingers, a smug smile on her face: "However, compared to me, you're still a little lacking."

"That's right."

Upon hearing this, Akazawa put his hands on his hips and said jokingly, "After all, he studied in France and has been exposed to foreign cultures, so naturally he's different."

"It's alright."

Despite being teased by her teammates, Mizuki remained calm and said, "But then again, the tennis level at St. Rudolph is still much worse than that of a junior high school in France."

"but."

After a pause, Guan Yue continued, "If we follow my plan and gather enough outstanding people, we will definitely achieve something great."

Mizuki herself is not from Tokyo.

His hometown is in Yamagata Prefecture, where he grew up and attended elementary school. His move to St. Rudolph was purely coincidental.

When he was in the first year of junior high school, Mizuki was studying in France. There, he, who was originally a national-level table tennis player in elementary school, was introduced to tennis for the first time.

It was then that Mizuki realized that, compared to the table tennis table, the tennis court was the place where he could truly showcase his abilities.

Although she hasn't been playing tennis for very long, Mizuki is very talented, especially in the use of data, which she mastered in a short time.

Even his coach at the French school was quite surprised by this. After learning about Mizuki's talent, he encouraged him to play boldly.

This summer.

Because of her father's job transfer, Guanyue transferred back from France to another school. Having heard that Saint Rudolph's teaching quality was good, she transferred there.

However, when Mizuki arrived at St. Rudolph and joined the tennis club, she was somewhat disappointed.

The level of tennis here is too low.

The team has no top players; even Akazawa is barely good enough to catch Mizuki's eye. The rest, including the captain, are simply not good enough.

However, Mizuki is not one to give up easily.

For him, if the team wasn't strong enough, he could simply recruit stronger players. To that end, he devised a special training plan for the "Enhanced Group," but so far, the group only consists of himself and Akazawa.

"In just over a month, this year will be over."

Akazawa rubbed his temples, looking a bit of a headache, as if trying to relieve his stress: "When are you going to start your plan?"

"We'll leave tomorrow."

Mizuki smiled slightly: "My target is several top schools in the Kanto region, with a focus on Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Chiba. Of course, if possible, I'd like to take a look at Kansai and Kyushu as well."

"Okay, do you want me to come with you?"

"No need."

Mizuki shook her head and said, "Tomorrow I plan to check out some tennis academies in Tokyo to see if there are any with good talent. The day after tomorrow, I plan to go to Chiba first."

Akazawa didn't waste any time and nodded, saying, "Alright, tell me what's on your mind."

Judging from St. Rudolph's current situation, he is certain to be the next minister. As a Kanto-level player, Akazawa himself is also ambitious.

He wasn't interested in titles like the Grand Tournament, the Kanto Tournament, or the National Championship. But making it to the Kanto Tournament, and even leading his team to the National Tournament, was Akazawa's dream.

He initially thought there was no hope.

After all, St. Rudolph failed to even reach the quarterfinals in this year's tournament. Given the current situation, next year's lineup will only be weaker than this year's.

But the appearance of Mizuki made him harbor unwarranted ambitions.

"Watching the Moon".

After they parted, Akazawa watched the other's retreating figure and silently thought to himself, "You mustn't disappoint me."

...

The next day.

Eight o'clock in the morning.

Yamabuki's eight-person team, along with their coach Banta, traveled west by bus. Before long, they arrived at the outside of a lush, green, boarding school.

"We've arrived. This is the Sarujima Tennis School."

After the car pulled into the parking lot, Ban Tian got out and introduced the school to everyone, saying, "As a professional-level tennis academy, the players trained here are of a high standard. Those who can get into this school are not ordinary people."

Dongfang asked with some curiosity, "How are the people who are better than those who work with persimmon wood?"

"Only strong, never weak."

Minami, standing nearby, chimed in, "If I remember correctly, Sarujima also participated in the Metropolitan Tournament last year and made it to the top 16!"

The competition is very large in scale.

Divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D, with a total of 128 places. Excluding the lottery for seed schools that are vacant, there are actually about 100 schools participating.

Only the top two schools from each region's preliminary rounds are eligible to participate.

Theoretically, making it to the round of 16 is already quite an achievement.

but.

Last year, Yamabuki was a top-four team, much stronger than Sarujima. Therefore, this practice match was initiated by the teams here.

This was naturally welcomed by Banda, who was eager to gain more practical experience as a regular player.

"I see."

After gaining a general understanding of Sarujima's strength, the regulars nodded.

Then.

Under Banda's leadership.

The group arrived at the competition venue. The Sarujima team members, led by their coach, were already waiting there.

Please give me your guidance.

After a while.

The players from both sides saluted each other at the net.

Sarujima certainly didn't dare to underestimate Yamabuki. Unlike a third-rate team like Kakigi, they had made it to the round of 16, and they knew very well how strong Yamabuki, who were ranked in the top four, were.

The opposing coach also took it very seriously.

When facing Yamabuki, nicknamed the "doubles champion," Sarujima's chosen opponent was certainly no ordinary player.

So.

The overwhelming dominance of Kakiki didn't materialize, and the two players were locked in a close battle for a time. But in the end, Yamabuki, with his stronger skills and more doubles experience, won the doubles match 2 with a score of 6-4.

"Wow, this is amazing! Is this what Yamabuki's doubles is like?"

Among the members of the Sarushima tennis club, a handsome young man with short light brown hair and a conspicuous cross-shaped scar on his right forehead clenched his fist secretly.

He was well aware of Sarujima's strength.

After transferring schools, he had hoped to make a name for himself. However, he was defeated in the school's qualifying tournament. Facing the strong second and third-year students, he, as a newcomer, was simply no match for them.

This made the boy even more convinced that transferring to Sarutoshima was the right decision.

after that.

He then began to train diligently.

Unfortunately, because he was grouped with the minister and deputy minister during the team selection process, he suffered a crushing defeat. However, the boy's performance was also outstanding; he became the player with the highest winning rate in that group, second only to the two ministers.

Now he is confident that he will become a regular player in the next school selection competition.

"pity."

A hint of sadness flashed in the brown-haired boy's eyes as he thought about his identity.

"If I were a starter, I could go up on stage and compete against these guys."

Mountain blows.

All four teams in the tournament.

For the brown-haired boy, it was the perfect whetstone. After all, his goal wasn't just to reach the semifinals, but to beat the team that finished second in the tournament.

Thinking of this.

Involuntarily, an image of a handsome brown-haired boy appeared in the boy's mind.

"elder brother."

"I swear, I will surpass you!"

at the same time.

The doubles match 1 begins.

Facing the stronger Yamabuki First Doubles team, the Sarujima team didn't have it as easy as Doubles 2. Although they held on for a while, they were quickly overwhelmed by the potato army, who had mastered the signal tactics.

"That's... the end?"

The brown-haired boy looked on incredulously.

"2-6... The combination of Akiyama-senpai and Suzuki-senpai only won two games?"

This result surprised the other members of the Sarutojima team. However, their coach remained calm.

Facing the two defeated players, Sarushima's coach comforted them, saying, "No matter what, Yamabuki is ultimately a team known for its doubles. Against one of the top teams in the Metropolitan Tournament, winning two sets is already quite good. Remember, after the match, you need to study tactics even more diligently and not let your guard down."

"understood."

The two nodded respectfully and then left.

"The coaches at Sarujima have pretty good tempers."

In the crowd, a black-haired boy in a white shirt gently twirled a strand of hair on his forehead and nodded to himself: "It seems that the best way to deal with this team is to break through from the players' side."

The black-haired boy was none other than Mizuki, who came from St. Rudolph. His first stop was Sarujima, a team that had reached the top 16 in the Metropolitan Tournament.

but.

After two matches, he didn't rate Sarushima's doubles team highly. However, if Mizuki wasn't mistaken, Yamabuki's two doubles pairs didn't seem to be playing at their full potential.

"As expected of Yamabuki, doubles isn't a good entry point."

Guan Yue thought to herself.

After noting down the playing styles and technical characteristics of the two Yamabuki doubles pairs, he returned his attention to the match.

Compared to doubles, Mizuki is more concerned about Yamabuki's singles.

After all, as a data-driven player, his greatest strength lies in maximizing his strengths and minimizing his weaknesses. In comparison, Yamabuki's weak singles skills are the more concerning issue.

"Next up is the singles match 3."

The referee, seated on his high chair, announced loudly: "Yamabuki Junior High School's Shibukawa Shin, versus Sarujima Tennis School's Imura Kei."

"Imura?"

Upon seeing the opponent sent by Sarujima, Mizuki was somewhat surprised: "The data shows that he is Sarujima's current captain, the team's number one player!"

What is this?

Do you want to use singles 3 as a breakthrough, or are you planning to go all in and consider it a victory as long as you win one game against Yamabuki?

"On another note..."

After a pause, Mizuki glanced curiously at the boy with long black bangs covering his eyes who had walked out from Yamabuki's group: "Regarding this year's tournament data, Yamabuki doesn't seem to have any members named Shibukawa, right?"

"It's Minister Imura?"

On the other side, the boy with short light brown hair and a scar on his forehead was also surprised.

He lost to his opponent in the last school selection competition. Judging from Sarujima's current strength ranking, Imura is definitely the strongest ace.

but.

Who plays their trump card right from the start?

However, although the brown-haired boy was puzzled, he couldn't help but feel excited seeing his team's strongest player take the stage. No matter what, Sarujima had to at least win one game.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

however.

Once the match officially begins.

Aside from the members of Yamabuki, the coaches and players of Sarujima, as well as Mizuki who was secretly gathering information, were all taken aback by the scene before them.

"It's a lie, isn't it?"

The brown-haired boy stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

On the field, the once confident Kei Imura was now running around in a disheveled state, covered in sweat.

"Hmm!"

Guan Yue squinted her eyes.

His gaze swept past Imura and landed on the calm and collected black-haired boy in Yamabuki's direction.

"Shibukawa letter?"

"This person isn't listed in any of the records. Who exactly are you?"

Thinking of this.

As if spotting prey, a glint of light flashed in Guan Yue's eyes.