My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level

Chapter 86 Before the School Selection Tournament, Professional Tennis Monthly

"Yamabuki's tennis is amazing!"

Tan Taichi never expected that the Yamabuki team he was going to join would be so good at tennis.

"Here's the problem."

The boy seemed to have thought of something, and couldn't help but wonder, "Yamabuki is so strong, yet he was only a top four in last year's tournament. How strong are the first and second place winners? And what about the Kanto Tournament and the National Tournament... Hiss!"

Thinking of this, Tan couldn't help but feel a tremor in his heart.

really.

Middle school tennis is on a completely different level from elementary school tennis.

"Hurry! Hurry up!"

"The match is about to begin!"

"If you go too late, you won't get a good spot!"

Just as Tan was lost in thought, a series of urgent voices suddenly came from the side. Turning around, he saw the second and third-year seniors of the tennis club rushing towards the left court.

"Is the match about to start?"

The forum immediately became interested.

Driven by curiosity, he immediately ran over. Taking advantage of his short stature and agility, he squeezed to the front of the crowd of spectators.

"what?"

Seeing the two players on the court, Tan couldn't help but be surprised: "Are they those two seniors from earlier? Their match has attracted so much attention; they must be very strong, right?"

on the field.

Yuta and Muromachi each stand on one side.

Compared to six months ago, Muromachi has grown a little taller, and his hair has also grown longer. Of course, the most obvious difference is his demeanor.

Unlike before, when he was impulsive and his emotions were always on display, Muromachi is now much more composed. Standing on the court with his racket in hand, he exudes the air of a seasoned general.

Yuta, however, still maintains his buzz cut.

However, his appearance has also changed. His face has become more defined, and his eyebrows are raised like blades, giving him a sharp and imposing look.

"No wonder he's a former regular player."

Off the field, Shinto Mi, who had just finished the match, joked with a smile.

In the school selection competition two years ago, he and Dongfang were defeated and lost their starting positions. Shamed but determined, they trained relentlessly and finally reclaimed their starting positions in the last school selection competition.

However, Niito's words were not just a joke. After becoming regular players, Yuta and Muromachi have shown a clearer discipline in their training and matches, shedding their naivety and becoming more mature and composed.

"Stop dawdling, Muromachi."

Yuta, on the left side of the court, shouted, "Attack now!"

"They're here!"

Muromachi chuckled and immediately hit the tennis ball.

Bang!

With a crisp sound, the tennis ball flew out quickly.

"It's Muromachi's bullet serve."

"While it's not as good as the minister's serve, it's still at a considerable level."

"What are you talking about? Does Muromachi know that you're comparing his serve to the captain's?"

"Wait a minute."

Standing on the sidelines, Tan, overhearing the crowd's discussion, instinctively widened his eyes: "This is what you call 'not bad'?"

He didn't even see the trajectory of Muromachi's serve clearly. On the court, he would have been instantly defeated.

"His serve is alright."

At the same time, Yuta made a move.

He stepped out almost the instant Muromachi served. The speed was fast, and the movement was even more concise.

Lift your foot.

Swing the racket.

The tennis ball bounces off the ground with a thud, sending it flying.

"Half-volley?"

"So fast!"

Everyone was taken aback.

Muromachi's expression changed as well; he hadn't expected his opponent's volley technique to improve again. Because the ball was so fast, he could only watch helplessly as the tennis ball fell far away from him.

"This guy!"

Muromachi squinted.

There was still a week until the selection competition for the new semester. He had originally planned to practice with his opponent and try to reclaim his starting position.

Unexpectedly, Yuta went all out from the start.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes behind his white-rimmed sunglasses. Then, Muromachi served quickly, leaning forward and lowering his center of gravity, like a cheetah preparing to hunt.

Yuta unceremoniously delivered another half-hit.

But Muromachi was on guard and successfully returned the tennis ball. Yuta then charged forward again, and the two engaged in a fierce, high-scoring contest, each ball faster than the last.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of the ball being struck echoed continuously.

The audience members outside the venue all became serious. As for Tan Taichi, a newcomer, his mouth was wide open, enough to fit an egg.

"W-This is Yamabuki's singles? So strong!!!"

The sight of the two players arguing only strengthened Tan's resolve to join the tennis club. Meanwhile, on the court, Yuta and Muromachi were locked in a fierce battle, relentlessly attacking and dragging the match into a tiebreaker.

At last.

The match lasted a full hour and a half before Yuta narrowly defeated Muromachi 7-6.

"That was so much fun!"

When the match ended, Tan Taichi jumped up excitedly. He then realized that his legs were sore from standing that he almost fell to the ground.

"I never expected that Yuta and Muromachi would become this strong."

One of the third-year team members couldn't help but sigh.

Although they were older and should theoretically be superior to the two in both physical condition and experience, the match just now left them dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Dongfang, Xindumi, and others who were originally just watching the fun from the sidelines had already gone to train seriously.

The speed at which these two were progressing made them feel like they had thorns in their backs. If they relaxed even slightly, they would probably be overtaken.

"fine."

Seeing this, Shibukawa, who was in the crowd, smiled and said, "The most difficult initial stage has been passed. As long as one person starts to engage, the rest, no matter how unwilling, will be passively drawn into the competition."

"But it worked very well."

Banda, standing beside him, wore a gentle smile.

"Not enough."

Shibukawa glanced at Yuta and Muromachi as they left, then at Higashikata, Shinto, and the others, and shook his head, saying, "Our opponents won't wait for us to catch up. Against those geniuses, the only way is to work harder and put in more effort than they do."

"That's right."

Bantian nodded.

When it comes to hard work and dedication, no one in Yamabuki High School has more authority to speak than this young man.

He also witnessed firsthand how the opposing team gradually transformed Yamabuki from a weak team into a strong one. Although they haven't faced off against top-tier teams yet, Banda believes that Yamabuki will definitely surprise other teams this year.

Even so, Minister Yamabuki was still dissatisfied.

"He's too mature."

Bantian's eyes were full of satisfaction.

Most people become complacent after achieving success, but the young man in front of us always keeps the Yamabuki members constantly striving for improvement.

Banda knew very well how important it was for a minister to always maintain a clear head. Fortunately, their Yamabuki minister was such a person.

"teacher."

At this moment, Shibukawa turned around and said, "I'm going to add a new incentive to the next selection tournament's main draw."

Tell me about it.

"First, there's the style of the official uniform."

Shibukawa looked at Banta and continued, "The jackets worn by regular players and ordinary players are the same, so they don't reflect the special status of official representatives."

"That's fine."

Bantian nodded.

Since they are the starting lineup, they naturally need to be easily distinguishable. And because it's an honor, it can inspire even more competitive spirit among the team members.

"In addition, I plan to conduct a special review of the team members who advanced from this school selection competition."

"Sorting out? What does that mean?"

"Give some guidance as appropriate."

Shechuan didn't hide anything: "Many of them have accumulated considerable experience. Providing some guidance can help them improve their strength more quickly."

"But."

Bantian frowned and said, "Won't this interfere with your training?"

As a coach, he knew very well that guiding someone in training couldn't be done in just a few days. A half-hearted approach would hardly yield any results.

This is especially true for players whose skills have plateaued. To break through, they basically have to rely on time to gradually improve, or even wait until they get older and their bodies develop naturally.

No, it won't.

Shechuan smiled and said, "There's still a month until the regional preliminaries, and two months until the main tournament. There's plenty of time."

Actually, it's due to the accumulation of proficiency on the panel.

Everyone had accumulated a considerable amount of training points. However, Shibukawa didn't intend to use them on everyone. As he said, only rare things are truly valued.

Yamabuki needs involution, but it needs to be more scientific involution.

"Okay, let's do it your way."

Banta didn't interfere excessively because he knew Shibukawa's personality; he wouldn't do something thankless. Since the other party said that, it meant they were quite confident.

and.

Just now.

Using the proficiency panel, he spotted a promising newcomer in the crowd.

"Tan Taiichi, this value..."

Seeing his opponent's weak physique, Shibukawa shook his head repeatedly. Thinking back to the original story, where his opponent actually tried to imitate Akutsu's fighting style, he could only call him a ruthless person.

However, with the proficiency panel at his disposal, he can plan the most suitable path for the other party.

"However, given this kid's talent, by the time he's fully developed, this year's competitions will probably be over."

Shibukawa shook his head inwardly. After greeting Banta, he went to his usual practice corner and began his practice for the day.

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

As a newcomer, Tan Taichi has fully adapted to the team's rhythm. Although he still feels some soreness, he can clearly feel himself getting stronger after the basic training.

Everything in Yamabuki remained the same this week.

Even the other students at the school didn't notice any changes. Only those who truly observed and understood the Yamabuki Tennis Club knew that the team was like a volcano about to erupt.

Once the new season begins, it will unleash a violent storm capable of upending the entire Metropolitan Tournament and even the Kanto Tournament.

at the same time.

Other teams are also actively preparing.

Tokyo.

Hyotei Academy.

Since learning of Shibukawa's victory over Fuji, everyone, including Atobe, has calmly focused on training. The atmosphere within the team has changed as a result.

Hyotei, who was always extremely arrogant, has become unusually low-key.

On the contrary.

Yamabuki's fame is growing.

With each victory in practice matches, they are showing signs of surpassing Seigaku and becoming on par with Hyotei.

Meanwhile, Seigaku, which is known as one of the "Big Three" in Tokyo along with these two teams, started its first intra-school selection tournament of the new semester.

Among them, Ryoma Echizen, a newcomer, successfully obtained the rare qualification for the first school selection competition by relying on the impression he had left on the club president's family in the previous rounds.

Even Tezuka himself didn't receive this treatment back then.

Ryuzaki, as the coach, was well aware of this. Teya, having been through it all, simply wanted to mentor the younger generation while also not wanting them to repeat his own mistakes.

"yeah!"

"That's awesome, Ryoma-kun!"

"Did you see that, Inoue-senpai? Ryoma's playing style is so cool!!!"

Outside the wire fence of the stadium.

A woman with short, burgundy hair, wearing a knitted short-sleeved shirt, excitedly raised her fist and shouted.

"I'm really impressed by you."

A thin-faced middle-aged man wearing a green plaid shirt next to him shook his head repeatedly.

However, he was also very excited deep down.

The boy in front of me, Ryoma Echizen, has indeed shown remarkable strength. He has defeated two of his senior teammates in a row, becoming the only undefeated player in the group.

"No wonder he's that person's son."

Through observation over the past few days, and through conversations with Seigaku coach Ryuzaki, Inoue also learned that the boy in front of him wearing a white tennis cap was the son of the tennis samurai who once dominated the tennis world.

As a devoted fan of Nanjiro, Inoue naturally extended his affection to him as well. He believed that this boy, with samurai blood flowing through his veins, would surely shine brightly on the junior high school stage within the next three years.

The man's name is Inoue Mamoru, and the woman's name is Shiba Saori.

Both are reporters for the Tokyo branch of a professional tennis monthly magazine. Inoue, in particular, possesses exceptional professional skills, keen insight, and unique understanding of many situations.

Therefore, within just a few years, he became a senior reporter for a tennis monthly magazine and was appointed editor-in-chief of the junior high school tennis section in the Tokyo area.

"Inoue-senpai, which school are we going to next?"

On the way back, Saori Shiba asked curiously.

"Yamabuki."

Jing spoke calmly.

In reality, there aren't many teams in the entire Tokyo metropolitan area that are worth paying attention to. Especially when you look at the national tournament as a whole, even the top four teams in Tokyo, or even the second-place team Seigaku, aren't worth considering.

Unfortunately, Hyotei generally does not accept interviews.

no way.

Inoue had no choice but to settle for second best and came to Seigaku.

In fact, if he really wanted to do an interview, he should have chosen Rokkaku Junior High School in Chiba or Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School in Kanagawa.

However, due to his idol-like image, Inoue paid special attention to Seigaku. During his first interview after the start of the semester, he focused on Seigaku and didn't choose his next team until the regular players were all decided.

Why?

Hearing Inoue's answer, Shiba Saori asked with some confusion, "If Hyotei doesn't accept interviews, going to Chiba isn't that far. The data shows that Rokkaku has made it to the national tournament for several years in a row, so their strength is quite extraordinary."

"intuition."

Inoue spoke expressionlessly.

"and."

At this point, Inoue paused, a sharp glint flashing beneath his seemingly calm eyes.

"I also want to see who this rumored Yamabuki-class captain who defeated Fuji really is."