My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level

Chapter 98 The Returned Letter, Regional Qualifiers Begin

"Minister, here's some water."

As soon as Shibukawa left the court, a boy named Tan Taichi, wearing a green headscarf, jogged over with a bottle of water and handed it to him with great respect.

Thanks.

Shechuan smiled and accepted the drink, took a sip, and patted the other person on the shoulder: "You're very good, but remember that it's not just about helping others; you also need to listen and observe more. Lay a solid foundation and hurry up and qualify for the school's selection competition."

"I know."

Tan nodded earnestly.

He's actually a very honest and upright person, with a helpful nature—a rare find among genuinely kind-hearted people. He offered Shibukawa water not to curry favor, but simply out of respect.

Shibukawa was aware of this, so he didn't say anything. In the original story, this boy was very naive, and even wanted to imitate Akutsu's fighting style because he admired him.

Later, when Akutsu lost to Echizen in the Tokyo Grand Prix, he advised Dan not to imitate him, but to learn Echizen's playing style.

But this also constitutes misleading or harmful behavior towards young people.

Akutsu is exceptionally talented, an offensive fighter who combines speed, explosiveness, and power. His physical attributes and reflexes are far superior to those of an ordinary person like Dan.

But Echizen is no ordinary character either.

As the protagonist of the original work, Echizen's talent and aptitude are both top-tier. Not to mention Tan Taichi, even players with talent like Kirihara and Hiyoshi would find it difficult to imitate Echizen's fighting style.

Tan's talent is only B-rank, neither high nor low. But if he's properly trained, it shouldn't be a problem for him to hold off Yamabuki and guarantee that he can still make it to the national tournament in two years.

Furthermore, thanks to the development efforts of Shibukawa, Yamabuki has now established an effective promotion system. With enough effort, one can stand out.

There's no need for Shechuan to give Tan Taiichi special treatment.

As for if the other party works hard enough but still doesn't succeed after a year or two, it's not necessarily a bad thing. That would prove that at least eight people have more talent than him.

What Shibukawa is building now, and what will remain in the future, is not for any one person. Rather, it is responsible for selecting geniuses. As long as the rules are fair enough, those selected in the future will be the hardest-working and most talented people in Yamabuki.

evening.

Training is over.

Shibukawa returned home, ate dinner, and then went downstairs to digest. After his daily boxing training, he began practicing kendo.

Then there are the various basic skills.

His current strength is comparable to that of Tezuka and Yukimura in the early stages of the U17 World Cup in the original work. Therefore, improving even one and a half dimensions is extremely difficult.

This is normal.

With the training intensity remaining constant, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve improvement as training progresses.

If Shibukawa remembers correctly, Tokugawa Kazuya's training in the original work even included doing a handstand with one finger. Byodoin's grip strength was even trained to the point where he could crush a coconut with his bare hands.

The strongest player in Japan's U17 team, Oni Jujiro, is even more extraordinary. His usual training involves lifting a one-ton rock for squats, which is simply superhuman.

But even this powerful demon had his wrist injured when facing Germany's No. 2, the German Qp who had fused three kinds of radiant power (perfectly integrated), on the World Cup stage.

This shows that sheer strength alone does not make one invincible.

Therefore, what Shichuan is currently pursuing is not simply numerical strength. Rather, based on the present foundation, he aims to develop deeper-level ultimate techniques by starting from the state of selflessness or the "ultimate state of self" that he has comprehended.

Training is over.

Shechuan went to his mother's bakery to pick her up after get off work, as usual.

"Um?"

As soon as she entered the door, she saw the disappointed look on her mother Yumi's face.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

Upon seeing her son, Yumi immediately regained her composure and quickly shook her head, saying, "I was just thinking about some things, it's nothing."

Shibukawa noticed the paper documents she was trying to put under the table, and Yumi also saw his gaze, pausing in her actions.

"All right."

Thinking that her son was no longer the timid child who needed her care, Yumi took a deep breath and placed the things in front of Shibukawa.

"This is... a letter? Who is it addressed to?"

"After I learned about your tennis talent, I decided to ask your father, who is also your grandfather, for help."

Yumi sighed, "I made the call, but more than ten years have passed, and that number has been cancelled. This is what I sent at the beginning of the year..."

The letter that was sent out was returned.

Grandpa?

That former professional tennis player named Kohei Kimishima?

After hearing about what happened back then from his mother, Shibukawa went back and collected some information himself. His adoptive grandfather was indeed a very famous tennis player back then.

It predates even Echizen Nanjiro by more than a decade.

Kohei Kimishima once dominated the Japanese tennis world for several years. However, when he ventured overseas to Europe and America, he was overshadowed by top world-class players, and his ranking hovered around 30th or 40th.

Although this ranking was already very impressive at the time, it was far from enough for Kohei Kimishima, who wanted to break into the world's top ten, or even go further.

To become stronger, Kohei Kimishima trained harder than anyone else, but this resulted in numerous injuries. Furthermore, he was already 26 years old at the time.

At age 7, physical functions reach their peak and then gradually decline.

Soon, that name disappeared from everyone's sight. Until more than ten years later, another man stormed into the world championships from North America, stunning the world with a series of victories. Unfortunately, he also retired very quickly, almost reaching his peak before disappearing at lightning speed. That man was thus known as the "Legendary Samurai".

"Hmm."

Seeing the sorrow on his mother's face, Shibukawa's heart stirred slightly.

Putting yourself in their shoes, if your own parents abandoned you and chose to never see you again, I think it would be very difficult for me to accept.

"Mom, do you think Grandpa's family doesn't want to acknowledge us?"

"Ugh."

Yumi did not answer, but a sigh spoke volumes about her feelings.

"The phone lines are busy, the mail is being rejected—that's certainly a signal. But..."

'

Shechuan paused at this point, then shook his head and said, "After all, more than ten years have passed, so it's normal that we can't get through to those phone calls from back then."

As for the letter being rejected... is it possible that they have moved?

"move place?"

Yumi was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"Back then, your uncle did insist on immigrating, but your father never agreed. More than ten years have passed, so it's not impossible."

Her eyes grew brighter as she spoke.

"It's okay."

Shibuchi pushed the letter back to his mother and said with a smile, "Right now, I just want to lead the team into the national tournament. This matter is not urgent."

"National Tournament? Okay, I understand."

Yumi nodded.

The thought of Shechuan leading the team to the national competition filled her with excitement. As for pursuing a professional career in the future, Shechuan is only 14 now, and there's plenty of time to figure it out after this fall.

Little did she know that after learning that her cousin was Kimishima Ikuto, Shibukawa knew that she would be able to meet him by this autumn at the latest.

Given Kimishima's personality, if he knew he had a younger cousin, he might not have cared. Unfortunately, Shibukawa is no longer the same person he used to be.

Putting aside everything else, in terms of the five dimensions, the current five dimensions of Shechuan are already comparable to the top ten of the original U17 team.

Not to mention that the current Kimishima certainly doesn't have the same stats as in the original work.

In another six months.

Let alone Kimishima, Shibukawa, in terms of sheer numbers, could probably rival Byodoin at full power without any problem.

"Let's go back."

Shibukawa went to the kitchen, helped pack up the trash, and left with Yumi after she closed the door and turned off the lights.

at the same time.

It's 3 p.m. Berlin time in Germany.

Inside a local tennis club, a middle-aged man with a refined demeanor and gold-rimmed glasses moved between the courts, his gaze constantly falling on the young players.

"How was it, Yi?"

Just then, a middle-aged white man with gray hair and an overweight build walked over and said with a smile, "This year's batch of new recruits is not bad, is it?"

"The quality is alright."

The middle-aged man named Yi spoke calmly.

"That's good."

The middle-aged white man's lips twitched slightly, then he patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder, saying in a condescending tone, "From now on..."

I need to ask you to put even more effort into teaching them tennis. If you achieve good results, I will support you as much as possible to help you get promoted to a higher coaching position.

After saying that, he smiled and left, leaving only the coach named "Yi" with a grim face, clenching his fists tightly.

"Ugh."

Only after the other person had walked away did Kimishima Takeshi sigh helplessly.

He was once full of ambition, and after arriving in Europe, he did indeed dedicate himself to training a group of excellent players. But that's where his potential is. Europe has no shortage of top coaches, and he simply doesn't have any notable examples to show for himself, so he can't truly become a world-class coach.

After many twists and turns, Takeshi Kimishima is still at the tennis club, training newcomers.

He had considered giving up at one point.

But when he thought of himself back then, how he argued with his father over his beliefs and eventually ran away to Europe to make his way in the world, Kimishima could never let go of those memories.

Moreover, his son has grown up.

From a very young age, Takeshi Kimishima worked hard to discover his son's tennis talent. His son, Ikuto Kimishima, did not disappoint him; a year ago, he became a regular member of the Japanese U17 team and represented the team in overseas competitions.

Takeshi Kimishima has already made plans for his son; at the latest, after the Australian Tennis World Cup this year, he will have him train.

Dou became a professional player.

If possible, skip activeing ​​in Japan and go directly to Europe and America to compete against top talents.

To help his son, he provided the best he could.

"Two years."

"If I just endure for another two years, I can make those people look at me with new eyes through my fighting skills."

Thinking of this, Takeshi Kimishima clenched his fist. He had placed a heavy bet on this year's World Cup in Australia, not needing the Japanese team to finish in the top few places, as long as Kimishima performed well enough.

"Yudou, don't let me down."

the other side.

A region near the mountains in Tokyo.

Looking up from the night sky, the bright lights here are clearly visible late at night. Someone unfamiliar with the area might mistake it for some kind of secret military base.

But in reality, this is the training base for Japan's U17 tennis team.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

It was late at night.

Even near the center of the court, the sound of balls being hit can still be heard. It's clear how hard the players here are working to get better.

Meanwhile, in a secluded ballpark, the sound of balls being struck could also be heard continuously.

Moreover, as time went on, the frequency of the hitting sound continued to increase.

Snapped!

finally.

The figure swiftly extended his racket and, with remarkable composure, intercepted the rebounding tennis ball as if handling water.

*Sizzle*

The tennis ball was still spinning rapidly against the racket face.

But the young man's arm did not move at all, and even if there was a glass of water on it, not a drop would spill.

"call."

The young man breathed a sigh of relief when the tennis ball stopped.

He looked up, and on his handsome face, clad in glasses, were visible beads of sweat. In the moonlight, the young man's glasses reflected a white light, making his gaze appear even more resolute.

Kimishima Ikuto.

No. 7 in Japan's U17 team.

In the eyes of others, Kimishima is a cool and aloof tennis prodigy. In fact, because of his outstanding appearance, many businesses have contacted him to produce tennis-related merchandise.

Therefore, people privately regarded him as a tennis star with some fame.

Only Kimishima himself knew that he had paid a much higher price than others could imagine in order to maintain his public image and improve his strength.

"Soon."

Kimishima's eyes grew brighter.

While he may not currently rank in the top five within Japan's U17 team, he is actually among the players ranked ahead of him.

Not everyone will choose to play professional tennis.

Only Kimishima received clear instructions from a very young age. His future lay solely in professional tennis.

He suffered a lot because of this and even hated his father's cruelty. But as he grew older and experienced more, he became more determined to pursue a career in professional tennis.

Not every road leads to the top.

"Tennis may not be the only path, but it is the one that suits me best."

"Moreover, this is the only way to gain my grandfather's approval!"

Time flies like an arrow.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

5 month.

The National Junior High School Tennis League has officially begun.

The vast city of Tokyo is divided into a grid-like network of subdivided areas. This is also the starting point for the national league: the regional qualifying rounds.

The entire Tokyo metropolitan area is divided into 54 districts.

Each region can qualify 12 teams through registration or recommendation.

Ultimately, only the top two teams from the regional qualifiers qualified for the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.

Among them, whether it's a third-rate team like Kakigi Junior High, a Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament champion team like Hyotei, or even a national champion team like Rikkai, they all need to start from the lowest level of competition.

weekend.

Around 8 a.m.

Led by Shibukawa, the Yamabuki group arrived at a tennis park called Shiki no Mori.

"This park is really big."

At the back of the line, Tan Taichi, the team's vice manager, looked around like a curious child, occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise.

"This place is indeed quite large."

The official manager, who is also the team's top intelligence officer, said with a smile, "Almost a third of the regional qualifiers in Tokyo are played here."

As he spoke, his eyes kept scanning his surroundings, as if he were searching for something.

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