Prince of Tennis Fraudster

Nichijou nodded to Tezuka, then, under the other's slightly surprised gaze, turned and left with Kitaen.

"The captain of the national team, huh? Yes, the gap between you and me can no longer be described in terms of numbers..."

He shook his head and headed to the Melbourne airport.

Upon arrival, however, the flight was delayed, forcing them to wait an extra half hour. During this time, Tezuka, bored out of his mind, curiously opened the letter.

One hour later.

On the flight to Tokyo, Tezuka sat in the cabin, looking at the clouds high in the sky. His brown eyes shone with a unique luster.

The hotel where the Japanese team was staying.

With the finals just two days away, Mifune and the coaches and advisors didn't let everyone have a break. After a short rest, they resumed high-intensity training to analyze everyone's data.

The competition continued until 3 p.m. the following day, when a final eight-man lineup of seven main players and one substitute was selected.

However, the coaching staff did not announce the roster, and at the same time, gave everyone a half-hour break.

So, everyone took advantage of this rare time to relax in their own way...

Atobe, Oshitari, and others went shopping and took a walk. The wealthy Atobe bought a bunch of gifts for the Hyotei team members.

Fuji, Shiraishi, and Yukimura then visited the Melbourne Botanic Gardens to see the rare species inside.

While both were practicing swordsmanship, Sanada used swordsmanship to train his mind, while Byodoin sat quietly in his room, as if cultivating his spirit.

Watanabe went to play baseball, Tokugawa continued practicing his one-finger Zen, and Oni mysteriously disappeared.

Everything seemed so peaceful and natural.

The hotel where the US team was staying.

Inside the conference room, Long Ya, with his dark green hair, clutched an orange in his hand, looked out the window at the gray, gloomy sky in the distance, took a bite, and, feeling the bitterness in his mouth, laughed, "Looks like a storm is coming soon."

Splash!

On the other side, suddenly a flurry of sketch papers were thrown into the air. On them, the portraits of Japanese team players appeared one after another, including Niou, Byodoin, and Oni.

"Hahaha!!!"

A clear, almost womanly, wild laugh rang out, and Balinting's hand holding the sketching pencil trembled uncontrollably, his chest heaving as he laughed, "I'll be the winner of tomorrow's competition!"

The veins around his eyes were faintly visible, which added to his menacing appearance in the dim light.

Just then, a gentle voice rang out: "Bryant, turn on the light."

"Yes!"

A fierce battle was unfolding on a chessboard not far away. And the players were the same person.

"Ok?"

Holding the black knight, Reinhardt's gentle smile froze, then turned serious. He said in a deep voice, "Bryant, turn off the lights!"

"Yes!"

Turn on the lights!

Turn off the lights!

Turn on the lights!

Turn off the lights!

As if in a cycle, the light in the American team's meeting room did not return to normal until it was completely dark.

Chapter 173 World Cup Final

Boom!

Outside the window, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and large raindrops pounded against the windowpane.

"A storm, how fitting..."

Inside the cabin, after a moment of reflection, Mifune turned to look at Niou, who stood calmly by the window, and asked with a smile, "So, are you confident about tomorrow's match?"

"Well……"

Renou, who had been lost in thought amidst the storm, snapped out of it and said, "The future is never something we can control. Besides, we've already come this far. Whatever happens tomorrow, we just need to fight hard."

Upon hearing this, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Mifune's hawk-like eyes. He raised a smirk and said, "Is that really what you think?"

"if not?"

Renwang shrugged. His demeanor was no longer as sharp and assertive as when he first arrived. Instead, he seemed to have lost his brilliance and become simple. Between his brows, there was a maturity that did not match his age.

However, in front of his senior, Mifune, he didn't want to appear too mature. But before leaving the room, he paused as he closed the door, then thought for a moment and smiled:

"We'll only know for sure after the match is over!"

You'll only know after you try it!

Mifune's eyes lit up, but when he looked up again, the door was already closed.

"This kid's growth rate is frightening even to me..."

Do not!

More accurately, it's terrifying!

The next day.

As the first hint of dawn appears on the distant horizon, the whole of Melbourne comes alive.

As the sun rises, its warm, orange glow illuminates the streets and alleys, also covering a corner of Melbourne, a place lush with greenery.

Melbourne Park - Rod Laver.

Top-tier tennis courts comparable to Roland Garros in France, Wimbledon in England, and Flushing Meadows in the United States.

Since its inception, countless world-class athletes have risen to fame or fallen from grace here. Every year, countless ambitious young people come here to pursue their grand dreams.

Today, this central stadium welcomed two guests who were not strangers, but were visiting for the first time.

Ooh ooh ooh~

Outside the park, a queue stretching for about ten kilometers had formed. At the end of the queue, at the entrance to the main gate, the area was already packed with people. Although the seats inside the central stadium were full, fans continued to flock to the area.

That's the charm of tennis.

8:15.

As the magnificent fireworks soared into the sky, transforming into a spectacle comparable to the rising sun in the east, a clear male voice rang out from the noisy stadium.

"The final of the xxth Tennis World Cup will now begin."

The sound was calm and the pitch wasn't high, but it seemed to have a magical power, quieting the previously chaotic stadium down in the shortest amount of time.

"First of all, let's welcome the biggest dark horse of this tournament, the Japanese team!"

Quiet.

The stadium didn't immediately erupt in explosive cheers.

tread!tread!

At the entrance to the passage on the east side, led by a beautiful young woman holding a sign, the junior and senior high school teams, headed by Niou and Byodoin, marched steadily toward the central court.

boom!

When the last member of the team entered the field, the entire stadium finally erupted in cheers for this legendary team.

However, no surprise was visible on anyone's face.

This is their third time entering this place.

The decorations were familiar, the venue was familiar, but the difference was that their opponents had changed. And they no longer entered as challengers.

Calm and composed.

This newly formed Big 4 team has, at an astonishing speed, defined its own position.

After the Japanese team members took their positions, the male voice on the loudspeaker continued, "Next, please welcome another dark horse, the United States team from North America!"

Then, led by the smiling, handsome Reinhardt, the twenty-eight members of the American team filed in.

Amidst equally enthusiastic cheers, they also arrived at the center court.

"Look, it's Ryoma-kun!"

In the stands, Katsuro pointed to the boy in the white hat on the American team and said, "I didn't expect that the American team he's on would also make it to the finals."

This year's World Cup has been full of unexpected events.

In particular, neither of the two teams standing on the final stage were among the traditional Big Four powerhouses. And the representatives of those defeated strong teams, the top players from their respective countries, looked at the two figures walking onto the court with a strangely complex expression.

In front of the net.

Two fair hands clasped together.

"Nice to meet you."

Reinhardt smiled faintly at the young man in front of him and said, "Ralph Reinhardt, captain of the American team."

"Niou Masaharu".

Niou's expression remained unchanged. He nodded slightly and said, "The captain of the Japanese junior high school team."

Neither of them exerted any force, nor did they deliberately stimulate any fluctuations in their auras. However, to outsiders, it appeared as if two irreconcilable auras were constantly colliding and rising.

"This is……"

On the coach's bench, Mifune's eyes suddenly narrowed.

The yellow aura emanating from Nioh and the blue aura from Reinhardt resembled two giant dragons, constantly tearing and colliding.

At the same time, a sense of the old era departing and the new era arriving is overwhelming.

"Ugh……"

In the stands, Medanore sighed softly.

He could see that a new figure, like Echizen Nanjiro, would emerge from between these two, dominating an era.

He, Polk, Amadeus, Camus, and others were all disqualified from the competition.

Reinhardt laughed and said, "I hope we can have a pleasant match."