My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

"Absolute power...?"

Inoue sighed inwardly.

However, it must be said that Sengoku was right. Although Mizuki's setup was ingenious and his skills and playing style were impeccable, his net was still too fragile and simply could not withstand Akutsu's violent attacks.

"call......"

On the court, Guan Yue exhaled a deep breath.

He could still clearly feel the throbbing pain in his hand. When he bent down to pick up the racket, the strings had indeed come undone.

In other words, Akutsu's shot just now almost pierced through his racket.

"Again!"

However, after more than half a year of preparation, Guan Yue's strength has far surpassed what it used to be. What he just displayed was only less than 80% of his original level.

Moreover, ever since he joined Yamabuki, he's almost always been paired with Shibukawa in the school's qualifiers. Compared to that unfathomable and terrifying guy, defeating Akutsu, whose playing style is fierce and domineering, is actually easier.

In addition, Mizuki also wanted to know just how far she could go against Akutsu.

...

Bang!

boom!

Bang!

boom!

The game continues.

After several failed attempts to block Akutsu's attacks, Mizuki gave up any hope. He unleashed his full power and won the third game, taking a 2-1 lead.

Unfortunately, Akutsu also did not unleash his full strength.

At the start of the fourth round, Akutsu unleashed another burst of power. With astonishing speed and overwhelming strength, she forcefully smashed through Mizuki's defenses.

boom!

A loud bang.

The powerful smash slammed into the ground, leaving a dark mark before launching it away.

"The match is over."

"Akuzu Jin wins, score 6-2!"

"Huff...huff huff..."

On the court, Mizuki was panting heavily. He felt as exhausted as if he had played hundreds of games; his arms ached, his legs felt like lead, and he was weaker than ever before.

In contrast, Akutsu.

After the intense battle, he only had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"What terrifying physical abilities!"

Outside the stadium, Inoue looked at Akutsu as if he were a monster.

The fact that Mizuki had easily crushed Muromachi earlier had already alarmed him. However, even someone as strong as Mizuki was still crushed by someone else.

More importantly, the person who so easily defeated Mizuki was still not the mysterious Minister Yamabuki.

"How did Yamabuki manage to produce so many skilled fighters?"

Inoue was filled with doubt.

Shizuka, standing next to him, patted her chest with lingering fear, her face pale, and said, "That Akutsu's tennis was terrifying, it was like a wild beast."

"Ah."

Inoue nodded.

He did indeed sense that chilling aura emanating from Akutsu. As a seasoned tennis journalist, Inoue knew that once someone could unleash their "aura," it meant that the opponent had truly entered the ranks of the masters.

At least within the scope of junior high school students, this is the case.

"So... is this Akutsu a national-level master?"

Inoue thought to himself.

He wasn't quite sure, because Mizuki had been forced to use her full strength, but Akutsu hadn't. No one knew the true strength of this fierce and volatile guy.

"Speaking of which..."

At this moment, Zhi, who was standing next to him, seemed to have thought of something and suddenly said, "Is there really anyone who can subdue such a fierce guy?"

"Ok?"

His words caught Inoue's attention.

The latter subconsciously glanced at Sengoku beside him, only to see the other party give a slightly mysterious smile, and he immediately came to a conclusion.

"Sengoku is probably no match for Akutsu either."

"so."

"The only one who can truly suppress Akutsu is that elusive Minister Shibukawa."

Thinking about this, he became even more curious about Shechuan.

"In the next match of Group C, Ryo Watanabe will face Yuji Suzuki."

Just then, the referee's voice came from the other side of the field. As soon as he finished speaking, Sengoku, who had been smiling, suddenly turned serious, as if a switch had been flipped.

"what happened to you?"

Zhi noticed that something was wrong with the other person.

"nothing."

Sengoku waved his hand and shrugged helplessly: "I'm going to warm up because I'm going to play against a really strong guy later."

warm up?

Zhi was somewhat surprised, but Inoue immediately perked up.

Who is Sengoku?

That was once the strongest genius of Yamabuki. Even the former captain, Uesugi, might not have been able to suppress him. Akutsu and Mizuki were placed in Group A.

Therefore, the identity of the person who can make Sengoku so nervous is obvious.

"Let's go to Group C's field."

Inoue immediately led Shiba to move to another field. The latter wanted to ask why, but was surprised to find that everyone else had the same idea and was actively crowding towards the Group C field.

Bang!

Bang!

boom!

on the field.

A third-year student named Watanabe faced off against a third-year student named Suzuki. The two played a very close game, and although their skills weren't particularly outstanding, their fundamentals were very solid.

The match lasted 30 minutes, and Suzuki, with better skills, won 6-3.

The two were quite sensible.

After the match, they quickly shook hands and left, making room for each other on the court.

"Next match in Group C."

Subsequently, the referee on the high chair was changed. The second-year team member was replaced by the third-year regular player, Dongfang Yamei.

As soon as he sat down, Dongfang said with a serious expression, "Shibukawa Shinji is facing Sengoku Kiyosumi. Please both sides be prepared!"

The words fell.

He, who usually loved to joke, sat upright like an old scholar, staring ahead with an expressionless face.

"It's finally coming."

Inoue and Shiba exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes.

It is now 4:30 pm.

The school-wide selection competition had been underway for over two hours, the sun blazing down. Yet, the entire competition area for Group C was packed with people.

soon.

With his orange hair, Sengoku walked solemnly onto the court, racket in hand. He was a far cry from his earlier nonchalant self.

His serious demeanor surprised Zhi somewhat. Even in this state, Sengoku was quite handsome, at least as good-looking as Mizuki from before.

tread!

Just then.

A figure with black hair entered the stadium from the right.

"coming!"

My spirits lifted instantly.

But then a tall, handsome young man with sharp, piercing eyes walked onto the court with a smile on his face.

"Is this the head of Yamabuki?"

Before Inoue could even speak, Shiba blurted out, "That's so cool!!"

handsome?

Inoue couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

However, it must be said that Shibukawa is very good-looking, and the kind of person you never get tired of looking at. Especially given that there aren't many people in the Yamabuki group who are good-looking, he stands out even more.

However, good looks are only superficial.

What Inoue was truly focused on was the unique aura of authority emanating from the other person, an aura that commanded respect without a hint of anger.

"Rumor has it that this Yamabuki captain is a training fanatic who trains every day, rain or shine. And this perseverance and willpower will transform into a personal charisma that cannot be described in words."

Inoue has seen similar people before.

For example, Yukimura from Rikkai University, Atobe from Hyotei University, and Tezuka from Seigaku University. And all of these people are top-level players at the national level.

Thinking of this, Inoue became even more curious about what level Shibukawa's tennis skills had reached.

"I never expected that you would put me in the same group as you."

"On the net," Sengoku said with emotion.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to switch players."

Shechuan smiled.

In reality, he couldn't get anything out of Guan Yue anymore. Previously, she would always be able to help him identify problems every now and then.

Then, Shibukawa used the ability of [Weakness Correction] to overcome and strengthen his weaknesses, making it his preferred fighting style.

Up to now.

He has no loopholes left.

At least within the junior high school student range, or rather, given Mizuki's abilities, it's no longer possible to exploit Shibukawa's weaknesses through data collection.

Of all the Yamabuki clan members, Akutsu is probably the only one who can barely hold his own against Shibukawa.

But that person, though seemingly fierce, actually has a very fragile sense of self-esteem. If suppressed too much, he might quit the group in a fit of anger.

The only way to deal with this kind of arrogance is to take it slow.

Shibukawa, on the other hand, wanted to treat everyone fairly and decided to increase the intensity of Sengoku's performance. He was already planning to use the specially trained skills on the regular players anyway, so this match would be a good opportunity to test Sengoku's limits.

"Ok."

Upon hearing Shibukawa's reply, Sengoku shrugged helplessly.

at the same time.

The entire stadium for Group C was packed with people.

Because in a sense, this was still the first real showdown between Shibukawa and Sengoku in Yamabuki.