My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

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.

To others, Kimishima is a cool and aloof tennis prodigy. His striking appearance has even attracted the attention of numerous businesses eager to create advertisements for tennis-related merchandise.

Therefore, people privately regarded him as a somewhat famous 'tennis star'.

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.

"almost."

Kimishima's eyes grew brighter.

He may not be ranked in the top five in Japan's U17 team right now, but in reality, not all of those ranked ahead of him 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."

Mizuki, the official manager and also the team's top intelligence officer, laughed and said, "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.

Chapter 99 Newcomer Assessment, Guan Yue's Discovery

After a while.

Shechuan led the team to the registration area.

"A group of eight from Yamabuki Junior High School have come to register."

Shibukawa handed over the prepared documents, and the staff immediately perked up when they heard the name Yamabuki.

Just kidding, this team was the top seed in last year's regional qualifiers and even reached the Tokyo semifinals. If they accidentally messed up the information and delayed the match, the consequences for them would be severe.

"what?"

At this moment, an older staff member looked at Shechuan and the others with some surprise.

"Strange, this year's Yamabuki seems a bit different?"

If he remembered correctly, Yamabuki's original uniform was entirely green with orange-red stripes along the edges, making it look quite vibrant. It wasn't exactly ugly, but it wasn't exactly good-looking either.

Now, the eight members of the Yamabuki group's coats are predominantly dark green. The collars extending to the sleeves are accented with light white, making them look much more pleasing to the eye.

Also.

The young man with long black hair greeted them with a smile, but he exuded an imposing aura. Just one glance at him was enough to make the experienced staff member feel an indescribable sense of pressure.

Master!

And he's a top-tier expert!

However, what puzzled him was that the boy in front of him looked unfamiliar. If he remembered correctly, wasn't Sengoku the most famous second-year student in Yamabuki last year?

"He's there!"

The staff quickly located Sengoku.

However, the other party was standing in the third position. In front of Sengoku, besides the handsome young man with long black hair and an imposing presence, there was also a young man with gray-white hair standing on end and a fierce look in his eyes.

Thank you.

After completing the registration, the handsome young man led the team away.

"Well."

Watching the Yamabuki group leave, the staff member wiped the sweat from his brow: "This year's Yamabuki is quite different from last year's; there are many unfamiliar faces."

"You still don't know?"

"Know what?"

"That guy just now is the current captain of Yamabuki. Rumor has it that he suddenly became a nobody and then went on to challenge the former captain and sweep everyone in Yamabuki."

"Wow! Is it really that exaggerated?"

"That's right. Rumor has it that this person easily defeated Fuji from Seigaku. It's a pity that these two schools weren't in the same place for the regional qualifiers, otherwise we would have seen a revenge drama."

"What?! That rumored genius Fuji Syusuke, who's already reached the national level?!"

The staff on site were all taken aback.

They were volunteers drawn from various places, and many of them were unaware of Yamabuki's prowess. On the other hand, Fuji, because he had many challengers and accepted all comers, had already made a name for himself.

If Fuji loses, then this year's tournament might really change dramatically.

"What are you thinking?"

Some people shook their heads: "No matter how Seigaku and Yamabuki compete, it won't change the outcome of the tournament. The outcome of a competition is never determined by the strength of one or two players."

The person next to him nodded in agreement.

As volunteers at the tennis tournament, they knew very well that these matches were largely based on overall team strength. In comparison, Hyotei was not even in the same league as Seigaku or Yamabuki.

Many people even believe that Hyotei has just been unlucky these past two years. The Kanto region was suppressed by Rikkai, and even in the national tournament, they encountered Rikkai before the semifinals. So, despite being very strong, they have never even reached the semifinals.

Is that really the case?

But some people secretly shook their heads.

While top-tier combat power is certainly not the only variable determining the outcome of a match, it can often be the key factor in tipping the scales when both sides are evenly matched.

Some people are oblivious and haven't noticed the changes. But others have keenly sensed that this year's competition is likely to undergo dramatic changes.

...

"A total of 12 teams participated in the regional qualifiers."

Somewhere in the park, Banta, the team's coach, explained in detail to the players: "Based on last year's rankings, the top four teams can skip the first round and advance directly to the second round."

Is that so?

Yuta was stunned for a moment, and Muromachi was also somewhat bewildered.

The two didn't make the starting lineup, but after discussing it, Banta and Shibukawa decided to make an exception and let them participate in the preliminaries. After all, the opponents weren't very strong, and letting the newcomers play would be a better way to train them.

As a result, the already limited number of matches was cut by one.

"By the way, has anyone seen Senior Mizuki?"

At this moment, Tan Taichi, wearing a green headscarf, looked up and around, then turned back to the crowd with curiosity and said.

"Who knows?"

Muromachi curled his lip. He'd never had a good impression of Mizuki. Her sudden appearance meant one less spot on the already limited Yamabuki regular lineup.

Of course, Muromachi wasn't the type to be a sore loser. Before Shibukawa rose to prominence, the Yamabuki's rule was survival of the fittest and respect for strength.

Muromachi accepted his defeat. But Kanatsuki's tennis was just too painful. After each match, Muromachi felt like he had countless fleas crawling all over him, but under Shibukawa's pressure, he could only obediently bow his head.

"If I remember correctly, he's not participating in this regional qualifier, is he?"

Nan stroked his chin and said.

"Isn't he a data-driven player?"

Dongfang frowned and said, "Even if you don't participate in the competition, shouldn't you still collect data on your opponents?"

Upon hearing this, Muromachi, with his straightforward personality, spoke up: "What's so great about collecting trash? Should we sort it?"

“That’s right, there’s no point in collecting match data for Mizuki at this level of competition.”

At this moment, Shibukawa spoke up: "So, he handed this matter over to Taiichi. It can also be considered a small test after a month."

take an exam?

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the altar with curiosity.

If they remembered correctly, the other person had indeed been following Guan Yue around for the past month. Besides helping with odd jobs, they had also been collecting data on the team members' matches.

It seems that not only Yuta and Muromachi need to train, but even Tan Taichi, a first-year student, has been placed in a training position.

Thinking of this, Nan, Dongfang, and the others looked at Shechuan with even more admiration.

Especially Kentaro Minami, although he didn't rule out Shibukawa becoming the minister, he had once considered the possibility of getting that position. Deep down, he must have had some thoughts about it.

But now it turns out that the opponent is not only stronger, but also far superior in terms of team development planning and arrangements.

There was no forced growth, only a gradual and subtle progress. Although this year's competition is not over yet, they are already certain that next season, the successors, led by Yuta, Muromachi, and Dan, will definitely be able to take over the Yamabuki legacy left by Shibukawa.

"But I just saw Mizuki."

Niito still asked, puzzled, "Since he's here, why isn't he joining us? Is he on some secret mission?"

He just said it casually, trying to ease the tension.

But the people around them lit up upon hearing this. Dongfang nodded and said, "This tennis park is very large. We were assigned to Zone 4. There are a total of 6 zones here. If I remember correctly, this is also the venue for this year's Seigaku tournament."

Qing Xue?

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed slightly.

As the opponent who defeated Yamabuki in a comeback match in last year's Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, many people in Yamabuki consider him their arch-rival.

Nan nodded and said, "If it's Seigaku, it certainly fits his style."

"Alright, everyone, perk up!"

Shechuan gave a light shout, and everyone perked up.

soon.

The first round of matches is over.

The entire Yamabuki team immediately moved to the match venue. The second round of the competition began, and according to the rules, each participating team had to play a full match in the first round.

In other words, even if Yamabuki wins all three of their matches and secures their qualification, they still have to play in Singles 2 and Singles 1.

As a result, when the second round of the competition began, a considerable number of spectators gathered outside the stadium where the Yamabuki match was being held.