My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

Yumi laughed and said, "I asked Shin, and they said that you don't necessarily have to play in the first few matches of the tournament. Yamabuki was one of the top four last year, so he didn't have to play in the first two rounds."

"No need to play two rounds of matches?"

Yuki was also somewhat surprised.

She had also looked into the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament; it was a competition organized throughout the entire Tokyo metropolitan area, and it was of a high standard. She hadn't expected Yamabuki to be exempt from two matches, which showed the team's considerable strength.

"Then let's take the bus."

Yuki said with a smile.

Although taking a taxi is faster, she is a single mother who runs the household, and she has to be very careful with every penny she has.

Yumi nodded upon hearing this.

Anyway, they're not in a hurry, and if they go too early, they won't be able to help Shibukawa and Akutsu. It's best to start right when the competition begins, so they don't miss it.

soon.

The two boarded a bus at a nearby bus stop, heading to the venue for the Metropolitan Games.

"what?"

As soon as she got on the bus, Yuki looked around and finally her gaze fell on a mushroom-headed boy wearing a white shirt who was sitting in the back with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.

"Is he also participating in the competition?"

"It doesn't seem like it; neither of them brought a tennis bag."

Yumi shook her head.

However, the young man before her gave her a very unusual feeling. Although he wasn't as sharp as Akutsu or as composed as Shibukawa, he was probably no ordinary person either.

Half an hour later.

The bus has arrived at the station.

Yumi and Yuki got off the bus, while the boy who had been sitting in the back with his eyes closed opened them and got off the bus as well.

"Is this the venue for this year's major competition?"

The boy slightly opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips: "Hyotei, Seigaku, and Yamabuki... I hope you won't disappoint me."

He was none other than Renji Yanagi, a regular starter for Rikkai University who had come from Kanagawa and was also the team's intelligence officer.

Although the Kanagawa Prefecture tournament has also started today, Rikkai University has an absolute dominance in the competition, and given the exceptional performance of the Tokyo teams this year, Yanagi is very interested in all the teams participating in the tournament.

As the team's strategist, his job is to collect, analyze, and utilize intelligence. Following the Tokyo Grand Prix is ​​the Kanto Grand Prix, and according to the rules of previous years, Tokyo has five qualifying spots.

There are only 16 spots available for the Kanto Tournament.

In other words, nearly one-third of the spots in the Kanto Tournament will be decided here. If it weren't for the long distance, teams from Kansai and even Kyushu would probably come to watch the game.

...

"The Grand Prix has finally arrived."

At the entrance of the tennis park, a short-haired woman wearing a vest and carrying a light-colored handbag spoke with deep emotion.

"Inoue-senpai, which team do you think will go all the way this year?"

The woman in question is Saori Shiba, the editor of a professional tennis monthly magazine. As a Tokyo-based magazine, they naturally wouldn't overlook a match of this caliber.

Actually, she and Inoue had also gone to the regional qualifiers not long ago. However, Inoue went to the stadium where Seigaku plays, so she didn't have to worry about which team to observe today.

"Probably Hyotei."

Inoue thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Although Seigaku and Yamabuki have both become stronger, Hyotei's position is too secure. That's a team with over 200 players, and it's not even in the same league as other teams."

As a professional journalist, even though Inoue personally favored Seigaku, he had to face reality. Realistically, Hyotei's position was unshakeable.

Is that so?

Zhi was clearly disappointed.

However, she knew she was there to do serious business, so without much thought, she took out her camera and looked for a suitable opportunity to photograph the teams coming and going from the entrance.

At this time.

A formidable team approached. The leader, with his center-parted hair, dark skin, and a fierce, menacing aura, gave off an impression of being someone to be trifled with.

Who are these people?

After quickly snapping a photo, Zhi asked in surprise.

"Hmm... judging from the clothes, it's from St. Rudolph College."

Inoue glanced at the name tags of these people and frowned slightly: "I heard that they had a very strong foreign aid last year. But for some reason, that foreign aid suddenly left, causing St. Rudolf's original plan to expand nationwide to be put on hold."

"Such a thing is true?"

Zhi was somewhat surprised.

"Don't underestimate these teams."

Inoue explained, "Last year, St. Rudolph was among the top 32 in the Metropolitan Tournament, a neither high nor low ranking. But just like Fudomine, no one can guarantee that these people won't become dark horses this year."

He's 29 years old and has been in this industry for over six years. He's seen once-powerful teams transform in a year, going from nationally invincible to disappearing without a trace.

Similarly, there are also dark horse teams that carve out a path from obscurity. In reality, apart from teams with deep-rooted traditions like Rikkai and Hyotei, the rankings of other teams are constantly changing.

The same applies to Seigaku.

It's considered one of the strongest in Tokyo, but it's completely outmatched in the Kanto region or even nationwide.

"understood."

Zhi nodded obediently.

As a newcomer, she prioritized the opinions of her seniors. She also knew Inoue's personality; he was never one to speak without reason.

"Which team should we watch first?"

"Well......"

Inoue pondered for a moment, watching the receding silhouette of the St. Rudolph team, and said in a deep voice, "This team."

The two then followed Saint Rudolph.

"Damn it."

At the stadium near St. Rudolph, a black-haired boy with a crooked mouth said with a livid face, "That guy, Mizuki, tricked me into coming to St. Rudolph and then ran away. If I run into him this time, I'll make him pay."

"Moon viewing?"

Not far away, Shizuka, who heard this, looked surprised: "Inoue-senpai, is this person talking about that Yamabuki member, Mizuki?"

About two months ago.

The two went to Yamabuki and watched each other's school qualifiers. It was there that they met the formidable Muromachi and later witnessed Mizuki's masterful data-driven playing style.

After that match, they were very impressed with this person.

But who would have thought that Mizuki was actually one of St. Rudolph's exiles? And judging from what this person said, Mizuki's departure was probably not so simple.

"Liu Ze, don't overthink it."

The dark-skinned, center-parted-hair boy, Akazawa, the captain of St. Rudolph, said in a deep voice, "Talking tough now is useless. Once we get on the court, we'll show him the consequences of betrayal with our performance!"

"Ok!"

The crooked-mouthed boy, Yanagizawa Shinya, nodded emphatically.

He wasn't originally a member of St. Rudolph's team; it was just the first offer extended by Mizuki after she transferred there. Unexpectedly, Yanagisawa was so eager to improve that he soon decided to transfer as well.

Who knew he would leave before he even transferred to Kanzuki, and the two didn't even officially meet in St. Rudolph. So, whenever he thought about this, Yanagisawa would be furious.

"We have to play two more matches before we face Yamabuki."

Akazawa said in a deep voice, "Everyone, be on your guard and don't let your guard down."

"understood."

Everyone nodded emphatically.

Inoue and Shiba, who were not far away, also got excited when they heard this. In their line of work, what they liked most was news that could grab their attention.

If it were just a simple matchup between last year's semifinalists and the round of 32, there wouldn't be anything particularly exciting. But a revenge story for St. Rudolph would definitely grab attention.

Of course, this is all predicated on Saint Rudolf successfully avenging himself.

Before that, they should ideally film every single one of St. Rudolph's matches. Meanwhile, Yamabuki, Seigaku, and Hyotei, who were among last year's top four, happened to have a bye in the first two rounds.

then.

The two then joined St. Rudolf's team and started playing from the very first match.

"This Saint Rudolph... he's got some skills."

Outside the stadium, seeing St. Rudolph dominating their opponents, Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "The previous two matches both ended 6-0. In this match, Yanagisawa completely overwhelmed his opponent as well."

boom!

At this time.

Liu Ze leaped high and ended the singles match with a powerful smash.

The referee on the high chair immediately announced loudly: "Match over! Shinya Yanagisawa of St. Rudolf wins, score 6-0!"

"They're not even in the same league."

Inoue remarked with some emotion, "However, their level isn't even as good as Kaki Junior High in the regional preliminaries. It's normal that they were suppressed by St. Rudolph."

"Too."

Zhi also laughed.

In her heart, she wondered what Kuki from Kakiki Junior High would look like if he knew that his team was being used as a measure of strength.

However, although St. Rudolf has already secured his advancement, he will have to play a full match in the first round. Next, St. Rudolf will have to play singles 2 and singles 1, but fortunately, the remaining two opponents are also quite strong.

In the end, the first round of matches concluded with St. Rudolf defeating their opponents with a dominant 5-0 record across five games.

"Well done!"

Akazawa was extremely excited after winning the match.

He said to his team with great enthusiasm, "Keep this momentum going, and play like this in the second game too."

"understood."

The crowd responded loudly.

They stood tall and proud, like victorious generals.

"This is a team competition."

Seeing this, Inoue remarked with emotion, "They are building up their momentum through matches. Although they are at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength, after two matches, they might not be without a fighting chance against Yamabuki."

According to the order of the competition draw.

Yamabuki and St. Rudolph, who are in Group C, will meet in the third round, which is Yamabuki's first round match.

This has both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that Yamabuki can rest and prepare to face their opponents in top form. However, St. Rudolph is no pushover either; if they really get into form, they might just pull off an upset.

"Saint Rudolph, huh? Interesting."

Outside the crowd, the mushroom-headed boy in the white shirt, who was actually Liu An, who had come to Rikkai University to gather intelligence, nodded to himself.

In terms of strength, St. Rudolph is definitely not weak. Yamabuki just happens to be on his watchlist, so Yanagi can use the upcoming third match to observe Yamabuki's situation.

...

10:00 AM.

St. Rudolph vs. Kamata Junior High School.

The two sides were not on the same level, and under Akazawa's leadership, St. Rudolf easily defeated their opponent 3-0.

"Ooooooooo!!!"

Outside the stadium, seeing their team win two consecutive victories, both decisive and resounding, the St. Rudolph players cheered excitedly.

"The momentum is very strong."

Inoue nodded and said, "Their momentum has reached its peak. If they concentrate all their strength on the first three matches, they might be able to defeat Yamabuki."