My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

As the team's captain, in addition to his own training, he also needs to keep a close eye on the performance of the other players. Especially since he will graduate before next spring, he needs to find fresh talent for Yamabuki.

"Ah."

Banda nodded.

He didn't inquire about Group D's situation, and Uesugi didn't explain either. But they both tacitly acknowledged that Group D only had one regular player, Kentaro Minami.

As is customary, the selection process will shuffle the current eight main players and distribute them evenly across four groups.

In other words, each group should have at least two starters. But in reality, Group D only had Vice-Captain Kentaro Minami.

This was clearly Uesugi's personal motive.

As the team's minister, he held authority second only to the coach. The roster for the school's selection trials was drawn up by him, with the coach making the final decision.

Uesugi's goal was simple: to eliminate the current third-year regulars early and give the opportunity to the current first and second-year players, allowing them to adapt to the role of a regular in advance.

Among all the non-regulars, Shibukawa and Muromachi are undoubtedly the most likely to advance.

Judging from Banda's reaction, the other party clearly approves of this approach.

the difference is.

Uesugi didn't take the matter to heart; he was more concerned with how to get Sengoku back on track and reduce the time the other was wasting on girls.

After several unsuccessful attempts to recruit Akutsu, Banta focused more on Shibukawa. But the longer he observed him, the more surprised this experienced coach became.

The opponent's growth rate is too fast.

Judging solely from the amount of training he's done in Sichuan, it has doubled in just the last two weeks. And considering his condition a month ago, his physical improvement is likely several times greater.

Up to now.

Judging solely from his training, Banta could no longer see through that boy at all.

Only in real combat, in truly high-intensity confrontations with others, especially against a starting player like Minami, can Kawakami's true strength be tested.

Yes.

In Banta's view, even Muromachi might not be able to get Shibukawa to go all out.

...

soon.

The matches in each group have begun.

Four matches were played simultaneously at Yamabuki Stadium.

In Group A, a large number of people gathered due to Sengoku's popularity. And his performance did not disappoint. Facing an opponent who was a year older than him, he ended the match within 10 minutes.

boom!

A loud bang.

The tennis ball slammed into the ground, landing beside the boy with light black hair. He glanced at where the ball had landed and sighed helplessly.

"The match is over."

"Sengoku wins, score 6-0!"

At the same time.

In Group B, Higashi, and in Group C, Uesugi and others easily defeated their opponents. In the first two matches of Group D, Minami Kentaro performed exceptionally well, especially his final short-ball game-winning shot, which drew cheers from the crowd.

Then, Muromachi appeared.

Facing a third-year opponent, he launched a counter-offensive, employing a fast-paced style of play that left his opponent scrambling. With his tactics proving effective, Muromachi pressed his advantage, launching an even more ferocious attack.

Ultimately, the opponent was defeated within 20 minutes.

"This guy..."

The third-year student who lost the game looked grim, because he had been beaten 0-6 by Muromachi, which was extremely humiliating.

"how?"

Across from him, Muromachi, who had won the match, looked up arrogantly and asked, "Senior, would you like to play another round?"

"I......"

Locked in by the opponent's aggressive aura, the third-year team members panicked and couldn't utter a word of rebuttal.

In the end, they had no choice but to slink away.

"That's incredible!"

"Who would believe Muromachi is only a first-year student! He's sure to succeed in this selection!"

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Muromachi's grin widened even further. However, his gaze turned cold when he saw the black-haired boy entering.

Shechuan letter.

This unexpected rise to prominence poses the greatest threat to his chances of becoming a regular starter.

Muromachi initially didn't care about this person, but Shibukawa later took notice of him through intensive training and selection. However, at that time, Muromachi's mind was more focused on his own training.

It wasn't until Sengoku's "Tiger Cannon" test that Shibukawa's performance greatly impressed Muromachi. From then on, he regarded Shibukawa as his greatest rival.

Shechuan's performance did not disappoint him.

Facing a third-year student who was significantly taller than him, Shibukawa displayed a very strong performance. He initially responded steadily and cautiously, and after probing and understanding his opponent's playing style, he suddenly launched his attacks, hitting several shots in a row on the opponent's weak points in defense.

Spurred by the continuous losses, the man launched a frenzied attack. However, this also made his defense more prone to errors, allowing Shibukawa to stabilize the situation and easily break through the opponent's defense.

In less than 20 minutes, he hit the winning smash.

Bang!

"The match is over."

"Shechuan wins, score 6-0."

Chapter 20 Shibukawa vs. Muromachi

"Oh oh oh!"

"fantastic!"

"As expected of Shibukawa, his opponent was simply powerless to fight back!"

As soon as the referee finished speaking, the surrounding audience shouted excitedly.

"It's pretty good."

Muromachi gave Shibukawa on the court one last look, then turned and left.

He knew very well that his opponent hadn't used their full strength. But similarly, he hadn't gone all out in the match either.

"really."

"Only a real fight can push you to your limits."

Muromachi gripped his racket tightly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He was increasingly looking forward to the upcoming match.

...

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

Everyone who participated in the official team selection played a match. The competition quickly entered the second round. In Group D, under everyone's expectant gaze, Shibukawa and Muromachi entered the court almost simultaneously.

"Next, we will begin the match between Nobuhiro Shibukawa and Juji Muromachi in Group D."

The referee, seated high on his chair, spoke in a loud voice.

Then.

The two approached the net.

The usually arrogant Muromachi was unusually serious. He looked at his opponent and smiled faintly: "Senior, you have indeed become stronger. But I'm sorry, the winner of this match will only be me!"

Although he had tried to control his personality, his words still sounded rather unrefined. But Shibukawa understood; a month ago, Muromachi probably wouldn't have even given him a second glance.

All of this stems from his increased strength.

So, in the end, tennis is all about power. Only the strong can command respect from their opponents, and for Shibuchi, this match is merely the beginning of his tennis career.

"Ah."

After a moment's thought, he smiled and nodded: "I'm really looking forward to the match with you, Muromachi. I hope you, as a genius of Yamabuki, won't disappoint me."

Their exchange wasn't exactly polite, but it didn't escalate to the point of swearing at each other. Then, Muromachi, impatient, stood his racket upright and started spinning it.

Next, the two players each chose a side and waited for the letters to face after the racket fell.

"On the other hand, I won."

Muromachi, who had guessed the opposite side beforehand, smiled and said, "Looks like Lady Luck is on my side today. Well then, I won't be polite and will choose to serve. You shouldn't mind, right, senpai?"

"of course."

Shechuan's expression remained unchanged.

Realizing that he couldn't provoke his opponent with words, Muromachi picked up his racket, turned around, and walked towards the baseline.

He believed in the supremacy of strength.

Instead of going through all those roundabout ways, let's just let our rackets do the talking.

The same applies to Shechuan.

Soon, both players retreated to near the baseline. The umpire on the high chair, after assessing their condition, nodded and said, "The match is decided in one set. Muromachi serves. Game one!"

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

The words fell.

Then Muromachi took a tennis ball out of his pocket, tapped it a few times, and held it in his hand. He looked up, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes behind his white-rimmed sunglasses as he looked at his opponent.

"I won't hold back!"

Bang!

immediately.

Without warning, he smashed the tennis ball.

Tap tap!

Then, Muromachi quickly ran towards the tennis ball.

"Serve and volley?"

"Is Muromachi going for a quick attack right from the start?"

"Isn't that a bit too daring?"

"This is the true genius of Yamabuki! If you're going to play, play offensively! A fast-paced style of play is the way to go!"

Everyone was taken aback at first, then became excited.

Offense is undoubtedly the best way to stir up the emotions of the spectators, especially Muromachi's first-mover advantage, which instantly ignited the atmosphere in the stadium.

What will he do?

Meanwhile, outside the stadium, Coach Banta, Captain Uesugi, and others all turned their attention to Shibukawa.

Surprisingly, he didn't rush to take action; instead, he seemed stunned and stood still.

"Were you scared?"

Many people think of this subconsciously.

"Do not."

Dongfang Yamei, one of the main contestants, suddenly widened her eyes: "He moved!"

Tap tap!

But then Shibukawa quickly ran towards where the tennis ball had landed.

"It's too late to act now!"