My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

A 5km night run at a 6-minute pace took half an hour.

This score is only average among ordinary 13-year-old junior high school students. However, Shechuan was originally rather thin and weak, and his foundation was not very good.

Moreover, just like with racket swing practice, completing a standard run requires not only a certain pace but also specific running posture.

If the posture is not stable or standard, the experience gained will be reduced, or even nonexistent.

But Shechuan was not discouraged.

Everything is difficult at the beginning. As long as he can maintain his current pace and complete all kinds of training projects every day without fail, it's only a matter of time before his strength improves.

If one day isn't enough, then a week will do.

If it doesn't work in a week, then it will take a month.

If one month isn't enough, then six months.

He knew very well that only with a solid foundation could he go further. Just like the protagonist of the original work, Echizen, before transferring to Seishun Academy, he didn't have many impressive ball skills or abilities.

but.

Thanks to his almost daily tennis practice with his tennis legend father, Echizen Nanjiro, the protagonist, Echizen Ryoma, accumulated a wealth of match experience. His subsequent bursts of brilliance throughout the story, besides being due to the protagonist's plot armor, were also a result of his own accumulated experience.

After all, if you play against world-class tennis legends every day, even a pig could become a master.

In some ways, Shibukawa's cheat codes are no worse than Echizen Nanjiro's, and may even be stronger!

...

In the blink of an eye.

Two days have passed.

Shechuan continues to undergo repetitive and tedious training, but after each training session, seeing the improvement in his skill proficiency fills him with renewed energy.

Meanwhile, Shechuan was leading a fulfilling training life.

Kyushu.

Kumamoto City.

This year's national competition is also coming to an end.

Shishiraku Junior High, the host team, only made it to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Shitenhoji, the perennial runner-up in the Kansai region, was easily defeated by Rikkai University.

The highlight of the finals was the match between the defending champion Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School and Makinofuji Academy, the top-ranked school in the Kansai region.

Everyone expected this to be a thrilling match. But to their surprise, even a player as strong as Makino Fuji was easily crushed by Rikkai with a total score of 3-0.

"That's incredible!"

On the way back, the scene from earlier still inevitably resurfaced in the minds of the Yamabuki group.

"Not only Yukimura, but even Mori didn't make a move this time."

A boy with slicked-back hair, thick eyebrows, and big eyes—who was none other than Higashikata Masami, one of the regulars in the Yamabuki Tennis Club—exclaimed, "That Sanada in singles 3 is really strong! He took down Makino Fujio's vice-captain in less than 15 minutes!!"

"Yes, they didn't have a chance to fight back at all; they're not even in the same league."

Shintobe Inayoshi, with his mushroom haircut and two leaves on his head, was shocked: "Moreover, I just heard the Rikkai players shouting 'Emperor.' If nothing unexpected happens, that will probably become Sanada's nickname in the tennis world."

"The Emperor of Tennis...?"

Uesugi and the others felt a chill in their hearts.

Yes, just thinking about facing a master of that level made them feel a strong sense of pressure.

"emperor?"

At that moment, a sneer rang out: "Don't make us a laughingstock. The only one Rikkai University has to be wary of is that Yukimura."

Who?

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look, only to see a handsome young man with purplish-gray hair and a beauty mark under his right eye leading the group from behind them.

"Hyotei's..."

"That person is... Atobe?!"

Upon seeing the newcomers, the Yamabuki group immediately perked up.

This year, Yamabuki didn't face Hyotei. During the Metropolitan Tournament, they were eliminated by Seigaku in the semifinals, and in the Kanto Tournament, Yamabuki had even worse luck, facing Rikkai in the first round and being mercilessly eliminated.

therefore.

Many Yamabuki team members believe they are strong, but they simply faced Rikkai. While Hyotei won the Metropolitan Tournament, a victory against Yamabuki is not guaranteed.

Yamabuki's doubles is very strong, and their singles also boast two formidable Kanto-level players, Uesugi and Sengoku. Given this situation, if they can suppress Hyotei in doubles, victory is not out of the question.

"What are you looking at? A bunch of guys who didn't even make it to the national tournament."

A member of the Hyotei team mocked from the crowd.

Under Atobe's leadership, Hyotei's tennis club expanded to over 150 members and was still growing. A force of that size could easily dominate an entire city block, becoming a local yakuza powerhouse.

but.

Despite Hyotei's superior numbers, Yamabuki remained composed. This wasn't a brawl; numbers didn't matter, and ultimately, skill would prevail on the court.

"Even small fry should have the awareness of being a small fry."

Seeing the indignant expressions of the Yamabuki members, the handsome young man leading Hyotei, their captain Atobe Keigo, couldn't help but sneer. "You agree, don't you, Kabaji?"

"Yes!"

Standing beside Atobe, a stocky, simple-looking boy with a buzz cut nodded in agreement.

"asshole!"

This completely escalated the conflict.

The hot-tempered Yamabuki captain couldn't take it anymore. Uesugi Kenichi, the captain, also frowned and looked at Atobe: "Isn't your lord a bit too arrogant?"

Chapter 8 The Powerful Atobe

"Arrogant?"

Atobe scoffed, "Those two words don't exist in my dictionary."

For someone who joined Hyotei a year ago, became captain as a first-year junior high student, and led the team to the national tournament, a team of Yamabuki's caliber was a waste of his time, even if the captain spoke to him.

"is it?"

However, on Yamabuki's side, a third-year regular player immediately said in a strange tone: "If I remember correctly, Hyotei only made it to the quarterfinals, right? They didn't even win a single match against Rikkai!"

"Yes."

Another person sneered, "What's the use of having a lot of people? He's just a king who rules over Monkey Mountain."

"What did you say?!"

Atobe's gaze immediately turned cold.

The regular players and ordinary players of Hyotei behind him all looked at the speaker, Yamabuki, with a dangerous gaze.

"What, did I touch a sore spot?"

The third-year student from Yamabuki was not intimidated at all.

This was, after all, the venue for the National Tournament, so he wasn't worried at all that the Hyotei people would make a move. After all, if Yamabuki really got beaten up by the Hyotei people, it wouldn't be them who would lose face if word got out.

Off-field violence involving multiple players bullying the weak is extremely egregious.

really.

Atobe quickly calmed down.

He turned his head and fixed his gaze on Uesugi: "Although it's a bit of a waste of time, I think it's still necessary to teach you guys how to respect others."

"Ok?"

Uesugi's expression changed slightly.

This was a direct challenge from them. And as the captain of Yamabuki, he couldn't evade it under any circumstances.

"it is good."

Almost instantly, Uesugi nodded and said, "Then let me experience the strength of you, the captain of Hyotei."

Then.

The two sides arrived at a nearby vacant court and stood on opposite sides. Immediately, the effect of Hyotei's force of over 150 people became apparent.

"This feeling..."

The hearts of Shintomi, Touhou, and others on Yamabuki's side sank slightly.

Facing the overwhelming force of Hyotei's lineup, their group of only six or seven members appeared outnumbered and outmatched. They were thus subtly put on the defensive in terms of morale.

"Hyotei!"

"Hyotei!"

"Hyotei!"

...

And just then...

Within the Hyotei camp, chants of slogans began to rise one after another. At first, they were scattered, but soon they became unified.

The shouts of hundreds of people in unison felt like a surging tide, overwhelming and crushing everything in their path. This caused cold sweat to pour down the foreheads of the already stressed Yamabuki members.

"Damn it."

"These guys are cheating."

"Hyotei... is truly terrifying!"

The Yamabuki group was deeply shocked.

They are all regulars, and all have experience participating in main tournament matches. They are well aware of the immense psychological pressure that this scale and atmosphere can put on the players.

immediately.

The Yamabuki members all looked at their own captain.

Fortunately, Uesugi's face showed no change in the face of Hyotei's imposing aura.

"Let's begin."

Uesugi raised his head and looked calmly at his opponent.

In his view, Hyotei's ability to reach the national tournament is certainly due to their own strength, but such underhanded tactics must have also played a significant role.

Before the match even started, they overwhelmed their opponents with their sheer force of will.

Unfortunately, Uesugi, as the captain of Yamabuki, is far superior to ordinary regular players in terms of both competition experience and mental fortitude.

of course.

He did not underestimate his opponent.

After all, Hyotei was able to reach the quarterfinals, so Atobe, as the captain, must be quite strong. However, Uesugi Kenichi was equally confident in his own abilities and believed he wouldn't lose to his opponent.

This is his pride as a third-grader.

In Uesugi's view, this match is very likely to turn into a protracted battle. At that point, the effect of so-called talent will be greatly reduced, and match experience and mental resilience will be the real keys to determining the outcome.

And that is precisely Uesugi's strength.

Swish!

The thought crossed my mind.

Uesugi spread his legs apart, gripped his racket with both hands, leaned forward, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed a ready-to-fight stance.

His opponent was also a ministerial-level figure, so he deserved to be treated this way.

Even Uesugi had a fleeting thought that he could take advantage of the opponent's youth and arrogance, and launch a preemptive strike.

"Once I gain the upper hand, I can control the pace of the game."

"By then, the other side will definitely be caught off guard and expose more weaknesses."

"If we can defeat Atobe, we'll prove that Yamabuki is no weaker than Hyotei. Even if we don't make it to the national tournament, other teams won't dare to underestimate us."