My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

Atobe is leading the Hyotei regulars in equestrian training at this world-renowned horse racing track. In Atobe's view, equestrianism is a very effective sport for training balance.

It has been proven that the power of money is remarkably effective.

After two weeks of intensive training, the Hyotei team members' balance has been greatly improved.

On a low slope.

Several figures rode on tall horses, moving slowly forward. A long-haired boy riding a black steed, wearing black-rimmed glasses, spoke up: "Atobe, I heard that in the last autumn youth selection tournament, you defeated Fuji from Seigaku?"

"It's just a contest of smashes."

Among the group, Atobe, wearing a light white knitted short-sleeved shirt and possessing a handsome face, spoke up: "Moreover, Fuji's special move is [Giant Bear Counterattack]. With Oshitari around, I have a very deep understanding of this move, so it's normal for me to be able to beat him."

Upon hearing this, the group couldn't help but smile knowingly.

One of the boys, with burgundy bangs, laughed and said, "If that's the case, then that guy named Fuji is really unlucky."

"Don't underestimate others."

Just as everyone was about to laugh and agree, Atobe's expression turned slightly cold, and he shook his head, saying, "That Fuji has a lot of talent. Although I countered [Giant Bear Counter], he has two other counter techniques. Even Yanagi from Rikkai University lost to him."

柳？

Upon hearing this name, everyone present tensed up.

Two years have passed since they joined the tennis club. During that time, Hyotei dominated the two national leagues, initially sweeping all before them and reigning supreme on the court.

However, since the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament was upgraded to the Kanto Tournament, Hyotei has never won first place again. In two years, they faced Rikkai University from Kanagawa four times, suffering crushing defeats each time.

As a result, many people have developed PTSD from the name Rikkai University.

The name Liu is one of the obstacles standing in Hyotei's path to becoming king.

"Even Liu lost to him, Fuji of Seigaku is indeed not simple."

Everyone immediately suppressed their arrogance.

Only the boy with black-rimmed glasses felt a slight stirring in his heart. He glanced at Atobe, whose expression remained unchanged, and subconsciously tightened his grip on the reins.

Others might not have noticed, but he understood Atobe's subtle warning.

Hyotei may seem glamorous now, but their true top-tier strength lies solely in Atobe. The team is good at beating weaker opponents, but they crumble when facing top-tier teams.

Especially when they faced Rikkai, they lost all four matches, which demoralized many players. Of course, this doesn't mean Hyotei wasn't strong; it's just that Rikkai's lineup was far too overpowered compared to other schools.

But competitive matches must ultimately have winners and losers.

If Hyotei wants to reach the top, Rikkai University is an opponent they can't bypass no matter what.

therefore.

Hyotei's most pressing need is to strengthen the development of its top-tier players. And for the wealthy and powerful Atobe, as long as the talent is good enough, he can provide the highest-level training roster from any team in the world.

"Speaking of which, it's definitely him."

At this moment, the brown-haired boy at the end of the group suddenly spoke up: "While I was gathering information, I heard something quite interesting."

"what's up?"

The wine-red-haired boy, Gakuto Mukahi, one of the regulars for Hyotei, asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, the brown-haired boy, Taki Oginosuke, one of the regulars of Hyotei, said, "About a month and a half ago, Fuji went to Yamabuki."

"Yamabuki?"

Atobe raised an eyebrow slightly. He vaguely recognized the name, but not in a deep sense.

The person next to him, Shinobu, explained, "Last year, they were among the top four teams in the tournament, but they lost to Seigaku in the semifinals. Kanto was eliminated after just one round."

"No way, this isn't even a second-rate team, is it?"

The brown-haired boy, Ryo Shishido, a regular player for Hyotei, looked on in surprise.

"Yamabuki?"

Mukahi frowned, as if he had thought of something, and said uncertainly, "If I remember correctly, we ran into them near the end of last year's National Tournament. Their captain was instantly defeated by Atobe."

"It's him."

"I remember now."

"If I remember correctly, Atobe didn't even use 60% of his strength in that match. For someone like that to become captain, Yamabuki's strength is indeed quite average."

Most people showed disdain to varying degrees.

Hyotei is, after all, a private school with very high entry requirements, and the wealthy Atobe has raised Hyotei's minimum strength to a level that most teams can only look up to.

To put it bluntly, Hyotei's second team was able to sweep all the way to the semifinals in the Metropolitan Tournament. In their eyes, Yamabuki's lineup was no different from Hyotei's second team.

“Go on.”

Atobe glanced at Taki expressionlessly, who shuddered and quickly said, "That Fuji went to Yamabuki and got defeated."

Ok?

This statement came out.

Everyone present, except for Atobe, had a change in expression.

Fuji's ability to defeat Yanagi from Rikkai University demonstrates his undeniable strength. Even at Hyotei, he would be a strong contender for the second-best stunner.

Yet, this very person was defeated by someone else in Yamabuki, and the information contained in that defeat is enough to make many people no longer dare to underestimate Yamabuki.

Just when they thought the matter was over, Taki continued, "Moreover, according to the inside information I received, Fuji not only lost, but he lost badly, losing 0-6 to that person."

"0-6?!"

Everyone's expression changed upon hearing this, and Mukahi blurted out in disbelief, "Do you know what you're saying? Fuji lost 0-6? You must be kidding me!!!"

Among them, even Atobe, who had a very strong mental fortitude, showed a barely perceptible look of disbelief in his eyes after hearing Taki's rumor.

Atobe's gaze shifted, and he asked in a cold tone, "Are you sure?"

"The probability is over 90%."

Taki nodded firmly: "According to the information I've gathered, the one who defeated Fuji is the current captain of Yamabuki."

"The Yamabuki captain? Who? That Sengoku guy?!"

"not him."

Taki shook his head and said, "That person is called Shin Shibukawa. It is said that he defeated the former captain, Kenichi Uesugi, in a head-on battle to become the captain of Yamabuki."

"Shigawa letter?"

The group looked at each other, their faces blank.

They had never heard of this name before. But if the opponent could defeat Fuji, their strength would definitely be at the national level.

"This is interesting."

Atobe raised an eyebrow slightly: "I originally thought that only Seigaku could compete with us in this year's Metropolitan Tournament, but I didn't expect that Yamabuki would have someone with decent strength."

For Atobe now, the Kanto-level players are simply not qualified to be his opponents. Given Yamabuki's doubles strength, if they were to add a national-level player whose strength remains a mystery, they would pose a considerable threat.

“Taki”.

Thinking of this, Atobe said, "When we get back, we need to investigate this guy named Shibukawa thoroughly. Also, we need to get the data on Tezuka from Seigaku as soon as possible."

Atobe is a very proud person.

But he was arrogant, not stupid. He knew very well that in a team-based competition, going it alone was meaningless. The hidden strength of Yamabuki and Seigaku had made him realize that the undercurrents were more turbulent than he had imagined.

The saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

If Hyotei doesn't understand the strength of their opponents and doesn't field their strongest lineup before the semifinals, instead sending out their second team to face them, they might very well suffer an upset.

Intuition told Atobe.

This new season is probably going to be even more interesting than he imagined.

...

at the same time.

Tokyo.

Youth Academy Tennis Club.

While the team members were actively preparing for the competition, a new management structure for the tennis club was also selected. Tezuka became the captain, and Oishi, who excels in doubles, became the vice-captain.

Thanks to Tezuka's extraordinary leadership charisma, the team's cohesion is stronger than last year.

Of course, what made Coach Ryuzaki even happier was that Fuji, who had previously shown little interest in training, seemed like a completely different person since returning from the autumn youth selection tournament, with a significantly higher level of enthusiasm for training.

"If this trend continues, Seigaku will likely have at least two players with national-level skills before the start of this year's tournament."

Looking at the people training on the court, Ryuzaki stood outside the court and thought to himself.

"In singles, the combination of Tezuka, Fuji, and Inui is well-structured and can handle most national-level opponents. However, in doubles, they are lacking in many ways."

Ryuzaki rubbed her temples, feeling somewhat conflicted. According to her plan, the best arrangement for Inui, who excelled in data-driven tennis, would be to play doubles.

However, Seigaku's singles system is not yet perfect, and Inui's presence is equally indispensable.

Drop drop drop.

Just then, Ryuzaki's phone rang. She picked it up, glanced at the caller ID, paused for a moment, and then a playful smile appeared on her face.

After the call connected, Ryuzaki said with amusement, "You actually have time to call me. Just say what's on your mind; trans-Pacific travel isn't cheap."

"Huh? A newbie who's a middle school student?"

"Is that the kid? Okay, I got it."

After hanging up the phone, a glint of light flashed in Ryuzaki's eyes. The lineup that had been finalized in her mind had changed.

"If he's that guy's son, he should be able to easily handle the singles 3 position, right?"

Although Ryuzaki has never seen the boy, who is not yet 12 years old, compete in person.

But she trusted the person on the other end of the phone.

Especially when he thought about the boy's current achievements, Ryuzaki couldn't help but feel even more excited.

"No matter what, someone who can win the national junior championships in a row can't be that bad, no matter how bad their skills are."

...

Kanagawa.

Rikkai University Tennis Club.

While other teams were training hard, Rikkai University, which had won two consecutive national championships, was in a somewhat sluggish state.

First, their minister, Yukimura, suddenly fell seriously ill last October and has not been able to play since being sent to the hospital.

In addition, one of the team's core players, third-year regular player Jusaburo Mori, has officially left the tennis club. Rikkai University has suffered a significant loss of strength.

At Yukimura's request, the team is currently managed by Vice-Captain Sanada.

At this moment, Sanada Masahiro and Yanagi, who are also among the three giants of Rikkai University, exchanged ideas: "The danger level of Seigaku in next year's Kanto Tournament needs to be raised."

"Because of Fuji?"

Liu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "If that's the case, then we can raise the bar a little. But our opponent is still Hyotei."

"Hyotei?"

Sanada shook his head noncommittally.

Before this, he didn't take any team seriously. But ever since he heard about Yanagi, especially after finding out about Seigaku's starting lineup from Fuji and seeing that name, Sanada no longer dared to underestimate Seigaku.

Fuji is very strong and can completely suppress Yanagi.

What about yourself?

Especially when Sanada thought about the match he had with that person two and a half years ago, he couldn't calm down.

Mori left the team.

Yukimura fell ill.

Rikkai University's golden armor has already been broken by half. As the current de facto manager, Sanada dares not be careless in the slightest.

Under his leadership, Rikkai University's already rigorous training has become even more intense.

at the same time.