"The first legendary team in history to achieve a national three-peat—Fudomine Middle School. Let's take a closer look!" —Tennis Monthly
"Surpassing Makinofuji's dominance! The absolute ruler standing at the top of junior tennis! Akashi Seijūrō!" —Sports News
"The professional tennis world may be welcoming a rising star!" —Tennis
Even though the National Middle School Tennis Tournament had ended a week ago, reports about Akashi and Fudomine were still flooding in. This was the first time a team had ever claimed three consecutive national titles. Reporters swarmed Fudomine like sharks smelling blood.
Unfortunately for them, Akashi and the others rejected all interview requests. Not long ago, an official recruitment letter from U-17 was delivered straight to the school principal's office. It extended a special invitation for Fudomine's entire starting lineup to join the U-17 training camp.
At the same time, many other schools also received invitation letters from U-17. Some teams, like Fudomine, got a full roster invite, while others only had individual players selected. In total, fifty junior high school players were invited.
Though Fudomine's second-string wasn't on the list, Akashi still decided to bring Kamio Akira, Ibu Shinji, Fuji Yūta, and Ishida Tetsu along. As U-17's former No. 3, he had that authority. However, the four of them wouldn't be able to officially join the training—they could only assist with various tasks.
"Hey! Hey! Akashi! What's this V-17 place anyway?" Kintarō asked curiously in the Fudomine tennis clubroom.
"Kintarō! It's U-17, not V-17! Forget it, just think of it like the training camp we did before," Akashi replied helplessly.
"Wow! We're doing another training camp? Awesome!" Kintarō shouted, bouncing in place with excitement.
"So we're finally going back, huh? It's been nearly a year since we last went. I wonder if those losers have improved," Akutsu sneered, a cruel grin forming at the corner of his mouth.
"You're starting to sound more and more like that old drunkard Mifune," Tachibana said calmly from the side.
"Alright, enough, Akutsu, Tachibana. Mifune's still the head coach of U-17. He deserves proper respect. Besides, that place isn't only filled with losers—there are monsters too. But this time, you all know our real goal. It's time we officially show those upperclassmen… their era is over," Akashi said firmly, his voice filled with dominance.
"Heh~ I've been waiting for this," Kite said with a cold, twisted smile.
"Let's go all out and head for the world," Tezuka said seriously.
Krauser didn't say a word. He just walked up behind the still-bouncing Kintarō, who instantly quieted down. Looking at the expressions on everyone's faces, Akashi felt a surge of passion well up in his chest and couldn't help thinking:
'Let the whole world witness the miracle era I've personally created!'
The Miracle Era begins with Akashi
Time flew by, and the day to gather at the U-17 training camp arrived. At the foot of a nameless mountain, a luxury coach bus pulled into a parking lot. As the doors opened, Akashi led the Fudomine team off the bus one by one.
Staring at the nameless mountain before him, even Akashi got a little sentimental. Nearly three years had passed since he first came here. He still remembered that very first time. Suddenly, Kintarō leapt into the air like a wild monkey returning to the forest, flipping joyfully.
In contrast, Ibu and the others, who were also visiting for the first time, stayed quiet. They had known about U-17 for a while—they just hadn't been strong enough to come before.
"Alright, I think most teams should be arriving around now. Let's head up the mountain first," Akashi said calmly.
The group followed Akashi onto the mountain path. No one noticed—except Akashi—that a surveillance camera in a hidden corner was silently tracking their movements.
"Well, well~ Akashi and the others are here already! The show's about to start!" Saitō Itaru said in front of a monitor in the coach's office.
"Oh? Looks like those first-years are in for a rough time," Takushi Ryūji grunted while doing push-ups.
"It's about time we cleaned up the training camp a little. The others should be arriving soon too. I'm guessing the first-years are cooking up some kind of welcome ceremony again?" Kurobe Yukio said flatly, sipping coffee.
"Of course. No way the third- or second-years would dare provoke Akashi and his crew," Saitō replied, a faint smirk on his face.
"Have the medical team on standby. Also, prep for emergency hospital contact if needed," Kurobe instructed into the mic in front of him.
Meanwhile, Akashi and the others had reached the front gate of the U-17 training camp. Unlike three years ago, the gate now stood wide open—as if it were welcoming them back.
"Hope you scrubs are ready," Akutsu said, oddly excited.
"Let's go. Time to tell everyone inside—their new ruler has arrived," Akashi said coolly, glancing at Akutsu.
Just as Akashi and the others were about to enter the training camp, two figures suddenly jumped out from the nearby bushes. Judging by their uniforms, they were U-17 players. But they were unfamiliar faces—clearly first-years.
"I just heard something ridiculous. That brat actually said he's going to rule over us? What a joke!" sneered one of them, a guy with yellow-dyed hair and a generic face.
"Tch. Probably never seen the real world. Thinks he's hot stuff just because he was strong in junior high. Let me tell you, if you wanna enter this camp, you'll need to pass ou—ugh!"
Before the second guy could finish, a massive glowing golden orb slammed into them, sending both flying through the air. The ball then blasted through several tree trunks before disappearing into the forest.
"Annoying," Akashi muttered as he slowly lowered his racket and turned toward the camp. Akutsu clicked his tongue in irritation—he had wanted to act first but was just a second too late.
"Yeah, I figured this would happen," Saitō Itaru sighed at the monitor in front of him.
"Medical team, get to the gate and patch those two up. Then kick them out of the camp," Kurobe Yukio ordered into the mic.
Akashi didn't spare the two extras a second glance. He led the Fudomine team toward the central plaza of the camp. Around them, players were already training on nearby courts. As Akashi's group arrived, heads turned one after another.
Many of the second- and third-years turned pale. The first-years, though, looked confused—until they remembered yesterday's camp announcement. These were the special recruits from junior high.
"What the hell? What are the coaches thinking? Bringing in a bunch of middle school brats? Look at that red-haired one—what is he, a grade-schooler?" one first-year muttered to his teammate.
Smack! He got slapped on the back of the head. A panicked voice followed.
"Shut the hell up! If you wanna die, don't drag me down with you!"
He turned around, furious and ready to argue—until he saw the one who hit him was a third-year. His anger vanished instantly. Looking a bit wronged, he said, "Senpai, come on. I was just joking. No need to overreact. Even if those guys are special recruits, it's not like the coaches would expel us over it, right?"
"Hmph. You'll find out soon enough. I can't explain it all right now. Just don't mess with those middle schoolers. I've said my piece. If you're dead set on getting yourself killed, that's your problem." With that, the third-year turned and walked off, putting distance between them like he didn't want to be anywhere near the guy.
Just as that first-year opened his mouth again, another group entered the gate. They wore matching dirt-yellow uniforms—clearly another batch of junior high players.
"Akashi-kun! You're early as always~" Yukimura said with a soft smile as he approached.
"You're not late either. I see you already dealt with the gatekeepers. Was it Sanada who made the move?" Akashi replied, glancing coolly at the stern-faced Sanada behind Yukimura.
"Hmph. Just two clowns. This camp's getting soft," Sanada muttered irritably.
Akashi and the Rikkai team exchanged a few words, then fell silent as they waited. From the moment Akashi stepped foot here, his expression had grown icy. He knew exactly why he was here—to take over the U-17 training camp. There was no room for gentleness.
Not long after, another group walked in. At the front was none other than Atobe Keigo, exuding arrogance as always. The Hyōtei team followed close behind, their expressions sharp.
"Seems like the camp's quality has really dropped while I was away~" Atobe scoffed as he approached Akashi and Yukimura.
"Maybe Head Coach Mifune has his own reasons~" Yukimura replied with a calm smile, though his eyes flashed with a chilling glint.
By now, players like Kirihara from Rikkai and Hyōtei's Ōtori Chōtarō and Hiyoshi Wakashi had already learned that their third-year senpai had been here once before as first-years.
"Oh? You're all here already. Looks like we were a little slow cleaning up the trash. Still, it feels damn good to be back," came Shiraishi's voice from behind Akashi and the others.
Shiraishi and the Shitenhōji team strolled in. Oshitari Kenya and Zaizen Hikaru looked a bit tense, but the rest were calm. Even Konjiki Koharu and Hitōji Yūji, despite this being their first time here, showed no signs of nerves. After all, if they could play fake lovers for three years, there probably wasn't much left in the world that could shake them.
One after another, teams from various schools arrived. The only ones missing were Seigaku. But Akashi, knowing the original script, wasn't surprised. It looked like Seigaku was still busy playing games with the first-years.