Tokyo.
Rosen Tennis Center.
At the JR Tournament, Court B2, a figure was darting back and forth relentlessly.
Rivers of sweat poured down his forehead, soaking his brown hair. More and more spectators gathered courtside, and not just there—gasps of awe echoed from other courts too.
They'd never seen a match in the JR Tournament's elementary school division played with such incredible intensity.
Whack!
Thwack!!
The mechanical sounds of rackets hitting balls rang out.
Two minutes!
Five minutes!
Ten minutes!!
The score on the referee's scoreboard was strikingly clear:
0-5
The players' names were etched below the score, following their entry numbers.
In just ten short minutes, Shishido had dropped five games in a row.
Even his most confident move, the serve-and-volley, was easily shattered by Kamigawa. Forget winning, Shishido hadn't even managed to score a single point off Kamigawa.
"Huuuh... huh... huh..."
Shishido sat on the bench, gasping for air. He felt like his lungs were about to burst.
It was a changeover, but his legs were trembling uncontrollably. He was at his absolute physical limit.
Just a moment ago, during Kamigawa's service game, Shishido hadn't even had time to react. He felt like Kamigawa's serve had gotten faster, or perhaps his own movements had slowed down.
"I need to snatch just one point from him!"
"Less than fifteen minutes... even Mukahi probably hasn't lost this quickly."
Shishido gave a bitter laugh, picked up his racket from beside him, and slowly got up, walking back onto the court. Gone was his earlier arrogance; all that remained was the determination to fight until the very end.
It was his service game, but he felt like he didn't even have the courage for a serve-and-volley anymore. His entire tennis path seemed to have been ruthlessly crushed by this guy.
"You're planning to join Hyotei Academy later, right?!"
Kamigawa smiled, standing at the baseline.
"What do you mean?!"
Shishido looked up at Kamigawa, seeming to guess something.
"With this level of skill, I wouldn't recommend you become a regular member of the Hyotei Tennis Club. You... are too weak."
To achieve three consecutive national championships, someone at Shishido's current level was barely good enough for the regional tournament. Even making it to the Kanto Tournament would be a stretch, let alone aiming for the national title.
Shishido wasn't weak among middle school players.
But he definitely wasn't strong either!
Perhaps after the current batch of third-year top players graduated and left the tennis club, he might become a regular under Atobe's leadership, but right now, his skill was definitely not strong.
The chasm between them was like a natural barrier; Shishido hadn't even scored a single point against Kamigawa.
That alone showed just how vast the difference between them was.
"This tennis player, ranked in the top three of Hyotei Elementary, is already considered a genius."
"But he's up against another, even more exceptional genius."
The referee, sitting in his high chair, had seen countless geniuses. And without exception, those geniuses would all be defeated by an even more outstanding genius.
In the world of tennis, only skill talks. No matter how much hype and boasting there was before a match, it couldn't change the rules of the game. That's the unique law of the court!
Whack!!
0-15
Whack!!
0-30
Whack!!
Break point, Kamigawa, 40-0
Three consecutive points, all clean service returns for winners.
Shishido's mind was blank; he didn't even have time to think.
It was break point. If Kamigawa scored just one more point, he'd break Shishido's serve and end the match.
More than the physical fatigue, what truly affected him was that glaring 0-5 on the scoreboard.
For a tennis player, mental impact is far more deadly than physical exhaustion.
And at this moment, Shishido clearly couldn't adjust.
His confidence had been ruthlessly shattered by Kamigawa.
Compared to Shishido's drenching sweat, Kamigawa was only slightly damp, a smile playing on his lips, his eyes as calm as still water, seemingly enjoying the match.
"Shishido-senshu!"
At this point, the referee couldn't bear to watch anymore and called out, "It's the last point! Can you still keep going?!"
"Huuuh..."
"I... I can still do it!"
Shishido's legs trembled non-stop. He was currently relying purely on his willpower to stay on the court. He took the tennis ball from the ball boy behind him, vaguely noticing the scornful, mocking look on the ball boy's face.
In a flash, he seemed to feel the strange gazes from all the surrounding spectators, like needles firmly piercing his proud self-esteem.
The last point!
Just hit this final ball, and the match would be over.
With that thought, Shishido unconsciously tossed the tennis ball into the air. At this moment, he felt light, his mind focused on just one thought: take a point from his opponent.
Whack!!
He raised his arm and swung his racket fiercely.
Whump, swish, swish~
The tennis ball struck the center line, spinning violently, then slowly slid down.
"Service fault!"
The referee shook his head and called out.
Shishido's stamina had reached its limit; he was just barely holding himself up, acting unconsciously. A serve of this caliber wouldn't even threaten Kamigawa, let alone make it into the opposing court.
The ball boy quickly ran in, picked up the ball, and handed it back to Shishido.
And Shishido, once again, tossed the tennis ball into the air.
It's only in moments of extreme crisis that a person can unleash strength beyond their own capabilities.
As the tennis ball hung high in the air, Shishido pushed off with one foot, leaping upwards. His body arched, and he slammed his racket downwards.
Whack!!
With a crisp sound.
The tennis ball, like a cannonball, plummeted into Kamigawa's court.
The moment the ball flew, Shishido landed, his feet tapping the ground as he rushed forward, accelerating his movements. Before the ball even landed, his figure appeared at the net with a bizarre speed.
Such uncanny speed caught the attention of the spectators outside the court.
It was just too fast. They only saw Shishido's sprint, and in a blink, he was at the net.
Thwack~
Before anyone else could react, they heard the sound of the ball being struck.
Immediately, everyone's gaze turned to Kamigawa.
Kamigawa slowly retracted his racket, giving Shishido another look, and said, "In a tough spot, you've grasped a bit of the basics. It's... passable."
As he spoke, the tennis ball plunged into Shishido's court. The moment it hit the ground, it sharply propelled backward, smashing into the back fence and twisting it into a tangled mess, spinning furiously.
A shallow black mark was left on the ground.
Shishido stood rooted, completely losing consciousness at that moment. He instinctively raised his hand.
This return.
It was even faster than anything he'd seen before.
As if sensing the end of the match, Shishido collapsed to the ground like he'd been drained of all water, gasping for breath. The dazzling sunlight shone into his eyes, and he raised a hand to block it, simultaneously hiding the face of a loser.
"Game, set, match."
"Number 26, Kamigawa Muzuki from Tokyo, wins!"
"Score: 6-0!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"What an astonishing elementary schooler!"
Inoue, who had been focusing and snapping several photos, took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious. "This year's JR Tournament is incredibly high-stakes."
"And his next opponent is Seiichi Yukimura from Kanagawa, who hasn't lost a single point in his previous matches!"
Inoue adjusted his camera, pulling up a photo of Seiichi Yukimura.
He had originally been on Court B1, filming Yukimura. Compared to Kamigawa, Yukimura was already quite famous in Kanagawa, having won championships in various elementary school tournaments, making him one of the hot favorites to win this JR Tournament.
The other hot favorite was also from Kanagawa Prefecture: Genichiro Sanada.