Thwack!
A resounding thwack.
It was another serve pressed right onto the service line.
And this time...
Yukimura quickly moved forward, a milky-white spiral of aura subtly adding power to his movements. Yukimura stopped just before the ball and swung his racket backhand.
"That's..."
Sanada involuntarily leaned forward, gripping the fence in front of him.
That stance was identical to the drop shot Kamikawa had hit earlier.
Thwack!
In that moment, the tennis ball, like a maple leaf, swept over the center net.
Accompanying it was the ball's急促 downward plunge.
Just then, an invisible force enveloped the tennis ball. Under everyone's gaze, the ball flew towards Kamikawa.
Boom!
Yukimura's pupils constricted into pinpricks. He seemed to realize something, but the tennis ball had already swept past him, landing precisely on the baseline.
With a snap.
Yukimura's racket fell to the ground. He suddenly felt his entire body go limp, slumping down.
His stamina had long since reached its limit; he had only managed to hold on until now purely through sheer willpower.
"Match over."
Then, the umpire, seated on his high chair, loudly announced, "The winner is contestant number 26, Muzuki Kamikawa, from Tokyo!!"
This was a high-quality match. Despite being just a semifinal, it gave everyone a sense of watching a middle school level national tournament singles match. The skill of these two was far beyond their peers.
"Yukimura, are you okay?"
Kamikawa stepped forward to Yukimura's side first, looking at Yukimura's disheveled state, and couldn't help but ask with concern.
Not only did Yukimura use Metsu Gogyou (Five Senses Annihilation) in this match, but he also tapped into the State of Self-Actualization. Both techniques are extremely draining on stamina and mental energy, and Kamikawa didn't want any unfortunate incidents to befall the future Prince of Tennis.
"Yukimura," came a voice, then another: "Yukimura!"
Sakata and Sanada also ran over, fearing that something might have happened to Yukimura.
"He's fine, he's just too tired. A little rest and he'll be fine."
Kamikawa also felt Yukimura's ragged breathing. Overuse of mental energy had caused him to temporarily black out. Fortunately, it wasn't serious, and he would recover with some rest.
Sanada looked at Kamikawa with a complex expression, nodded, and took Yukimura from Kamikawa's arms.
Both he and Yukimura had lost to these two, the tennis players from Tokyo.
"It's over?"
Just as he walked off the court, he saw Tezuka holding two cans of soda and asked.
"Yeah."
Kamikawa nodded, unceremoniously taking a can from Tezuka's hand, then asked Tezuka, "How did your match go?"
"6-0. My opponent's skill was decent."
Tezuka nodded, giving a brief assessment of Sanada's ability.
Although it was a merciless 6-0, Sanada had put a fair amount of pressure on him, and at the very end, his Self-Actualization almost broke free from Tezuka's Tezuka Zone.
"Alright then, the finals will be between you and me."
"Mm."
"Just so you know, I won't hold back."
"Me neither."
It wasn't until Kamikawa and Tezuka left that Yukimura slowly came to, opening his eyes.
His eyes were filled with disappointment. This was the first time he had lost to someone his own age.
But this was tennis!
The victor reigns, the vanquished falls.
"Yukimura, I lost too."
Perhaps wanting to comfort his friend, Sanada remained silent for a moment before admitting his own defeat.
"Sanada, I want to go to Rikkaidai Junior High."
Yukimura suddenly spoke to Sanada.
Sanada looked at his friend with surprise. "Are you sure? Do you really want to join Rikkaidai Junior High?"
"I'm sure."
Yukimura nodded, his eyes showing more resolve. "We'll meet again in the middle school tennis tournaments in the future. I want to lead Rikkaidai Junior High to three consecutive national championships. Sanada, will you help me?"
"Okay!"
Sanada also felt Yukimura's determination and said, "Didn't we promise to play tennis our whole lives? I'll help you win three consecutive national championships."
In Sanada's heart, he also had his own unique arrogance and pride. He and Yukimura would ascend to the national stage, and then defeat those two tennis players from Tokyo.
"Mm. Let's win three consecutive national championships!"
Yukimura clenched his fist.
This loss would only make him, and Sanada, stronger.
...
Right after the match, the two walked to a shaded spot to relax.
Seeing Tezuka's demeanor, it was clear that he had won his match easily. Perhaps Tezuka at this stage was already superior to everyone else.
Thinking of this, Kamikawa couldn't help but recall Tezuka's future struggles at Seigaku.
"Hey, Tezuka."
At this moment, Kamikawa stopped, calling out to Tezuka.
"What is it?"
Tezuka also stopped, looking at Kamikawa with a questioning expression.
"What I told you before,"
Kamikawa looked at Tezuka and said, "What have you thought about it? Are you coming to Hyotei with me?"
"Hyotei..."
Hearing this, Tezuka was uncharacteristically silent. It was clear he had been thinking about this question for a long time. "Compared to Hyotei, I might prefer Seigaku."
For some reason, Tezuka felt that Seigaku was his true calling.
But facing his friend's invitation, Tezuka simply couldn't find a reason to refuse.
"Have you really thought it through?"
Kamikawa sighed internally. If Tezuka insisted on going there, he would sooner or later be ruined by the current Seigaku.
Seigaku's problems weren't just with its players; it was more about the coach's inaction.
For so many years, besides Nanjiro Echizen, that old woman hadn't nurtured a single outstanding tennis player. Within the Kanto region, the Kanto Tournament championship was consistently dominated by Rikkaidai Junior High from Kanagawa Prefecture.
And Seigaku was just a tennis team struggling in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.
Of course, that's not to say Seigaku was completely useless. In fact, the main members who would later lead Seigaku to the national championship would all join Seigaku in April of this year.
But Seigaku simply let those promising talents waste an entire year in their first year.
This included Shusuke Fuji, who was known as a genius.
Only Tezuka and Oishi were qualified to participate in practice matches in their first year.
Yes, you heard right, practice matches, not official matches.
But even so, only these two were selected.
Oishi's talent in doubles was outstanding, and he had participated in many practice matches (training matches) as a first-year. Even after Tezuka's elbow injury, despite showing astonishing talent, he only participated in practice matches.
Of course, there's no reference to whether he participated in official matches as a first-year.
However, in Tezuka's first year, he did achieve a good result of Kanto Top 4, and the same in his second year.
"Seigaku Tennis Club."
Kamikawa gazed at Tezuka, and after a long pause, slowly spoke, "Seigaku, for you, is just a grave. You might stay there for three years and not grow at all."
"I..."
This was the first time Tezuka had heard his childhood friend say such words.
And his intuition told him that Kamikawa was telling the truth.
From childhood, Tezuka had never seen such a serious expression on Kamikawa's face, as if he could see his own future.
This feeling was hard to believe, yet Tezuka felt that Kamikawa was speaking the truth.
"If you insist on going to Seigaku, then defeat me in the finals."
Kamikawa's solemn expression suddenly changed, revealing a smile as he said, "We are tennis players. Everything is decided by victory or defeat, how about it?"
"Okay!"
This time, Tezuka didn't refuse. Instead, he looked up, his firm gaze showing his determination in that moment. Tezuka hadn't paid much attention to middle school tennis clubs, but he knew in his heart that Seigaku's recent performance, let alone Hyotei, was even worse than Yamabuki.
A famous tennis school that had been struggling in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.