At Yamabuki Middle School, the vast court was left with just a mushroom-haired boy and an old man, well past sixty.
"Akutsu, he's strong, isn't he?" Banji-sensei, the old man, chuckled as he walked over. In his eyes, Akutsu needed this match to ignite his fighting spirit. After a loss, his formidable pride would surely push him to become even stronger! Banji-sensei should be thankful to that boy from Hyotei; he truly sparked Akutsu's deep-seated competitive drive, making him realize there's always someone better out there!
"Old man, are you talking to me?!" Akutsu glared up, his beast-like eyes growing fiercer, as if he wanted to devour Banji-sensei whole.
"Akutsu, why don't you join the Yamabuki Tennis Club?" Banji-sensei said with a good-natured smile, his eyes, previously squinted, slowly opened as he gazed at Akutsu. "I'll make you stronger, strong enough to surpass that guy."
"Old man, don't you dare order me around!!" His voice was low and rough, every word carrying an unyielding stubbornness, laced with disdain for the old man before him. Who was he?! He was Akutsu Jin. He relied on his own talent; he'd surpass that guy in no time. Did he really need to join the tennis club? Did he really need guidance from this old man?!
"Akutsu, the Prefectural Tournament is about to begin," Banji-sensei said leisurely. "He'll be playing for Hyotei in the Prefectural Tournament. That's the earliest you'll be able to play against him. Join the tennis club, Akutsu. With your talent, you're bound to become a top-tier tennis player."
Akutsu fell silent for a rare moment, gazing at the tennis ball gripped in his hand. He gave Banji-sensei a cold look, then turned and walked off the court. "Whatever, old man." His wild nature wouldn't be changed by just a couple of losses. Still, Akutsu's actions were a silent agreement to join the Yamabuki Tennis Club.
"Kamikawa Muzuki!"
"Just you wait, you hear me, little man? I'll surpass you someday!!" Even with his legs feeling like jelly, his walk still carried a fierce resolve, his shoulders slightly raised, his steps heavy and purposeful, each one echoing his unwillingness to yield.
"Akutsu Jin!" Banji-sensei's heart stirred with quiet delight. "The future of the Yamabuki Tennis Club has arrived!" He knew Akutsu's personality all too well: a domineering nature, someone who played by his own rules. But that was precisely why he possessed talent beyond ordinary comprehension. Such individuals often had an incredibly strong sense of pride. Failure would only drive him to become stronger, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the Japanese tennis world.
"Hyotei, huh..." Banji-sensei's mind drifted to the people standing courtside earlier. He mused, "I suppose we'll see a completely new Hyotei in this Kanto Tournament. It seems the winds of change are blowing through Hyotei."
And so, time flew by.
On Saturday, the tennis club was unusually bustling with people. After several days of intra-club ranking matches, the top 8 players were all standing at the front. Tezuka and Atobe, as captain and vice-captain, hadn't participated in these ranking matches. Of course, even if they had, they would have easily advanced from their groups.
Furthermore, Kamikawa hadn't participated either. As Atobe himself put it, "If someone can defeat that guy head-on, then they won't need to participate in the internal ranking matches." Although Kamikawa hadn't played many matches, his single match against Oshitari was enough to silence most critics. Oshitari's skill already far surpassed that of the second and third-year senpai, almost dominating them.
In this ranking match, Mukahi and Shishido also performed well, successfully making it into the top eight. Besides them, one particular individual's appearance caught Atobe's eye.
On the court, a curly-haired boy, who looked to be the same age as Shishido and Mukahi, was constantly volleying at the net. His timing for serve-and-volley, and his hitting motions, subtly put him above the third-year senpai on the other side.
"Who's that?" Atobe pointed to the curly-haired boy on the court, then turned to Tezuka, who held the list of the top eight players, with Oshitari, Mukahi, and others' names clearly on it.
"That's Akutagawa Jiro. One of the 'Hyotei Elementary School's Three Musketeers.' His skill is actually above Shishido and Mukahi's," Kamikawa said, scratching his head and resting his chin in his hand, mumbling.
"Interesting! I didn't expect such an intriguing fellow to be hidden among them." Atobe's eyebrow rose, his face showing a hint of interest. From his performance, Akutagawa was a true net player, and his volleys were excellent. So why hadn't he jumped out with Shishido and Mukahi when he challenged the tennis club earlier? His skill, from what he'd seen, wasn't inferior to Oshitari's at all.
"Next match, have him play Oshitari." Atobe pointed at Oshitari's name on the list. No one else could truly push Akutagawa to show his full power. Among those who participated in this intra-club ranking match, the only one qualified to draw out Akutagawa's true strength was the Kansai Wolf, Oshitari Yuushi.
"Alright." Tezuka had no objections. He also wanted to see Akutagawa's skill and evaluate Oshitari's at the same time. Being defeated 6-0 by Kamikawa, in Tezuka's opinion, was normal; after all, Kamikawa's skill was undeniable. Even Sanada, back then, would probably have been whitewashed if he'd faced Kamikawa. Potential wasn't something that could be judged just by the score.
"As for that match, Tezuka, I'll leave it to you to observe." Atobe finished, then stood up and looked at Kamikawa. "I say, Kamikawa, it's about time we had a match, don't you think? I've been looking forward to this for a very, very long time."
"As the vice-captain, when I issue a challenge, you wouldn't refuse, would you?"
"Besides, the regional preliminaries are just around the corner. It's time we decided the lineup."
The usual lineup was naturally based on skill, unless they were going for a special strategy. If both doubles matches were lost, then the Singles 3 spot would become crucial, requiring a powerful player to hold it. Of course, usually the strongest player was placed in Singles 1, and the slightly weaker one in Singles 2. The same applied to doubles. Atobe mentioning the lineup now provided Kamikawa with an undeniable reason.
"Do you really want to play this match?" Kamikawa asked with a smile.
"Of course. I've been dreaming about it!" Ever since Atobe witnessed Kamikawa's match against Akutsu at Yamabuki, his desire to play against Kamikawa had only intensified. Taking advantage of today's intra-club ranking matches, he was also taking this opportunity to challenge Kamikawa and, at the same time, test his own growth during this period. All of this was to challenge that guy.
Atobe's gaze fell on Tezuka again. "Tezuka, you don't have any objections, do you?"
"No." Tezuka slowly shook his head. He also wanted to see Atobe's growth during this time. And, at the same time, see Kamikawa's changes. In the previous match against Akutsu, in Tezuka's view, Kamikawa hadn't even used his full power; he had simply used his exquisite ball control to exhaust Akutsu's stamina.
"Alright then." Kamikawa chuckled, took out his racket, and headed towards an empty court. Since Atobe was so insistent, Kamikawa didn't mind playing along.
"Kamikawa Muzuki." Atobe also took out his racket, watching Kamikawa's back. "Let this great Atobe see... your true strength!"