Saeki Muneyoshi, the Middle Schooler

(My head has been splitting with pain since yesterday; even the slightest movement makes it ache. I went to the doctor today, so I only have three chapters left, but my word count isn't any less than before.)

After some debate, Oni Jūjirō and Kurobe Yukio agreed with Muneyoshi's opinion.

The two of them were indeed very dedicated to nurturing Saeki Muneyoshi, the newcomer they had high hopes for, and Muneyoshi was right.

They've already won two games, so let Muneyoshi handle this one himself!

Saeki Muneyoshi wasn't thinking too much about it at the moment. He had already felt his blood boiling when he was on the sidelines, and he would never agree to this if it were him.

In war, courage is paramount!

One should press on with one's might, but the momentum wanes with each attempt, and exhaustion follows with each subsequent one.

Especially in team competitions like this, building momentum is extremely important.

Croatia has suffered two consecutive defeats, and it's understandable that they would bring on their star player to stop this losing streak.

The Japan Team can choose to accept the challenge or not.

In any case, the choice of victory fell into their hands.

But this one is different for Saeki Muneyoshi!

His style is to confront things head-on and fight back forcefully.

Moreover, since the opponent is Croatia's captain, there is absolutely no way that Saeki Muneyoshi can avoid the battle.

Moreover, Muneyoshi was quite certain that as long as he could forcefully suppress the opponent's momentum just as it was rising, the Croatia team's morale would collapse completely.

At the same time, his own strength and spirit will be tested once again!

Although Frederik is usually very strict with his subordinates, it is all out of his duty as captain and leader to discipline them.

But now that the decisive moment has arrived, as the leader, he has taken on the responsibility without hesitation.

"Now, let's begin the match between the Japan Team and the Croatia Team, a three-on-one game!"

"Japan Team: Saeki Muneyoshi (First Day of the New Year) VS Croatia Frederik (12th grade)"

"Please bring your players to the stage!"

When the player information for this match appeared on the big screen, everyone except the Japan Team was shocked!

The sparse crowd in the stands began to discuss it.

"Hey, am I seeing things?"

"First Day of the New Year kid?"

Is the Japan Team just giving up?

"Huh? Keith, Saeki Muneyoshi is playing, and he's facing Croatia's captain!"

"Mmm! Xiu, it looks great!"

"Hmm, Saeki -kun is going up so soon? And he's preparing to face the captain? Really..."

Even the usually composed Hanamura Aoi was shocked by Saeki Muneyoshi's game.

In the rest area of Croatia, everyone was furious.

They hadn't expected the Japan Team to send a junior high school student to face their captain, which made them feel slighted.

Team captain Frederik calmly picked up his racket and left the players' bench, while his opponent, Saeki Muneyoshi, also walked seriously onto the court.

He watched as Saeki Muneyoshi, with his very youthful face, walked to the other side.

Even though Frederik was usually very good-tempered, a sinister smile crept across his usually serious face.

"The Japan Team actually didn't let their star player play? Hah! Your disregard will allow Croatia's counterattack to begin with me. Prepare to face their wrath."

"Irie, what are your thoughts on this match?"

"Oni-kun, Saeki -kun... he's really strong!"

Irie gazed at Saeki Muneyoshi's retreating figure and smiled slightly at Oni Jūjirō beside her.

"Yes, you've actually competed against him. Since you have confidence in him, let's watch this match closely."

Even without Irie's reminder, the demon would certainly not miss a single detail.

After his battle with Irie, Muneyoshi trained for a period of time with Tanegashima Oni Jūjirō, Tanejima, Ochi, and others. His experience in matches and his ability to use every bit of power steadily improved.

Moreover, they have made significant progress in terms of mental strength and physical power.

Even though Oni had never seriously competed with Muneyoshi, he could still sense the ever-increasing aura emanating from Saeki Muneyoshi!

This level of skill is already among the best in the training camp, which is one of the reasons why he refrained from forcibly replacing the player.

Looking at Saeki Muneyoshi across from him, Frederik immediately launched into a long speech in English.

Unfortunately, the other person was speaking too fast, and Muneyoshi was currently gathering his strength and did not want to reply.

Seeing Saeki Muneyoshi's silent, expressionless face, Frederik felt awkward.

"Tch! Cold, boring, and illiterate!"

Frederik wanted to talk to Muneyoshi and put pressure on him in advance, but Muneyoshi completely ignored what he said, so he couldn't help but purse his lips.

However, he was lucky and got the starting position.

Frederik gently tapped the tennis ball a few times, found the right feel for it, and then suddenly grabbed the ball.

"Drink!"

He tossed the ball, then leaped high into the air. As his sleeves fluttered, the bulging muscles of his body were faintly visible. With a swing of his arm, he slammed the racket hard into the tennis ball at its highest point.

A muffled thud.

The tennis ball left a circular hole in the inner corner of the service area on the clay court.

The tennis ball was so fast that no one present could react in time.

"Wow... so fast."

"Ochi, the speed of the opponent's captain's serve is probably second only to your Mach Serve."

Someone uttered this remark, and most of the Japan spectators fell silent.

However, the usually taciturn Ochi Gekko said calmly, "Muneyoshi and I have trained many times. He's already adapted to Mach, so receiving this kind of serve isn't difficult for him."

Ochi's words silenced the already silent members of the Japan Team even more. There were probably only a few people who could adapt to Ochi Mach, and now Saeki, a middle school student, had also adapted.

This one goal alone made many people realize that their strength was no match for the opposing team's star player.

Unfortunately, his opponent was Saeki Muneyoshi, who frequently fought against Ochi and others!

Boom!

Saeki Muneyoshi lifted his coat, stepped back with his right foot, and pushed horizontally with his right hand, a loud bang rang out from beside his hand.

The sound of the ball hitting the shuttlecock carried far.

Just by listening to the sound, you could tell that the ball had tremendous power.

Moreover, the speed of this ball as it crossed the net was astonishing, no slower than that of the opposing team's star player.

Moreover, there are no fancy techniques involved; it's just a simple flat smash.

The opposing general did not make a move, nor did he want to reveal himself so quickly.

Frederik's expression hardened. In fact, he had already sized up Saeki Muneyoshi's physique before he came on the field.

Although he was considered fit among his peers, he wasn't particularly burly or strong. However, he didn't expect that the other person's strength was completely inconsistent with his outward appearance.

Muneyoshi's strength is truly formidable, especially after he absorbed the potential of several people in succession.

Fortunately, this is a clay court, so some of the force of the tennis ball is absorbed by the soft ground after it lands.

Frederik took a small step back, his eyes fixed on the incoming tennis ball.

The tennis ball landed, and Muneyoshi blasted a hole in the red clay.

The tennis ball then bounced up quickly.

Frederik remained calm. As a fighter who had simultaneously embarked on the paths of Technique Form and Power Force, he did not find such power difficult to accept.

After using a flick of his wrist to deflect some of the force, Frederik swung backhand!

A backhand slice shot pushed the tennis ball back into Saeki Muneyoshi's court, but Saeki Muneyoshi had already sprinted to the net.

At this moment, the experience he had accumulated through sparring with many people began to take effect. His figure leaped high towards the net, as if possessed by the spirit of Oni Jūjirō.

"Center of Gravity Vertical Jump Style!"

Holding the racket in both hands, a dark purple beam of light flew past Frederik and slammed heavily to the ground.

Boom!

In the same location, this time the red soil was instantly blasted down!

Frederik rubbed his wrist, glanced at the sinkhole beneath his feet, and his expression turned serious. This kid, who's only in the First Day of the New Year of junior high, seems to be a monster!

He never expected that such a place, which had always been a tennis wasteland, would produce so many strong players one after another.

Frederik glanced at Saeki Muneyoshi's body again, thinking to himself, "Since he's a power-type fighter, then..."

Frederik leaped into the air, swinging his legs forward and bending his body into a large bow.

Bang!

With great flexibility, one can compress their own muscles and thus exert tremendous power.

Frederik's tennis balls were like cannonballs, incredibly fast and powerful!

"Hmph! Speed is indeed the weakness of power-type athletes, but who ever told you that I'm just a pure power-type athlete?"

With his extensive experience in matches, Muneyoshi immediately saw through his opponent's intentions. He snorted coldly, then moved with light, gliding steps toward the landing point of the tennis ball.

Using the momentum of his run, Saeki Muneyoshi lifted his racket from below upwards.

Bang!

The tennis ball traced a huge arc through the air.

"Beautiful curveball!"

Oni Jūjirō's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected that Saeki Muneyoshi's battles with them hadn't been in vain. His originally rough and violent techniques were starting to develop in a more refined direction.

Actually, this was a technique that Muneyoshi learned from Katsumura Yota and took the No. 8 badge.

Irie Kanata smiled without saying a word. After returning from his expedition, he had heard a lot about Saeki Muneyoshi. His relentless and ruthless approach to challenges had offended many people.

However, this approach also made him quite ruthless.

Many people who have witnessed his brutality are always intimidated when facing him.

In subsequent training matches, Saeki Muneyoshi absorbed knowledge like a sponge, relentlessly improving himself.

Anyone who underestimates Muneyoshi will suffer a great loss.

A dull whistling sound came from beside his ears. Frederik quickly turned and leaped into the air, his bulging muscles straining as he swung his racket-holding right hand behind his head.

He caught the ball!

However, the moment he turned around, he saw a shadow obscuring the sky above him.

Saeki Muneyoshi leaped high into the air with his agile body, smashing his racket down with a powerful slam.

Boom!

A beam of light passed between his legs, and the huge shockwave made his skin sting.

Bang!

"Japan Team, 40-0."

Bang!

"Game, Japan Team, 1-0."

Soon after, Saeki Muneyoshi broke Frederik's serve.

Faced with Saeki Muneyoshi's explosive attacks, Frederik found himself on the defensive in his service game, unable to capitalize on the advantage his serve gave him.

The two teams switch sides.

Muneyoshi watched Frederik walk past him with a calm expression.

The ranking of the main generals, especially those ranked very low, is often misleading.

Not all teams are like the Japan Team, where the main players are at the same level as the BIG4.

In many countries, the commander-in-chief is only at the peak level of Kaji Fūta Tōno Atsukyō.

In the original work, it's not uncommon for junior high school students to defeat the captains of other countries' national teams. Tezuka Kunimitsu Aoi Kintaro, and Echizen Ryoma all have records of defeating their captains.

Tezuka even defeated the captain of the South Africa team, which was ranked fifteenth, Aoi Kintaro also defeated the captain of the Australia.

This is also the source of his confidence to take on the challenge.

However, he was not complacent or carried away by his success.

In World Tournament, every small mistake can ruin a good situation; without ultimately winning, you can never be too careful.

P. S.: Requesting monthly votes.