Inside the indoor tennis court, two figures were locked in a fierce rally.
Thwack!
"Muneyoshi! Watch my baseline attack!"
Thump!
"None of your moves can escape my eyes. You're staying at the baseline!"
With a rush of wind, Saeki Kojiro swung with all his might. The ball traced a path far beyond what someone his age should have been able to hit.
It shot straight toward the corner of Saeki Muneyoshi's court.
Watching Kojiro's eagle-like eyes across the net, Muneyoshi smiled brightly. "Kojiro, nicely done. But I'm afraid that level of skill still isn't enough!"
He spoke as he moved, his speed undiminished. In a flash, Saeki Muneyoshi appeared near the ball's landing point.
"Kojiro, take this! Scorching Sun Burn!"
With a sharp shout from Saeki Muneyoshi, he caught the high-speed ball that had been about to fly out of bounds and sent it back even faster.
Whoosh!
Saeki Kojiro's eyes widened in shock. His vaunted dynamic vision and keen insight weren't even enough to let him react. It was as if his movements had been frozen in an instant.
Only when the ball rolled back to his feet did Kojiro come to his senses. He smiled wryly. "Muneyoshi, you've gotten even stronger."
Saeki Muneyoshi smiled faintly, feeling pleased as well.
After all, the strength he had now was the result of years of solitary exploration and training. He had relied on his memories and advanced training methods to find the right direction.
Thinking about it made Saeki Muneyoshi feel rather disgruntled.
Back when he was a corporate drone, he'd read all kinds of transmigration stories. The protagonists were always born into great noble houses, spoke with effortless charm, and had incredibly powerful cheat abilities.
But in his case, he had none of that.
His family wasn't particularly poor, and their circumstances were only getting better. That didn't bother him. The only thing he thought was a rip-off was his cheat ability.
A remarkably simple data template.
Its only function was to display, at all times, the five-dimensional physical stats of himself and his opponents, turning his basic attributes into numbers.
Of course, he knew very well that being able to quantify every aspect of himself was already an amazing ability.
But it couldn't make him stronger, nor did it offer any way to optimize his training.
Muneyoshi had no choice but to train using the most systematic and grueling methods. He had done so day in and day out for years, never daring to slack off.
After all, this was the world of The Prince of Tennis.
He knew all too well how terrifying the gifted players in this tennis world could be.
Still, he did have his strengths. He knew what direction he would need to take to improve in the future, and he knew how to develop systematically.
The coaches in the U-17 arc, in particular, had explained the correct training methods in great detail.
Muneyoshi was only twelve, and his body was still growing. He couldn't afford to push himself too hard, so his training volume was lower than that of the U-17 members.
Even so, by adjusting the training methods and comparing his progress against the curves in his five-dimensional stats, he could find a workload that suited him.
That was why his strength had improved so quickly.
By using the data from his cheat ability and the progress curves from his own training, he had gradually adjusted his workload, adding and cutting exercises as needed. As a result, his strength had surged after graduation.
Over the years, while building up his physical conditioning, he had also steadily honed his skills.
His foremost focus was training to eventually hit a Shining Shot.
This technique, which would shine in the future, marked the beginning of a player's all-around entry into the world-class realm of U-17 tennis.
Muneyoshi knew what the future held, and he knew that in Japan, people were especially fascinated by the State of Selflessness and the Asura Path.
But compared to the clearly explained, traceable path of the Shining Shot, the Asura Path and the State of Selflessness were too mysterious and abstract. He couldn't find any direction for training toward them.
The most important things in hitting a Shining Shot were mastering the sweet spot on the racket, and combining mental power with strength.
This was the only world-class technique he understood, and it gave him a clear direction to follow.
He wasn't the only one. With his help, Kojiro, who had grown up alongside him, had also become far stronger than his peers.
Thanks to his sensible training methods and direction, Saeki Muneyoshi had already developed an astonishing overall five-dimensional profile, despite being only twelve and having just graduated from elementary school.
Speed: 3
Strength: 4
Stamina: 4
Technique: 3.5
Mental Power: 4.5
Total: 19
Those were extraordinary stats. The top aces on teams that made a name for themselves at the National Tournament during middle school only barely broke twenty in their total five-dimensional scores.
According to the scientific five-dimensional measurements used by U-17, twenty was the most important threshold for distinguishing a person's strength and talent. Those who crossed it were true National Level experts. Those who didn't were only good enough for regional tournaments.
In the world of tennis, a player's overall strength could be roughly judged by their total five-dimensional score.
Regional Preliminary Level: 10–14.
Kanto Tournament Level: 15–19.
National Top-Tier Level: 20–21.
U-17 World Level: 22–29.
Professional Level: 30–?
But stats were only a rigid, simplified measure. In an actual match, a player's strength could certainly be boosted or diminished to some extent.
For instance, there were all kinds of unusual states, including the three doors of the State of Selflessness. The greatest boost among them came from Cloudbreak, though there was also the Asura Path...
Once a player reached such a state, their strength could change dramatically. It couldn't be fully determined by their five-dimensional stats.
Then there were the other kinds of prodigies, whose natural talent was off the charts. They had one or more abilities far beyond the norm.
For instance, Tanegashima Shūji's flexible wrist, the extraordinary insight and vision of players like Irie Kanata and Atobe Keigo, Tezuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Shusuke's innate ability to invent and develop new techniques, and Yukimura Seiichi's mental power...
If even one attribute broke through the limits of the five dimensions, the resulting change would be incalculable.
These were the three internationally recognized paths to breaking through to the world level:
Power Force, Technique Form, and the Extreme of Speed.
Saeki Muneyoshi was training in every way to pursue all three paths.
Perhaps because he had been reincarnated into this world, his natural talent for mental power was exceptionally strong. It was one of his few advantages.
By comparison, improving his speed and technique was incredibly difficult.
Even with the right training methods, Saeki Muneyoshi had only just brought his technique to the verge of a breakthrough. He had no idea how long it would take to actually get there.
But Muneyoshi knew what the future held for this world, and he had always measured himself against the true prodigies.
Going by their five-dimensional stats alone, Tezuka Kunimitsu and Yukimura Seiichi at this point in time shouldn't have been any weaker than him. They might even have been stronger.
As far as he knew, Tezuka Kunimitsu had already mastered the State of Selflessness by now.
With the support of the Three Doors of the State of Selflessness, particularly the Thousand Tempering and Tezuka Zone, his strength had surely already surpassed the National Level.
But Muneyoshi wasn't in a hurry. Looking at his stats, he was quite satisfied with the strength he had gained through his hard work.
He might not be able to match those few monsters who had already reached the National Level, but he wasn't far behind.
"Thwack!"
Another beautiful overhead smash.
The ball stirred up a current of air, leaving behind only a yellow streak and a faint, scorching heat.
It slammed down behind Kojiro, who had been trying to rush the net.
Game, score: 6–3.
After Muneyoshi got serious and defeated Kojiro in an almost crushing fashion, they wrapped up their training for the day.
Muneyoshi's father had been promoted at work and needed to go to Tokyo Metropolis to take up a position at the company's headquarters.
It wasn't practical for them to live apart long-term, so Saeki Muneyoshi and his mother would be going with him.
That was also why Muneyoshi couldn't simply enroll at Rokkaku Middle School. Although Rokkaku Middle School was within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area in a broader sense, it still wasn't particularly close.
His father had come back this time to move the family.
Muneyoshi didn't find it strange. After all, several people in The Prince of Tennis moved around frequently. This time, it was his turn.
"Come on, Kojiro. Let's wash up and get going."
Putting away his racket, Muneyoshi smiled at Saeki Kojiro, who was sprawled out on the ground across from him, then headed toward the shower room.
Practicing together before they left had felt pretty good.
They weren't sad about parting ways, since the distance wasn't great. Kojiro had already decided to visit Tokyo Metropolis during the break, so he would be going along with them.
"Splish, splash!"
Warm water poured from the showerhead, soaking Muneyoshi from head to toe. He felt completely refreshed. The excitement of improving, the anticipation of moving, and the promise of an eventful future all made him incredibly happy.
After all, he was going to Tokyo Metropolis, the strongest region in the country.
As the hot water washed over him, Muneyoshi thought about his plans for the next three years.
First, improving his strength was an urgent priority. Then there was the National Tournament championship. He wanted to experience what it felt like to stand at the very top of the country.
Thinking about it, Muneyoshi furrowed his brows slightly.
"But why Fudomine? The Fudomine of today doesn't have Tachibana Kippei. It's a complete mess..."
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