First Defeat
The next day.
Kakinoki Sports Park.
The bustling crowds made the park a bit noisy on the weekend.
Fudomine, in a challenger's stance, entered the arena early.
As they arrived, the crowd automatically made way for them.
Everyone at Fudomine remained silent, ignoring all scrutinizing gazes; the tense and ominous atmosphere complemented their black uniforms.
It seemed that with the arrival of Fudomine, the entire place became oppressive, and all the light was absorbed by them.
When the Seigaku team entered, the venue was already packed with people, with a large number of players and scouts from other schools gathered there.
They all wanted to see if Fudomine could still create miracles under Seigaku's rule.
As the Seigaku members entered.
At that moment, several figures in black uniforms emerged from the waiting area of Fudomine.
A tall, strong, and fit young man walked up to the group of Seigaku students.
"Tezuka, you guys did well last year, but I'm here to keep my promise too. Are you ready?"
Muneyoshi looked at Tezuka, with a smile on his face, and said familiarly.
"Yes, Muneyoshi, our agreement has indeed been delayed for a long time. Let's focus on the attack!"
Tezuka extended his right hand and clasped Muneyoshi's hand, his face remaining expressionless.
At that moment, Akutsu Jin, who was behind Tezuka, stepped forward, put his hand on Muneyoshi's neck, and said with a very displeased expression:
"You bastard! You promised to teach me tennis, but then you disappeared without a trace. You dared to lie to me! I'll definitely beat you up!"
Speaking of this, Akutsu felt angry. After he lost the National Tournament, Saeki Muneyoshi sent him a message in the middle of the night, saying he would teach him how to play.
Although he said he was unwilling, he was actually looking forward to it.
Unexpectedly, Muneyoshi disappeared immediately after sending that message.
He waited anxiously for several months.
At that time, Muneyoshi was already playing in the World Tournament in France, and he had long forgotten what he said to Akutsu.
When Akutsu brought it up again, he remembered that such a thing had happened.
"Haha, Akutsu, I'll teach you this time, I'll definitely teach you this time!"
After chatting with a few familiar people from Seigaku, Muneyoshi returned to the waiting area of Fudomine.
Watching Muneyoshi's departing figure, Momoshiro Takeshi said somewhat resentfully, "Fuji- senpai, who is that guy? He seems pretty impressive!"
Fuji, standing beside him, narrowed his eyes and smiled, saying, "He is indeed a very formidable fellow."
"Hmph, Fuji- senpai, just you wait, I will definitely defeat him!"
Fuji did not dampen Momoshiro Takeshi's passion and confidence.
After all, we're young people; we should still have dreams.
"The final match of the Tokyo Josai preliminary tournament, Doubles 2, is about to begin. Both players, please prepare yourselves!"
With the referee in place, the match was about to begin.
"Oishi, Kikumaru, you're starting! Good luck!"
After consulting with Tezuka, the returning coach, Ryūzaki Sumire, still adopted her own unchanging approach, having Kikumaru and Oishi play in the second doubles match.
On the Fudomine referee's bench, Hanamura Aoi had anticipated this outcome.
She looked at the two first-year students walking out of the Fudomine area, Kamio Akira and Ishida Tetsu.
"I have only one request: strive to learn from the other person's strengths and advantages, and improve yourself as quickly as possible! Understand?"
Hanamura Aoi's instructions were always so simple and direct, and the Fudomine members who had spent a long time with her all respected her greatly.
"Yes!"
"The second doubles match begins now! Fudomine Junior High's Kamio Akira and Ishida Tetsu face Seigaku's Oishi Shuichiro and Kikumaru Eiji. This is a one-set match, Seigaku's serve!"
The referee blew the whistle, and both sides took their positions.
"Oishi, these guys from Fudomine are all first-year students too, just like us last year!"
Kikumaru at the net seemed very interested in Fudomine, seeing a resemblance to their first-year doubles team from Fudomine.
"Yeah, Eiji, don't underestimate them just because they're first-years. Remember, we've been there too. Get ready, I'm about to kick off."
Oishi, playing in the backcourt, bounced the tennis ball a few times, found his rhythm, and then tossed it out.
The doubles match 2 has officially begun.
Although Oishi appears mediocre, as Oishi vice-captain of Seigaku, he possesses an incredibly calm mind and his own foresight regarding doubles.
His gaze swept across the opposing team, Kamio Akira and Ishida Tetsu, his eyes scanning for their weaknesses.
When his gaze fell on a single point, his eyes suddenly sharpened!
Brush!
Throw the ball and jump.
With a crisp crack.
The tennis ball had already transformed into a streak of light, like a precise missile or arrow, heading straight for the inverted triangle apex of the left half of the service court where Fudomine was located!
"Oh, this landing point is perfect for my rhythm!"
Kamio Akira immediately.
Upon seeing Oishi's serve, a different glint appeared in those calm eyes hidden beneath his bangs.
Through continuous targeted training, Kamio Akira's speed was quite good; his feet never stopped moving.
From a pause to a burst of speed, his steps were incredibly fast, and in an instant he reached the sideline of the doubles match, directly lifting and slicing the tennis ball back.
"Seigaku, keep up the pace!"
With a few words of interest, Kamio Akira's emotions were completely aroused.
The moment the tennis ball flew back.
Tap tap tap!
"Hey, Fudomine's first-year students aren't bad at all!"
At the net, Kikumaru Eiji quickly ran towards the direction the tennis ball was flying.
Bang!
"They actually caught it. Looks like we need to speed things up."
Kamio Akira, who had reached the net, increased his speed again, caught up with the tennis ball, and easily returned it.
But no matter how tricky the shot, it couldn't stump Kikumaru Eiji at the net. "Hey, what kind of shot is that?"
Kikumaru moved quickly at the net and, incredibly, returned the ball in mid-air before it even hit the ground.
Just as Kikumaru jumped up and caught the ball steadily with his racket, a boy wearing a white headscarf on the opposite side caught up.
"Take this!"
"Ishida Tetsu said loudly as he ran over and, with all his might, hit the tennis ball back with a thud," Ishida Tetsuya said.
In Seigaku's backcourt, Oishi, who had been observing closely, instantly realized that the power of the ball hit by the opponent was not something Kikumaru could easily return.
"Kikumaru, get out of the way!"
Although Kikumaru was puzzled as to why Oishi wouldn't let him take the call, his long-standing tacit understanding and trust still led him to listen to Oishi.
The tennis ball slammed heavily onto the baseline in the backcourt, the force of which nearly caused Oishi to drop his rackets.
This power heightened Oishi and Kikumaru's vigilance once again.
The match then became very close.
However, as the match progressed, the Seigaku duo's teamwork and experience began to prevail.
"Seigaku, behold my Sonic Bullet!"
At the net, Kamio Akira seized an opening in Kikumaru's defenses, as Kikumaru's center of gravity began to become unstable due to continuous running.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Kamio Akira decisively launched his attack.
But then something surprising happened.
Despite being off-balance, Kikumaru somehow managed to catch up with the ball by performing a side somersault at the net.
"Watch this, Kikumaru Beam!"
Kikumaru's straight ball hit the sideline!
"Game, Seigaku, 6-2."
"Yay!"
Seeing Kikumaru's childlike excitement, Kamio Akira said in surprise, "This guy can actually fight back even when his movements are completely distorted?"
In the doubles match 2, Fudomine lost the first game.
Watching the increasingly seamless teamwork of the Seigaku duo, Muneyoshi raised an eyebrow. "Their teamwork and coordination have reached this level; it seems Seigaku's Golden Pair is about to appear ahead of schedule."
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"