Metropolitan Tournament Finals

Muneyoshi's home in Tokyo Metropolis.

"Mother, I'm back!"

When Muneyoshi returned home, he called out softly into the house.

Saeki Kanna heard Muneyoshi's voice and peeked out from the kitchen.

"Muneyoshi, you're back! The food will be ready soon. Wash your hands first."

"OK."

In the bathroom, Muneyoshi dried the water off his face and looked at himself in the mirror.

I couldn't help but think back to this time last year, when he could only stand outside and watch others compete, and now he can lead his team Metropolitan Tournament compete for the final championship.

Could it be said that he fulfilled the promise he made back then?

He felt a pang of emotion; at least he hadn't broken his promise.

After dinner, Muneyoshi did not practice tennis anymore, but returned to his room to sit and meditate.

The meditation techniques he learned from Rokkaku Old Man, while not exactly a divine skill or secret manual, were still very beneficial in tempering his spirit and calming his emotions.

Therefore, he diligently continued his studies without interruption.

The next morning, the sun shone on the earth, and the air was filled with a sweet fragrance.

The weather in June was already a bit warm, but overall still quite cool. Muneyoshi set off on foot early in the morning to go to school.

The school was deserted on the weekend, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the weekday.

When Muneyoshi arrived at the school gate, the Fudomine bus was already waiting there. Tachibana Kippei and Tachibana An had arrived the earliest and were already on the bus waiting.

The Tachibana An were probably taking a nap because they arrived too early.

After Muneyoshi greeted Tachibana, he casually found a seat and sat down.

Before long, Hanamura Aoi and the other members of Fudomine arrived one after another, and the bus slowly started moving towards the final venue.

Tap... tap...

On the court, the two Regular had already reached the net. As they shook hands, the aura emanating from everyone naturally began to burst forth.

Speaking of momentum, it can be said to be a very mysterious thing.

It is invisible and intangible, yet it truly exists.

When one side is strong and consistently wins, the team's and individuals build up their confidence.

Teams and players naturally possess their own unique aura.

In the idealistic world of Prince of Tennis, this kind of aura is ultimately a manifestation of one's own will.

"Tezuka, we meet again. I didn't get to play against you in the preliminaries, and I hope we'll have the chance today."

Looking at Tezuka's cold and stern face across from him, Muneyoshi seemed to recall the promise they made a year ago.

I still remember the promise I made to you!

Muneyoshi's tone was no longer cheerful, but rather very serious, Tezuka naturally understood the meaning behind his words.

His eyes flickered for a moment, then he regained his composure. "I've been waiting for this moment too."

"Let's put on a great match, focus all your energy on the game!"

After exchanging greetings, no one said anything more harsh; the real test would be on the field.

Outside the stadium, countless spectators began to pour into the final venue, many of them filled with anticipation for this Metropolitan Tournament final.

One was last year's dark horse, and the other is this year's dark horse.

These two dark horses outshone all the other established powerhouses in the Tokyo Metropolis area, including Hyotei Academy, who had long dominated the Tokyo Metropolis championship.

Even other regions sent spies, such as Rokkaku, Rokurigaoka in Aichi Prefecture, Rikkai Dai, Midoriyama, Okuchi Minami, and Kyoyo...

Meanwhile, other schools in the Tokyo Metropolis area also came to watch the game in person, including Yamabuki, Hyotei Academy, and St. Rudolph...

More and more people began to gather, and Inoue Mamoru of the Tennis Monthly had already found a very good spot to take photos.

"How terrifying, Seigaku and Fudomine, their auras are truly formidable."

"One was last year's dark horse, and the other is this year's dark horse; it's practically a battle of dark horses!"

There was a lot of discussion among the crowd, and people in both Yamabuki and Hyotei Academy were also talking about it.

"Atobe, what's your opinion on this match?" Oshitari spoke first, his words very direct.

"Hmph, I don't know about the others, but that guy Saeki Muneyoshi, only I can defeat him, no one else can!"

Atobe clearly still harbored great resentment over his crushing defeat at Muneyoshi's hands, but the information gathered by his butler reignited his fighting spirit.

However, the Hyotei Academy members, already familiar with his personality, ignored Atobe's words and continued, "Where are the others?"

"Fudomine's weaknesses are obvious, and their breakthrough lies in doubles. If they abandon their ace doubles pair from yesterday's match and Seigaku seizes the opportunity, then..."

"Double..."

Many people have noticed this problem, but so far, apart from the Hyotei Academy, Fudomine has handled this aspect very well.

In the Yamabuki Middle School area, the Banrō's remarks were even more outspoken.

"I've studied Fudomine's matches. Most of their doubles players are first-year students, and their strength isn't that great. The only strong team is the combination of Keith and Lin Xiu."

Banrō gray hair was neatly styled, and she spoke with a smile:

"Keith is very strong, and Lin Xiu is not weak either, but when facing teams with weaker doubles, they will take risks and let Lin Xiu lead the team alone. If Lin Xiu can win a game, then Fudomine's winning rate will reach 90%."

"Fudomine takes the gamble today. But if, as I predict, someone seizes on this point, then the final outcome will be unpredictable..."

Banrō directly pointed out the core issue of Fudomine's current problems.

It's the doubles team that Lin Xiu is in!

Because of Lin Xiu's own strength, even when leading a weaker first-year team, he can beat most doubles pairs in the first position.

This would allow Keith to break free, Keith's powerful strength would provide a strong positive feedback loop for the one-on-one fight.

With such a strong individual skill pool, even Muneyoshi would be confident when facing Rikkai Dai.

But what if Lin Xiu's attack is blocked?

There are people in the current junior high school class who are stronger than Lin Xiu, and both Seigaku and Hyotei Academy have such people.

Muneyoshi and Hanamura Aoi were well aware of this, especially Muneyoshi, who had a complete understanding of the students' abilities, unlike Hanamura Aoi who only had a general idea of their strengths.

But the same problem remains: even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice.

They absolutely need Lin Xiu to step up; the first-year students at Fudomine aren't strong enough right now.

They can compete with other schools, but they are really lacking when facing schools like Hyotei Academy, Seigaku, and Rikkai Dai.

This is determined by one's inherent qualities.

Hanamura Aoi thought for a long time. Seigaku's doubles team was somewhat inferior to Rikkai Dai and Yamabuki, at most comparable to the Hyotei Academy, and even slightly lacking except for the Golden Pair.

This gave her room to maneuver, but ultimately, just to be on the safe side, she decided to separate Keith and Lin Xiu.

After discussion, Muneyoshi finally agreed, but he suggested that Hanamura Aoi adjust the order of the players, because Lin Xiu had always been playing doubles as the first player, which made him too easy to target.

Hanamura Aoi also adopted this suggestion.

"The finals of the Metropolitan Tournament are about to begin, starting with the doubles match 2."

"The Fuji Shusuke between Lin Xiu and Inui Sadaharu Sakurai Masaya from Fudomine Junior High and Sadaharu Inui and Syusuke Fuji from Seigaku."

As the broadcast ended, Muneyoshi and Hanamura Aoi's expressions changed slightly; Seigaku had found their weakness.

The onlookers almost thought they had misheard.

Who?

Seigaku, Fuji Shusuke!

One of Seigaku's singles ace players went straight to doubles sniper Fudomine.

This excited many people, including Hyotei Academy and Yamabuki.

Just as they estimated, as long as someone from Seigaku can hold off Lin Xiu, then...

P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets~ Only two chapters today, saving some drafts for the National Day holiday~"

I need to save some content for the National Day holiday, otherwise everything will be forgotten once I go out to play during the Mid-Autumn Festival... But I'll update extra content for everyone over the weekend!