The Gun Bullet and Illusory Colors
Early the next morning.
When the first rays of dawn shone through the gap in the window into Saeki Muneyoshi's room, it was already empty.
The lobby of the hotel where the Japan Team is staying.
The participants in the expedition have all assembled here.
To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, we'll skip breakfast at the hotel this morning.
Saeki Muneyoshi glanced around at everyone and, seeing that everyone seemed to have slept well last night and that no one had encountered any problems, calmly began to speak.
Irie Kanata, gently pushed up his glasses, a flash of white light from the lenses, and asked, "When did we... get those two Siam team members?"
"Since we're leaving anyway, Senior Zhonghe, would you mind making this trip one more time?"
Saeki Muneyoshi looked at the high school student at the very back of the crowd, whose face looked old and who was comparable to Oni Jūjirō.
Nakagawa Naidō nodded and went upstairs.
Before long, Zhonghe rejoined the group and saw that everyone had arrived.
"Let's go get some breakfast first, then head to the venue to prepare."
Saeki Muneyoshi waved his hand and calmly led everyone towards the door.
At 10 a. m., a sparse crowd gathered at the Muang Thong Thani Land Sports Centre in Bangkok, a large, semi-open-air tennis stadium.
Because of its lack of achievements in recent years, Siam has not had a high level of influence in tennis.
Siam U17 didn't do much promotion, so this qualifying tournament was no different from a regular away game.
Of course, ordinary people can watch it, and the Siam side has not stopped it. However, in some countries, such point-based competitions are held in environments that are not open to the public.
"Next, the World Cup Cycle Points Tournament will begin, with the Siam team facing off against the Japan team!"
A loud announcement rang out from the spacious venue.
After each side gave a bilingual announcement, the eight players who had been selected by both sides lined up in front of the net.
In front of the net.
Saeki Muneyoshi smiled and shook hands with the Siam captain, Paradon Gowabitud, opposite him.
The other person exuded a shrewd and powerful aura, and seemed to be quite capable.
Unfortunately, in the entire Asian tennis scene, Siam and South Korea are among the teams with particularly distinctive team spirit.
One is blindly arrogant, the other is utterly despicable.
"I hope we can have a friendly exchange this time."
After a brief handshake, Saeki Muneyoshi smiled and appeared very cheerful, showing no sign of dissatisfaction with the Siam team's previous actions.
At the same time, his gaze inadvertently swept over all the members of the Siam team, matching them with the information in the files.
Back in their designated player rest area, Muneyoshi's smile vanished.
"So, the first match!"
"Tokugawa -senpai, Hirazeni! You two will go and win the first match for Japan!"
Without much hesitation, Muneyoshi waved his right hand and announced the players for the first match.
This was the list he and Irie finally decided on after discussing it.
Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Kazuya and Hirazeni stood up. Compared to Tokugawa, who had already participated in the competition once, this was Hirazeni's first time participating in the expedition competition.
"Don't worry, Muneyoshi, I will win!"
Tokugawa Kazuya stern face was filled with solemnity; he was deeply moved by Saeki Muneyoshi's trust in him.
"Hey, Muneyoshi, just watch how I shoot through their heart!"
Hirazeni winked at everyone and said in an extremely exaggerated manner.
As a comedic sniper, Hirazeni feels immense pressure, but remains remarkably optimistic, which is also a way for him to mask his nervousness.
Upon hearing these familiar words, Muneyoshi smiled. Sensing the other person's nervousness, Muneyoshi gently comforted them:
"Senior Hirazeni, don't be nervous. You should already have the other party's information in mind. We're waiting for your good news, but of course, don't let your guard down!"
"Don't worry, the comedic sniper is never careless!"
Hirazeni struck a sniper pose and smiled broadly.
Although he was the leader of the Shitenhoji Funny Tennis, he also appeared to be carefree and easygoing on the surface.
But once he's on the field, he becomes incredibly focused.
Tokugawa was no exception; his calm demeanor was innate.
"The doubles match between the Japan Team and the Siam Team will now begin!"
"Japan's Japan Team Tokugawa Kazuya and Hirazeni vs. Siam's scout Du Susongran and Parapol Jones."
"Please bring your players to the stage!"
"The match begins, best of three sets, with Japan Team serving first!"
At the baseline, Tokugawa Kazuya slapped the tennis ball in his hand a few times, then glanced at the bouncing Siam duo opposite him. Undeterred by their actions, he suddenly tossed the ball out.
His body then slowly leaned back in a deep backbend, his arms twisting and turning, causing all the muscles in his body to work together.
A seven-colored Illusory Colors light seemed to emanate from his left arm.
Bang!
A pale yellow light flew out from Tokugawa Kazuya's racket, and the tennis ball was enveloped in Illusory Colors light the moment it flew out, traversing the court as if it were constantly shuttling through space.
When it reappeared, it had already crashed heavily at the feet of the Siam duo.
The tennis ball was incredibly fast; the Siam duo didn't have time to react before it flew right past their feet.
"ACE, Japan's Japan Team Tokugawa Kazuya, 15:0."
"What?! The serve is that fast?!"
"Didn't the news say that, apart from their main player, a middle school student, and that baby-faced guy, the others are all reserve members of the Japan training camp?"
"Are you kidding me? How could a substitute player have this kind of skill?"
The Siam players, who were initially confident of winning this qualifying tournament, were taken aback.
Intelligence work isn't just done by the Japan Team; basically, every team has its own database.
The information they received was accurate; Tokugawa and his forces were indeed currently in the second tier.
But...
Tokugawa Kazuya did not give them a chance. After truly coming into contact with the world and understanding its darkness, his convictions remained unshaken.
Instead, they became even more determined.
He was quite certain that this environment and situation were wrong, and not what he and Medrano had hoped for.
But he also knew that to change all of this, he needed to have enough power.
Otherwise, it's all just empty talk.
Therefore, Tokugawa, showing no mercy, quickly won his service game.
The score is 1-0.
The two sides switched sides, possession of the ball changed, and it was now Hirazeni's turn to receive the ball.
Tanto Susongran did not panic despite losing the first game, but her arrogance subsided somewhat, and she glared fiercely at Tokugawa and Hirazeni.
He tossed the tennis ball high into the air, then leaped into the air with all his might, his arms twisting and his body contorting, all the muscles in his body working together.
Bang!
A pale yellow light flew from his racket and slammed heavily at Hirazeni's feet.
The tennis ball, propelled by immense force, flew incredibly fast, like a flash of lightning, passing right past Hirazeni's ankle.
Hirazeni was startled and quickly dodged to the side; the attack was aimed directly at his ankle.
After dodging the attack, a cold glint flashed in Hirazeni's eyes, but in an instant, his facial expressions became extremely complex.
He patted his chest, looking startled and still shaken, and said, "I have to say, this guy from Siam, that was amazing! You've got some skill!"
"Since you've already made your move, then I'll snipe you too, Siam guy..."
He compared his fingers to a pistol Hirazeni a funny chuckle.
Seeing the opponent serve again, Hirazeni took a step back slightly.
He struck a unique pose: his racket and left hand holding the ball were parallel to each other in front of him, his elbows were bent, and his whole body was tense. Then, he raised his hands in a wing-like shape.
Swish!
Seeing the tennis ball flying towards him, Hirazeni used the strength of his upper body to power his arm, swinging the racket behind him and swinging it forward fiercely.
Hirazeni stared sharply at the tennis ball, veins bulging and muscles bulging on his arms. He pulled his racket back slightly before swinging it out with a vengeance.
"Gun Bullet!"
The moment the racket made contact with the tennis ball, it was as if a dazzling flame was shooting out from the muzzle of a gun. A cloud of black smoke suddenly appeared, and within the smoke, a spark flashed with golden light!
Tokugawa Kazuya in the frontcourt only heard a thunderous sound in his ears. The tennis ball, like a bullet, pierced through the opposite half of the court with a wisp of smoke and air.
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"
We will try to come up with some different, original storylines.