Muneyoshi's Five Dimensions
I picked up the fallen racket and adjusted the slightly loose strings.
Paradon Gowabitud walked to the service line, glanced at Saeki Muneyoshi's body again, and thought to himself, "Heh, power players aren't necessarily invincible. Watch me wear you down..."
Paradon Govabitud leaped up, swinging his legs forward and bending his body into a large bow.
His lean body unleashed extraordinary flexibility, his arms and shoulders forming an angle as he forcefully squeezed his muscles to generate tremendous power.
Bang!
Paradon Gowabitud's high-angle flat shot, like a smash, flew from a height towards Muneyoshi's half of the court. The speed of this shot was so fast that it left behind a series of tennis ball afterimages in the field of vision!
"Hmph! You've categorized me as a power-type fighter based solely on that burst of power just now? Looks like your Siam data collection is inadequate; you didn't even know I'm not just a pure power-type fighter?"
The opposing team's captain immediately adjusted his strategy against him based solely on his return shot; his reaction was undeniably quick.
However, Muneyoshi's reaction and response were also unmatched by ordinary players.
Muneyoshi's extensive combat experience allowed him to see through his opponent's intentions at a glance. He sneered, "You think Speed Extreme? You're the worst commander I've ever seen!"
Then, Muneyoshi moved with light, quick steps, almost gliding, towards 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.
"Such a quick reaction, such a beautiful curveball!"
Tokugawa Kazuya's eyes lit up. Saeki Muneyoshi's reaction and skill in that instant were very subtle, something he could learn from.
Irie Kanata smiled without saying a word. He had already noticed that from the points match against South Korea to the current expedition, Tokugawa Kazuya's entire demeanor was undergoing a subtle change.
Of course, his guidance from Oni Jūjirō played a part, but through these encounters, Saeki Muneyoshi's influence on him was also deepening.
Although my original unrealistic ideas haven't completely changed, after experiencing so much, I've become less naive.
A muffled whooshing sound came from beside him, and Paradon Gowabitud quickly turned around and leaped up. The muscles twitching under his dark skin exerted force again, and his right hand, holding the racket, swung behind his head.
He caught Muneyoshi's incredibly sharp curveball!
However, before Paradon Govabitud could even feel happy, the moment he looked up at the opposite side, a dark shadow obscured his vision.
The entire stadium vanished from his sight in that instant, and he appeared in a completely dark space.
The space was pitch black, the only visible feature being a figure edged with gold under the silver moonlight.
Saeki Muneyoshi leaped high into the air with his agile body, smashing his racket down with a powerful slam.
Boom!
A dark golden beam of light passed through his crotch, and the powerful mental pressure made him unable to move. The huge shockwave made his skin sting.
Bang!
"Japan Team, 30-0."
Bang!
"Game, Japan Team Saeki Muneyoshi, 1-0."
"Switch sides!"
Saeki Muneyoshi, playing with all his might, quickly broke Paradon Govabitud's serve.
As the captain of the Siam team, Paradon Gowabitud was surprisingly unable to put up much resistance against the explosive attacks of Saeki Muneyoshi.
This left the members of the Siam U17 team watching from the sidelines completely dumbfounded.
They never expected that their star player, who was usually as powerful as a god in their eyes, would fall into a passive defensive position in the very first service game.
He couldn't capitalize on the advantage his serve gave him.
However, the members of the Siam U17 team dared not utter a sound at this moment. Faced with the disadvantage, neither cheering nor worrying was acceptable to their captain, Paradon.
The Siam contestants' area was completely silent at this moment.
The two teams switch sides.
Muneyoshi looked calmly at Paradon Govabitud as he walked past him.
He knew clearly during last year's World Tournament that the so-called star players, especially those from teams ranked very low, were largely unreliable.
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.
Even the former captain of the South Korea team was a special case in South Korea over the years.
He embarked on the path of power and speed, and reached the near-perfect first stage of the Asura Path, combined with attack methods similar to Shining Shot.
He can almost be seen as a first-stage player from Different Dimension who has merged three paths.
While such players are common in the BIG4, they are certainly capable of serving as key players.
He was just unlucky to run into the Japan Team and face Saeki Muneyoshi, but he is definitely the strongest captain in South Korea in over a decade.
Compared to South Korea's star player Park Guk-chang, the Siam player has returned to the normal level as perceived in the world of tennis.
Having only just begun to reach the Speed Extreme, and perhaps possessing a natural talent for endurance battles, they haven't even entered the Different Dimension Realm.
He fully lives up to his reputation as the representative of Siam, which is ranked second to last in the world.
However, such strength was insufficient to deal with Muneyoshi.
Muneyoshi strode briskly to the other side, gripped the tennis ball tightly in his left hand, and scanned Paladin Gowabitud's position with his sharp eyes.
The Darkness Domain had unknowingly enveloped the opponent's half of the field, and countless negative emotions were impacting Paladin's mind, making him increasingly irritable.
Muneyoshi gave a cold laugh, tossed the tennis ball in his hand, and bent his knees to push off the ground.
Bang!
A dazzling golden light emanated from his fingertips as he delivered a flat serve, a perfect blend of absolute power and skill, sending the tennis ball soaring into the opposite half of the court like a golden streak.
Boom!
The hard court did not diminish the power of the tennis ball much; the incredibly powerful serve slammed heavily onto the court, causing fine cracks to appear on the surface and kicking up small pebbles.
Just as the tennis ball bounced high and was about to fly over the baseline, Paradon Gowabitud arrived just in time.
Instead of using a conventional heavy hit to return the ball, he tilted his racket slightly and swept it across the tennis ball.
Swish!
A light yet resounding slice shot rang out.
"As the commander-in-chief, you dare not confront us head-on? How dare you scheme against us? Die!"
With a roar, Muneyoshi pushed his speed to the limit, sprinting from the backcourt to the frontcourt.
He bent his knees and lowered his back, then swung his racket heavily.
Bang!
The dim, eerie light once again pierced through Paladin's racket.
"Japan Team, 15-0."
Seeing Paladin's horrified expression, Muneyoshi calmly put down his racket, gave him a cold look, and said, "Hmph, I'll pay you back for your dirty tricks on the court."
After saying that, he walked towards the bottom line.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
"Game, Japan Team, 6-2."
In the second game, Muneyoshi's actions became even more aggressive.
Bang!
Bang!
"Darkness Shot - Falling Light!"
Muneyoshi let out a roar, and dark purple flames ignited around him.
His left palm moved forward, gathering a dense ball of Darkness Light that enveloped the tennis ball.
A powerful shockwave gathered around the returned tennis ball.
The dark power continued to spread, transforming into a huge black shadow that spanned the entire stadium and slammed heavily into Paradon Gowabitud.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh..."
Paradon Govabitud was blasted away and crashed heavily into the wall, creating spiderweb-like cracks.
"Game, Japan Team's Saeki Muneyoshi, Score 6-0."
"In this round-robin tournament, the Japan Team won with a record of three wins and zero losses."
After the International Tennis Federation officials confirmed the final results, Muneyoshi led the Japan Team directly away from the Muangthong Thani Land Sports Centre in Bangkok.
Their expedition was not yet over, and Muneyoshi was also pressed for time, needing to proceed to the next location.
On the plane, Muneyoshi opened the five-dimensional chart that hadn't been displayed for a long time.
He was also very curious about what level he had reached in the five dimensions.
Because the training camp could no longer measure his five dimensions, and he himself had not exerted his full strength for a long time, the data had not been updated.
After the match against the South Korea captain, his five attributes were already updated, and after the match against the Siam captain, they can be checked at any time.
Saeki Muneyoshi:
Speed 4 [Potential Reserve +2.5; Source: Park Guk-chang]
Strength 6 [Potential Reserve +0.5]
Stamina 4.5 [Potential Reserve +1.5; Source: Paradon Govabitud (-2 Dark State)]
Technique 6 (Light and Dark Roads)
Mental Strength 7 (Normal State; Dark Amplification +1; Asura Path Stage 1 +2) [Potential Reserves +1.5; Source: Park Guk-chang]
Total 27.5 (Full Burst +3, Stamina -2).
He observed that his normal five-dimensional abilities were roughly the same as those of Duke Watanabe, who was hiding his true strength.
When he unleashed his full potential, he even truly stood on the threshold of what is called a professional player, which made Muneyoshi very happy.
Even if it's consistently just a little short, it's still only one step away.
At this moment, Muneyoshi is even more looking forward to next year's World Tournament.
"Amadeus... wait for me, I will stand before you again!"
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets! Some readers asked about the protagonist's current strength level, so I've compiled some data for everyone."
Based on the written description, he's in the same league as Tanegashima and Watanabe. I haven't fought him to see his exact strength, but he's weaker than Oni and Byōdōin.
A reader asked about the current strength of the protagonist, so I've compiled some data for everyone.
Using familiar characters as comparisons, he is currently in the same league as Tanegashima and Watanabe in the training camp.
I haven't fought them to see their exact strength, but they are weaker than Oni and Byōdōin; they are on a different level.
Actually, the data becomes less and less meaningful as you progress; once you reach thirty of the five dimensions, measurement becomes impossible!