Muneyoshi was naturally aware of Tennis Monthly's report, but he did not stop walking.
The Path of Darkness, the complete opposite of the Shining Shot, was a field Muneyoshi had never touched before.
Even in the original story, perhaps only Amadeus, Switzerland's captain, could offer him guidance.
And in Japan, not a single person had ever walked this path.
Compared to reaching a certain level of strength, comprehending the techniques of light, and directly striking a Shining Shot with tremendous destructive power—
the power of darkness did not seem as outwardly apparent as light.
If light was a transformation born from raising one's five-dimensional physical attributes to a certain level, using sweet-spot techniques to strike an absolutely powerful shot, and then imbuing the tennis ball with one's intense personal will—
then darkness was a seed buried deep within the body.
Compared with Amadeus's fully realized darkness in the future World Cup, his current darkness had merely taken its first step.
It was only a rudimentary form!
So for now, he could only explore everything on his own.
He needed many battles, and he also needed to absorb more nourishment to let his darkness continue growing.
Therefore, even though he knew that this mad challenge of taking on the Tennis Clubs of various schools would invite hostility, he could no longer care about that.
Although many schools' Regulars were not particularly strong—
during those constant battles, after defeating them, the fear, disgust, and malice that spilled out from them became the best nourishment.
Absorbing that varied nourishment also deepened his understanding of darkness's application, and he gradually began to explore several other uses for it.
After all, this was completely different from the Path of Light he had originally envisioned.
If they had to be compared, the path of the Shining Shot represented release and dominance, while darkness represented restraint and frenzy.
That frenzy was like a silent volcano, a quiet flame. Restrained to the extreme, it merely waited for the moment it erupted.
Through his constant battles with opponents, he had also learned how to use emotions to stimulate the power of darkness.
As for the next direction, Muneyoshi guessed that it would likely involve annihilating the opponent's emotions, allowing the shadows to further envelop them and continue growing.
It might not necessarily be correct, but it was the only direction Muneyoshi could grasp at present.
As for the final test, he would probably need an opponent strong enough to determine whether it was real or not...
During the period when he was constantly issuing challenges, the second round and finals of the regional preliminaries also came to an end.
Tokyo Metropolis Regional Preliminaries, West Tokyo Division, Kakinoki Sports Park.
"Match over. Seigaku's Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro won Doubles 2, 7–5."
"Nicely done, Kikumaru, Oishi."
Yamato Yūdai smiled as he handed them towels. He was incredibly happy right now.
After entrusting Seigaku to Tezuka, he had originally thought they would need to wait another year. Yet now, the school had already been revitalized!
And the matches that followed made him even more certain of it.
"Match over. Kakinoki Middle School won Singles 1, 7–6."
"Match over. Seigaku's Akutsu Jin won Singles 3, 6–3."
"Match over. Seigaku's Yamato Yūdai won Singles 2, 6–1."
"Are Seigaku's first-years all this strong this year?"
"That's right. Their Doubles 1 is strong too, but those two seem to have only recently started working together, so their coordination is still a little lacking. You have to remember, they're both first-years."
"The champion of this West Tokyo Regional Preliminary is—Seigaku!"
Almost at the same time as Seigaku's victory, at the East Tokyo Division finals of the Tokyo Metropolis Regional Preliminaries, Nippori Tennis Park—
Bang!
"Game, match over. St. Rudolph Academy wins, 6–4!"
"Game, match over. Hyotei Academy wins, 6–0!"
"Game, match over. Hyotei Academy wins, 7–6!"
"Game, match over. Hyotei Academy wins, 6–0!"
In less than two hours, the East Tokyo Division final had completely concluded.
"Match over. Hyotei Academy versus St. Rudolph Academy: Doubles 2, 4–6; Singles 1, 6–0; Singles 3, 7–6; Singles 2, 6–0. Hyotei Academy wins."
With an overwhelming display of strength, Hyotei Academy claimed the East Tokyo regional championship once again.
Even though no one knew how many East Tokyo regional titles this was, every member of Hyotei Academy's Tennis Club still cheered.
During the handshake, St. Rudolph Academy's expressions were somewhat unpleasant, but at least they had made it into the upcoming Metropolitan Tournament this year.
Compared to previous years, that was already a pretty good result.
However, when Hyotei Academy won and stepped up for photos and awards, Atobe Keigo, the Tennis Club captain, showed little joy.
Many people were curious about the reason, but no one dared to ask him directly.
As for Oshitari Yushi, Mukahi Gakuto, Anahira Ryo, and the others, who knew exactly why, they kept their mouths tightly shut and did not dare provoke Atobe.
Kanagawa Prefecture Regional Preliminaries.
"Ohhh!"
"The king, Rikkai Dai!"
"Rikkai Dai!"
"The king!"
"Match over. Rikkai Dai versus Hoshi Dai Koizumi. Rikkai Dai Affiliated Middle School won the regional preliminary championship with a record of three wins and zero losses."
Amid the spectators' shocked cheers, the referee's final announcement resounded throughout the venue!
This year's Rikkai Dai Affiliated Middle School would absolutely shake all of Kanagawa Prefecture.
As the absolute overlord of the Kanto region with thirteen consecutive championships, Rikkai Dai Affiliated Middle School was already an unfathomably powerful National Level school. Yet this year, six of its official team members were first-years.
One had to remember, this was Rikkai Dai, not some other weak school.
Moreover, Rikkai Dai had always followed the tradition that the strong rose while the weak fell.
That meant these six first-year Regulars had all defeated the original upperclassman Regulars of Rikkai Dai and seized their precious positions through absolute strength.
Even Hyotei Academy, which was also undergoing changes, could not compare to such a lineup shift.
Hyotei Academy currently only had four first-years in total, and that was already shocking enough.
If not for Seigaku's later developments, then Rikkai Dai would have been the school that had undergone the most thorough transformation this year.
However, after the first round of the regional preliminaries, Seigaku's captain Yamato Yūdai had delegated his authority and forcefully pushed Tezuka into the position. Seigaku now had six first-years as well, just like Rikkai Dai.
The Rikkai Dai members silently accepted their championship trophy.
None of them felt even the slightest joy at winning the regional preliminaries, because to them, it was only natural.
The thirteen consecutive regional preliminary and Kanto Tournament championships forged by their upperclassmen were both an honor and a responsibility.
A mere regional preliminary championship was not worth their attention. What they wanted was the championship of this year's National Tournament!
"Renji, how are the other schools in Tokyo Metropolis, and what about Seigaku?"
After returning to the Tennis Club, Sanada did not rest at all. Instead, he went straight to Rikkai Dai's strategist, Yanagi Renji, and asked with a solemn expression.
Ever since Yukimura and Sanada had learned from Tennis Monthly that Tezuka Kunimitsu was in Seigaku's Tennis Club, they had instructed Yanagi Renji to gather information on Seigaku.
Yanagi Renji flipped through his phone and said calmly, "Seigaku won the West Tokyo regional preliminary championship, 3–1."
"Also, Hyotei Academy won the East Tokyo regional championship!"
Sanada was not surprised at all. If Seigaku, with Tezuka Kunimitsu on its roster, could not even win the regional preliminaries, then Seigaku must have had far too much dead weight.
"Did Tezuka Kunimitsu play?"
However, Sanada did not care about Seigaku's internal situation. He only cared about Tezuka.
"No."
Yanagi Renji continued, "Tezuka Kunimitsu is Seigaku's Singles 1. Seigaku's opponents in the regional preliminaries were too weak, so Tezuka Kunimitsu never had a chance to play. Furthermore, there is no useful information to be found in the footage. It is not enough to serve as a reference."
"Genichiro, there's no need to be so anxious. For now, there is no need to concern ourselves with Seigaku either!"
Yukimura's voice came from behind him, carrying an unquestionable firmness beneath the advice.
"As long as Seigaku keeps winning alongside us, we will eventually meet in the Kanto Tournament. When that time comes, I will allow you to take your revenge on him."
"Hmph!"
Sanada snorted coldly. "We must never let our guard down. Continue strengthening our training! When the time comes, I will definitely wipe away this humiliation!"
Hearing those incredibly Sanada-like words, the rest of Rikkai Dai could only sigh helplessly.
Time passed quickly. Especially after realizing his own limits and continuously carrying out the intense training plan he had set, Muneyoshi practically lost all sense of time. All he could feel was the joy of his improving strength.
Before he knew it, the Metropolitan Tournament had arrived.
Saeki Muneyoshi had finally emerged from his fulfilling training.
Although Fudomine had lost its chance to compete this year, he could only watch the Metropolitan Tournament as a spectator.
However, because of his influence, the plot had already changed drastically from the original, and he had developed a bit of interest in the Metropolitan Tournament.
One of the matches in particular was going to be quite a spectacle.
PS: "Chapter three is here. Please give your support and vote!"
Before you continue