Metropolitan Tournament

The regional qualifiers have ended, and the day for the official opening of the Metropolitan Tournament is fast approaching.

All the teams that secured a spot in the Metropolitan Tournament have entered a period of intense preparation.

Compared to the regional qualifiers, the Metropolitan Tournament is on a far more astonishing scale, with a total of one hundred and eight schools from the Tokyo Metropolis region participating in the competition for a ticket to the Kanto Tournament.

The Tokyo Metropolis region truly lives up to its reputation as the most competitive area for sports schools in Japan.

This includes not only the renowned sports powerhouse prefecture of Kanagawa, but also Hyotei from the eastern part of the city and Yamabuki from the northern part. Now, Seigaku from the western part of the city is also joining them.

The so-called Metropolitan Tournament, also known as the Metropolitan Grand Tournament, is simply the name used in the Tokyo Metropolis region. In other regions, it is generally referred to as the Regional Tournament or Prefectural Tournament.

Out of the entire Tokyo region, only five schools can advance to the final Kanto Tournament.

In addition to the top four teams directly entering the Kanto Tournament, the remaining teams that reach the quarterfinals will compete in two more rounds of playoffs to vie for the last spot in the Kanto Tournament.

Time slips by in the blink of an eye.

June 15th, Saturday.

The morning sun has just begun to rise, but the Ariake Tennis Forest Park in central Tokyo Metropolis is already buzzing with a boisterous atmosphere.

Today is the first day of elimination matches for the Metropolitan Tournament.

The first round of elimination matches will officially kick off at nine o'clock shortly.

On a day of such grand events, it's the perfect venue for tennis prodigies from all walks of life to showcase their talents.

Inoue Mamoru, the "most professional individual" in Prince of Tennis, an elite reporter for a professional tennis monthly magazine who loves tennis and writing, naturally arrived at the venue early.

Accompanied by his assistant Kishida, he roamed throughout the Ariake Tennis Forest Park.

As for why Miss Shiba Saori wasn't there, it's because she's still attending university and hasn't graduated yet. She'll only start her employment and internship in two years.

However, the work is pretty much the same: constantly clicking away with the camera in hand, collecting all sorts of material.

"This must be St. Rudolph Academy."

"Mizuki."

Inoue found a curly-haired boy in a pure white uniform amidst a crowd of people in black and white uniforms.

He pressed the shutter, capturing a photo.

According to his research, St. Rudolph Academy was able to enter the Metropolitan Tournament as the runner-up of the eastern district precisely because of this new manager and coach, Mizuki.

He brought more advanced concepts and scientific training methods to St. Rudolph.

This has brought about a tremendous change to the church academy, which was only founded three years ago, making them a force to be reckoned with.

Furthermore, Inoue, who has a firm grasp on firsthand information about tennis, knows very well that the first-year students cannot be underestimated these days.

Especially with the living examples of Seigaku, Hyotei, and Rikkai Dai.

Inoue Mamoru's keen intuition told him that this first-year student was also worth paying attention to!

After wandering around for a while longer.

Inoue Mamoru arrived under the shade of the trees in the walkway outside Court No. 2 and met the members of Yamabuki.

Under Banrō's leadership, Yamabuki has always been a strong team in the northern district and a frequent participant in the Kanto Tournament, and even the National Tournament.

Moreover, Yamabuki has also gained a talented first-year student this year, Sengoku Kiyosumi.

Inoue Mamoru also took several photos of Sengoku Kiyosumi; he never misses out on such material.

However, after searching around, Inoue Mamoru couldn't find any sign of Hyotei or Seigaku.

The regular players of Seigaku would certainly not miss the Metropolitan Tournament. They had already gathered, their blue and white team uniforms exuding an outstanding aura.

They stood straight at the entrance of Seigaku, their extraordinary presence attracting the attention of many.

"It's Saturday today, does the tennis club have any extra practice sessions?"

"Hey, you don't know about this, do you? Today is the opening day of the Metropolitan Tournament, and they're going to participate in it."

"So today is the Metropolitan Tournament!"

"Tch, what kind of results have those guys from the tennis club achieved in the Metropolitan Tournament? What's all the fuss about!"

The Seigaku members ignored the discussions and taunts from other clubs. When the bus arrived, they boarded it and headed towards the Metropolitan Tournament venue.

On the bus, the voices of other clubs expressing their lack of confidence echoed in their ears, but they weren't surprised.

After all, Seigaku hadn't achieved any notable results for a long time. In sports, the difference between having results and not having them is like night and day.

Seeing this, Tezuka remained silent. Appropriate pressure could have a very positive effect.

Yamato Yūdai wanted to ease the atmosphere.

However, upon seeing that everyone, despite being nervous, had a look of seriousness in their eyes rather than fear or timidity, he understood Tezuka's intention and said nothing more.

Upon arriving at the venue and alighting from the bus, the Seigaku members saw dozens of school tennis teams, their various colored uniforms creating a vibrant spectacle amidst the crowd.

"Wow! Is this the venue for the Metropolitan Tournament? There are so many people!"

Kikumaru Eiji's eyes sparkled with excitement. He had a lively personality, and the others were already accustomed to it.

The rest of them also looked around curiously, even Tezuka and Akutsu were scanning their surroundings.

After all, it was their first time participating in a competition of this level, and the atmosphere they felt was definitely very different from the qualifiers last time.

"Alright, let's go! Time to register!"

Yamato Yūdai's gentle voice rang out, pulling everyone's attention back.

The Seigaku group walked on the road towards the registration point. Other schools around them also cast their gazes over, observing this team composed almost entirely of first-years.

"Which school is this? Why are they all first-years!"

"They look like Seigaku. The rumors from before were true. Seigaku underwent a major change; except for the former captain Yamato Yūdai, all other regulars have been replaced by first-years."

"Yeah, there are so many first-years participating this year. Both Hyotei, Yamabuki, and Seigaku have quite a few first-years competing."

"Hmph, Seigaku is asking for trouble. First-years are only fit to pick up balls. If we draw Seigaku, we'll definitely hit the jackpot!"

Tezuka and the others paid no mind to the unusual gazes from others and walked straight to the registration point.

"Hello, Seigaku is here to report. This is our roster."

Tezuka handed the list of participating regulars to the person in charge of registration.

"Okay, hmm, Seigaku has this many first-years this year?"

The registrar didn't dare to delay, immediately took the list, and looked at it with great curiosity.

However, Tezuka didn't reply, and his expression didn't change in the slightest.

At this moment, Inoue Mamoru, who was collecting materials nearby, saw the Seigaku group and walked over.

"Good morning, everyone from Seigaku."

"How is it? The first round of the elimination tournament is about to start. How are you all feeling today?"

Seeing Inoue Mamoru greet them and then raise his camera to start taking pictures, the Seigaku members all smiled relaxedly.

The optimistic Kikumaru Eiji even extended his right hand and made a victory "V" sign.

He said happily and energetically, "Good morning, Mr. Inoue! No problem, everyone's fine."

"Playing on a court like this makes me feel full of energy!"

The lively "little kitten" created a relaxed and joyful atmosphere, sweeping away the nervousness in everyone's hearts.

Just then.

Ten large buses stopped at the entrance of the venue.

Stomp... stomp... stomp...

A series of dense footsteps sounded, and a team wearing gray and white jackets appeared before their eyes.

ps: "Don't worry everyone, this is just a transitional chapter. If I only wrote about the matches, it would be too boring. Furthermore, from now on, I generally won't specifically describe these schools unless it's a very important match. Also, please vote for me~"