The Opening of the Final Year

Tokyo ARENA Forest Park.

Today marked the start of the National Tournament, and the park was packed with people.

The park was already bustling early in the morning, as spectators and players from all over the country streamed in.

For spectators, the first order of business was to find out which courts had been assigned. For the players, it was the registration desk.

At the same time, a crowd of media representatives had gathered around the registration desk, taking photos of the arriving teams.

Old acquaintances Inoue Mamoru and Shiba Saori had already found a good spot, of course.

"Look! It's Rikkai Dai from Kanagawa. Sanada and Yukimura are leading the team, right?"

"The team in uniforms almost the same color as Rikkai Dai is Shitenhoji. I heard their Prodigy First Year is incredibly strong!"

"Huh? Why are all these people foreigners? Is there a team made up entirely of foreigners?"

"They're Nagoya Seidoku, this year's champions from the Chubu region. The entire team consists of exchange students from overseas."

Spectators around the registration desk whispered among themselves, while the reporters kept taking pictures.

Besides established powerhouses like Rikkai Dai and Shitenhoji, Nagoya Seidoku also drew plenty of attention.

"Here comes another team!"

"Seigaku and Fudomine are here!"

The reporters followed the crowd's cheers and looked over.

The first thing everyone saw was Fudomine's distinctive black uniforms. Leading the team was its captain, Saeki Muneyoshi.

On the other side, a group of young players in blue-and-white uniforms weren't overshadowed by Fudomine.

They were Seigaku.

The two teams happened to meet at the entrance.

Muneyoshi and Tezuka nodded to each other, then entered the venue together.

The countless stares from those around them did nothing to affect Muneyoshi or the other Fudomine players. Led by Muneyoshi, they continued forward.

"Whoa! So