An outdoor tennis court in Nagoya.
Kannagi Shinichi and Ochi Moonlight stood facing each other.
"You serve." Ochi Moonlight was confident. No one had ever returned his Mach Serve the first time they faced it.
So he let Kannagi Shinichi serve first.
"Okay."
Kannagi Shinichi didn't hesitate. Since he knew his opponent's specialty was serving and Ochi was willing to give him the chance, he'd better seize it. Otherwise, if Advisor Sakaki decided he'd wasted his money and tried to get it back, things would get awkward.
Kannagi Shinichi lightly bounced the tennis ball in his hand. He'd already felt his mind waver just now, and realized that Ochi Moonlight had used Mental Assassination on him during their brief conversation on the court.
If he uses his Mach Serve, I won't stand a chance of returning it. But if he thinks Mental Assassination alone can beat me, then Ochi Moonlight is seriously overestimating himself.
After inwardly grumbling about Ochi Moonlight, Kannagi Shinichi narrowed his eyes and swung his arm. The tennis ball soared into the air, and his body moved instinctively.
He bent his knees, rose onto his toes, jumped, and swung.
The serve was simple and fluid. With Kannagi Shinichi's strength stat at a whopping 5, he swung with all his might. The ball flew straight, but it was fast and heavy.
Even Kannagi Shinichi hadn't expected that, despite Ochi Moonlight's Mental Assassination, he'd serve even better than usual.
Perhaps this was the power of money.
"That serve is definitely traveling at 200 kilometers per hour. It's a national-level serve." Advisor Sakaki was quite pleased with Kannagi Shinichi's serve. For a twelve-year-old boy to manage a national-level shot was already remarkable.
But Advisor Sakaki didn't know this was an exceptional performance from Kannagi Shinichi. His usual serve wasn't this fast; it topped out at 195 kilometers per hour.
"Speed isn't the most important thing. It's the weight of the ball. Kannagi's strength is incredible—beyond the level of a middle schooler," Davis Ben, the coach of Nagoya Seidoku, remarked from the side.
"It's not enough. Ochi can return that."
Just as Advisor Sakaki had said, Ochi easily returned Kannagi Shinichi's serve.
Perhaps because the ball was so heavy, Ochi Moonlight's return wasn't as fast as Kannagi Shinichi had imagined.
In that case, he'd seize the opening and go straight for his ultimate move. He had no intention of testing his opponent's ability, especially when the match would be decided by a single shot.
"Ochi Moonlight, be careful not to get hurt by this one!" Kannagi Shinichi shouted at him. Then he focused all his strength into his right arm and let out another long cry. "Hah... Thun... der... clap... Eight... Trigrams..."
Kannagi Shinichi's shout rang across the entire court.
Zzz—
Countless bolts of lightning gathered around Kannagi Shinichi's right hand. Electricity crackled across his racket, its power terrifying.
"What is that...?" Davis Ben was so shocked he couldn't even finish his sentence.
"How can he be this strong? How...?" Seeing the shot, Kiyota Yosuke deeply regretted not offering more just now. If he could bring Kannagi Shinichi back to the school, he'd surely lead Nagoya Seidoku to the national championship in the future.
"So this is Kannagi Shinichi..." Advisor Sakaki's eyes widened, and his breathing grew heavy. He fixed his gaze on Kannagi Shinichi on the court, his heart pounding with excitement. He wanted to roar.
He'd known Kannagi Shinichi was strong, but this move surpassed every middle schooler's ability—even that of high schoolers. Advisor Sakaki watched him eagerly and murmured, "Kannagi Shinichi, you truly deserve to be called the Second Legendary Man."
On the court—
Boom!
The sound of the hit rang out like thunder. The spectators couldn't help covering their ears.
Only Ochi Moonlight remained focused, determined to return the ball.
Thud...
The tennis ball hit the ground. Ochi Moonlight hadn't returned it, because he knew he couldn't.
When everyone saw the wall behind Ochi Moonlight, their faces filled with shock. A huge hole had been blasted through it, with cracks spreading around it like a spiderweb.
The magazine had previously reported that Kannagi Shinichi had defeated Tono Atsukyo and blasted a hole through a wall with a tennis ball.
But seeing it with their own eyes was far more shocking than any magazine photo.
Ochi Moonlight took a deep breath, equally stunned. A twelve-year-old boy had hit a shot with such terrifying force. It was almost unbelievable.
He'd seen a shot with power like this before, at this year's National Tournament. It had been hit by a man named Byodoin.
He, too, had blasted a huge hole through a wall with a tennis ball. The only difference was that his ball had glowed.
Kannagi Shinichi and Ochi Moonlight put away their rackets and met at the center of the net, where they shook hands.
"You're strong. I lost this time." Ochi Moonlight was straightforward. A loss was a loss, and a win was a win. He didn't dwell on having lost to an elementary schooler. After all, Tono Atsukyo had already done so before him.
"If you'd served, I would've been the one to lose."
Though the two were vastly different in height, Kannagi Shinichi's presence was every bit as imposing as Ochi Moonlight's.
"I hope you can lead Hyotei to the national championship."
"Of course. I'll lead Hyotei to three consecutive national titles."
Ochi Moonlight smiled—a rare sight.
The one-shot match ended quickly, with Kannagi Shinichi emerging victorious. But Advisor Sakaki and Davis Ben had seen more than the boy's terrifying skill. They'd also recognized the boundless potential of his body. After all, Kannagi Shinichi was only twelve.
The two went over to Advisor Sakaki. He stared at Kannagi Shinichi, his eyes shining. "Kannagi, welcome to Hyotei once again."
"Thank you, Advisor Sakaki. I'll lead Hyotei to the top of the nation." From Advisor Sakaki's words, Kannagi Shinichi knew he'd acknowledged his ability.
"Excuse me for interrupting. I'm Inoue Mamoru, a reporter for Tennis Monthly. May I interview you, Kannagi?"
Inoue Mamoru had watched the entire match. That boy's terrifying shot had left him utterly shaken. He couldn't help thinking that even Echizen Nanjirou at that age might not have been as good as this boy.
Kannagi Shinichi glanced at Advisor Sakaki, who gave him a slight nod.
Only then did Kannagi Shinichi nod to Inoue. "Sure."
"I'd like to ask which middle school you plan to attend. Will it be Hyotei?"
Inoue had seen Kannagi Shinichi interacting with Advisor Sakaki, and after the match, he'd gone over to Advisor Sakaki with Ochi Moonlight. So he'd made a guess.
"Yes. I'll choose Hyotei for middle school."
Kannagi Shinichi spoke in a cool tone, but Inoue Mamoru thought it was only natural. The boy seemed strong and lonely at a glance, perhaps lonely because he had no rivals his own age.
"May I ask why you chose Hyotei, even though it's in Tokyo?"
Why choose Hyotei? Of course, it was because of the money. But Kannagi Shinichi couldn't say that.
"Hyotei's sincerity made me feel valued."
Perhaps sensing Kannagi Shinichi's impatience with the question, Advisor Sakaki spoke up. "Mr. Inoue, we have other matters to attend to, so we'll be leaving now."
With that, Advisor Sakaki was about to leave the court with Ochi Moonlight and Kannagi Shinichi.
"Please wait. I have one last question for Kannagi."
"Go ahead."
"What goals do you have for middle school?" Seeing Kannagi Shinichi stop, Inoue Mamoru breathed a sigh of relief.
"Goals?" Kannagi Shinichi didn't really have any. He just wanted to unlock more template progress and make money.
But he couldn't say that either. He looked at Advisor Sakaki and Ochi Moonlight, who were watching him, then raised his right hand and declared coldly, "Next year, I'll lead Hyotei to conquer the nation and create an era of my own."
The next day, Tennis Monthly released its latest issue.
Tennis Tyrant to Arrive in Tokyo
The Declaration: The Future Belongs to the Tyrant
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