On May 1, the qualifiers for the Japanese junior high school National Tournament officially kicked off. → Google Search
Across Japan, preliminary qualifiers were held by region. These preliminary rounds were also known as the regional tournaments.
The preliminary rounds ran throughout May. Twenty-four junior high schools were divided into brackets and matched up, with the championship and runner-up teams advancing to the Tokyo Metropolis tournament.
The team attracting the most attention in all of Tokyo was Hyotei Academy, the top seed in Tokyo's eastern district and a semifinalist in last year's National Tournament.
Hyotei had only just formed its new team, and needed matches to build up experience. As a result, the current Hyotei had no second-string team.
The entire starting lineup had come to compete in today's regional tournament. Their goal was to claim the regional championship first, marking the beginning of their conquest of the nation.
At the Nippori Tennis Park, not far from Hyotei, people were already streaming in and out. Today's qualifying matches for Tokyo's eastern district were being held there.
"Has Hyotei arrived yet?"
The speaker was Inoue Mamoru, a reporter for Tennis Weekly. He had come to Nippori Park alone today. The intern Shiba Saori was still in college, after all, and had yet to become a reporter for Tennis Weekly.
Inoue Mamoru looked around. Students in school uniforms filled the park, while teams wearing jackets of all different colors were filing in through the entrance in the distance.
"These must be the teams competing in the regional tournament. They're the opponents Hyotei will soon face."
Inoue Mamoru watched the entrance, waiting for the team in gray-and-white jackets to appear. More than a decade ago, his idol had been Echizen Nanjirou. Now, the person he followed most closely was a boy named Kannagi Shinichi.
"They're here."
Inoue Mamoru murmured, looking at the five buses that had stopped outside the park. One after another, countless boys in gray-and-white uniforms climbed down.
"Hey, is this the Hyotei that's a national powerhouse..."
"That silver-haired guy is Kannagi Shinichi, the strongest junior high school player right now. I've seen him play before..."
"Behind Kannagi Shinichi are Vice Captain Atobe Keigo and that Akutsu guy..."
Hyotei's arrival set the people in the park buzzing.
Sakaki Taro led the team, with Kannagi Shinichi followed closely by Atobe, Akutsu, and Oshitari Yuushi. The other four regulars walked in a row behind them.
Nearly two hundred other members of Hyotei's tennis club followed the regulars into the park.
Seeing Hyotei's imposing procession, people in the park moved aside to make way for them.
"So this is Hyotei? No wonder they're a national powerhouse. They look so imposing..."
"Those four at the front are the ones featured in Tennis Weekly. They look so strong..."
Whispers and murmurs rose from the crowd. Most of the team's regulars were first-year students, but the aura of strength they exuded still put everyone under immense pressure.
This was the air of a king. Hyotei had yet to claim the top spot in the nation, but they already had the makings of one.
"Hyotei will definitely win the regional tournament."
Inoue Mamoru, the reporter, spoke with absolute conviction. It wasn't just because Hyotei already had a trace of a king's aura. He had also witnessed the skill of Hyotei's regulars firsthand.
The other schools simply couldn't compare to Hyotei.
The Hyotei regulars paid no attention to the crowd's chatter. They went straight to the registration desk and handed in their lineup.
As a seeded team, Hyotei had a bye in the first round and would begin competing in the second.
Sakaki Taro assigned Shishido Ryo and Yamazaki Uye as the second doubles pair, and Oshitari Yuushi and Mukahi Gakuto as the first doubles pair. Kannagi Shinichi, Atobe Keigo, and Akutsu Jin were assigned to singles one, two, and three, respectively.
For their opening match in the regional tournament, Hyotei would not only win—they would win in style.
The first round of the regional tournament soon ended, and Hyotei was up in the second. Their opponents were a third-rate Tokyo team, Misonosaka Academy.
They knew defeating Hyotei was a pipe dream.
But there was always a chance.
After all, Hyotei's regulars were all first-years, playing their first match. They might get nervous, and that would be their opportunity.
In competitive sports, no one was willing to give up easily—unless the gap in strength between the two sides was enormous.
By the end of the second doubles match, Misonosaka had learned what an enormous gap really meant.
Fifteen minutes. The score was 6–0. Misonosaka Academy's second doubles pair hadn't won a single point. For the first time on a tennis court, the two Misonosaka players understood what despair felt like.
The match was like a mechanism: once it started, it couldn't be stopped.
An hour later, the match between Hyotei and Misonosaka was over.
Five matches. Five 6–0 scores. Misonosaka Academy's other players hadn't managed to win a single point against Hyotei's regulars, either.
Since this was Hyotei's first match, all five matches had to be played. By the time they were over, everyone had begun to understand just how powerful Hyotei really was.
Outside the courts, Hyotei's cheer squad watched their regulars win in such perfect fashion and roared their support.
"Victory belongs to Hyotei..."
"Victory belongs to Hyotei..."
"This year, Hyotei will be Rikkai Dai's greatest rival. If Rikkai Dai wants to dominate the nation, they'll have to defeat Hyotei."
Outside the courts, a squinty-eyed boy held a notebook and watched as Hyotei's regulars left the grounds.
The squinty-eyed boy was none other than Rikkai Dai's first-year regular, Yanagi Renji.
The Kanagawa tournament would take place a little later. Since the Rikkai Dai team considered Hyotei their greatest obstacle to dominating the nation, they had sent Yanagi to Tokyo to gather information on them.
After watching Hyotei's first match, Yanagi hadn't learned much useful information about the regulars. But Hyotei's strength had made a deep impression on him.
The four boys led by Kannagi Shinichi were especially formidable. Their skill far surpassed that of most junior high school players.
"Renji, I didn't expect you to come all the way from Kanagawa to Tokyo to watch Hyotei play."
Inui Sadaharu, wearing glasses and carrying a notebook of his own, came over to Yanagi's side.
"I just came to observe Hyotei's current strength." Yanagi turned to look at his childhood friend. "Sadaharu, it looks like you've become a regular at Yamabuki."
Yanagi had learned long ago that his childhood friend had transferred from Seigaku to Yamabuki. Seeing Inui dressed in Yamabuki's regular uniform now, Yanagi was happy for him.
Inui simply nodded, confirming that he had become a Yamabuki regular, then asked Yanagi, "Renji, what do you think of Hyotei's strength?"
"They're strong. Of all the teams in Tokyo, they're probably the strongest."
Though Yanagi sounded certain, there was a hint of solemnity in his voice. Inui, however, didn't see it that way.
"Is that so? I don't think so."
Inui gently adjusted his glasses, a faint smile curling at his lips. Somehow, it looked a little sleazy.
Hearing Inui's remark, Yanagi remembered that his friend was also part of Yamabuki Middle School, a powerhouse in Tokyo. He asked, "Isn't Yamabuki competing in the Tokyo regional tournament today too? How do you have time to watch Hyotei?"
Inui glanced at Yanagi, his voice brimming with confidence. "Because Yamabuki is strong this year. Strong enough to win even without me."
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