Leaving Once More

"That's... could it be that he concentrated his Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired power into his legs, enhancing his speed?"

"But he was still able to transfer his Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired power while moving..."

"So, does that mean he's overcome the drawbacks of the Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired?!"

"This is incredible! He's only just entered this realm..."

Ryoma's obvious change made everyone in the audience widen their eyes once again.

"The surprises keep coming! Keep going, Ryoma, one day you'll stand at the top of the world!"

Faced with Ryoma's skillful use of his Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired to return his shot, Horio chose not to hold back.

Using all his strength, the Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired was unlocked once again, along with the "sweet spot" technique.

With a loud shout, Horio returned the ball.

The tennis ball flew towards Ryoma with a destructive force, and everyone on the sidelines felt the danger.

Even Tezuka looked shocked, and Ryoma realized that he couldn't catch the ball.

But unwilling to admit defeat, he still assumed a receiving stance, waiting for the ball to bounce.

The ideal is beautiful, but the reality is harsh.

The tennis ball was hurtling forward so fast it hadn't even hit the ground yet.

That powerful aura made Ryoma almost lose his footing.

Upon landing, it even stirred up a cloud of dust on the field.

Then everyone vaguely saw the Ryoma fly out, followed by two impact sounds.

"Is... this possible...?"

"That's outrageous! Is this really a human being able to play tennis like that?!"

"Echizen is alright. If I had been standing there, I can't even imagine what would have happened to me."

Apart from a few with strong mental fortitude who were still able to speak, everyone else was immersed in fear.

Coach Ryuzaki, sitting in the referee's seat, was speechless for a long time. In all his years of coaching, he had never seen such a scene.

When the smoke cleared, the shocked crowd saw what had been hidden beneath it.

They should have looked away, because once they did, they broke out in a cold sweat.

Where Ryoma had been standing, a hole about half a meter in diameter had appeared, and not far from the hole Ryoma was lying on the ground.

Behind Ryoma was the net, torn apart by the rebounding ball, and the dent in the net after Ryoma was knocked away.

"Are you alright, Ryoma? That was a good game."

Horio walked up to Ryoma and helped him up as he spoke.

The Seigaku members, who had barely recovered, immediately came over to check on Ryoma's condition, fearing that something might have gone wrong.

"I'm fine, thank you Horio."

With some difficulty, Ryoma uttered those words, and his spirits immediately waned.

"Alright, help Echizen to rest. He'll probably have to go back to the US tomorrow."

Tezuka also realized that Ryoma was not seriously injured, so he asked everyone to help him off the field.

"Seriously, does it really have to go this far?"

Seeing Horio as if nothing had happened, Coach Ryuzaki sighed.

"The results are pretty good, aren't they? To be honest, even I was quite surprised by today's match."

Horio spoke casually, but he hadn't expected Ryoma's Horio changes.

"I think he should be able to handle the upcoming matches well; his personality is exactly like his father's."

Coach Ryuzaki looked at Ryoma, who was resting to the side, with a hint of helplessness.

"In any case, he has achieved his goal of coming back this time. Now we need to focus all our attention on the National Tournament."

Tezuka was also satisfied with his match against Ryoma, even though Ryoma didn't defeat him.

But he also saw the growth of this future pillar of Seigaku, and that was enough.

"The National Tournament is now officially open. Contestants, please enter the arena."

Fireworks celebrating outside a stadium in Tokyo.

With the organizers' announcement over the loudspeaker, the National Tournament officially began.

Excellent teams from all over the country gathered together, including Rikkai Dai, Fudomine, Rokkaku, and Hyotei.

It's said that because this year's National Tournament is being held in Tokyo, they can recommend a strong local team.

Therefore, Hyotei, as a renowned elite school in Tokyo, was undoubtedly recommended.

"Higa Junior High Shitenhoji, Hyotei, Horio, you really have good luck, you always manage to be grouped with these amazing schools."

Looking at the teams in the stadium, and thinking about the group that Seigaku was in, Kikumaru felt like complaining.

"That has nothing to do with me. The Captain was the one who went up in the end during the draw."

Just as Horio was getting up to go upstairs for the draw, Tezuka suddenly arrived and said he would draw the lot himself.

Thinking it didn't matter which group he was in, Horio handed over the right to draw lots to Tezuka.

"It seems there have been changes in the teams from different regions for this year's National Tournament. Kyushu has been completely dominated by Kyushu Region this year."

"I heard that Higa Junior High is much stronger than last year, and there has been a major reshuffle of its members."

"The same goes for Shitenhoji; they've reportedly produced a first-year student there, and he's quite strong."

"It looks like we can't let our guard down in the upcoming matches."

The Seigaku members observed the stronger schools in their group. It wasn't just Seigaku that had improved; the opponents they would face next were equally formidable.

"Therefore, we look forward to seeing you ignite the burning passion within your hearts and give your all in the intense competition at the National Tournament."

As the organizer finished speaking, the opening ceremony of the National Tournament came to an end, officially commencing the competition.

"The National Tournament has finally begun."

"No matter what, I just feel incredibly excited."

"Tch, this isn't a zoo, calm down. Besides, what's there to get so worked up about, you're just a substitute?"

With Ryoma absent, Momoshiro smoothly became the substitute.

But when he heard Kaitou say that about him, Momoshiro immediately got angry.

The two rivals started fighting right there at the competition venue, Kikumaru had no choice but to stop them.

"You two are getting too excited. We don't even have a match today. It's a wonder you still have the energy to argue; I'm so bored."

"No, there's still a lot to do. The first match features Rokkaku Middle School, which is worth noting, as well as Higa Fudomine, which dominated Higa Junior High this year, Fudomine, led by the fully resurrected Tachibana Kippei, and Hyotei, which cannot be underestimated."

Summarizing all their matches and recording all the players' information will take a very tight timeframe.

Even without competitions, they don't stop working; they've already written down all the schools they need to pay attention to.

My notebook was already prepared, and I was just waiting for the competition to officially begin.

"Overall, it's best to watch Rokkaku Middle School's match closely. If all goes well, they might be our opponent in the first match."

He adjusted his glasses and turned to walk towards the Rokkaku Middle School's sports field.