Heading to Wimbledon
Bang!
After Horio swung his racket, the crowd below the court heard only the sound of the ball hitting the ground, followed by the sudden sound of the tennis ball hitting the ground.
"Wha... what happened...?"
On the court, Ochi hadn't even had time to adjust his stance after hitting the Mach Serve when he heard the sound of the tennis ball landing in his own half of the court.
"I already said I clearly saw the ball's trajectory."
Seeing Ochi, Horio, enveloped in purple light, raised his racket and pointed it at Ochi.
Offstage, the entire Expeditionary Force remained silent, with Oni and Irie among them also displaying solemn expressions.
The only reason they performed this way was because of Horio's outstanding performance.
Inside the control room on the other side, Kurobe Saito, and Takuetsu, who had already returned to the control room, were all shocked, but also showed excitement in their eyes.
"I can't believe it! Where did the Head Coach find such a genius?"
"You can't say that... It's fine to call Gui and the others geniuses, but to describe him as a genius is to underestimate him."
"No wonder even someone as powerful as Byodoin couldn't get the Head Coach's approval, and was only given the Number One Badge."
It seems the Head Coach has finally found someone qualified to wear the Zero Badge. I'm really looking forward to Byodoin's match against him.
The three of them were all acknowledging and praising Horio's strength, and they also mentioned the Zero Badge, which had never appeared before.
"I've already figured out your Mach Serve, there's no point in continuing, you've lost."
Horio's words pulled Ochi back to reality from his self-consciousness, and then feelings of resentment arose.
He then brushed his hair aside, revealing his right eye, which had been covered.
Ochi looked at Horio again, his mental power suddenly erupting.
However, when Ochi encountered the purple light enveloping Horio, his mental power was completely blocked.
"Don't you know? The Heavenly Clothes Seamless is immune to any mental attacks."
In an instant, Ochi's burst of spiritual power vanished into thin air.
"I lost..."
Mach Serve was broken, and his Mental Assassination was ineffective. Ochi, who stood there for a long time unable to calm down, could only admit defeat in the end.
"As expected of a legendary realm, it not only enhances physical functions but also grants immunity to mental attacks. Once you learn this move, you can shine brightly in the world."
"It was with this move that Samurai Nanjirou made a name for himself in the world, but since his sudden retirement, our country's tennis level has entered a period of decline."
"However, that Heavenly Clothes Seamless... if one's own strength is not high, it would be futile if one encountered someone much stronger than oneself."
On the sidelines, Irie, Oni, and Tanegashima were all seeing Heavenly Clothes Seamless for the first time and were filled with curiosity.
Meanwhile, on the field, after Ochi left, Horio's gaze turned to the Expeditionary Force.
"Anyone else still disagreeing? Or perhaps someone who wants to challenge me?"
Horio's tone, which had returned to normal, turned cold. Although it was a normal change, it meant something else entirely to the members of the Expeditionary Force.
"Is that all? How boring. I really don't understand why that old man wanted me to come back. It's such a waste of time."
Horio added fuel to the fire when the Expeditionary Force avoided battle.
As expected, after hearing Horio's mockery...
Those who dared not accept the challenge, apart from a few who showed expressions of shame and embarrassment, all gritted their teeth and clenched their fists so tightly they turned a different color.
Horio returned to the sidelines, put his racket into his tennis bag, and prepared to leave with Oni and the others.
The Expeditionary Force could only watch them walk away with resentment. Just as Horio turned around and took a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
This action startled the Expeditionary Force members who were staring at his back, and then they heard Horio's words.
"You'd better make the most of the next month of overseas training, or you'll be even more embarrassed when you come back."
After saying that, Horio started walking towards the dormitory.
Oni, Irie, Tanegashima, and Tokugawa glanced back at them before turning and leaving.
Just as Horio returned to his dorm, a peculiar feeling washed over him.
My body suddenly felt empty, and then the feeling that had been restricting me seemed to have disappeared.
"It seems that 24 hours have passed, and my physical limits have been broken through to a world-class level."
After checking the time, Horio knew that the system's modifications to his body were complete.
After trying to communicate with the system but receiving no response, Horio stopped trying.
This time, the system went into hibernation without even saying goodbye, and Horio didn't find it strange at all.
He had originally planned to take a shower and then rest, so he got up and left the room, heading towards the training room.
The next day, after saying goodbye to Oni and the others, Horio left the training camp with his tennis bag on his back.
As Horio left the training camp, the plane carrying the Seigaku members had just landed in London.
"We've finally arrived. They should have just gotten here recently, so there shouldn't be any major problems."
Horio was spotted inside London Airport.
After leaving the airport, Horio boarded a bus.
Because my accommodation was not far from the Wimbledon Open finals venue, it wasn't difficult to find.
Just after the bus had traveled a short distance, a figure suddenly darted out from the side of the road, and the driver slammed on the brakes, waking everyone on the bus.
"What's going on? Why are there so many heartless people everywhere?"
Horio got out of the car while grumbling to himself.
Upon reaching the front of the car, he saw a tall Asian man.
Seemingly startled by the bus's sudden braking, he collapsed to the ground.
Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?
Just as I was recovering from the shock, I heard Horio speaking to me.
The man ignored Horio's concern, stood up, and left immediately.
"It seems they don't understand, but not even a single response is really impolite."
Seeing that the person had already gone far away, Horio did not chase after him.
At night, the chimes of Big Ben echoed in the distance.
On the practice court not far from the final venue, representatives from various countries were practicing for the exhibition match.
Although it was already dark, there were still special lights on in the venue.
In the places where the lights couldn't reach, one figure after another appeared.
They were wearing the same clothes and the same rings.
They stood outside the stadium, watching the players from various countries, and then one of them waved his hand, and the others immediately sprang into action.
Before long, a series of hitting sounds came from various courts.
After the sound of the ball being struck, the players from various countries who had been practicing extra were all lying on the ground.