The Curtain Falls, and They Return Home

Bang!

"Keith!"

On the court, Keith, in an attempt to catch up with Horio's return shot, lunged forward and crashed to the ground.

Lin Xiu was very anxious at this point, worried about his friend.

Struggling to his feet, Keith assumed a receiving stance.

"It's too late, Xiu... he can't float anymore."

Keith had reached his physical limit, and with the injury to his wrist, he simply couldn't continue.

But the rekindled belief in his heart sustained him for so long.

"He released the seal on his left hand but sealed away his inner energy. It's the last ball; it's time to end this."

Horio also knew that Keith's body had reached its limit and they couldn't delay any longer.

So the racket was swung upwards, and Light Rain was hit.

The tennis ball flew into the sky and disappeared from Keith's sight, followed by a dazzling flash of light.

"It's... light..."

Keith, pushed to his limit, could only stand there and watch as beams of light shot down from the sky engulfed him.

Several people outside the arena couldn't bear it any longer and covered their eyes.

"Keith!"

The light faded, and everyone's vision returned to normal.

Keith finally collapsed, unable to support himself any longer. Lin Xiu had recovered, immediately ran towards him.

"Build..."

I've said it before, I won't abandon you.

Whether I can participate in the competition or not, just being able to play with you is enough.

Keith, are you alright?

Peter ran over at that moment, also very worried about Keith's physical condition.

"It's nothing, just that I'm exhausted."

Before Keith could answer, Horio had already walked over.

"You must have had a lot of fun with those last few shots, but you still need to push yourself a little harder."

After saying that, Horio turned and walked towards Tezuka and the others.

"Let's go, it's time to head back."

After Horio returned to the group, Tezuka turned and walked out of the castle.

When we arrived outside the castle, it was already daylight. Just as we were about to head towards where the ship was moored, the sound of a helicopter suddenly rang out in the sky.

"Hey! Momoshiro Takeshi's here! Where's the Clark Tennis Club?!"

Everyone looked up and saw Momoshiro waving his arms at them, with Oshitari and Yukimura beside him.

"Honestly, what's the point of bringing a helicopter over? Those three just took it all."

Seeing that there were no empty seats on the helicopter, Horio shook his head.

"It seems they were worried too, so they came to check on the situation."

"It's all because of you, you brat! If you hadn't taken it upon yourself to come here, we wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble."

"But I've already taken my revenge, so I won't be unhappy."

"Hmph, don't think this is the end. You still have eight thousand more swings to do when you get back."

Kirihara was quite accepting of Atobe's complaints, but Sanada's reminder instantly made his face fall.

"Let's go, everyone. It's time to take you home, but remember to pay for the ride back."

Seeing that no one seemed inclined to leave, Kite inappropriately chimed in with a comment.

Hearing that Kite could talk about was money, the crowd couldn't help but look at him with disdain.

However, after Kite's reminder, everyone sprang into action, because there was still a competition waiting for them.

"This kind of competition isn't even part of the Wimbledon Open main draw, which really kills most of the fun."

"That's what you say, but you still came."

Outside the stadium, Horio watched the players from other countries competing and grumbled somewhat.

Kikumaru, who was standing nearby, immediately retorted to Horio didn't mention that he came because he was afraid the Clark Tennis Club would cause trouble.

"Speaking of which, even Captain Tezuka is here, so where's Echizen? Didn't Oishi- Senpai inform him?"

"They notified him, but the people there said he was undergoing some kind of special training. Even his father went, and I think his older brother went too."

"His dad? His brother? Special training..."

Hearing what Kikumaru said, Horio couldn't help but think about it.

What kind of training is it? Could it be that Echizen Nanjirou also thinks Ryoma's skills are too weak and wants to give him intensive training?

"But Horio, have you heard? The leader of the Clark Tennis Club has submitted a petition to higher authorities."

"They're not allowed to participate in the competition, so what's the point of submitting a petition?"

Kikumaru dropped another bombshell, Horio somewhat curious.

"I heard that the Captain of the various national teams are already processing the paperwork so that all members of the Clark team can participate in official competitions."

"So, all the consequences caused by tennis are being resolved with tennis? How thoughtful of you."

Hearing about Keith's actions, Horio smiled. This man who had rediscovered tennis was finally getting back on the right track.

"Alright, now it's our turn. Let's go all out."

At this time, Tezuka returned after finishing dealing with the Clark Tennis Club matter, and Seigaku's match was about to begin.

The Seigaku members, waiting in the wings, picked up their tennis bags and followed Tezuka toward the court.

The Seigaku team's mission is finally about to begin, and their opponents may be the national teams from all over the world.

"Finally back! I need to get some rest for a few days when I get back."

"Yes, the schedule has been too tight these past few days."

At Tokyo Airport, Seigaku and his group appeared.

After several days of competition, the group did not linger at Wimbledon and flew directly back to Shitenhoji.

The Hyotei Atobe, Rikkai Dai isn't even on the same plane as Seigaku.

So only the Seigaku members returned today, and even Kikumaru, who is usually full of energy, was exhausted after several days of hard work.

"In that case, let's all disperse here, go back and rest for a couple of days, and then training will continue as usual."

Seeing the exhausted looks on his students' faces, Coach Ryuzaki humanely gave them a few days off.

"And what about you Horio? Are you still not participating in the team's training?"

"I won't participate. The training over there suits me better, and I need to focus on training now, as there might be even tougher competitions coming up."

"Seriously, kid, it's been so long since we've seen you during training. It feels like you're not even a member of Seigaku anymore."

When questioned by Coach Ryuzaki, Horio chose to return to the Training Base.

Kikumaru, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but tease him, while Horio just smiled meaningfully.

"Don't worry, you'll see me at training soon. The invitational tournament is over, so it shouldn't be long."

Hearing Horio's words, not only were the Seigaku dumbfounded, but even Coach Ryuzaki was somewhat puzzled.

"Alright everyone, I'm leaving now. Remember to stay in good shape during this time."

After giving everyone a final word of advice, Horio and left.