The Training Camp Invitation Was Sent Out

"You really came back at the worst possible time. The First String and Second Armies just left for overseas today."

Inside the U-17 Training Base, Horio had just returned when he ran into Irie, who was strolling around.

"What, do those guys want revenge?"

"Who knows? Anyway, those guys were supposed to come back and rest for a few days, but you gave them a hard time as soon as they got back, so they haven't been idle these past few days. They've been practicing like crazy every day."

Irie adjusted his glasses, his smile seemingly recalling the disheveled state of the First String and second teams.

"How was your Wimbledon trip? Did that street tennis club cause any trouble?"

"There was a slight mishap; teams from other countries were injured, and we also had a few players injured, but thankfully it didn't disrupt the course of the competition."

"Really? Looks like you had a pretty good trip. By the way, the invitations for the training camp for middle school students will be sent out in the next few days. I hope none of your teammates got hurt."

Horio paused for a moment when he heard Irie mention the invitation.

"They just got back from a few schools and they've already sent out invitations? Is that old geezer so impatient?"

"I'm just a member of the U-17 team, how could I possibly know their arrangements? But the World Championship is starting soon, and this time the rules allow junior high school students to participate, so the Head Coach probably made these arrangements."

Irie's reminder that reminded Horio that the World Championship was just over a month away.

The reason why the First String and Second Armies went overseas for a month of training was for this purpose.

"Looks like there's going to be some good drama. Once the junior high students from several schools arrive, both the other sports fields and the newly recruited high school students will feel threatened."

"Honestly, aren't you a middle school student too? You're talking like you're a high school student."

"Tennis knows no age; as long as you have the skill, isn't that the core principle of U-17 tennis?"

However, there's something I'm curious about: when will I be able to witness your true strength?

Horio didn't feel embarrassed by Irie's criticism; instead, he teased Irie in return.

Even though he was a movie star, Irie's expression didn't change when he heard Horio say that. He just smiled and didn't reply.

"What a guy who loves to pretend."

Watching Irie walk away, Horio could only shake his head helplessly.

"Hurry up, the demon and Tokugawa are sparring, let's go take a look."

What do you think?

"My strength has increased, and I'm faster, but something feels off to me."

Outside the stadium, Horio and Irie watched Oni and Tokugawa fight on the field.

Although Irie didn't specify who he was asking, Horio understood without even asking.

Seeing that Tokugawa had improved compared to before, Horio had to admit it.

"Is something wrong? The Coach staff's data analysis didn't find anything unusual."

"He's putting himself under too much pressure. While that might boost his skills in the short term, it could affect his performance if he faces Byodoin in a match."

Hearing Horio say that, Irie also frowned.

Because Tokugawa had always considered defeating Byodoin as his goal, another Byodoin defeat would undoubtedly shatter Tokugawa's inner conviction.

"What can we do? If Tokugawa doesn't feel that pressure, he'll have even less chance of beating Byodoin."

"No one can help him. He has to solve this himself. Perhaps the key to solving it will be when he has his final battle with Byodoin."

For Tokugawa, who had been trained for a long time, Irie was still very concerned.

However, this kind of psychological problem could not be affected by anyone other than Tokugawa himself.

In the following days, Horio carried out physical strengthening training according to his own ideas.

Since he has already broken through his physical limits, he needs to quickly improve himself further.

"We've reached a point where we can fulfill our promise to Echizen Nanjirou, but he's gone abroad, so it looks like we'll have to postpone it for now."

Thinking of his promise to Echizen Nanjirou, Horio felt both excited and afraid.

As the world's strongest fighter, Horio knew he had little chance of winning, but a match against him would certainly be beneficial to his own strength.

Horio was pondering these thoughts when the phone rang, interrupting him.

"Hello, Coach, it's me."

It's okay, I'll go by myself. I'll definitely meet up with everyone tomorrow.

Hearing Coach Ryuzaki's message on the other end of the phone, Horio's lips curled into a slight smile.

"It's finally here. You lazy high school students, you'd better be prepared to be eliminated."

After hanging up the phone, looking at the high school students who had just arrived at the Training Base that day on the court outside, Horio said something inexplicable.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking and a layer of mist still lingered in the forest, a bus was traveling on the highway.

The bus is clearly heading towards the forest ahead, indicating that its destination is the U-17 Training Base.

The bus was carrying the Seigaku who had been invited to the U-17 training camp training camp. The fact that they had to catch the bus so early in the morning clearly left them looking a little tired.

So everyone took advantage of the time before the bus reached its destination to catch up on sleep.

When the bus arrived at its destination, the thick fog that had enveloped the mountains had been dispelled by the rising sun.

The Seigaku members, whose spirits had shifted, got off the bus and headed towards the gate of the U-17 training camp.

"Have you heard? About the middle school student incident?"

"You mean that? That's a joke. A middle school kid like that, he wouldn't even last three days in a training camp."

"This is a rare opportunity, so let's cherish them."

Inside the training camp, Horio had just finished practicing and stepped out of the training room when he heard the whispers of two people next to him.

Looking to the side, I saw a short-haired man and a man wearing a hat, who also appeared to be members of the reserve force.

Watching them walk towards the exit of the Training Base, and combining this with what they had said earlier, Horio knew that the two of them were going to intercept them halfway.

However, he did not stop them. He probably knew that these two were not on the list of the strongest people in the entire Training Base's reserve force.

So even if they wanted to teach the new junior high students a lesson along the way, they would probably only return empty-handed, and might even end up being taught a lesson themselves.

Horio simply smiled as he watched the two figures leave, then headed towards the restaurant.

Meanwhile, not far from the Training Base's large iron gate, a group of familiar figures were walking towards the Training Base.