Tezuka, This Is All for the National Tournament's Three-Peat!

"Atobe, where are you going!"

Oshitari couldn't bear to see Atobe fall into despair like this and blocked his path.

"I think I've found it, the path that belongs only to me."

Atobe didn't look directly at Oshitari, lowering his head and responding calmly.

"But..."

"Let him go."

Tezuka watched Atobe's retreating back and said calmly.

Hearing Tezuka's words, Oshitari no longer blocked Atobe, letting him leave the tennis club.

"Aren't you going too far by doing that?"

Back in the lounge.

Kamikawa, having just finished a match, naturally returned to the lounge to change into fresh clothes.

After arranging for others to train, Tezuka also came to the lounge and saw Kamikawa sitting on a chair.

At this point, Tezuka, having not yet experienced major setbacks, was still kind-hearted and did not possess the icy demeanor of the third-year captain depicted in the original work.

"He'll go through this sooner or later."

Kamikawa looked up at Tezuka, his expression calm as if stating a fact.

"His mentality, will it..."

"No!"

Kamikawa shook his head. He understood Atobe better than anyone. The more setbacks this guy experienced, the faster he would grow. His talent had not truly been revealed yet.

This was merely forcing Atobe to face reality.

Just like the match between Tezuka and Sanada in the JR Tournament, the brutal 6-0 score had directly forced Sanada to recognize reality, leading him to train even harder in an attempt to surpass Tezuka and everything else.

"Tezuka."

Kamikawa stood up, patted Tezuka's shoulder, and smiled calmly. "Do you remember what I said? I want to lead the Hyotei tennis club to national dominance and achieve three consecutive National Tournament championships."

"Furthermore, I now want to lead the tennis world, reach higher peaks, and look down upon all beings."

"Our generation may not be as strong overall as the previous one, but I firmly believe that our generation will be the greatest era."

"Mmm~"

Tezuka was taken aback. He looked at Kamikawa, whose face was filled with confidence and pride. This was the path Kamikawa had been steadfastly following.

"The regular player spots should have been decided by now."

Kamikawa retracted his pride and asked with a slight smile.

"Yes, me, you, Atobe, Shishido, Mukahi, Oshitari, Senior Mitsuya Genko, and Akutagawa Jiro."

There were a total of seven players who could participate in the competition, plus one substitute, making it eight in total. Jiro was the last name Tezuka wrote down.

Although he had suffered a crushing defeat against Oshitari, Tezuka had seen the talent Jiro displayed, which was a notch above the second and third-year seniors.

Of course, this list of regular players would be adjusted repeatedly. School ranking matches would be held periodically, and any regular player who lost would be immediately replaced.

This was to ensure that the eight regular players of the Hyotei tennis club were all carefully selected.

"Our team is missing one or two suitable doubles pairs."

Kamikawa said with a hint of helplessness as he looked at the list.

Mukahi and Shishido, these two were among the three Hyotei swordsmen. Their styles could barely be matched, but Oshitari, Jiro, and Mitsuya Genko...

These three were all solid singles players. Jiro, in particular, had no experience in doubles at all and belonged to the group of people who inherently disliked doubles.

Oshitari, if cultivated a little, could also participate as a doubles player.

But...

With Oshitari's talent, it would be too much of a waste to have him play doubles.

Oshitari's personality was a bit like a fox, appearing cunning and calculating, but in doubles, he couldn't control his teammates like Yanagi Renji or Inui Sadaharu and win through unconventional means.

His cunning nature was better reflected in singles. In doubles, it would inadvertently weaken his abilities and limit his potential for growth.

"For now, we'll stick with the players on the list."

Tezuka glanced at the list in his hand. "The order of play will need to be discussed with Coach Sakaki."

"Alright."

Kamikawa nodded in understanding.

Regarding the tennis club matters, everything was up to Tezuka.

Kamikawa didn't care about these things. He only cared about how long it would take for Atobe to recover.

Although Atobe was a player who grew faster under greater pressure, too much pressure might crush him. Had he been too hasty?!

As soon as Kamikawa thought of Rikkai Dai Fuzhong, he quickly dismissed the idea.

Sanada, having been severely disciplined by Tezuka, had already grown rapidly. If Atobe couldn't keep up with Sanada's pace, even if he himself and Tezuka could secure victories in two singles matches.

Then the remaining three matches would absolutely be won by Rikkai Dai!

Rikkai Dai's doubles teams, even at the Kanto level, were among the absolute best. Moreover, with Yanagi Renji's support, their doubles strength was likely beyond Kanto level, possibly even at the national level.

"Rikkai Dai Fuzhong!"

"Yukimura Seiichi, I'll see you at the Kanto tournament."

Time passed day by day.

On a street tennis court in Tokyo, a unique figure could always be seen.

Street tennis courts had no proper rules; only strength mattered.

On the neon-lit court, a pale-faced boy with spiky hair swung his racket. Despite being in a bustling area, no one dared to step forward and challenge him.

With a sudden powerful strike from the boy, the tennis ball shot out like a cannonball, slamming hard against the sturdy concrete wall, emitting a crisp, loud sound between the ball and the wall.

Centered on the tennis ball, a distinct crack appeared on the wall, rapidly spreading outwards. The once solid concrete surface tore apart into pieces of broken concrete.

Under the impact and spin of the tennis ball, they fell like raindrops, hitting the ground with a crackling sound.

For a moment, dust flew everywhere!

"Kamikawa Mutsu!"

The boy raised his head, gazing at the wall in front of him. He glanced at the split tennis ball on the ground, held up his racket, and turned to leave the street tennis court.

Only after the boy left did those hiding in the shadows slowly emerge.

They all looked at the spot where the boy had just been training, swallowing hard.

"That guy... he's a freak, training here almost every day."

"Yeah, yeah. I heard he just came over not too long ago. From his build, he looks like a first-year junior high student this year."

Among the crowd, upon hearing that the other person was only in their first year of junior high, everyone's faces showed fear.

"H-How is that possible? He's only in first year?!"

"I didn't believe it at first either. Then someone followed him and saw with their own eyes that he entered Yamabuki Junior High. And judging by his height, he really is a first-year student."

"Are first-year junior high students this monstrous now?!"

"Sigh~ Who knows? Some people have played against him before. Whether it was one-on-one or two-on-two, they were all defeated by that kid. And the players were all black and blue."

"In any case, it's best not to provoke that kid lightly."

"..."

In Tokyo, in a bustling area, within a detached villa, a boy was still on the court, continuously swinging his racket. Behind him followed a burly, expressionless boy.

And in the middle of a small alley, the Kamikawa residence.

A boy lay in the courtyard, gazing at the starry sky, raising his hand as if to grasp the vast expanse of stars.