The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

The sheer number of skeptical voices was somewhat embarrassing for Mamoru Inoue, since it was he who raised the question.

"Hyotei still has a good chance."

Inoue Mamoru spoke up. He really wanted to say that Hyotei would definitely win the championship, but he had also traveled to Rikkai University quite a bit, and he knew the real situation there better than anyone else.

Yukimura Seiichi, the coach and captain of Rikkai University, who is known as the "Child of God," was selected for the official school team in his first year of high school. He won the Kanto Tournament in his childhood and then the National Tournament. He was undefeated and won every battle, as if he were a god. Therefore, he was called the "Child of God."

There's also the strict vice-captain, Genichiro Sanada, who is a terrifying presence in the team.

Second-year ace Kirihara Akaya is also an invaluable main force.

Faced with such a formidable team, anyone would likely feel psychologically resistant to making grand pronouncements of certain victory.

Mamoru Inoue is no exception.

The reason why Natsume Tsukiya didn't follow Natsume Tsukiya's lead was simply because Rikkai University was just too powerful.

"It's not that there's much hope, it's that we must. Hyotei must defeat any enemy that stands in our way and ultimately lift the championship crown."

Natsume Tsukiya also slightly shook his finger, closed his eyes, and said confidently:

"This is the determination of the new Hyotei."

"..."

The audience was silent.

It was as if there was a dark cloud, and Natsume Tsuki was under that cloud, protecting those who hadn't gotten wet.

Everyone was shouting to defeat Li Haida, but everyone knew in their hearts how powerful the three giants were. Even if one person in a team could fight against them, it was still just one person. This is a team game, not an individual men's singles game.

"That's unlikely, isn't it?"

There are subtle doubts within Hyotei.

"Fool."

Ryo Mido abruptly turned his head and shouted loudly:

"We, Hyotei, will defeat everyone, including Rikkai, and take the national championship!"

"Oh~"

Pairs of eyes blinked.

"Give me your all!" Ryo Mido shouted fiercely.

"Hyotei".

"Hyotei!"

"Hyotei!"

"Hyotei has won!"

The sound gradually coalesced into a powerful wave, growing louder and louder until it quickly drowned out all other sounds in the venue, creating a very special atmosphere.

This further demoralized St. Rudolph's College.

Especially for the third-grade students, they will never be able to compete in the national competition again...

Inoue Mamoru stood there, stunned.

The Hyotei students, their faces gleaming with excitement, had packed their bags and were ready to return to school. Natsume Tsuki walked at the front, waving to Inoue Mamoru:

"Mr. Inoue, as I said, Hyotei will win the national championship. Please wait and see."

Shiba Saori suddenly remembered what Natsume Tsukiya had said before, and looked at Inoue Mamoru, "Inoue-senpai!"

"Ah~" Inoue Mamoru had never seen such a person before, a person who looked frivolous but was full of confidence, and whose aura was completely different from that of other middle school students.

As for whether Hyotei can win the national championship, he doesn't know. What he is sure of is that once this report is published, the magazine's sales will be very good, yes, very good!

He couldn't help but feel secretly pleased again.

"Hyotei is determined to win the national championship..." Yeah, that's how I'll write it.

Watching Hyotei's departing figure, Inoue Mamoru thought to himself that he should visit Hyotei more often in the future, as he should be able to obtain a lot of good material.

For a journalist, the most important thing is still just the material...

"Ring ring~"

Watching Hyotei leave from afar, Inui Sadaharu, though he didn't witness the match firsthand, still gained some insights, such as the change of captain at Hyotei.

He took out his PHS phone, turned it on, and saw that it was Bu Er calling.

"Hey, Fuji!"

"Agan, how's the loser's bracket comeback match going?" Fuji Syusuke's voice was still very gentle on the other end of the line.

"Oh, Fuji, you want to ask how the St. Rudolph match went, right?"

Inui Sadaharu turned his head and glanced at the dejected Saint Rudolf group in the distance, revealing Fuji Syusuke's thoughts, and said.

"Agan guessed right." Fuji Syusuke said with a smile, "I couldn't get through to Yuta on the phone. I just remembered you were here."

"Um."

Inui Sadaharu withdrew his gaze, paused, and said:

"Hyotei is the school that qualified for the Kanto Tournament!"

"....."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before Fuji Syusuke's voice finally came through:

"And what was the result of the match?"

Clearly, Fuji Syusuke on the other side has accepted the fact that Saint Rudolph cannot participate in the Kanto Tournament.

Then Inui Sadaharu said:

"Hyotei defeats St. Rudolf Academy 5-0!"

"Five...five to zero!"

Fuji Syusuke's voice visibly stiffened for a moment.

"Yes, four six-to-zero scores, one six-to-two score," Inui Sadaharu said, looking down at his notes.

"Four sixes to zero..." Fuji Syusuke's footsteps seemed to stop.

"That's right, Hyotei is very strong this time."

As Inui Sadaharu was wondering where to get the match recordings, he saw Inoue Morimasa in the distance holding a camera and Shiba Saori getting closer to watch.

He suddenly remembered that the reporter had brought a video camera in addition to a camera, so he walked over there, saying as he went:

"Their players are all very strong; all of them are starters this time."

"Well..." Fuji Syusuke hesitated for a moment.

"You want to ask about Fuji Yuta's situation, right?" Inui Sadaharu asked with certainty.

"Yes, he didn't answer my calls," Fuji Syusuke admitted.

"The situation is not very optimistic."

"how?"

"Fuji Yuta lost to Hyotei's fellow second-year regular player."

Inui Sadaharu has been keeping everyone in suspense.

"A second-year student?" Fuji Syusuke received the information.

"Yes, I heard that match was very intense," said Inui Sadaharu.

"Didn't you see?"

"It had just ended when I arrived."

"And the score?"

"..." Inui Sadaharu stopped in his tracks, his voice trailing off. After a moment, he spoke again: "Six to zero!"

"What?"

On the other end of the line, Fuji Syusuke's voice sounded slightly surprised.

"It feels unbelievable, doesn't it?"

Inui Sadaharu started pacing again and said:

"Given Fuji Yuuta's skill level, it's highly unlikely he'd be beaten 6-0, right?"

"Yuta is quite strong," Fuji Syusuke said.

"Yes, being able to fight Echizen to a standstill means he's very strong."

"So..."

"That's not all," Inui Sadaharu continued. "According to Mr. Inoue of the Tokyo Professional Monthly, Fuji Yuuta didn't even score a single point."

"..." The footsteps stopped again on the other end of the line, and this time the silence lasted even longer.

"Fuji?" Inui Sadaharu called out.

"That person, isn't that Atobe?" Fuji Syusuke's voice had dropped to zero gentleness.

"According to Mr. Inoue, Atobe has been suspended from the competition."

"Suspended?"

"Yes, the specifics are unclear, but it seems that Atobe did not participate in the match."

"Then..." Fuji Syusuke's voice was gloomy.

"Oh, you mean the person who fought against Fuji Yuuta, right?"

"Does A-Qian know?"

"His name is Natsume Tsukiya!" Inui Sadaharu said, enunciating each word clearly.