The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

"he....."

Fudomine Tachibana Kippei's younger sister, Tachibana An, always likes to wander around the stadium. She is also very clear-headed and never gets lost, no matter how big the stadium is, unlike Seigaku's Ryuki Sakuno who can't find her way around.

The members of Fudomine had already submitted their competition forms, but she was leisurely strolling around when she happened to catch a glimpse of a familiar figure.

He frowned, still somewhat unsure, but followed after him and finally saw that harmless smiling face from the front.

For a moment, Ju Xing stood there stunned, slightly surprised, thinking, how could this be?

I was still wondering if he would play in the match, since he looked to be about the same age as me, probably a middle school student, and also played tennis.

If they participate in the competition, which school's team will they be from?

He's so good, there's no reason he shouldn't be on the tennis team.

to this end,

Tachibana An searched through a lot of information, both in the Kanto and Kansai regions, but still couldn't find such a person.

never thought,

"He's from Hyotei...."

Ju Xing muttered:

"No wonder he said we would meet again."

Tachibana An immediately felt a mix of emotions: surprise, joy, and worry. If Hyotei beat Yamabuki Middle School, wouldn't that mean they would have to face Fudomine?

Anzu Tachibana witnessed Natsume Tsukiya's fight with Momoshiro. What would happen if they actually faced off?

Although Fudomine is very strong, and he admires his older brother greatly, he still has a feeling that Natsume Tsukiya is not a simple person...

After some internal struggle, Tachibana An decided to stay and gather intelligence for Fudomine.

"....."

Hyotei.

Keigo Atobe, exuding an aristocratic air, sat sideways on a bench, elegantly crossing his legs and turning his head to one side.

"Hey, Atobe, don't be so upset."

Ootori Chotaro stepped forward, clenched his fist, and said to Atobe Keigo, who was grumbling.

"They actually let me, the grandpa, play in this kind of competition as the third singles player."

Keigo Atobe was still bothered by the fact that he wasn't number two in singles and started to complain. This superior Atobe was no longer the number one king in singles, so he naturally didn't care much about his ranking. It was just that his opponents were too weak, and he didn't even bother to fight them.

"Atobe, don't be so long-winded."

Natsume Tsuki also laughed:

"With so many players from Hyotei, you should be grateful that you can even compete."

"I compete based entirely on my own strength. Only those without strength would secretly rejoice." Atobe Keigo spread his hands elegantly, his style as flamboyant as ever.

"The match between Hyotei Academy and Yamabuki Middle School is about to begin. Please prepare yourselves."

The announcement over the loudspeaker brought everyone in the room to a standstill.

"Hyotei, Hyotei!"

A moment later, the deafening cheers of Hyotei's super cheerleaders stunned the people from other schools.

"Akuzu-senpai, do you think we can beat Hyotei?"

Tan Taichi, a first-year manager from Yamabuki, held his notebook with an air of importance, which contained various data, including information on Hyotei members who lacked certain entries.

Akutsu leaned against a large tree on the court, looking completely uninterested in the world. He glanced at the little guy in front of him with his dead fish eyes and scoffed, "Tch!"

The disdain for Hyotei in his tone could be expressed in a single word.

Tan Taichi continued tirelessly:

"Hyotei's captain, Atobe Keigo, is said to be at a national level. Like Sengoku-senpai, he's a recognized powerhouse. I wonder what will happen when he meets Sengoku-senpai, who's the best in singles...."

"It's so noisy!" Akutsu shouted.

Banta Mikiya turned his head at the sound and came face to face with Akutsu.

Akutsu raised an eyebrow and said:

"Why are you looking at me like that, old man? Don't think I won't beat you up."

Banta Mikiya seemed to possess an ability to accept any setback with a smile and transform it into a gentle force. Facing Akutsu's threat, he smiled faintly and said:

"Akuzu, how did you feel about the tournament and your match against Ryoma Echizen? After so much time has passed, you must have a different perspective now."

"Tch! You old geezer, what's with that disgusting laugh?"

Akutsu bared his teeth menacingly, then turned his head to the side, looking disdainfully at the kid wearing a white baseball cap with the letter "R" in the distance:

"Tennis and stuff like that is so boring, who would be interested in that kind of thing?"

Upon hearing this,

Banta Mikiya was even happier.

It's obvious that he wasn't telling the truth.

"Akuzuna."

"What are you doing?"

"There's going to be a pretty good game today."

Banta Miki's words were also inexplicable.

Akutsu shouted:

"You old geezer, what are you saying?"

"Tennis, huh? It's such an interesting thing." Banta Mikiya's gaze fell on the Hyotei seats across the table.

"The Hyotei vs. Yamabuki Tag Team 2 match is about to begin. Players from both sides, please enter the court."

The announcement over the loudspeaker made both teams stand up.

"Go."

Shintaro was still wearing his burgundy suit, and with a flick of his fingers, his index and middle fingers pointed towards the middle finger of the field.

Mukahi Gakuto and Kabaji Takahiro turned their heads and saw two tall men standing in front of Banta Mikiya. They looked at each other and nodded.

"Their opponent has a doubles team of national caliber."

The two walked to the side and stood in front of Natsume Tsuki, clearly waiting for his second explanation. Natsume Tsuki then spoke:

"These two don't have any special skills, but their strength is very consistent, so you must not let your guard down."

"yes!"

The two nodded in unison.

Yamabuki Junior High School, third-year student Niitobe Inayoshi and second-year student Kita Kazuma, are known as the undefeated doubles team.

Natsume Tsuki also clearly remembered that these two had defeated the Seigaku genius duo of Fuji Syusuke and Kawamura Takashi during their match against Seigaku.

In that match, the two of them were no match for Fuji Syusuke in terms of skill, but they still managed to crush their opponents and win the doubles match.

It wasn't anything else that made him stand out, but rather his perfect teamwork, much like the synchronized rhythm between Shuichiro Oishi and Eiji Kikumaru. He truly brought doubles to its limit.

These two may very well have cultivated synchronized resonance, but their passion for tennis doesn't seem to be that deep...

"....."

Gakuto Mukahi couldn't understand why they would break up his doubles pair with Yuushi Oshitari and instead team up with the big guy.

Mukahi Gakuto glanced at Oshitari Yuushi outside the arena. Oshitari's expression was indifferent, and he seemed to have great doubts about this as well, but all of this was suppressed under the frames of his glasses that had no prescription.

"Yuushi, don't you think this decision is unreasonable?"

Without turning his head, Atobe Keigo asked the question.

"I have no objection."

Yuushi Oshitari said calmly:

"If so, I'll tell our captain about it during the intra-school ranking tournament."

Natsume Tsuki was completely unconcerned about the slight resentment in Oshitari Yuushi's heart.

The doubles pairing of Yuushi Oshitari and Gakuto Mukahi is very strong for most people.

However, if they encounter exceptional opponents, such as Seigaku's golden duo, Oishi Shuichiro and Kikumaru Eiji, who possess various buffs, or Rikkai's jackal duo, Kuwahara Marui Bunta, the likelihood of defeat is extremely high.

Gakuto Mukahi and Yuushi Oshitari work well together, but they lack the ability to fight against top-tier opponents.

Therefore,

Natsume Tsuki also proposed bold changes to this.

When Natsume Tsuki also suggested that Kabaji Takahiro and Mukahi Gakuto form a doubles team, Shintaro was puzzled.

According to Shintaro's own theory

Gakuto Mukahi is a skill-based player. His special shots allow him to adapt flexibly, but they also leave him vulnerable to various openings. His best combination is with a calm player who has absolute defensive capabilities.

Yuushi Oshitari possesses the ability to lock his heart, which allows him to conceal his subtle movements and prevent his opponents from noticing his intentions, thus enabling them to make predictions.

The giant bear's counter-attack can counter the opponent's smash.

In Shintaro's opinion, the combination of the two is perfect.

but,

Since the new captain has his own unique ideas, Shintaro also wants to see how far this new captain can lead Hyotei.

He agreed.

Shintaro still remembers what the new captain of Hyotei said to him:

"Since we're all dreaming, let's dream the biggest dream ever!"

He then said that Hyotei didn't want a championship achieved through a difficult journey, but rather an absolute victory, a victory that was like a giant bulldozer crushing everything in its path. Therefore, everything had to be changed.

To want something, all you need to do is take action!

Shintaro suddenly realized that this was exactly what he envisioned the captain of Hyotei to be like.

This kind of thinking is something that Atobe Keigo does not possess.

Strength is no longer a victory, but a state of being.

This is the state that Shintaro needs.

The entire community was shocked by the decision to make the change.

To know,

Yuushi Oshitari and Gakuto Mukahi have been partners for a long time, and everyone agrees that their doubles teamwork is perfect.

Natsume Tsukiya, however, told everyone that change was necessary.

And Shintaro even agreed.

This is quite unexpected.

Even Atobe Keigo was surprised when he heard this.

but,

Although it was astonishing, the coach and the captain decided that what could he, the former king of Hyotei, possibly say?

Atobe Keigo only hoped that things were as Natsume Tsukiya said. If that were the case, what did it matter if Kabaji had to work a little harder?

Under this guy's orders, Kabaji mechanically joined Hyotei's doubles team.

"The Hyotei vs. Yamabuki Doubles 2 match is about to begin. Yamabuki Kita Kazuma serves."

The referee has issued his ultimatum.

"Good luck, Shintobe Inakichi-senpai and Kita Kazuma-senpai!"

Tan Taichi clenched his fist and shouted enthusiastically.

"Taiyi, don't worry."

Sengoku Kiyosumi leaned against the railing and chuckled:

"These two are our team's insurance in doubles; they even beat Seigaku's doubles pair last year."

"Yeah?"

Tan Taiyi's face lit up with joy, and he said:

"Qingxue's doubles, Qingxue..."

Seigaku is the champion team of the Metropolitan Tournament. Tan Taichi hadn't come to Yamabuki last year. Based on his impression, Seigaku is naturally much stronger than Yamabuki.

Both of them were so good last year, so they should be even better this year. Therefore, joy spread, and everyone was just waiting for the two of them to win the game.

"Tap tap tap~"

Shintobe Inakichi glanced at Kita Kazuma, nodded emphatically, and indicated that they could begin.

Kita Kazuma's eyes gleamed, and he hurled a ball into the air, sending it hurtling through the air with a loud thud.

Mukahi Gakuto, standing opposite him, was itching to move.

He felt an urge to jump into the sky, but then he remembered Natsume Tsukiya's instructions: he was forbidden from using special techniques as soon as he entered the court and had to fight his opponent in a real match.

Suppressing his urge to perform special effects made Gakuto Mukahi very unhappy.

but,

He wasn't intimidated by the incoming ball.

"Bang!"

With a backhand flick, he sent the ball straight into the corner.

At the same time, Mukahi Gakuto paid special attention to Natsume Tsukiya's instructions, his pupils constricting as he carefully observed the every move of the two people opposite him.

Just as Natsume Tsukiya said, the two of them were just as good as his and Oshitari Yuushi's combination in terms of pace and swing.

They moved in unison, their movements synchronized.

When Shintobe Inakichi and Kita Kazuma moved, the other started moving as well, and Shintobe Inakichi was able to pass through Kita Kazuma's return shot.

Xiang Riyueren was shocked.

I've never encountered an opponent like this before, and I thought they were all incompetent fools. But after seeing them today, I realize they have some merits.

However, Mukahi Gakuto was puzzled as to why he needed to observe and feel the other party's cooperation.

"Bang bang bang~"

The yellow tennis ball flew across the court, weaving a net that left the spectators wide-eyed in astonishment.

"Is this Hyotei's doubles team?"

"That's amazing."

"As expected of a strong team."

"Hyotei is really too strong."

.....

"..."

Listening to the discussions around me, I realized that most of them were about Hyotei, and very few about Yamabuki.

Banta Mikiya smiled:

"Our pairing is very different from Hyotei's pairing. The opponent seems to be exerting a lot of effort, and people can be drawn to them just by looking at them, like they are in the midst of a competition. Our pairing is more like walking normally. Our every move is very ordinary. Ordinary walking is something that few people pay attention to. That is their secret weapon."

Banta Mikiya had a keen eye and quickly identified the characteristics of both sides' team members, and formulated tactics based on this.

Hyotei.

Seeing that Mukahi Taketo and Kabaji Takahiro were not having an easy time fighting, they all began to grumble:

"Is the minister's decision really the right one?"

"Yes, a combination of Mukahi Gakuto and Kabaji?"

"They seem to be having a tough time. Why isn't Yue Ren using his special technique yet?"

"It seems Kabaji wasn't using his full strength either."

.....

Listening to the noise, Atobe Keigo glanced at Natsume Tsukiya, but a different thought came to his mind.

This time, he truly felt a real conviction, unlike in the past when defeating Rikkai University was just a slogan.

Only then did he realize that his previous idea seemed quite unrealistic...

Hahaha~

Atobe Keigo burst into laughter, and everyone stared at him, wondering why he was laughing.

"Match ended, score 6-4, Hyotei's Gakuto Mukahiro and Takahiro Kabaji win the team!"

With the referee's announcement,

The first match of the Kanto Tournament has ended.

"I'm sorry, my partner!"

On the Yamabuki side, Shintobe Inakichi and Kita Kazuma bowed at a 90-degree angle.

"You two, as the undefeated champions of Yamabuki, are too concerned about others imitating you, which is why you lost your composure and didn't even unleash the opponent's true strength..."

Banta Mikiya smiled, but his words carried an invisible, immense pressure.