The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

The scenery is receding, ever receding.

Inside the taxi, Inoue Mamoru stared blankly at a list about Fudomine in his hand, lost in thought.

Regional Preliminaries

The first round of the top five universities was won 5-0;

Second round, Sarawak 2nd 5:0

Semifinal: Kakiki 3-0

In the final, Seishun Academy lost 1-3.

Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament

First round, Liejiao 5:0

In the second round, Pinshan Academy won 3-0.

In the third round, Shin-Shiono defeated Shiono 3-0.

In the fourth round, Daze Industry won 3-0.

Hyotei Academy 3-0 in the semifinals

Yamabuki Junior High School forfeited in the semifinals.

Kanto Grand Prix Round 1: 5-0

--above.

This new team, apart from the Yamabuki match which was beyond human control, has only lost one game along the way—the match against Seigaku.

Those zeros, those struggles, are the path they came from, a testament to their unwavering resilience.

Starting with Kuki from Kakigi Junior High, this junior high school began to make its mark on a small scale. After narrowly losing to the top-ranked Seigaku, it entered the Metropolitan Tournament again, defeated Retsukyo, Ippinyama, and crushed Shinshiono. It continued its journey to Osawa Industrial, where it defeated Hyotei and reached its peak.

Today, they secured a resounding 5-0 victory over the series car and advanced to the second round of the Kanto Grand Prix.

No matter how Inoue Mamoru viewed those zeros, he saw them as the trajectory of a lowly protagonist conquering the entire world...

just,

Stories never go as planned.

Black is the main color, yellow is the main color, cyan is also the main color, so why can't snow white be the main color?

Tomorrow's battle, a clash between black and white, will the perennial runner-up prove superior, or will the newly emerged Black Mountain once again crush its arch-rival?

The wheels roll eastward toward the largest metropolitan area, where hustle and bustle gradually rises. Who will ultimately prevail? Only tomorrow's sunrise will reveal the answer...

Inoue Mamoru believes that both teams need an opportunity, a chance to prove themselves to all the doubters.

The sun has set.

Landing atop Tokyo's tallest building, the water shimmered. This was a moment unique to Mamoru Inoue. The taxi sped along amidst the roar of city motorcycles. He had loved tennis for many years, and the feelings he had were indescribable. Only in such a quiet moment could he experience them alone.

Feel that niche yet overwhelming carnival atmosphere in Asia's largest metropolitan area. It's a personal celebration, a celebration for yourself. Occasionally, a shadowy figure will be reflected in the car window, looking like yourself. Yes, it's your past self. Only he is still here, always with you, celebrating for every little me who loves tennis!

-

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the lush green trees, casting shadows on the corners of the campus. The sounds of chatter, greetings, and salutations mingled together, and the city came alive again.

"Eight-to-four round!!"

Hyotei Academy's luxurious restaurant was filled with the aroma of tea and milk. Everyone was dressed formally, with two hundred club members filling the entire restaurant, all wearing suits and short skirts, as if a formal conference was being held.

Keigo Atobe sat by the window with his legs crossed, the sunlight streaming in and dazzling his eyes. His elegant and noble demeanor remained unchanged. The coffee in front of him was steaming, but he was staring intently at the whiteboard on the wall in the distance.

Last time,

It was in the quarterfinals that Hyotei was defeated by Fudomine and eliminated from the loser's bracket in the revival match.

Now, they meet again in the quarterfinals.

This really is fate.

The humiliation suffered by Hyotei must be avenged today.

Keigo Atobe picked up the coffee on the table, brought it to his lips, but didn't drink it. Instead, he glanced at the club president, Tsukiya Natsume, who was wolfing down his coffee beside him.

There was an empty space on that whiteboard.

With Hyotei's regulars and reserves, there are a lot of players. Who should they send out to compete?

There's still no result.

Coach Shin delegated all decision-making power to Natsume Tsukiya. Hyotei has always had a rule of only having one king, and there is no such thing as a vice-captain. Therefore, the captain's decision on who to participate in the competition is his own. Atobe wanted to, but he really couldn't get a word in edgewise.

His gaze fell on Niizuma Takara, whom the entire Hyotei team called the "Crown Flower." Natsume Tsuki might jump around, but he was generally obedient to this woman's words and would always take her opinions into consideration.

...

Atobe Keigo had a wicked idea and ordered his butler to send a very large gift to his new wife, Boguan.

I don't know if it will work.

"Atobe, you do this too?"

Natsume Tsukiya, who was wolfing down his food, looked up and stared at Atobe, saying:

"That's a bit tacky."

"What are you talking about?"

Atobe Keigo gently sipped his lips at the rim of the cup, his expression completely composed.

"Why are you giving your new wife a gift?" Natsume Tsukiya asked.

"Hmph, do I need anyone's permission to give me a gift?"

As for Atobe admitting that he really wants to play, he absolutely cannot admit it against Fudomine.

He often gives gifts to his teammates, and no one can use that to criticize him, yes, that's right!

Atobe Keigo remained unperturbed, paying no heed whatsoever.

"Hey, Natsume, who's going to play against Fudomine?" Gakuto Mukahi stood up impatiently.

"Tsukiya, Chotaro and I have to participate in this competition."

Ryo Mido also stood up. Every time he thought about the humiliating 6-0 defeat he suffered at the hands of Kippei Tachibana, he couldn't get over it. Hyotei had been disgraced, and if he didn't get his name back this time, how could he? He was more eager than anyone else to face Fudomine head-on in today's match.

"Snoring!"

Natsume Tsukiya was also engrossed in showing off.

"Yes, Minister, why don't you say something?"

Feng Changtaro felt a pang of ache throughout his body, his muscles twitching slightly from time to time. Yesterday's training seemed a bit excessive, but the last time he was beaten by Fudomine was truly more brutal than ever before.

No matter what, I'm going to get my revenge today.

He witnessed firsthand the changes in Mido Ryo after his defeat, and as a devoted partner, he naturally longed to fight alongside his senior and avenge their previous defeat.

"Where are you two?"

Natsume Tsuki also asked Mukahi Gakuto a question.

"We're fine with anything," said Mukahi Gakuto.

"Kabachi!" Atobe Keigo called out.

"Yes!" Kabaji Takahiro nodded woodenly.

"That's settled then."

Natsume Tsuki continued eating with his head down.

That was really delicious! There was no abalone or lobster, but there was plenty of dessert and sashimi. It was truly royal treatment. Hyotei is amazing.

"whispering sound!"

Atobe Keigo stood up dejectedly and walked outside.

Luxury buses were lined up neatly in the passageway leading to the gate of Hyotei University.

The team members were the first to come out, followed closely by the other members in suits.

They filed out and boarded the bus in an orderly fashion.

The windows of the teaching building corridor were opened, and rows of heads stuck out, watching the tennis team board the bus with amusement.

Dozens of buses set off in a long procession, heading towards the competition venue.

Being a student at Hyotei has these advantages—lots of benefits, which is probably the main reason why Hyotei has such a large student population.

Natsume Tsukiya sat at the very front, with the only outsider and the only woman beside him, Niizuma Bokan, and the two chatted and laughed.

The other team members remained solemn and silent, not uttering a single word.

Fudomine is a tribulation in my heart.

"Look, it's Hyotei!"

Hyotei made a huge fuss, bigger than ever before. Dozens of luxury buses drove into the tennis park and parked on the driveway, which was hard not to cause gasps and commotion.

"Hyotei, as expected, lives up to its reputation as a prestigious private school."

"The last time I saw a scene like Hyotei was when their high school and university teams participated in a competition. It was really scary."

"I heard that Hyotei Club has plenty of funding, and it's true."

"In addition to the school providing a lot of funding, Hyotei also receives a lot of donations from various young masters' families. For example, the Atobe Keigo family has given Hyotei a lot of money."

.......

There are plenty of shabby schools, like Rokkaku Junior High, whose training facilities are barely decent. Seeing Hyotei's fully equipped and luxurious lineup was truly an eye-opener, leaving them dumbfounded.

"Clap clap clap~"

All kinds of taxis stopped, some for competition, some for sightseeing, and the first thing they did upon entering the scene was to examine the row of buses.

The people on the bus weren't in a hurry to get off.

Especially the regulars,

After all the club members got off and lined up, the car door opened with a whoosh. The first one to step out was Atobe Keigo, whose handsome appearance instantly attracted countless admirers.

Following closely behind were the team members.

The last one to come down was Natsume Tsukiya, and the adoring voices were even louder, especially from the girls at Hyotei Academy, who knew him very well and naturally cheered loudly.

The girls from other schools cast surprised and suspicious glances at them.

"Click-clack!"

Faced with this amazing scene, Saori Shiba was the first to press the shutter button rapidly, praising it repeatedly:

"Hyotei, that's really exaggerated!"

"After Hyotei suffered a crushing defeat against Fudomine in the quarterfinals of the tournament, it seems they are going to use their biggest force to regain their pride."

Inoue looked at Natsume Tsukiya, who was surrounded by a huge crowd, and turned to look at the entrance. The black army marched in step, with a steady aura, and the rising sun was imprinted behind them.

"Brother, look!"

Ju Xing, wearing a short, wispy jacket, pointed ahead and softly called out to Ju Ju Ping.

Kippei Tachibana: "I see it, Hyotei!"

"Those guys, what a grand spectacle." Kamio Akira's voice was brimming with fighting spirit.

"With such a large force, if they accidentally lose to us, or rather, if they're destined to lose to us, will they walk back or take this car? If they take this car, wouldn't that be a waste of the atmosphere we're in right now...? For someone so arrogant that they want the whole world to see their arrogance, it only fuels our fighting spirit. In short, we need to teach them a lesson..."

As Shinji Ibu muttered to himself, the members of Fudomine lowered their heads slightly, speechless with embarrassment.

The two teams walked towards each other, then stopped and stood in silent confrontation.

"Kippei Tachibana, long time no see!"

Keigo Atobe spoke first. He had never forgotten being tricked by Kyoko Tachibana, and his tone naturally conveyed a sense of both old and new grudges being settled at once.

"Atobe, it's been a long time!"

Ju Juping remained radiant, his composure tempered with the proud spirit of a lion.

Tachibana An then turned her gaze to Natsume Tsukiya beside her, only to see that the guy was rubbing his chin and glancing sideways at the two of them, looking quite comical.

"This time, Hyotei will not make the same mistake again. Fudomine has no chance." Atobe Keigo's words were resolute.

Kippei Tachibana: "Fudomine has never been afraid of any opponent."

"snort!"

Atobe snorted softly, feeling quite puzzled by the list of participants.

List, oh list...

"..."

Kippei Tachibana, however, turned his gaze to Tsukiya Natsume. They had only met briefly last time, and he hadn't had a proper look at this man before him—the one who defeated Keigo Atobe, and now the captain of Hyotei...

"Let's go."

Juju Ping turned his head and glanced at it.

The new black team from Fudomine has attracted a lot of attention, and everyone is watching them silently, with many people looking forward to their performance.

far away,

People from Rikkai University also arrived.

Yukimura Seiichi was not present this time.

"Pfft, tap!"

Marui Bunta casually put his hands in his pockets, the bubble gum in his mouth suddenly popped, and he grinned and complained:

"Hyotei, they've got quite a show of force."

Niou Masaharu spat and said:

"I heard that in the quarterfinals of the Hyotei Capital Tournament, they lost to Fudomine, a team that just appeared in the tournament this year. It is the team led by Tachibana Kippei, one of the two heroes of Kyushu. It looks like a fierce battle is waiting for that lion today."

"A lion? I could crush him with one hand." Kirihara Akaya's words were filled with contempt for all his enemies.

"Alright, we've always had only one goal: no matter who wins, nothing can stop Rikkai's determination to achieve a three-peat in the national championships!"

Genichiro Sanada spoke seriously and took the first step.

Tokyo Ginka Junior High School lost without a fight, while Rikkai University advanced to the Kanto quarterfinals without wasting a single point or racket, demonstrating their champion's aura to the fullest.

In today's battle against Tochigi's school, victory is merely a formality for the entire Rikkai team.

As for Hyotei and Fudomine, it doesn't matter who wins. Kirihara Akaya looked at the two teams, licked his lips wickedly, and said:

"The only winner is Rikkai. It doesn't matter if it's Hyotei or Fudomine. Once they meet Hyotei, their good luck will end there."

Yagyu Hiroshido:

"Hyotei, if we can defeat them once, if we can defeat them twice, we can defeat them three times."

Renji Yanagi squinted: "As long as Rikkai is here, the title of Kanto champion will never be given to anyone else."

The other students from the surrounding schools listened to the words of the Rikkai University team members and were all dumbfounded. The word "arrogance" welled up in their minds, but they couldn't refute it. It seemed to be the truth. Therefore, the people looked at the black and white duo with more sympathy.

"There are only twenty minutes left until the deadline for submitting competition entries. Please hurry!"

A voice urging them on the loudspeaker came through.

Everyone at Hyotei turned their gazes toward Natsume Tsukiya.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?"

Natsume Tsukiya smiled and folded the sheet in his hand.

Arriving at the registration desk with Niizuma Hōkan, they ran into Sanada Genichirō, who was still submitting his form.

"You're Natsume Tsukiya, the captain of Hyotei?"

Genichiro Sanada took a few steps, then stopped. He thought about the rookie tournament, Inoue Mamoru's words, and Natsume Tsukiya's announcement yesterday that he would win the Kanto Tournament. So he spoke up.

"Sanada, you don't need to be so aloof."

Natsume Tsuki, following the staff's instructions, filled in his name and said without turning his head:

"All arrogance is built on past achievements. If you have no future achievements, you probably won't look down on people so much anymore."

Genichiro Sanada frowned.

His tone carried the arrogance of a king, and his disdain for everything stemmed from his strength. His words, however, revealed an even stronger threat, causing Natsume Tsukiya to raise his eyes and look directly at him.