The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

Chapter 85

Does this mean that Hyotei has no desire to fight at all?

Shuichiro Oishi reiterated, "I said, Seigaku will defeat Hyotei and win the Kanto Tournament."

"Congratulations!"

Natsume Tsuki nodded as well.

"Doesn't Hyotei care at all?"

Shuichiro Oishi mustered his courage. Being tough wasn't his forte, but Natsume Tsukiya always made bold statements before each match. Out of consideration for Seigaku, Oishi decided to find out what Natsume Tsukiya was thinking: "Victory in the Kanto Tournament."

"victory?"

"That's right," Oishi Shuichiro asked firmly.

"Victory only counts if it is achieved."

Natsume Tsukiya waved his hand: "The only thing Hyotei can ever defeat is their own past selves."

"Well..

'

His words stunned everyone: "When did this guy become so philosophical?"

"In my opinion, he doesn't care about this game at all."

"Saying they don't care is probably just a way of saying they've already decided that Hyotei will win."

There are many different opinions.

Natsume Tsuki also took the lead and started walking towards the steps.

The Hyotei group also kept up steadily.

. . . . .

"Hyotei seems to have gotten stronger again."

As the Hyotei team members walked by, Seigaku Inui Sadaharu made a data-driven judgment.

"Yes," Fuji Syusuke said, his smile fading. "He's unusually strong."

"I couldn't tell at all."

Katsuro Kato stared blankly at the backs of the Hyotei team members and shook his head.

Inui Sadaharu stared at Hyotei for a long time before saying, "People who have undergone rigorous and special training generally have a different strength emanating from their bones and muscles compared to ordinary people. Hyotei hasn't been idle either during this time."

"Therefore, this battle will be very tough," Fuji Syusuke added.

"6

""

After hearing this, Ryoma Echizen took the first step: "But no matter how much you train, you only know for sure after testing it on the racetrack, right?"

"Echizen, you little rascal." Momoshiro Takeshi followed with delight.

The Seigaku members smiled again. Echizen had defeated Rikkai's Sanada, which was much harder than defeating Kirihara Akaya.

"Here it comes!"

As soon as the colors of the school uniforms were revealed from below the steps, the representatives from each school on the table put down what they were doing and looked up.

"It's Hyotei, and Seigaku too."

"Looks really strong."

"Is it finally coming?"

"So that's Hyotei who defeated Rikkai? What a pity I didn't get to see that match. I'll definitely watch it closely today."

The Rikkai team members watched the two teams approach from afar. In the past, Rikkai would never have cared.

Genichiro Sanada might watch Seigaku's match because of Tei, but the rest of Rikkai don't care at all, and certainly wouldn't have all the members who could come like they did today.

The scene was packed with people; after all, this was a major upset.

No one expected Rikkai to be eliminated in such a shocking upset.

Moreover, many people harbor this idea:

—One against five!

Can Hyotei Academy defeat five opponents single-handedly?!

A headline, with a cosmic, taut effect, is etched onto magazine covers and newspaper headlines.

Various sports publications had already done their prelude.

Especially the monthly magazine on youth careers.

Thanks to this gimmick, sales skyrocketed.

"Hyotei, a one-versus-five team!"

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted.

"Oh?"

Everyone immediately turned to look at Hyotei and Seigaku.

"One against five, that must have been your senior's doing, right?" Shinzae Takami asked, tilting her head.

Natsume Tsuki just smiled.

One against five!

The power of this statement should not be underestimated.

"What do you mean by 'one against five'?"

"You didn't even know about the 1v5 victory? Are you a fan of Hyotei?"

"No, what happened then?"

"Hyotei was defeated by Fudomine and entered the loser's bracket revival match, as if they had fallen into the abyss."

"I know that, but what about one against five?"

"The first one is St. Rudolph's College."

"Second, Yamabuki Middle School."

"Third, Fudomine Junior High School."

"Fourth, Lihai University Affiliated High School."

"So far, Hyotei has already defeated four opponents in a row, hehe, and today they'll defeat five! The last one will be Seigaku. Hyotei will definitely defeat Seigaku and win the Kanto Tournament!"

All five schools were present and felt uncomfortable hearing the jarring discussions in the crowd.

Rikkai's natural beauty goes without saying.

The most uncomfortable ones are Seigaku.

Satoshi Horio: "Ah, I knew it, they were talking about one-versus-five."

"We, Seigaku, are not so easily defeated," Kaidou Kaoru declared.

"That's right, that's right." Kikumaru Eiji playfully held up two fingers. "Our Seigaku is really strong, you know."

.

Shuichiro Oishi: "Eiji, is it okay to say it like this?"

"Don't you think so, Oishi-senpai?" Echizen Ryoma asked, beaming.

Ever since defeating Sanada of Rikkai University, he has become even more arrogant, constantly exuding an aura of invincibility.

"That's right, Daishi."

Ryuzaki Sumire spoke: "Seigaku has become strong because of you all. You must become strong from the bottom of your hearts."

"It's the coach." Oishi Shuichiro was taken aback at first, then became excited.

"The Kanto Tournament Finals, the match between Hyotei Academy and Seishun Academy, is about to begin. Both teams, please submit your match rosters as soon as possible..."

The broadcast echoed clearly.

Both sides paused for a moment upon hearing the broadcast, wondering who the other side would send out.

On Hyotei's side, the players rarely ask questions; they don't know who will appear in which position until the very end.

All of them accepted Natsume Tsukiya's philosophy that all pairings should be harmonious, which means that no matter who is paired with whom, the final result should be presentable. This is a tacit understanding.

You can't expect to develop perfect teamwork just by practicing casually for a day or two before the match. Today, Atobe Keigo spoke up: "Tsukiya, I'm not playing doubles anymore. Arrange a singles match for me."

"Atobe, you're so dramatic."

In response to Natsume Tsukiya's sarcastic remark, Atobe said, "No matter what, today, I'm going to fight one-on-one. Don't worry, I'll definitely win."

"6

'

"Don't refuse," Atobe Keigo immediately added. "I'm about to burst with pent-up frustration."

"Alright, I'll grant your wish."

Natsume Tsuki also reached out, and Niizuma Takami handed him a pen, which he quickly made some corrections.

A moment later, with a thud, Natsume Tsuki slammed the list of participants onto the table.

Staff member: "Should we still make changes?"

Natsume Tsukiya smiled and said, "I won't change it."

Both sides have submitted their rosters for the competition.

"The match between Hyotei Academy and Seishun Academy, Doubles 2, is about to begin. Players from both sides, please enter the field as soon as possible."

After another moment, the announcement was made over the loudspeaker.

Hyotei and Seigaku each occupied one side of the field, facing each other from a distance.

The other schools surrounded the competition venue, making it impossible to move.

"The battle for the championship."

"I'm so excited! Who will win the championship?"

"Inoue-senpai, this is the first time for both of these teams, right?"

Saori Shiba and Mamoru Inoue naturally couldn't miss such a grand event.

"Yes, Hyotei and Seigaku have been without the championship for a long time. It's a shared obsession. Rikkai High School even dominated the Kanto Tournament, becoming the undisputed champion."

Inoue Mamoru lamented, "No one expected that Rikkai, the undisputed king, would be defeated by Hyotei. With the fall of the old dynasty led by tennis emperor Genichiro Sanada, a new king is bound to rise. Hyotei or Seigaku, who will be that king?"

Saori Shiba: "Everything will be revealed today."

Inoue Mamoru naturally knew this, but deep down he hoped Hyotei would win. The idol's family naturally had an emotional bias, but Natsume Tsuki was also someone who boosted the team's performance.

"One against five"—what a beautiful phrase! Coupled with the claim of "shocking the universe for 3.5 billion years," it's easy to imagine how well the magazine would sell.

"Azhi, you should take more photos of Natsume Tsukiya."

Inoue Mamoru gave the instructions.

"Inoue-senpai, why are you acting so strange today? Why do you want me to take more pictures of Natsume Tsukiya?" Shiba Saori asked, looking up.

Inoue Mamoru naturally didn't answer; he couldn't very well say it was to please Natsume Tsukiya's fans.

Seigaku: "Momo, Kaidou."

Ryuzaki Sumire called out, "You guys go ahead."

"It's Coach Ryuzaki."

Takeshi Momoshiro and Kaoru Kaido entered the arena.

"Hey, Seigaku, you've got some nerve, sending out the same lineup we used when we played against Rikkai."

"It's incomprehensible that these two were still sent out after suffering a defeat."

"It's probably because after playing against us, they went back and practiced more, making up for many of their weaknesses, so this arrangement is more reliable."

The Rikkai fans were somewhat surprised that the pair of Kaoru Kaido and Takeshi Momoshiro would appear as the second doubles team.

Ryuzaki Sumire, on the other hand, would naturally not let such a good opportunity slip by.

Although both Kaoru Kaido and Takeshi Momoshiro lost to Rikkai, their experience on the court made them a better fit for the match against Hyotei than any other pairing on the team.

Marui Bunta and Jackal Kuwabara from Rikkai University have previously fought against Mido Ryo and Ootori Chotaro from Hyotei University. According to Tei's speculation, these two will most likely appear in this match as well, which is a good arrangement.

Momoshiro Takeshi and Kaidou Kaoru jumped into the field, while on Seigaku's side, Kawamura Takashi immediately waved a huge flag: "Go Seigaku! Momoshiro, Go Kaidou! Get fired up!"

The Seigaku members: "Go for it, Momo!"

"Kaidou, show them what you're made of."

—Ryuzaki Sumire stared intently at Hyotei.

Two people stepped through the doorway and stood in front of Shintaro: "Supervisor!"

"Just play as your minister says." Shintaro brought his fingers together and pointed towards the center of the court: "Go!"

Upon seeing the two people, Ryuzaki Sumire frowned.

The Seigaku side was quite agitated: "It really was those two."

"Chotaro Ootori's powerful serve, which exceeded 200 kilometers per hour during their last big match against Rikkai, will likely be difficult for Momo and Kaido to handle this time!"

The Seigaku students all turned to look at the field, wondering how Kaidou Kaoru and Momoshiro Takeshi would respond.

"Kaido."

"Well!"

The two of them only hesitated briefly and did not exchange any further words.

They watched the Rikkai vs. Hyotei match many times through Inui Sadaharu's videotapes.

They were all too aware of the strength of the two opponents.

"Chōtarō?"

"Senior Meido!"

"We'll finish this quickly."

"yes!"

Ryo Mido has begun to transform from someone who relied on victory to flaunt his strength into someone who is no longer obsessed with winning.

He was somewhat worried when he hastily used a deception technique against Rikkai last time, but fortunately Rikkai underestimated him and he won.

That unpredictable victory, though seemingly settled by the score, actually left him with no real confidence.

I still felt a bit uneasy after the game.

After the match, Natsume Tsukiya made adjustments based on his and Ootori Chotaro's situations, teaching him many useful training methods. Even if he couldn't train to reach the same super-fast speed as Ootori Chotaro, he could still learn to hit the ball with his soul!

Learning from others' moves is not something to be encouraged, and this is true throughout the tennis world. If you only use it occasionally, that's fine, but if you make it your own signature move, that's terrible.

But Ryo Mido insisted on being identical to Chotaro Ootori, which was unavoidable, since the minister had spoken, and they couldn't very well ignore him. The four of them stood in front of the net.

"Seigaku, we've finally met."

1

Ryo Mido spoke.

"Hyotei, our Seigaku also defeated Rikkai."

Momoshiro Takeshi's aura was in no way weak.

"So you're saying you're very confident you can beat Hyotei?"

Ryo Mido exudes a rare composure, behind which lies absolute strength that is both sunny and bright.

"We, Seigaku, will definitely be the ones to win the Kanto Tournament." Takeshi Momoshiro said firmly, staring at Ryo Mido.

Ryo Mido waved his hand: "Your strongest team, Tei, isn't here, while all of our Hyotei's regulars are here. Do you think Seigaku should have won?"

"Even without Tezuka, Seigaku will definitely be able to win the Kanto Tournament."

Momoshiro Takeshi spoke resolutely.

Off the court, Genichiro Sanada was suddenly jolted. He remembered saying the same thing before the match against Hyotei: "Even without Yukimura, Rikkai can still win the Kanto Tournament!"

That tone was so familiar.

Rikkai lost—

"Choose sides." Ryo Mido pressed down on his racket.

"Front view." Takeshi Momoshiro glanced at Kaoru Kaido.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

The racket spun rapidly on the ground and then fell to the ground with a thud.

"Thump, Seigaku serves."

Takeshi Momoshiro looked at the racket on the ground and blew on it.

Ryo Mido picked up the racket and walked away.

Isn't tennis just about three things: receiving the ball, hitting it back, and serving?

And what Natsume Tsuki wants to train the Hyotei members are these three things, right?

Ryo Mido and Chotaro Ootori were not afraid at all; it was the man on the stage who gave them their confidence.

The two of them looked towards the Hyotei stands and nodded to Natsume Tsuki.

The previous arrogance had completely vanished from his brow.

This scene moved many people.

Especially Takeshi Momoshiro, all of them from Seigaku believed that their feelings for Kunimitsu Tezuka were no less than anyone else's, but they always lacked a sense of closeness.

Most of the time, the head of the household is dignified.

Ryo Mido and Tsukiya Natsume seem to share a tacit understanding and acceptance towards each other.

"Hyotei Academy vs. Seishun Academy, a decisive match, Seishun Academy's Momoshiro's serve!"

The referee announced the final statement.

"Tap tap tap~"

Momoshiro Takeshi dribbled the ball repeatedly, then suddenly grabbed it and tossed it into the air.