The Prince of Tennis: From Data-Driven Tennis to the Pinnacle of His Career

Chapter 194 Yamabuki VS Tatekai Dai

The fourth day of the national competition, Kobe Sports Complex.

With the highly anticipated finals finally here, the atmosphere on the field has reached its peak.

As the Yamabuki team trudged into the stadium, they saw the Rikkai regulars, dressed in khaki uniforms, methodically warming up.

At this moment, the expressions of the Yamabuki group became extremely solemn, and they slowly walked to a gathering place.

"Kagura, do you think we can win today?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi put down her tennis bag, unconsciously clutching the straps with both hands. She turned to look at Kagura Ichijin beside her and asked in a low voice with a worried expression.

Rikkai University Affiliated High School is now considered the top school by all viewers.

No matter what kind of traditionally strong school they faced, Rikkai University won the game with an absolute crushing advantage.

As the biggest favorite to win this national tournament, Rikkai University has not lost a single game in the national tournament so far. You can imagine the pressure they are under when facing such an opponent.

"It's hard to say."

After a moment of silence, Kagura Ichijin shook his head with a wry smile.

Rikkai has already shown the unstoppable momentum of a champion; their flawless lineup is clearly superior to the current Yamabuki team.

It is extremely difficult to win three games against an opponent when you are at a disadvantage in overall strength.

Fortunately, Yamabuki is not without a chance, but their slim chance of winning is much smaller than Rikkai's.

"Ugh!"

With a deep sigh, Sengoku Kiyosumi unzipped his tennis bag, pulled out a racket, and then walked to the open space to warm up.

Even though Yamabuki Junior High had won the national championship last year, he still didn't want to lose today's final.

Yamabuki has gone through so many tough battles, and they are only one step away from defending their championship title. If they fall at the last moment, then all the hard work they have put in this year will be for nothing.

Competitive sports are cruel; applause and honors belong only to the champions at the top, and no one cares about the losers.

As the Yamabuki members dispersed one by one to warm up, Kagura Ichijin's gaze grew even more profound.

Yamabuki's troop deployment this time was extremely extreme, a complete gamble, leaving no way out.

This was the only solution he and Banta Mikiya could come up with after racking their brains. As for whether it would work, they could only leave it to fate.

After an unknown amount of time, the fifth round of the national competition officially began with the sound of a broadcast.

Yamabuki Junior High School faced their final opponent, Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School from the Kanto region.

After handing the starting lineup to the referee, Banta Mikiya returned to his seat on the coaching bench.

The specific lineup of players.

The third singles match was Muromachi's tenth.

Doubles Team 2: Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata.

The second singles match is against Kita Kazuma.

The doubles team consists of Kiyosumi Sengoku and Jin Akutsu.

First singles match: Kagura Ijin.

"The first match begins. Yamabuki and Rikkai will each take the stage as their third singles players."

"President Kagura, do you really want me to go on stage?"

Muromachi Juji stood up from the lounge chair, grabbed his racket, walked directly to Kagura Ichijin, and asked with a serious expression.

He never expected that on such an important stage, Yamabuki would arrange for him, a prospective starter, to play singles number three. This was completely unexpected.

"Of course, Muromachi, you must seize this rare opportunity."

Kagura Ijin reached out and patted Muromachi Juji's slightly stiff shoulder, a faint smile appearing on his face.

The reason he and Banta Mikiya sent Muromachi Juji and Kita Kazuma to the singles competition this time was not only because of the tactical strategy of "Tian Ji's horse racing" (a metaphor for strategic maneuvering), but also because they wanted these two newcomers to personally experience the intensity of the national tournament.

The future of Yamabuki will eventually be handed over to these younger generations. Even though he and Banta knew that these two had limited talent, they had no better choice at the moment.

"understood."

Muromachi took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, then gripped his racket tightly and walked straight toward the referee with a serious expression.

This time, his opponent is Mori Jusaburo, a third-year student at Rikkai University.

"A single game to decide the winner, Muromachi serves."

"Huh? You're not a regular member of Yamabuki, are you?"

Looking at Muromachi Juji, who had a buzz cut and wore sunglasses, Mori Jusaburo's eyes flashed with surprise.

He knew all of Yamabuki's regulars, but this stranger in front of him was clearly not among them.

I don't know if Yamabuki has really lost his mind, or if he has some kind of ulterior motive, but he dares to send a freshman on the field at such a critical moment.

"Um."

Muromachi Juji nodded solemnly and carefully observed Mori Jusaburo in front of him.

The opponent is Rikkai University's main player, who defeated Sengoku Kiyosumi in the Kanto Tournament.

He's really in danger this time, having to compete against such a strong opponent.

"Heh, that's interesting."

Mori Jusaburo smiled lazily, casually slung his racket over his shoulder, and then decisively turned around and walked straight towards the receiving area.

He is now a third-year student at Rikkai University Affiliated Senior High School, and this national competition is his last chance.

Whatever Yamabuki's plans are, he has to win this match.

"call!"

After taking a deep breath, Muromachi Juji strode to the service court.

Even though he knew in his heart that his chances of beating Mori Jusaburo were slim, he had no intention of giving up.

Being able to stand on the stage of the national finals is an honor in itself for the contestants.

Now that Kagura Ichijin and Banta Miki are willing to let him play, he must demonstrate his value.

"Bang!"

Muromachi Jūji's eyes narrowed, he tossed the ball high into the air, and with all his might, swung his racket down hard.

"Bang!"

After running to the ball's landing point, Mori Jusaburo decisively swung his racket to meet the attack.

"0-15!"

"Is this the skill level of a national-level player? The speed of their return shot is unbelievable."

Seeing the tennis ball bounce off the ground and fly out of bounds, Muromachi Juji, who had just taken half a step, stopped abruptly and looked at Mori Jusaburo across from him with a shocked expression.

The intensity of the national competition was even more exaggerated than he had expected. This suffocating sense of pressure was something he could never experience while sitting in the audience.

"Bang!"

After serving again, Muromachi Juji's expression became even more focused.

"Bang!"

"0-30!"

"0-40!"

"Game, Muromachi Juuji, 0-1!"

■ 8.008

"Game, Muromachi Juuji, 0-2!"

SBISBE

"Game, Muromachi Juuji, 0-3!"

"Game, Muromachi Juuji, 0-4!"

"Game, Muromachi Juuji, 0-5!"

"Kagura, Muromachi won't blame us, will he?"

Looking at Muromachi Juji, who was struggling on the field, Sengoku Kiyosumi's face was filled with worry.

The current situation is completely one-sided, and Muromachi Juji is utterly powerless to fight back.

Having been so thoroughly humiliated on the nationally watched final stage, it's hard to say whether Muromachi Juji can withstand such a blow.

"Don't worry, Muromachi isn't that fragile. He'll definitely understand our good intentions."

Kagura Ichijin crossed his arms and calmly watched Muromachi Juji, who was desperately trying to save the ball every time he played, and said in a deep voice.

Being able to hold a racket and participate in such an important competition is an experience that already far surpasses that of 99% of junior high school students in Japan.

Even if Muromachi Juji lost miserably today, and the score was ugly, he still lost to a true strongman in the final. In his opinion, this was not shameful at all, but rather something to be extremely fortunate about.

Failure is inevitable for every competitor; no one is exempt. The key is whether one can gain something from the experience.

"Ugh!"

Sengoku Kiyosumi sighed deeply and turned his gaze back to the arena.

"Bang!"

After reaching the service court, Mori Jusaburo took a deep breath, tossed the ball high into the air, and swung his racket forcefully.

"15-0!"

"30-0!"

"40-0!"

"Game, Muromachi Juuji, 0-6!"

I nn I n

"The first match is over, 6-0, Mori Jusaburo wins!"