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

Next April, Yamabuki Middle School, Tokyo.

With the arrival of the new semester, the campus is filled with the joyful laughter of new students.

The tennis club was naturally surrounded by new faces who came to submit their applications to join.

"Master, the new student registration forms are all ready. Shall we begin the testing now?"

Holding a thick stack of documents, Gu Jimusin respectfully approached an elderly man with a full head of white hair and a kind face.

Banta Mikiya, affectionately known as "Ban-sama" by his teammates, is a veteran coach with over 20 years of experience, having personally trained countless national-level doubles pairs.

"Go get tested."

Banta Mikiya took the form with a smile, his cloudy but shrewd eyes lingering for a moment on the top two sheets of paper.

"But these two people... I'll test them myself."

He pulled out the two forms and slowly walked towards Field Number One with his hands behind his back.

Yamabuki Junior High School is known for its doubles, but its singles has always been a weakness.

Seeing these two promising talents, he couldn't help but have his eye on them.

"Kagura, Sengoku, you two come over and have a match."

Banta Mikiya walked to the referee's chair and sat down. Although his voice was not loud, it carried an undeniable authority.

These two teenagers, one who made it to the semifinals of the youth championship and the other who passed the youth selection competition, are both rare talents.

"Sengoku-kun, let's begin."

Kagura Ichijin gently placed his tennis bag on the lounge chair, unzipped it, took out the racket with the Jr. tournament logo printed on the handle, and stepped onto the court.

Since the end of last year's Jr. tournament, he has been training hard for the past eight months and has not participated in any other competitions.

Today's test is a good opportunity to examine the training results.

"no problem."

The orange-haired boy, Sengoku Kiyosumi, responded.

……

The coin was tossed up and landed, and Sengoku Kiyosumi guessed heads correctly, winning the right to serve.

He took his racket and walked to the service baseline, gently tapping the tennis ball and adjusting his breathing.

"Bang!"

A standard high-speed serve.

The tennis ball whistled as it flew straight toward Kagura Ikjin's court.

Sengoku Kiyosumi stared intently at his opponent, lowering his center of gravity to prepare for a counterattack.

"0-15!"

"What?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi turned around abruptly and saw the small yellow ball rolling silently on the baseline behind him.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

too fast!

Kagura Ichijin's return speed was ridiculously fast. Even with his proud dynamic vision, he could only catch a fleeting afterimage, and his body didn't have time to react at all.

"Sengoku-kun, this level of probing is meaningless."

Kagura Ichijin stood opposite him and spoke calmly.

Scoring a point with a casual shot made him even more convinced of the importance of basics.

While a high five-dimensional strength doesn't guarantee a 100% win rate, it does ensure a minimum level of performance, especially against flashy or overpowered moves.

"In that case... Tiger Cannon!"

Sengoku Kiyosumi gritted his teeth and put away his contempt.

He tossed the ball high into the air, then pushed off the ground with both legs, launching himself into the air.

At the moment when the body reaches its highest point, the racket smashes down with all the power of the body!

"Good timing."

A glint flashed in Kagura Ichijin's eyes as he quickly rushed to the area where the ball was about to land.

He stood firmly on his feet, used his core strength, and decisively swung his racket at the powerful tennis ball.

"0-30!"

"..."

As soon as Sengoku Kiyosumi landed, he saw the ball appear behind him.

This left Sengoku Kiyosumi stunned, and then, defiantly, he gripped his racket tightly and tossed the ball into the air again.

"Tiger Cannon!"

This time, he jumped higher and hit the ball more accurately.

However, the result remained unchanged, and Kagura Ichijin easily returned the ball.

"0-40!"

"Sengoku-kun, this serve has too many drawbacks and is not suitable for singles."

Kagura Ichijin, seeing the bewildered look on Sengoku Kiyosumi's face, couldn't help but offer some guidance.

While a jump serve can significantly increase ball speed and power, it also presents a fatal problem.

If the opponent returns the ball directly, the person who has just landed has no chance to catch it.

"How did you do that?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi looked shocked, and even her orange hair seemed to have dimmed a bit.

One return might be luck, but every time he returns it precisely, it shows that Kagura Ito has completely figured out his serve.

"It was done very naturally; it wasn't difficult."

Kagura Ichijin spoke calmly, as if stating a fact.

In his opinion, Kiyosumi Sengoku's current serve speed is still too slow. If he could increase it to over 200 km/h, he might be able to pose a threat to him.

"Bang!"

Kiyosumi Sengoku abandoned the flawed Tiger Cannon and instead fired a regular High Speed ​​Ball.

This time, he stared wide-eyed, intently watching Kagura Ichijin's movements.

Since his serve will be countered, he can rely on his dynamic vision to return the ball.

"Game, Kiyosumi Sengoku, 0-1!"

However, the ball flew past Sengoku Kiyosumi once again.

He saw it, but his feet couldn't keep up.

"Sengoku-kun, your movement speed is too slow. Even if you can see the ball, it's useless if your body can't keep up."

Kagura Ichijin shook his head and walked to the service line.

He tossed the ball high into the air, his whole body like a fully drawn bow, soaring into the sky, his arm muscles instantly tensing as he swung the racket with force!

"boom!"

With a deafening roar like a cannonball, the tennis ball transformed into a golden streak, instantly blasting into the corner of the baseline.

"15-0!"

"This...this is my Tiger Cannon?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi looked at Kagura Ichijin, who had just landed, with disbelief on her face.

The movements and power generation techniques are exactly the same as his Tiger Cannon, but with greater power and faster ball speed!

"More or less."

Kagura Ichijin gripped his racket, feeling the tension in the strings.

Toss the ball again, jump, and swing the racket.

"30-0!"

……

"40-0!"

……

"Game, Kiyosumi Sengoku, 0-2!"

After scoring consecutive ace points, Kagura Ichijin silently recited the system's commands.

Sengoku Kiyosumi (First year of junior high school)

Speed: 2

Power: 2

Stamina: 2

Spirit: 4

Technology: 3

Total: 13

Special skill: Dynamic vision (precisely capturing fast-moving objects)

Technique: Tiger Cannon (Jump serve, ball speed 178km/h-183km/h)

Kagura I-Jen (Grade 1, Junior High)

Speed: 3

Power: 3

Stamina: 3

Spirit: 10

Technology: 2

Total: 21

Technique: Flat serve (speed 205km/h—210km/h)

Technique: Jump serve (speed 185km/h-195km/h)

The difference between the two is obvious.

The following matches were almost entirely one-sided.

"0-15!"

……

"0-30!"

……

"0-40!"

"Sengoku-kun, are you already planning to give up?"

Looking at the dejected and listless Sengoku Kiyosumi across from him, Kagura Ichijin frowned and spoke with a hint of sternness.

"..."

Sengoku Kiyosumi bit her lower lip, wanting to retort, but unable to utter a sound.

The eyes can see the ball, but the body can never keep up.

Three rounds have already passed, and he hasn't retaliated even once.

"Bang!"

"Game, Kiyosumi Sengoku, 0-3!"

……

"Game, Kiyosumi Sengoku, 0-4!"

In the blink of an eye, the match had reached the fifth game.

Kiyosumi Sengoku's serve.

"Bang!"

Sengoku Kiyosumi looked completely bewildered as he mechanically delivered a completely harmless serve, which was pitifully slow.

"..."

Kagura Ichijin looked at the soft, squishy ball and sighed inwardly.

This time he didn't exert any force, but instead gently swung his racket, feeding the ball back at a comfortable speed.

"what?"

When Kagura Ikjin suddenly slowed down his pace, Sengoku Kiyosumi was taken aback at first, and then his body moved instinctively.

He quickly moved into position and caught the ball steadily with his racket.

The realistic feel of the racket invigorated him.

He gritted his teeth and forcefully returned the ball.

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"Bang!"

……

As the number of returns increased, the light in Sengoku Kiyosumi's eyes shone again, and the speed of his swings became faster and faster, and his footwork became lighter and lighter.

"..."

Kagura Ichijin controlled the power of his return shot while observing Sengoku Kiyosumi's condition.

Once he was sure that Kiyosumi Sengoku had adapted to the rhythm, Ichijin Kagura's eyes narrowed, and he slightly increased the force of his return shot.

"snort!"

Sengoku Kiyosumi noticed the change in the ball's speed, and with a burst of fierce force, he pushed off the ground with both legs and arrived at the ball's landing point at the last moment.

"Go back...!"

His forehead veins bulged, he gripped the racket with both hands, and with a roar, he forced the ball back despite the immense impact from the racket.

"good."

Kagura Ichijin nodded in satisfaction.

Sengoku Kiyosumi's five dimensions are not low. Combined with dynamic vision, he can return most serves. He is indeed a promising talent.

"0-15!"

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, the racket in Sengoku Kiyosumi's hand was knocked away by the enormous force, flying out of his grasp and spinning as it crashed to the ground.

Sengoku Kiyosumi's face was pale. He rubbed his numb wrists and sore legs and silently walked over to pick up the racket.

"0-30!"

……

"0-40!"

……

"Game, Kiyosumi Sengoku, 0-5!"

……

"Game, Kiyosumi Sengoku, 0-6!"

……

"Match ended, 6-0, Kagura Ikjin wins!"

With the final ball landing, the entrance test came to an end.

Kagura Ichijin walked back to the rest area with a calm expression and steady breathing.

After nearly eight months of hard training, his five dimensions have improved significantly, making him capable of handling most competitors.

The current Sengoku Kiyosumi can't put any pressure on him at all. During the match just now, he didn't even need the system's help.

"Kagura, you played well."

Banta Mikiya stepped down from the referee's chair with a smile, looking at the composed young man in front of him, unable to hide the smile on his lips.

Sengoku Kiyosumi is already a rare talent, yet he was shut out by Kagura Ichijin. Yamabuki Junior High School really struck gold this time.

"Hello, Mr./Ms. Best friend."

Kagura Ikjin bowed slightly, his attitude respectful.

There weren't many middle schools he could choose from in the Tokyo area. He chose Yamabuki Middle School not only because it was close to home, but also because he valued the coach's ability.

Hyotei Academy would have been a good option, but unfortunately it's a prestigious private school that he simply couldn't afford.

And the seniority-based system at Seishun Academy is even worse; even someone like Tezuka Kunimitsu would have to pick up balls for a year after entering.

Only Yamabuki Junior High School can give him enough freedom and room to grow.

"Prepare well, the school selection competition will be held in a few days, so don't lose."

Banta Kanya patted Kagura Ichijin on the shoulder, said something meaningful, and then walked towards the group of freshmen who were still in shock.

Yamabuki Middle School cannot rely solely on Kagura Ichijin; it needs to discover more talent and must not allow the fate of Echizen Nanjiro to be repeated in Kagura Ichijin's case.

It's worth noting that back then, the Kuwaji Middle School he led had eliminated Seishun Academy, led by Echizen Nanjiro, in the first round.