The Prince of Tennis: My tennis skills come from Naruto

Chapter 147 Youth is about falling into pits together (The Finals Begin)

Banta Mikiya watched with a smile as Inui Sadaharu and the others discussed (mostly Inui Sadaharu talking, with others occasionally offering their opinions).

Once again, I feel that bringing Inui and Tei together to Yamabuki was the right decision. Look, Inui has almost taken over all the pre-match tactical analysis and data projections that should have been done by him, the coach. It's so convenient for him.

Banta Mikiya's smile deepened, although, in his opinion, Yamabuki had absolutely no chance of winning against Hyotei, whether in doubles or singles.

With this thought in mind, Banta couldn't help but recall the imposing aura he had previously sensed from Hyotei's vice-captain, Atobe Keigo, and the charisma of the Hyotei members whose chest medals were among the top six.

Leaving aside the top six, even considering that Hyotei's seventh-ranked Akutsu Jin, Banta Mikiya had a strange feeling that his talent was far more than that.

Well, I have to say, this year's Hyotei team is truly a concentration camp of geniuses.

Normally, an academy might only produce one or two geniuses of this caliber at most. What's going on with Hyotei's class this year?!

Sigh, let alone the top three, even if it's Hyotei's No. 5, Fuji would have a hard time beating them.

Well, during the semifinals, Mr. Banta didn't stay to watch the match between Yamabuki and Ginka, but instead went to watch the match between Hyotei and Yamabuki.

Therefore, Banta Miki also clearly and rationally knew that no matter how Yamabuki arranged its troops, it was meaningless, because no matter how well they arranged their troops, they could not bridge the gap in hard power. It was a very cruel fact that when Yamabuki faced the Hyotei team, which was at its peak and so powerful that it defied common sense, their chances of winning were almost zero.

However, Banta Mikiya did not intend to discourage the team's enthusiasm and confidence, even though losing was almost an inevitable outcome.

However, the value of the process itself far exceeds the outcome of a single match.

Even if they ultimately lose, wouldn't this kind of pre-match discussion perfectly increase the sense of participation and camaraderie among the Yamabuki Tennis Club members?

Banta Mikiya narrowed his eyes, thinking with a touch of nostalgia:

Youth is about working together with your friends towards the same goal, strategizing against the same opponent, falling down together in the same pit, and then getting back up – that's what makes it meaningful, isn't it?

Moreover, Banta Kan also felt that he was very content with his lot.

Although Yamabuki can't compare to Hyotei, they can still rival other schools, except for Rikkai, which also has two national-level singles players.

It has to be said that there are quite a few unpolished gems among these first-year students from the original Qingxue.

Tei, Fuji, Inui, and Kawamura... Tsk, there are so many gems out there, but that old woman Ryuzaki doesn't know how to appreciate them at all.

Banta Mikiya shook his head disdainfully. The old woman was getting old, and she had actually allowed such a terrible incident to happen in her tennis club.

However, Banta Mikiya laughed even more happily. The old woman's blindness was a boon to their Yamabuki team. He believed that with these new blood, their Yamabuki tennis club would definitely flourish. Moreover, if that old woman knew that it was former Seigaku members who were leading Yamabuki to national glory, her expression would be absolutely interesting!

Over there, Inui Sadaharu continued, "So the current issue is the order of our two teams' matches in doubles 1 and doubles 2, and where to put Fuji in the singles."

And this problem—

A glint of light flashed in Inui Sadaharu's eyes, which led back to the question of how many layers a mille-feuille cake actually had.

In the first round, Hyotei adopted the same lineup as in the semifinals. Although the singles second and singles first matches did not go to the finals, it is highly likely that the singles second match will be played by Atobe Keigo, and the singles first match will be played by Kamiya You.

On the second layer, Hyotei changed the order of the doubles matches in the semifinals, while the singles matches continued to be layered.

For the third layer, Hyotei calculated that Yamabuki would think it was the second layer, so they still used the lineup from the first layer.

Of course, it's also possible that Hyotei's doubles lineup in the semifinals was just for fun, and they'll bring out something completely different in the finals.

And this possibility must be admitted, after all, Hyotei has a very deep bench, or you could say a very deep player pool, so they can certainly practice and have fun before the finals.

Sigh, I'm so envious.jpg

Two days later, on the final day of the tournament, the final between Hyotei Middle School and Yamabuki Middle School will be held at Court 1 of Mingde Forest Tennis Park.

(The level of these competitions is not high enough to warrant the use of the central arena.)

This time, the forest park wasn't just crowded, it was overflowing with people.

Taking into account the large number of people and the limited conditions around the stadium, the organizers set up stands with steps of varying heights arranged around the stadium.

But some people didn't want to stand and watch the whole game, so others were on higher ground using binoculars to watch the game from a distance.

The referee is now in position on the field.

Meanwhile, the announcements near the stadium began playing the tournament schedule: "The Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament Finals, between Hyotei Academy and Yamabuki Junior High School, will be held in thirty minutes at Court 1. Teams that have not yet checked in should do so within 10 minutes. Teams that have already checked in should proceed to the vicinity of the court to prepare."

The coaches of both teams also entered the stadium after the announcement ended.

Hyotei's coach, Taro, dressed in a suit and tie with a serious expression, nodded first to the old man with a stellar record: he once led Kuwami Middle School to defeat Seigaku, where Echizen Nanjiro was present. Yamabuki's coach, Banta Mikiya, was wearing a white shirt with yellow sleeves and was holding a ceramic cup in his hand, with a faint steam rising from the rim of the cup.

He nodded to Taro with his usual kind smile, but one that was inexplicably enigmatic.

He sang in his heart:

Although this coach is a new tennis coach (I hadn't heard of him in the junior high school tennis scene before this year), being able to serve as the head coach at Hyotei, and currently at Hyotei, must be no small feat. I just wonder what his match-fixing ability is like—

After the coach entered the field, as time passed, more and more spectators gathered around the stadium. The already small stands were packed with people, and there was hardly enough room to stand.

Soon, the time arrived. "The Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament Finals are about to begin! Hyotei Academy versus Yamabuki Middle School!"

The referee's booming voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, echoed throughout the court and outwards: "First, the first match; second, the doubles match."

"From Hyotei Academy—Akutsu Jin! Sengoku Kiyosumi!"

"Matchup"

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"Yamabuki Middle School—Higashi Masami! Minami Kentaro!"

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