The Prince of Tennis: My tennis skills come from Naruto

Chapter 172 Hyotei Changed Akutsu

Time slips away silently like sand through your fingers.

The intense and fulfilling preparation period passed in the blink of an eye, and the day that would determine the winner of the highest honor in tennis in the Kanto region—the final day of the Kanto Tournament—arrived.

Summer in Tokyo is scorching hot, even in the mornings, with the sun baking everything on the ground. But this doesn't stop the stands near Court 1 of the Meitoku Forest Tennis Sports Park from being packed with people.

In the stands, there were reporters from various newspapers carrying long lenses and short lenses, who had arrived early and thus secured good positions. In particular, Mamoru Inoue had arrived near the entrance of the sports park in the early morning and had now seized the best shooting spots. There were also regular players from various universities in the Kanto region, especially those schools that had been ruthlessly eliminated by Hyotei and Rikkai. They came to watch the game with either a sense of resentment or a desire to learn.

Most of the spectators were casual tennis fans who had come to watch the game. They were excitedly chatting, "Rikkai vs. Hyotei, this is a once-in-a-decade match in the Kanto region, it's going to be absolutely amazing!"

"Indeed, after all, no one could threaten Rikkai's championship position before, but this year Hyotei suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

.

"So, can Hyotei, this dark horse, continue their winning streak against the undefeated champions of the Kanto Tournament?"

"Now that the Kanto Tournament is in its finals, we should be able to see Hyotei's mysterious vice-captain make his move, right?"

'

In short, the air was filled with fervent anticipation and longing for the ultimate showdown.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Kawamura Takamasa, standing next to his Yamabuki teammates, looked at the two teams in the contestants' area with envy and longing. It was such a pity that he and his teammates were only one round away from standing on the final stage.

Then, Kawamura Takashi's gaze shifted to Akutsu Jin in the Hyotei area. Akutsu had really become strong now, and was completely different from the one before!

Tennis—no, it should be Hyotei—truly and completely changed him.

Hyotei —

Thinking of Hyotei, Takashi Kawamura's thoughts were particularly complicated. The defeat in the final of the Metropolitan Tournament was still vivid in his mind, and Hyotei's strength still made him feel lingering fear.

On the other hand, watching Akutsu's transformation at Hyotei, and seeing Hyotei overcome all obstacles to challenge Rikkai, the reigning champion of Kanto, in the Kanto Tournament, an indescribable feeling, mixed with awe, resentment, and even a hint of longing, quietly arose within him.

Hyotei, they are so powerful it's suffocating, yet also so dazzling it's impossible to look away.

Meanwhile, all 12 referees were in place on the field, and both coaches entered the field under the referees' instructions.

On Hyotei's side, it was Taro, who remained steadfast as ever. Taro walked towards the court with the composure of a rock, his brown-black suit impeccable, exuding a cold and dignified aura.

Rikkai University's representative is Yukimura Seiichi, a first-year student who serves as both captain and coach. He has short, dark blue hair tied with a green headband, wears a tan Rikkai University uniform jacket, and has a gentle smile.

Soon, the referee, seated high in his chair, brought the megaphone to his mouth and announced loudly, "I now declare one..."

His voice was strong and clear. "The final match of this Kanto Tournament, between Hyotei Academy representing Tokyo and Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School representing Kanagawa Prefecture, is officially beginning!"

As soon as the referee finished speaking, the Hyotei supporters roared with tremendous energy, "Oh!!"

"Hyotei is the winner! Rikkai is the loser!"

"Hyotei will win! Rikkai will lose!!"

The roar grew louder and louder, carrying an overwhelming momentum, attempting to completely crush the opponent in terms of sheer force.

The other regulars from Rikkai University were not to be outdone and began to cheer for their teammates. Because they had rehearsed beforehand, they appeared very organized and orderly.

However, this sound was far inferior to that of Hyotei (after all, the number of people was different).

Seeing this, the referee had to raise his voice again, barely managing to suppress the shouts from outside the court through the loudspeaker, "First up is the second doubles match, featuring Hyotei Academy's Kiyosumi Sengoku and Jin Akutsu!"

"Matchup"

'

"Tatekai University Affiliated High School Yanagi Renji! Nioh Masaharu!"

This matchup—

Taro narrowed his eyes. It was a clash of four Kanto-class teams. However, there were differences in the Kanto-class teams. Moreover, Sengoku's defense and Akutsu's offense were a powerful combination that complemented each other's weaknesses. Therefore, Taro did not believe that Rikkai's doubles team could defeat Hyotei.

As for Yukimura Seiichi on the Rikkai coaching bench, his fingers on his knees tightened involuntarily. This was a bit troublesome. According to their optimal matchup plan against Hyotei, the other pairing should be Sengoku and Akutsu, because Renji and Niou's strength was not much different from Hyotei's. Even if they used that move, they might not be able to break through Sengoku's dynamic vision defense.

Meanwhile, in the Hyotei and Rikkai areas, the players whose names were called walked towards the court with their rackets.

Sengoku Kiyosumi still had that same carefree, grinning face, as if no difficulty would bother him. Akutsu Jin, on the other hand, unusually didn't put on a sour face; his expression was rather serious.

Meanwhile, on Rikkai University's side, Renji Yanagi's eyes narrowed to slits, while Masaharu Niou, with his short, stiff, light blue hair, also looked serious and sharp-eyed, on par with Jin Akutsu.

"Renji." Mitsuya Akutsu patted Yanagi Renji on the shoulder. Although he didn't continue speaking, his eyes already contained everything.

"Leave it to us, Akuta-nii-san." Yanagi Renji said earnestly.

"Puri," Niou Masaharu said succinctly, his eyes filled with an unprecedented seriousness, "We will win!"

The four players from both sides quickly came to the net for a pre-match handshake, and at that moment, a deafening roar erupted from the stands once again: "Sengoku! Sengoku!!"

"7

"Akuzu! Akutsu!!"

The Rikkai University regulars were not to be outdone, and their unified but somewhat weak support was also putting up a tenacious resistance.

Amidst this cacophony of voices, Sengoku Kiyosumi, sporting her signature nonchalant, almost carefree grin, was the first to extend her hand, eagerly saying, "Then, nice to meet you!"

Standing opposite him, Liu Lian'er calmly replied, "You too."

As for Jin Akutsu and Masaharu Niou, they simply shook hands quickly and efficiently, and that was it.

At that moment, a referee walked to the net with a racket in hand. He glanced at the four players and then said to Sengoku Kiyosumi, "Sengoku, which one?"

Kiyosumi Sengoku rubbed her chin with her left hand, asking her intuition which side to choose, and then said, "smooth."