Inside Court No. 2 at the U-17 training camp, the high schoolers and middle schoolers were locked in a tense standoff. The high school players had never expected to suddenly be targeted by the black-uniform group, and with the rules binding them, all they could do was throw out angry threats.
On the other side, the middle schoolers were all pumped and ready to go, especially Kintarō and Ryōma. The two were brimming with fighting spirit. After over a month of training under Mifune, both felt they had taken their skills to a whole new level.
At that moment, a cold voice suddenly rang out from behind the high schoolers.
"What are you all standing around for? Get back to training! Or do you want to be punished?"
Everyone turned to look. Tezuka stood there in a U-17 uniform, arms crossed, face stern. It was clear he was now the leader of Court No. 2, exuding a commanding presence not unlike Akashi's.
"Tezuka~~~ long time no see!!!" Kintarō waved both arms excitedly, smiling as he greeted him.
"So that's it. You're all back, huh? Looks like you want to challenge Court No. 2? Fine by me. Let's start," Tezuka nodded at Kintarō, then glanced over the others as he spoke.
Meanwhile, over at Court No. 3, Kikumaru came running in, shouting loudly:
"Come quick to Court No. 2! Ōishi and the shorty are back! They're challenging the guys on Court No. 2, and Tezuka's there too!"
"Hah? Something that interesting's going on? Right, Kabaji~?" Atobe, relaxing with a cup of tea at the sidelines, said casually. With the coaches' reshuffling, most of the middle schoolers, Kabaji included, were now on Court No. 3.
"Usu!" Kabaji nodded.
"Why don't we go watch? Our match is in the afternoon anyway," Fuji suggested with a smile.
"Don't talk about the afternoon match. We're not even gonna get to play. The first three matches will crush it anyway," Marui muttered with frustration.
"Stop whining. Save your strength for when we face the First String. I bet they'll be back any moment, right, Akashi-kun?" Yukimura asked calmly.
"According to the coaches' predictions, it should be within the next couple days. Everyone, stay sharp. This afternoon's match is just a warm-up. For now, let's go check out Court No. 2," Akashi said coolly, as if the First Court held no weight in his eyes.
With Akashi's order, the group made their way toward Court No. 2. By now, matches had already begun there. Unlike standard group shuffle matches, the challenge from the black-uniform group meant that every player on Court No. 2 had to compete.
Kurobe announced the match rules via the speaker system—simple and brutal: the winner stays, the loser leaves. So now, every player on Court No. 2 was giving it everything they had.
But reality was harsh. The middle schoolers were already far stronger than in the original series, and after Mifune's training, their abilities had improved even more. The third-years who had previously trained at the Cliff of the Heart didn't see as much growth, but their physical condition had still improved.
"GAME! Ōishi Shūichirō! 7-1!"
(*Note: due to the large number of participants, matches follow the tiebreaker format.)
"GAME! Yanagi Renji! 7-0!"
"GAME! Momoshiro Takeshi! 7-0!"
"GAME! Kaidō Kaoru! 7-0!"
"GAME! Hiyoshi Wakashi! 7-0!"
One by one, the high school players were defeated, most without landing a single point. By the time Akashi and the others arrived at Court No. 2, there were only a few high schoolers left standing.
That's when Niō flipped his ponytail and strolled onto the court. But Akashi's Emperor Eye immediately picked up on the change in Niō—and sensed a faint but unmistakable ripple in the air.
'Looks like you've taken that step forward. If that's the case, we might have more room to maneuver in the World Tournament,' Akashi thought, watching Niō with narrowed eyes.
As Niō walked onto the court, his appearance began to change with each step. By the time he reached the baseline, the figure standing there was none other than Yukimura Seiichi. 'Yukimura' wore the black uniform jacket and greeted his opponent with a calm smile.
"GAME! Habu Itto! 7-0!"
"Nice! Finally won a match. Who would've thought Habu had improved this much?" the high school players on the sidelines immediately burst into cheers.
But the next second, the whole space shattered like a mirror. Just as everyone was still confused, the sound of a tennis ball landing echoed, followed by the umpire's call:
"GAME! Niō Masaharu! 7-0!"
"Looks like you were having a nice dream about winning~" 'Yukimura' still wore a cheerful smile as he looked at Habu, completely ignoring the collapsing look on his face.
After the match, Niō returned to his normal appearance and walked to the sideline. Spotting Akashi and the others watching, he strolled over with a grin.
"Long time no see~ Akashi-kun! Puri~"
"Seems like your mental strength has grown. Get ready—it's likely happening in the next couple days," Akashi nodded to Niō and replied flatly.
"Really? Sounds fun~" Niō smirked slyly, as if something had come to mind.
"Look! The shorty's up next!" Kikumaru's voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned toward the court and saw Ryōma walking confidently onto the court, wearing his tattered hat. His opponent was someone they all recognized—Migihashi Itarou, who had once been dropped to Court No. 16. After tireless effort, he had clawed his way back to Court No. 2.
Even Akashi felt speechless. He couldn't understand Migihashi's obsession with Court No. 2. Even after being beaten by Tezuka, he had returned faster than anyone else. But he was no longer the leader of Court No. 2.
"Oh? You're my opponent? I thought it'd be Tezuka," Ryōma started in with his usual provocation.
Ryōma Echizen, back from the Cliff of the Heart.
"Echizen Ryōma, I know you're strong, but don't forget the most basic respect you owe your senpai!" Migihashi said calmly.
"Tell me about respect after you win~" Ryōma didn't care at all about Migihashi's words. After spending so long with Mifune at the Cliff of the Heart, the concept of survival of the fittest had already taken root in him.
Migihashi's expression turned cold. He walked silently to the baseline and used his racket to flick several tennis balls out of the basket. His voice was icy as he spoke to Ryōma:
"Don't think just because you've gotten stronger you can do whatever you want! You're not in charge here!"
As soon as he finished, Migihashi tossed all the balls into the air and began his strike. A flurry of hits rang out—8 balls flew toward Ryōma. Ryōma paused for a second, then gave a scornful smile.
"Really? That's it? Just a basic multi-ball drill? Eight balls isn't enough—why not add two more?" Ryōma said casually, pulling two balls from his pocket and tossing them up. His figure seemed to split into ten as he returned all the balls with ease.
Migihashi's pupils shrank at the sight of the 10 incoming balls. His best record was only nine. But with no time to think, he did his best, splitting into nine shadow images and returning nine balls. One still landed on his court.
"1-0!"
"You can't even handle a ten-ball rally? Are you really a Court No. 2 player? Compared to Irie-senpai, you're way off," Ryōma taunted after scoring the point.
"Forget it, I wasn't expecting much anyway. Let's keep going~" Standing at the baseline, Ryōma picked up a large handful of balls from the basket. 12 shots rang out in quick succession. Migihashi stared in disbelief as every ball landed in his court and bounced out of bounds.
"2-0!"
"No need to continue… I forfeit… I can't even defend my own court anymore…" Migihashi said with a defeated tone.
Ryōma just shrugged indifferently and walked off the court. Replacing him was the energetic Tōyama Kintarō, who bounced onto the court with a wide grin and shouted:
"Finally, it's my turn! Where's my opponent?!"
"Seems like you've grown a lot, Tōyama. Let me see what you've learned from Coach Mifune," Tezuka said seriously as he stepped slowly onto the court.