Two days later.
3:00 PM, club activity time.
The members of the Hyotei Tennis Club, as usual, changed into their training uniforms in the locker room and gathered at the training grounds.
At this moment, training hadn't started yet. The players were clustered in small groups, chatting about their weekend experiences.
"Hey, Ryosuke, it's about time you returned that game disc I lent you!"
"Don't be so stingy, Ryota. It's just a game disc. Let me borrow it for a couple more days!"
"Hey, hey, that's no ordinary game disc. It's a special collector's edition I had someone buy for me. It even has the personal signatures of various tennis stars. Wait... don't tell me you lost it?"
"N-no, of course not! I just lent it to a friend..."
"Uesugi Ryosuke!!!"
An angry roar from Suzuki echoed across the court. The orange-haired boy named Uesugi Ryosuke awkwardly scratched his head, then suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, Ryota, look! Isn't that Shino over there?"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Suzuki Ryota turned to look. On the running track outside the court, a buzz-cut boy was jogging laps. It was none other than Shino Saburo, who had previously lost to Ishikawa.
"That guy... sigh!"
Seeing Shino, Suzuki's expression shifted, and he let out a long sigh. "The defeat must have hit him hard. Training has become a daily routine for him now."
"Is he seeking revenge?"
Uesugi Ryosuke, also a third-year member, raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Give it up. With that guy's current skill, even if Shino trained for a hundred years, he'd never stand a chance!"
"Yeah."
Suzuki Ryota sighed softly.
The disdain he once had for Ishikawa had now turned into awe. In just half a month, Ishikawa had defeated Hiyoshi, Shishido, and Yushi, securing a spot as a regular. It had left the ordinary members like them utterly stunned.
After that, he led the second team to win the regional preliminaries and was now the designated next captain. It was like something straight out of a movie protagonist's playbook!
Suzuki and the others already looked up to Ishikawa. But Shino, who had suffered a crushing defeat, still couldn't let go of his resentment.
At some point, he had started emulating Ishikawa, adding extra training sessions after regular practice, even on weekends. Gradually, their relationship had grown distant.
Suzuki had tried to persuade Shino, telling him it was a waste of effort. Besides, they were already in their third year. (Japanese middle school has three terms per year.) In two more terms, they'd be facing entrance exams. For them, the tennis club was just a formality.
In the Hyotei Tennis Club, which had over 200 members, their presence was more like being part of a cheering squad at a celebrity concert. At most, they'd cheer during matches.
"Wouldn't it be better to just enjoy life?"
Thinking this, Suzuki stretched comfortably. Glancing at the sun overhead, he felt it was a bit too bright today and decided to head to the shaded rest area.
"Assemble!"
At that moment, a commanding voice rang out.
Whoosh!
Everyone's expressions changed instantly, and they quickly gathered in the center of the training ground.
Soon, they stood in neat rows before Sakaki Taro, who was dressed in a maroon suit.
"Before today's training, there's an announcement."
Sakaki's gaze swept across the group, and then, to everyone's surprise, he declared, "Starting today, first-year regular Ishikawa Shin will serve as the team's training advisor!"
Ishikawa?
Tr-training advisor?!
The members turned to look at the black-haired boy in the crowd. Even regulars like Yushi were visibly shocked.
Then, everyone glanced at Atobe.
The captain of Hyotei, the supreme "Emperor" of the club, remained calm. Clearly, Sakaki had discussed this with him beforehand.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
At Sakaki's signal, Ishikawa stepped forward and addressed the group, "Starting today, I'll be the team's training advisor. You're probably curious about how I improved so quickly, right?"
"Mhm."
Most of the members nodded eagerly. Even those who didn't react outwardly were secretly wondering if Ishikawa was about to reveal his training secrets.
"Actually, it's nothing special."
Seeing their reactions, Ishikawa smiled. "My talent is about the same as everyone else's. The reason I became a regular boils down to two things."
Whoosh!
The members' eyes lit up, and they pricked up their ears.
Even slackers like Suzuki and Uesugi perked up. As for Shino Saburo, who had once lost to Ishikawa, he held his breath, his eyes fixed intently on the boy.
"First, I train a lot."
Ishikawa looked at the group and continued, "Second, I make sure to complete that amount of training every single day!"
Truthfully, he wasn't lying. While his in-game cheat might have helped him grow stronger, it wouldn't have been this fast without his rigorous training.
Moreover, Ishikawa knew just how crucial the training regimen from the original series was for an average player.
Take Inui, for example. Setting aside his data analysis skills, his natural tennis talent wasn't particularly outstanding.
Yet, Inui consistently maintained an intense training routine, even wearing weights several times heavier than the other regulars. That's why he never fell behind the main cast.
The Hyotei members, on the other hand, were no less talented than Inui—in fact, most of them were more gifted.
However, it wasn't until their defeat against Seigaku that they truly buckled down, determined to redeem themselves.
But that was during the Kanto and National tournaments, much later in the timeline.
Now, it was only mid-May, with over half a month until the Metropolitan Tournament and two to three months until the Kanto and National tournaments.
If he could unlock the potential of these players, they might just have a chance to overpower Rikkai in overall strength!
"W-wait a minute."
Someone caught the underlying meaning in Ishikawa's words and paled. "I-Ishikawa, you're not planning to make us train like you, are you?"
"Congratulations, you got it right."
Ishikawa smiled at the speaker, whose face immediately turned grim. "Y-you've got to be kidding!"
"Exactly!"
"There's no way we can handle that kind of training load!"
"I refuse! I'm a third-year, and I've got entrance exams coming up. That kind of training would kill me!"
Ishikawa's announcement sparked discontent among most of the members. At first, it was just a few voices, but when they saw that Sakaki didn't intervene, they grew bolder and started complaining openly.
Eventually, some even voiced their objections outright.
"Hmph!"
"He's just a first-year. What gives him the right to make us third-years follow his training standards?"
"Right!"
"Exactly!!"
However, to their surprise, neither Sakaki nor Ishikawa stopped them. Gradually, the voices died down. The members glanced nervously at Sakaki and then at Ishikawa, who was still smiling. Their unease grew.
"Finished?"
Once the group fell silent, Ishikawa smiled and said, "My training isn't mandatory. If you don't want to follow it, you're free to leave the club."
L-leave the club?!
The members' eyes widened in shock.
You've got to be kidding!
How is that not mandatory?!
But by now, their momentum had been completely deflated by Ishikawa's calm yet firm approach.
What was even more alarming was that Atobe, the club's captain and undisputed "Emperor," showed no signs of displeasure at Ishikawa's blatant assertion of authority!
Coupled with the fact that Ishikawa had earned his place through hard-fought matches and was now a regular, the third-year members were effectively silenced. No one dared to challenge him further.
---
(End of Chapter)