"How... how is this possible?!"
At this moment, Inui's gaze was locked onto the black-haired boy of average height at the end of Hyotei's lineup.
"Mr. X?"
"He's actually a member of Hyotei?!"
Inui's mind was instantly overwhelmed by a storm of shock and disbelief.
He never could have imagined that the mysterious figure who had once crushed him with overwhelming strength was actually the rumored newcomer of Hyotei!
"This is bad."
Watching the Hyotei team walk away, Inui's expression turned grim.
Last year, Hyotei had already been overwhelmingly strong. Who could have expected that this year, they would add such a terrifying newcomer?
Although Seigaku had also gained Ryoma, the advantage Hyotei now held made this year's Metropolitan Tournament finals extremely unfavorable for Seigaku.
Feeling the pressure, Inui thought to himself, "It seems we need to accelerate our training plans."
Meanwhile, after completing the registration process with Atobe and the others, Ishikawa took the initiative to leave the team and wander around the area.
Atobe didn't pay much attention to this.
First, he had absolute confidence in the matches. Second, as last year's champions, Hyotei had the privilege of two byes in the early rounds.
In other words, the other teams in their group would have to play two matches before facing Hyotei.
Taking advantage of this time, Ishikawa began observing the matches of other teams, particularly St. Rudolph, Yamabuki, and Fudomine.
Especially Fudomine.
After defeating Kamio and Ibu last time, Ishikawa had inadvertently altered the course of the story. He needed to confirm whether Fudomine's changes in strength would pose a threat to Hyotei's planned strategies.
However, after watching two matches, Ishikawa concluded that while Fudomine's performance was impressive, aside from their captain, Tachibana, the other members still couldn't pose a real threat to Hyotei's current lineup.
With his mind at ease, Ishikawa returned to Hyotei's area to prepare for their first match.
Ishikawa was scheduled to play as the second singles player.
With Hyotei sweeping the first three matches, Ishikawa quickly ended his match before anyone could even react.
"What just happened?"
"Hyotei's second singles match... is already over?"
"That newcomer is way too strong! But at least Atobe's match hasn't started yet."
Thinking about the upcoming first singles match, the crowd's attention quickly shifted to Atobe.
As expected, the match ended within seven minutes.
Hyotei's overwhelming dominance left the other teams in awe.
Later, in the fourth round of the tournament, Hyotei easily defeated their opponent with a clean 3-0 victory.
This time, Ishikawa didn't play, but Shishido's performance was even more dominant than in the original storyline. His opponent was defeated before they even realized what was happening.
After defeating the team from Chinba Taito, Hyotei advanced to the quarterfinals, becoming the first team to secure a spot in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament.
Once the match ended, Ishikawa excused himself and made his way to Seigaku's match.
As in the original storyline, due to St. Rudolph's manager, Mizuki, deliberately leaking data, Seigaku's match against Aoyama Third was much more difficult than anticipated.
However, in terms of overall strength, Seigaku still held a decisive advantage.
In the end, they defeated Aoyama Third 3-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Soon after, the other quarterfinal teams were determined.
After a one-and-a-half-hour lunch break, the quarterfinal matches began in the afternoon.
Just like in the original storyline, Seigaku's match was full of twists and turns, but they managed to secure a 2-1 victory.
In the second singles match, Mizuki, frustrated that his plans had been completely disrupted, set his sights on Seigaku's genius, Fuji Syusuke.
Having done extensive research, Mizuki knew Fuji's data inside and out.
For the first five games, the match was completely one-sided.
Fuji lost point after point, seemingly unable to mount any resistance against Mizuki.
"How can this be?"
Outside the court, Shishido, the female reporter from Tennis Monthly, looked on in disbelief.
Fuji!
The so-called tennis genius was being completely dominated by his opponent?!
"Mizuki... he's so strong!"
Even Inui was shocked. The match had completely exceeded his expectations.
"See, Fuji?"
On the court, Mizuki, who was in complete control and had reached match point, arrogantly taunted, "When your data is completely exposed, even a so-called genius can only struggle in vain."
At this moment, he acted like the victor, looking down on Fuji with a smug expression that infuriated the Seigaku team but left them helpless.
It seemed the match was truly about to end in defeat.
"Seigaku's senpai has quite the vengeful streak!"
But just then, a voice filled with amusement rang out.
Who?
Everyone turned to look.
They saw a black-haired boy standing outside the fence, smiling as he said, "Mizuki-senpai from St. Rudolph, you probably don't realize what kind of existence you've provoked, do you?"
Huh?
Hearing this, Mizuki narrowed his eyes and frowned. "A Hyotei player? Hmph, don't think just because you're wearing that uniform, you can spout nonsense here."
Despite his confidence in his data analysis, Mizuki was still wary of Hyotei.
Moreover, even if he defeated Fuji, St. Rudolph likely wouldn't advance to the next round.
So, for Mizuki, he needed to savor the satisfaction of this final point even more.
Swish!
But at that moment, Mizuki suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He instinctively looked up and met Fuji's cold, piercing gaze.
"Th-this look!"
Mizuki's heart skipped a beat.
In all his data, he had never seen Fuji in this state before.
"It's over."
The black-haired boy outside the fence sighed softly, then turned and walked away.
"O-over?"
Mizuki, unsettled by the boy's words, felt a wave of unease. His expression shifted repeatedly as he tried to suppress his growing anxiety. "What nonsense! I'm the one in control here!"
Bang!
However, in the next moment, when Fuji's serve landed, Mizuki could only watch helplessly as the ball flew past him.
"15-40!"
"Wh-what kind of joke is this?!"
Feeling the pressure mounting, Mizuki roared and assumed a defensive stance.
Bang!
Yet, when Fuji's next serve landed, Mizuki remained frozen in place, unable to react.
"Gulp."
Outside the court, the crowd instinctively swallowed hard.
"Is this Fuji's true strength?"
Seeing Fuji, who seemed like a completely different person on the court, Shishido's face lit up with admiration.
"Did that guy's prediction actually come true?"
Inui, equally shocked, quickly scanned the area but couldn't find the boy in the Hyotei jacket.
"Could he be the rumored one?"
Thinking of the boy's possible identity, Inui felt a surge of excitement.
"If I remember correctly, the next match is Hyotei vs. Fudomine, right?"
With this in mind, Inui glanced at the court, where Fuji had completely taken control of the match, and then at Mizuki, who had gone from confident to panicked and now looked utterly defeated. He quickly made up his mind.
"Shishido, stay here and keep an eye on things. I'm heading to the other court."
"Got it."
Still engrossed in Fuji's comeback, Shishido nodded repeatedly.
With that, Inui rushed to the court where Hyotei and Fudomine were about to face off. Joining him was Seigaku's training consultant.
As the two arrived near the court, the referee's voice echoed through the air.
"Next up, the final match of Group A in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament."
"Hyotei Academy vs. Fudomine Middle School."
---
**End of Chapter**