King of Tennis (POT)

"I-Into Coach?"

At the bespectacled man's words, Tōyama instinctively blurted out, "Wait, so this red-haired guy isn't the coach here?"

"Uh…"

Hearing that, Oni's eye twitched in the distance.

"Hahaha!"

Irie, however, burst out laughing before explaining, "Of course not. We're just trainees here. Into is the one in charge—just make sure you don't wake him up!"

With that, he winked at the middle schoolers.

"D-dammit…"

Meanwhile, Shishido struggled to his feet, his right arm numb and unresponsive. His face twisted in frustration.

"Not bad determination."

Oni gave an approving nod before turning to the other middle schoolers. "Anyone else want to step up?"

"…"

Silence.

Among them, there were players stronger than Shishido. But Oni's overwhelming power made even Echizen and Sanada hesitate. And if they weren't stepping forward, it meant the middle schoolers had effectively surrendered their say in the matter.

"If no one's challenging, then we're done here."

Oni turned away, tucking his cross-shaped racket under his arm as he and Irie walked off.

"Heh."

Watching Oni sweep the middle schoolers aside, the spiky-haired blond, Sasadō, sneered. "Just a bunch of middle school brats. You have no idea how terrifying this place is. Consider this a lesson—learn some respect for your seniors!"

"Damn it!"

The middle schoolers clenched their fists, especially Echizen and Sanada, who burned with frustration. They were this close to calling Oni back for a real match.

—Swish!

But then, Oni suddenly turned his head, his gaze locking onto Sasadō.

"Starting tonight, all high schoolers will sleep in the caves. After today, whoever performs best in daytime training gets a room."

"Wha—?!"

Sasadō's smirk froze. "O-Oni, boss, we—!"

Oni didn't even bother listening. He just walked away, leaving Sasadō and the other high schoolers deflated.

They could talk tough to middle schoolers, but against him? They didn't dare even think about fighting back.

"Pfft—hahaha!"

Watching the high schoolers' misery, Momoshiro and Zaizen couldn't help but laugh.

Now that was satisfying.

"Poor fools."

Irie, already walking away, shook his head at Sasadō and his group.

Originally, Oni hadn't been targeting the high schoolers—his role was just to enforce the rules of the Cliff of Resolution. The high schoolers knew better, so he only needed to suppress the unpredictable middle schoolers.

But then Sasadō had to open his big mouth.

"'Just a bunch of middle school brats'?"

Irie sighed inwardly. "Even we wouldn't say something like that."

Thanks to Oni's intervention, both sides spent the night in the caves—but in complete silence. No arguments, no fights.

The Next Morning – 5:30 AM

A rough, booming voice echoed outside the cave.

The sleeping middle and high schoolers jolted awake. While the middle schoolers were confused, the high schoolers looked terrified.

They scrambled up and rushed outside. Not wanting to be left behind, the middle schoolers quickly followed.

Outside, the sky was still dim.

Oni and Irie stood there, flanking a disheveled old man with a red nose, reeking of alcohol.

"Is that Into Coach?!"

The middle schoolers exchanged glances.

If not for Oni and Irie standing beside him, they'd have assumed he was just some drunkard who'd wandered in.

Even so, one thought crossed their minds: Even if he is the U-17 coach, he must've been exiled to this wasteland as punishment.

"Everyone, strip off your jackets, put on these clothes, and then—fetch water from the mountain!"

With that, Mifune turned and left, leaving the middle schoolers staring in bewilderment.

But the high schoolers, already used to this, grabbed wooden buckets and headed for the cliff without hesitation.

"A word of advice."

Oni crossed his arms, his voice firm. "Here, you only do one thing—obey Coach Into's orders."

Then, to the middle schoolers' shock, he picked up a bucket and followed the others.

"No way…!"

Mukahi's eyes widened. "That Oni is fetching water too?!"

This was the same guy who'd blasted Shishido away with one shot. And yet, here he was, obeying some old drunk's commands?

Exchanging glances, the middle schoolers quickly changed and grabbed their buckets.

Once they accepted the rules, their competitive spirits kicked in. The agile ones—like Chōtarō, Shishido, and Mukahi—raced ahead of the high schoolers.

But when they reached the water source and turned back, Oni and Irie were already at the top of the cliff.

"Already?!

Their confidence took a hit.

Echizen and Sanada, who'd assumed Oni was just a power player, paled. His speed and agility were on another level.

It was hard to believe someone like him trained in this wasteland.

With Oni and Irie as benchmarks, the middle schoolers' arrogance faded fast. Humbled, they threw themselves into training.

Meanwhile – U-17 Training Camp (6:00 AM)

Half an hour after the losers' group started training, the winners were jolted awake by a blaring alarm.

Black-capped staff members marched down the dorm halls, banging on doors with wooden sticks.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Even the laziest sleeper, like Akutagawa, was wide awake in seconds.

After a quick wash, the middle schoolers assembled on the field for another grueling day of training.

Tōzoe showed no mercy.

In the coaches' eyes, the winners had it easy compared to the losers.

More importantly—if the losers returned and crushed the winners, the coaches would never hear the end of it from the head coach.

And after seeing what Ishikawa was capable of, Kurobe and the others were determined to push these middle schoolers to their limits.

So, whether it was the Cliff of Resolution or the U-17 camp, both sides were in for brutal training.

Seoul, Korea – Expedition Team's Hotel

After breakfast, under Ishikawa's strict orders, the team boarded a bus to Seoul's National Stadium.

Meanwhile, Korea's KBS2 TV began a special broadcast on the U-17 national team's match.

In the studio, a former pro tennis player gushed about Korea's rising status in the tennis world.

"While we're not yet on Europe or America's level, Korea is already a powerhouse in Asia!

"This year, our U-17 captain, Lee Seung-bok, trained at Germany's elite tennis academy. His talent rivals even Europe's best!

"Today's match against Japan will decide if we qualify for the World Cup in Melbourne!

"Look—here comes our team!"

The camera cut to Seoul's 20,000-seat stadium.

Under the guidance of coach Park Dong-geon and the towering purple-haired Lee Seung-bok, the Korean team strode onto the court with confidence.

The lights shone on them as they walked, their national team jackets billowing—like they owned the place.

Then, the camera panned to the Japanese team.

The lighting was dimmer, making their uniforms look dull and their skin sallow.

To the untrained eye, they seemed inferior in every way.

This, of course, was no accident.

Coach Park had arranged the broadcast specifically to highlight Korea's dominance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the U-17 exhibition match between Korea and Japan is about to begin!"

The stadium was a third full.

As the announcer spoke, the crowd's attention turned to the court.

On Korea's side, Lee Seung-bok stood tall and handsome, exuding charisma.

But on Japan's side, the captain's looks and presence were even more striking—enough to make some female spectators hesitate before choosing sides.

"Hello. I'm Lee Seung-bok."

At the net, the purple-haired captain spoke in slightly broken English.

"Ishikawa Shin."

Ishikawa nodded, replying in fluent English.

"Tell me…"

Just as Ishikawa was about to leave, Lee suddenly asked, "Why isn't Byōdōin here?"

"Hm?"

Ishikawa paused, studying Lee's earnest expression before shrugging. "No idea. I'm just here to do my job."

"Your… job?"

Lee's eyebrows rose.

Then his gaze dropped to the glaring [No.1] badge on Ishikawa's collar—and his pupils contracted.

"No… way."

His mind raced.

Did Byōdōin skip this match because it's beneath him?

With Japan's accumulated points, they'd already secured their World Cup spot. It made sense to rest their ace and let others gain experience.

But then—why was the No.1 badge on this kid?

Unless…

No. That's impossible.

Lee dismissed the thought immediately.

He'd rather believe Byōdōin was injured—or that the coach was hiding him—than accept that this kid had beaten him.

"Thanks for the answer."

Taking a deep breath, Lee forced a smile. "I look forward to our match."

"Likewise."

With a final nod, Ishikawa walked away.

Match Start!

"This exhibition follows standard international rules—best of five matches, with a sixth if necessary. Each match is best of three sets, with tiebreakers."

"First up—Singles 3!"

"Korea's Park Geon-soo (3rd Year) vs. Japan's Tokugawa Kazuya (2nd Year)!"

A muscular, dark-skinned Korean with a buzzcut stepped onto the court, his presence radiating raw power.

He scanned the Japanese team, smirking when he didn't see Duke Watanabe.

Meanwhile, Tokugawa—now filling Duke's spot—walked forward calmly.

"It's finally starting."

Coach Park leaned back on the bench, smiling.

Everything was going according to plan.

The match was being broadcast live across Korea.

And soon, the world would see Korea's triumph—just as he'd orchestrated.

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