King of Tennis (POT) Chapter 248 - 247: Entering U17, Matsudaira's Shock

Passing through the gate and walking along a stone path through the forest, Ishikawa and the others suddenly found themselves in a wide-open space.

"Is this Japan's U17 training base?"

Mori and Sanada's eyes lit up with curiosity.

The stone path led to a broad asphalt road, flanked on both sides by tennis courts enclosed by wire fences.

Not far away, a staff mber driving a small shuttle cart seed to be patrolling the area.

Tap, tap!

Behind him, a group of young n in red-and-white jackets, all with impressive physiques, could be seen.

"Are they training?" Sanada asked, surprised. "From the looks of it, are they running laps around the entire base?"

The base was massive. From what he could see, it was easily larger than 50 of Rikkai's tennis courts combined.

"That's normal," Mori said, his tone cautious. Due to his past encounters with U17 players like Echizen, he had a deep respect for the base. In his mind, as Japan's top tennis training facility, the intensity here would far exceed what most people could imagine.

"Faster, faster!"

"Pick up the pace!"

"You idiots! If you don't have exceptional skills or sharp minds, all you can do is train harder!"

"Do you want to stay stuck in the lower courts forever?"

The staff mber on the shuttle cart raised a gaphone, constantly urging and mocking the runners.

The exhausted runners seed to regain so energy, their eyes firming with determination as they picked up their pace.

Tap, tap, tap!

Monts later, the group passed by Ishikawa and the others.

They glanced over, their eyes filled with a mix of surprise, disdain, and indifference.

"Faster, faster!!!"

Another shuttle cart pulled up from behind, and the staff mber shouted through the gaphone, "Tomorrow is the weekly shuffle match. You all know what happens if you lose, right?"

Whoosh!

Hearing this, the runners, who had started to slack off, imdiately straightened up and increased their speed again.

"Shuffle match?"

Sanada, who had keenly picked up on the key term, frowned thoughtfully. "It doesn't sound like a simple competition."

"Yeah," Mori nodded. "We're new here, so we should figure out the rules first. I have a feeling this place is going to be stricter than we imagined."

Sanada nodded solemnly in agreent.

It was clear that the U17 training base operated under a closed, highly disciplined system. From the way the staff treated the trainees, it was obvious that newcors like them wouldn't be given much leeway.

Moreover, during their first year of middle school, they had faced many incredibly strong players. If those players had been selected for U17, they would undoubtedly be formidable opponents.

As a result, both Mori and Sanada kept a low profile. anwhile, Ishikawa observed the U17 environnt, occasionally glancing at the ongoing matches on the courts.

However, to his disappointnt, he didn't spot any players who matched the descriptions of the characters he rembered from his past life.

"Could it be..."

A thought crossed his mind.

Soon, the three of them passed through the main entrance area and arrived at the central part of the base.

Standing on a wide platform, they looked down at a massive, neatly divided tennis court shaped like a square.

At the center of the square was the white building they had seen earlier.

The building had two levels, with a green roof and white walls.

An open iron gate led directly to the central viewing platform.

At that mont, on the courts below, dozens of players were either practicing their swings or engaged in matches, all in an orderly manner.

Whoosh!

Noticing the newcors, many of the players looked up. Seeing unfamiliar faces, so of them showed aningful expressions, but they quickly returned to their training.

Mori mused, "It seems like the courts here are divided into specific zones."

"Probably," Sanada agreed. "If you look closely, the players don't cross into other courts. Even retrieving balls is handled by the staff."

"Yeah, those people in black uniforms," Mori said, glancing around. Each court had at least two staff mbers in black jackets.

Near the platform, a row of staff in black sat at laptops, inputting data.

At that mont, Mori had a strange thought.

The entire U17 training base felt like a highly structured, strictly hierarchical factory.

The high schoolers in red-and-white jackets were like cattle, herded and "raised" in this place. The cold, stern expressions of the staff in black added to the oppressive atmosphere.

Sanada, who ca from a school known for its lighthearted approach, felt the tension even more acutely.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

This place was going to be even more intense than they had imagined.

"Welco to the U17 training base," a voice called out.

From the far end of the platform, a middle-aged man in a white lab coat, with a long braid, approached them.

"Let introduce myself. I'm Saitou Itaru, the ntal conditioning coach here at Japan's U17 training base," the man said with a smile. "I'll be taking you to get settled into your accommodations."

"Thank you," the three replied.

But Mori and Sanada couldn't help but notice that Saitou seed to be paying more attention to Ishikawa.

"Does he know ?" Ishikawa thought to himself.

"Of course," he realized.

"Otherwise, they wouldn't have invited just ."

"But what exactly do the coaches have in mind?"

From the initial test at the parking lot to Saitou personally escorting them, it was clear that the U17 coaches had been keeping an eye on him for a while.

However, for Ishikawa, his goal was simple. He planned to use U17's advanced equipnt and the coaches' scientific training thods to accelerate his growth.

Soon, under Saitou's guidance, the three arrived at the living quarters at the back of the base.

Unsurprisingly, they were assigned to the sa room. After Saitou briefly explained the base's rules, he left.

The three tidied up their dorm and then headed to the living area to buy so daily necessities and familiarize themselves with the surroundings.

After lunch, they decided to visit the courts. Even if they weren't training yet, they could at least observe how things worked at U17.

anwhile, in the central court area, the high schoolers, having finished a training session, were enjoying a rare break. Naturally, the topic of conversation turned to the three newcors.

"Strange, only three new recruits this year?"

"Maybe sothing happened. Three is definitely a small number."

At the U17 training base, after the third-year students graduated, they would gradually leave. The coaching staff would then select talented newcors based on recomndations from various schools.

August marked the arrival of the first batch of new recruits.

The most important event was the Fall Newcors Tournant in early September. Outstanding perforrs could earn a spot in the top 5 courts or even challenge the top-ranked players!

For newcors, this was a crucial opportunity to gain the coaches' attention and secure more training resources and match opportunities.

As a result, every year before the Fall Tournant, U17 would recruit at least 100 newcors, using training and matches to weed out the weaker ones.

But this ti, they had only seen three newcors join.

"Could they be specially recruited elite players?" soone in Court 5 speculated. "Like that guy last year."

"Hmm."

The others' expressions shifted.

Tis had changed. After a year of training, that person had risen to a very high position within U17.

If these three were indeed elite recruits, it wouldn't affect the lower-ranked players much. But for those in Court 5 and above, it could spell trouble.

"Don't overthink it!"

Soone sneered. "Do you really think soone like Tokugawa cos along easily?"

Another nodded. "Exactly. If there's one, it's already impressive. Three at once? What does that make us?"

The others silently agreed.

That Tokugawa guy was in a league of his own. Not only was he incredibly strong, but he also received personal guidance from that person—sothing no one else in U17 could boast.

"Why worry about it?"

Another shook his head. "Whether they're elites or not, we'll find out in tomorrow's shuffle match."

Whoosh!

At the ntion of the shuffle match, the relaxed expressions on everyone's faces instantly tightened.

Beep, beep, beep!

The staff in black blew their whistles, signaling the end of the break. The players imdiately resud their training.

"Mori, you were right," Sanada said grimly as they stood on the platform. "The training intensity and rules here are on a completely different level compared to high school tennis clubs."

"Yeah, the ti constraints alone are strict," Mori agreed. "The training volu is insane. It's going to be grueling."

Before the Kantō Tournant, Mori would have been deterred by such a rigorous environnt.

But after that crushing defeat, his attitude toward training had changed. The U17 environnt suited him perfectly.

"Ishikawa, what do you think?" Sanada turned to the boy beside him.

He had always been curious about Ishikawa. Not only had he passed the entrance test in 10 seconds, but his background was also a mystery.

As far as Sanada rembered, Hyotei hadn't had a standout player nad Ishikawa during last year's middle school nationals.

This year, Hyotei's high school team had a champion, but that person wasn't nad Ishikawa either.

"What do I think?" Ishikawa smiled. "I think we should join them."

With that, he ran off along the asphalt road.

"Huh?!"

Mori and Sanada were stunned.

At first, they thought he was joking. But as they watched Ishikawa's retreating figure, their expressions turned to shock.

Was he serious?

They had just arrived, and he was already starting his training? This guy was a training maniac!

Mori's eyes glead with understanding. Now he knew how Ishikawa, a middle schooler, had managed to reach a level comparable to Echizen.

Sanada, too, nodded to himself.

If Ishikawa wasn't putting on an act, then his discipline was on par with his junior, who was now the captain of Rikkai's middle school tennis team.

anwhile, in a sparsely populated court, the atmosphere was more relaxed.

There were few staff in black around, and even during training hours, the high schoolers were chatting freely.

"Hey, heard the news?"

A slim young man with a tuft of yellow hair on his otherwise bald head grinned. "The coaches are picking people to give the newcors a 'welco' tomorrow."

"Oh?"

A boy with a bandage on his nose looked surprised. "The new recruits are here already? I didn't see them."

"Only three," a blue-haired boy said, shaking his head. "Maybe sothing went wrong on the way. Or maybe the coaches are up to sothing."

"Probably," a burly man with a buzz cut and sunglasses nodded. "That sounds like sothing those three would do."

"Only three... they must be elite recruits, right?"

A serious-looking black-haired boy frowned. "Like Tokugawa last year. Those coaches definitely have sothing planned."

"Heh."

The bald yellow-haired guy, Matsudaira, smirked. "I'm kind of interested. The staff said if we handle those three, we'll get to join the next远征赛 (expedition match)."

"What?!"

The others' eyes lit up.

"Matsudaira, are you serious?" The black-haired boy's calm expression turned serious.

"Why would I lie?" Matsudaira shrugged. "Rember Akitsuki? He got a special spot after completing the coaches' task."

Akitsuki!

Hearing the na, the others' expressions changed again.

Akitsuki had been just another Court 3 player like them. But after that expedition match, his skills had skyrocketed.

Now, he was ranked 20th among the top players.

"If that's the case..."

The others' eyes glead with ambition.

"Heh, heh!" Matsudaira grinned. "I've already accepted the coaches' assignnt."

He looked smug, but as he casually glanced toward the asphalt road outside the court, his expression froze.

"Wait, is soone running out there... huh?!"

Whoosh!

Suddenly, as if he'd seen sothing, Matsudaira's smug expression turned to one of sheer panic.

"H-how is he here?!"

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