"Alright," Atobe finally made his decision, nodding as he spoke. "I'll explain it to the coach and have Mukahi join the doubles team."
Given Hyotei's current situation, the singles lineup was already solid with him, Ishikawa, and Akutagawa filling the three spots. Even Joushimi, who was originally a singles player, had been paired with Mukahi to form a nationally competitive doubles team.
However, there was still a glaring weakness in Hyotei's doubles lineup. Kabaji wasn't an option—he could only partner with Atobe, and Atobe himself wasn't going to play doubles. As for Ryoh, it wasn't a matter of favoritism, but the truth was, even as a third-year, his skills were inferior to Mukahi's before Mukahi was removed from the regular lineup.
Under these circumstances, pairing Mukahi with Ootori for doubles seed like an excellent choice.
"Then it's settled," Ishikawa nodded before stepping out of the car.
The group headed to the restaurant, where the chefs Atobe had arranged earlier served up a lavish feast. After everyone had eaten their fill, they dispersed for the night.
That evening, on Hyotei's sports field, Ishikawa began his usual night training. After completing his basic drills, he ran through three sets of ancient martial arts routines before finally calling it a night.
The next day was a rest day, but the mbers of Hyotei's tennis club arrived early at the courts. This was one of Ishikawa's rules: on rest days, unless there was a special reason to be excused, everyone had to check in at the club and complete basic training before they were free to do as they pleased.
At first, many of the mbers resisted. After all, their weekends were usually their own, and most of the students at Hyotei ca from wealthy, upper-class families. They had joined the tennis club largely because of Atobe's charisma.
Now, suddenly, they were being managed by Ishikawa, a first-year. It was only natural that so of them felt resentful.
However, with Atobe leading by example, even those who were unhappy had no choice but to participate in the weekend training. Over ti, as they began to see the physical benefits of the morning drills, they realized that the training didn't interfere with their plans. In fact, it left them feeling more refreshed and clear-headed afterward.
They also ca to understand that while Ishikawa's rules were strict, he wasn't unreasonable. As long as they had a valid excuse, he would accommodate them. But if anyone was caught slacking off or training half-heartedly, they would face the dreaded punishnt: the "devil's drink."
Even Atobe, who was fearless in most things, couldn't stand the sight of that murky liquid. And as ti went on, the mbers of Hyotei noticed that their training advisor had started experinting with new, even more horrifying concoctions.
"Gulp, gulp..."
On the training grounds, Ishikawa downed a large glass of vegetable juice and set the cup on the table. He glanced at the pale-faced mbers around him and shook his head inwardly.
"These guys have no idea how good this stuff is for them."
In just over a month of drinking the vegetable juice and penalty tea, Ishikawa had noticeably grown taller. According to the club's asuring tape, he was now 168 cm tall. Combined with his training, his entire deanor had changed. At this point, no one would mistake him for a first-year.
"If I have ti, I should go catch so beetles," Ishikawa thought to himself.
The recipe for the penalty tea included more potent variations, like the special penalty tea and green vinegar, but he had been too busy with training to collect the necessary ingredients outside of school.
"Doubles?"
At that mont, an angry voice rang out from a distance. "You've got to be kidding ! I'm not playing doubles!"
Ishikawa turned to see Mukahi, wearing his baseball cap, venting his frustration at Ootori.
"Mukahi-senpai," Ootori said with a苦笑, "I an it. I know my limits in singles, so I was hoping you'd partner with in doubles!"
"No way!" Mukahi shook his head firmly.
This was his bottom line. As a singles player, his pride told him that he could only play singles. Besides, he still hadn't gotten his revenge on that guy!
"Uh..." Ootori was at a loss.
Just monts ago, Coach Sakaki had approached him and asked him to invite Mukahi to form a doubles pair. This aligned perfectly with Ootori's own thoughts. He knew there was no place for him in Hyotei's singles lineup anymore. If he wanted a chance to play, he had to focus on doubles.
Ootori had assud Mukahi felt the sa way. But when he brought it up, Mukahi's reaction was far more intense than he had expected.
"Alright, I understand," Ootori took a deep breath and bowed to Mukahi. "Senpai, I'm sorry for causing you any trouble."
"Choutarou..." Mukahi was taken aback.
He knew his refusal had hurt the sincere and earnest boy. But the idea of playing doubles was sothing he just couldn't bring himself to accept.
"Mukahi-senpai," Ishikawa's voice ca from behind him. "If I rember correctly, you have a practice match today. I happen to be free. How about we play a ga?"
"A practice match? With you?" Mukahi looked at Ishikawa, his expression shifting.
Having witnessed Ishikawa's match against Tachibana from Fudomine, Mukahi knew he was no match for him.
"Oh, right," Ishikawa added with a smile, "the rules are the sa as before. The loser has to drink 150 milliliters of 'herbal tea.' And I've developed a new flavor—I'm sure you'll love it!"
"Ugh..." Mukahi's resistance grew stronger.
He didn't want to play against Ishikawa, and he definitely didn't want to drink that awful concoction. Besides, the rules of the practice match only stated that he had to play, not who he had to play against. He could always choose soone else—even Joushimi would be better than facing certain defeat.
"What's the matter?" Ishikawa teased. "Senpai, are you... scared?"
Those words instantly ignited the anger Mukahi had been suppressing.
"Who said I'm scared?!" he snapped.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Glancing at Ootori, Mukahi couldn't bring himself to back out. Reluctantly, he followed Ishikawa to an empty court.
The match began.
Compared to a month ago, Mukahi had improved significantly. But against Ishikawa, who had grown at an even more ridiculous pace, he stood no chance.
In less than seven minutes, Mukahi, once one of Hyotei's top singles players, was utterly defeated.
"Huff... huff..."
On the court, Mukahi lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air. The burning sensation in his throat made him feel utterly miserable.
At that mont, any thoughts of revenge against Ishikawa vanished. The pride and dignity he had clung to were completely shattered by this crushing defeat.
After all, there was no place for him in Hyotei's singles lineup anymore.
If he didn't play doubles, it would an he was completely done with competitive tennis. And for Shishido, that was absolutely not an option.
Singles?
Or doubles?!
The debate raged fiercely in Shishido's mind.
Finally, he made up his heart. He gritted his teeth, pushed himself up from the ground, and, to the shock of everyone around him, grabbed the vegetable juice on the table and chugged it down in one go.
"Ugh."
anwhile, on the other side…
After Shishido lost the match, Ootori turned and walked away. The failure to form a successful partnership with Shishido left Ootori feeling lost. He didn't know what he should do next.
At this point, aside from his powerful serve, Ootori had almost no advantage in singles.
"Maybe I just shouldn't play tennis at all?"
The absurd thought crossed his mind, and Ootori couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
*Thud!*
Just as he was about to leave, a hand landed on his shoulder, and an indescribable sll hit him.
"O-Ootori…!"
Ootori turned to see Shishido, pale-faced, looking at him with great difficulty. "P-please… partner with for doubles…"
*Thump!*
As soon as the words left his mouth, the taste of the vegetable juice exploded in his mouth. Unable to hold on any longer, Shishido collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Not long after, the tennis club's dical staff brought Shishido back. He was fine—just like last ti, he had passed out from the overwhelming taste of the juice.
However, when Shishido woke up, he seed like a completely different person. Not only had he llowed out, but he also started training with Ootori on basic drills.
From a distance, Coach Tōru watched the scene with satisfaction. "Finally, the last piece of the doubles puzzle has fallen into place."
"Hmm," Atobe nodded beside him. "With Shishido's personality, he wouldn't have accepted doubles unless it happened this way."
Unlike the original tiline, with the addition of Ishikawa, the current Hyotei team now had the strength to compete with national powerhouse Rikkai. Because of this, Coach Tōru's focus shifted to shoring up the team's weaknesses. He took Atobe and Ishikawa's advice and decided to address the issue.
In their plan, Shishido wouldn't have agreed easily. They left the problem to Ootori and Ishikawa, curious to see how they would handle it. Ishikawa, in particular, chose to use a bit of reverse psychology—along with a crushing defeat—to make Shishido face reality.
This calm, thodical approach impressed both Coach Tōru and Atobe.
As they watched Ishikawa diligently practicing his swings in the distance, Coach Tōru suddenly spoke up. "Have you thought about that matter?"
"Hmm," Atobe raised an eyebrow. He glanced at Ishikawa, who was focused on his training, and nodded slightly. "Yes, I have no objections."
---
Ti flew by, and the morning training session ca to an end. Many of the players who had plans for the day had already signed out and left after completing their basic drills. Ishikawa was one of the last two to remain.
The other was a buzz-cut teenager still running laps around the track. It was none other than Shōji Saburō, the first opponent Ishikawa had defeated when he first arrived.
Compared to his forr self, Shōji had completely shed his impatient deanor. Of all the team mbers, he was the most dedicated to completing the training regin Ishikawa had set for him. Even after losing matches, Shōji would endure the dreaded "penalty tea" without complaint.
"See you later, senpai," Ishikawa called out as he left. Shōji responded with a silent nod, his stern expression and tough appearance giving off the vibe of a yakuza boss. If he added a pair of glasses, he'd look eerily similar to Nakagauchi from the U-17 camp in the original series.
Shaking his head, Ishikawa left the tennis club and headed to the cafeteria. After eating, he slung his tennis bag over his shoulder and made his way to the street courts.
Ever since taking on the role of training advisor, Ishikawa had made it a habit to hit the street courts after morning practice. With the boost from his [Street Tennis Legend] title, he gained the most experience here. The regulars at the street courts also welcod him warmly. To them, Ishikawa was like a professional coach—maybe even better.
"Ishikawa-san!"
As soon as Ishikawa arrived at the street courts, the regulars, led by Izumi and Bukawa, stood up to greet him. To an outsider passing by, it might have looked like a gathering of a delinquent gang.
"Hey," Ishikawa nodded, returning their greetings. "You know the rules by now. Today, I'll only play for three hours. But for every two gas, I'll give you so pointers."
"I'll go first!"
"No, !"
"Let !"
The group imdiately started fighting over who would get to play the first match.
"Ahhh!!!"
Suddenly, a woman's scream pierced the air.
"Thief! My bag! Soone, please help!!!"
The desperate cry caught everyone's attention.
"Let's go check it out," Ishikawa said, leading the group toward the source of the commotion.
They arrived to find a short-haired woman crouched on the ground, crying. In the distance, a figure on a skateboard was speeding away.
"Trying to run?" Ishikawa's eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he took off after the thief.
(End of Chapter)
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