In the end, Akutsu decided to join Hyotei.
Facing Ishikawa, this prideful guy found himself in a situation where he couldn't win in a fight and couldn't run away without losing face. So, he ultimately chose to join the team.
Akutsu's addition finally made Mukahi, who had returned to his usual laid-back routine, feel a real sense of crisis.
Hiyoshi felt it too.
The number of regular spots on the team was already scarce. Akutsu's arrival only made the competition fiercer. And to make matters worse, Akutsu was no ordinary player—he was a wolf among wolves.
The other regulars, aside from Atobe, also felt the pressure to so degree.
So, while the regular mbers of the team remained oblivious, the regular players quietly began training harder than ever before.
Extra training beca the norm.
Even Mukahi, who usually loved sleeping in, beca one of the most active participants in the additional training sessions.
Taking advantage of this montum, Ishikawa finally launched his second round of intensive training.
Unlike the first round, this training was exclusively for the regulars, second-string representatives, and those eligible for the intra-school selection matches.
With two weeks left until the Kanto Tournant, Ishikawa planned to dedicate one week to special training, followed by a new round of intra-school selection matches in the second week.
"I-Intensive training?"
On the court, a exhausted Mukahi widened his eyes at Ishikawa's announcent.
"You've got to be kidding !"
Mukahi looked shocked. "I-Ishikawa… isn't the usual training enough? You know not everyone is a training maniac like you and Shouhei."
Even though he had resolved to get stronger, Mukahi was still taken aback by Ishikawa's new training plan.
The new regin included increasing the weight of everyone's rackets, adding pull-up and dip exercises for upper body strength, and tire-dragging for lower body conditioning.
"Is it that hard?"
Ishikawa glanced at Mukahi, Mukahi, and a few other mbers, who all nodded in unison.
anwhile, the second-years like Hiyoshi and Ootori remained expressionless.
"Even if it's hard, you'll do it," Ishikawa said calmly. "Our opponents aren't standing still, waiting for us to catch up. And the players we've beaten are working even harder to surpass us!"
"This is the price of being a Hyotei regular," Ishikawa continued, his expression unreadable. "You either commit to the extra training and earn your spot in the intra-school selection matches, or you refuse and stick to the basic training like everyone else."
"I've shown you the path."
"The choice is yours."
Ishikawa found the complaints and sighs of the others almost laughable.
There was no room for comfort or ease in tennis training. Take Rikkai's Kirihara, for example. After losing to Sanada, he went back and started dragging tires to strengthen his lower body.
Or Shitenhouji's Shiraishi.
As the captain and a national-level player, he still dedicated himself to daily basic training, carving out his own path through relentless, monotonous effort.
Players like Tezuka and Sanada, the top-tier talents, were no different.
Their natural talent was already exceptional, yet they trained harder and longer than anyone at Hyotei. If Hyotei's players continued with their current routine, how could they ever hope to reach the top of the nation?
In the original tiline, Hyotei had suffered defeats against Fudomine and Seigaku, which forced them to awaken and train like madn to improve.
But in this tiline, Hyotei had been cruising smoothly.
The team hadn't faced much adversity, sweeping through the Tokyo regional matches without a single loss. This had given many players the illusion that Hyotei was untouchable.
Ishikawa was determined to shatter that illusion.
"We… understand."
Under Ishikawa's pressure, Mukahi, Mukahi, and the others had no choice but to accept.
Then, Ishikawa dropped his second bombshell.
"Also, I've decided to revise the penalty system. The old one wasn't very humane."
"Really? That's great!"
This announcent was t with cheers from most of the team. Those who remained silent weren't necessarily happy—they just sensed sothing was off.
To them, Hyotei's vice-captain wasn't the type to do sothing purely out of kindness.
Sure enough, Ishikawa smiled and continued, "I've developed a new penalty system based on training levels. For regular mbers who fail to et their training quotas, the penalty is 300 milliliters of herbal tea."
"What?!"
The other mbers' faces instantly paled.
300 milliliters?
That was six tis the previous amount of 50 milliliters!
This was going to kill them!
"Next, for those in the intensive training program," Ishikawa went on, ignoring their reactions, "if you complete less than 90% of your training, you'll drink 300 milliliters of herbal tea. If you complete less than 75%, it's 300 milliliters of special herbal tea. And if you complete less than 50%, it's 300 milliliters of special vegetable juice."
"Of course," Ishikawa added with a grin, seeing the horrified looks on everyone's faces, "if you decide to skip training altogether, you can just drink 300 milliliters of my specially crafted blue vinegar drink."
With that, he pulled out a bottle of a dark, murky liquid that shimred ominously in the sunlight, giving off an almost demonic glow.
"Gulp."
The Hyotei mbers collectively swallowed hard, shaking their heads like rattles.
No way.
They knew how terrifying Ishikawa's "herbal tea" could be. So of them had tasted it before after failing to et training quotas.
And if *that* was bad, whatever this new concoction was had to be downright horrifying.
"Are you serious?"
But of course, there's always soone with an overabundance of curiosity and confidence.
Akutsu happened to be that soone.
He stared at the bottle in Ishikawa's hand, frowning. "This isn't so kind of poison, is it?"
"Of course not," Ishikawa replied with a smile.
Then, to the astonishnt of everyone around him, he poured himself a 300-milliliter glass of the blue vinegar and downed it in one go.
Instantly, the fatigue from his morning training session seed to vanish.
"Not bad. The effect is about what I expected. So, senior, would you like to try so?"
"?"
Akutsu's heart skipped a beat.
But when he t Ishikawa's teasing gaze, his competitive spirit flared up.
"Fine. If you can drink it, so can I!"
"As expected of a senior," Ishikawa said with a nod. "But since it's your first ti, how about starting with just 50 milliliters?"
"Huh?"
Akutsu's eyebrows shot up. "Kid, who do you think you're looking down on? I'll drink the sa amount as you!"
The mont those words left his mouth, the expressions of everyone around him changed.
Especially Shishido, who looked at Akutsu with a mix of awe and fear.
"Bring it on!"
Seeing Ishikawa pour a full cup, Akutsu snatched it away, basking in the awed gazes of everyone around him. Without hesitation, he downed it in one go.
**Boom!**
In an instant, it felt like a thunderclap exploded in his ears.
The green vinegar, a mix of complex flavors, instantly overwheld his taste buds.
"Ugh!" Akutsu quickly covered his mouth.
"Senpai," Ishikawa said with a smile, "if you can't handle it, don't push yourself."
"Hmph!" Those words infuriated Akutsu. He gulped down the entire 300 milliliters of green vinegar in one go.
**Crackle!**
The intense stimulation of his taste buds hit him like an electric shock, sending a numbing sensation from the soles of his feet all the way up to his upper body.
"Water… water…" Akutsu waved his hand frantically, trying to get soone's attention. But without Ishikawa's permission, no one dared to hand him any water.
**Thud!**
Finally, the proud beast collapsed to the ground, his body half-paralyzed, foam spilling from his mouth.
A once-in-a-decade tennis prodigy? Shishido and the others shook their heads.
In today's Hyotei, even dragons had to coil and tigers had to crouch. After all, no one could drink "herbal tea," "special herbal tea," "wild vegetable juice," and "green vinegar" in succession and still keep a straight face while talking to Ishikawa.
In a way, even if Atobe and Coach Sakaki suddenly disappeared, as long as Ishikawa was around, the order of Hyotei wouldn't falter.
With the rules set and Ishikawa's authority, everything ran smoothly and systematically.
As for Akutsu, after that incident, his gaze toward Ishikawa grew more complicated. He had initially thought Ishikawa was just a talented tennis player, but now he realized the guy was a true force to be reckoned with.
Moreover, after witnessing Ishikawa complete his daily training regin and then start an additional round of practice, Akutsu noticed the well-defined muscles hidden under Ishikawa's jacket and short sleeves. It beca clear to him that Ishikawa's rise to vice-captain in his first year and his imnse strength were no accidents.
Inspired by Ishikawa's dedication, Akutsu didn't slack off either and threw himself into intense training.
Ti flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.
Before the new week began, the list of participants for the Hyotei selection tournant was announced, and Akutsu's na was on it.
Notably, Shohara also made the cut, though he was placed in a group with Oshitari, Shishido, and Hiyoshi, making his chances of advancing slim.
The most attention-grabbing group, however, was Akutsu's. Alongside Ishikawa, it also included Jiro and Hiyoshi, making it a true "group of death."
The results were as expected. Aside from Ishikawa, who won all his matches, both Jiro and Hiyoshi were eliminated. Akutsu, however, bulldozed through them and, just a week after transferring, secured his spot as one of Hyotei's regulars.
The consecutive losses hit Jiro and Hiyoshi hard. Jiro, in particular, was filled with regret, wishing he had trained harder in the past. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been eliminated again and again.
Hiyoshi, on the other hand, remained calm. He realized that Coach Sakaki and Captain Atobe were deliberately pushing him and Jiro. First, they had Ishikawa, the terrifying shark, and now they'd brought in Akutsu, the ferocious lone wolf. Their goal was clearly to create intense competition within Hyotei's regulars.
Surprisingly, Hiyoshi took it in stride. He didn't lose his composure but instead maintained his training routine. Occasionally, he sought out matches with Akutsu, using the pressure to push himself to improve.
Akutsu, for his part, was happy to oblige. Competing with Hiyoshi helped him quickly gain match experience and shore up his weaknesses.
As training continued, the days inched closer to the Kanto Tournant.
**Friday, 7 PM.**
After dinner, Ishikawa was cooling down with a light jog. As he finished, he checked the experience points he'd accumulated during the day and allocated them to his main profession.
**[Ding!]**
**[Player level increased. Current level: Lv45]**
**[Player Ishikawa Shinn has gained 1 sub-profession point and 3 skill points.]**
Once the system notifications ended, Ishikawa turned his attention to his character panel.
**[Na: Ishikawa Shinn]**
**[Age: 12]**
**[Identity: Hyotei Academy First-Year Middle School Student, Regular Tennis Team mber (EXP gain 5%), Tennis Team Training Advisor (EXP gain 5%), Tennis Team Vice-Captain (EXP gain 10%), Street Tennis Legend (EXP gain 50%, limited to specific courts)]**
**[Main Profession: Tennis Lv45 (0/16000)]**
**[Sub-Professions: Kendo Lv9, Shogi Lv9, Ancient Martial Arts Lv9]**
**[Attributes: Speed 3.7, Power 3.7, Stamina 2.8, Technique 5.5, ntal Strength 4.3, Total: 20.3]**
**[Basic Techniques: Serve Lv7, Drive Lv7, Topspin Lv7, Slice Lv7, Smash Lv6]**
**[Advanced Techniques: Star Scar Lv6, Twist Serve Lv6, Gale Lv6, Awakening Lv6, Bear Hunt Lv5, Mind Shift Lv5, Dawn Break Lv5, Super Volley Lv5, Chaos Ball Storm Lv3]**
**[Special Abilities: Kendo Essence Lv2, Shogi Truth Lv2]**
**[Sub-Profession Points: 1]**
**[Skill Points: 54]**
**[Items: Inui Juice Recipe]**
**[Evaluation: A player who surpasses the national level, beginning to carve out his own path with terrifying tennis potential.]**
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(End of Chapter)
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