### Makinofuji High
Tennis Club, Coach's Office
A blindfolded young man placed a thick stack of documents in front of a blond-haired youth. The papers detailed the profiles of talented players from various schools.
"Captain, these are the strongest players I've gathered intel on so far."
The blond—Byoudouin Houou—nodded and flipped through the files. The first page featured detailed information on Tohno Atsukyo.
The Kansai Regional Tournament had just ended.
Despite being last year's national champions, Makinofuji had failed to reclaim the Kansai title, losing to Maihozaka. The root of the problem? A lack of depth in their roster.
With the graduation of their veteran players, their doubles lineup had gaping holes.
Byoudouin, the captain, and the blindfolded Fuwa Tetsuhito were now forced to strategize. To secure back-to-back national titles, Byoudouin had even convinced the school to approve special transfer incentives.
(Fun fact: Makinofuji is a real school—and ridiculously wealthy.)
With the school's approval secured, all that remained was scouting.
After reviewing the files, Byoudouin singled out a few players who fit Makinofuji's philosophy.
"Prioritize these names. Plan the route, and we'll set out."
"Understood!"
Fuwa took back the documents, then hesitated.
"Captain, I saw something on TV earlier. The U-17 middle school team from the U.S. is coming to Tokyo for an exhibition match the day after tomorrow. Should we check it out? There might be some strong players."
Kanto…?
Byoudouin frowned.
Originally, he hadn't even considered recruiting from Kanto. Historically, national champions almost always emerged from either Kanto or Kansai—with only one exception years ago when a school from Okayama pulled off an upset.
Recruiting from Kanto felt like borrowing troops from the enemy's camp. Absurd.
After a long pause, Byoudouin shook his head.
"If word got out, Makinofuji would become a laughingstock in Kansai."
"But we could still watch the matches. Didn't Rikkai's 13-year winning streak get snapped this year?"
"Yeah. The team that beat them was Seigaku—the same school Samurai Nanjiro attended. The venue isn't far from Seishun Gakuen's area, so Seigaku's players will probably be there."
"...Let's go."
Byoudouin fell into thought.
Last year, Rikkai had been formidable—unlike Makinofuji, they hadn't suffered from generational gaps.
By all logic, this should've been Rikkai's strongest year. Yet a school that had faded into obscurity had ended their legendary streak.
This was the perfect chance to scout Kanto's current landscape.
---
### 5:00 PM – Tokyo Airport
A flight from the U.S. had just landed.
Ryouma Echizen, QP, and Yoru waited outside the terminal.
Half an hour later, Ralph Reinhardt and his team emerged, luggage in tow.
"Yoru! Bring it in!"
Ralph spread his arms wide with a booming laugh.
"Keep your golden chest hair away from me!"
Yoru sidestepped, raising a foot threateningly.
"Fuck, you wound me!"
Ralph gestured to his teammates. "Meet the squad—Alan Hopkins, Dudu Obandu, and Chicko Valentine."
FLOKITOTO
"Hey there, little Ryouma~"
The cheerful Chicko waved, then eyed Yoru curiously. "So you're the brother Ryouma won't shut up about? Way hotter than Dudu."
Dudu gasped in mock outrage. "Excuse me?! Ryouma, back me up here!"
Ryouma sighed and looked away.
Read. Not replying.
"Oi, what's that look for?!"
Yoru chuckled. "Seems like you guys are close."
Before leaving the U.S., he'd asked Ralph to keep an eye on Ryouma. Their bond was stronger than in the original timeline, so it made sense Ryouma knew Chicko and Dudu.
What surprised Yoru was the lineup.
The U.S. U-17 team had already formed—and these were all its future core members.
Aside from Ralph:
- Dudu Obandu ("Birdman") – Exceptional physicality. 8-star strength.
- Chicko Valentine – A tactical genius who loved manipulating scores. 7-star strength.
- Alan Hopkins ("The Tennis Doctor") – Could induce injuries mid-match. His stats were even 1 level higher than QP's, likely due to growth spurts. 9-star strength.
But the strongest was undeniably Ralph Reinhardt.
Yoru had expected Ralph's potential to skyrocket, but not this fast.
[Name]: Ralph Reinhardt
[Age]: 15
[Techniques]:
- Base Stats (Lv. 10)
- Fundamentals (Lv. 10)
- Bullet Serve (Lv. 10)
- Sharp Angle Drive (Lv. 10)
- Super Half-Volley (Lv. 10)
[Talent]: Adaptive Evolution
[Strength]: 10 stars
[Adaptive Evolution]: Continuously refines weaknesses mid-match, evolving in real time.
In just half a year, Ralph had jumped from 8 to 10 stars.
"Growth spurts really are broken..."
Yoru couldn't help but feel envious.
Though they were only two years apart (by East Asian age reckoning), those were peak developmental years. Ralph had barely added any new techniques—just a Super Half-Volley—yet his stats exploded.
Meanwhile, Yoru had to stack abilities, training, and strategy just to reach 11 stars.
Still, he knew one truth:
The stronger you are before a growth spurt, the more absurd the boost afterward.
---
Since they'd slept on the plane, there was no need for jet lag recovery.
Yoru treated them to an all-out yakiniku feast.
The sheer volume of food was terrifying. They ordered an entire menu's worth at once, leaving the owner convinced they were suicidal.
Yet not a single bite was wasted. By the end, they were still unsatisfied.
"Yoru, your portions are tiny! I was only 80% full before they ran out of meat. Had to fill up on water!" Dudu groaned, rubbing his stomach.
Yoru smirked. "Small-country habits. You'll get used to it."
Honestly, the U.S. team's vibe was great. Maybe they could even be potential allies for the World Stage.
But old reservations lingered. That was a question for another day.
"Alright, Yoru. We're fed—time for a little warm-up. I've gotten scary strong lately."
Hearing those words, Yoru's eye twitched.
"You sure? Last time I said that... I almost died."
"What?"