Prince of Tennis: The Emperor's Eye

"The singles three match will now begin! Will the players from both sides please enter the court!" As the umpire made the announcement, the third match was about to officially start.

Tezuka Kunimitsu and Yamato Yūdai walked onto the court with their rackets. When they shook hands at the net, Yamato spoke to Tezuka.

"You're Tezuka Kunimitsu, right? I want to apologize to you all for Takei's actions. I'm really sorry!"

"No need to apologize, Yamato-senpai. After all, Krauser already avenged Kite. So let's both go all out for this match!" Tezuka's presence didn't lose out to Yamato at all.

Watching this, Akashi Seijurō actually felt a bit sentimental. Two generations of Seigaku captains, now settling things in a match because of his interference—pretty interesting. But there was always one thing Akashi wanted to complain about with Yamato Yūdai.

Seriously, Yamato in middle school and Yamato in high school were like two different people. Whether it was looks or aura, they were completely different. The only things that stayed the same were that stubble and those tragic five attribute stats. Akashi remembered that at U-17, Yamato's total was only ten points.

Now, Yamato had a hairstyle and hair color similar to Ryōma's, so at first glance he looked like a bigger version of Ryōma. But Yamato did have his own signature—his white headband and those round sunglasses. But really, wearing sunglasses while playing tennis doesn't block your view?

Among the current Seigaku regulars, the only one who sparked any of Akashi's interest was Yamato Yūdai. In the original, that move Gen'u Yume Utsutsu even gave Tezuka a hard time. But since Tezuka never joined Seigaku's tennis club in this world, Yamato probably hadn't developed that technique yet, since it was made to counter Tezuka specifically.

"One set match, Seigaku to serve first!" After the coin toss, the umpire announced the start of the match.

Yamato stood at the baseline, rubbing his racket hand, feeling the pressure. He was worried about his old injury flaring up and affecting his play. But in the end, he made up his mind—even if it ruined his hand, he'd win this match for Seigaku.

As Yamato served, Tezuka paused a second, because honestly, that serve really didn't match what he expected from a Seigaku captain. But it didn't affect Tezuka's return. Deep down, Tezuka still stayed alert, not ruling out that Yamato was faking weakness to lower his guard.

Facing Tezuka's return, Yamato barely managed to chase down the ball and hit it back to Tezuka's side. But at that moment, a white spiral vortex of energy rose up around Tezuka, and Yamato's shot was pulled straight to Tezuka.

After Akashi's detailed training plans, Tezuka now didn't need to set up his domain in advance. He could attach enough spin with any shot, serve, or return. It still put some strain on his arm, but Tezuka's arm was healthy now, so he could handle it. He just needed a little massage to relax after the match.

With Tezuka activating his domain, no matter how hard Yamato tried, it was useless. Whatever shot he played, the ball would fly right back to Tezuka, who just had to stand in the center baseline and adjust his swing. The match soon became completely one-sided.

"0-15!"

"0-30!"

"0-40!"

"Game! Fudomine! 1-0!"

The crowd on the sidelines was shocked. Some of them had never seen this kind of tennis before—just stand on the baseline and wait for the ball to fly straight to you.

"Fuji! Fuji! Did you see that? The ball is actually flying by itself toward that Tezuka guy!" Kikumaru Eiji shouted excitedly.

"It's unbelievable. Is he really a first year, just like us?" Oishi Shūichirō muttered, doubting reality.

"It must be spin, right? In theory, as long as you can control spin perfectly, you can control the opponent's return angles and rotation. But that's just theory—pulling it off is almost impossible! Tezuka Kunimitsu, just who are you?" Inui Sadaharu said, scribbling equations in his notebook as he explained his deduction.

"Tezuka is really amazing. We're both first years, but I feel like I'll never be able to catch up to him in this lifetime!" Kawamura Takashi said with a hint of despair.

"Tezuka, huh? Yeah, he's really strong. Since the day we met, I've never beaten him. And now, he's even stronger, more mature. I can't wait to play him again!" Fuji Shūsuke opened his eyes, strong fighting spirit shining in his gaze.

While Fuji and the others were discussing outside the court, the person most shocked on-site was Ryūzaki Sumire. She'd seen that kind of technique before on Nanjirō, but even Nanjirō hadn't mastered it as a first-year. Back then, he was still working on his backhand.

In this moment, Ryūzaki Sumire's long-held beliefs were shattered by Tezuka's domain. The reason she always thought first-years should only train fundamentals and weren't fit for matches mostly came from Nanjirō. As a first-year, he wasn't that strong, so she just kept teaching him basics.

So when Echizen Nanjirō shined on the world stage, Ryūzaki Sumire always believed that the foundation she laid for Nanjirō was super important. That's why Seigaku's tradition of first-years just picking up balls and practicing basics kept going all this time. Even two years later, if Ryōma weren't Nanjirō's son, he probably would have been stuck picking up balls too.

On court, the score had quietly reached 3-0. Even though Yamato Yūdai gave it everything he had, he couldn't win a single point against Tezuka Kunimitsu. Tezuka, aside from using his Domain, didn't use any other techniques. Honestly, he didn't even need the Domain, but since his opponent was Seigaku's captain, Tezuka stuck with the safest approach.

Watching Yamato running hard across the court, a lot of people felt moved. Even Yamato himself probably knew he had no hope left, but even with dirt all over him, even with his arm starting to ache like needles, he never gave up on a single ball, always chasing after the tennis ball.

Even Akashi Seijurō on the sidelines nodded secretly, thinking:

'As expected of Seigaku's captain—really tough. In the original story, it was this tenacity that almost ruined Tezuka's arm. Both generations of captains nearly destroyed their arms… The captain's seat at Seigaku is cursed. Hope Fuji Shūsuke stays safe…'

But in the end, Yamato couldn't pull off a miracle. When the umpire announced the match at 6-0, Yamato, clutching his swollen right hand, walked to the net with a bitter smile and bowed for a handshake—this time with his left hand.

Seeing Yamato's state, Tezuka frowned and couldn't help asking:

"Senpai, is your hand okay? Did you injure it during the match?"

"Don't worry, it's fine. Just an old injury flaring up. I'll go to the hospital to get it checked. Congratulations to Fudomine for winning the regional preliminaries!" Yamato held back the pain and congratulated Tezuka.

"Thank you! Senpai, you should really get that arm looked at as soon as possible!" Tezuka said, then turned and walked back to join his teammates.

"Match over! Final score, 3-0! Winner, Fudomine Middle School!" As the umpire made the announcement, this year's Tokyo Regional Preliminaries were over, and Fudomine was the undisputed champion!

Yamato walked back to Ryūzaki Sumire, looking down, and said softly:

"I'm sorry, Ryūzaki-sensei. I couldn't win this match for Seigaku."

"Hey, this isn't your fault, Yamato. The opponents were on another level. That boy, Tezuka Kunimitsu—if I'm not mistaken, he's already at a national level!" Ryūzaki Sumire didn't blame Yamato and even comforted him, pausing before she added:

"It's kind of ironic, right? A first-year at national level. I used to think first-years weren't cut out for matches… Now I think, if national-level players aren't enough, then maybe no one is. Maybe I've just been wrong all this time."

On the other side, when Akashi saw Tezuka coming back, he stood up with a smile and said:

"Nice work, Tezuka! Good job! Go get your arm massaged right away~"

Tezuka nodded, didn't say much, and headed to the bench, where a professional massage therapist was already waiting for him.

"The regionals are all done, and everyone's worked hard. You didn't let me down at all. We took the championship with a perfect record—but this is just the beginning. Our goal this year is only the national championship, so don't forget that!"

"After the award ceremony, I'll have the bus driver take everyone home one by one. Take a good rest, but don't be late for tomorrow's club activities. That's all!" After finishing, Akashi glanced at Ryūzaki Sumire and Yamato Yūdai on the other side, then turned and walked toward Fuji Shūsuke, who'd been watching from the sidelines.

When he got to Fuji, only a wire fence separated the two of them. Akashi looked at Fuji and asked,

"Fuji-kun, it's been a while. Looks like you've already shown your strength. How did this match feel?"

"I've got to thank you for your suggestion, Akashi-kun~ I didn't expect Fudomine to be this strong. But Seigaku isn't giving up just yet. If nothing happens, let's go at it again at the nationals!" Fuji's face was serious.

"Wow! So you're Fudomine's boss? Your team is crazy strong, and you're all first-years just like us!" Kikumaru Eiji suddenly popped up next to Fuji, speaking to Akashi with curiosity.

"Sorry! Sorry! Captain Akashi, Eiji was just being rude. Congratulations on your win!" Oishi Shūichirō quickly pulled Eiji back and apologized after hearing Eiji's outburst.

"It's fine! I don't mind. I hope you guys can make it to the nationals and play—Seigaku is really too weak right now!" Akashi waved and left, leaving only a cool silhouette for Fuji and the others to see.