**Chapter 69: Advancing to the Top Four, Ishikawa's Proposal **

*Ding!*

*[Player has defeated Boss-level opponent Tachibana Kippei. Earned 3000 experience points.]*

*[Player has obtained the skill dropped by Tachibana Kippei: Exploding Ball Dance Lv1.]*

*[Player has completed a hidden quest: Saving Hyotei. Earned 1500 experience points and 3 skill points.]*

As the referee announced the end of the match, a series of system notifications echoed in Ishikawa's mind.

"Not bad for a boss-level opponent," Ishikawa thought to himself.

4500 experience points, 3 skill points, and a fairly practical advanced tennis technique. The rewards dropped by Tachibana were quite substantial, even for someone like Ishikawa at his current level.

However, while Ishikawa remained calm, the rest of the crowd was utterly stunned.

"He... he actually lost?!"

On the Fudomine side, Tachibana's sister, Akari, Kamio, and Ibu all wore expressions of disbelief. In their minds, their (older brother) captain was practically invincible. How could he lose to a first-year from Hyotei? For a moment, they wondered if they were dreaming.

"Fudomine is done for," Inui sighed inwardly.

Just as he had predicted Hyotei's downfall when Tachibana first appeared, Tachibana's defeat now signaled the complete collapse of Fudomine's strategy.

Kamio Akira, Ibu Shinji, and Ishida Tetsu—Fudomine's strongest second-years—had all been placed in the two doubles matches as a desperate gamble. The result? After losing the third singles match, Fudomine had no viable singles players left.

"The finals, huh?" Coach Ryuzaki muttered, her expression troubled.

The thought of facing what might be the strongest Hyotei lineup in history gave her a headache.

"That first-year from Hyotei..." Fuji narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Ishikawa. "He actually defeated Tachibana, one of the Two Heroes of Kyushu. He's definitely going to be Hyotei's next captain, isn't he?"

His words sent a chill down Momoshiro and Kaidoh's spines.

That's right!

While the others only had to worry about this year's season, they would have to face this guy-led Hyotei next year. If he's already at a national level now, how terrifying would he become by next year?!

*Swish!*

Suddenly, as if struck by the same thought, both Momoshiro and Kaidoh turned their gazes toward the boy in the white cap standing nearby.

Surprisingly, even Ryoma, who was usually calm and indifferent, now wore a serious expression.

Clearly, he too had felt the immense pressure Ishikawa exuded during the match.

After the match ended, Ishikawa and Tachibana met at the net once more.

"You're strong," Tachibana said sincerely as they shook hands. "I never expected Hyotei to be so lucky as to have a genius like you join them."

At that moment, he couldn't help but wish that Ishikawa had joined Fudomine instead of Hyotei. If that had been the case, Fudomine might have even had a shot at the top spot this year.

But alas, that was nothing more than a pipe dream.

"By the way," Tachibana suddenly spoke up just as Ishikawa was about to leave. "Be honest with me. How much of your strength did you actually use in that match?"

On the surface, it seemed like Tachibana had managed to take two games from Ishikawa. But in reality, anyone with a keen eye could see that Tachibana had been completely dominated in the last six games.

Recalling Ishikawa's earlier remarks, Tachibana couldn't help but ask.

"How much strength, huh?" Ishikawa thought for a moment, then smiled. "If I said I went all out, you probably wouldn't believe me. Let's just say... around 80%."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Tachibana standing there in stunned silence.

"80%... huh?" Tachibana let out a bitter laugh. He knew Ishikawa wasn't being entirely truthful.

"Are you trying not to crush my spirit?" Tachibana clenched his fists tightly.

As he watched Ishikawa's retreating figure, his gaze gradually grew more determined. "I never expected Tokyo to have such a terrifying genius besides Atobe and Tezuka. It seems I can't afford to slack off anymore."

Thinking back to how he had let himself stagnate after last year's incident, Tachibana couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

But this match had served as a wake-up call. It reignited his fighting spirit and gave him a new goal.

Ishikawa Shin.

This first-year from Hyotei.

He would become Tachibana's new benchmark!

"Finally, it's over."

On the Hyotei side, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Ishikawa walked off the court.

The match had been a rollercoaster of emotions for them. At one point, they had even feared they would be sent packing in disgrace.

"Hey, Atobe," Shishido, who had overheard Ishikawa's conversation with Tachibana, turned to the captain with a questioning look. "Did that guy really not go all out?"

It wasn't surprising that Shishido would ask. The match had already been far beyond his level of comprehension. If Ishikawa had still been holding back, that would be downright terrifying!

"Have you considered," Atobe glanced at him meaningfully, "how much ground Ishikawa actually covered during the match?"

"Ground covered... Wait, are you saying—?!"

Shishido paused, then his eyes widened as he suddenly noticed something. His gaze locked onto the black socks Ishikawa wore just above his ankles.

At first glance, they seemed normal. But upon closer inspection, the socks appeared slightly bulkier than usual.

In an instant, Shishido remembered the weighted lead plates Ishikawa had used during their training sessions.

"This guy!!!" Shishido stared at Ishikawa as if he were a monster. "He was wearing those things during the match?!"

"Enough," Atobe said, cutting off Shishido's train of thought. "You're up next. Go warm up."

"Tch," Shishido scoffed. "Do I really need to warm up to deal with the scraps Fudomine has left?"

"Is that so?" Ishikawa, who had just walked over, smiled at Shishido. "How can you be so sure Fudomine doesn't have any other aces up their sleeve?"

"Huh?" Shishido's expression changed. "Wait, did Tachibana tell you something?"

"Not really," Ishikawa shook his head, but the smile on his face grew even more enigmatic.

"Ugh..." Shishido's heart sank.

He glanced nervously toward the Fudomine side, where a short boy wearing a baseball cap stepped forward.

"This guy... he looks unusual!"

Once bitten, twice shy. The memory of Hyotei's two consecutive losses earlier flashed through Shishido's mind.

He couldn't afford to take any chances now.

Under Keigo's amused gaze, Ishikawa quickly left the court to warm up for nearly five minutes before returning.

"Next up, the singles 2 match will begin."

"Hyotei Academy's Shishido Ryo versus Fudomine Middle School's Muranaka Kyosuke."

"Both players, please prepare."

As the announcement echoed through the stadium, Shishido stepped onto the court with a serious expression. Meanwhile, Muranaka, who carried the weight of Fudomine's hopes, felt the pressure mounting. To intimidate his opponent, he deliberately put on a stern face, which only made Shishido think he was facing a formidable player.

However, in the first game, Shishido won in less than a minute and a half. The quick victory left him feeling uneasy.

"Is he… collecting data on me?" Shishido wondered, suddenly plagued by paranoia, a symptom of what could only be called "Ishikawa PTSD."

As a result, he became increasingly cautious in his play.

By the time the match ended, when the referee announced his 6-0 victory, Shishido still couldn't believe it.

"It's over already?"

After winning, Shishido looked around in confusion. When his eyes met Ishikawa's smiling gaze, it finally hit him—he'd been played.

"Hah!"

Despite the win, Shishido felt a strange emptiness.

"Oh well," he thought, shrugging it off. After all, this was his final match in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament. With a wry smile, he turned and left the court.

"The match… is over."

Seeing the scoreboard, the Fudomine team's faces fell.

"Hyotei! Hyotei! Hyotei!"

At that moment, the Hyotei supporters erupted into a synchronized chant.

"Here it comes!"

Hearing the chant, the Seigaku team and other spectators turned their attention to Hyotei's side.

"Next, the singles 1 match will begin."

"Hyotei Academy's Atobe Keigo versus Fudomine Middle School's Mori Tatsunori."

"Both players, please prepare."

*Step. Step.*

As the announcement concluded, Atobe slowly made his way onto the court, casually removing his jacket.

"The winner is Hyotei!"

"The winner is Atobe!"

"The winner is Hyotei!"

"The winner is Atobe!"

Instantly, the already deafening cheers grew even louder as the Hyotei team's enthusiasm reached a fever pitch. The noise seemed to shake the very sky.

Facing this overwhelming display, Mori, Fudomine's representative, turned pale. He had never experienced anything like this before!

*Snap!*

Just as Mori reached the peak of his nervousness, a sharp snap of fingers cut through the air.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, the roaring cheers fell silent.

"The final winner…"

Atobe tossed his jacket into the air, a confident smile spreading across his face. "…is me!"

"Whoa!!!"

In an instant, the Hyotei team's excitement reignited. The cheers surged like a tidal wave, engulfing the stadium.

*Thud!*

Meanwhile, Mori, completely overwhelmed, collapsed to the ground.

"This is Atobe," Kyo muttered, watching the king-like figure on the court with a mix of awe and wariness.

Others, like Tezuka and Fuji, also watched Atobe with solemn expressions. They knew all too well—Atobe was the undisputed ruler of this court.

*Thud!*

Six minutes later, when Atobe's final shot landed perfectly on the baseline, the referee's voice rang out:

"Game over. Hyotei's Atobe wins, 6-0!"

"With this, the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament's Group A finals have concluded. Hyotei Academy, with three wins and two losses, advances to the semifinals!"

"We won!"

"We did it!"

"We're in the semifinals!"

The Hyotei team erupted in celebration, hugging each other in excitement. It was hard to believe that the defending champions had faced such a tough battle in the quarterfinals.

However, teams like Yamabuki and Ginkaku, who had arrived later, as well as Seigaku, who had been watching since Ishikawa's match against Kyo, knew the truth—this Hyotei team still possessed the strength of the tournament's top seed.

Especially Ishikawa.

Even the leaders of the later-arriving teams couldn't help but remember the boy who had turned the tide of the tournament and saved Hyotei's fate. News of Ishikawa's victory over Kyushu's prodigy, Kyo Kippei, spread rapidly throughout Tokyo and even reached other schools in the Kanto region. Everyone was talking about Hyotei's remarkable newcomer.

That evening, after the match, Atobe led the team back to Hyotei. With their advancement secured, everyone was in high spirits. Even Kurokawa and the others, who had lost their doubles matches, seemed relaxed.

However, Ishikawa noticed that one person seemed out of place.

"What's up with Shishido? He doesn't look too happy," Kurokawa and the others whispered as they got off the bus.

"That guy…"

Atobe, sitting at the back of the bus, frowned as he watched Shishido walk off alone.

Seeing this, Ishikawa smiled and said, "I think Shishido's got something on his mind."

"Hmm," Atobe nodded. "Go on. What's your idea?"

Knowing Ishikawa, Atobe could tell he had something up his sleeve.

"It's simple," Ishikawa said, glancing at Shishido's retreating figure. "As a second-string player, Shishido doesn't get many singles opportunities. Why not let him try doubles?"

"Shishido… in doubles?" Atobe raised an eyebrow.

Ishikawa's suggestion opened up a new possibility that Atobe had never considered before. His first instinct was to reject the idea, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense, especially given the current strengths of Hyotei's regulars.

"And who do you think he should pair with?" Atobe asked.

Ishikawa, as if anticipating the question, replied with a smile, "I recommend Ootori Chotaro."

"Chotaro?" Atobe's eyes narrowed.

He immediately began analyzing their styles and personalities. Shishido was bold and aggressive, excelling in fast-paced play, while Ootori was reserved and known for his powerful serves. Despite their differences, Ishikawa's suggestion made Atobe realize that the two might actually complement each other well.

"Hmm… maybe it's worth a try," Atobe mused.

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(End of Chapter)