*Ding!*
Defeat Akutsu.
A system notification echoed in Ishikawa's mind.
[Player has defeated Boss-level opponent Akutsu Jin. 8 experience points gained.]
[Player has obtained a sub-profession item dropped by Akutsu Jin: Karate Lv1.]
[Detected overlap between Karate sub-profession and Ancient Martial Arts sub-profession. Special reminder: Sub-professions of the same type cannot provide simultaneous ability bonuses.]
"Huh?"
The system's message left Ishikawa slightly dissatisfied. Did this mean the Karate sub-profession was useless? Curious, he checked the description of the new sub-profession.
[Karate: At Lv3, gain +1 Strength; at Lv6, gain +1 Speed; at Lv9, gain +1 Technique.
Additional Effect 1: Unlocked at Lv6.
Additional Effect 2: Unlocked at Lv9.
Current Level: Lv1.
(Note: Sub-professions of the same type can be converted and absorbed.)]
"So," Ishikawa thought as he read the last line, "the Karate sub-profession can be absorbed into Ancient Martial Arts?"
Without hesitation, he used the Karate sub-profession item in his inventory. As expected, a prompt appeared asking if he wanted to convert it into Ancient Martial Arts. Ishikawa naturally selected "Yes."
*Hum!*
In an instant, a surge of powerful energy erupted from his core, flowing through his bloodstream to every limb.
At that moment, Ishikawa felt his stamina replenish, as if his body was now brimming with endless strength. Simultaneously, his understanding of Ancient Martial Arts deepened. His mastery of punches, kicks, and even the deadlier techniques reached a world-class level.
[Ancient Martial Arts: At Lv3, gain +1 Strength; at Lv6, gain +1 Speed; at Lv9, gain +1 Technique.
Additional Effect 1: Each level-up increases burst power.
Additional Effect 2: Concentrates aura, enhances burst power, and strengthens the potency and duration of special abilities.
Current Level: Lv9.]
*Whoosh!*
Ishikawa opened his eyes.
At the same time, Akutsu, who was hanging on the chain-link fence, also looked over. Their eyes met.
Akutsu felt a palpable killing intent emanating from Ishikawa's gaze. A chill shot up his spine, sending a wave of fear through him.
In that moment, the bloodied Akutsu finally understood why he had always sensed an overwhelming danger from this seemingly unassuming boy. The usually arrogant and unruly Akutsu now felt genuine terror.
"Ishikawa..."
Meanwhile, in the crowd, Hiyoshi stared at Ishikawa in shock. For a brief moment, he had seen in Ishikawa the same martial aura that his late grandfather once exuded.
"No... that's impossible," Hiyoshi thought, shaking his head frantically. The overwhelming pressure he felt from Ishikawa vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Phew," Hiyoshi sighed in relief. "There's no way. He's too young to have reached such a terrifying level of mastery in martial arts."
At that moment, a pale Akutsu struggled to jump down from the fence. His tank top had been completely shredded by Ishikawa's powerful shot, leaving a clear mark of the ball's impact on his abdomen.
"A-Akutsu-senpai," Tan Taichi quickly ran over with Akutsu's jacket and handed it to him. Akutsu took it, put it on, and staggered off the court.
"What incredible endurance," murmured the players from various schools as they watched Akutsu leave. Anyone else would have been rushed to the hospital after taking such a hit, yet Akutsu was still able to walk away on his own.
Thinking back to Akutsu's speed, strength, and explosive power, they could only marvel at his monstrous physicality.
Then, their gazes shifted to Ishikawa, filled with awe. After all, even a monster like Akutsu had been utterly defeated by him—completely shut out.
This match had made everyone realize just how powerful a national-level player could be.
A short while later, as both teams gathered at the net, the referee's voice rang out.
"This concludes the Tokyo Metropolitan Semifinals. Hyotei Academy wins three matches to one and advances to the finals!"
Instantly, Hyotei's supporters erupted into cheers.
Outside the court, players from other schools looked at the Hyotei team with newfound respect.
"Let's go," Coach Ryuzaki of Seigaku said solemnly. "Everyone, prepare yourselves. The finals start in an hour!"
"Yes," Tezuka and the others nodded.
Hyotei had demonstrated overwhelming dominance in their match against Yamabuki. And this was without their captain, Atobe, even playing.
This left the Seigaku team feeling an unprecedented level of pressure.
"Senpai," during the break, Eiji and Kikumaru stood outside the finals' Court 1, staring at the empty court. Eiji asked with some concern, "Do you think Seigaku still has a chance to win?"
"Of course," Eiji replied firmly. "Hyotei's lineup this year is incredibly strong, but Seigaku has Tezuka, a national-level player, and the Golden Pair. If the lineup is arranged well, we can still win."
"Besides," he added, glancing at a figure practicing against a wall in the distance, "while Ishikawa of Hyotei is strong, Seigaku also has a prodigy."
Eiji was referring to the boy with the samurai bloodline, the four-time U.S. Junior Champion. He had always held great confidence in him.
"Ryoma-kun?" Kikumaru also noticed the practicing Ryoma.
But a thought crossed her mind. She couldn't recall ever seeing Ryoma practicing before a match. Usually, he'd be lounging on the grass, resting.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the sports park's tennis courts, a beautiful woman hurried toward the match venue. It was none other than Akutsu's mother, Yukie.
"I hope... Akin can win his match," Yukie thought.
She fully supported Akutsu playing tennis. Despite his natural talent, he had never put it to good use, often wasting his days hanging out with delinquents. Tennis, though expensive with all the equipment, was a positive outlet for him. Yukie was willing to tighten her budget if it meant steering Akutsu toward a better future.
However, she had a terrible sense of direction. After wandering around the tennis courts for a while, she still couldn't find the match venue.
"Ice cream! Get your ice cream!"
Just then, a voice called out in the distance.
Yukie turned and saw a strange man wearing sunglasses and a black monk's robe. He carried a wooden box about fifty centimeters wide, strapped to his shoulders with ropes. Cold air seeped out of the box, suggesting it was filled with ice cream.
But his outfit was... unusual, to say the least.
"Um, excuse me, sir..." Yukie hesitated but approached him.
"Oh?" The man paused, lifting his sunglasses slightly to reveal a pair of deep, piercing eyes. "How can I help you, beautiful lady?"
His voice was low and gravelly, with a magnetic quality.
Yukie felt a bit nervous under his gaze but pressed on. "Do you know where the ongoing tennis matches are being held?"
"Tennis, huh?" The man smiled confidently. "I was just heading there myself. On a hot day like this, my ice cream will sell like crazy!"
"Come with me, beautiful lady. Oh, and here—have an ice cream on me."
As he spoke, he opened the wooden box and handed her an ice cream.
*Whoosh!*
But just then, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
A pale yellow tennis ball shot toward the man in sunglasses like a bullet.
*Smack!*
But just as the ball was about to hit him, the man suddenly reached out and, to Yuki's astonishment, caught it in his hand with a firm grip.
"Wow, that's amazing," Yuki said, her eyes wide with shock.
"Hey," the man in sunglasses said, his tone slightly annoyed. "Tennis balls aren't meant to hurt people, you know—huh?"
But his words trailed off as he looked up and saw who was standing across from him.
It was a white-haired teenager wearing a white jacket, his body covered in bruises and scars.
"This kid looks like he's been through hell," the man thought to himself, surprised. The boy seemed to be a participant in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, but the man couldn't believe how rough the competition must have been. Back in his day, even the national tournaments weren't this intense. Were kids these days really this fierce?
"Hey, old lady," the boy called out, his hands in his pockets as he walked over to Yuki and pulled her aside.
"A-Akutsu, what are you—" Yuki stammered.
The boy, Akutsu, shot her a cold glare. "Stay away from guys like him."
"O-okay," Yuki replied, looking a little hurt. "But what about your injuries?"
"None of your business," Akutsu snapped, his tone sharp. He then turned his attention to the oddly dressed man. "Hey, old man, if you don't want trouble, take your ice cream cart somewhere else!"
His eyes burned with anger, the frustration from his earlier defeat by Ishikawa bubbling to the surface. If Yuki hadn't been there, he might have already thrown a punch at the creepy guy.
"Young man," the man in sunglasses adjusted his glasses, a faint smile on his face. "You should try to stay calm. Tennis is about finding joy in the game, not letting anger control you."
"You think you can lecture me?" Akutsu's rage boiled over, his eyes flashing with fury as he stepped forward, ready to fight.
"Kids these days," the man muttered under his breath, shaking his head. But despite Akutsu's aggressive stance, the man showed no sign of fear or panic.
"Akutsu, there you are!"
Just as the tension between the two reached its peak, a calm voice called out from a distance.
*Whoosh!*
At the sound of the voice, Akutsu's anger instantly dissipated. He stiffly turned his head, his once defiant expression now tinged with unease.
"What are you doing here?" Akutsu asked, his voice tense.
"Keeping our promise," the newcomer, Ishikawa, said with a smile. "Don't forget, we made a deal before our match."
"Ugh," Akutsu's face twisted in frustration. Finally, he gritted his teeth and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Losing the match was embarrassing, but if he backed out of their agreement, it would only make him look like a sore loser.
"It's simple," Ishikawa said. "Join Hyotei."
"Join… Hyotei?" Akutsu's expression froze.
"Hyotei?!" Yuki, standing nearby, gasped. "But… that's a prestigious school. Our family's situation… we can't afford—"
"Don't worry," Ishikawa reassured her. "Coach Sakaki has already arranged a special scholarship for Akutsu."
"Oh… I see," Yuki nodded, her heart racing with a mix of anxiety and excitement. Hyotei was an elite school. If Akutsu could attend, his future would be much brighter than if he stayed at Yamabuki.
"Well?" Ishikawa grinned, seeing Akutsu's hesitation. "You're not planning to break our agreement, are you?"
"I… I'll think about it," Akutsu muttered, his face conflicted. Without another word, he turned and hurried away.
Yuki quickly followed after him.
"Alright," Ishikawa called out, still smiling. "I'll give you two weeks to decide."
Two weeks would bring them close to the start of the Kanto Tournament. Hyotei wasn't worried about the early rounds, but when it came to facing Rikkai Dai in the later stages, their current lineup only gave them a 70% chance of winning. After all, even though Yukimura was hospitalized, Rikkai still had Sanada, Yanagi, and that cunning trickster, Kirihara. As Hyotei's training advisor, Ishikawa wanted to push the regulars to work harder. Bringing in Akutsu would undoubtedly light a fire under them.
"As for you…" Ishikawa turned to the eccentric-looking man and said with a smile, "If you're selling ice cream, you'll probably do great business at the finals later."
"Oh, uh, thanks, kid," the man replied, caught off guard.
As Ishikawa walked away, the man raised an eyebrow. "Huh, that's strange. Why do I feel like he has a bit of Master Mugaku's aura? But he's so young…"
Thinking of the elderly, white-haired master who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, Nanjiroh shook his head, dismissing the absurd thought.
"Still," he mused, his curiosity piqued, "that delinquent kid who got beaten up earlier… it must've been by him. So, the team facing Seigaku in the finals is Hyotei, huh? That's the kid the old lady mentioned, the one who even made Ryoma feel pressured. Interesting."
An hour later, the short break ended.
The announcer's voice echoed through the park's main court: "Next up, the finals of the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament—Hyotei Academy versus Seigaku Middle School!"
---
*(End of Chapter)*