*Chapter 188: The Monster of Shitenhouji, Ishikawa’s Poison Hand (Part 2)*

Boom!

Boom!

At the Hyotei tennis club, some of the regular members had returned after watching the exhilarating matches earlier and decided to play a few practice games.

Since it was during the national tournament, both Coach Sakaki and Ishikawa were less strict about practice matches than usual.

“Found it!”

However, just as the matches were underway, a voice with a slightly odd accent suddenly rang out. “Excuse me… is Ishikawa here?”

Swish!

Everyone turned to look.

Standing there was a red-haired boy with a leopard-print shirt and a tennis bag slung over his shoulder, smiling at them.

“Someone from another school? Here to challenge Ishikawa?”

The Hyotei members were surprised. After all, ever since Ishikawa defeated Sanada and led Hyotei to win the Kanto Championship, his reputation had surpassed even that of the “Emperor of Tennis” from Rikkai Dai.

They thought no one would dare challenge Hyotei anymore.

Yet, here was another challenger.

The boy looked young but had come specifically to challenge Ishikawa. Clearly, he was prepared.

“Uh…”

Suzuki Ryota, a third-year, frowned. “Sorry, Ishikawa isn’t here. If you want to challenge him, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow at the national tournament venue.”

“Tomorrow?”

The boy, Kintarou, looked disappointed. “I was hoping to play him early. If it’s tomorrow, it won’t be as fun.”

According to the tournament schedule, Hyotei would face Shitenhouji in the quarterfinals tomorrow. The winner would then compete against the victor of the Rikkai Dai vs. Shitenhouji match for a spot in the finals.

But if it was an official match, Kintarou couldn’t guarantee he’d get to face Ishikawa.

“If you want to play, we can have a match with you,” another member chimed in with a grin. “But just so you know, if you lose, don’t blame us for being too tough on you.”

“Ryota!”

Suzuki’s expression changed when he heard his friend’s proposal. “Playing against someone from another school? If we get caught, we’re done for.”

“It’s fine,” Uesugi Ryosuke said with a laugh. “He’s just a rookie. Maybe his team already lost today, and he’s just here to challenge Ishikawa because of his reputation.”

As a third-year, Uesugi had been training hard lately. His skills had improved significantly, and his physical abilities had grown several times over. Naturally, his confidence had also inflated.

The reason he was willing to play against this boy, though, was because of a bet with his friend.

The two had been arguing over ownership of a tennis-themed video game disc. They decided to settle it with a match—whoever could win a game against the boy in the shortest time would get the disc.

However, after five matches, they were still tied.

“Ryota,” Uesugi said, looking at the red-haired boy, “let’s each play a game against him. Whoever wins in the shortest time gets the disc. What do you say?”

“Alright,” Suzuki agreed.

They’d been fighting over the disc for a while now, and this seemed like a fair way to settle it.

“I’ll go first,” Uesugi said, walking onto the court with a smile. “Kid, don’t say Hyotei’s being unfair. You can serve first.”

“Serve? Okay.”

Kintarou nodded.

“Huh?”

One of the Hyotei members noticed something odd. “His accent sounds a lot like Oshitari-senpai’s.”

“From the Kansai region?”

Thinking of Oshitari’s background, the others pondered. “The strongest school from that area is Shitenhouji, who won the Kansai Championship. They’re said to be a powerhouse with championship potential!”

“Kansai? Osaka? Shitenhouji?”

On the court, Uesugi frowned as he looked at the red-haired boy in the leopard-print shirt. “I can’t be that unlucky, can I?”

Boom!

The moment that thought crossed his mind, a thunderous sound echoed from the court.

“What?!”

Uesugi’s eyes widened as he saw the ball shoot past him.

“That’s… insane!”

The Hyotei members watching from the sidelines were stunned.

The speed of that serve! And the sheer power behind it—how could such a small kid generate so much force?

Boom!

Another serve landed with the same ferocity.

“Ugh!”

Seeing Uesugi fail to even react, the others couldn’t help but shudder.

“Uh… sorry!”

Kintarou scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. “Was my serve too fast? If it is, I’ll slow it down a bit.”

“You little…”

Uesugi’s face twisted in frustration. “Don’t look down on me!”

Boom!

But the next serve flew past him just as quickly, leaving him stunned.

“Wait… what?”

He looked up, both shocked and angry. “I thought you said you’d slow it down?!”

“That serve is terrifying.”

The Hyotei members watching were thoroughly intimidated.

Suzuki, in particular, realized this boy was no ordinary player. He was likely a member of Shitenhouji, Hyotei’s opponent tomorrow.

Someone like that was far beyond what regular members like them could handle.

Uesugi had truly bitten off more than he could chew.

“Hey! What’s going on here?”

A stern voice interrupted the scene.

“It’s Hiyoshi.”

The Hyotei members turned to see the mushroom-haired second-year walking over with a frown.

Boom!

At that moment, Kintarou served again, the ball shooting like an arrow. Hiyoshi’s expression darkened as he saw the speed.

Thud!

The ball landed, then flew past Uesugi before he could even react.

“Huh.”

Kintarou frowned, genuinely puzzled. “Is Hyotei’s tennis really this weak?”

He wasn’t trying to be rude—it was an honest observation. But to the Hyotei members, especially Hiyoshi, it felt like a slap in the face.

“You little brat!”

Hiyoshi stepped onto the court, and Uesugi quickly retreated.

“Kid,” Hiyoshi said coldly, “take back what you just said, or else…”

“Why should I?”

Kintarou frowned. “I’m just telling the truth. Hyotei’s tennis isn’t that impressive.”

“Hmph!”

Hiyoshi’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Then I’ll show you just how terrifying Hyotei can be!”

The two were clearly not going to see eye to eye, and a fierce match was inevitable.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Soon, the sound of intense rallies filled the Hyotei tennis club.

“Hmm?”

Ishikawa, who had just arrived from the dorm to do some light training, raised an eyebrow at the commotion.

“Vice-captain!”

Seeing Ishikawa, the Hyotei members felt as if they’d been saved. They eagerly nodded at him.

“What’s going on?”

Ishikawa glanced at the two players battling on the court. “Why are they playing?”

“Well…”

Suzuki hesitated, then explained the situation.

“I see.”

Ishikawa nodded, his gaze shifting to the red-haired boy who was overwhelming Hiyoshi. He turned to Uesugi and said, “Go get about two meters of white bandages.”

“Bandages? Okay.”

Uesugi didn’t question Ishikawa’s request and immediately ran off.

“Shitenhouji’s Kintarou Toyama, huh?”

Ishikawa turned his attention back to the court, where the two were still battling.

Boom!

Kintarou smashed another shot, but Hiyoshi used his “Shukuchi” technique to quickly reach the ball.

However, when he made contact, the sheer weight of the shot made his expression change.

“It’s too heavy!”

He couldn’t believe how much power this kid had. Every return was making his arms ache, and his hands were going numb.

“I have no choice.”

Knowing he was outmatched, Hiyoshi decided to use his ultimate technique.

As Kintarou sent the ball over, Hiyoshi raised his racket, poised like a bow, and swung with all his might.

Boom!

A sharp, electrified shot flew across the net.

“It’s here!”

The Hyotei members cheered. “Hiyoshi’s [Four Gods Formation: White Tiger]!”

This move, learned from Ishikawa, had been refined by Hiyoshi through constant training. After the match against Higa, it had become a practical weapon.

Though it was only about 30% as powerful as Ishikawa’s version, it was still a formidable technique.

In the eyes of the Hyotei members, Kintarou’s racket would surely be knocked out of his hand.

Boom!

But when Kintarou returned the shot, his racket didn’t budge, and his arm didn’t even shake.

“Oh?”

Feeling the intense vibration in his racket, Kintarou’s eyes lit up. “Not bad. Is this Hyotei’s real strength? If so, I’ll get serious now!”

Swish!

With a powerful swing, he sent the ball flying back.

Thud!

The ball landed near Hiyoshi’s baseline, and as it bounced, the Hyotei second-year felt a deep sense of helplessness.

His opponent was too strong!

The sheer power behind every shot was something he couldn’t handle.

“Huh?”

Seeing Hiyoshi not even attempt to return the shot, Kintarou looked confused. “Why aren’t you hitting it back?”

“There’s no point.”

Hiyoshi shook his head. He knew the gap between them was too wide. Continuing would only humiliate him further.

“Ugh, this isn’t fun at all.”

Kintarou stomped his foot like a child throwing a tantrum.

“That’s enough.”

A calm but firm voice interrupted.

“Huh?”

Hiyoshi looked up and saw Ishikawa walking over. His eyes widened, and he immediately bowed his head in shame.

“I’m sorry, Vice-captain… I lost.”

“It’s fine. He’s not an opponent you can handle.”

Ishikawa shook his head, then turned to the red-haired boy. “Kintarou Toyama, the strongest rookie of Shitenhouji, the reigning champions of Kansai. A player with national-level strength.”

“What?!”

The Hyotei members were shocked.

They knew Kintarou was strong, but they hadn’t realized he was on that level.

“You’re Ishikawa, right?”

Kintarou’s eyes lit up when he saw Ishikawa. “How about it? Let’s play a match!”

“I said, that’s enough.”

To everyone’s surprise, Ishikawa didn’t accept the challenge. Instead, he raised his right hand, which was wrapped in thick bandages, and said sternly, “Kintarou, if you don’t behave, I’ll have to get serious.”

“That’s…”

When Kintarou saw the bandages, his face paled. “Shiraishi’s Poison Hand?! Why do you have that? Wait… no! I’m sorry! Please don’t! I don’t want to die!!!”

To everyone’s astonishment, the confident and fearless rookie from Shitenhouji was now trembling in fear as Ishikawa slowly unwrapped the bandages.

(End of Chapter)

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