However, compared to Saeki Munehiko's gradual weakening at this moment, Kunimitsu Tezuka's expression carried a similarly oppressive weight.
This was the first time since returning from Germany that he felt a sense of crisis brought by a peer.
It was a crisis where, if he were the slightest bit careless, he would be overtaken and then crushed.
Yet, as the match continued, the threat emanating from Saeki Munehiko grew weaker and weaker.
Tezuka knew that this was the onset of the backlash from his opponent's previous powerful outburst.
Even so, he showed no contempt whatsoever, because of the resolute willpower radiating from Saeki Munehiko.
He could feel it!
"Is this your resolve... Saeki-kun!"
Lowering his eyelids, Tezuka's hawk-like gaze trembled slightly as he gripped the tennis ball tightly, his fingers locking together with force.
...
Fifteen minutes later.
"Saeki-kun, this is the end!"
A crisp voice rang in his ears. Saeki Munehiko's already heavily weighed-down feet could no longer move forward, and as he raised his eyes, he saw that Tezuka's figure seemed to have blended completely into a swirling vortex of water.
A terrifying water arrow burst forth from Saeki Munehiko's footsteps, splashing droplets of water into the air.
"Is it ending just like this..."
Letting the strands of hair on his forehead blow in the wind, Saeki Munehiko stared fixedly at that surging arrow of water.
His brain was spinning at high speed, desperately trying to exhaust every possibility in search of a shred of a chance to counterattack.
However...
His feet felt as though they were rooted to the ground; he could not take a single step, nor was there any possibility of pursuit...
There is always a limit to what strength can achieve.
The trajectory of the pale yellow tennis ball vanished from Saeki Munehiko's pupils, and a sudden sense of loss washed over him.
"Game, Kunimitsu Tezuka, 6-4!"
...
"Saeki-kun, truly a wonderful match. I hope that next time, I can play against you again on a real tournament court."
With his tennis bag slung over his shoulder, walking silently toward the station, Saeki Munehiko felt as though the words Tezuka had just spoken were still echoing in his ears.
How confident and formidable!
"An official match..."
Saeki Munehiko silently looked at the comparison with Tezuka's five-dimensional stats that had just generated in his mind, a flash of determination in his eyes:
"Indeed. If, as you said, you want to change, then I won't let you wait too long either!"
Kunimitsu Tezuka.
Speed: 4 (+0.5)
Power: 3.5 (+0.5)
Stamina: 3.5
Technique: 5 (+0.5)
Mental Strength: 4.5 (+0.5)
Total: 20.5. Upon activating the Realm of Self-Actualization, Speed increases by 0.5, Power by 0.5, Technique by 0.5, and Mental Strength by 0.5.
Actual True Five-Dimensional Stats: 22.5!
...
Saeki Munehiko.
Speed: 3
Power: 4 (-0.5)
Stamina: 4 (-0.5)
Technique: 4 (-0.5)
Mental Strength: 5 (-0.5)
Total: 20 (-2).
Looking at the vastly different five-dimensional chart compared to Tezuka's, Saeki Munehiko shook his head with a sense of helplessness.
Tezuka at this moment was like a max-level character who reached the peak of their junior high generation right out of the gate.
The only things restricting him now were probably his age and his still-growing body.
Once his physical development stabilized, his various stats would become completely balanced.
As he grew older, the boosts he currently relied on the Realm of Self-Actualization to achieve would all become part of his baseline foundation.
After all, in another year or two, his stamina, power, and speed would naturally grow on their own.
Not to mention the subsequent techniques he would develop, such as the Tezuka Phantom, Zero-Shiki Serve, Zero-Shiki Drop Shot, the Limit of Brilliant Intelligence, and so on...
By the time his regular state reached 22.5 without any boosts—
or even 23.5, the data measured when he first entered the Japan U-17 training camp in the original story—how terrifying would that be when combined with the boosts of the Realm of Self-Actualization?
And by that time, he would likely have already unlocked Bright Through Perfection and stepped into the Other-Dimension Domain.
The amplification this would provide him would be even greater.
Later on, he would even develop the Supreme Zone and fuse multiple lights of perfection...
This was Kunimitsu Tezuka, a formidable man!
His tennis system and path were already clearly laid out—the path of Germany's most elite tennis.
He was Japan's Q.P.
"The future! I'm truly looking forward to it!"
Saeki Munehiko smiled slightly. Tezuka's stats failed to frighten him, because this was the achievement Tezuka ought to have.
Even if Tezuka progressed, he would not stand still.
Whether it was Kunimitsu Tezuka or Yukimura Seiichi, both were opponents Saeki Munehiko needed to defeat.
And not just them; while the junior high tennis world of this generation in Japan was not as monstrously powerful as Byodoin's generation, there were still plenty of genuine top-tier players.
As far as Saeki Munehiko knew, among their generation of middle schoolers—without the tempering of the U-17 training camp, relying purely on their own abilities—the number of geniuses in the junior high pond who could genuinely set foot in the national level, including Toyama Kintaro and Ryoma down the line, totaled a full ten players.
Kunimitsu Tezuka, Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichirō, Atobe Keigo, Kite Eishiro, Akutsu Jin, Shiraishi Kuranosuke, and Tachibana Kippei.
They were the geniuses of this generation of Japanese middle schoolers, true national-level masters.
And now, one more had to be added: Saeki Munehiko himself!
Borrowing Tezuka's formidable strength and the unparalleled oppressive force of the match, Saeki Munehiko had unleashed the Scorching Sun Ember and Tread Fire Chase Sun, while also leveraging his golden finger to temporarily boost his technique and mental strength by 0.5.
He had finally broken through the major bottleneck of a total five-dimensional score of twenty.
Although he was currently extremely weak, and both the sacrificed stats and the temporary bonuses had vanished, a breakthrough was a breakthrough.
As long as he weathered the period of weakness and trained his lost stats back up, he would be a genuine national-level player.
Furthermore, with his breakthrough in strength, the bottleneck that had previously shackled him would cease to exist.
From the national level to beyond the national level, the path ahead would be incomparably smooth.
Short of undergoing a qualitative transformation and touching upon the illusory higher dimension within the Japanese system—the path of the Other-Dimension Domain—he would not encounter any bottlenecks before then.
He possessed a thoroughly systematic method to maintain his own evolution.
These evolutionary methods were ones that Coach Mifune had spent decades summarizing in the original world. Though brutal, they were exceptionally brilliant training methods.
At this thought, Saeki Munehiko's heart burned with enthusiasm, and he could hardly wait to begin training immediately.
With his mood lifting and turning cheerful, he walked briskly toward home.
He needed to properly plan out the remainder of his vacation.
There was less than a month left until the start of the school term.
"Wait, it feels like I forgot something..."
"Never mind, it's not important. I'd better get through this period of weakness as fast as possible and raise my strength."
...
Meanwhile, by the riverside not far from Yamabuki Junior High, Akutsu Jin stood at the bridgehead, watching the river surface dyed crimson by the setting sun.
His tightly clenched fists and the railings groaning under his grip spoke volumes of the turmoil churning within his heart.
Thinking back to Saeki Munehiko's arrogant attitude and mocking tone moments ago, Akutsu felt his anger flare up.
"Damn bastard, who do you think you are, trying to teach me how to play tennis?"
"I'll definitely defeat you, I'll tear you to pieces..."
At that moment, Akutsu's expression stirred. Catching sight of a familiar figure walking toward the train station in the distance, he hesitated for a second before striding over to intercept him.
"Hey, poker face, which middle school are you planning to enter?"
Looking at the delinquent youth radiating a fierce aura before him, Tezuka expressionlessly replied, "Seishun Academy."
"Seigaku, huh?" Akutsu Jin muttered thoughtfully. "Your name's Tezuka, right? Care to play a few matches with yours truly?"
...
Having obtained a satisfactory answer, Akutsu Jin walked toward his home along the path of the setting sun...
On the other side, after returning home and still engrossed in daydreaming and planning his potential training schedule, Saeki Munehiko suddenly shivered.
A slight flutter of a butterfly's wings seemed to have created an extraordinary enemy for him.
His original intention had been to recruit Akutsu Jin, because the seniors before him had personally 'field-tested' the theory.
They all said that beating Akutsu Jin into submission was the simplest method of recruitment.
So why, when it came to his turn, had everything gone completely wrong?
This was something he never could have anticipated.