Chapter 12: Report Logout, Former Pro Player Ji Le Taizao

Since the news that the Japanese national team lost at the World Championships reached the home country, the domestic tennis world has wilted like frost‑bitten eggplants.

Television news, newspapers and magazines, radio stations, and all kinds of media have reported on this incident.

Whether euphemistic or blunt, overt or covert, in short, during this period a deluge of scorn descended upon the domestic tennis world.

Even if some industry insiders try to argue, they have no reply, because competitive sports speak only through results.

And at that moment, an article published in the Tennis Monthly magazine sparked a wave of attention.

Its title is "Unveiling the Black Curtain! The Root‑Digger of the Japanese Tennis World!"

In this sensitive period, such a sensational headline instantly captured readers' eyes.

Who is the root‑digger of the tennis world?

Who possesses such great ability and daring to uproot a nation's tennis world?

When such questions arose in people's minds, Jiecheng Tongren's purpose was achieved.

The article begins by recounting the modern development history of Japanese tennis.

It lists domestic tennis masters who have achieved outstanding results on the world stage.

It expresses, in concise language, the view that the home country can play tennis well.

Having set this major premise, the article then moves to the main topic.

It formally begins to discuss the reasons why Japan's tennis results have been unsatisfactory in recent years.

Jiecheng Tongren glosses over many of the deeper reasons.

He only begins to focus his writing on the cultivation of youth tennis players.

Budongfeng serves as the main research subject, with numerous citations of scandals collected by Jiecheng Wu, and a few supplemented by incidents uncovered at other schools.

It lays bare the ugly side of Budongfeng's tennis club before the public, sharply pinpointing coach Heng Shan's negligence.

It subtly attributes the recent setbacks in tennis development to middle‑school coaches like Heng Shan.

Although they lack such capability, readers have found a clear target for venting their anger.

In an instant, Tennis Monthly's sales surged.

People's dissatisfaction and doubt toward the whole tennis world also shifted instantly onto those middle‑school coaches with prior offenses.

Other figures in the tennis world are very pleased to see this phenomenon.

Since someone has already withstood the public's fury, they are naturally a dead Taoist brother, not a living poor Taoist.

Thus, under these circumstances, some well‑meaning people began to fan the flames, and newspapers and magazines across the region started publishing the article en masse.

After this incident, some previously ignored severe incidents in middle schools across the country received attention, and many Tennis Club coaches were dismissed as a result.

In short, Budongfeng's tennis department became famous in this way.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a blast rang out from Budongfeng's principal's office.

Shards of a glass cup scattered across the floor, and tea spilled formed several map‑like stains.

"Bang!"

The suited principal Ouchi Seijiro kicked a plaid‑clad man to the ground, his eyes brimming with anger.

"I handed the Budongfeng Tennis Club over to you, and this is the result you've shown me?!"

"Principal, I was wrong, I was wrong."

"Give me another chance, I will definitely correct it, give me another chance."

Heng Shan clutched his head and wailed, yet he didn't even dare to dodge, forcing himself to take the kick.

He scrambled onto the ground, performed the most proper dogeza, his palms piercing the broken glass, yet he dared not utter a cry.

Ouchi Seijiro didn't even glance at him, merely skimmed the report in his hand, and his fury flared instantly, his complexion uglier than pork liver.

"Opportunity?

You still want another chance?"

"You've completely ruined Budongfeng's reputation!

Get lost!

"Baga ya~ Deer—!!!"

Saiyu Xian.

Members of the Tennis Club, dressed in jerseys white on top and green below, stood before several pillars.

Pairing up, they practiced tennis wall drills without a wall, using only the narrow surfaces of the pillars.

"Bang bang bang!"

The ball repeatedly struck the pillar surface and rebounded, only to be hit back again the next instant.

If someone watches closely, they'll notice almost every ball lands at the same spot, evidencing superb ball‑control skill.

Moreover, besides stable ball control, their movements are graceful, and in every gesture one can faintly see a professional player's style.

These are all members of the tennis department; their school, Green Mountain Middle School, is the reigning champion of the county tournament and a regular at the Kanto Tournament.

Using pillars for tennis wall drills is just a part of their routine practice, and it's a breeze for them.

But today they seemed somewhat uneasy, even their motions became off‑beat.

The cause affecting them was a terrifying sound coming from the innermost tennis court of the Tennis Club.

"Boom… boom… boom…"

A sky of dust and ash blanketed the entire court, and roaring booms echoed continuously, deafening.

The sound was nothing like a tennis ball; it resembled an artillery explosion, more like the heavens roaring in anger!

"Suddenly!"

A dark‑green radiance flashed, followed by a beam of light piercing the dust shrouding the court, exuding an indescribably terrifying aura.

In an instant, a tennis ball engulfed in green undulations swept up a spiraling airflow, shattering the air with a boom!

The moment it appeared, a fierce wind blasted up in the face, countless dust instantly spreading outward, a ravaging storm sweeping everything around.

Like a natural disaster!

This is simply power from another dimension!

Boom——!!!

However, this terrifying scene did not last long.

After a loud roar ended, the world suddenly fell silent.

Moments later.

The dust cleared, revealing a half-court riddled with craters, pockmarks everywhere.

Moreover, the green stone wall beyond became a stretch of ruined walls, with a few stone fragments rolling down the breaks.

In the ruins, faint traces of newspaper and magazine debris mingled among the broken stones.

A middle-aged man held a racket, silently gazing at the devastation he had wrought before him.

His face showed little expression; after venting freely, the anger in his heart had subsided by more than half.

He turned his head, his disheveled dark-green hair hanging behind his head, two small moustaches splayed outward like an eight, the tips of his moustache like swords.

The lingering aura lingered around his brows; at a glance, his powerful spiritual power overflowed, making one's heart palpitate involuntarily.

He is Ji Le Taizao, once a professional tennis player who achieved the astonishing feat of four consecutive titles in the All-Japan Championships.

He now serves as the tennis club coach at Green Mountain Middle School, earnestly wishing his son could also walk the path of professional tennis.

Before the World Tournament, he had already seen the Japanese players set to compete and personally verified their level.

Their ability was not lacking, especially a few first-year students whose talent surprised even him.

Therefore he believed that on this year's World Tournament, the Japanese national team would surely achieve good results.

Unfortunately, things did not develop at all as he had anticipated, leaving him feeling gloomy.

Moreover, the media's massive spread of false reports only fueled his anger.

"Father, Dad." Outside the tennis court, a boy resembling an elementary school student stood there, extremely restrained.

He looked upon the terrifying scene before him with extreme timidity, like a tiny ant seeing a passing elephant.

Even if the elephant was merely taking a casual stroll, to the ant it would be a catastrophic disaster, filling it with dread.

Jing Xing's mind went completely blank.

It was merely a small tennis ball, yet it destroyed the court just like that?

If it hit me, I'd die, right?!!

Are all such terrifying guys on the professional circuit?

Do I really have to follow my father's orders and play such tennis?

"Jing Xing, do you find tennis fun?"

His rough large hand rubbed Jing Xing's head, Ji Le Taizao asked gently.

He wanted to appear gentler in front of his son, so he tried to smile by pulling the corners of his mouth.

But after his facial features were cramped together, they resembled a half-bloomed old chrysanthemum, making people feel creepy.

"It's fun."

Jing Xing looked at the ruins, then at his old-chrysanthemum father, and grudgingly squeezed out two words from between his teeth.

Although he said it's fun, on that little face, however you look, it's full of rejection.

He seemed to notice this, and immediately turned his small cold face away.

"Tennis is fun, I just, I just don't like sweating."

Sensing his son's vague reluctance toward tennis, Ji Le Taizao let out a long sigh.

As a professional tennis player, how come his son isn't interested in tennis?

"Go outside and practice with them."

Ji Le Taizao's rugged face showed a look of disappointment, while Jing Xing seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and ran off in a puff.

Sigh——

Just as his mood had calmed, it worsened again.

This is chapter 2; there are still two chapters after today.

Originally I wanted to write the reactions of all sides after the report was released, but after writing it I felt it was too filler, not good, so I deleted and rewrote.

Green Mountain Middle School is a school that appears in the manga; in the anime version, their screen time was taken over by Shonan.

Ji Le Taizao is the junior of Yueqian Nanjiro, a professional player who once won four consecutive titles in the All-Japan Tennis Championships.

In this book, his setting is one of Japan's top-level players, possessing extraordinary strength.

As for Nanjiro, he is beyond discussion.

And Jing Xing is a character similar to Ryoma; his father is also a famous tennis player, and he too was carefully trained from a young age.

But their development is completely different; in my view, they make a great contrast.

(End of chapter)