allendalepharm Chapter 97: The Harvest of the Training Camp, The Heir to Rikkai's Glory
Chapter 97: The Harvest of the Training Camp, The Heir to Rikkai's Glory
The morning light in Karuizawa is always gentle.
A thin morning mist enveloped the entire manor, and the sweet fragrance of peaches mingled with the fresh scent of grass and trees in the breeze.
In the blink of an eye, four days have passed since the joint school camp began.
During these four days, Mochizuki Ryo kept an eye on the two teams' training during the day, and spent the evenings communicating in detail with Yukimura online via his phone.
The two coaches compared the weaknesses of Hyotei and Rikkai players and gradually adjusted their training plans accordingly. Rikkai focused on improving doubles teamwork and mental composure on the court, while Hyotei emphasized the accuracy of their serves and their tactical flexibility.
Every arrangement was precise down to the minute, with absolutely no perfunctory work.
The hellish, devilish training at the manor camp intensified day by day.
When Mochizuki returned to the dormitory after finishing her practice in the early morning, there were already people moving around in the corridor.
Kirihara was violently awakened by Kabaji. He was still sleepy, holding his racket, with a tuft of hair sticking up on his head, obviously not having had time to comb it.
When he saw Wang Yueling, he instinctively stood at attention. Then he realized that he was no longer the trembling, terrified person he had been on the first day.
"Good morning, senpai~" Kirihara rubbed his eyes, his voice still a little hoarse from just waking up.
"Good morning, Akaya. You didn't sleep in today, that's great!"
Wang Yueling glanced at him, her azure eyes shining brightly in the morning light. After encouraging him, she began to urge him on, "I've looked at yesterday's swing record. Your backhand is still off by five centimeters. Practice two hundred more times this morning."
Kirihara had barely smiled after being praised by her senior when she heard the next sentence, and her face instantly scrunched up. But she still obediently replied "Yes," and ran towards the court with her racket.
When Mochizuki Ryo arrived at the restaurant, she happened to run into Marui and Jiro sneaking a breakfast pudding.
Marui was holding two cups of pudding in his hand, about to hand one to Jiro, when he saw Mochizuki Ryo come out from the stairwell, and his hand froze in mid-air.
The purple eyes blinked, and the expression on its face was like that of a criminal caught red-handed.
"Bunta." Mochizuki Ryou didn't stop walking, her tone light and cheerful, "I saw your physical fitness data last night. You can already run around the lake in sync with Yagyu. Congratulations."
Marui's lips had just curled up in a smug smile, and before he could even feel smug, the second half of his sentence followed.
"In that case, your load will be increased by one kilogram today."
Marui nearly dropped the pudding in his hand. Jiro muttered quietly beside him, "Luckily I wasn't called out," and before he could finish speaking, Mochizuki Ryo's gaze shifted over.
"Jiro, you made four volley errors in yesterday afternoon's draw match. Stay after basic training today for extra net play volleying. I'll be keeping an eye on you."
Jiro's curly hair drooped down, and he shrank back behind Marui.
Renji strolled in from outside, holding a cup of coffee. Upon seeing this scene, he pushed up his glasses, a smug smile playing on his lips.
"Starting to scold people so early in the morning, Ling, did you not sleep well last night? Is that why you're so irritable?"
"I slept for four hours." Wang Yueling took the black coffee handed to her by the kitchen aunt, took a sip, and said, "That's enough."
Shinobu glanced at him but said nothing more.
This person slept very little from the first day of the training camp. He led training during the day, revised plans at night, and also had to find time to deal with emails from his family company.
But apart from a very faint bluish tinge under his eyes, his face still looked incredibly energetic.
monster.
The restaurant gradually became lively.
When Feng and Shishido came in side by side, Shishido was talking to Feng about the backhand volley in yesterday's draw match. Feng listened very carefully and nodded from time to time.
Hiyoshi followed behind them, holding a handwritten sword manual in his hand and muttering incantations to himself.
At Rikkai University, Kuwabara had been standing in front of the buffet table for quite a while.
He got two strawberry cakes for Marui, a cup of coconut juice for Niou, a cup of black tea for Yagyu, and then went back to get himself two plates of grilled meat.
A tall, mixed-race Brazilian man moved back and forth in front of the dining table, his bald head reflecting the restaurant's warm yellow light.
Marui sat at the dining table, chewing gum, watching him bring over a tray full of food: "Jack, you've got breakfast for everyone again."
"Just doing it." Kuwabara sat down, scratched his head, and looked simple and honest.
Niou peeked out from behind Yagyu, his silver hair still loose and hanging down his shoulders, his fox-like eyes narrowed as he looked at the grilled meat on Kuwabara's plate.
"Kuwabara is truly the mother figure of Rikkai University."
He reached into Kuwabara's plate, grabbed a piece of grilled meat, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and mumbled as he turned to his partner, "Hiro~ you agree, right?"
Yagyu pushed up his round glasses and moved his cup of black tea half an inch to the side, away from the area where Niou was playing a prank.
When Niou saw his little trick, he pursed his lips and took a second piece of meat from Kuwabara's plate.
Liu opened his half-closed eyes, sat down next to them, and opened his notebook to record: "Kuwabara gets breakfast for his teammates an average of 3.8 times a day, an increase of 2.1 times compared to before the training camp."
"Renji, can you please stop doing data analysis for everything?" Niou swallowed the second piece of meat and licked his lips.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was relaxed.
The students from Hyotei and Rikkai sat together, sharing food and soup.
Occasionally, someone will complain that the training volume is too high, and the person next to them will say, "I'm used to it," or remind them, "Be careful the coach doesn't hear you and make you do extra training," and then everyone will laugh together.
Basic training began at 7:00 AM.
Wang Yueling stood in the center of the court, holding a scoreboard in her hand, while a small speaker on the table next to her played background music of the training rhythm.
More than forty people, wearing weighted wrist and ankle braces and holding custom-made weighted rackets, ran five kilometers around the lake.
After four days of running with weights, everyone's physical fitness has improved significantly.
From the first day, after running five kilometers around the lake, everyone was panting heavily, bent over, pale-faced, and too weak to even speak.
Now that I've finished the run, my breathing is steady and long. Although I sweat a lot, I no longer feel that exhausted feeling I had before.
The changes are evident to everyone.
Everyone was so immersed in high-intensity training, swinging their rackets thousands of times a day. They got used to the heavy burden on their shoulders, and no one bothered to measure how much progress they had actually made.
Those who felt this most deeply were Marui, Mukahi, Niou, and Shinobu, who were all physically weaker.
Marui barely panted after running his last lap of the morning. He was looking down at the weighted wristband on his wrist, his expression as if he were rediscovering his body.
He was naturally physically weak, and he would become exhausted after playing doubles for a long time.
Even with consecutive high-intensity matches, they can still maintain their net play and never run out of steam in the second half of the game.
"It's amazing. Before, I would want to find a place to rest after running a couple of steps, but now I feel like I can run another ten laps... If this had happened four days ago, I wouldn't have even dared to imagine it."
"What kind of magic did that devil Ling cast on me? The effect is simply outrageous."
Kuwahara sat down next to him and nodded. "Everyone's stamina has improved, and the pace of intra-team matches is much faster than before."
Niou sauntered over from behind, his silver hair slightly damp with sweat, but he looked much better than he had four days ago.
He clung to Yagyu, tilting his head as if boneless, a smirk playing on his lips, his tone languid.
"Piyo~ Hiro, do you think we've really been cursed by that golden-haired demon king? I dreamt about running around the lake last night."
Yagyu adjusted his glasses, a thin layer of fog forming on the lenses. He reached out to support Niou, his steps remaining steady.
"It shouldn't have anything to do with a curse."
"Intentional weight training is the fastest way to improve. Ling's training plan is just right, it won't overload you and hurt your body, but it can really build a solid foundation."
"Haven't you noticed your web-view movement speed has increased significantly?"
Niou blinked and thought about it carefully.
In yesterday afternoon's draw match, he did intercept Shishido Ryo's spike a fraction of a second earlier than usual. Previously, he would have to take at least half a step back to receive such a shot.
"It seems so."
He stroked his chin, his fox-like eyes crinkling into a smile. "But that doesn't change the fact that he's a devil."
Xiang Ri happened to run past them and nodded vigorously upon hearing this: "That's right! That's right! But I really can jump five centimeters higher than before! Look!"
As he spoke, he jumped up and down, his short red hair swaying in the morning mist.
Yuushi Oshitari adjusted his glasses, reached out to catch him as he nearly fell, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Be careful, don't fall."
"See, I told you I was right!"
Mukahi steadied himself and excitedly shook his arms, "On the first day, I couldn't even jump high with the weights on, but now I can jump this high after running five laps!"
A hint of a smile flashed in Shinobu's eyes.
He himself was well aware of how effective the four days of training had been. His arms, which used to ache after playing three sets, now felt almost nothing even after swinging the racket for an hour straight.
My steps have become much more steady, and I rarely slip when I stop suddenly on the grass.
"There has been a lot of progress."
Marui blew a bubble and pulled his left wristband up a bit. "But to be honest, I've been wearing weights for the past few days and haven't taken the wristband off to play a single match with a normal racket. I'd like to know how good I am now?"
"Nobody's ever tried," Shishido muttered as he passed by. "Ryou won't let us pick them."
Upon hearing this, the people around seemed to be deep in thought.
From the very first day she put on the weighted wristbands and weighted racket, Mochizuki Ryo never allowed anyone to take them off to play.
They wear them during training, while eating, and while sleeping. Except for the ten or twenty minutes they spend showering, these heavy protective gear practically become part of their bodies.
They swing their rackets, run, and catch the ball every day, but they're using physically demanding loads. If they took off the weights now, nobody could say for sure what kind of game they could play.
Xiang Ri, who was stretching her legs nearby, overheard their discussion and chimed in, "Ling said that after the training camp ends and she takes off the mask, she will feel as light as a feather and run like she's flying."
"So is he just making empty promises, or is he serious?" Marui chewed gum and tilted his head.
"Probably 80%." Shinobu pushed his glasses up.
Wang Yueling overheard all the whispers from the sidelines, twirling her pen between her fingers, a slight smile playing on her lips.
He hasn't let anyone remove their weights these past few days, wanting them to continue accumulating experience without knowing exactly how much progress they've made.
This uncertainty can breed anxiety, but it can also fuel stronger desires.
When you pick them on the last day, the explosive feeling of lightness will be more impactful than any data.
However, there's no need to voice these thoughts.
He stood under the sunshade with his arms crossed, blew a whistle, his azure eyes sweeping over the crowd, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Break time's over, stop chatting." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears. "Warm up your wrists and ankles, then we'll start racket-swinging practice in five minutes. One thousand repetitions each."
The boys each took a racket and stood in two neat rows.
At Wang Yueling's command, the sound of synchronized racket swings rang out. The sound of weighted rackets cutting through the air was particularly crisp in the early morning manor.
The same scene has been repeated countless times in the past few days, but no one has complained.
Kirihara sweated profusely, gritting his teeth and persevering; Jiro's eyelids were still drooping, but he didn't slack off; even the first-year students Koizumi and Urayasu completed the entire course steadily.
After the swing practice ended, Mochizuki Ryo called Kirihara aside.
Kirihara ran over, racket in hand, beads of sweat still clinging to his forehead, but his eyes sparkling: "Senpai, is today my special training day?"
He asked this because on the first day of the training camp, his senior had promised to give him extra practice on the "Raging Smash" technique that night.
As a result, the pillow fight that day went too far, and then there was the sound of a violin playing, which interrupted him. By the time he came to his senses, the corridor was already quiet.
The extra training was thus put on hold.
On the second day of training, the senior announced that after the morning and afternoon swing training sessions each day, there would be an additional "special skills training time," and he was the first one at that time.
The senior coach gave him individual guidance on the power generation and center of gravity issues of the riot smash, and at that time he could only barely execute the complete movement.
The ball's landing point is often off, and sometimes the player will fall due to a loss of balance.
But the senior didn't scold him; instead, he demonstrated the movements to him again and again. From the angle of the grip to the sequence of power generation and the footwork, he meticulously refined every detail.
For the next two days, he practiced repeatedly according to the revised plan given by Mochizuki Ryou.
Every time the "Rampage Shot" is used in a draw match, the trajectory of the ball becomes more and more unpredictable, and the bounce after landing becomes lower and lower.
Standing before Wang Yueling at this moment, he exuded even more confidence.
Seeing his expectant look, Wang Yueling reached out and tapped his forehead: "Today we'll talk about hard court techniques."
Kirihara covered his forehead, his gaze becoming even more focused.
"Grass has a low bounce, so after a violent smash, the ball is hard to bounce up, making it harder for the opponent to return. But hard courts have a high bounce, so the trajectory of your ball after it bounces up is more obvious, and players with quick reactions can figure out the pattern."
Wang Yueling picked up a tennis ball and slowly twirled it between her fingers.
"Therefore, when using a smash on a hard court, you need to adjust your hitting point. Shorten your preparation time and hit the ball before it bounces up, don't wait until it reaches its highest point. Also, in terms of landing point selection, hitting the sideline is worse than hitting the baseline, as the bounce is more unpredictable in the sideline area on hard courts."
Kirihara listened intently, his mind already simulating the scene of hitting the ball.
"Understood, senior. I'm going to practice!"
He turned and ran towards the court, but after a few steps he stopped and turned back, bowing deeply to Wang Yueling.
Wang Yueling looked at the seaweed-headed figure swaying in the wind and couldn't help but smile.
The morning training proceeded smoothly.
As soon as lunchtime arrives, the restaurant immediately becomes as bustling as a wet market.
Kirihara ran around the room carrying a pile of plates, his mouth full of fried shrimp, and mumbled to Kabaji which dish was the best.
Marui and Jiro engaged in a friendly but fierce battle over the last piece of strawberry cake in the dessert area, with Kuwabara standing by, ready to break them up at any moment.
Niou ate half of his spaghetti and gave the rest to Yagyu, saying, "Hiro is too thin and needs to eat more." Yagyu adjusted his glasses and silently picked out the green pepper from the noodles and returned it to him.
Wang Yueling sat by the window, with a French-style roasted chicken breast and vegetables in front of her.
As he ate, he flipped through the latest training data for everyone that Liu had compiled, his fingertips lightly tracing the pages.
His lips curved slightly into a smile.
-
The draw began promptly at 2 PM.
Every match was incredibly intense, and the most impressive part was Kirihara's complete version of his special move.
Kirihara was an extremely talented tennis prodigy; he grasped concepts instantly and possessed an astonishingly high level of comprehension.
In the past, his powerful smashes on grass fields were limited by the bounce and friction of the field, and he could only unleash less than 30% of his power.
Now, wearing a weighted racket, and with Wang Yueling's hands-on adjustments, my power trajectory is smoother, and my center of gravity is firmly under my feet, instantly boosting my grass court performance to 80%.
Kirihara's opponent today is Kenichi Ito, a second-year student at Hyotei University.
Ito has made considerable progress in the past four days, expanding his defensive range compared to when he first arrived, but he still seems to struggle against Kirihara.
When the score reached 5-1, Kirihara was serving.
He squeezed the tennis ball in his hand, his knuckles brushing against the ball's texture, took a deep breath, tossed the ball, and swung his racket. The unpredictable sidespin of the knuckle serve sent the ball tracing a tricky trajectory through the air.
Ito barely caught the ball, but the return was of poor quality and landed near the midfield.
Kirihara took a step forward, lowering his center of gravity considerably.
"Riot Smash!"
The low shout subsided.
The tennis ball, spinning wildly, slammed into the corner of the opposite court. After landing, it slid diagonally across the grass, leaving a deep mark.
Ito lunged forward with all her might, but her racket missed its mark.
"Game, Kirihara, 6-1."
On the court, Kirihara and Ito are shaking hands after the match.
After recording the last set of data with the speedometer, Liu Lian'er turned to a new page in her notebook and quickly scribbled her pen across the paper.
"Ball speed 192km/h, spin intensity 8.7, landing deviation less than 5cm. Grass compatibility 92%, power increased by 170% compared to three days ago."
He read out the data softly, a hint of surprise flashing in his brown eyes. His tone was steady, yet carried a subtle sense of emotion. "This is the effect achieved with a weighted racket. If the weights were removed, the power would increase even further."
Sanada also walked over, looking at the clear scratch on the field, a hint of approval flashing in his dark eyes under the brim of his hat.
"You've made great progress," he said, his tone still serious, but with a rare hint of affirmation.
Liu nodded slightly, her voice a bit softer than usual: "Ever since I took him to the hospital for physical therapy, he promised Seishi he wouldn't use Demonization anymore, and he really hasn't used it even once since. Now his strength is steadily increasing."
He paused, his gaze falling on the Rikkai University team logo on the notebook cover.
"When we third-year students graduate, with Aka still here, at least we won't have to worry about Rikkai University's glory being passed down."
Sanada, who was standing nearby, heard these words and his lips under the brim of his hat tightened slightly.
He nodded and didn't say anything more.
However, I was deeply moved. That little devil who used to lose control when he got anxious has now truly grown into a capable ace.
A feeling of relief and emotion welled up within me.
I secretly felt relieved.
Once they graduate and leave the school, with younger generations like Kirihara and Kamayama supporting the team, Rikkai's foundation will remain solid, and there's no need to worry too much about the succession.
Kirihara bounced back from the court, his seaweed-like hair swaying in the wind, a wide, excited smile on his face: "Vice-Captain! Yanagi-senpai! Niou-senpai! Did you see that?! That shot just now!"
"I saw it." Liu opened his half-closed eyes, a very slight smile curving his lips. "Not bad. The power of this riot smash is now completely comparable to your shot in your demonic state."
"Moreover, it is more stable and puts less strain on the body."
Kirihara stood to the side, scratching his fluffy black curly hair, his eyes full of joy. "Really? Yanagi-senpai?"
"Data doesn't lie." Liu closed his notebook, looking at the boy with a hint of satisfaction.
Niou played with his braid, a smile playing on his fox-like eyes, and earnestly praised, "Puri~ Our Rikkai's ace is getting stronger and stronger."
Kirihara was so flattered that he practically flew off to heaven, and immediately went to Mochizuki Ryo to claim credit.
Wang Yueling leaned back in her coach's chair, watching him run over, a soft light appearing in her azure eyes.
But he remained sharp-tongued, lightly tapping Kirihara's forehead with his fingertip: "The landing point was still half an inch off. If it were a volleying expert of Marui's caliber, that ball would have been saved. Continue with extra practice tonight."
Kirihara covered his forehead, but his eyes still sparkled: "Yes, senpai!"
However, the atmosphere during training camps isn't always so warm and friendly.
In fact, starting from the second day, the tension between Hyotei and Rikkai University grew increasingly high.
The healthy competition between the two schools has quietly turned sour.
Hyotei and Rikkai were both long-established powerhouses, and neither was willing to be inferior to the other, so their inherent competitive spirit was completely ignited.
As the leaders of the two teams, Keigo Atobe and Genichiro Sanada took the lead in the competition, bringing the atmosphere of intense competition to its peak.
It all started on the morning of the second day of the training camp when we were running around the lake.
Atobe and Sanada ran side by side at the front.
Neither of them wanted to fall behind, so they ran faster and faster, and in the last five kilometers they ran at the pace of a sprint race.
Those behind them suffered the consequences. Mukahi was out of breath, chasing after them while wailing, "Captain, slow down!" But Atobe couldn't hear him at all; his attention was entirely on Sanada.
If Sanada speeds up, he speeds up too; if Sanada adjusts his breathing, he adjusts his breathing as well.
The two were so competitive that sparks flew every time their eyes met.
Post-run weight training.
Atobe had Kabaji bring over a few sets of heavier dumbbells, saying, "I think the usual load is too light, not fancy enough."
Upon hearing this, Sanada immediately asked Yanagi to provide him with training equipment of equal weight.
When the two met in the equipment area, Atobe crossed his arms, raised his chin slightly, and spoke with undisguised provocation.
"Hmm, Sanada, it seems like you're not swinging enough."
Sanada adjusted his hat brim and said in a deep voice, "I've always swung my racket more times than you."
"Then I'll swing it another five hundred times."
"I'll add six hundred."
"Seven hundred."
"Eight hundred."
……
In the end, Oshitari and Yanagi stopped their respective superiors at the same time.
Shinobu took the dumbbells from Atobe's hands, and Yanagi used data to tell them that if they continued to add more, their muscle fatigue index would exceed the warning line tomorrow.
The two then stopped, but the contest of their eyes was not over.