Prince of Tennis: The Emperor's Eye

Fuji Shūsuke was slightly surprised by how direct Akashi was, but since he had already heard from Tezuka about Akashi's personality, he wasn't bothered. He kept smiling, glanced at Tezuka, then said:

"Akashi-kun, I heard from Tezuka that your tennis skills are incredibly strong. Even he lost completely to you. So I really want to see the difference between myself and a true powerhouse besides Tezuka."

Akashi wasn't surprised by Fuji's words. In the original storyline, Fuji didn't seem too obsessed with victory. His play style mostly focused on returning shots. He had little desire for aggressive offense.

It wasn't until he gave his all in the Nationals and still lost to Shiraishi Kuranosuke that he began to awaken. After going through U-17 training camp and getting a glimpse of how harsh the world was, he developed his super-aggressive techniques—Aoi Fubuki(Hollyhock Blizzard) and Hikari kaze (Light Wind).

Of course, that was all in the future. Right now, even though Fuji said he wanted to see the difference, he wasn't fully invested. Maybe he was just curious because he heard Tezuka had lost completely, and wanted to see for himself what kind of skill could defeat Tezuka.

In truth, Akashi felt a bit regretful toward Fuji. He clearly had outstanding talent, no less than Tezuka or Yukimura. But due to his personality, his growth stalled at the Kanto level before Nationals, wasting nearly three years.

Now that he had this opportunity, Akashi wanted to give Fuji a serious lesson and see if he could ignite Fuji's fighting spirit. With that in mind, Akashi looked at Fuji and nodded.

"If you want to experience the feeling of defeat, then I have no reason to refuse. I'll let you serve first. Grab your racket. Tezuka, you can be the umpire. Oh, mind if I borrow your racket?"

Tezuka nodded and silently handed his racket to Akashi. Then he looked toward Fuji, furrowed his brow slightly, and said:

"Fuji, be careful. Give it your all."

"I know. Thank you, Tezuka," Fuji replied with a smile. He stepped onto the court, looked at Akashi, who was standing casually in a dress shirt, and couldn't help but comment:

"Akashi-kun, don't you want to change into athletic gear? That might affect your movement, you know~"

"No need. You won't have any chance of winning this match. Why waste time changing clothes?"

Akashi completely ignored Fuji's reminder, replying flatly.

Even with Fuji's easygoing nature, he furrowed his brow slightly at those words. He knew Akashi was strong—after all, he had beaten Tezuka—but he didn't expect him to be so dismissive. A flicker of anger rose in Fuji's chest. He said nothing more and walked to the baseline to serve.

The match started quickly. Against Fuji's shots, Akashi returned with ease. On the other hand, Fuji couldn't hold out under Akashi's overwhelming five attributes. He had no room to resist, especially with the Emperor Eye reading everything. He didn't even get the chance to use Hien Kaesu or Kumaguma Rakumō.

"Game! 6-0! Match over! Winner, Akashi Seijurō!"

As Tezuka called the score, Fuji slowly dropped to his knees, hands pressed to the ground. Sweat dripped heavily from his face. During the match, he felt suffocated by pressure. The complete lack of hope shattered his mental defenses. Only now did he understand the complicated expression Tezuka had shown when he mentioned playing Akashi.

Akashi calmly walked over and looked down at the kneeling Fuji. He decided to pour on one more dose of fire. Whether Fuji would sink or awaken would be up to him.

"Remember this posture of worship. In front of me, your defeat is absolute."

Tezuka looked like he wanted to say something, but then noticed the meaningful look in Akashi's eyes. After thinking it over, he stayed silent and just watched Fuji from the side.

Fuji finally stood up, but kept his head down. His bangs hid his eyes, so it was impossible to read what he was thinking. Akashi crossed his arms, studying Fuji Shūsuke. He wanted to see if the genius from the original story would awaken and break through. But judging from Fuji's state, things didn't look good.

In the end, Akashi decided to give Fuji one more push.

"What's wrong, Fuji Shūsuke? Can't accept the gap between us now that you've seen it for yourself? Then let me give you a piece of advice—just give up tennis!"

Akashi's voice cut cold and sharp once again.

The word "give up tennis" finally stirred something in Fuji. As if struck by lightning, he suddenly looked up. For the first time, his always-squinting eyes fully opened, and he stared sharply at Akashi.

Though Fuji lacked a strong competitive streak, his love for tennis was absolutely genuine. So even if he had been utterly defeated by Akashi, hearing those words—telling him to give up tennis—sparked, for the first time in his life, a burning desire to beat someone and prove himself.

"I admit there's a huge gap between us right now. But that doesn't give you the right to belittle my tennis. One day, I'll catch up to you and defeat you head-on, Akashi Seijurō!"

Fuji's eyes burned with fury and determination as he declared this.

"Good. Keep that fire and resolve. Work hard to catch up to me!" Akashi nodded in approval, clearly satisfied.

Fuji was briefly stunned by Akashi's sudden shift in tone. Meanwhile, Tezuka, who had been quietly watching from the sidelines, finally understood what Akashi was trying to do. He had always known Fuji's temperament. Even though Tezuka had beaten him many times, he never saw in Fuji the kind of grit and refusal to yield that Sanada had. That was the main reason Fuji's growth had stalled.

"Alright. Now that the match is over, I'll take my leave. Tezuka, remember to come find me after school starts. We need to discuss the tennis club arrangements."

With that, Akashi slipped on his jacket and turned to leave, leaving behind a stunned Fuji and a thoughtful Tezuka.

Outside the court, Butler Tanaka and the club manager were waiting. As soon as Akashi appeared, they stepped forward. The manager eagerly asked if there was anything else he could help with, but Akashi simply shook his head and signaled for Tanaka to prepare the car. The manager quickly saw them out of the club. Watching Akashi and his party drive off, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

In the car, Akashi was in a good mood. Awakening Fuji's fighting spirit meant Fuji's growth could now speed up by leaps and bounds. But Akashi didn't plan to recruit Fuji. Unlike Tezuka, Fuji hadn't experienced serious suppression or bullying in Seishun Academy. Instead, Akashi intended to spur Fuji's evolution by being his rival. That was more effective than having him as a teammate.

And why raise a rival?

Akashi had already begun thinking ahead to the U-17 stage. Not just Fuji—Yukimura, Sanada, Atobe, Shiraishi, and yes, that uniquely tricky Niō Masaharu—all were on Akashi's mental list. He intended to build a miracle generation of his own in this world.

As Akashi was deep in thought, he happened to glance out the window and caught sight of something unusual at a streetball court. A mushroom-headed boy was beating up two middle schoolers clearly older than him. Something clicked in Akashi's memory—a face from the original storyline. His eyes lit up as he ordered the driver to stop and immediately got out, heading straight toward the field.

At that moment, Akutsu had already stopped. After all, the two middle schoolers in front of him were no longer able to fight back. Just thinking about how those punks had tried to cheat him out of a bet and even threatened him afterward made Akutsu spit on the ground in contempt.

"Hey! Quit playing dead on the ground. Hand over the money. If I see you again, I'll beat the crap out of you again!"

The two middle schoolers, curled up and trembling, were completely broken inside. What was supposed to be a quick scam had turned into a nightmare. They thought the kid wandering alone was an easy mark. Who knew he'd turn out to be a monster? Forget his tennis—he was ridiculously good at fighting too. He took them both down in a few hits.

"Well, well. Looks like something interesting is happening here."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the side and reached all three of them.