Playing Tennis on the Championship Team

A professional tennis player transmigrates into The Prince of Tennis as Fuji's younger brother.

To fulfill the dream he had in his previous life, Fuji Guanlan decides to become a hardcore grinder, training so relentlessly that he leaves his big brother, who likes to slack off, in the dust, and keeps his short-tempered twin brother too busy to brood over being called a genius by their younger brother.

A certain hot-tempered phoenix: Hmph, now you’re finally starting to look like a worthy successor.

The three brothers enroll at Makinofuji Academy.

Also known as: “The Days Makinofuji and Rikkai Worked Themselves to the Bone,” “After Becoming Makinofuji’s Captain, I Caught Rikkai’s Captain”

Makinofuji dominates the Kansai circuit, while Rikkai dominates the Kanto circuit. The two schools keep breaking each other’s streaks of national championships.

This story is full of made-up details, so don’t take it too seriously.

Bonus scene:

Rikkai’s Child of God: “I hear Makinofuji’s training menu has been updated again this term.”

The Strategist: “There’s a 100% chance they’ve added more training.”

The Emperor: “You’re all slacking off! Makinofuji is upping their training, so how can we lose to them? Starting tomorrow, everyone doubles their training!”

Player from another school A: “Did you hear? This year’s national finalists are both training harder to get ready for next year’s tournament!”

Player from another school B: “With a training load that terrifying, they’re still adding more?”

Player from another school C: “Is this the kind of resolve it takes to become a team of kings? Yoshi, let’s train harder too!”

Grind King Guanlan, truly terrifying!

Pairing with Yukimura. The story focuses on passionate competition and friendship, with little romance. There are no fixed roles, so imagine either Guanlan/Yukimura or Yukimura/Guanlan as you like.

P.S. The protagonist is ridiculously overpowered. He’ll win the junior Grand Slam, Masters tournaments, and Grand Slams, and lead Makinofuji to three consecutive national championships. The streak Rikkai broke was the run after Byodoin graduated and before the protagonist enrolled. The protagonist is one year below Yukimura and the others.

1. “After Transferring from Seigaku to Makinofuji”

Byodoin Yuma, Byodoin Phoenix’s younger brother, settles in America with his mother after his parents divorce.

His mother, Ryoko, has a friend named Echizen Rinko. Through her, Yuma meets the Echizen brothers, and they play tennis together.

A few years later, Yuma is about to start middle school. His mother returns to Japan after a work transfer.

Taking Nanjiro’s advice at face value, Yuma chooses Seigaku, only to learn after enrolling that he’ll have to waste a whole year picking up balls.

Then a senior in Seigaku’s tennis club injures Tezuka’s hand out of jealousy.

Furious, Yuma reports the incident to the Kanto Tennis Association. He and Tezuka both quit Seigaku’s tennis club, then transfer to Makinofuji Academy in Kansai on his older brother’s advice.

To “get back at” the unreliable Nanjiro, Yuma persuades Ryoga, who has also come to Japan, to join him at Makinofuji.

Tokugawa Kazuya, who lost to Yuma in the European Cup, hears the news and comes looking for him too...

Byodoin Phoenix is overjoyed to have finally lured his younger brother onto his turf. He’s ready to make up for all the time they’ve spent apart, but discovers that his brother now has a laid-back childhood friend, a poker-faced stickler, and an elite player who’s returned from overseas by his side.

Why are they all exactly the kinds of people he can’t stand? (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ His little brother mustn’t be led astray by these brats!

The main cast: Tokugawa Kazuya (third year, Tokugawa returns to Japan early in this version), Echizen Ryoga (second year in this version), Byodoin Yuma (first year), Tezuka Kunimitsu (first year), Chitose Senri (first year, transfers from Shishigaku a year later), Echizen Ryoma (enrolls two years later)...

And

Atobe Keigo (exchange student for one term, temporary club member), Yukimura Seiichi (exchange student for one term, temporary club member)

From then on, the temporary club members and their temporary captain challenge each other to practice matches in pairs, or get caught up in the grind of joint training camps with three schools.

Shiraishi: “I hear a captain isn’t a real captain until they’ve been an exchange student at Makinofuji. Should I give it a try too?”

2. “Raising Little Ones at Rikkai”

A new first-year student has just joined Rikkai University of Junior High School. He looks like a bit of a delinquent.

Captain Tanishima decides to keep an eye on the new student, Tengawa Rin, but his attempt to steal Rin’s drink backfires and Rin steals his instead.

In the national tournament final, Rikkai puts its super rookie in the singles one match.

The audience assumes Rikkai has given up, but this super rookie actually defeats Byodoin Phoenix and wins the national championship for Rikkai.

After the seniors graduate, Tengawa Rin takes over Rikkai’s tennis club.

As he approaches the gates of Rikkai, he sees two adorable little boys under the cherry trees, promising each other they’ll conquer the world together.

Looking at the blue-purple-haired boy and the black-haired boy in a cap, Tengawa’s hands start itching.

He’s fine in every other way, but he can’t resist kittens, puppies, or human babies.

“If you let me pat your heads, I’ll tell you the weakness of Tengawa, Rikkai’s captain. How about it? That’s a great deal, right?”

“If you let me pinch your cheeks too, I can tell you the weakness of Mouri, the vice-captain! Mm, they feel so nice!”

The blue-purple-haired boy can barely keep smiling. “Could you stop touching us while you talk, senpai?”

The black-haired boy’s face turns red with frustration. “Senpai, you’re far too lax!”

At the national tournament, during the third year of Yukimura and Sanada’s middle school days

The members of Rikkai, aiming for their fourth consecutive national championship, stand stern and composed, facing off against the other schools.

Suddenly, a high schooler wearing sunglasses walks toward them. He takes them off, revealing a carefree face.

The other schools realize in astonishment that he is Tengawa Rin, who just recently won Wimbledon and the French Open!

“Little Seiichi, little Genichiro, what should you do when you see a beloved senior?”

At the meaningful smile of the newcomer, Rikkai’s captain, who had just been so imperious, obediently bows his head and lets the tennis king pat him.

Rikkai’s fierce-looking vice-captain quietly takes off his cap too. The Strategist puts away his notebook and joins the line to wait his turn...

Theme: Fight with passion, and have no regrets about your youth