ocean-life Chapter 103: The Exam?! The training camp is over.
Chapter 103: The Exam?! The training camp is over.
On the afternoon of the last day of the training camp, the sun remained unchanged, hanging in the sky and slowly making its way down.
After running five kilometers around the lake, the foreheads of the more than forty teenagers were covered with sweat. Their steps were steady and orderly as they walked slowly along the grassy path by the lake toward the central tennis court.
No one spoke; their breathing was slightly rapid.
It's not that I'm too tired to speak.
It's just a habit.
Over the course of the week, both Hyotei and Rikkai students learned not to waste energy chatting before training ended. Since chatting was pointless anyway, Mochizuki Ryo always had a "way" to make them swallow their words.
Kirihara wiped the sweat from his face, his seaweed-covered hair still wet in clumps, and glanced up at the coach's bench.
Wang Yueling was already sitting there.
He crossed his legs, lightly holding the clipboard in his hand, his fingertips tapping casually on the surface. A faint smile played on his lips, his posture elegant and relaxed, quietly waiting for everyone to return.
Once everyone had consciously lined up in two neat rows, Hyotei on the left and Rikkai on the right, their postures were upright and efficient, and no one whispered to each other.
Wang Yueling slowly straightened up, took the recorder's tablet, and walked slowly to the front of the line.
His azure eyes slowly swept over the tired yet still energetic faces, his voice soft yet clear, echoing throughout the entire stadium.
"The week-long training camp has officially come to an end today."
After he finished speaking, the entire room was silent for about two seconds.
Immediately afterwards, a murmur arose in the group, and everyone's face was filled with question marks.
Kirihara was the first to speak.
"Huh?!" His eyes widened, and he craned his neck forward like a squirrel whose nuts had been suddenly snatched away. "The afternoon has only just begun! How is it over already?"
People around immediately nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with confusion.
Some people muttered to themselves, "The training schedule was packed with training plans for the whole afternoon, so why did the training camp suddenly end?"
Some people exchanged glances, wondering if he was about to pull off another unexpected plan.
Niou toyed with his braid, his fox-like eyes narrowing as he tilted his head to look at Mochizuki Ryo, drawing out his words, "Puri~ There's still half a day left. You're not planning to sneak away early, are you?"
Liu Sheng pushed up his glasses, said nothing, but his gaze behind the lenses was filled with doubt.
Looking left and right, Xiang Ri nudged Shinobu beside him with her elbow and whispered, "Yuushi, what's Ryo up to again?"
"I don't know." Shinobu straightened his glasses, which had been pulled askew, and stared at Mochizuki Ryo's smile for two seconds. "But that smile of his doesn't seem like he's about to have an early holiday."
"You know that now?"
"It's been over a month, and you still don't understand him? I can't say for sure about other things, but every time he shows that kind of smile, someone is going to be in trouble."
The members of Hyotei exchanged glances, while Rikkai whispered among themselves.
Sanada stood at the front of the line, his brow furrowing slightly beneath his hat brim. He didn't speak, but his fingers tightened slightly on the handle of his racket.
Atobe crossed his arms, his icy blue eyes fixed on Mochizuki Ryo. He didn't seem as confused as the others, only raising an eyebrow slightly.
Wang Yueling took in the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, and his smile deepened. He raised his hand and gently patted the record board in his hand, the crisp sound echoing.
The previously loose boys instantly straightened their backs and stood upright with their feet together. Their posture was so standard and precise that it was as if they had been trained by a professional honor guard, without making the slightest noise.
Looking at the ridiculously orderly formation, Wang Yueling's eyes flashed with a playful smile.
Without keeping anyone in suspense, he waved to the side.
The butler pushed a cart out from behind the sunshade.
The cart was filled with rackets.
It wasn't a new weighted racket; it was their own racket.
Each racket had a name tag on its grip; those were items they had handed over to Wangyue Ling six days ago, and now they were back in front of them.
Wang Yueling raised her hand and gently tapped the edge of the stroller, her expression slightly composed, and her tone becoming more like that of a coach.
"All regular training sessions this afternoon have been cancelled."
"No need for fixed-point swings or weight training... This concludes all of this week's training camp."
"In the afternoon, it will be my turn as head coach to assess the results of the training camp."
He paused for a moment.
In other words—an exam.
These words silenced the entire arena even more, and then everyone's eyes were immediately glued to their own rackets, their eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.
A week of intense weight training, mountain dribbling, Taoyuan training camp, and group scrimmages flashed through my mind. Everyone was eager to know how much their skills, stamina, and footwork had improved in those short seven days.
Sparse conversations gradually rose in the queue, with everyone deliberately keeping their voices low so as not to disrupt the order.
Niou leaned lazily against Yagyu's side, his silver braid swaying gently on his shoulder, curving slightly as he lowered his voice.
"Puri~ So it's an assessment. I thought Ling was going to come up with some new trick to tease us again."
Liu Sheng maintained his elegant and upright posture, and softly echoed, "Judging from this, they're going to really test the results of our training this week."
Oshitari stood with his arms crossed in the Hyotei team, his eyes behind his glasses holding a hint of amusement. He lowered his voice and said, "After wearing weighted vests all day, plus targeted training, once the restraints are removed, there should be a very noticeable change in their strength."
Xiang Ri stood on tiptoe and craned his neck to look towards the cart, his eyes full of eagerness. "I feel like my jumping ability has increased a lot. Once the weight is removed, I'll definitely be able to do a smoother and more fluid lunar flip."
Marui secretly took out a candy and popped it into his mouth, shaking his head with a relaxed yet slightly conceited tone.
"My net play has been honed to a lot of detail this week, and I'm sure it will amaze everyone during the assessment later."
In the crowd, Kirihara stared intently at Mochizuki Ryou with his large, bright black eyes, his gaze so fervent it was almost radiating light, his heart and eyes filled with anticipation.
He had no interest in participating in other people's discussions.
He remembered the promise his senior had made on the first day of the training camp: if he performed well enough in the week of training, he would be qualified to challenge him alone.
During those seven days, he never slacked off in training, was never late for morning training, gritted his teeth and persevered in weight training, and even took the initiative to ask seniors for advice on his shortcomings in the moves, which earned him praise from seniors several times.
In his heart, he was absolutely certain that his performance was up to par, and he had been looking forward to this challenge for a long time. At this moment, he was filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Ryo Mochizuki noticed everyone's subtle movements and discussions. Naturally, she also caught Kirihara's eager, clinging gaze and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The soft laughter wasn't loud, but it was like a silent command.
The boys, who had been whispering to each other, immediately fell silent, stood up straight, and dared not make the slightest movement.
Wang Yueling's lips curved into a playful smile, her tone carrying a touch of youthful teasing, "Judging from how eager you all are, you must be waiting to shed your burdens and test your progress."
"Now you can get your racket back and take off all your weighted wrist and ankle braces."
As soon as the order was given, the boys could no longer contain themselves and quickly removed the weighted protective gear they had been wearing for a whole week.
The moment the heavy constraints were lifted, everyone was visibly stunned. Their bodies instantly felt incredibly light, their limbs no longer burdened by the weight, and every movement was exceptionally relaxed and agile.
Xiang Ri couldn't help but leap lightly on the spot, doing two and a half somersaults in the air. When she landed, her steps were incredibly light, and her center of gravity was perfectly steady.
The jumps that used to be somewhat short became light and agile, and the height of the person in the air was much higher than before.
His eyes widened in surprise, and he jumped up and down several times: "Wow! Yuushi! I feel like I'm flying even higher!"
"It's not just a feeling." Shinobu was flexing his wrists, his gaze behind his glasses fixed on Mukahi. "Your airtime has increased by at least three seconds."
"Really?!"
"Really. Ling said before that 'when I take it off, I feel as light as a feather.'" Shinobu pushed up his glasses, a meaningful smile curving his lips. "It seems that even the devil can sometimes tell the truth."
Jiro was the first to retrieve his racket from the cart. He held it in his hand, weighed it in his hand, his reddish-brown curly hair swaying, and turned to Marui, shouting, "Bunta! It's so light! It's really so light!"
Marui walked over quickly, picked up his racket, and swung it twice.
The weight on my wrists and ankles is still there, but the weight of the racket has returned. It feels strange; the arc of my arm swing is larger and the speed is faster than before.
"Really." He looked down at his hands, then at his racket, "like holding a feather."
He took off his weights and tried sprinting and simulating volleys at the net. His movements were smooth and fluid, without any hesitation. A look of surprise appeared on his face. "It seems like I've really improved a lot."
"You've improved, after all." Kuwabara stood next to him, holding his racket in his hand, and gave a good-natured smile. "You've sweated so much this week, it has to be worth it."
"Jack, you rarely say anything useful."
"What I say is also very useful."
"No, you usually just say things like 'Go Bunta!', 'Don't eat, Bunta!', and 'Run, Bunta!'"
That's because you really can't run anymore.
Marui was taken aback and decided to ignore him.
Beside him, Liu had already unloaded his weights, picked up his racket and then put it down again, while opening his notebook with his other hand. His pen moved rapidly across the paper as he muttered to himself.
"When wearing weights, the swing speed decreases by an average of 42%, and after removing them, the rebound increase is about 28% to 33%. Muscle memory has been formed, and the explosive power and coordination can be improved by more than 35% in the short term."
Niou tossed the weighted wristbands onto the cart, picked up his racket, and glanced sideways at Yanagi: "Renji, you're at it again."
Liu swept his gaze across Renwang's face, his tone calm, "Do you want to hear your own data? While wearing the weighted armor, the duration of your illusions has decreased by an average of 60%, but the accuracy has increased by 7 percentage points."
"After removing the weight, your phantom duration is expected to far exceed the original level, and the accuracy will be further improved."
Niou raised an eyebrow and whistled very softly: "Puri~ It sounds like I've gotten stronger."
"You could say that."
Kirihara took back the racket, quickly removed the weights from his hands and feet, and then switched the racket from his left hand to his right hand, and then from his right hand to his left hand.
He took two quick, light steps on one foot, his movements so light he could hardly believe it himself.
"So light." He looked down at the soles of his shoes and stomped on them a couple more times. "It feels like I'm floating."
"It's not that you've become lighter," Marui said, chewing on a candy in his mouth. "It's just that you were carrying too much weight before."
"I don't care!" Kirihara raised his head, his black curly hair swaying in the wind, his eyes shining brightly. "I feel like I can beat anyone to a pulp right now!"
After saying that, he gripped his racket, quickly squeezed out of the team, and jogged to Wang Yueling's side.
He didn't say anything, just stood quietly to the side, staring intently at Wang Yueling with his big, round eyes.
She launched a gaze attack with anticipation, looking both obedient and eager.
Wang Yueling was amused by his appearance and reached out to ruffle his fluffy black curly hair.
Today, Kirihara specially styled his hair, applying a lot of gel. His hair wasn't as soft and fluffy as usual, and had a slightly stiff texture.
Kirihara wasn't annoyed at all when Mochizuki Ryo casually messed up his hair.
Instead, she gently rubbed her head against the other person's palm, looking all sweet and obedient. As long as she could get the chance to challenge them, a slightly messy hairstyle didn't matter at all.
"Stop rubbing against me."
Mochizuki Ryo withdrew his hand, his fingers still smudged with glittery hairspray. He looked down at them, then glanced at Kirihara, his expression slightly disgusted. "How much hairspray did you put on?"
"Marui-senpai gave it to me," Kiri said confidently. "He said today is the last day, and I should be more energetic, so he applied extra for me."
Mochizuki Ryou turned to look at Marui without saying a word. Marui noticed the gaze and turned his head to the side as if nothing had happened.
"Alright."
Mochizuki Ryo shook his hand, rubbed it twice on Kirihara's shoulder, and then patted his head.
"Wait, I remember my promise. Let's finish the assessment first."