The Change in Tezuka Kunimitsu
Bang!
With a slide of his right foot backward and a push off the ground with his toes, Tezuka his left racket, pulling the tennis ball in a pale yellow arc as it flew towards Atobe's half of the court.
Although Atobe's strength increased, Tezuka's ball control remained unaffected, and the tennis ball flew over the net and landed in the position he wanted.
"Haha, Tezuka Kunimitsu, you didn't disappoint me!"
Across the court, after seeing Tezuka's counterattack, Atobe let out a wild laugh.
Atobe took a step forward and quickly caught up with the tricky backcourt ball.
At the same time, a cold glint flashed in Atobe's eyes as he finally saw Tezuka's weaknesses on the other side of the court.
Seeing Tezuka's body begin to move, Atobe's gaze sharpened, and his chill intensified.
Bang!
With a flick of the wrist and a powerful swing of the arm, the tennis ball flew precisely towards a weak spot in the direction Tezuka was running.
However...
Tezuka Kunimitsu seemed to have anticipated this, and at the very moment the tennis ball was about to hit the "weak point," Tezuka's reaction was even faster, and at the instant the tennis ball bounced up after hitting the ground.
Just as the tennis ball was about to shatter the icicle, Tezuka arrived ahead of time. Without waiting for the ball to land, he swung his arm and hit the ball back in mid-air with his racket.
Bang!
With a crisp sound, Atobe Tezuka Kunimitsu broke through Atobe's first "Weakness Insight" attack.
This is the benefit of having more intelligence and a clearer understanding of the opponent's capabilities.
Last year, Atobe fought Akutsu twice, and although he won both times, Akutsu gained an understanding of Atobe's methods.
After reviewing his encounter with Tezuka naturally had a plan to counter Atobe's tactics.
"Tezuka is definitely not someone who stagnates. Although he rarely plays matches, Tezuka progress has not stopped."
In the stands, Muneyoshi and Yukimura both looked at Tezuka Kunimitsu on the field, their eyes revealing admiration.
To reach the National Level in just one year, Tezuka Kunimitsu of Seigaku's talent is undoubtedly top-tier.
But in contrast, he also has a strong belief in constantly becoming stronger, and this belief is stronger than that of other junior high school students.
Because Tezuka Kunimitsu always aimed to become a professional gamer.
On the court, watching his signature move being countered, Atobe's face became even more serious, and he became completely focused.
He moved quickly and returned the tennis ball before it bounced off the ground.
"In that case, let's try this..."
Bang!
Atobe's special moves are not as numerous as Muneyoshi's and Sanada's, but his keen eyesight can be used not only for attacking but also for setting traps.
Combined with his strong ball control, he can not only use it to return the ball, but he also has experience in counter-attacking.
"Um?"
Suddenly, Tezuka, who was moving left and right at the baseline, stopped abruptly, turned his body quickly, and ran towards the net.
Was Atobe's shot just a net ball?
Snap!
The seemingly powerful smash dropped rapidly towards the net after it touched it.
Tezuka's judgment was correct; this ball was a trap set by Atobe to lure him into making a save.
At this moment, Tezuka's mind was very calm. He knew the consequences of doing so, but confident in his own strength, his body quickly rushed to the net.
Bang!
Tezuka stretched out his arm, tilted his racket downwards and slashed, sending the falling tennis ball flying over the net with a wonderful spin.
"Tezuka Kunimitsu, I've seen your weakness!"
A soft chuckle rang in his ear, and Tezuka showed no surprise as he watched Atobe Keigo run to the net.
Tread!
The rapid run gave Atobe a powerful impact. He stepped on his right foot, his entire body leaping vertically into the air, and with both hands gripping his racket, he smashed the falling tennis ball violently.
At this moment, Atobe's figure seemed to overlap with that of Saeki Muneyoshi, whom he had fought before.
This move was one of the techniques that Muneyoshi had used on him before.
Bang!
A loud thud resounded from the racket as the tennis ball hurtled swiftly and fiercely towards Tezuka's feet.
"Vertical jump shot with center of gravity?"
With a loud thud, the tennis ball flew past the net, disappearing into the distance, before hurtling off the court after landing.
"Good shot! Atobe scored!"
"Hyotei Academy's Atobe, that was a beautiful shot!"
As the tennis ball was about to fly out of the court, the spectators, including those from Fudomine and Rikkai Dai, all thought that Atobe was about to score.
The members of the Hyotei Academy shouted excitedly.
Listening to the discussions around him, Saeki Muneyoshi gently shook his head:
"It's too early to say Atobe scored. Watch closely, Tezuka already took precautions when he countered. You can't afford to be careless when facing him."
Seeing that Keith and Lin Xiu beside him both looked puzzled, Muneyoshi didn't explain, but simply said, "Tezuka Zone is coming."
Upon hearing this, Tachibana Kippei, who had witnessed that move before, immediately realized what it meant. But wasn't that a move that could only be used at the bottom line?
Can it be used in the center of the court?
As Muneyoshi finished speaking, the tennis ball that had flown out of the court seemed to be drawn back to Tezuka's side by something.
Tezuka showed no surprise whatsoever; he didn't even glance at Atobe, his gaze remaining fixed on him.
Raising his left hand to his chest, tilting the racket slightly downwards, and forcefully striking the tennis ball, Atobe's high-tech volley was returned to him.
Bang!
The tennis ball, spinning rapidly, falls quickly after flying over the net.
Atobe was also at the net at that moment. He moved quickly and appeared at the intended bounce point after the tennis ball landed.
He was ready to hit the tennis ball back with all his might as soon as it bounced up.
However, the next moment, Atobe's pupils contracted sharply.
Sizzle...
The tennis ball spun violently on the ground, showing no sign of bouncing. Just as it was about to stop spinning, the ball began to roll towards the net without bouncing at all.
"Game, Seigaku Tezuka Kunimitsu, 1-0."
Upon witnessing this scene, the entire crowd gathered in the stadium fell silent instantly, a profound stillness descending upon them.
Everyone stared in horror at the tennis ball that had come to a standstill.
Even Keith, who had been calm all along, couldn't help but show a change in expression, and a hint of shock flickered in his blue eyes.
From first grade until now, the number of times Seigaku Tezuka Kunimitsu can be counted on one hand.
Although they defeated the king Makino Fuji last year, Tezuka also fought a great battle against Fuwa the Iron Man.
But that was in Osaka, and now it's in Tokyo.
Many people were seeing Tezuka Kunimitsu play for the first time. Even those who knew he was incredibly strong were seeing Tezuka use Tezuka Zone and Zero-Shiki Slice for the first time.
Moreover, Muneyoshi saw things more deeply than others; Tezuka's Zero-Shiki Slice was almost without any weaknesses.
When Muneyoshi was defeated by Tezuka, he told him that Munehiko's weakness in playing the Zero-Shiki Slice was that his arm would unconsciously drop down by 15 centimeters.
"I never expected he would actually change!"
Muneyoshi murmured to himself.
The Tezuka of today is not like the one in the original work; he doesn't have the same stubborn pride in his special moves and system.
Especially after Muneyoshi found a way to break Tezuka Zone before he even entered middle school.
Tezuka saw that all his teammates were constantly improving.
He no longer absolutely adores Tezuka Zone as much as before, but instead breaks it down and starts combining it with his own signature moves.
To use such a special skill perfectly.
Of course, this outcome cannot be entirely attributed to Saeki Muneyoshi, nor could it be something he figured out on his own.
It's only because someone repeatedly and forcefully breached his Tezuka Zone from the front that it had such a significant impact on him.
Even before entering his first year, Muneyoshi had managed to disrupt and interfere with Tezuka Zone through his skills, but this did not diminish Tezuka's confidence.
So who was the person who attacked Tezuka -on?
At that moment, Muneyoshi's gaze fell on the Seigaku players' area.
Akutsu Jin!
Yes, it must be him. Only he would recklessly and violently tear Tezuka Zone apart.
They must have played each other in the school's ranking tournament, and Tezuka suffered a great loss, otherwise Tezuka.
This change will make Tezuka even more difficult to deal with for others.
Because you don't know when he'll use Tezuka Zone or when he'll use Zero-Shiki Slice.
This Tezuka of Tezuka will become even more troublesome!
"What about other technologies? Tezuka, have you developed any other technologies?"
After seeing that Tezuka was starting to change from the original work, Muneyoshi's curiosity about Tezuka became incredibly intense.
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