"Great, it's the captain!"
"And not just the captain—the regulars are here too!"
When the newcomers appeared, the club members watching from around the court brightened.
Then they saw the Hyotei regulars arrive one after another behind them, and it was as if the club members had taken a calming pill.
The panic that had risen after Oshitari Yushi's crushing defeat faded away.
"Quiet!"
"Slacking off and chatting during practice? Have you all finished today's training? Everyone's doubling their training today!"
Atobe's sharp reprimand drained the color from the club members' faces. They knew someone had come to the Tennis Club to cause trouble, but not one of them dared to argue with him.
Then Atobe looked at Oshitari, who had already reached his limit. "Yushi, you're doing triple training today!"
Oshitari wanted to argue, but he couldn't bring himself to. The facts were right there in front of him.
He had lost, and he had lost completely, bringing shame upon Hyotei.
"Now get out of here and train!"
Atobe didn't give anyone a chance to speak. He waved a hand and sent them all away, his handsome face cold.
The Tennis Club had been beaten this badly today, and yet the club members were in such a state of mind. He was very displeased.
"Yes!"
As dozens of people left, the court soon emptied.
The reserve members could only run laps on the field outside, glancing over at the court every so often.
They knew perfectly well that Muneyoshi had come to challenge Atobe today. They just hadn't expected his opponent to be so strong.
So even as they trained, they couldn't help wondering how Atobe would deal with Saeki Muneyoshi.
"Who are you?"
Atobe's eyes held a proud, playful glint as he walked toward Muneyoshi, step by step. His sharp gaze swept over Muneyoshi's entire body.
"Saeki Muneyoshi. You're Atobe Keigo."
Muneyoshi's smile didn't fade, and his presence was every bit as strong. He held his racket behind his back and stood still, watching Atobe approach.
His reason for coming to Hyotei was the very person in front of him, one of the most popular characters in the original story.
But it seemed that, at this point, Atobe wasn't as strong as Tezuka or Yukimura. Even Sanada was probably a little stronger than him.
Still, the gap wasn't very large. Atobe's ability in the original story had been impressive, especially after he entered U17. After Tezuka left, he was the middle schooler who improved the fastest.
At U17, his talent had been given the greatest opportunity to shine and fulfill its potential.
Should I give him a little push right now?
Muneyoshi thought mischievously. Then he said, "Atobe, want to play a match? Let me see your tennis."
"Not bad. Since you're sincerely asking for instruction, I'll indulge you!"
Apparently pleased with Muneyoshi's confidence and attitude, Atobe smiled and held out a hand.
Then Atobe's tone turned cold. "But you dared to barge into my kingdom alone and turn it upside down. I have no intention of letting you off lightly!"
"Oh? Good. I hope you don't."
Muneyoshi held out a hand, and he and Atobe shook.
Standing on opposite sides of the court,
Atobe lightly brushed his slightly tousled bangs aside and fixed his sharp gaze on Muneyoshi. A hint of caution and delight showed in his eyes.
As the captain of the Hyotei Tennis Club, he had every right to turn down this kind of challenge, which was practically a direct provocation.
But precisely because he was Hyotei's captain, he couldn't sit back and do nothing while someone overturned his kingdom.
Besides, he had sensed an extreme threat in his opponent.
He had arrived early. In fact, he'd shown up right after Oshitari, and had watched with his own eyes as Muneyoshi easily defeated him.
He was already on his guard against Muneyoshi's strength.
A powerful opponent!
Just like Muneyoshi two months ago, Atobe had sensed that he'd reached a bottleneck. He'd been trying to find a way past it, but had yet to succeed.
Yet the moment he saw Muneyoshi, Atobe's eyes had lit up. His opponent was powerful. If Muneyoshi could put him under enough pressure, could Atobe break through his limit?
The thought brought a spark of delight to his eyes, and his gaze grew eager.
Had he considered the possibility of losing?
Honestly, Atobe hadn't.
He had absolute confidence in himself, even though he sensed the threat Muneyoshi posed.
He still believed that Saeki Muneyoshi was destined to fall at the feet of his, the great Atobe's, elegant tennis.
"The match begins, with Saeki Muneyoshi serving!"
After their meaningful handshake, the right to serve went to Saeki Muneyoshi.
"Atobe, want to see my tennis?"
A strange glint flickered in Muneyoshi's eyes. Since the battle at Fudomine's court, he hadn't gone all out.
He had also noticed what Atobe was thinking.
"Oh? You're confident in your skills, are you? Then let me give you a few pointers."
"Heh..."
Muneyoshi paid Atobe's words no mind. He gripped the tennis ball tightly, feeling the muscles throughout his body loosen.
And on the court, with his exceptionally powerful mental strength, he could sense the immense mental pressure emanating from Atobe more clearly than anyone else could.
"He's already starting to explore the mental realm!"
"As expected of Atobe. Another way to use mental power..."
Muneyoshi, who was also following the Mental Power Path, felt a thrill of excitement.
Compared to his match with Tezuka, where two different systems had collided, a match with Atobe or Yukimura would probably help him more at this stage.
Only opponents who followed the same path of mental power could provide him with more to draw on early on.
At the thought, the aura around him began to stir.
Tap... tap... tap...
After bouncing the ball a few times, Muneyoshi raised his brown eyes and tossed it into the air.
"Atobe, here it comes!"
Bang!
This was Muneyoshi's first time using his new, evolved special move since he'd entered a new realm and experienced the power of "Darkness."
Scorching Sun Burn!
Before, it had only left his opponent dazed for an instant. Now, it had gone further.
In Atobe's eyes, Muneyoshi's serve moved slowly as the tennis ball rose into the air.
Wrapped in mental power, it looked like a small ball wreathed in wisps of fire, rising higher and higher until, with a sudden flare, it began to burn.
In an instant, Atobe was pulled into a completely pitch-black world. Everything around him disappeared. Only the blazing ball of fire remained before him, its light flickering in and out.
The fireball was like a little "sun." The temperature on the court rose all at once, and even Atobe's skin began to sting faintly. As the fireball climbed to its highest point,
there was a tremendous boom, as if it had exploded—or as if the blazing sun had burst into life.
Atobe felt only a blinding flash of sunlight. It tore through the endless darkness and sent him back to the court.
A faint smell of something scorched rose into the air, and Atobe felt a slight burning pain on the skin of his calf.
"Wh-what?!"
Only after Muneyoshi lowered his stance and moved to the other side of the court did Atobe belatedly turn to look behind him.
A tennis ball had already rolled to a stop by his feet!
"Ace, point to Saeki Muneyoshi. 15–0."
He hadn't reacted to his opponent's serve at all!
"And what was that just now?"
Atobe wasn't discouraged in the slightest. Instead, he felt overwhelmingly excited.
With just one ball, he'd already realized that Muneyoshi's technique could help him immensely.
This was the direction—and the bottleneck—he'd been waiting to break through!
P.S. One reader pointed out that, since these are original special moves, I shouldn't leave them to the imagination and should describe them in more detail. Danyang has taken that advice to heart. From now on, the first time a special move appears, it'll be described in detail to give everyone room to imagine it.
Also, please support me with the monthly tickets you have! Many thanks.
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