Bang!
"Ace, 30–0"
Bang!
"Ace, 40–0"
"Saeki Muneyoshi wins the game. The score is 1–0."
With four consecutive aces, Muneyoshi easily held his serve.
"Four aces in a row? Is that guy a monster?"
A few of the Regulars had quietly returned at some point. Seeing Atobe lose his service game so easily, Mukahi exclaimed in surprise:
"Were those serves really that fast? Hey, Oginosuke, what was the speed?"
Oginosuke glanced at the speed gun in his hand and swallowed. "197, 196, 198, and 199 kilometers per hour!"
"He looked like he was just serving casually, yet the ball was that fast? Impressive!"
Anahira Ryo was stunned. He had also noticed that all four of Muneyoshi's serves had landed near the center of the court, extremely close to the baseline of the service box.
That was theoretically the perfect spot for a serve.
But miss by just a centimeter or two, and it would be a fault. Yet the first-year across from them, who was the same age as Atobe, had hit all four serves successfully.
"No. If it were just about speed, that wouldn't be anything special. Besides, at that speed, Atobe should have been able to return them without any trouble!"
Oshitari Yushi adjusted his glasses, his gaze icy. "But Atobe couldn't even move a step to reach his opponent's serve. There has to be another reason!"
Oshitari, who had already played against Muneyoshi, was certain of that.
Though Muneyoshi hadn't gone all out in their match, Oshitari trusted his instincts.
Muneyoshi's skill was already on a completely different level from theirs!
Hearing Oshitari's words, Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo exchanged a glance, then asked in trembling voices:
"Where did this freak come from? Yushi, Atobe's not going to lose, is he?"
Oshitari had no answer.
Atobe was also under tremendous pressure. He hadn't been able to move at all to return any of those four serves. The gap between them made him feel an overwhelming sense of danger.
But Atobe was Atobe. Under this immense pressure, the bottleneck that had held him back finally began to loosen, if only a little.
Atobe didn't notice. His opponent had already made his move. If he didn't hit back, wouldn't that mean letting the other guy look down on him?
Atobe Keigo had never been one to take a beating without fighting back.
"Phew..."
Atobe's sharp eyes fixed on Muneyoshi. He drew a deep breath, and his mind quickly settled.
I can't let him look down on me.
Whoosh!
He bent his knees and shifted his weight, turning his elbow slightly as he tossed the ball straight up. Then Atobe's whole body tensed, the graceful lines of his muscles faintly visible beneath his clothes.
The ball soared high!
As it reached its peak, Atobe leaped after it. His racket traced a perfect arc before smashing down with force.
Bang!
A sharp, powerful crack rang out.
The ball, infused with tremendous force, became a streak of yellow light as it shot toward the far corner of the service box on the right side of the court.
It was a wide-angled crosscourt serve, his arm sweeping far out to the side.
The ball traced a curved, banana-shaped path through the air, angling sharply toward the corner of Muneyoshi's receiving area.
Watching its arc, Muneyoshi raised an eyebrow.
This advanced curved-serve technique was rarely seen. It was usually international players in tournaments in England who used it.
But Atobe had trained in England, and he probably hadn't yet thought of developing the Tannhauser Serve. This was likely his most elegant serve.
That really is an elegant technique.
Muneyoshi gave the serve his approval and quickly chased after the ball along its curved path.
"Hey, Atobe's going to win the first point."
Oshitari, who knew Atobe extremely well, glanced at him in surprise. He hadn't expected Saeki Muneyoshi to put Atobe under such pressure that he'd bring out his best right from the first point. He murmured softly.
"What? Is there something about that serve we don't know?"
Mukahi and Shishido looked surprised and asked in confusion.
"Just watch closely."
Oshitari shook his head without explaining, leaving them in suspense.
On court, Muneyoshi moved swiftly. He had no doubt that he could reach the ball, but as he chased it, he seemed to notice something and suddenly accelerated.
And then...
Whoosh!
Bang!
After tracing a full curve, the ball suddenly accelerated a second time, plummeting at incredible speed before skidding quickly toward the corner.
"Ace, Atobe Keigo scores. 15–0."
"So that's it!"
Muneyoshi was a little surprised. He knew Atobe wouldn't develop the Tannhauser Serve until his second or third year, so he shouldn't have been able to hit it now.
He hadn't expected that Atobe already had such an elegant serve before developing the Tannhauser Serve.
This must have been its predecessor!
Muneyoshi instinctively glanced at Atobe, whose face was calm and whose eyes shone brightly.
No wonder he'd become the King Atobe of the future. Even now, he was already so elegant...
"Just like you, Atobe!"
With one hand, Muneyoshi brushed back his windblown hair. He spun his racket around his wrist, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Atobe.
"The surprise you've given me is pretty good. But you've got more than that, don't you? Come on. Only more elegant techniques are worthy of me."
Atobe's expression showed no hint of pleasure at Muneyoshi's praise. Instead, he continued to provoke him with his usual arrogance, hoping to draw out his true strength.
Bang!
As Atobe's arrogant words rang out, he stretched his arm and delivered another exquisitely fast, curving serve.
The ball traced a perfect, pale-yellow arc across the court before plunging rapidly downward.
Tap, tap!
Muneyoshi didn't seem fazed. Just as before, he drove his legs forward and raced toward the ball even faster.
"The same trick won't work on me!"
Muneyoshi's lips curled into a smile as his brown eyes tracked the ever-changing curve of the ball.
Whoosh! Just as expected, the ball accelerated a second time before hitting the ground.
Hmph. Right here!
Muneyoshi gave a quiet snort. His already-quick steps moved early, and he planted his foot, sliding a long step to the right. He turned his body and swung his racket down toward the ball.
Bang!
The pale-yellow ball landed in the racket's sweet spot. Muneyoshi tightened his wrist, flexed his arm, and pulled straight upward.
After sliding a short distance across the racket strings, the ball took on a strong backspin. It skimmed over the net in a very low arc.
And once it cleared the net, it dropped quickly.
"A beautiful short cut volley."
Oshitari's eyes shifted as he silently memorized the footwork and racket motion Muneyoshi had just used.
With training, someone as talented as him could easily incorporate a net play like that into his tactics.
Muneyoshi's shots were fast and powerful, with highly accurate trajectories and placement.
After the first game, Atobe had already raised Muneyoshi's threat level and wouldn't underestimate him. So the moment he served, he was already prepared to rush the net.
Atobe had barely slowed himself after landing before he pushed off with both feet, using his forward momentum to charge straight toward the net.
He'd trained in British tennis from a young age. Along with exceptional stamina, he'd received extensive training in aggressive tennis.
The serve-and-volley strategy was one of the most common tactics, but it also posed a serious threat to an opponent.
"Saeki, I've already seen through your shots!"
PS: "Thanks to Douzi dz, Shishishishishishi, Special Characters Can Be Used, and the several big shots Arrietty for your monthly tickets. I'm sending out the first chapter now. I'm going to get breakfast and will keep writing when I get back. I'm off today, so I'll write extra chapters for you."
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