Different Tennis Systems
"The match begins, a decisive set, Tezuka Kunimitsu of Seigaku serves."
When the starting whistle blew, the entire stadium fell silent.
Everyone watched the action intently, afraid of disturbing the fierce competition.
"Saeki Muneyoshi!"
Tezuka gripped the tennis ball tightly, focused intently, and gave Muneyoshi across from him one last deep look before slowly raising his right hand and tossing the ball high into the air.
With knees bent and back arched, he jumps off the ground, swings the racket forcefully with his left hand, and the entire serve is executed smoothly and seamlessly.
Bang!
With a crisp thud, the tennis ball vanished from everyone's sight.
Tezuka's regular serve is incredibly fast, and the ball lands with impeccable precision.
Just from Tezuka's serve alone, you can see just how solid his fundamentals are.
"So fast!"
The audience was also shocked. Was this the strength of Tezuka Kunimitsu, the captain of Seigaku's Tennis Club?
Muneyoshi's reaction speed was also very fast; the instant the tennis ball hit the ground, he was already next to the landing point.
Muneyoshi glanced coldly at Tezuka's position, a glint of something sinister flashing in his eyes. "What, doesn't Tezuka want to test the waters?"
"I'll grant your wish!"
Bang!
Muneyoshi flicked his wrist, and the tennis ball instantly vanished from his hand in a flash of golden light.
"No way, is it going to be the same as yesterday?"
Among the spectators, one who had attended the match the day before gasped in surprise.
They couldn't see Tezuka's serve or return, or Saeki Muneyoshi's return.
Does reaching their level mean that without a certain level of strength, one isn't even qualified to be a spectator?
Of course, Muneyoshi and Tezuka were unaware of these thoughts, and even if they had, they wouldn't have paid them any attention.
At this moment, both sides on the field were fully focused.
Seeing Tezuka return the ball to him again, Muneyoshi's calm voice rang out.
"A good response, Tezuka!"
As they spoke, Muneyoshi had already appeared at the net. With a light tap of his toes, he leaped up and swung his arm, smashing the tennis ball that Tezuka had just returned.
Bang!
The tennis ball transformed into a straight, pale yellow beam of light, heading straight for the baseline corner on Tezuka Kunimitsu's backhand side.
"The minister is really amazing!"
"Score!"
The first-year students at Fudomine jumped up with joy, but Tachibana Kippei frowned and shook his head.
No, it's not over yet!
Many others shared the same thought as Fudomine's first-year students, just when they thought Saeki Muneyoshi was about to score directly.
Buzz buzz buzz!
Tezuka slid half a circle backward, and as he moved, an invisible aura swept around him.
An invisible vortex seemed to appear beneath his feet, like a nebula, drawing all the tennis balls that were returned to Tezuka's half of the court.
Even the tennis ball that Muneyoshi hit, heading straight for Tezuka's Tezuka, couldn't escape the attack.
The tennis ball, upon landing, did not bounce directly off the baseline. Instead, it was drawn to Tezuka, curving in a wide arc in the backcourt before flying back to Tezuka's face.
"What?"
"They actually flew back..."
This change is incredibly devastating for the first-year students. Tezuka never used this move like this in the previous match between the Hyotei Academy and Seigaku.
Instead, it cleverly combines it with its own foundation, thus avoiding such a stunning performance.
The group stared in shock at the scene, while simultaneously asking Tachibana Kippei questions with great curiosity.
"This is one of Tezuka Kunimitsu's signature moves, Tezuka Zone!"
Tachibana Kippei's gaze also wavered slightly. From the first time he saw this move at the National Tournament last year until now, Tachibana Kippei was still amazed by it.
This move is practically Tezuka's signature move.
Bang!
The tennis ball flew back to him, and he didn't need to do much else. With a flick of his arm, Tezuka sent a golden beam of light flying directly towards Muneyoshi's backcourt corner.
However, such a change was no challenge for Muneyoshi!
Muneyoshi was already prepared the moment he saw Tezuka Zone.
After seeing the path of Tezuka's return shot, he stomped his foot hard on the ground and quickly ran towards the back corner.
Muneyoshi's strong physique gave him confidence. Although he had not yet broken through his speed barrier, no one in the junior high school world had been able to surpass him.
Muneyoshi's Tezuka Zone out of the corner of his eye and secretly admired it.
Then, he suddenly unleashed all his strength, swung his right hand holding the racket with great force, and the black and red-rimmed racket left a trail of afterimages.
Bang!
With a loud thud, the racket slammed heavily into the tennis ball that had just bounced up.
Whoosh! Swish!
A powerful and fierce force whipped up a gust of wind, lifting the net in the middle. At the same time, a faint glint seemed to flash across the tennis ball.
The tennis ball blasted back, this shot containing even more terrifying power and speed than the previous one.
"Tezuka's techniques were completely ineffective!"
Seeing Tezuka use his signature move again, the two first-year students from Seigaku were very excited, but when they saw Muneyoshi easily counterattack again, Momoshiro's eyes widened in disbelief.
In fact, it wasn't just him; everyone else in Seigaku felt a slight tremor in their hearts as well.
"Don't rush, this game isn't over yet, look..."
At this moment, only Fuji and Akutsu remained relatively calm, and even their voices were steady.
Seeing the complete lack of panic in Tezuka's eyes, he knew that this ball wouldn't end so easily.
Just as Muneyoshi's counterattack crossed the net, the Aura Nebula rose up again from around Tezuka, with wisps of air flowing towards where he stood.
This powerful and fast-paced ball was once again neutralized by the rising energy surrounding Tezuka.
Seeing this, Muneyoshi's lips twitched slightly.
He unleashed tremendous power in that strike, yet it still couldn't neutralize the spin. The unique, individual tennis skills of this world can sometimes be truly unreasonable.
Just like Japan Irie Kanata in U-17, the training camp measured his five-dimensional strength value as only 1, although there must be a reason why he was hiding it.
However, strength is certainly not his forte, but in the future of the original work, he was able to return a tennis ball to the Germany Q. P., whose five-dimensional value could not be measured.
Although Muneyoshi was also unsure of the five dimensions of Q. P's strength.
In contrast, he could defeat Oni Jūjirō, who could lift a ton boulder, and remained unharmed under Oni Jūjirō's relentless onslaught.
This gives you an idea of just how powerful Q. P.'s influence truly is.
There is another force that is nemesis Tanegashima Shūji. It is precisely because of their techniques that Muneyoshi has never been very interested in pursuing the path of Power Force.
This world is too unfriendly to power players. As long as the technique and mental strength are sufficient, even the most powerful tennis ball can be returned.
This is why Muneyoshi, despite possessing such immense power, focuses more on the study of darkness and spiritual energy.
Of course, Tezuka hasn't reached that level yet, but he has already shown restraint in his power.
Facing Muneyoshi's powerful shot, Tezuka didn't completely draw the tennis ball to his side, but it was enough for him to swing without moving.
Bang!
"Wow... such powerful strength!"
When the racket touched the tennis ball, Tezuka felt a tremendous force in his left wrist.
However, Tezuka did not change his grip. With Muneyoshi's return shot landing and the added spin from Tezuka, the power on the tennis ball had already been greatly reduced.
After Tezuka further spun the ball to weaken its power, he hit Tezuka back again.
Bang!
Bang!
The battle for that first ball felt like the final one, with neither player giving an inch.
Unlike other outsiders, the two parties involved were well aware that this was not a simple back-and-forth battle.
Rather, it represents a contest between two different tennis styles and tennis systems.
Ignoring the gazes of others, the two faced each other across the net.
"It seems that simply having explosive power and speed that doesn't exceed the limits of middle school students isn't enough to counter Tezuka's tennis system."
"Then, try this!"
P. S.: "Requesting monthly votes~ 10,000 words delivered today."
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