Specially Made Rackets
Ishida Tetsu unleashed a series of powerful Wave Shot that destroyed the Rokkaku, and then exploded again to win the first game.
The breakout victory brought Fudomine's momentum to its peak.
"Tiangen, don't let this guy scare you!"
During the exchange of possession, Kuroba Harukaze said to Amene Hikaru, "Catch the regular Wave Shot if you can, but he definitely can't use Wave Shot as powerful as this one for the entire match!"
Amene Hikaru nodded. His confidence soared after successfully countering the Wave Shot, and he also saw through Ishida Tetsu's true strength and weakness.
Therefore, he also revealed everything he had noticed:
"I know that even though Kuroba-senpai can use the Wave Shot more often than the previous four or five times, there are still limitations. A match is still a long way off!"
"Yeah, I knew I couldn't scare you, Amene Hikaru Fudomine. In the first game, Ishida Tetsu kept using Wave Shot, just trying to overwhelm us with sheer force!"
Kuroba Harukaze had already seen through Ishida Tetsu's intention in using a powerful Wave Shot attack in the first game.
"Let's see if he falls first, or we fall first!"
"Yes!" Amene Hikaru nodded seriously.
Ishida Tetsu's Wave Shot attack did indeed put immense pressure on Kuroba Harukaze and Amene Hikaru.
However, they are not immune to returning regular Wave Shot!
Tap... smack!
On the backcourt of Fudomine, Ishida Tetsu pounded the tennis ball with his racket. The once noisy court fell silent again as he served, his gaze fixed on Kuroba Harukaze and the other player.
The next instant!
Ishida Tetsu leaped high into the air, swinging his racket and hitting the tennis ball out.
Boom!
Although it wasn't a fluctuating serve, this serve still possessed considerable power.
The tennis ball streaked through the air like a streak of light, landing with a resounding crash directly onto the half of the court belonging to Rokkaku Middle School.
"It wasn't Wave Shot serve?"
A glint flashed in Kuroba Harukaze's eyes. Ishida Tetsu's Wave Shot serve had shocked many people during the Kanto Tournament.
"Still trying to hold back? Humph!"
Kuroba pondered for a moment, but his speed was not slow. In just a few strides, he caught up with the landing point of the tennis ball.
Although the power of this shot was still astonishing, he wasn't even afraid of Wave Shot, let alone a regular Cannon Serve.
Kuroba Harukaze leaned forward, the long racket in his hand sinking downwards!
Bang!
At the moment the racket and tennis ball collide, the tennis ball rubs violently against the net, producing a hissing and vibrating sound.
"The power is indeed immense. Even without using the Wave Shot, it still possesses terrifying strength. However, Old Man's racket is far too effective at deflecting force."
With a slight flick of his wrist, Kuroba Harukaze used hexagonal strings—completely different from the standard crisscross pattern—to easily disperse some of the power, returning the ball to its origin.
Bang!
The tennis ball, like a pebble thrown from the beach, swiftly struck the sideline of Fudomine's half of the court.
"Call!"
The expected score did not materialize, and this time, Kuroba Harukaze's counterattack was not against Ishida Gin, but against Kamio Akira.
Taking a deep breath and holding it, Kamio Akira's chest swelled high, and he instantly unleashed a terrifying speed as he charged towards the tennis ball!
Tennis balls continued to fall from the sky above the court.
Just as the tennis ball reached a certain height, Kamio Akira in front of it. Without any hesitation, using the powerful speed gained from running, he swung his racket at the tennis ball from behind.
"Sonic Bullet!"
Bang!
A clear, crisp sound echoed outwards!
A white shockwave spread out, and a terrifying ball of light instantly pierced through the defenses of Kuroba Harukaze and Amene Hikaru, exploding at their feet and leaving only a black ball imprint!
"Fudomine Kamio Akira scores, 15:0."
The referee announced loudly.
"I couldn't see it! I couldn't even see that attack just now!"
Both Kuroba Harukaze and Amene Hikaru stared in disbelief at Kamio Akira was emanating an indescribable aura.
They hadn't expected the two from Fudomine to grow so quickly.
"Well done! Kamio!"
Seeing the two players performing so well in the Fudomine area, Saeki Muneyoshi's lips curled into a slight smile.
After so much training, Kamio Akira was finally able to combine his speed with his shots.
Kamio, whose strength is not particularly high to begin with, would have no chance of unleashing the same power as Ishida.
However, his advantage lies in his unparalleled speed; he is a natural-born person suited for Speed Extreme.
Through this targeted training, he finally made his attacks more threatening than before.
Combining the point of impact with instantaneous bursts of speed can be considered a completely new explosive technique.
In an instant, by inhaling a large amount of oxygen, changing the way of breathing, holding one's breath and concentrating, one can concentrate all the strength of the body on one point in a single moment.
It can erupt multiple times, or it can erupt all at once!
It all depends on what choice Kamio makes.
"Muneyoshi, Kamio, and Ishida have all shown Shinji growth."
Tachibana Kippei is the one who understands the growth of the group the best, so he is not surprised to see Kamio Akira make such an attack. What he is more curious about is the Rokkaku racket.
"Muneyoshi, you grew up in Chiba. Are you familiar with those completely different Rokkaku rackets? They seem to be very effective against power-type players' attacks."
"As far as I know, the rackets used by the Rokkaku Middle School players are all handmade by the coach's Old Man."
"Handmade? For everyone?"
The people of Fudomine were somewhat surprised, and even Keith was drawn to Saeki Muneyoshi's words.
"Don't be so surprised. Besides, their rackets are longer than the rackets we usually use in regular matches. The internationally accepted standard rackets are mostly 27 inches, while the rackets used by the Rokkaku are almost at the maximum length of 29 inches stipulated for major competitions."
"At first glance, I noticed their rackets seemed a bit long, but I didn't expect them to be this long!"
The two-inch, or even five-centimeter, length difference astonished everyone at Fudomine.
It's important to understand that even a change of just one centimeter in a match can cause a huge difference in the way you receive a serve.
"And it's not just the length that's different; the width of their rackets is also different from ours, reaching the same maximum of 12.5 inches."
Before anyone could ask, Saeki Muneyoshi added, "That's also why Tachibana just said it's effective against power players; the wide net allows them to distribute the power of the ball more evenly."
"Muneyoshi, does that mean that simply having powerful ball skills and special moves poses a much smaller threat to them?"
Lin Xiu had never seen such a racket even in Europe, so he was quite astonished and exclaimed in amazement.
"That's right, this is a very old-fashioned film-making technique that stopped in the 1960s. Nowadays, it's probably only your Old Man who knows how to do it in all of Japan..."
"Muneyoshi, although you've mentioned all the advantages, the flexibility and strength of this racket design are a problem, aren't they? Without any other supporting frame in the middle, this racket should be easy to break."
Keith examined the opponent's racket closely for a few moments, mentally simulating the impact of such a racket on himself, and quickly identified the potential flaws that might have led to its obsolescence.
"If anyone else tried to copy it, it would break easily, but this is my Old Man's unique craftsmanship. He personally selects the most flexible wood for the rackets and then soaks them in special tung oil before making them."
"He designed everything himself, including the way the racket's strings are wound and the grip strap, ensuring that the racket has absolutely no issues with flexibility and strength."
Furthermore, the long racket design greatly enhances their defensive and offensive capabilities.
It can even, to some extent, close the gap between players and their opponents in subtle ways, which is why their rackets are considered specially made.
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