Fate Accelerates, Changing Everything

Emperor Sanada Genichirou of Rikkai Dai.

Tezuka Kunimitsu, the captain who led Seigaku to its rise.

These two can be considered two of the most sought-after top junior high school students right now.

"Keep it up, Sanada, don't let my hard work go to waste."

Just as Sanada was about to step onto the court, Niou suddenly spoke up.

Sanada paused, then continued walking towards the center of the court without replying.

"Plop!"

A mysterious smile played on Niou's lips as he watched Sanada depart.

Sanada and Tezuka stood on the court, separated by the net, both staring at each other with solemn expressions.

For both Rikkai Dai and Seigaku, the singles match was extremely important, with the two players constantly clashing in terms of their aura.

Both were men of unwavering will, and their clashing auras made the air thicken.

The referee, who was not far from them, felt a little breathless upon seeing this scene.

Looking at Tezuka, whom he had longed to see, Sanada felt a complex mix of emotions.

He and Tezuka knew each other since childhood because of their grandfathers, but they weren't close; he was merely aware of Tezuka's existence.

After all, it was Yukimura who accompanied Sanada in playing tennis since he was a child.

But it was during Junior Tournament after they graduated from elementary school that they forged an unbreakable bond.

Finally, the time has come for them to blossom and bear fruit.

After suffering a crushing defeat to Tezuka Sanada resolved to learn from his mistakes and worked even harder.

But no matter how much progress he makes, it always seems that Tezuka will always be one step ahead of him.

Of course, Sanada didn't know that a large part of the reason for this was because Tezuka didn't become swollen.

Alternatively, the blame could be placed on someone else he wanted to defeat.

"Long time no see, Tezuka."

"Yes, Sanada, it's been a long time."

Tezuka remained relatively calm, nodding before speaking softly.

However, the shifting light in his eyes behind his glasses revealed that he was not entirely unmoved.

Tezuka understood perfectly well that when Sanada said "it's been a long time," he didn't mean they would meet in person, but rather that they would meet on the court.

Hearing Tezuka's calm tone, Sanada clenched his fist tightly, and his head, which had been hanging low, instantly rose.

Sanada always wore his black baseball cap, which covered his angular face.

However, Sanada didn't care about those things at the moment. His expression was serious, and his narrow eyes were sharply fixed on Tezuka.

"Tezuka!"

Sanada broke the silence with his words.

"Um?"

"This time... I'll force you to use your full strength... and I won't lose again!"

He knew Tezuka was left-handed, so he extended his left hand towards Tezuka opposite him.

Tezuka, his gaze slightly lowered, switched his racket to his right hand and extended his left hand in return. "Focus all your energy, Sanada! I won't lose either."

The two gripped each other tightly at the net.

They said nothing more; they both knew perfectly well that this match held extraordinary significance for them and their team.

After quickly ending the edge guessing game.

The referee waved one hand toward Rikkai Dai's half of the court. "The match begins, a single set to decide the winner, Rikkai Dai's Sanada Genichirou serves!"

Tap tap... tap tap... slap!

As the tennis ball continued to bounce, the spectators outside the court quieted down, and many began to hold their breath, focusing their attention on the figure tapping the tennis ball on the Rikkai Dai backcourt service line.

"It's about to begin."

On Fudomine's side, everyone's expressions turned solemn after hearing Saeki Muneyoshi's words.

The people of Fudomine are familiar with the two players off the court. They have both shown tennis skills far exceeding those of ordinary junior high school students, and their tennis styles are quite different.

Even for Tachibana Kippei, it would be difficult to determine a winner in a short time.

Moreover, this was their first encounter in a junior high school competition, which made the audience even more excited.

As the audience eagerly awaited, Sanada's body began to move!

Sanada, who was slightly bent over and gently hitting the tennis ball, was now enveloped in a thick black aura when he looked up again.

"This..."

"What's this?"

Sanada's first move surprised everyone present who knew him.

"Difficult to know like the shade! Sanada actually used Difficult to know like the shade right from the start... It seems he really values this match!"

Seeing Sanada use his full strength right from the start in the Fudomine area, Muneyoshi was somewhat moved.

The feud between these two is no ordinary matter.

"Difficult to know like the shade?"

"Muneyoshi, do you know what Sanada's move is?"

Tachibana Kippei, who had fought Sanada before, frowned. He couldn't sense any of Sanada's thoughts or actions at this moment.

"Tachibana, this is a special technique that Sanada developed specifically to deal with certain people. You'll find out its specific abilities in a moment."

Swish!

The tennis ball is tossed high and slowly twists.

Sanada's face was resolute, and his sharp gaze never relaxed. His attention was focused to the extreme from the very beginning.

Almost simultaneously.

The force of his knees pushing off the ground surged upwards from his waist, and a sharp glint flashed in Sanada's eyes.

A streak of emerald green light sliced through Sanada's path.

"Its speed. Like a storm!"

The black mist in front of Sanada dissipated into the air, along with the mustard-yellow tennis ball.

Bang!

Only after Sanada finished his swinging motion and the tennis ball disappeared without a trace did the spectators on the sidelines hear a solid, heavy thud.

In Tezuka's eyes, the moment Sanada swung his arm and brought down his racket, a raging storm suddenly swept in from the opposite side.

Even he could only vaguely catch a glimpse of a tennis ball.

"This... Sanada's strength has actually increased! Is this an evolution of his Its speed. Like the wind...? It's actually a storm..."

Tap tap...

As this thought flashed through his mind, Tezuka's body moved swiftly, heading towards his backhand side.

Instead, before he even reached the landing point of the tennis ball...

Thump!

A blurry, pale yellow light flashed past his backhand corner at high speed and flew out of bounds.

"ACE, Sanada Genichirou scores, 15-0."

Tezuka put down his racket, frowned, and looked up at the other side.

However, he was met with Sanada's stern and serious gaze. From the very beginning, Sanada pushed the match to a level that ordinary people could hardly reach when facing Tezuka.

"They scored with an ace serve?!"

Many people on the sidelines changed color slightly, especially Akutsu Jin in the Seigaku rest area.

He could sense that it wasn't just him who was improving; although he had closed the gap with these guys, their evolution hadn't stopped either.

"Such strong concentration."

Lin Xiu, who had already begun to explore the use of mental power, also focused his attention and sensed the ball when Sanada served it.

Because of his receiving stance and the difference between his forehand and backhand, Tezuka's dominant hand became a point of exploitation against Sanada's high-speed shots.

The tennis ball that Sanada hit from his right service court landed in the outer corner of Tezuka's right receiving half, closest to the singles boundary line.

Furthermore, this was the first time Sanada had used such a technique after his strength had evolved, Tezuka was unprepared, losing the initiative.

Sanada's sudden burst of lightning speed caused him to miss the best opportunity to receive the serve.

"It's not just about concentration; during Sanada's serve, his body positioning also improved significantly, and his forehand and backhand made it harder for Tezuka."

However, this only gives them an initial advantage; what happens next depends on their own adaptability and capabilities.

From the stands, Muneyoshi, with his insightful perspective and quick wit, explained to the Fudomine members the best way to counter Sanada's moves.

This is also an advantage of ending the match early to observe others and provide on-site guidance.

"Actually, there are many other serving techniques, such as the American Topspin Serve that Akutsu used to like. It involves using a wide-angle backhand to move the opponent around, thereby finding opportunities and weaknesses to attack."

Muneyoshi spoke eloquently, imparting to his team members the tennis details and methods he had summarized.

Ibu Shinji listened very carefully. He could also spin the spinner and was deeply moved by Muneyoshi's guidance, nodding from time to time.

"However, Rikkai Dai's Sanada is really amazing. He managed to hit such a wide-angled outside corner kick even with such a high-speed ball."

Tachibana Kippei, who had a lot of experience with side spin, also chimed in, praising Sanada.

"The vice-captain is right. My Cannon Serve sacrifices the variability of the ball for speed, so I can't do what he does." The members of Fudomine continued to discuss, and Ishida Tetsu joined in.

Saeki Muneyoshi smiled and said, "Although Ishida spoke unintentionally, he pointed out the key point. This is probably why Sanada described the evolved Swift as the Wind, ' meaning Its speed. Like a storm!"

Seeing the eager looks in everyone's eyes, Muneyoshi continued:

"Sanada's initial Swift as the Wind, simple, gentle, and swift, but now the storm signifies a more ferocious and intense arc and rotation."

Just as Muneyoshi was explaining and introducing the strategies to the Fudomine players, the game on the field continued.

Swish!

As he tossed the tennis ball high into the air again, his swinging arm accompanied a light shout.

Bang!

The swirling air currents, like a storm, swept across the entire stadium once again.

This time, because he was prepared, Sanada did not score directly.

Tezuka's blue and white figure took a half-step to the side, and with a powerful swing of his arm, he sent the racket flying from one spot.

Bang!

A small, mustard-yellow ball suddenly appeared on Tezuka's racket face and then flew back.

"Moving like Thunder!"

Sanada's chilling voice came from the front court, and he, transformed into lightning, charged straight at the tennis ball.

With both hands raised high, he slashed down across the racket frame, and the mustard-yellow ball instantly transformed into a silver-white streak of lightning, crashing into Tezuka's court.

Sanada, who had been following Tezuka closely, knew Tezuka's playing style very well and had witnessed his strength in many of Tezuka's matches.

Therefore, he was very clear that Tezuka's return shot contained some kind of special spin.

If he returns the ball with a normal shot, he will definitely fall into Tezuka's rhythm.

Therefore, Sanada did not hesitate at all and immediately used another of his secret techniques, Moving like Thunder.

Furthermore, the volley was executed with Moving like Thunder its complex trajectory and astonishing speed even greater than before.

The tennis ball hurtled towards Tezuka with unstoppable force, and its trajectory was so undetectable that no one could discern it.

Bang!

"Rikkai Dai's Sanada Genichirou scores, 30-0."

Tezuka, who habitually lets his opponent make the first move before counterattacking himself, seems to have fallen into a disadvantageous position when facing Sanada, who unleashes absolute power from the outset.

However, this is only temporary, after truly sensing Sanada's current strength and will.

Tezuka wasn't going to hold back anymore.

Sanada's serve remains powerful.

With a whoosh.

However, Tezuka also started his own rhythm. He crouched slightly in advance and quickly pulled the racket towards the inside corner of his center line.

Straighten the racket and step forward.

Bang!

An ear-piercing sound came from his racket hitting the net.

The tennis ball had a lot of power and a strong penetrating force; Tezuka could even feel it constantly rubbing against the net strings.

The hissing and vibrating sounds were incessant.

Tezuka's wrist twitched slightly, and the muscles in his entire forearm tensed to the extreme.

The legs, positioned at the front and back hips, twisted in the same direction, and the strength of the whole body was twisted into a single rope.

Bang!

Just after Tezuka swung his racket in a wide arc and hit a semi-circular shot, Sanada reappeared at the net, and the intense sound of the ball cutting through the air once again echoed back to Tezuka's half of the court.

The clash between the two was like a collision of planets from the very beginning; to the audience, it looked like Tezuka and Sanada were just waving their arms at some thin air.

Then, a pale yellow beam of light reappeared on the court.

"Moving like... thunder!"

A streak of blue and white lightning appeared again, and the tennis ball appeared at an extremely fast speed in a corner of the court.

A crackling sound.

The blue-white lightning tore through Tezuka's defenses, leaving a charred mark in his blind spot.

"Game, Rikkai Dai Sanada Genichirou scores, the score is 1-0!"

After reviewing the replay and confirming that it was indeed happening on the field, the referee quickly finished speaking.

P. S.: "The video of this match is available, but things are different now than they were back then; they're not testing the waters anymore."

10,000 words updated! I'm an honest author, and on the first day of November, I've really met my word count target.