Muneyoshi and Mouri
"It seems like this is my last game of my middle school career..."
Although you don't usually feel it, or even care about it.
However, when it really came to this point, Mouri still felt a lingering sense of unease about not being able to finish his middle school years satisfactorily.
"Saeki -kun, I hope we can have a match without any regrets. Although I can feel the gap in skill between us, I won't give up easily!"
Suppressing his fighting spirit and nameless rage, Mouri spoke very solemnly to Muneyoshi.
"Oh?!"
Upon hearing this, Muneyoshi raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Mouri to have this side to him; it was quite different from the image of someone who had no interest in tennis that he had imagined.
However, Muneyoshi wasn't too surprised. Everyone has emotions, and he welcomed Mouri's thoughts even more.
"What you said is exactly what I was thinking, so let's begin!"
"For or against?"
"Anti~"
Snap!
After glancing at the sign, the two turned around and stood in their respective positions.
Neither of them said anything more. This match was crucial to the final outcome, and even for Mori Juzaburo, it was the first time he had felt such a heavy responsibility.
As both teams retreated to their respective baselines, the noise outside the court subsided, and everyone's attention was focused on the field.
Especially the tennis players, their eyes dared not move an inch.
This match was definitely one of the most elite duels among junior high school students.
They didn't want to miss a single exciting moment.
On the field, the referee climbed back onto the high chair, blew his whistle, and waved his hand in the direction of Rikkai Dai.
"The match begins, with Rikkai Dai's Mori Juzaburo serving first."
With the referee's loud announcement, the Singles 1 match officially began!
Tap tap... slap...
He gently bounced the tennis ball, then glanced at Muneyoshi across from him.
Seeing Muneyoshi standing comfortably at the baseline, seemingly full of weaknesses yet also appearing to have none, Mouri raised an eyebrow.
Without hesitation, he tossed the tennis ball high into the air, stretched his racket back dramatically, and swung it down cleanly at the ball's highest point.
Bang!
With a thud, a pale yellow light shot out towards Muneyoshi.
"Oh? His serve speed has actually increased since the last time I saw him play? Did Mouri secretly train? That can't be right, isn't he the one who hates training the most..."
Muneyoshi raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
With his current level of insight, he could easily tell that although Mouri's serve was simple, its speed was significantly faster than when he faced Ibu Shinji last time.
Moreover, it's not just about speed, but also an increase in power. The combination of these two factors makes this serve incredibly powerful, landing precisely on the edge of the service line.
However, Muneyoshi didn't take such speed and impact seriously.
He quickened his pace, catching up with the tennis ball, and in the instant it bounced off the court, he unleashed a powerful smash.
Bang!
The tennis ball flew directly to the baseline diagonally opposite Mouri's half of the court, which is also the diagonal of his serve position, the furthest point from Mouri.
Step... step...
A series of rapid footsteps sounded, and a figure in khaki hue flashed across the field.
Mouri displayed astonishing speed, catching up with the tennis ball just as it was about to fly out of bounds.
Bang!
Using the momentum generated by his rapid run, Mouri unleashed a powerful reverse spin, sending the tennis ball flying in a straight line towards Muneyoshi's opposite baseline.
Same old tricks.
The same approach.
Mouri wanted to fight fire with fire.
However, his usually infallible tactics have now been misused.
Bang!
With a light step, the important figure that was originally at the baseline disappeared instantly, as if in a flash of light.
Tiny specks of purplish-black light shimmered on the racket, wisps of air spread out, and with a twist of the arm muscles, the power of the upper body exploded.
With a loud bang, Muneyoshi's racket sent the tennis ball flying back with tremendous force.
Snap!
Mouri on the other side tried to return the ball, but he didn't expect Muneyoshi's strength to be so terrifying. He couldn't even hold on for a second, and his racket was knocked away by Muneyoshi.
"Fudomine Saeki Muneyoshi scores, score 15-0."
Muneyoshi scored first in the service game, and everyone from Rikkai Dai felt that something was wrong.
However, this sentiment did not affect Mouri; on the contrary, Mouri seemed to be more determined than ever after setbacks.
He lowered his arm slightly, pulling the racket head down, and then slammed the racket down hard on the bounced tennis ball.
The tennis ball was caught directly by the racket, and under Mouri's control, the front of the racket rolled quickly a short distance.
Seeing that his trick had worked, a smile appeared on Mouri's lips. Then, with a deft flick of his wrist, the tennis ball came to his comfortable hitting zone.
Bang!
All the movements happened in that split second, the tennis ball being pulled up in the air by a sharp gust of wind.
Using a slice shot to generate powerful backspin, the tennis ball hurtles diagonally towards Muneyoshi's baseline.
"Senior Mouri, that's a truly exquisite and impressive technique, but it's still useless!"
An expert's skill is immediately apparent; an outsider might not be able to discern it clearly.
However, Muneyoshi's experience in matches far surpassed that of junior high school students, but even in Muneyoshi's eyes, Mori Juzaburo's return of the ball was quite perfect.
No wonder he can secure a top-ten spot as soon as he enters the training camp.
The opponent's counterattack appeared to be a straight line, and at that height, it seemed more like the ball was flying out of bounds, a poor example of panic.
However, Mouri uses a slice shot, and the backspin attached to the ball causes it to drop earlier when it approaches the sideline.
Tap tap...
Muneyoshi ran quickly towards the sideline.
As Muneyoshi had expected, the tennis ball suddenly dropped the moment he took his position, and Mouri's return shot hit the sideline precisely.
Bang!
Muneyoshi scooped the tennis ball high into the air with his racket, the ball bouncing at a very low angle.
The tennis ball has just crossed the center line.
Step... step... step...
From Muneyoshi's perspective, Mori Juzaburo had already moved quickly to the front of the net.
"I've got this point, Saeki- kun from Fudomine..."
With a soft chuckle, Mouri rushed to the net, leaped high, and smashed the tennis ball that had just flown over the net.
The tennis ball crashed down with a powerful gust of air and a captivating force.
"Ha, Mouri- senpai, you think I'd come up unprepared with Lob? You underestimate me!"
"Your smash has too much pre-swing, it's too clumsy, and too slow, Jack Knife!"
"Bang!"
Suddenly, everything went dark before Mouri's eyes. He saw Saeki Muneyoshi leap up at the same time, and behind him, a cluster of purplish-black flames burst into flames.
As dawn broke, the purplish-black light transformed into a beam of light that flew directly over Mouri's head and landed steadily near his baseline.
"Game Fudomine Saeki Muneyoshi scores, score 1-0."
The referee's whistle rang out the instant the tennis ball hit the ground.
P. S.: "According to the data, everyone still prefers the shorter chapters... so the chapters have been split up again. Please vote with your monthly tickets!"