Sakaki Tarou's Deployment

This book is first released on the entire network by t w k a n . c o m

Sakaki Tarou's decision to change the lineup before the match wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing; he had learned a lot from Banda Kenya during the match against Yamabuki.

As an old-school coach in Japan, Banda Kenya had seen too many exceptionally talented players.

However, sometimes, the teams these talented players belonged to would be defeated by Yamabuki's members who had average talent.

It was he, the coach, who played a huge role.

The same applied to the semifinal match against Hyotei.

Originally, according to Sakaki Tarou's plan, Hyotei losing one game would have been a significant upset, but he hadn't expected it to go down to the final deciding match, and they had almost lost.

If not for Atobe's strength improving greatly after his match against Muneyoshi, the final outcome would have been uncertain.

It was precisely because of this that Sakaki Tarou decisively changed the lineup for today's match.

Always being aware of his team members' strength changes, and what kind of chemical reactions their various combinations could produce, that is the role of a coach.

The pre-match etiquette on the court had concluded, and everyone had done a brief warm-up. The referee began to announce that the match was about to start.

"Next, we will have the Metropolitan Tournament finals, the second doubles match, with Hyotei Academy's Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo versus Seigaku's Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro."

"They're not sending out Yamasaki Fumio and Mukahi Gakuto, but Anahira Ryo? Are they trying a surprise tactic?"

Seeing Hyotei's second doubles suddenly change their regular doubles pairing, Inui Sadaharu's expression changed drastically, his entire face filled with gravity.

Inui Sadaharu had conducted a detailed investigation into Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo.

Although both were first-years, their individual strengths on Hyotei's main team were only weaker than Atobe Keigo, Ochi Gekko, the acting captain Yano Masatoshi, and Oshitari Yushi.

These two had never paired up for doubles before, but based on the data, Inui Sadaharu could easily see that their styles were very similar to Kikumaru and Oishi.

Seeing these two playing, Inui Sadaharu couldn't help but suspect that this was a tactic devised to counter Kikumaru and Oishi, and he couldn't help but feel a bit worried about the upcoming second doubles match.

"Akan, there are always unexpected things in matches. All we can do is trust Kikumaru and Oishi," Tezuka said, his face as usual, while Fuji smiled and offered words of comfort.

"Tezuka, Fuji, Akan, and Yamato-senpai, there's no need to worry. This should be their first time pairing up, and Oishi and I are confident we can win this match. Right, Oishi!" Kikumaru didn't think there was anything wrong and patted Oishi's shoulder with a smile.

Kikumaru's optimistic attitude infected everyone, dispelling the originally tense atmosphere.

"Eiji is right, we won't lose," Oishi Shuichiro said calmly, his tone encouraging.

On the other side, in the Hyotei player area, Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo stood before Sakaki Tarou.

"Seigaku's doubles pair has excellent coordination and chemistry. As a newly formed doubles pair, you definitely can't match them in this regard."

"However, they also have very obvious weaknesses. I've already told you about them. Your individual strengths are not weaker than theirs; in fact, they are even superior. So, exploit this weakness and use your individual strengths to defeat them directly."

The reason Sakaki Tarou made the change was his fear that Seigaku would adopt a "horse racing" strategy and directly counter their strongest second doubles pair.

This had already been demonstrated in the two doubles matches against Yamabuki.

Therefore, he made a last-minute change, and Seigaku's doubles were still quite inexperienced, so such a change might have a miraculous effect.

"Yes, Advisor!"

After bowing to Sakaki Tarou, Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo picked up their rackets and walked onto the court.

After a brief moment, both sides met at the net to choose their service game.

"Deuce or ad."

"Ad."

"Looks like we have good luck today."

Kikumaru Eiji, who won the serve, looked at Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo opposite him and smiled happily.

Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo said nothing, instead heading straight to the baseline to quietly await Kikumaru Eiji's serve.

Seeing that everything was ready, the entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause.

Seigaku's first-years versus Hyotei's first-years, it sounded exciting!

Seeing that both teams were ready, the referee's voice rang out again.

"The second doubles match begins. Best of one game, with Seigaku's Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro serving first."

As the referee finished speaking, Kikumaru Eiji was already gently bouncing the tennis ball. He glanced at Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo standing at the baseline and muttered, "Oishi, their cheering is really annoying!"

The surrounding noise made Kikumaru purse his lips. After stepping onto the court, the cheers from Hyotei's cheerleaders grew louder and louder, making Kikumaru feel a sense of pressure.

"Don't pay attention to them, just serve, Eiji!"

Kikumaru bounced the ball a few times, found his rhythm, and tossed the ball up.

"Alright, here it comes!"

Bang!

The tennis ball shot directly towards the other side.

Thump thump thump!

Kikumaru's serve was never very fast. Anahira Ryo, at the baseline, quickly moved towards where the ball would land and easily caught up to it.

The moment the ball bounced, he was already in position to hit it.

Bang!

The tennis ball was easily hit back the instant it bounced.

A Half Volley!

It was one of Anahira Ryo's signature moves, though its power was still somewhat lacking compared to how it would be later.

Meanwhile, Kikumaru had already returned to the net. Kikumaru moved quickly, also catching up to the ball, and hit it back from mid-air before it even landed.

"Too naive!"

Seeing this, Mukahi Gakuto shouted, running over quickly and hitting the ball back with a bang.

Kikumaru's intense net play and jumps did allow him to intercept the ball in mid-air, but his unstable center of gravity would inevitably affect his reaction to the next shot.

However, something surprising happened.

Despite his unstable center of gravity, Kikumaru Eiji managed to recover the ball with a sideways flip.

"Behold, the Kikumaru Beam!"

Kikumaru hit a straight shot that landed on the sideline!

"Game, Seigaku, 15-0."

"All right!"

Seeing Kikumaru's childishly excited expression, Anahira Ryo said with some surprise:

"It seems what we saw in the video wasn't his full capability. This guy's athletic ability is on par with yours, Gakuto."

"Hmph! Someone like him! I won't lose to him!" Mukahi Gakuto snorted dismissively.

However, when Anahira Ryo wasn't looking, Mukahi Gakuto's eyes burned with intensity.

Looking at this fellow first-year, his desire to win grew even stronger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The match then entered a phase of intense rallies and back-and-forth scoring.

Anahira Ryo's footwork was incredibly fast. He moved quickly and, in the blink of an eye, caught up to another ball.

The moment the ball bounced, he scanned the court ahead. Following the plan set by Coach Sakaki Tarou before the match, he swung his racket with all his might without hesitation.

The target was Kikumaru Eiji!

Bang!

The tennis ball was hit towards the front corner.

"Hyaah!"

Kikumaru, sweating profusely, quickly moved his feet. He managed to get to the ball before his opponent and hit it back with a bang.

On the other side of the net, Mukahi Gakuto leaped into the air and swung his racket like a Hawk Flip.

Thump thump thump!

Kikumaru's superb dance-like Special Skill Shot was unleashed once more!

With his incredible reflexes and flexibility, he performed several aerial flips to catch up to the ball, scooping it with his racket.

Bang!

Mukahi, who had just landed, leaped into the air again, floating like a falling leaf.

Bang!

The two players, at the net, engaged in a fierce duel of Special Skill Shots, back and forth.

The entire audience held their breath, completely focused on this unique and spectacular match.

However, with the continuous use of Special Skill Shots, Kikumaru's already limited stamina became a problem again. He panted heavily, and his movements became difficult.

Bang!

This time, Kikumaru couldn't reach the ball.

"Game, match concluded. This set is won by the Hyotei pair Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo, with a score of 6:3."

Sakaki Tarou's sudden change in formation had broken through Seigaku's doubles strategy, and they lost the first set.

ps: Thank you to Sakura Hunter, Book Friend 20230530214237714, Book Friend 20220111123705701, Qingxu Daoist, Reader 1644569443162730496 for your monthly tickets and rewards. This is the additional update that was due. I might have to work overtime today, so the next additional updates might be on the weekend.