Dreams and Reality (Bonus Chapter for Arrietty)

A tasteless, soundless, and indifferent dark world enveloped Yukimura.

No direction, no time.

"Actively entering a state of sensory deprivation, so that's how it is... If all five senses are reduced to zero, then let's call it Zero Sense!"

As the thought arose in his mind, Yukimura, who had voluntarily entered a state of Zero Sense, was not completely lost. On the contrary, because of his clear awareness, his senses in some aspects were significantly enhanced.

"My guess was right; the state of Zero Sense does indeed allow one to ignore all the opponent's influence."

As he pondered this, Yukimura was about to take a step forward when an overwhelming sense of panic welled up within him.

"This is Kiko Valentin's attack!"

Tap tap!

Although he had deliberately deprived himself of his five senses, leaving Yukimura's eyes lifeless, his body still managed to run two more steps in the right direction.

All of this Yukimura's will grow stronger. His state of Zero Sense allowed him to avoid negative influences and bring him closer to the essence of tennis.

The billowing dust didn't bother him at all; he started running!

"I sensed the location of the tennis ball!"

With his mind racing, Yukimura's movements were more decisive than ever before; he strode off in a certain direction.

Swish!

Based on that feeling he had just had, he forcefully swung his arm at a point in the void.

Bang!

Sizzle!

"Not good!"

On the Japan Team's side, Tachibana Kippei exclaimed in surprise.

They all witnessed that sudden change; the ever-changing Kiko Valentin had once again altered his style.

His originally tied-up golden ponytail automatically spread out, like a lion's mane, and his ferocious aura made the faint image of a golden lion appear on his racket.

The golden lion swallowed the spiritual will that Yukimura had attached to the tennis ball whole and pounced on Yukimura.

At this moment Kiko Valentin displayed strength that had truly reached the world-class level, and this was the result of the fusion of his Aura Path.

His use of breath control appears even smoother than that of Tachibana Kippei.

This time, Saeki Muneyoshi also narrowed his eyes, a hint of seriousness in them.

"America Team..."

Compared to the South Korea and Australia teams we've played against before, America Team's squad depth and personnel are almost on par with the France national team.

"What should we do, Muneyoshi? That guy's strength seems to have completely surpassed Yukimura's. Should we...?"

Sensing the vast difference in strength between them, Chitose asked with some concern.

"No! Yukimura hasn't given up, and Rikkai Dai has no precedent for surrendering!"

Upon hearing this, Sanada stepped forward and spoke to Saeki Muneyoshi in a deep voice.

Many high school students shared the same thought as Chitose. At this moment, the court was covered in smoke and dust, and they could not see the specific situation inside.

However, they all knew very well that these gifted junior high school students were the future, and they couldn't let Yukimura get seriously injured here.

After thinking for a moment, Irie walked over and said, "Saeki -kun, this is just an exchange match. Our goal is next year's World Tournament..."

"I know, Irie- senpai."

Saeki Muneyoshi straightened up, raised his left hand, glanced at the crowd surrounding him, and coldly shouted:

"Have we all forgotten what the real world is like? If we're going to give up at this little setback, then there's no point in continuing the competition!"

Furthermore, everyone should be aware of Yukimura's strength; we need to have faith in him!

"Muneyoshi is right. If there are no setbacks and growth opportunities, what is the point of junior high school students participating in this exchange competition?"

Oni Jūjirō had been sitting in a chair, stood up. His tone was authoritative, and for the first time, he displayed his true power in front of everyone.

"That's right, I believe Yukimura will not back down!"

Sanada's words represent the sentiments of most junior high school students.

"Okay, I get it. I was just worrying too much about them..."

Irie noticed the composure on the faces of the middle school students, calmed himself down, and sighed.

"Although the opponent is very strong, Yukimura is not someone who can be easily defeated. Everyone should have seen his growth over the past month in the training camp."

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Muneyoshi gently calmed everyone down. His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally firm.

As the smoke cleared, the scenes and figures on the field reappeared before everyone's eyes.

On the court, Yukimura Seiichi made a swinging motion, but the racket in his hand was torn to shreds in the violent tearing.

"Game, America Team wins, score 6-4."

The referee loudly announced the score of the first game, and the match went into a brief pause.

At this moment, Yukimura's eyes regained focus, and he clearly saw the broken racket in his hand.

"So that feeling was a tearing sensation?"

"Fine!"

Seeing that Yukimura was unharmed, the members of the Japan Team breathed a sigh of relief.

However, when he saw the spiderweb-like cracks appearing on the hard ground behind Yukimura, his heart tightened.

"Thank goodness! If I hadn't entered a state of Zero Sense..."

A trace of lingering fear still lingered in Yukimura's purple eyes.

He just forcibly deprived himself of his five senses, entering a state of Zero Sense.

Thanks to his extreme focus on the tennis ball, although he couldn't return the ball directly, his accurate control of the ball's trajectory allowed him to avoid danger.

"And..."

Yukimura looked up at the gentle-looking, ever-changing Kiko opposite him, and muttered coldly to himself, "Is everything he shows just an illusion?"

At that moment, the treachery and danger of his world adversaries sounded an alarm in his heart.

World-class competitions are no longer like those in Japan, where players slowly reveal their hand.

Instead, it requires seizing every opportunity and giving it your all to win every point in the match.

In America's rest area, Chiko thought about the last ball. He clearly saw that Yukimura had indeed returned it, but he had underestimated its power and ended up destroying his racket.

But Yukimura did indeed manage to counter his signature move.

"To be able to do that under those circumstances, Yukimura Seiichi, you really are quite capable!"

Looking at Yukimura across from him, Kita felt a surge of joy; he hadn't had a worthy opponent among his peers for a long time.

After a short break, the second set began.

Chico smiled and swung his racket down again with a fierce blow.

Bang!

Bang!

In the second game, both sides changed their languid state from the first game and began a fierce battle.

Of course, during the match, Yukimura did not give up using the Annihilate Five Senses technique on Kita, but unfortunately, the effect was not good.

"Hey, I told you, your mental attacks don't work on me!"

Sensing Yukimura's attack again, Chiko let out a low shout to suppress Yukimura's momentum, and then quickly ran towards the tennis ball.

And opposite him.

With his eyes completely lifeless, Yukimura once again entered a state of Zero Sense.

After becoming familiar with and adapting to the state of Zero Sense, Yukimura gradually caught up with the intensity of the match.

This ability to grow has been witnessed by everyone.

But...

"The Barbarian Lion!"

Chiko also noticed this change. His eyes turned cold, and he used the same move he used at the end of the previous round.

The golden lion phantom charged towards Yukimura once more.

Smoke and dust filled the sky once again.

However, this time, Yukimura was already prepared.

With a loud bang!

The tennis ball, violently tearing at the racket, sent up a massive amount of debris in Yukimura's half of the court, with countless pebbles flying just short of Yukimura body.

However, Yukimura, who was in a state of Zero Sense, completely ignored it, and firmly suppressed the bouncing tennis ball with his racket.

Whoosh!

With a flash of golden light, the tennis ball landed in Chiko's half of the court to his astonishment.

Bang!

"Game Japan Team's Yukimura Seiichi, 7-5!"

Seeing Yukimura win a game despite being in such a disadvantageous situation, the audience cheered loudly for him.

Japan! Japan!

"Yukimura! Yukimura!"

"Yukimura, how are you? Can you still hold on?"

"Don't worry, Muneyoshi! I feel better than ever before."

Yukimura accepted the towel and sports drink from Saeki Muneyoshi and responded with a resolute expression.

Although he looked extremely disheveled, he exuded an increasingly dangerous aura, and his purple eyes grew ever brighter and more dazzling.

"Your Zero Sense state is good, but without the right methods, you might not be able to hold out in a prolonged fight... Have you thought about what to do?"

Muneyoshi crossed his arms, his tone still carrying a hint of probing.

Seeing Muneyoshi's expression for the first time, Yukimura actually felt a little happy. "Muneyoshi, I have to thank you for the inspiration you gave me."

"Oh?"

"You'll find out soon enough!"

After saying that, Yukimura took a sip of his drink, picked up his racket, and walked back onto the court.

Bang!

The third game began, Yukimura stood at the baseline, holding his breath and waiting for his opponent to serve, watching the tennis ball explode out of his racket at high speed.

Bang!

The pull-back begins again.

The almost solidified aura and the mental strength of both sides intertwined and collided throughout the arena.

Neither side was willing to back down.

"Snap!"

Yukimura strode forward and forcefully sliced the incoming ball through the net, skillfully deflecting the speeding tennis ball over the net.

The tennis ball grazed precisely the white edge of the center net.

At such a tense moment in the match, Yukimura actually hit Drop Shot just touching the net?

Seeing this move, which was similar to his first game, Qi Ke's expression changed slightly. He instantly increased his speed and quickly caught up with the ball.

"Trying to use my tricks against me? Naïve!"

Bang!

With a vibrating swing, the tennis ball soared over Yukimura's head, tracing a high arc.

Thump!

A brilliant baseline shot; the tennis ball, lobbed high, landed directly on Yukimura's baseline.

15-0.

"Haha, trying to use my methods against me is like showing off your limited skills before an expert."

Seeing Yukimura's drastic change in expression and the look of fear on his face, Kiko finally laughed.

Bang!

"Game, Kiko Valentin scores, score 2-0."

Bang!

"Game, Kiko Valentin scores, score 5-0."

"It's over, Yukimura Seiichi!"

Kiko Valentin played with increasing confidence and felt an immense sense of exhilaration.

And it was at that moment that the last ball crashed down from his hands.

"What on earth is that Chiko up to?!"

Off the field, in the America Team's rest area, all the players looked on with bewildered expressions as they watched Kiko Valentin on the field.

Starting with the second point in the first game, the situation on the court became somewhat unpredictable.

Despite being far behind in the score, Chico continued to laugh wildly from time to time.

"Oh no, Chiko's been infected!"

Reinhardt's expression turned serious; he noticed a strange change in Yukimura's spiritual power.

Bang!

"Game, Yukimura Seiichi, 6-2!"

The world fell silent.

Chico, who was casually dominating and scoring points, suddenly felt a blackout before his eyes.

A world of darkness and silence descended.

Kiko Valentin suddenly staggered backward and collapsed to the ground.

"The third singles match has ended, with Yukimura Seiichi of the Japan team emerging victorious, bringing the overall score to 2-1!"

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