Three Types of Return Shots

Feeling the powerful impact in his heart, Fuji let out a long breath. The match had only just begun; it wasn't over yet.

Phew...

Suppressing the surging emotions within him, Fuji regained his composure.

Whoosh!

With another slight twist, he repeated the same motion and sent the tennis ball flying with a powerful cut serve. Just like before, it shot upward at incredible speed, wobbling as it rose.

"Fuji, I told you. That kind of serve won't work..."

His expression turning cold, Saeki Muneyoshi sprinted toward the ball. Ignoring its irregular, wobbling ascent, he swung his arm sharply, sweeping his racket toward the lower-right side.

Thud!

The irregularly rising ball was once again met with a precise hit.

Whoosh!

This return packed even more power, and the ball shot forward even faster.

A streak of pale yellow light flew toward the backhand side of Fuji's court.

But Fuji was ready. He didn't just stand by and wait. He charged forward, cutting across the path of Saeki Muneyoshi's return and reaching the ball's landing point ahead of it.

Before the ball had even touched the ground, Fuji had already reached its landing point.

As soon as it bounced, Fuji struck it quickly.

Thwack!

The racket tilted downward, and his wrist flicked ever so slightly.

Smack!

Following a low, shallow arc, the ball quickly landed in the corner of Saeki Muneyoshi's court.

"Great shot!"

At Fuji's superb counter, not only Kojiro but also the ever-growing crowd around them called out in praise.

Saeki Muneyoshi wasn't surprised that Fuji had managed to counter so quickly.

He was a little pleased, but that trick would only work once.

At the same time, the screen in his mind automatically split into two sections. One continued to display Saeki Muneyoshi's own stats, while a newly added section showed numbers that constantly changed.

They belonged to his opponent, Fuji Shusuke.

He could only collect the five-dimensional stats of himself and the opponents he faced.

Muneyoshi was curious about Fuji's current strength and wondered what his stats would be. Since collecting the data would take time, he might as well play around with Fuji.

Having practiced tennis for several years, Muneyoshi knew all too well that tennis wasn't just about skill and strength.

Sometimes, the tiniest advantage could eventually turn into victory.

But gaining that kind of experience took match after match.

The two of them soon put on an almost textbook display of offense and defense.

"30–15"

"40–30"

Their scores rose in turns.

On the final point, Saeki Muneyoshi won with a sudden Drop Shot at the net.

"Game, Saeki Muneyoshi, 2–0."

After switching sides, the match continued.

Thwack!

Thwack!

After winning several more points on return, Muneyoshi took another game, bringing the score to 3–0.

As the match went on, Saeki Muneyoshi suddenly realized that playing tennis felt pretty great.

He had liked tennis before, but most of that fondness came from liking the characters in it. Now that he was living in this world, the thrill of facing people he had once known, and the feeling of losing himself in a match, had completely captivated him.

Only now did he truly fall in love with tennis.

Muneyoshi felt joy welling up from the bottom of his heart.

"Come on, come on! You've got to be stronger than this!"

"If you've got any other tricks, hurry up and use them, Fuji!"

Saeki Muneyoshi stood proudly at the net. Fully absorbed in the match, he radiated a powerful intensity from his eyes.

Though Fuji felt a wave of pressure, he didn't back down this time. His blue eyes held a deeply serious look as he replied firmly,

"If that's what you want, then I'll do just that, Muneyoshi!"

...The two players seemed to be locked in a rally.

Watching another of Muneyoshi's returns fly toward him,

a sharp glint suddenly flashed in Fuji's ice-blue eyes.

"Topspin!"

Fuji stepped into position. He spread both arms behind him like a bird taking flight, then turned sideways and planted his feet. His right knee bent as his left hand guided the ball in front of him.

Beyond his spread fingers, his ice-blue eyes shimmered like a starry sky, glowing with light.

He twisted his body and pushed off hard with his right knee.

His raised racket came down in a fierce slicing motion against the incoming ball.

Screee—

As he completed his follow-through,

a golden crescent flashed across the sky.

Whoosh!

"One of the Triple Counters: Returning Swallow!"

Fuji softly spoke the name of the move, as beautiful as a painting of cherry blossoms.

The tips of his hair fluttered. He held his racket arm in front of him, revealing only his right eye, which contained a dazzling starry sky.

Whoosh!

Amid the piercing whistle of the ball cutting through the air,

the heavily spinning ball crossed the net and landed on the court.

It didn't bounce. Instead, it skidded along the ground at high speed, slipping past Muneyoshi's feet as he prepared to receive it.

At that moment,

even Saeki Muneyoshi, who had been expecting it, felt his heart stir.

His eyes followed the ball, transfixed.

Muneyoshi's heart burned with anticipation. "Keep going, Fuji!"

"Game, Fuji Shusuke, 1–3."

The match grew increasingly intense, and Fuji's dazzling technique won him a game back.

But once Muneyoshi took care with his hitting posture and avoided hitting another Topspin, Fuji was once again forced onto the defensive.

Thwack!

Another special Cut Serve shot across the court.

At the same time, Fuji's eyes quickly swept over Saeki Muneyoshi's movements.

"The net!"

Skrrt...

Fuji pivoted swiftly and dashed toward the net.

At the last possible moment, he hit a Lob and managed to return the ball.

"That was a mistake!"

"What a chance to smash it!"

"Smash!"

More and more spectators gathered along the sidelines. Seeing the opportunity Fuji had given him, Muneyoshi didn't let it go, even though he knew it was part of Fuji's plan.

He leaped high, using the height to smash the ball down behind Fuji.

Thwack!

The powerful smash made the ball look like a bullet, tearing through the air.

But just then,

as Muneyoshi was still coming down, he saw Fuji dart forward and reach the spot where the smash was about to land.

Facing the court with his back to the sky, Fuji held his racket in one hand and sliced forward, intercepting the smash!

The smash's tremendous force made the ball spin violently against the racket face. Fuji swung upward with all his strength.

The ball arced high through the air, landing deep on the baseline behind Muneyoshi before rebounding into the wire fence.

By then, Muneyoshi had only just landed!

"One of the Three Types of Return Shots: Brown Bear Drop!"

Looking at the mark on the baseline, Saeki Muneyoshi couldn't help praising him. "That's a truly ingenious idea, Fuji!"

The two returned to their respective baselines.

The match began again.

The spectators around them, along with Kojiro and the others in the umpire's seats, were once more stunned by Fuji's technique.

"What did that kid just do? He returned a smash that easily. That's incredible."

"Can a kid like that really exist?"

"You've got to be kidding. If kids like him exist, what does that make the rest of us?"

"Brown Bear Drop?"

"Game, score 3–2."

Thud!

The two players began rallying again. After a few shots, Fuji gave Muneyoshi another chance.

"Fuji, is this your tennis? I see. If you want to counterattack from defense, then try countering this!"

Once again, he leaped into the air, using the momentum of his charge to smash the ball down behind Fuji.

Thwack!

Another smash!

"Here it comes, Brown Bear Drop!" Kojiro knew exactly what was happening.

Fuji caught up to the smash once more.

But this time, he couldn't return it as easily as before. Even getting the ball back was a struggle.

"And this power...!"

Fuji was shocked. He could feel his wrist trembling.

Was this Muneyoshi's true strength?!

"Haah!"

With a shout, Fuji grabbed the racket handle with his left hand as well and forced his body into a backward-bending posture.

Thud!

The ball flew diagonally upward at a steep angle.

"Fuji, I've seen your special move. Now take a look at mine!"

"Scorching Sun Burn!"

Fuji felt an immense force and mental pressure rush toward him.

His mind went blank for an instant. He saw a blinding sun flash before his eyes and caught a faint scent of scorching heat in the air.

A burning pain tingled across his skin, and the ball had already shot past his feet.

"Game, Saeki Muneyoshi, 4–2."

"What was that?"

As he watched Saeki Muneyoshi return to the backcourt and take out another tennis ball, confusion flickered in Fuji's eyes.

It was hard to bear the feeling of offering his opponent an opportunity, only to have that opportunity turned against him.

Thud!

Another blinding flash of sunlight. Fuji tightened his grip on his racket, feeling a touch of frustration well up inside him. He hadn't even had a chance to use the Brown Bear Drop just now.

And that wasn't all. Since they were playing indoors,

there was no wind on the court. One of his Three Types of Return Shots, the White Whale, was completely out of reach.

As the match went on, Fuji realized that Muneyoshi seemed to know him very well. Other than the first shot,

none of Muneyoshi's later returns had any spin at all. His other return shot, which relied on spin, was useless too.

The only one he could still use was the Brown Bear Drop. And now...

"Fuji, when you only know how to counterattack from defense and you're facing someone like me, who's better than you in every way, do you feel helpless?"

Saeki Muneyoshi took a long look at Fuji Shusuke, who stood rooted to the spot, then continued, "With your return shots completely shut down, is this all you can do, Fuji?"

Muneyoshi knew Fuji's abilities very well. In particular, he still lacked the skill to return the Returning Swallow.

Without using a few tricks, he would have been dragged into a stalemate.

Now that two of Fuji's moves had been countered and another couldn't be used on this court, Fuji had no chance of winning.

"Game, Saeki Muneyoshi, 6–2."

"That was a great match, Fuji!"

"But now that your Three Types of Return Shots have been countered, what do you have left? I suggest you try changing your style of tennis. You might find a whole new world..."

With that, the group made their way through the crowd and headed out of the venue.

Danyang's an honest guy, and he didn't want to pad the chapter or split it up. So he cut six or seven hundred words, revised the court and setting a little, and combined it into one chapter. Otherwise, I could've stretched the Three Types of Return Shots into three whole chapters!!!