The Fog Valley
After three hours of intense competition, the doubles match finally came to a conclusion.
Ōmagari Ryūji has the better physical strength.
Muneyoshi looked towards the England Team's rest area and helped the two off the field without much surprise.
Besides his powerful skills and strength, what's most incomprehensible about Ōmagari Ryūji is his terrifyingly high stamina reserves.
However, now that Muneyoshi has absorbed Echizen Ryoga's physical strength, he is powerful enough to stand out from the vast majority of people.
"Next up is the singles match number three, between Japan Team's Kiriya and England Team's Jamie Monroe."
"Please bring your players to the stage!"
Hearing the referee call his name, Kiriya, after a light warm-up, picked up his racket and headed towards the court.
In the current expedition team, the relative strengths and weaknesses of each individual are actually quite clear.
Aside from Muneyoshi and Duke, the strongest one is Kiriya.
The No. 5 badge on his collar represents his strength.
However, Muneyoshi's gaze as he looked at Kiriya's retreating figure was somewhat strange; he wasn't sure if it was Kiriya's luck or his destiny.
With Muneyoshi's help now, he will probably be spared from being devoured by Echizen Ryoga.
After all, the No. 4 badge he wore at that time was quite eye-catching.
However, number four is currently occupied by Duke Watanabe, and he has no chance of winning, so number five was chosen.
But...
Number five is Oni Jūjirō!
When Oni Jūjirō needs it, Kiriya, the custodian of the badge...
"Never mind, everyone has their own fate!"
Muneyoshi shook his head, separating his pity for Kiriya from his emotions, and turned his attention to the game on the field.
This was the first time he had seen Kiriya play on the court so closely.
After watching for a while, Muneyoshi finally understood why Kiriya had been abandoned outright.
He's practically the next Dōmoto Shingo.
It may have been out of reverence or worship for Byōdōin.
A mad imitation of Byōdōin.
Both their techniques and their playing style are very similar to Byōdōin's.
However, he did not possess the same strength as Byōdōin.
"What a pity!"
Muneyoshi shook his head again.
Kiriya, on the field, was of course unaware of Muneyoshi's thoughts. He was at full power, ready to return everything England had inflicted on Tōno Atsukyō and Byōdōin.
Tap tap tap...
Jamie Monroe appeared just in time at the far corner of England's half, his powerful footwork ensuring his timely cover.
Although Jamie Munro greatly admired Kiriya's expertise in Sweet Spot Technique, his scientifically trained body was more than capable of withstanding any attack.
After an initial period of adjustment, they began a tense tug-of-war with the Kiriya.
"As expected of England, their strength is truly evenly matched. Kiriya is being relentlessly pursued by them!"
Muneyoshi, watching from the sidelines, immediately noticed the problem.
Several players in a row have been like this, and it seems that all the players on the England Team are the same type of player.
They have mastered the art of counter-attacking.
Whether in singles or doubles, they are capable of dominating the entire court with their defense.
Because of their long-term training in this area, they have become more accustomed to this way of competing.
Among the members of Japan Team, Atobe Keigo and, at present, Fuji Shusuke are also fans of this style.
After all, on the field, if the two sides are evenly matched, the attacking side will definitely be more anxious.
In order to find better offensive routes and scoring methods, more physical and mental energy will inevitably be consumed.
For the defending side, the best way to counterattack is to find the opening when the opponent attacks, that is, the moment when the opponent reveals a weakness.
Of course, this is on the premise that the two sides are roughly equal in strength, or that the defending side is much stronger.
Otherwise, no defense can compare to offense.
The England players were certainly aware of this.
Therefore, the opponent began to experiment at the start of the match, and tested it in two consecutive games.
As England's singles player, Jamie Monroe is top-notch in both experience and skill, and he realized that Kiriya's strength was not much different from his own.
Jamie Munro then began to unconsciously employ this familiar playing style.
Even as Jamie Munro reveled in his scheme, Kiriya had already fallen into the quagmire of a protracted war he had constructed.
"This guy on the other side is pretty good. If Kiriya can't win this round, I'm afraid..."
Kimijima Ikuto adjusted his glasses and stated his judgment.
The people around him did not refute his point of view; after all, judging from his performance on the court, Jamie Monroe was indeed better than Kiriya.
"Hey, if this keeps dragging on, Kiriya won't last long, will it?"
At this point, only Ōmagari Ryūji could still manage a laugh.
As a weapon for the Japan Team in their long battles, Omagari's physical fitness is entirely a gift, and even he has to admit that the difference in physical fitness still exists.
If this drags on, and it really comes to an end, Kiritani will definitely be the Kiriya.
"Don't the seniors ever look at Kiriya -senpai's expression before they speak? He's not flustered at all; he's completely confident of victory. He probably hasn't even started getting serious yet!"
Muneyoshi's gaze swept over Kiriya on the court, and he noticed that Kiriya didn't seem worried at all.
"It seems he's trying to make something?"
Kimijima, who was quite familiar with Kiriya, mused, "Is it to avenge Tōno? What a reckless fellow, not even bothering to negotiate beforehand."
"The African Lion's Roar!"
Kiriya's low growl rang out again, and the muscles in his arms twitched wildly.
Bang!
Specks of golden light, leaving faint afterimages, crashed down onto the hard ground in front of them.
"What's wrong, you Japanese monkey! Has your shot become less powerful?"
Jamie Monroe laughed as he blocked the tennis ball from behind, showcasing the power of his defensive counter-attack as he unleashed a powerful backhand smash that sent a surging wave of air through the air.
In such a close match, even the slightest change would be noticed, and Kiriya's hitting power and speed had indeed "decreased".
The side effects of "physical fatigue" have begun to appear in Kiriya.
Jamie Munro believed that the reason Kiriya hadn't collapsed yet was simply because it was stubbornly holding on; if it kept going, it would definitely crumble in one fell swoop.
In contrast, his personal physical strength is still very abundant.
Kiriya was sweating profusely; his silver-blue hair was already soaked with sweat.
Strands of hair stuck to his forehead, making him look quite disheveled.
Another return shot aimed at his corner.
Kiriya ran towards the corner again, his steps were already a little unsteady, and his physical strength seemed to have reached its limit. Despite his unsteady steps, he finally caught up with the ball.
However, at this moment, Kiriya looked towards the opposite half of the court and saw Jamie Munro's excitement growing stronger, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"You see it as an opportunity? Then... Spanish Bullfight!"
A soft shout escaped from Kiriya's mouth.
Bang!
With a soft shout, Kiriya swung his racket, sending a flash of light through the air, and the tennis ball was caught and returned.
However, Jamie Monroe had already "seen" the trajectory of this shot.
"East Asian monkey, you're finished!"
He took a long stride, his tall figure blocking the path of the tennis ball like an impenetrable wall.
He intended to return the ball with maximum force, despite its already weak texture.
With a flick of his wrist, he slammed the ball, which was hurtling straight toward his face, down directly.
He wanted to push the ball back into the middle of the field in Kiriya.
However!
Boom!
Thump... thump!
Boom!
The ball, which was expected to be soft and yielding, actually pierced through Jamie Monroe's racket and struck him squarely on the forehead.
With a powerful force, Jamie Munro was sent flying a meter away, his cheeks stained with blood.
"The Japan Team scores this point, making the score 5-5."
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"
After thinking about it for a long time, I decided to write a chapter about Kiriya. Otherwise, he's too pitiful. He's just unlucky; his strength is decent. Japan Team the past, Muneyoshi was practically in the second tier while everyone else was in the first tier. Now that the protagonist has become the first tier, he's in the second tier.