Unfortunately, My Target Isn't You
"Shinji! You can do it!"
"Hiyoshi, quickly use your Martial Stance to finish him off!"
The fans from Fudomine and Hyotei Academy cheered for their respective teammates. 👍☺ 🌷★
When Hiyoshi Wakashi was broken in the first game, Hyotei Academy's massive cheerleading squad did not give up. Instead, they erupted in a thunderous cheer to encourage Hiyoshi Wakashi.
They forcibly transformed the entire stadium into the Hyotei Academy's home ground.
"His strength is also improving, and his counterattacks are becoming faster!"
In the stands, a glint flashed in Echizen Ryoma's eyes. Although he wasn't the one playing on the field at the moment, his intuition told him that Ibu Shinji had improved again.
As the first person to defeat him in the main tournament, Echizen Ryoma is very keen on Ibu Shinji.
"Echizen, Ibu Shinji is improving, and you've changed a lot too. I believe you can defeat him!"
After updating Ibu Shinji's data, he glanced at Ryoma beside him and offered encouragement.
"I know, Akan!"
"Both sides change sides!"
It was Ibu Shinji's turn to serve. Gripping the tennis ball tightly, Hiyoshi Wakashi glanced coldly at Shinji Hiyoshi on the other side.
Swish!
Ibu Shinji gripped the tennis ball tightly with his knuckles, and then the ball was quickly thrown.
This is the half-toss serve, a signature serve of his friend Kamio Akira, but it's also very suitable for Shinji to use at this moment.
Bang!
The tennis ball had barely left his hand when Ibu Shinji had already swung his racket. 👻♕ 👺♥
Bang!
The tennis ball created a shockwave that landed directly on Hiyoshi Wakashi's receiving area near the center line.
This position is not a good choice in singles, which is also because Ibu Shinji's mastery of this move is not as smooth as Kamio Akira's.
Tap tap!
Seeing this, Hiyoshi Wakashi moved quickly, a cold smile on his lips, and with a peculiar gesture, he swung his racket through the air.
"You think these clumsy little tricks will work on me? Insubordination!"
With Hiyoshi Wakashi Wakaba's perfectly sculpted calf muscles unleashed an astonishing speed, causing him to vanish from his spot like a blur.
"Whether it works or not isn't up to you to decide. You were standing at the baseline with what looked like a tight defense, but didn't that immediately shake things up? As long as a move works, it's fine."
Shinji is very calm and collected; planning before acting is his nature. Since he couldn't find any loopholes beforehand, deliberately creating one is a good strategy.
Bang!
Facing Hiyoshi Wakashi's return shot, Shinji quickly looped the ball backhand, then leaned forward and pressed forward.
Seeing the tennis ball hurtling towards him, and... Ibu Shinji heading towards the midcourt, Hiyoshi suddenly swung his arm.
Bang!
With a loud bang, his own unique volley was hit, the tennis ball carrying a sharp gust of wind as it flew diagonally toward Ibu Shinji's side.
While Ibu Shinji may not be as fast as Kamio Akira, he's still quite fast for a second-year student.
His toes lightly touched the ground, using the momentum of his high-speed movement to twist his body and swing his arms and wrists out. 6̷9̷s̷h̷u̷x̷.̷c̷o̷m̷
That's a backspin shot!
Bang!
The combined effect of reverse spin and force caused the ball to produce a slight sonic boom, and its speed was also astonishing.
"Backspin and Topspin, those are your signature moves, aren't they!"
Hiyoshi Wakashi sneered. This speed and spin were nothing to him. The only thing he needed to watch out for was Shinji's next move.
Tap tap tap!
Under Ibu Shinji's calm gaze, Hiyoshi Wakashi seemed to have instantly moved from the baseline to the flank, his sharp Half Volley bringing with it a chilling glint.
Using the momentum of his forward run, Hiyoshi Wakashi swung his racket in a whip-like motion, sending the ball flying like a white streak towards the baseline opposite Shinji's.
Thump!
After landing, the tennis ball bounced high, but once it reached a certain height, a black racket caught it.
"The combined force of the forward momentum and the impact of the Half Volley was very powerful!"
Feeling the heavy weight in his hand Ibu Shinji frowned. The fact that he could use such a move so easily showed that his physical fitness was quite good.
However, this was merely "good" for Shinji; the training he received was second to none.
Bang!
With a slight flick of his wrist, Shinji easily deflected the force of the shot and returned the tennis ball to the net.
Facing the tennis ball returned by Ibu Shinji, Hiyoshi Wakashi, having anticipated this, leaped directly from the midcourt, his eight-pack abs perfectly outlined beneath his fluttering shirt.
"Eagle Strike in Martial Stance!"
BOOM!!
The smash came crashing down from the sky, poised to pierce through Ibu Shinji's defense in the next second.
"Hiyoshi, well done!!"
This series of actions excited the Hyotei Academy fans watching from the sidelines, especially Chotaro and Mukahi Gakuto.
Even Akutagawa Jirou, who had just woken up, perked up at the sight of this series of attacks.
Atobe commented on the set of moves, "Hmph! Hiyoshi is indeed a brute who only knows how to play with his body; his movements are not fancy at all."
Across from the stadium.
Faced with his opponent's powerful smash, Ibu Shinji frowned slightly. He didn't force a shot, but instead looked at Hiyoshi Wakashi on the other side.
He sensed a growing, albeit not intense, pressure emanating from the other person.
This was the first time he had experienced this feeling, and he found it very strange.
Thinking back to his first year, most of the opponents he encountered were sparring matches with Saeki Muneyoshi. In the main tournament, apart from those who were weaker, he faced other opponents.
The rest were people like Mori Juzaburo and Yukimura Seiichi. While they didn't exert as much pressure as Saeki Muneyoshi, their presence was still extremely strong.
Hiyoshi Wakashi was the first person besides Kamio Akira who was so close in strength that he had encountered.
"So this is the 'good opponent' the minister was talking about... Unfortunately, you're not my target..."
Having composed himself, Shinji regained his initial silent expression and went to the opposite service line to serve again.
Bang!
"Damn it, who are you trying to fool with your arrogance? I'll smash your face in!"
Seeing Shinji's indifferent expression, Hiyoshi Wakashi felt ignored and clenched his teeth in anger.
His gaze followed the tennis ball closely. The moment the ball hit the ground, Hiyoshi Wakashi's eyes narrowed, and his body, poised for action, simultaneously exerted force, pushing off the ground and leaping into the air.
Backswing and swing!
"Tiger's Roar in Martial Stance!"
With a fierce roar, Hiyoshi Wakashi's aura surged, and as he caught up with the tennis ball, he slammed his racket heavily onto it.
Bang!
The tiger's roar was terrifying, the light surged and flowed, and the aura swept in all directions.
Upon seeing this, Ibu Shinji's expression remained unchanged. His gaze darkened slightly, and he squatted down with his legs spread wide, his arms slicing down rapidly from above.
The high-speed slice neutralized the strong topspin of the shot, and the ball quickly dropped over the net.
"Topspin? Is that all you've got?"
"Dragon's Roar in Martial Stance!"
Bang!
"Game, this round is won by Hiyoshi Wakashi of the Hyotei Academy, the score is 1-1."
After fully unleashing his Martial Stance, Hiyoshi Wakashi broke serve in the second game as well.
"Your strength is indeed impressive. I think I should correct my misconception! If I don't consider you a true opponent, I won't be able to defeat you quickly. I really should correct my mistaken view!"
After his serve was broken, Ibu Shinji started muttering to himself as he reached the baseline to receive the serve.
"Come on, what time is it and you're still nagging? If you don't get serious, you're going to lose!"
Kamio Akira, who was standing outside the arena, was speechless upon hearing this. He and his ilk knew Shinji's personality very well.
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"