Advancing to the Finals
"No problem... No problem.•]••´º´•» «•´º´••[•"
Ibu Shinji's face showed absolutely no sign of worry.
A faint grayish-white light emanated from Shinji's eyes; for him, the competition was only just beginning.
Bang!
Bang!
"Game, this round is won by Fudomine Ibu Shinji, score 2:1."
"Switch sides!"
Although Hiyoshi Wakashi's Martial Stance seemed intimidating, he was no match for Saeki Muneyoshi's various ball skills and Tachibana Kippei's Beast Aura.
Hiyoshi's level of Ancient Martial Arts Tennis was clearly not enough to truly threaten Ibu Shinji.
"That second-year student from Fudomine is amazing!"
"Yes, he seemed quite inexperienced at this time last year, but now he seems even more capable than our minister!"
"Isn't what you're saying obvious? Your school can only get one round in Metropolitan Tournament, how can you compare it to the Regular of a championship team?"
As Ibu Shinji and Hiyoshi Wakashi continued their powerful performances, the audience's enthusiasm for the discussion grew even stronger, with many expressing their affirmation of their abilities.
It's Ibu Shinji's turn to serve.
Swish!
Shinji gently tossed the tennis ball in his hand, then bent his knees and arched his back, exerting all his strength.
Bang!
The powerful topspin serve, sending gusts of air crashing into the Hyotei Academy's court, was met by Hiyoshi Wakashi. He took two steps forward, swung his arm, and smashed the serve, sending a golden arc of air flying from his feet.
Bang!
Ibu Shinji quickly leaned forward, his racket slicing through the surface of the tennis ball, powerfully slicing it back to Hiyoshi Wakashi's feet.
Seemingly to prevent Hiyoshi Wakashi from having to keep running, Shinji kept hitting him volleys at his feet.
A flurry of rapid-fire shots echoed through the backcourts of the two players.
"Keep hitting topspin and backspin? You're being too naive if you think you can fool me!"
Hiyoshi Wakashi sneered. Since they knew the characteristics of each person in Fudomine, how could they not conduct targeted training?
Although he is not Ambidexterity, he can use both hands!
However, Hiyoshi Wakashi was about to return the shot by constantly switching grips with both hands, his right hand suddenly seemed to lose all feeling. 🐚♠ ♥😂
Snap~
The tennis ball struck the racket in his hand, and his weak grip caused the racket to fly away from his grasp.
Hiyoshi Wakashi's expression was very confused. He didn't understand why, despite constantly switching and using both hands to retaliate, he was still getting hit.
"This guy actually... numbed both my hands!"
He took a deep look at the person opposite him, and only after his sense of touch returned did Hiyoshi Wakashi pick up his racket.
However, he had lost his previous confidence, and for a moment just now, his hands seemed to have lost all feeling.
Is this his temporary paralysis?
Bang!
Bang!
"That feeling is back!"
Hiyoshi Wakashi was startled. The moment the thought crossed his mind, his hand went numb as if it had gone limp, and his racket was knocked away and flew backward again.
"Atobe, what happened? Hiyoshi should have known about the opponent's abilities, and he was consciously trying to avoid the paralysis taking effect, so how could it still have succeeded?"
On the sidelines, Oshitari Yushi looked at Atobe with a puzzled expression.
As he said, it's clearly not normal that Hiyoshi Wakashi consciously avoiding using his hands to prevent numbness, yet still contracted the virus.
"Um?"
Atobe pressed his left hand against his nose, his eyes filled with a look of inquiry.
"That guy from Fudomine, besides constantly alternating Topspin and backspin, probably also used psychological manipulation, that Nightmare move!"
"Hiyoshi knew the effectiveness of this move, so he kept avoiding it. But that guy took advantage of Hiyoshi's psychology, constantly giving him suggestive signals, causing his muscles to become paralyzed for a moment...·.¸¸.·♩♪♫ ♫♪♩·.¸¸.·"
"This guy has become much more concise in his use of mental power!"
Atobe lowered his left hand; Ibu Shinji's tricks couldn't escape his eyes.
Shinji's usual technique involves using different rotations to cause a temporary, deceptive paralysis of the opponent's arm muscles.
With a counterattack using both hands, this possibility was greatly reduced, but Ibu Shinji still used his mental power to deceive.
Hiyoshi's brain failed to send commands to his arms, but the rest of his body continued to move due to inertia.
In this way, the shoulder and body drive the arm out with inertia, making it easy for the racket to slip from the hand when hit by the tennis ball.
"Hmph! What a brilliant idea! Is this the kind of junior you've trained?"
Atobe shifted his gaze from Shinji to Saeki Muneyoshi in the Fudomine rest area, just as Muneyoshi was looking over at the same time.
Their gazes met, Atobe instantly felt a dark world engulf him. He held on for a few seconds before looking away.
"Hmph! Saeki Muneyoshi, I will definitely defeat you!"
Atobe snorted in dissatisfaction, then returned to his seat. He certainly wouldn't voice his defeat in his recent contest with Saeki Muneyoshi.
However, his explanation of Ibu Shinji's use of mental power left the members of the Hyotei Academy looking at each other in bewilderment.
"His paralysis can be used like this?!"
Mukahi Gakuto glanced at Ibu Shinji on the field with some surprise, not expecting that this second-year student from Fudomine had grown to such a level.
"Mental power, huh...?"
Oshitari Yushi was pondering what Atobe had said about spiritual power. He already knew that spiritual power was the key to entering the national arena, but how to develop it was a problem.
Ibu Shinji's ability to achieve this was due not only to his talent, but also largely to the guidance of Saeki Muneyoshi.
However, Oshitari Yushi's path is completely different from Atobe's, so he has to rely on himself for everything.
"Be careful, Hiyoshi. Don't worry about the paralysis. As long as you defeat him before it takes effect, everything will be fine!"
Shishido Ryo roared into the arena, completely oblivious to any talk of mental power, nightmares, or deception.
In his view, the paralysis would take time to take effect, and as long as a point was scored before it took effect, everything would be feasible.
"Thank you, Shishido -senpai!"
On the court, Hiyoshi nodded; Shishido Ryo's suggestion coincided with his own.
Now that the opponent has shown their move, all he needs to do is be faster!
Tap tap tap!
His footwork was as swift as lightning, and a cold glint flashed in Hiyoshi Wakashi's eyes. "Even if you can keep hitting spin shots, your mind is still under pressure."
Hiyoshi Wakashi's body unleashed a fierce burst of energy, his raised stance resembling a tiger descending a mountain.
"Tiger's Roar in Martial Stance!"
With a loud roar, Hiyoshi Wakashi slammed his racket down heavily onto the tennis ball.
Bang!
A distinct ring of air emanated from the surface of the tennis ball as it hurtled through the air and hurtled towards the right half of the court, near Ibu Shinji.
However, the next moment...
Shinji's figure seemed to anticipate his movements, perfectly positioned to cover the landing point of the tennis ball. Shinji's voice was cold. "Your Tiger Roar is still as fierce as ever, but unfortunately, you've already used it several times."
As he spoke, Shinji slammed his racket down hard.
The impact from the racket made his right leg, which was supporting his weight, tense up. Shinji flicked his wrist nimbly. "You want a quick victory? Fine!"
Shinji glanced up and swept his gaze across Hiyoshi Wakashi's sharp, hawk-like eyes, a silent silence settling over him. Tiny specks of gray-white light drifted into Hiyoshi Wakashi's half of the court with the tennis ball.
Scenes of the Hyotei Academy's crushing defeat suddenly played out in Hiyoshi Wakashi's mind like a slideshow.
All the images flowed continuously, eventually merging into a familiar figure.
Atobe Keigo!
At that moment, the appearance of Ibu Shinji in Hiyoshi Wakashi's eyes began to change, starting to resemble that of Atobe.
A sense of fear began to grow.
"Heh heh heh, so what if he's the club president? I'll still rise up and seize the throne of the Hyotei Academy!"
A roar erupted from Hiyoshi's mouth, his body suddenly lowered dramatically, and he sprinted towards the landing point of the tennis ball. At the same time, his voice echoed eerily across the court:
"Martial Stance... Dragon's Dragon's Roar!"
With a leopard-like lunge, Hiyoshi Wakashi swung his racket at an exaggerated angle, swiftly brushing past the tennis ball from the side and behind.
"Detonate it..."
Across from him Ibu Shinji heard another strange murmur, but his eyes were icy cold, flashing with a glint similar to Atobe's.
Tiny icicles pierced through Hiyoshi Wakashi's body.
Bang!
The tennis ball struck the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, and flew high out of bounds at a steep angle.
"Game over. Fudomine Ibu Shinji wins, score 6-4."
" In the Tokyo Metropolis Tournament Semifinals, Fudomine Junior High faced Hyotei Academy. Fudomine advanced to the final with a perfect 3-0 record. Hyotei Academy will hold their third-place match tomorrow."
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"
The Semifinals mainly revolved around Tachibana and Atobe, along with Shinji's growth. If you've been following from the beginning, you'll know that there was very little description of Tachibana and Shinji during their second year, especially Shinji. So, starting from their third year, they need to be described a bit more, though not too much. At most, they'll be written about it again in two or three chapters. After the Metropolitan Tournament, there's the Kanto Tournament, and a lot will be omitted in between because Muneyoshi doesn't usually play in regular matches, and the other teams are too weak. The focus later on Fudomine, Seigaku, and Rikkai Dai will be the main focus.
Also, I want to tell my readers that after work today, I have to go on a business trip. Business trips always involve taking red-eye flights at night, and I probably won't arrive at Hunan Huanghua Airport until 2 a. m. Then I'll have to take a car to Xiangyin. This is my last business trip before the New Year, and I'll be busy for a few days. I'll try my best to maintain three chapters per update afterward!
I won't be taking any leave, so please don't worry!!!