Making a Move
The first round of attack and defense alone made the Fudomine members feel as if they were watching World Tournament.
Kamio Akira, who had been so boisterous before, became quiet, while Ibu Shinji stared intently, afraid of missing a single moment.
Tachibana Kippei stood with Muneyoshi, his gaze constantly shifting between Keith and Tezuka.
"Tachibana, Keith seems to have been provoked by you and Akutsu!"
Even Muneyoshi was taken aback by Keith's explosive competitive form.
After all, in a normal offensive and defensive game, Keith should be somewhat inferior to Tezuka, but this difference did not stop him.
Instead, by leveraging his tacit understanding with Lin Xiu, they exploited Tezuka's weakness of not often playing doubles and used the rules of doubles to their advantage.
He actually managed to exploit and create discord between Fuji and Tezuka.
The decisive vertical spike that sealed the victory was something even Tezuka hadn't anticipated.
Although Tezuka was able to catch up with Keith despite his superior strength, Tezuka feeble counterattacks were no match for Keith's meticulously planned scheme.
"Muneyoshi, Keith doesn't need me or Akutsu to stimulate him. His strength is already there; he just needs a little pressure!"
Before Saeki Muneyoshi could finish speaking, Tachibana Kippei's voice rang in his ear.
"It's fair to say that Seigaku really helped us this time!"
A glint of light flashed in Tachibana Kippei's eyes. "Was this arrangement something you and Coach Hanamura anticipated?"
"Haha, Tachibana, you overestimate me. As for Coach Hanamura, he probably didn't expect Tezuka to go into doubles either. 🐍👹 🍭🐍" Saeki Muneyoshi waved his hand and smiled.
It's normal for Tachibana Kippei to have the insight to notice these things and say these things, after all, he has always been aware of Keith's strength.
"However, this change at Seigaku serves as a reminder that if we don't improve our strength, we could easily run into trouble. The defending champion is a very conspicuous target."
Saeki Muneyoshi glanced behind them, then looked at a boy from Seigaku who exuded a delinquent aura and a boy wearing glasses.
And the Rikkai Dai students in the stands, as well as the Hyotei Academy group.
Tachibana's gaze followed Muneyoshi's. Upon seeing these people, he nodded and said in a deep voice.
"Muneyoshi, rather than trying to change things, we should trust our teammates more."
"Of course I know I should trust my teammates, but my responsibility as team leader tells me that we should also help our players win in games where they can perform better, shouldn't we?"
"Shrug, "Saeki Muneyoshi said with a smile.
Those watching the match were all shrewd individuals. From Seigaku's change, these observant people could tell what the most important thing for Fudomine to do in order to defeat them was.
Tachibana Kippei nodded in agreement. Compared to before, when they would target Saeki Muneyoshi, after the training camp and the expedition tournament, such thoughts had been largely eliminated.
Just like Rikkai Dai, who were playing in the stands, Seigaku were definitely more interested in targeting everyone except Muneyoshi.
Even Tachibana Kippei himself can't say he's absolutely safe against this kind of targeting. 🌷🍫 😝💗
On the field.
It was only the first ball exchange, but the energy of all four players on both sides had already been fully mobilized.
Bang!
Keith stretched out his body naturally, swung his arm downwards, and the tennis ball once again rushed towards the Fuji with fierce momentum.
The swift and powerful tennis ball landed precisely on the angle between Fuji's serve reception area and the ball's trajectory.
However, although Fuji's strength is not comparable to Tezuka's, he is still a National Level. While he didn't find it as easy as Tezuka, he didn't feel any difficulty either.
At this moment, he seemed to have transformed into a wind spirit, his body moving in a step, his racket swiftly slicing through the air.
Bang!
Fuji blocked the serve, which was delivered at a tricky angle.
"Heh... these two really are best friends; their personalities are quite similar and complementary."
Seeing this, Saeki Muneyoshi's eyes flickered slightly. He could tell that, in terms of playing style alone, both Fuji and Tezuka preferred to exert their strength in the later stages of the game.
Meanwhile, conversations were constantly taking place in the Seigaku rest area.
"Tezuka and Fuji are so solid against Keith, Lin Xiu, Oishi! If we could have their level of skill, our doubles team wouldn't be targeted like this!"
Kikumaru Eiji watched the figures constantly moving across the field, his tone filled with envy and longing.
His partnership with Oishi is certainly not bad, but compared to the current duel, it's not quite up to par.
"Don't worry, Eiji, we will definitely become a true National Level doubles team!"
Oishi Shuichiro was also brimming with confidence at this moment.
Upon hearing Oishi's statement, Akutsu's expression changed slightly. Having spent so much time together, he knew that this egg-headed vice minister was not one to make empty boasts.
"Seeing the perfect chemistry between Keith and Lin Xiu, our Golden Pair is full of energy too."
Akutsu glanced at Gan, who had taken out his notebook, and knew that he was going to take notes again. What Gan had just said was exactly what Akutsu had been thinking.
"Whispering sound..."
Akutsu uttered a single syllable, then turned his gaze back to the court, though he couldn't help but think that his teammates were indeed quite good.
On the field.
The situation was somewhat deadlocked at the moment. The battle for this ball seemed to be going on for a very long time. Keith and Lin Xiu launched a series of fierce attacks, while Tezuka and Fuji on the opposite side Fuji blocked them.
Despite this anxiety, Tezuka remained calm, as his arm had no weaknesses or disadvantages due to its lack of injury.
Therefore, he prefers this style of play that allows him to control the pace of the entire game.
However, for his opponents, this approach of being able to counter any attack they launch is not so appealing.
"We can't let this drag on any longer."
Bang!
Keith's gaze shifted, watching the tennis ball land steadily near the baseline once again. Even he couldn't help but feel a hint of admiration in his eyes.
After all, even he couldn't guarantee that every shot would be perfectly accurate after such a long rally.
Tezuka, however, maintained the same expression throughout, his clean and efficient movements making him seem like a tennis machine.
It seems he could keep playing like this forever.
Bang!
Tezuka hits a high backhand slice, another precise diagonal baseline shot.
"Let me be the one to break this cycle!"
Tap tap tap...
Keith made up his mind, then took a step forward and quickly chased after the tennis ball.
After glancing at Tezuka's location out of the corner of his eye, Keith suddenly unleashed a burst of light blue from his palm, and the water began to converge.
A hint of coldness appeared in his eyes, and the light blue shadows converged directly on the tennis ball.
Swish!
Bang!
Without the slightest pause, Keith's movements were incredibly fluid. He pulled the tennis ball vertically with a powerful motion, sending it rapidly towards the half of the court where Tezuka and Fuji.
Whoosh whoosh~
In mid-air, a light blue light whistled, and the moment it arrived at Seigaku's half of the court, three brand-new azure blue orbs of light split off next to the deep yellow tennis ball.
Furthermore, the three orbs of light formed a stable equilateral triangle, enveloping the real tennis ball, and then a massive airflow began to emanate from the orbs.
Like the three horizontal bars at the bottom of a washing machine, the Light Ball enveloped the tennis ball and began to spin.
The air itself was stirred up.
The ultimate technique of Qi – Spiral Dust Wind.
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"
I'm still on a business trip, please understand. There aren't many words yet. I'll be back on the 27th, and after a day of rest, I'll add an extra chapter on the 20th, for three consecutive days.