The Clash of Strength

"Oops, I think I went a little too hard..."

After the match ended, Muneyoshi slapped his racket behind his back and scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed.

It's not that he's truly hypocritical, but rather that once he enters the competitive state, darkness subtly influences him.

This is actually because he hasn't fully integrated it into his own system, or hasn't fully grasped it.

Therefore, what is outwardly apparent is that they have completely different faces on and off the field.

However, Muneyoshi glanced at the bewildered Oshitari Kenya and the solemn-faced members of Shitenhoji, and could only suppress his apology, managing a forced smile.

"Who's next?"

"I'll do it!"

The bald, burly man, Ishida Gin, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, stood up, took off his clothes, removed the shoulder straps that restricted his strength and weight, and then picked up his racket and went onto the court.

"Ah Yin, use your power to defeat him!"

"Oh, Gintoki, let your power teach this guy from Tokyo a lesson."

"Yes, Ah Yin, defeat him!"

As Ishida Gin listened to the thunderous cheers and encouragement around him, he felt a surge of power welling up within him, and he couldn't wait to make a big splash.

After the players guessed which side they would choose, Muneyoshi won the right to serve.

Saeki Muneyoshi held a tennis ball in his hand, smiling as he looked at the tall man opposite him.

If the first match against Oshitari Kenya was just a warm-up, then facing Ishida Gin should be a real chance to stretch one's muscles.

He was, of course, very clear about Ishida Gin's strength.

A pure power-type player whose signature move is the Wave Shot. In fact, he is a player who can be selected for the U-17 junior high school division based solely on this Wave Shot.

Although they may have a severe imbalance in their academic performance, they can still shine in competitions by excelling in one particular skill.

"I wonder how far Ishida Gin has progressed in his research on the Wave Shot?"

So, let's make a strong first move and test your current level!

He tossed the tennis ball high into the air, Muneyoshi up, and steadily shifted his weight from bottom to top.

"Bang!"

With a crisp snap, the tennis ball, like a flash of yellow light, streaked across the air and, as if rehearsed thousands of times, landed firmly on the inverted triangle of the service line.

This is Muneyoshi's favorite basic serve technique: the Aerial High Volley!

"Ace, 15-0."

At this moment, the crowd that had been cheering for Ishida Gin all lowered their voices.

With just one goal, Muneyoshi displayed a level of skill that he hadn't shown in his previous match against Oshitari Kenya.

Meanwhile, Shiraishi Kuranosuke, Shiraishi Kuranosuke had been watching the game with his arms crossed, suddenly stood up straight, his eyes widening as he stared at Saeki Muneyoshi on the field.

"That was perfect skill, Muneyoshi! Great shot!"

"Well, that's indeed a very good skill, Shiraishi..."

At some point, Watanabe Osamu, along with Hirazeni Hara Tetsuya, finished their conversation and came to the sidelines.

"Hey, Ken, you lost pretty badly!"

The arrival of the three suddenly changed the atmosphere on the court. Oshitari Kenya made a very funny face at the Hirazeni Shinobu Ken, who was slumped to the side.

"Alright, Pingshan, let's watch the game. This little guy is no ordinary opponent!"

Watanabe Osamu interrupted Hirazeni's attempt to continue his pranks, a serious expression creeping onto his lips as he held a toothpick in his mouth.

On the court, Ishida Gin was not intimidated by the previous shot. Instead, he moved to the receiving position, lowered his knees, and focused his mind. He was now fully alert.

Bang!

Same move, same execution, same perfection—another Aerial High Volley!

The tennis ball transformed into a beam of light, shooting directly towards Ishida Gin's court.

"What a fast serve!"

At this moment, even those who were prepared were still somewhat surprised. They hadn't expected that a first-year student could execute such a standard and perfect serve.

Bang!

Unsurprisingly, once Muneyoshi got into the game, he was a completely different person, hitting four consecutive aces to win his service game.

"It looks like things are going to be tough for A-Gin..."

"He should be getting ready to use that!"

"It's coming!"

"Fluctuation..."

"Hmph, no wonder you dared to come to Shitenhoji alone for an exchange; your strength is indeed greater than mine."

"Perhaps my overall strength is inferior to yours, but in terms of power, I will never lose. Wave Shot, First Form."

After being scored on four consecutive serves, Ishida Gin really started to get serious. When it was his turn to serve, he stopped probing and immediately started with Wave Shot serve.

Ishida Gin tossed the tennis ball into the air, stepped back with his left foot, and instead of jumping, raised his right arm high, the muscles in his arm bulging.

Boom!

The tennis ball made contact with the racket face with a loud bang, and a trajectory that seemed to flash with blue and white lightning shot straight towards the other side.

Opposite him, Saeki Muneyoshi stood firmly with his well-proportioned body.

Feeling the whistling sound in his ear, Muneyoshi's lips curled up and he snorted coldly. He did not dodge, but instead took half a step back with his right foot, and his eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light.

"Not bad strength, but it's useless against me. However, if you want to compete in strength, I'm ready!"

With a flick of his wrist, Muneyoshi used his racket's Sweet Spot Technique with unparalleled precision to catch the incoming tennis ball. With a slight tremor of his wrist, he neutralized all the powerful force emanating from the ball.

Before the cheers for Ishida Gin had even subsided, Muneyoshi easily returned the tennis ball.

Moreover, it wasn't just a simple return shot. With the added power of Muneyoshi's superior Sweet Spot Hit Technique and unimaginable strength, the force contained in this shot was terrifying!

As a power-type athlete Ishida Gin was the first to notice this.

He changed his habit of holding the racket with one hand and started gripping it tightly with both hands, his eyes fixed on the tennis ball that was hurtling towards him like a cannonball.

"Wave Shot, Second Form!"

Boom!

"Hey, good day! Let's see how many Wave Shot you can hit!"

The tennis ball was caught by Muneyoshi again, and he hit it back with even greater force, creating a tremendous shockwave that kicked up the dust on the ground.

"Boom! What!"

Upon contact, a powerful force spreads from the tennis ball to the entire racket, and then to the wrist.

Ishida Gin's face, which had always been as expressionless as that of an ascetic, was now shocked by the immense power of the tennis ball as it struck.

The powerful force involuntarily pushed his body back half a step.

"Wave Shot Sixth Form!"

Ishida Gin decisively abandoned his original plan for the third move and directly used the sixth move Wave Shot.

Because he had already sensed that the opponent's power had surpassed that of the previous Wave Shot.

However, when it comes to a clash of strength, he fears no one.

"What incredible strength these two have!"

We know that Ah Yin is powerful, but how could this "skinny" guy also have such great strength?

Outside the court, the spectators listened with a sense of unease as they heard the dull thuds of the ball hitting the shuttlecock.

Of course, when they said Muneyoshi was "skinny," they were referring to him in comparison to Ishida Gin. Compared to Shiraishi, Muneyoshi was much stronger.

The match continued, with Muneyoshi completely abandoning technique and engaging in a pure contest of strength with Ishida Gin.

This was quite unusual in the eyes of everyone at Shitenhoji.

Because they were all well aware of the terrifying power of Ishida Gin, they would all try to avoid it.

Therefore, seeing the two engage in such an astonishing power duel right from the start, they couldn't help but feel excited.

"I never expected that someone in the first year of university in Japan could rival Japan in strength to this extent."

Seeing Ishida unleash another Wave Shot on the field, this time doubling the power and using the Twelfth Wave Shot, Koishikawa Kenjiro remarked with some surprise.

Ishida Gin's strength is the strongest in Shitenhoji, and also the strongest in the entire Kansai region.

"No, Koishikawa, that guy over there isn't just someone who's fighting against Gintoki!"

"What a terrifying guy!"

Vice Minister Hara Tetsuya combed the strands of hair that had fallen across his forehead back and stared intently at Saeki Muneyoshi opposite him, as if trying to see right through him.

P. S.: "The Shitenhoji arc is a turning point, so I'll write it in more detail. The rest of the story will move faster... It's almost the end of the month, and August is just around the corner. If you have any monthly tickets, feel free to vote for me. I'll be updating extra chapters in the next few days."

I just bought some groceries and cooked dinner. I'll write more at home today.