On the court, after Sanada Genichiro served, the spectators at the sidelines hadn't even seen how the ball had crossed the court.
The ball was incredibly fast. A scout standing at the sidelines with a speed gun checked the reading. "195 kilometers per hour."
"That's not that fast. How come none of us could see the ball's trajectory?"
Someone began to doubt the speed the scout had reported.
"It's his swing. Our eyes can't keep up with how fast Sanada Genichiro swings his racket," the scout continued.
Kannagi Shinichi hadn't seen Sanada Genichiro swing, either. But when he heard the ball hit the ground, he relied on the tremendous explosive power in his legs to reach it in an instant and swing it back with all his might.
"He returned it."
Sanada's gaze darkened. This was the second person who had managed to return his Swift as the Wind on the very first ball.
Kannagi Shinichi's return hadn't been at a good angle, though. The ball rose high enough to give Sanada Genichiro a chance to smash it.
Even so, Sanada was displeased. He rushed up to the net, swung his racket down with all his strength, and unleashed a brutal smash.
"Aggressive as Fire."
The most important thing about Sanada's Aggressive as Fire was its power. His arm left a blur in the air, and the ball shot away like a flaming cannonball.
Bang!
In an instant, the ball slammed down in front of Kannagi Shinichi. Spinning with tremendous force, it began to bounce off the ground.
Faced with a contest of strength like this, Kannagi Shinichi couldn't have been more eager.
He gripped his racket with both hands and took his stance, ready to return Sanada's Aggressive as Fire.
"That move's coming!"
All the spectators at the sidelines excitedly turned their eyes to the white-haired boy on the court, their gazes filled with anticipation.
That move was simply too shocking.
Everyone widened their eyes as the boy raised his racket with both hands and shouted:
"Two-handed... Thunder... Clap... Eight... Trigrams!"
The ball carried a wave of air and slammed down on Sanada's side of the court like a cannonball.
Boom!
When Sanada saw the incoming ball, his pupils contracted. Every hair on his body stood on end.
The ball was terrifying. His instincts told him he absolutely couldn't return it.
But I'm Sanada Genichiro. I will never back down.
Sanada Genichiro couldn't help growling inwardly. He gripped his racket tightly and charged toward the ball as it hit the ground, bracing against the powerful wave of air it carried before swinging his racket hard at it.
The moment the racket touched the ball, his wrist felt the immense force behind it. Then the impact spread through his entire body.
First, the racket flew from his hand. Then the ball sent him flying, and he landed heavily on the baseline.
Court No. 2 was now as silent as the grave. The most common sound among the spectators was the noise of them swallowing.
No matter how many times they saw that shot, it was still shocking.
"That guy named Sanada got sent flying, too." Mukahi Gakuto said this to Shishido Ryo, who had previously lost to Sanada Genichiro.
"Sanada Genichiro is strong, but that guy is undoubtedly at the top among people our age." Shishido Ryo spoke as he gazed at Kannagi Shinichi.
"He's pretty amazing. When we enter middle school, he'll be our captain." Akutagawa Jirou said with a cheerful grin.
Beside the three Hyotei players, a teasing voice rang in their ears. "Little Shiraishi, good thing you didn't enter this tournament. If you'd gotten sent flying, you'd have been so embarrassed."
The speaker was Mouri Jusaburou, who hadn't yet transferred to Rikkai Dai. The person he was teasing was Shiraishi Kuranosuke, whose arm was wrapped in bandages.
Hearing Mouri Jusaburou's words, Shiraishi wore a pained expression and replied plaintively, "Mori-senpai..."
"Hahaha... I'm done teasing you." Mouri Jusaburou's smile faded, and he looked at Kannagi Shinichi with a grave expression. "Kannagi Shinichi's strength and explosive power are already far beyond the level of middle schoolers. No, even high schoolers don't have strength and explosive power like his. That guy named Sanada Genichiro has no chance of winning this match."
"What about you, Mori-senpai? Could you beat Kannagi Shinichi?" Shiraishi Kuranosuke asked doubtfully as Mouri Jusaburou confidently held forth. He knew how strong Mouri Jusaburou was.
"Me?" Mouri Jusaburou fell silent for a moment, then returned to his usual carefree manner and grinned. "Who knows? I'm pretty strong, after all."
The three Hyotei players turned to look at Mouri Jusaburou, their expressions displeased.
In their hearts, Kannagi Shinichi was the strongest. After all, once they entered middle school, he would be their captain—even if this future captain looked cold and difficult to get along with.
Perhaps sensing the three Hyotei players' stares, Mouri Jusaburou didn't take offense and continued joking, "I really am strong."
Meanwhile, in the players' area, Chitose Senri and Tachibana Kippei, who had already finished their matches in the tournament, were watching this one.
Chitose Senri teased Tachibana Kippei, "Kippei, now you won't be alone. At last, someone else has been sent flying just like you."
"Bastard!" Chitose Senri's words made Tachibana Kippei's veins bulge. He grabbed Chitose Senri around the neck and roared, "I dare you to say that again!"
On the other side, Yukimura Seiichi hadn't been able to see Sanada's match because several courts lay between them. He suddenly stopped.
He looked up toward Court No. 2, where Sanada was playing, and furrowed his brows. For some reason, a sense of unease welled up inside him.
On Court No. 2, Sanada Genichiro had already gotten back to his feet and picked up the racket that had flown away.
But a trace of blood showed at the base of his thumb, and his hand was still trembling slightly.
As he looked at the white-haired boy holding a racket across from him, Sanada Genichiro's eyes were filled with unwillingness.
"0–15. Point to Kannagi Shinichi."
The court umpire's voice finally rang out, and it seemed to carry a trace of shock.
This was the same umpire who had been on Court No. 3 earlier, so he hadn't seen Kannagi Shinichi's match against Tachibana Kippei.
Sitting in his chair, the umpire wiped away a little sweat. Fortunately, he had once umpired the Tokyo Metropolis middle school tournament and had seen a few big moments. Otherwise, if he'd been a newcomer, the force of that shot would probably have frightened him out of his wits.
"The hand holding his racket is trembling."
The spectators closest to Sanada Genichiro noticed something was wrong and cried out in surprise.
"He took that terrifying shot head-on, after all." Tachibana Kippei gave a bitter smile.
At least Sanada Genichiro had been able to step forward and meet the ball. During his own match, he had been blown away by the wave of air.
"No, Sanada's hand is injured." Chitose Senri spoke up. He had seen a trace of blood running from Sanada's hand.
The umpire heard the spectators talking, climbed down from his chair, and went over to Sanada Genichiro. "Sanada, if you're injured—"
Before the umpire could finish, Sanada Genichiro cut in. "I'm continuing the match."
Before you continue