Hissss!
The moment the racket touched the tennis ball, Atobe felt a tremendous force surge through it.
"What?"
A cry of shock escaped Atobe, and he immediately gripped the racket with his left hand as well!
Atobe gave it everything he had,
but he still couldn't stop the ball. The rapidly spinning tennis ball made a swishing sound as it scraped against the racket!
Like a roaring beast!
"Raaah!" Atobe's arms bulged with veins. He was at his limit, but he refused to let go of the racket. He wouldn't let what had happened before happen even once more!
Bang!
The tennis ball punched straight through Atobe's racket, leaving a hole about the size of a tennis ball!
Then it slammed into the ground, leaving a dent, before bouncing into the wire fence behind the court.
"Ding, Show-off Value +5
Show-off Value +10"
"What did I just see? It actually punched straight through the racket? Am I dreaming?"
"Is that even human? He's a god!"
"'Monster' doesn't even begin to describe Captain Chiba. He's a god! The God of the Night!"
"Atobe—Atobe's racket got punched through! Taro!" Shishido Ryo exclaimed in shock.
"That's unbelievable. That was Light Bullet, right?" Gakuto asked.
"Yeah. I heard it was Light Bullet!" Oshitari said with certainty.
Chiba Yun Chuan's final Light Bullet left the spectators around them dumbfounded.
The tennis ball spun against the fence, scorching it until it smelled burnt!
Finally, it shot right out of the court!
"The match is over. The score is six to zero. Captain Chiba wins!" the referee stammered as he announced the result.
The spectators around the court were still reeling from that last shot by Chiba Yun Chuan. Then the crowd erupted into a huge buzz of discussion.
"Oh my god, another six to zero!"
"Night God Captain looks so cool when he plays tennis. I can't take it!"
"What was that last shot? It was so strong!"
"Did you see that? The last ball actually glowed!"
Watching Chiba Yun Chuan standing in the middle of the court as if nothing had happened, Inoue Mamoru thought to himself,
"Looks like it won't be easy for Rikkai Dai to win the National Tournament twice in a row this year! Chiba Yun Chuan must be among the strongest players at the national level.
"With Atobe Keigo on their side, if they also have another national-level doubles team and singles player, their chances of winning the championship will be enormous! I can't wait. I never expected coming back early to bring such a surprise. I'm looking forward to the tournament starting in a few months more and more!"
After saying that, he picked up his camera and took a few more pictures.
Atobe was lying on the ground, limbs spread wide. His labored breathing showed that he had reached his limit!
He felt as if he didn't have a shred of strength left.
Today's match had completely overturned Atobe's understanding of what was possible! It had done the same for the spectators around them!
So middle schoolers could really be this strong?
For Atobe,
Chiba was even stronger than the Rikkai Dai players he'd faced the previous year!
This was the first time Atobe had ever had his racket knocked out of his hand during a match!
It was also the first time someone had punched a hole through his racket!
And the most incredible part was that his opponent was another middle schooler! Just like him—and a year below him, at that.
That was what truly shook him.
Nothing like this had ever happened before! Atobe took a long, deep look at Chiba Yun Chuan across the court.
His understanding of Chiba had deepened, and he believed even more firmly that Chiba could lead Hyotei to victory at the National Tournament.
He picked up his racket and examined it carefully. The huge hole right in the center was impossible to miss.
What kind of strength did it take to punch through a tennis racket?
"How about it, Atobe? Now that's what I call a real tennis move. It's called Light Bullet!
"It's a simplified version, but it's still pretty good.
"Wasn't that cool?
"If you want to learn it, I can teach you!"
Chiba Yun Chuan looked at Atobe, tipped his head back, and said smugly.
"Ding, Show-off Value +5
Show-off Value +10"
"Tch. I'm not interested! I'll create my own tennis moves! Just you wait!"
And indeed, Atobe did go on to create his own tennis moves!
Seeing Atobe still so confident after suffering a crushing defeat, Chiba Yun Chuan couldn't help feeling moved.
He'd admired Atobe before crossing over, after all. Otherwise, he wouldn't be treating him this way now.
"Let's accomplish together what we haven't yet achieved in the future, Atobe!" Chiba Yun Chuan met Atobe's gaze. They both saw the same unshakable confidence in each other.
At those words, Atobe froze for a moment. The National Tournament?
"Chiba, you're the only Captain I'll ever have!" The thought flashed through Atobe's mind.
Chiba Yun Chuan and Atobe's match was now over!
Just as expected, the score was six to zero. Atobe hadn't won a single point.
At this point, Atobe's eyesight only let him spot his opponents' weaknesses and read the ball's trajectory. The main problem was that the gap between him and Chiba Yun Chuan was simply too vast. Even when Atobe could see Chiba's weaknesses and read where the ball was going, he didn't have the skill to exploit those weaknesses or return the shots!
Besides, Chiba Yun Chuan had only been playing around. He hadn't even used his full strength.
Even Light Bullet had been a simplified version!
"How about it, Atobe? How was half my strength? Look at you—you're so tired you can barely walk!" Chiba Yun Chuan teased, looking at Atobe, who was drenched in sweat.
"Tch. It was only so-so. One day, I'll return that shot of yours!" After saying that, he walked straight over to the rest area and called for the next player to step onto the court!
Chiba Yun Chuan hadn't broken a sweat. He was only a little warm.
Watching Atobe walk away, Chiba smiled.
"All right, my warm-up is over. Who's next? Let's wrap this up quickly!" Chiba Yun Chuan pointed his racket around like a king ruling the court, declaring his dominion and sweeping away anyone who dared oppose him.
"Ding, Show-off Value +5
Show-off Value +10"
"He's so strong. Is Hyotei finally on the rise?"
"Who's stronger, Captain Chiba or Seiichi Yukimura, the captain of last year's champions, Rikkai Dai?"
"At this level, only the leaders of other schools could give him a run for his money, right?"
"Yukimura Seiichi is probably a little stronger. After all, he's the captain of the National Tournament champions!"
Watching Atobe slowly walk toward the rest area, Ootori Choutarou and the others looked grave.
"I wonder who's up next. Having a captain like this is a good thing for us, I think! Let's keep following in his footsteps and get stronger!"
"That's right, Taro. And we're going to win the National Tournament, too!" Gakuto's face was full of determination and confidence!
"I might not have time to sleep from now on. That really sucks."
"Oshitari, are you ready?"
"What do you think, Gakuto?"
Hana had finished organizing the information and called out,
"Next up, the doubles team of Mukahi Gakuto and Oshitari Yuushi!"
At that, the two of them picked up their rackets and headed onto the court.
Before you continue