But once the third game began, Atobe used his serves and targeted Fuji's blind spots and weaknesses.
He took three games in a row.
The score was now 5–0!
The entire Kanto Tournament venue was filled with cheers for Hyotei!
"Go, Hyotei!"
"Hyotei will win!"
"Hyotei is the strongest!"
Hyotei's cheers surged in wave after wave.
Atobe was just one game away from winning the third singles match!
Ten minutes later,
"Match over! The score is 6–0. Hyotei wins!"
With the referee's announcement, the third singles match came to an end!
"That guy Atobe's amazing! Looks like I won't get to play after all. This really pisses me off!" Akutsu said after seeing Atobe win.
His tone was full of displeasure.
"Yeah, Atobe's as strong as ever. That guy from Seigaku wasn't even his match!" Shishido added from beside him.
On the court, Atobe watched Fuji, who was panting heavily across from him, and walked over.
"Honestly, if I hadn't gone through that special training with Chiba, dealing with you would've been a bit of a struggle!
Your serves and returns were a real headache!
Too bad for you. That guy Chiba made me more than twice as strong!
I hope we can face off again at the Kanto Tournament!"
Hearing Atobe's words, Fuji turned to look at Chiba Yun Chuan. Chiba Yun Chuan was looking at him, too.
After they held each other's gaze for a few seconds,
Fuji looked away and slowly walked back to the Seigaku team.
Seeing the concern in his teammates' eyes, Fuji felt guilty!
"Sorry, everyone. I lost!"
After saying that, he bowed deeply.
It was the first time Fuji had ever lost so completely. He had been suppressed throughout the entire match.
The sweat on his face and his rapid breathing made his voice sound a little strained!
"Fuji, what are you doing? You played really well! Our opponent was genuinely strong! You don't have to do this. We'll win next time!" Oishi hurriedly pulled Fuji over and spoke to him earnestly.
"That's right, Fuji. We're a team! So what if we lost? We've already made it to the Kanto Tournament, so it doesn't matter!" Kikumaru said with a smile.
"That's right, Fuji-senpai. We'll win it back at the Kanto Tournament!" Momoshiro glared in Chiba Yun Chuan's direction as he spoke.
"Fuji, thanks for all your effort. Leave the rest to me." Tezuka folded his arms, his eyes sharp.
"Tezuka," Fuji said, looking at him. "You have to win!"
Chiba Yun Chuan was already heading back to get ready to take the court.
"So, Coach Ryuzaki, a first-year is up next!"
Chiba Yun Chuan was already preparing to return to the court. He had seen Tezuka take off his jacket!
He knew he had guessed right.
"Coach Ryuzaki, watch closely and see how this first-year beats your Seigaku team. First-years don't just pick up balls!"
Without waiting for Ryuzaki Sumire to reply, Chiba Yun Chuan turned and walked back to the Hyotei team.
"You're all still wearing your weights, right?" Chiba Yun Chuan's question sent shock waves through the crowd!
Seigaku was the first to be stunned!
"Weights? What weights? Have they been wearing weights throughout the matches?
I was wondering why Shishido Ryo had something like a sandbag strapped to his hand. I thought it was an ice pack!
So all the information I gathered was completely useless." Inui's voice was calm, but he was anything but calm inside!
"No way! How is that possible?" Oishi exclaimed, his face full of shock.
"Oishi, it turns out we lost to Hyotei while they were wearing weights!" Kikumaru said in disbelief.
"What are you making such a fuss about? Quiet down!" Tezuka finally spoke up, stopping their discussion.
Inoue Mamoru was just as shocked when he heard this.
He had never expected Hyotei to have been hiding so much.
"Hyotei really lives up to its name. I can't believe they nearly won without dropping a single game against a strong team like Seigaku, all while wearing weights!
If their doubles pair hadn't been injured, I think the match would already be over, right?"
"Inoue-san, this is unbelievable!" Shiba Saori was shocked, too.
"So Hyotei's players were all wearing weights?"
"No way. They're that strong even with weights on?"
"I can't believe it!"
At Chiba Yun Chuan's words, everyone on the Hyotei team began responding.
"We are, Captain. They're just a little heavy!" Shishido lifted his hand as he spoke.
"Akutsu's are even heavier than ours—twice as heavy! But there's no comparing ourselves to him. He's a complete monster." Chotaro looked toward Akutsu, who was standing not far away, his face full of apprehension.
It seemed Akutsu's expression was still pretty scary. Chiba Yun Chuan paid no attention to their comments!
Because all his attention was on Tezuka.
At last, he had a chance to face off against Tezuka. It was probably every tennis fan's dream, wasn't it?
Today, Chiba Yun Chuan was going head-to-head with Tezuka!
The score between Hyotei and Seigaku was now 2–1. If Hyotei won one more match, the competition would be over!
Hyotei would claim the Kanto Tournament championship outright!
Next up was the second singles match.
"My turn now. I'm going to take on Tezuka!"
After saying that, Chiba Yun Chuan walked over to the tennis bag to get his racket and take the court.
"Is the captain finally going to play? This is his first time taking the court, right?" Gakuto said. Shishido Ryo, whose arm had already been treated, Chotaro, Oshitari, and Atobe all watched Chiba Yun Chuan.
"Watch my match against Tezuka carefully. Especially you, Atobe!
You'll learn a lot from it!"
At Chiba Yun Chuan's words, Atobe's expression turned serious.
"Understood."
Atobe knew Chiba Yun Chuan wouldn't tell him to watch closely for no reason. That made him look forward to the upcoming match even more.
Only Chiba Yun Chuan could make Tezuka so serious and composed!
Meanwhile, over on the Seigaku team,
"Tezuka, are you sure you should play? Is your arm going to be all right?" Ryuzaki Sumire still didn't know that Tezuka's arm had healed!
She was still worried that he might not be able to play.
"Coach Ryuzaki, my arm has healed. There's no problem at all!" Tezuka looked at Ryuzaki Sumire and replied calmly.
Although the Seigaku players had just heard that Tezuka's arm had recovered, they weren't sure it was true, so none of them spoke up.
"All right. If you feel any discomfort, withdraw immediately. We've already made it to the Kanto Tournament! It doesn't matter whether we win the championship or not!" Ryuzaki Sumire said helplessly. Tezuka's arm was still her priority!
"That's right, Tezuka. Don't push yourself. You still have to lead us to the Nationals," Fuji added from beside him.
Oishi, Kikumaru, Kawamura, Momoshiro, and Inui all watched Tezuka, worry in their eyes.
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