At that moment, all the members and regular players of the Hyotei tennis club headed to the two sides of the court.
Everyone's eyes were on Atobe and Chiba Yun Chuan, but they all thought this would be a one-sided match!
Atobe was sure to win!
"Captain Atobe, I'll be the referee!" Mukahi Gakuto called out from behind them.
Atobe didn't say anything, but nodded to show his approval.
Chiba Yun Chuan had already picked up his racket and walked to the opposite side of the court from Atobe.
"That Mukahi guy is something else. Does this match really need a referee?
The captain's definitely going to win!
How long do you think it'll take the captain to finish this kid off? How many points?" Oshitari Yuushi asked slowly, pushing up his glasses.
"Six-love."
"Six-love."
Shishido and Ootori Choutarou spoke at the same time. They glanced at each other, then looked back at the court in unison.
They were perfectly in sync!
"Kid, I won't say I'm picking on you. You can serve first." Atobe rested his racket on his shoulder, exuding the cold indifference of an emperor.
"No. It won't make any difference to the outcome who serves first!
It's all the same to me. You won't score a single point against me anyway!" Chiba Yun Chuan's reply was even more arrogant.
His words enraged both the regular players and the other members of the tennis club!
"Is this guy really that arrogant?" Shishido Ryo was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Chiba Yun Chuan to be so conceited!
"He actually turned down the serve? What an arrogant guy!" Ootori Choutarou was also a little annoyed.
"How can he act like that? He has no respect for our captain!"
"Even though our former captain has moved on to high school, that doesn't mean just anyone can insult Hyotei!"
"That wretched guy! Captain, teach him a lesson!"
The Hyotei tennis club members were all waiting to see Atobe defeat Chiba Yun Chuan.
Atobe was taken aback by Chiba Yun Chuan's words. He gave him a long look.
"Kid, I hope your skills match your words. Otherwise, I won't let you off easily!"
Then Atobe turned and headed for the baseline to serve.
On the Hyotei tennis court,
Chiba Yun Chuan and Atobe stared each other down, sparks flickering between them.
Chiba Yun Chuan, however, looked completely relaxed.
The battle was about to begin.
No one noticed that Chiba Yun Chuan's eyes had changed color, shifting from their usual shade to purple!
"Kid, don't get too full of yourself! Today, I'll show you what the captain of Hyotei can do! Be careful not to get lost in my dazzling technique!" After saying this, Atobe tossed the tennis ball into the air. His body bent back in an exaggerated arch.
When the ball dropped to a certain height, he swung his racket, striking it hard.
Atobe's movements were fluid and graceful, a pleasure to watch. His technique really was dazzling.
There was a sharp crack.
The ball shot toward Chiba Yun Chuan too fast for the eye to follow, then landed and skidded along the ground toward the net without bouncing. Chiba Yun Chuan could only watch helplessly as he lost the point!
"Atobe scores. Fifteen-love," Mukahi Gakuto announced in a calm, emotionless voice.
"Wow, what kind of serve was that? I've never seen anything like it!"
"Captain, what kind of serve was that? The ball didn't even bounce! That's incredible!"
"Kid, do you know who the emperor of Hyotei is now?"
Atobe basked in the praise around him.
"Well, kid? Do you understand the difference between us now? It's time for my performance!
Today, I'll show you my true strength!"
He served just like before, and Chiba Yun Chuan still couldn't return it.
"Atobe scores. Thirty-love!"
"Atobe scores. One-love!"
In the blink of an eye, Atobe's service game was over. He had won four points in a row!
Chiba Yun Chuan hadn't scored a single point.
"I told you, Captain Atobe is unbeatable!"
"Kid, why aren't you acting so cocky now? You know how powerful the captain is, don't you?"
"Teach this kid a good lesson for looking down on everyone!"
Atobe was in high spirits. Chiba Yun Chuan didn't even dare lift his head, and Atobe was feeling extremely pleased with himself.
"Now it's your turn to serve, kid. I won't let you score a single point! Just like you said!
You'd better enjoy the defeat I'm going to hand you!" Atobe pointed his racket at Chiba Yun Chuan as he spoke. Light began to radiate from around his body.
He looked just like an emperor.
"Is that all this kid can do?"
"Atobe really is too strong!"
"This kid is so weak. Even I could beat him!"
But Chiba Yun Chuan said nothing. He simply kept his head lowered.
It was now Chiba Yun Chuan's turn to serve.
Chiba Yun Chuan prepared to serve. He tossed the ball, jumped, and hit it.
It was an ordinary serve. The ball wasn't slow, but under Atobe's extraordinary vision, it seemed to move in slow motion.
To Atobe, there was nothing special about the serve. His superb eyesight let him see the ball's trajectory at a glance!
In Atobe's eyes, Chiba Yun Chuan was surrounded by openings and blind spots!
"Kid, I hope you can last a few minutes. I haven't even shown you all of my dazzling skills yet!"
As he spoke, Atobe ran to where the ball would land and got into position.
He returned it with a casual stroke. Chiba Yun Chuan sprinted frantically, but the ball bounced and flew out of the court!
"Atobe scores. Fifteen-love!"
"What's wrong, kid? Why aren't you saying anything? You were so cocky before. Fine, then let me teach you a proper lesson!
Come on, keep going!"
Atobe's tone was exceptionally arrogant. For some reason, he felt many times stronger than usual, as if his whole body were brimming with endless energy!
He also had all sorts of techniques in his mind, though he didn't know their names!
Most importantly, his eyesight had improved!
But he noticed he was sweating, even though he hadn't done much exercise.
That was a little strange, but he blamed it on all the serves and returns and didn't give it another thought.
The match continued.
"Atobe scores. Thirty-love!"
"Atobe scores. Two-love!"
"Atobe scores. Five-love!"
"Atobe scores. Forty-love!"
As Mukahi Gakuto continued announcing the score mechanically, the match had reached the final point of the last game of the set!
The match had been one-sided from the very beginning. Chiba Yun Chuan hadn't been able to fight back against Atobe at all!
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