Waltz of the Butterfly
"Wow, wow, he actually managed to block the opponent's smash!"
"I can't believe it, what kind of reflexes does he have?"
"He's just like a quick-draw gunman from a Western movie."
On the Kanto team's side, Fuji also saw the replay on the screen.
Coach Baker, sitting on the bench, watched as his carefully laid plans unfolded, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.
"Let the opponent gain the advantage first, and then launch a counterattack. That's the basic principle of building up the atmosphere. Boys from the Kanto team, I'm very sorry, but you have to become our stepping stones to make a name for ourselves."
Atobe was somewhat taken aback when his serve was broken.
More importantly, the Waltz of the Butterfly was broken, reminding Atobe of that time once again.
It was done in a similar way, and it appeared equally effortless.
Seeing Atobe's absent-minded look, Horio on the Coach bench immediately understood what was going on.
"Atobe, are you alright?"
Seeing Atobe's expression, Sanada spoke up to remind him.
"Oh, I'm fine. Damn it, they broke my serve."
Atobe, quickly tried to cover it up, but his eyes involuntarily drifted towards Horio on the sidelines.
"Alright, alright, Billy Katie's about to unleash her full power."
Starting in the sixth inning, Billy was no longer holding back.
He tossed the ball into the air, and the hand holding the racket suddenly began to spin in circles.
Then, as the ball is about to fall, swing the racket to hit it.
The tennis ball flew out in an odd arc. Seeing Sanada looking somewhat peculiar, he focused his attention and prepared to receive the ball.
But after the ball flew over the net, its trajectory changed once again.
The tennis ball, which should have landed on Sanada's forehand, flew towards his Sanada with a strange arc once again.
Caught off guard by the sudden change in the tennis game, Sanada was scored on by the serve.
"West Coast team scores, 15-0"
"He really is a Western cowboy, lassoing a bull on the field..."
On the Coach's bench, Horio watched Billy's familiar movements.
It instantly reminded me of Billy in the wilderness, swinging a rope to lasso a cow.
Bang...
"West Coast team scores, 30:0"
"West Coast team scores, 40:0"
After Atobe once again unleashed Waltz of the Butterfly, Billy countered with Shotgun Intercept, securing the sixth inning's match point.
Bang...
"West Coast team scores, score 2:4"
Ultimately, a Smash Shot from Billy secured the sixth inning for the West Coast team.
The current score is 4:2.
Even so, they still can't win.
On the bench, even after being caught up by two points, Ryoma still felt that Sanada and Atobe had the advantage.
But before Ryoma could finish speaking, Kikumaru immediately denied it.
"There's no way we can win... Sanada and Atobe are nationally competitive tennis players, how could we possibly win?"
At this moment, Oshitari also voiced his objection, for he knew Atobe's strength better than anyone else.
Even if those two are very strong, they have absolutely no chemistry or understanding with each other.
If the opponent were weak, it would be fine, but now the opponent is very strong, and they are a very well-coordinated team.
Under these circumstances, it's simply impossible for Sanada and Atobe to win.
Kikumaru's words immediately pinpointed the problem, and Oshitari fell silent.
Horio, sitting on the Coach's bench, watched Sanada and Atobe on the field with his usual calm demeanor.
"I thought it was some amazing skill, but it turned out to be just a trick. But now I can only rely on myself to get through this."
On the baseline, Sanada looked at Atobe, who seemed a bit out of sorts in the Atobe, and the wind was activated.
The tennis ball flew out and slowly disappeared from sight.
However, it was no longer effective against Billy and Mike.
Billy gave Mike a look, and Mike nodded before moving to return the tennis ball.
"This book is for me, Atobe. I'm that guy's rival."
After Mike returned the ball, Atobe, who had already started moving, was once again overtaken by Sanada.
Thus, a temporary singles match unexpectedly took place in a doubles game.
"Sanada can actually keep up with Mike's moves. But that's good, if the opponent doesn't put up any resistance, the atmosphere won't get heated."
Coach Baker was quite surprised that Sanada could keep up with Mike's movements, but this also suited Coach Baker's wishes even better.
Bang...
"West Coast team scores, 15-0"
"Chinese martial arts are indeed very powerful."
Before his soul transmigrated here, Horio was a young Chinese man with the blood of the Yellow Emperor flowing through his veins, so he naturally admired traditional Chinese martial arts.
"During the fight, Mike's eyes darted behind Sanada for a moment. Although Sanada reacted instantly, it was just a trap set by Mike."
"Although he can judge the other party's movements in an instant, that Mike Lee is indeed very skilled."
"However, Sanada is quite impressive for being able to recognize the opponent's changes and react immediately."
"However, Mike Lee turned Sanada's strengths into weaknesses, which must have been quite a blow to Sanada."
Fuji also made the most rational analysis of that ball.
Sanada, on the field, realized he had been careless; if he had been more careful, he wouldn't have fallen for Mike's feint.
Unwilling to give up, Sanada clashed with Mike again, and the two clashed once more at the net.
This time, Sanada appeared exceptionally cautious, and it was precisely because of this caution that the number of rallies between the two was longer than in the previous point.
"Damn it, which way will he hit that ball... left or right?"
Just as Sanada was struggling with his shot, Mike suddenly changed his racket and hit Lob Shot.
Atobe, who had been told by Sanada to stand aside and watch, finally realized what was happening, but it was too late.
Even after diving to save the ball with all his might, he was still just a little short.
"West Coast team scores, 30:0"
"Seriously, if you want me to hand you the ball, then don't make me save it."
Atobe stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes while continuing to complain.
In the subsequent game, Mike completely dominated the match, and Billy had no chance to shoot at all.
Even so, Sanada and Atobe still couldn't gain any advantage; on the contrary, they were subtly suppressed by Mike.
After several more rounds, Mike hit the tennis ball towards Sanada on the right side of the court.
However, Atobe, felt that he was closer to the ball, so he moved to the right to return it.
After Atobe successfully returned the ball, Billy, who hadn't shot in a long time, jumped up.
Facing a completely undefended left half of the court, a Smash Shot was delivered.
"West Coast team scores, 40:0"
As Billy unleashed a powerful smash, the entire crowd supporting the West Coast erupted in cheers.
"That's fantastic! The atmosphere has reached its peak!"
Coach Baker was very satisfied with this situation, as it was exactly what he wanted to see.