State of Selflessness

"Hmph, you think I'd deliberately hit Lob Shot to a tricky spot? Don't even think about it."

Knowing Ryoma's purpose, Kevin didn't hesitate and launched the Illusion Ball.

Seeing Kevin's posture, Ryoma immediately pulled his hat down lower.

"Ah! What is the little one doing? Why is he pulling his hat down so low?"

"If that's the case, won't we be unable to see the ball?"

When Ryoma made this move, everyone in the audience tensed up.

They couldn't hit Kevin's Illusion Ball to begin with, and now they're not even looking at it.

Whether you can hit the ball or not is another matter, but if you get hit by the ball, it's not worth it.

However, unlike before, Horio didn't look nervous; instead, he smiled.

"That's right, Ryoma, don't get caught up in appearances."

On the field, the Illusion Ball got closer and closer to Ryoma, but Ryoma showed no sign of looking up.

Just as the Illusion Ball was about to enter Ryoma's swing range, he moved.

He kept his head down, turned his body, and swung his racket.

Bang...

"Kanto team scores, 1-0"

"What!?"

Got it! Ryoma successfully returned the Illusion Ball.

Kevin looked as if he had seen something unbelievable, and Coach Baker on the Coach was also startled and stood up.

He also had a look of utter disbelief on his face, his eyes twitching uncontrollably.

"The Illusion Ball was... returned."

"That was just a coincidence..."

"Billy..."

"That was just a coincidence! Hey, that's our painstakingly invented Illusion Ball, how could it possibly be hit back?"

"Billy is right, he was just swinging the racket randomly."

Upon hearing Billy's words, Kevin readjusted his mindset.

Ryoma only looked up when he served the ball, even though it was an ordinary shot.

"Atobe, I'm asking you, do you think Echizen just happened to hit him?"

"Of course not, you know perfectly well why you're asking me."

"That's right. Echizen, whose dynamic vision is better than average Echizen, is actually troubled by Illusion Ball, so he chooses to simply not watch the game."

"But... if he doesn't look, how can he hit the ball back?"

Sanada and the others believed that Ryoma's shot just now was not a coincidence, but they didn't know how he did it.

"Damn it, I'll prove to you that you just happened to hit me!"

On the court, Kevin hit another Illusion Ball, Ryoma once again pulled his hat down low.

"It's a shadow! It was just a shadow."

"Shadow... that's right! No matter how many clones the ball seems to have, the ball's shadow is only one."

"Echizen plays basketball while watching his shadow."

Fuji from the sidelines, noticed Ryoma lowering his hat again and finally realized something was amiss.

And just as Fuji said, Ryoma's eyes were fixed on the shadow on the ground.

Bang...

"Kanto team scores, 2-0"

"Wasn't it just a fluke?"

After his Illusion Ball was returned twice in a row, Kevin was beginning to believe that Ryoma had figured out his special move.

"Hmph, it's still a long way off."

When I looked up again, that familiar phrase appeared.

"It's just a coincidence! It must just be a coincidence!"

"If you think it's a coincidence, why not try it a few more times?"

Hearing that Kevin was still not giving up, Ryoma didn't tolerate it.

"Just you wait, I'll definitely handle this one!"

After saying that, it became another Illusion Ball.

Bang...

"Kanto team scores, 3-0"

"My... my Illusion Ball... he cracked it."

Same method, same result.

Even if you manage to break the Illusion Ball, I don't care, because in the end, I will be the one to win.

With his Illusion Ball cracked, Kevin was starting to give up entirely.

This mindset led to another mistake.

The long-absent Lob Shot reappeared, and Ryoma didn't hold back, immediately unleashing Tornado Smash.

Bang...

"Kanto team scores, 4-0"

"I feel... I absolutely cannot lose."

"Kevin! What are you doing! You're fired, you can get out!"

"Coach Baker, if you threaten the players again, I'll have you kicked off the field!"

Enraged, Coach Baker broke down again, and the referee gave him one last warning.

"Kevin, stand up! Stand up!"

At that moment, Kevin suddenly heard his father's voice in his mind; it was what his father had said to him when he was a child, when he was training him.

"Am I really going to lose? If I lose here, won't I end up like my dad?"

Thinking of his father, who drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day, Kevin's indomitable spirit was rekindled.

"No... I'm not like my dad! I will never lose!"

Although that's what I thought in my heart, it didn't prevent me from making mistakes at all.

Another Lob Shot, Ryoma leaps up with all his might.

The Tornado Smash flew towards Kevin again, but this Tornado Smash it didn't achieve the desired effect.

Kevin suddenly moved his left foot, adopting a familiar posture.

It's "Brown Bear Drop! "Kevin actually hit "Brown Bear Drop" in the nick of time.

Kevin's change surprised Ryoma and the crowd on the sidelines, including Horio.

"To actually enter the State of Selflessness under such circumstances..."

Amidst gasps of surprise, the match continued.

This time, Kevin switched his racket to his right hand, and then the Ghost Ball appeared.

Then came Ryoma's own Tornado Smash.

Bang...

"West Coast team scores, 1:4"

Bang...

"West Coast team scores, 2:4"

Bang...

"West Coast team scores, 3:4"

"This must be the State of Selflessness."

Sanada, watching the changes on the field, also remembered something.

"It's not about thinking with your head before acting, but about reacting unconsciously based on the memories of physical experience. You could say that only those who transcend this limit can reach this level."

"But Kevin has never played against me or Oshitari..."

"Could it be... that he learned it just by watching...?"

On the court, Kevin continued to unleash his Tornado Smash.

With goal after goal pressing, Ryoma was pushed to the brink.

Ryoma, who was holding his racket with both hands ready to return the Tornado Smash, roared and forcefully hit the ball back.

Kevin wasn't going to stop, and used Sanada's wind technique again.

An unseen swing is unleashed, Ryoma returns the Tornado Smash.

Kevin moved immediately, Brown Bear Drop caught the ball.

Thinking the game was over, Kevin smiled.

However, that's exactly what happened. The Tornado Smash was returned, Ryoma hit another Tornado Smash.

Unexpectedly, Ryoma was able to hit such smashes one after another, forcing Kevin to use the Brown Bear Drop again.

Kevin could withstand the force of the Tornado Smash, but his racket could not.

Shortly after the tennis ball landed on the racket, the racket made a cracking sound.