Fuji's Progress

Bang...

Horio swung his racket simply and forcefully, and the tennis ball was successfully returned.

Fuji wasn't very surprised to see Horio return the Disappearing Serve.

If Horio can struggle with a serve of this caliber, then Fuji's efforts over this period have been meaningless.

Fuji reacted immediately to the ball Horio returned.

He quickly moved behind the landing point of the return shot and Fuji his racket.

"Are you still trying to use distance advantage against me? No matter how many times you try, it's useless."

Fuji hit the ball to Horio's other side, and Horio appeared instantly the next second.

With a right-handed forehand, smash the tennis ball.

The instant the racket touched the tennis ball, Horio's arm jerked violently, so fast it was almost imperceptible.

There was Fuji wrong with Horio's little trick; the tennis ball flew towards Fuji normally.

Unaware of the oddity in Horio's return, Fuji persisted in responding in his own way.

Aiming at the net on the other side of Horio, Fuji lightly tapped the tennis ball with his forehand.

The tennis ball, which was successfully returned, did not become light and airy because of Fuji's deflection of the force. On the contrary, Fuji's racket was countered by the spin of the tennis ball.

The spectators watched as the rebounded tennis ball suddenly plummeted as it approached the net, Fuji's racket deflected at a certain angle after returning the ball.

Thump...

"Horio scores, 15:0"

"It's Weak Water. I didn't expect Horio to go all out from the start."

"That's definitely a very troublesome technique. It's a perfectly normal return shot, but it just happens to have amazing spin."

"There must be some secret we haven't discovered yet. To hit a ball with that level of spin, there's no way you can do it without skill."

"But while that's true, none of us noticed,"

The Seigaku players off the court were all impressed by Horio's skills; a single Weak Water, "Yo-sui," was enough to leave his opponents speechless.

"You compete with your absolute strength, and you're not afraid even if your opponent knows what you're going to do, let alone if your opponent doesn't know. That's truly who you are."

Coach Ryuzaki couldn't help but sigh as he watched Horio play Weak Water.

Every time I see Horio unleash his incredible skills, any one of them is enough to secure a player's place on the court.

"Weak Water? You're still as formidable as ever... But I'll have to get serious now."

Having been given a Fuji's competitive spirit was further ignited.

On the second ball, Fuji served a normal serve.

Horio simply made a normal return, and the tennis ball flew towards Fuji's forehand side.

However, Fuji did not choose to use his forehand to return the attack in this situation, but instead turned his body to the side.

When the ball reaches the ideal return position, Fuji swings his backhand.

After the racket made contact with the ball, it tilted at an angle, causing the tennis ball to slide on the racket.

As the tennis ball slid towards the racket frame, Fuji quickly reversed the racket, causing the tennis ball to slide again.

Then Fuji's racket emitted a white light, and with a shout from Fuji, the tennis ball was successfully returned.

"Wow! They even used the back of the racket!"

"Is that Fuji's new technique!?"

"To be able to use both sides of the racket in such a short time, Fuji is really amazing."

The audience was incredulous at Fuji's actions.

"Since you've come up with this method, let me test the power of this ball."

Horio also saw the details Fuji had just observed, and he roughly guessed Fuji Horio had done that.

Even though the return shot had been specially treated, the trajectory of the tennis ball remained completely unchanged, and was perfectly predictable.

After the ball bounces off the ground, Horio swings his racket.

The tennis ball flew back towards Fuji's half of the court, and seeing this, Fuji smiled.

"That ball can't get over the net."

The crowd below was momentarily stunned by what Fuji said.

But to everyone's astonishment, the tennis ball, as it approached the net, began to fall.

Thump...

"Fuji scores, 15:15"

"What... what just happened?"

"The ball was clearly a good shot that should have cleared the net, but it somehow missed."

"This feeling... it's so familiar..."

"It's Weak Water! Isn't the Weak Water that Horio just used similar to this?"

The Seigaku regulars in the audience all realized what was happening.

"This is my new move, Hundred-Armed Giant Goalkeeper."

"It seems Fuji got his inspiration after seeing Horio's 'Weak Water,' which, like the principle of 'Weak Water,' also imparts a great deal of spin to the tennis ball."

"I understand. Because he can't hit Weak Water shots with a normal swing like Horio, Fuji uses both sides of the racket to increase the spin on the ball."

"That's impressive, even Horio couldn't return that ball successfully."

Upon hearing Fuji say that this was his New Tennis Skill, the Seigaku members couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

"No... Horio isn't incapable of returning the ball. This level of skill might pose a significant threat to others, but it's absolutely impossible for Horio, who possesses the ability to read his opponents."

Tezuka, who had been silent all along, heard the murmurs of the crowd, but all he could see was astonishment at Tezuka's Fuji skills.

"Isn't this just a simplified version of Weak Water? But to achieve this level, he truly deserves to be called a genius of Seigaku."

Having just personally experienced the power of this shot, Horio on the court was full of admiration for Fuji's shot.

To achieve this level, Fuji's current skill level has reached the upper echelon nationwide.

"However, even if it's done to this extent, given enough time, it's only a matter of time before this move is cracked."

Although the racket has been reinforced with spin on both sides, the degree of reinforcement is still limited.

"Not bad at all, Fuji- Senpai. But did you notice any problems when you were practicing this move?"

Fuji, still basking in his smugness, Fuji a moment upon hearing Horio's words.

"Why don't you try that move again?"

Horio's words undoubtedly provoked Fuji once again, and he turned around and went to the baseline to serve again.

Just like the previous shot, Horio hit the ball to Fuji's forehand.

Fuji turned to the side again, Hundred-Armed Giant Goalkeeper shot.

Seeing that Fuji actually hit that shot again, Horio's lips curled up slightly.

He moved to the ball's landing spot and even turned his body to the side.

After the tennis ball bounced, Horio adjusted his racket angle and swung with a backhand.

Horio forcefully raised the trajectory of the tennis ball, while also significantly reducing its spin.

Puff... thud...

"Horio scores, 30:15"

"Ah... it's only one ball..."

"Did Fuji not use his full strength in that last shot?"

"It's been cracked..."