The Fan Shi Qian
"That's a really tricky serve, but we'll be the ones to win in the end."
"Oh? You need to use that so soon? I'll go serve then."
Upon hearing the implication in Hirakoba's words, Chinen reached his breaking point.
He didn't use any special techniques; he hit a normal serve.
Fuji moved to the net to intercept, hitting the ball into the open space on the left.
Hirakoba moved quickly with his feet, then swung his racket to return the shot.
Fuji aimed at the incoming ball and assumed Swallow Returns to Nest posture.
Just as the tennis ball was about to enter Fuji's hitting range, the trajectory of the ball suddenly changed drastically.
Unlike the technical skills of a regular player, tennis involves only a single change in the trajectory of the ball.
The ball played at Hirakoba is completely unpredictable and changes many times, like a snake crawling in a winding path.
Bang...
"Higa Junior High School, Hirako Field, Chinen scores, 15:0"
"What was that just now? Why did the ball's trajectory change so many times?"
"You can't return that kind of shot at all; you can't predict his trajectory at all."
"Damn it, those Okinawans always have these weird and strange things."
The Seigaku team had never seen Hirakoba hit such a varied and complex ball before; just trying to see it was exhausting enough.
"I didn't expect Hirakoba to use the Fan Shi Qian so early. It seems he's feeling the pressure too."
"But that's fine too. Fan Shi Qian's ball trajectory is unpredictable, at least it can seal off Kawamura's Wave Ball."
At Higa Junior High, it's clear that Kite had already done some groundwork with Seigaku beforehand.
After the first point was scored by Fan Shi Qian Hirakoba, Chinen served again.
Because Kawamura cannot accurately predict the ball's landing point when serving, he cannot return the serve with Wave Ball.
However, if the serve is returned in a normal way, the Hirakoba will hit Fan Shi Qian.
Therefore, Fuji and Kawamura were in an awkward situation, which was like Third Singles.
Both sides can only hold their own serve; whoever can break the opponent's serve will control the rhythm of the match.
"Fan Shi Qian!"
Bang...
"Higa Junior High School, Hirako Field, Chinen scores, 30:0"
As the Hirakoba swung his racket, he shouted "Fan Shi Qian!" and tennis once again became an unpredictable sport.
"Fan Shi Qian? Is that move called Fan Shi Qian? It sounds like a tongue twister."
Kikumaru couldn't help but complain when he heard Hirakoba give his tennis skills such a name.
"The Fan Shi Qian' is another name for the 'cobra,' which does fit the description of that move quite well."
The knowledgeable man thought for a while and then remembered something, continuing to write as he spoke.
"To hit tennis balls with seemingly ordinary swings and varied trajectories—is this the explosive power that Okinawan martial arts have given them? This kind of thing is indeed very effective against Kawamura -Senpai's wide swings."
Horio's eyes flashed; he was quite impressed that Higa Junior High could hit a shot with such technical skill as the Fan Shi Qian.
"Fan Shi Qian!"
Bang...
"Higa Junior High School's Hirako and Chinen score, making the score 1-1."
"Haha, that was easy, even easier than I imagined."
"If we can seal the Wave Ball, Kawamura should be fine. The real problem is with Fuji Syusuke, who's known as a genius."
With her Fan Shi Qian prowess, Higa Junior High easily won the second game and held her serve.
Kai from the sidelines, found it amusing to see Fuji and Kawamura struggling to keep up, while Kite adjusted his glasses, looking somewhat worried.
"There must be a way to get that ball back. There's no ball that can't be returned. Stay calm, you absolutely must stay calm."
As Hirakoba scored consecutive points, Fuji carefully observed what secrets the Fan Shi Qian hold.
But it was only four goals, and against national-level opponents.
Unlike the previous Kanto Tournament, the opponents this time were not comparable.
The third set began with Seigaku serving again.
Considering there were still matches to come, Fuji didn't let Kawamura use the Wave Serve.
Fuji also prevented Kawamura from hitting the Wave Ball, rendering Kawamura no longer a threat.
In an attempt to salvage the situation, Fuji used Disappearing Serve.
Spin the ball in your hand and release it, then hit it with the Underhand Serve motion.
"Tch, using such a weak serve to deal with us? You're underestimating us."
Chinen, who also had little presence, was Chinen this way by Fuji, and not understanding what was going on, he simply thought he was being looked down upon.
So, with emotion Chinen in her heart, Chinen gripped her racket tighter and hit the ball.
"Seigaku Fuji Kawamura score, 15:0"
"What happened? I clearly saw the ball, why didn't I hit it?"
Chinen looked surprised and somewhat disbelieving, while Hirakoba frowned slightly.
"That's the genius's Fuji, Disappearing Serve. It's true what they say, seeing is believing, but it probably won't work after a few tries."
The Kite on the sidelines wasn't worried about the two players on the court; he believed that their skills were enough to see through the secret of that serve.
Bang...
"Seigaku Fuji Kawamura score, 30:0"
Bang...
"Seigaku Fuji and Kawamura score, 40:0"
"I see. You're quite good at coming up with that kind of serve, but don't even think about the next one."
Hirakoba swung his racket and missed again, a smile creeping onto his face.
He glanced at Fuji across from him, then exchanged a look with Chinen behind him.
Chinen understood his teammate's meaning, so he served before Fuji could even serve.
The two then walked towards the service court at the same time, and found themselves standing on the same side of the service court.
Furthermore, their positioning was further back, completely blocking Fuji's serve angle.
"It's true what they say, 'A tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives.' Although it's a bit strange, it's still a viable solution."
Seeing how Hirakoba and Chinen were dealing with the Disappearing Serve, Horio touched his forehead.
Fuji also noticed their behavior.
However, he did not give up and still launched that attack.
As before, the tennis ball bounced after landing in the middle of the court, moved erratically, and then disappeared.
However, the two, who were still some distance from the missing tennis ball, remained calm and carefully observed the situation in front of them.
Suddenly, Hirakoba seemed to notice something, and with a swift movement, he swung his racket, successfully returning the tennis ball.
At the same time, Chinen also moved, but instead of swinging his racket to return the ball, he ran back to his original position.
Fuji originally thought that by taking advantage of the returned ball, Kawamura would be able to quickly attack Chinen's openings at the net.
However, Chinen unexpectedly returned to his position the instant he moved Hirakoba and completed his defensive play.
"They hit me, and their reaction was so fast, almost simultaneous."
"I really underestimated their teamwork. I was only paying attention to their individual abilities before, but I didn't realize they could work together so well."