Inch Step and Ground Shrinking Technique

Before Kite could say anything, Horio immediately retorted.

A somewhat cruel smile appeared on Kite's face as he tossed the ball up and swung his racket to serve.

A powerful serve flew out, and although Kite is left-handed, Horio was not afraid to return it with a backhand.

The two players went back and forth, maintaining a high-quality return force with every ball.

Without any unnecessary actions, the simple rebuttal was enough to shock everyone.

"Wow... that's amazing! What kind of fight is that between them...?"

Are they really high school students like us!?

"Besides, that person from Seigaku seems to be only a first-year student."

Besides the students from the two schools, there were also some passersby outside the venue; the situation on the field had exceeded their expectations.

Inside the arena, after roughly probing the Kite's condition, Horio suddenly placed a short ball.

Although he was far from Kite, Horio never expected to score.

As the Captain of Higa Junior High, if everyone else can use the Ground Shrinking Technique, it's impossible for Kite not to.

So, the moment the short ball appeared, the Kite appeared in front of the net.

"Damn it, he caught me with Ground Shrinking Technique!"

"No! This is not Horio's intention."

Fuji, watching from the sidelines, guessed Horio's intentions. Sure enough, after Kite returned the short ball, Horio jumped.

Aim at the opening to the left rear of the Kite and hit a smash.

Seeing this, everyone thought the ball was going to score, and then the Kite on the field started moving again.

To the left rear, the ball that should have scored was blocked by the Kite.

"Ah! That's..."

"Isn't the Ground Shrinking Technique only for moving forward and backward...?"

"But he did move laterally for a split second just now."

Kite actually used the Ground Shrinking Technique to move left and right, shattering the preconceived notions of the Seigaku members.

"Eishiro's sense of balance is exceptionally good; even when standing on one foot, he can move as if he were standing on two."

"His method of maintaining balance is also beyond the level of ordinary people. Eishiro's unparalleled sense of balance makes it possible for him to use the Ground Shrinking Technique, which covers all directions."

The students from Higa Junior High also showed proud expressions; they all admired their Captain.

However, the Seigaku students didn't think much of Higa Junior High's somewhat boastful remarks.

"That sounds really impressive."

"Even if that Ground Shrinking Technique can cover the entire field, our first-year students aren't pushovers."

Sure enough, after Kite used Ground Shrinking Technique to catch Horio's smash, he immediately hit the ball to Horio's right rear.

Kite had already determined that no matter how fast he was, he wouldn't be able to catch the ball.

Kite's idea was correct; if it were someone else, they really might not have been able to catch it.

However, his opponent was Horio. After Kite hit the ball, Horio moved his feet.

Then, the eyes of the students from Kite and Higa Junior High widened instantly, as Horio had appeared at the baseline to their right rear.

"What!? How could this be!? That ball was impossible to catch, does he know the Ground Shrinking Technique!?"

Kite was dumbfounded; without using the Ground Shrinking Technique, it would be impossible to move so fast.

But Horio's appearance proved everything. Facing Horio's shot again, Kite once again used the Ground Shrinking Technique.

Then the two players on the court kept hitting the ball to their respective blind spots, and then each of them used their own footwork to return the ball.

"That first-year Seigaku actually knows the Ground Shrinking Technique..."

"And just like Eishiro, Ground Shrinking Technique in every aspect."

"I never expected that someone who's just a first-year student could go toe-to-toe with Eishiro."

"What kind of people are in Seigaku?"

At this Higa Junior High's impression of Seigaku had completely changed; their previous disdain no longer existed.

"Looks like this is going to be another match that never ends."

"This is a duel between Horio's 'Inch Step' and Kite's 'Ground Shrinking Technique'; it's a battle to see who comes out on top."

"This is a good opportunity. I've been wanting to study Horio Inch Step a long time, and this time I can observe him thoroughly."

The game has been going on for three minutes, and every return of the ball has been completed within two seconds.

Whether it's Horio or Kite, they use their own footwork for every ball.

However, Horio was the only target for this attack, because as the match progressed, Kite, who had been using the Ground Shrinking Technique, was starting to tire.

Horio, however, remained calm and composed, maintaining the same force in his returns.

"It seems the Ground Shrinking Technique won't last long either."

Noticing that the ball Kite was hitting was getting weaker and weaker, Horio stopped holding back and increased his power to 70%, resulting in a more powerful ball.

Bang...

"Seigaku Horio scores, 15:0"

"I never expected you to know the Ground Shrinking Technique, it's truly unexpected..."

"Don't flatter yourself. Teleportation isn't only possible using the Shrinking Ground Shrinking Technique."

Upon hearing that Kite equated the "Inch Step technique" with the Ground Shrinking Technique,"Horio immediately objected.

The Kite was somewhat angry that it had been scored on and that its own words had been denied.

He returned to the baseline and served again, not believing that Horio wasn't using the Ground Shrinking Technique.

Moreover, he wanted to prove that his Ground Shrinking Technique was the most powerful.

Thus, the duel between the Inch Step" and "Ground Shrinking Technique began again, but in fact, the difference between the two was already apparent from the very first ball.

So, not long after the second point, Horio scored again.

The third ball... the fourth ball, the time taken for each ball got shorter and shorter.

"Seigaku Horio scores, score 1:0"

"Damn it, could it be that he really wasn't using the Ground Shrinking Technique...? If that's the case... Hmph."

After the first round ended, Kite believed Horio's earlier words to a great extent.

However, Kite was very concerned about losing points, so the idea of winning by any means necessary began to take hold of his mind.

Horio serves at the start of the second game.

Horio didn't intend to score directly with his serve, so neither Mental Restraint nor Limitless Scattered Flowers worked.

A standard serve is hit, Kite directly hits a short ball.

Horio, though unaware of Kite's intentions, also opted for a short return.

Horio hit a short ball, Kite used Ground Shrinking Technique to appear in front of Horio.

The Kite begins to swing and gather power for a counterattack while using the Ground Shrinking Technique to move.

As he moved, his racket was already scraping the ground.

He moved right to the net and swung his racket accordingly.

Horio's short shot was returned, Kite's return was nothing special.

Horio prepared to volley at the net, assuming a backhand swing stance, watching the incoming tennis ball.

Just then, Horio suddenly widened his eyes and then leaned his whole body backward.

However, the backhand shot still went out normally, and the tennis ball flew towards the backcourt of the Kite.