Trial

The tennis ball flies out, and at the moment it leaves the racket, its irregular motion begins.

"It's Great Fan Shi Qian!"

"This shot was even more powerful than the one Hirakoba hit!"

"Heh, Eishiro's Great Fan Shi Qian is the strongest."

The Kite hit Great Fan Shi Qian by the Hirakoba, the trajectory of the tennis ball dazzling the spectators.

"I knew you couldn't possibly not know this; this is exactly what I've been waiting for!"

Horio saw that Kite had finally hit the Great Fan Shi Qian and a triumphant smile appeared on his lips.

Then, the arm swings, the racket awaiting the arrival of the tennis ball.

Horio had already seen through the Great Fan Shi Qian by activating his Eye of Shattering Delusions, but Fuji's use of the Mayfly Encirclement maneuver in that match sparked a new idea in Horio.

The tennis ball, propelled by the Great Fan Shi Qian, traced yellow trajectories in the air and quickly approached Horio.

Horio aimed carefully at the ball's trajectory and swung his racket.

Horio didn't use any techniques; he was simply feeling the tennis ball constantly changing and spinning on his racket.

Ultimately, after feeling the change in the tennis ball's spin for two seconds, it was too fast and too strong. After being blocked by Horio's swing, the ball changed direction again and flew out of the racket.

"Higa Junior High's Kite scores, 15:15"

"That's great! No matter how strong that first-year Seigaku is, he can't catch the Great Fan Shi Qian from the Kite!"

"I told you, Eishiro's Great Fan Shi Qian is the strongest."

"It seems there's still hope for a comeback in this match."

When Kite scored, Kai and the others became excited, and Kite himself secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah, even Horio can't do anything about that Great Fan Shi Qian?"

"That Kite is definitely not Higa Junior High can compare to."

"That Great Fan Shi Qian was definitely much stronger than the one I used in Hirakoba... but why do I feel like something's not quite right..."

Gan did not agree with what Momoshiro and Kaitou said, but instead expressed his own opinion.

Upon hearing what Kan said, Fuji and Tezuka, who were standing nearby, also spoke up.

"Tezuka, you find it strange too, don't you..."

"That's right. Logically speaking, within our understanding, Horio shouldn't have been unable to return that ball."

Moreover, he has the ability to see through his opponent's moves. Even though that last shot was more powerful than the one hit by the Higa Junior High student, it was clearly not enough to threaten Horio.

"Yes, and Horio received that ball very cleanly just now; the tennis ball even hovered on his racket for a few seconds. This doesn't seem reasonable at all."

As expected of Seigaku's top combat force, the two immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Fuji... you mean Horio could have successfully returned that ball?"

Having already harbored doubts, Gan overheard their conversation and couldn't help but ask.

"I think Horio have had some reason for doing that..."

Fuji didn't know what to say about Gan's question, Tezuka simply chose to remain silent.

On the field, seeing that Horio couldn't catch the Great Fan Shi Qian, Kite seemed to have discovered a new continent.

He kept using the Great Fan Shi Qian, unaware that this was exactly what Horio wanted.

He had been worried that Kite would be stingy, but he hadn't expected the enraged Kite to be so generous.

Bang...

Bang...

Bang...

"Higa Junior High's Kite scores, score 1-2"

With another three-ball Great Fan Shi Qian scored consecutive points with her Kite, winning the game.

"What exactly is the principle behind 'Extinguished Zero'... How can it neutralize all spin the instant the ball is received..."

At this moment, Horio was still thinking about how to neutralize any spin using a normal swing.

Thinking this, Horio simultaneously served.

At such a rare opportunity, Kite wouldn't let it slip by, and Great Fan Shi Qian struck again.

The tennis ball once again darted about erratically like a snake. Horio, deep in thought, watched the tennis ball move through the air, his eyes suddenly sharpening.

Bang...

"Higa Junior High's Kite scores, 15:0"

"Hahaha, I think that first-grader is scared of being beaten; he's too afraid to even move."

"Hey Seigaku, just forfeit already. You're so beaten you can't even move, are you?"

Because Horio missed the ball, the cheerleaders from Higa Junior High became even more aggressive.

"Foresight! Although I don't know how Tanegashima managed to defeat the Extinguished Zero, I can do it my own way!"

At this moment, Horio finally understood. He had clearly used his Eye of Shattering Delusions to see through the balls in the previous few shots, but he hadn't expected to anticipate the ball's spin in advance to counter it.

"Hey you bunch of trash, shut your mouths!"

Having figured things out, Horio was in a great mood and no longer tolerated the Higa Junior High cheerleaders' scornful remarks.

A powerful aura emanated from him, and his eyes were fixed fiercely on the group of people.

Feeling pressured, they saw Horio's gaze and the scene of Horio collapsing in fear before the match reappeared.

"Qian, try hitting it again, you big spoon."

After silencing the bystanders, Horio's smile reappeared.

Upon hearing Horio's words, Kite frowned.

At the beginning, when I was using the Great Fan Shi Qian, I didn't realize anything was wrong.

But the further he went, the more suspicious it seemed, but the situation didn't allow him to think too much about it, so he had no choice but to do this.

After saying that, Horio tossed the ball up and hit it towards the Kite.

Seeing this, Kite realized that Horio was feeding him the ball, but he didn't believe that Horio could return the Great Fan Shi Qian in such a short time.

Then the tennis ball's trajectory, like a snake, reappeared, dazzling the eye.

Across from him, Horio smiled slightly, his originally brown pupils turning purple, with streaks of gold mixed in.

This change went unnoticed by others, who were all focused on the tennis balls that were constantly moving around.

As the tennis ball approached once again, Horio swung his racket with anticipation in his eyes.

With a dull thud, the tennis ball was intercepted by the racket.

Then, as before, the tennis ball continued to spin and change on the racket.

However, unlike before, this time Horio's racket was also experiencing slight vibrations.

The longer the racket vibrates, the weaker the spin of the tennis ball becomes.

After the tennis ball's spin completely returned to zero, Horio finally unleashed his swing, which had been stalled.

A ball without spin flew towards the Kite. Unable to believe that his Great Fan Shi Qian had been hit back, the Kite hit the Great Fan Shi Qian again.

"I'm afraid you won't call."

Seeing this, Horio swung his racket again, his pupils still retaining their purplish-gold color.

Bang...

"Seigaku Horio scored, 15:15"

This time, Horio's return shot was even faster than the previous one, catching Kite.

"What happened... Eishiro's Great Fan Shi Qian was actually returned."

"That first-year student actually cracked the Great Fan Shi Qian in just a few balls!?"

"I didn't expect him to be even more powerful than Fuji Syusuke..."