The Waterfall Pouring Down Grows Closer to Perfection
As members of Hyotei, they felt insulted by these words they had never heard before.
From that day on, a seed was planted in their hearts—a seed of revenge.
As time went by, the seed took root and sprouted, constantly urging everyone to seek revenge.
Driven by this belief, they practiced diligently, improving their skills to a higher level.
But even with such hard training, they still lost the opportunity to face Seigaku.
No matter how strong they become, it won't change the fact that they were eliminated in the first round of the Kanto Tournament.
The initial belief in revenge, and the subsequent frustration of having no way to exact revenge.
The combination of these two factors gave everyone greater motivation to train, and Hyotei's overall strength visibly increased.
Just as everyone was training hard in this atmosphere, a message from Coach Sakaki opened up a new path for them.
The National Tournament was hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and Hyotei was National Tournament selected to participate as a recommended school.
Everyone was happy to hear that they could participate in the National Tournament.
However, after a brief period of joy, everyone felt a little worried, because this was considered using connections.
Whether Atobe, with his extremely strong Atobe of pride, would accept this outcome is unknown to the members of Hyotei.
But to their surprise, after Atobe learned of this news...
The scenario they envisioned didn't materialize, and Atobe accepted it without a second thought.
Because he was also resentful, and he really wanted to avenge his previous defeat.
And so, by a twist of fate, the two schools, whose relationship had already ended at the Kanto Tournament, met again at the National Tournament.
Horio had no objection to this result and was happy to fight such an opponent again.
However, seeing that after their defeat, their mentality was no different from that during the Kanto Tournament, disappointment completely replaced their expectations.
At this moment, Atobe's brows were furrowed, because Horio's words had deeply stung him.
He was completely overwhelmed by Horio back then, and had no chance to fight back.
I originally wanted to settle things with him during the training camp, but Horio actually gave up his spot in the training camp.
"Horio... you just wait, I'll make you pay for what you just said."
Atobe crossed his arms and glanced at Horio.
At that moment, he had no idea that even if it came down to First Singles, he wouldn't be able to face Horio this time.
"The match begins, with Seigaku serving."
The match officially began, and the strategy was the same as in the previous doubles match: Gan was responsible for defense in the backcourt.
Unlike Seigaku, Hiyoshi and Mukahi on the other side showed their true skills from the very beginning.
Hiyoshi struck a pose reminiscent of ancient martial arts, exuding Killing Intent.
After Moon Surface Flip, Mukahi in the frontcourt began to bounce on the spot.
"Looks like they were serious from the start."
"They actually showed up at the very beginning; their determination is truly impressive."
Hyotei's seriousness in Second Doubles also spurred Kaitou on.
He, who was originally standing in the frontcourt, abandoned his position at the net and turned to the backcourt, forming a double backcourt formation with Gan.
"However, our players seem to be taking it more seriously."
"Will Kaitou also bring out the Snake Ball in the first place?"
"That's how venomous they are! Ignore them, just give them a good beating."
"It seems it's not just the opposing team's players; our side is getting fired up too."
Seeing the serious expression on Kaitou's face, Fuji and Kawamura were pleasantly surprised.
On the sidelines, Gan also sensed Kaitou's momentum. He, who had originally wanted to observe first, let out a soft breath.
"What's wrong? What are you afraid of?"
Observing Gan's subtle movements, Mukahi once again misunderstood.
Upon hearing Mukahi's words, Gan stopped delaying.
The original serving posture is gone; instead, the ball is tossed straight up, the arm muscles tense instantly, and then the body leans slightly forward while swinging the racket.
Waterfall Pouring Down, more powerful than any it had ever been before.
It falls straight down like a hundred-meter waterfall.
The tennis ball traveled along a perfectly straight path, both before and after the bounce.
Bang...
"Seigaku Kan and Kaitou score, 15:0"
Mukahi and Hiyoshi, who had been wearing provocative expressions, were completely stunned by the blow.
In their dazed state, they seemed to feel as if water droplets filled the air, making them more alert.
"As I said, two men have already become passionate."
After scoring with his serve, he adjusted his glasses.
Sunlight reflected off the lenses, momentarily blinding the Mukahi eyes.
"Is that the dry Waterfall Pouring Down..."
"That's a serve that rivals Feng's Scud Serve."
"It really felt like I was swallowed up by the waterfall..."
Not only were the two players on the field startled, but the Hyotei fans off the field were also surprised.
They never expected that someone other than Oshitari Chotaro could serve like that.
Bang...
"Seigaku Kan and Kaitou score, 30:0"
Bang...
"Seigaku Kan and Kaitou score, 40:0"
Bang...
"Seigaku Kan and Kaitou score, score 1:0"
"Amazing! The Waterfall Pouring Down is even more powerful now!"
"Yes, it feels more complete than before."
Four shots Waterfall Pouring Down, securing the first round.
At this moment, the most direct feeling of the Waterfall Pouring Down is that it is more oppressive, making people feel the danger more clearly.
"Chotaro, you can now rival your Scud Serve, can you?"
"No... Mukahi Senpai, it's probably even faster Scud Serve..."
"What's the speed, Akinosuke?"
"212 kilometers? How is that possible?! That breaks the tournament record by nearly 10 kilometers..."
As his partner and someone who often sparred with him, Meido knew the power of the Waterfall Pouring Down even better.
However, even though Meido's evaluation was already very high, it was still proven from Feng's words that Meido underestimated the Waterfall Pouring Down.
Atobe was also wary of the Waterfall Pouring Down, and his brows furrowed even more upon hearing the measured ball speed.
"The speed hasn't increased, but the hitting technique is more perfect. He can control the speed at around 215 kilometers per hour. It seems he's put in a lot of hard work."
Off the field, after watching the four balls Waterfall Pouring Down, Horio drew his own conclusion.
The guess is that he has probably hit a bottleneck in terms of strength, so he is improving himself in other areas.
Horio appreciates this approach of solving problems from a different perspective, after all, he himself is a good example.
However, it has been almost a year since Horio joined the school team after enrolling, and his physical limitations are gradually being overcome.
I believe that before long, the body's potential will be raised again.
At that point, it won't just be about mastering the sweet spot technique; Otherworld Domain, and even the Asura Divine Path.
Thinking of this, Horio couldn't wait to fight Echizen Nanjirou.