Mimicry Test

Mukahi, who had been mocking Horio, was proven wrong, and the Hyotei team was stunned by this unusual Disappearing Serve.

"Fuji, can you execute that kind of spin?"

"Horio's ball just now had twice the spin I usually generate. I can currently achieve 1.5 times the spin, but it will probably take some time before I can reach that level."

On the Seigaku side, Tezuka asked Fuji beside him.

Fuji was also frank, admitting that he was very familiar with his own signature ball skills, so the difference between Horio's ball and his own was immediately apparent.

"One ball should be enough... Never mind... let's play one more ball, just to be safe."

While the others on the sidelines were preoccupied with their own thoughts, Horio on the field was wondering if Kabaji had seen things clearly.

Worried that Kabaji wouldn't have enough time to absorb the ball, Horio hit another Disappearing Serve.

"Another Disappearing Serve! Damn it! This means the first set is already decided..."

"But there's nothing we can do about it; it's a fact that we just can't return that serve."

Meido was furious to see Horio use the same trick again.

Oshitari to the side, was also somewhat helpless. That's just how serves people can hit; there's nothing you can do no matter how anxious you are.

Thump...

"Seigaku Horio scored, 30:0"

Just like the previous ball, the rebounded tennis ball went straight through Kabaji's racket.

"That's it. If two goals aren't enough, then you only have yourself to blame."

After two Disappearing Serve, Horio decided to switch to a different technique.

"Since you're a power player, let's score the remaining two goals based on your strengths."

Having said that, Horio pinched the ball between his fingertips, flipped his wrist upwards, and tossed the ball into the air.

"Now it's Waterfall Pouring Down again! What exactly is he trying to do..."

Seeing that Horio hadn't struck his previous pose, but instead adopted another familiar one, Atobe was also a little puzzled.

"Agan, even that little devil has copied your Waterfall Pouring Down!"

"It really is Waterfall Pouring Down; I wonder how its power will change..."

"I'm not surprised that Horio can hit my Waterfall Pouring Down, but... he can clearly hit Waterfall Pouring Down with the power of his regular serve, so why did he choose the Waterfall Pouring Down?"

They didn't react to Kikumaru and Oishi's words, but instead wondered why Horio had done what he did.

"What Gan said is right. Horio could have easily scored with his own ability, but he chose a more skillful technique instead."

Fuji to the side, nodded in agreement when he heard Kan's question.

On the court, Horio tossed the ball up, bent his knees slightly, and then bounced up.

The sound of the ball being struck rang out, and the tennis ball flew out with terrifying force.

Before Kabaji on the opposite side could react, the tennis ball had already bounced off the ground.

Bang...

"Seigaku Horio scored, 40:0"

At this moment, Kabaji's expression finally changed. Just as he was about to make a move, his mouth opened slightly, clearly surprised by the ball he had just hit.

"Akinosuke, what's the ball's speed?"

Atobe snapped his fingers and asked about the ball's speed.

"215 kilometers... that's even faster than before!"

"Why would he do that? Using ball skills obviously takes more physical effort..."

Atobe was puzzled by Akinosuke's answer.

"The ball speed should be about the same; I wonder if you can give me a surprise later."

Worried that too much force would cause the ball to travel too fast, Horio controlled the force within a certain range.

Seeing a change in Kabaji's expression, Horio returned to the baseline and unleashed another Waterfall Pouring Down shot.

Bang...

"Seigaku Horio scores, score 1:0"

Horio won the first game with two Disappearing Serve and two Waterfall Pouring Down.

Next came the moment Horio had been most looking forward to, because it was Kabaji's serve time.

"Although I don't know what your purpose is, I will show you the consequences of underestimating your opponent."

Off the court, Atobe, angered by Horio's somewhat deliberate provocation, snapped his fingers.

Although the snap of the fingers wasn't loud, Kabaji on the field heard it clearly.

As if receiving some kind of instruction, Kabaji seemed to see the image of Horio serving just now in his mind's eye.

After repeating this process for a few seconds, Kabaji's eyes regained their clarity.

Then, a scene that was both shocking and yet expected unfolded: Kabaji, as if copied and pasted, repeated Horio's actions.

Rotate the tennis ball counterclockwise in your hand, and then swing the racket upwards as the ball falls to a certain position.

"He learned it in just two balls!"

"That Kabaji is terrifying! He's exactly like Horio!"

Kikumaru and Momoshiro were somewhat incredulous when they saw Kabaji also make the gesture of Disappearing Serve.

But even if they didn't want to believe it, that's how it happened.

Kabaji swung his racket, and the tennis ball flew towards Horio with intense spin.

"It's really that amazing, a 100% perfect imitation."

As Horio watched the tennis ball fly out, he activated his Eye of Shattering Delusions, and everything became crystal clear.

Whether it's the spin of the tennis ball before the swing, the angle of the swing, or the power of the swing, it's exactly the same as Horio.

"To be able to achieve this level, wouldn't that be comparable to the State of Selflessness..."

Judging from Kabaji's performance on that ball, Horio felt that Kabaji's ability to absorb and imitate his opponent's skills was no less than, or even stronger than, the State of Selflessness.

After a brief moment of surprise, the tennis ball had already bounced off the ground.

Horio immediately began to retaliate, not looking at the rebounding ball, but swinging his racket further to the right.

Then the sound of a racket hitting a tennis ball was heard, and a tennis ball appeared in the air where there had been nothing before.

"Got it! Did Kabaji not completely replicate that technique?"

"How is that possible? There are ball skills that Kabaji can't imitate."

"No! Kabaji has completely absorbed the Disappearing Serve. The serve he just hit was exactly the same as the Horio hit."

The problem wasn't with Kabaji, but rather...

"You mean Horio didn't even use his full strength against Kabaji, Atobe?"

On Hyotei's side, Atobe immediately refuted what Ootori and Jiro had said behind him.

As the genius and Oshitari of Hyotei, Oshitomi Atobe's Atobe suggests he had guessed something.

Atobe didn't respond to Oshitari's words, but those at Hyotei who knew him well knew that he had tacitly agreed.

After Kabaji returned Horio's Disappearing Serve, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Without pausing, he continued his footwork and struck the ball towards the left side of Horio's open space.

Horio moved his feet and swung his backhand after the ball bounced.

The racket traced a large arc outwards, and the tennis ball flew off the court.