Unsealed Kabaji
He flipped through the notebook, looking at the data on Horio, and compared it with the data on the ball that Kabaji had just hit with his own data before drawing a conclusion.
"That's right. The Weak Water move is designed to catch the opponent off guard. The swing needs to be normal enough while also adding strong spin to the ball."
When Kabaji swung his racket, it was obvious that his racket was tilted, and even though Horio deliberately hit a topspin shot, he couldn't apply enough spin back to the ball. Therefore, Horio was able to make a precise judgment and return the shot.
"That's terrifying. Kabaji, who can even copy the Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired, can't even copy Horio Weak Water. If I were fighting him, I probably would have given up long ago."
His words sent a chill down the spines of the others, and Kikumaru even revealed the key to the matter.
"I've witnessed your abilities; I think the match can end here."
Unable to fully replicate the Weak Water, Kabaji once again became listless.
He seemed not to hear Horio's words, and the unseen effects of his swing reappeared in the third game.
Coupled with the failure to replicate Weak Water, Kabaji seemed to have lost his fighting spirit.
"You're going to serve from the baseline, Kabaji- kun, did you hear me, Kabaji- kun!"
"Kabaji!"
Seeing Kabaji standing there in a daze, the referee immediately spoke up to remind him.
But there was still no response, Atobe had no choice but to speak again.
Upon hearing Atobe's voice, Kabaji turned and walked towards the bottom line, somewhat lost in thought.
He tossed the ball into the air and mechanically swung his racket to hit it.
Horio ignored Kabaji's situation and saw the ball flying towards him.
The purple aura enveloped his arm and racket once more as he swung the racket.
A purple aura instantly infused the tennis ball, and the tip of the racket struck the ball back.
"Horio is finally getting serious."
"They've even brought out the Shatter; it looks like the outcome of the match is already decided."
Seeing Horio unleash the Shatter, the anxiety that had been hanging over me finally subsided.
"Kabaji, be careful, there's something fishy about that ball!"
Atobe clearly knew the power of Horio's Shatter, but all he could do was offer a warning.
Faced with ball skills he had never seen before, Kabaji didn't have the best way to deal with them.
Even though Atobe had already warned him, he could only bite the bullet and retaliate.
As expected, the tennis ball hit Kabaji's racket.
A purple aura emanated from the tennis ball, forming a vortex that wrapped around Kabaji's arm.
Bang...
"Seigaku Horio scored, 40:0"
"Ah!"
With a cry of pain, Kabaji released his racket.
At that moment, a hint of fear appeared in his eyes, a sight that terrified the Hyotei in the audience.
"Kabaji's racket actually flew out of his hand! Was that shot really that powerful?!"
"What's with that vortex coming out of the tennis ball? It wrapped directly around Kabaji's arm..."
"What the hell... Is this the kind of shot a middle school student can hit...?"
Kabaji's dire straits sent a chill down the spines of Oshitari and the others.
Kabaji, the number one player at Hyotei besides Atobe, was actually forced into this situation by a first-year student.
"My... my hand... it hurts so much."
As if unable to bear the pain in his arm any longer, Kabaji finally broke his silence.
"He's really stubborn; he knows he's exceeded his limits but still insists on pushing himself."
Horio 'Kabaji performance. In order to successfully retaliate against the Shatter, Kabaji held on for a few more seconds after reaching the limit of his arm strength.
The exercise ended because the pain in his arm made him unable to feel his grip strength; otherwise, he would only have some soreness in his arm now.
"Referee, we request a timeout."
Kabaji's condition, coupled with the state of his arm, was already very poor, so Coach Sakaki had no choice but to call a timeout.
"Kabaji, can you still continue the match?"
On the Coach's bench, Oshitari is spraying pain relief spray on Kabaji's arm.
Coach Sakaki, seeing that Kabaji still looked unfocused, spoke in his cold tone.
"If you're not in the mood to continue playing, I'll just tell the referee I'm forfeiting."
Coach Sakaki, who only cares about the result, offered no comfort to the athletes who had lost their fighting spirit.
"I want to compete, and I will win."
Coach Sakaki's words stung Kabaji, especially since this game was crucial for Hyotei.
If they lose, Hyotei will once again lose to Seigaku, and their journey to the National Tournament will come to an end.
"Kabaji..."
Atobe, watching Kabaji's retreating figure sitting on the bench from the sidelines, didn't know what to say.
After Oshitari gave Kabaji emergency treatment, the match continued.
The pain-relieving spray helped improve Kabaji's arm a lot, and the pain was brought under control.
In the fourth inning, Horio had only one point left, and all the pressure was now on Kabaji.
A slight discomfort lingered in his affected arm, but Kabaji's strength returned to the level he had at the start of the match.
The angle of the serve was clearly affected when it was hit.
The tennis ball landed directly in Horio's optimal hitting zone, and Horio, without hesitation, swung his racket and hit the ball.
"I admire that spirit, but a competition is a competition, and victory must belong to Seigaku."
Bang...
"Seigaku Horio scored, score 4:0"
Another Weak Water shot, the tennis ball was hit directly into Kabaji's own half of the court, bringing the score to 4-0.
"Only two rounds left! Let's just take it, Horio!"
"Go kid! We've waited too long!"
As the match entered the fifth inning, a smile flashed across Horio's face as he listened to the cheers from his teammates on the sidelines.
"Don't worry, it will be as you wish."
After saying something quietly, he tossed the ball up.
Bang...
"Seigaku Horio scores, 15:0"
Bang...
Bang...
"Seigaku Horio scored, score 5:0"
It was another game that left Kabaji numb; the unseen swing of the racket once again dominated him, bringing him to match point in Horio's game.
"Are you unwilling to accept Kabaji...? In that case, go all out and do your best."
When it was Kabaji's turn to serve, he had already reached the Kabaji but did not turn around.
Seeing Kabaji's state, Atobe understood his feelings.
After several rounds without a snap, Atobe again, Kabaji's body suddenly trembled upon hearing it.
He raised his racket, his downcast eyes widening in the process.
Horio paused for a moment upon seeing this, then his expression turned serious.
"I sense your determination. Come on."
Kabaji's expression turned slightly ferocious as he unleashed Waterfall Pouring Down.
Facing this ball, Horio did not activate his Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired.
He used only his physical strength to retaliate, but Kabaji, whose seal had been broken by Atobe, once again activated his Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired, delivering a return shot with double the power.
Horio remained calm and retaliated, then Kabaji tried using Weak Water.
That was an interesting shot.
The ball, whose spin Hundred Refinements Self-Acquired, finally gained Horio's approval, and the familiar scene unfolded once again.