"They're all so amazing. I never knew the captain was this good."
"Yeah. We knew the captain was stronger than us, but we never imagined he'd be this much stronger."
"But... even someone as strong as the captain seems to be having some trouble with that first-year from Seigaku..."
"Shinji's right. Look, the captain's hands are shaking, but that first-year from Seigaku looks completely fine."
"That first-year... his tennis is really strong... I hit that Wave Ball with all my strength back then, and he returned it like it was nothing."
"Hey, when are you going to show me your Explosive Ball Dance? I'm looking forward to it."
One of my two goals had already been achieved. Now all that remained was the Explosive Ball Dance, the shot he could only hit with the frame of his racket.
Horio's calm words still sounded like a provocation to Tachibana Kippei, whose Beast's Aura had yet to fade.
Tachibana Kippei had just lost focus after failing to return the ball because he couldn't withstand its power. Now he became aggressive again, like a beast.
"Then just you wait. Get ready to see my Explosive Ball Dance."
Hearing Tachibana Kippei's confident tone return, Horio smiled and hit an Outer Spin Serve at sixty percent power.
Tachibana Kippei moved over and returned the ball with force. Horio didn't put any more power into his shot, keeping it at sixty percent.
As Horio prepared to hit, Tachibana Kippei had already taken his stance on the other side.
He rose onto the toes of his left foot and lifted his right leg.
Bending his right arm, he held his racket in front of his chest. Once he had gauged the ball's trajectory, he swung hard with the racket held sideways.
To the Fudomine players, it looked as if Tachibana Kippei had struck the ball with his racket held sideways.
But through his Eye of Shattering Delusions, Horio could see in detail how the ball deformed at the instant the racket frame hit it.
"I see. Hitting the ball with the racket frame reduces the contact area and deforms the ball. As the ball flies back and regains its shape, uneven friction with the air makes it move irregularly. That's why it looks like there are several balls."
Through his Eye of Shattering Delusions, Horio had completely grasped the technique behind the Explosive Ball Dance.
At the current middle school level—and even at the upcoming Kanto Tournament—it was certainly a respectable technique.
But after the National Tournament began, it might work in the early rounds. Later on, though, it wouldn't be enough.
"Sorry, but I've already seen through your Explosive Ball Dance."
With that, Horio stood still and waited for the "many balls" flying toward him. His gaze sharpened, and he swung at the one he had picked out.
The racket struck the ball with a sharp thwack, sending the seemingly multiple balls back.
Thwack...
Off the court, the Fudomine players had been stunned to see their captain perform a shot they had never seen before.
The very next moment, they watched Horio find its weakness and return the ball without hesitation.
Shocked twice in a row, the Fudomine players clearly couldn't process all these sudden changes.
On the court, Tachibana Kippei's Beast's Aura had now faded.
After seeing his signature technique broken so easily, it was hard to keep that aura going.
"Your Beast's Aura and Explosive Ball Dance are both pretty good. But they won't be enough at the National Tournament. You still have time to refine and develop them."
Horio's words brought Tachibana Kippei back from his daze. His proudest techniques had been no match for a first-year, and now he was being lectured by him, too.
"If you judge a player's strength by their age, then forget what I just said."
As if he had read Tachibana Kippei's thoughts, Horio's tone immediately turned cold. Tachibana Kippei, whose thoughts had been seen through, came to his senses as well.
"Sorry for judging you with such a childish mindset. I'll take your advice to heart. When I've transformed again, let's play another match."
"Sure. But that's enough for today. There's no point in continuing. If your players keep watching, your good intentions might end up doing more harm than good."
To keep Tachibana Kippei, who had just regained his confidence, from being discouraged again—and to prevent his players from losing faith in tennis—Horio ended the match on his own.
"You've all seen where you stand now. Today's match wasn't meant to crush your confidence. More importantly, it was meant to motivate you."
Looking at the serious expressions of his teammates off the court, Tachibana Kippei spoke up.
"If we want to go further in the Kanto Tournament, or even the National Tournament, we have to get stronger."
Now that they understood their captain's good intentions, the dejected players rallied. Their eyes brightened.
"You're nowhere near your limits yet. Here's a word of advice: if you want to surpass yourselves, you have to push yourselves to the breaking point. Your current training intensity is nowhere near enough."
With that, Horio left without another word, leaving the Fudomine players deep in thought.
"Explosive Ball Dance... It's a unique swing created to change how the ball interacts with the air. Too bad that without an aura behind it, the shot's power can't be amplified any further."
As he walked, Horio thought back to the time he had trained in the forest.
"Creating the beginning of everything... Looks like it'll be a while before my Genesis Domain even takes shape."
At the entrance to Seigaku, a bus had just pulled away. A sleepy-looking person stepped off it.
"Damn it, I missed my stop again. Where am I now, anyway...?"
He turned to look around. As soon as his eyes fell on the words Seigaku Academy, his bleary gaze instantly cleared.
"Oh, I'm at Seigaku. If I go back now, the vice-captain will probably give me an earful. Since I'm here already, I might as well take a look."
With that, he walked straight through Seigaku Academy's gates.
At that moment, every member of Seigaku's tennis club was training on the courts.
Acting captain Oishi watched the regulars training in their uniforms, then asked Katsuo, who was carrying tennis balls nearby,
"Why isn't Echizen at practice today?"
"Ah, Senpai, he's on duty today, so he'll be a little late."
"Huff... huff... I bet he just heard about Agan's new training plan and doesn't want to come."
Eiji suddenly appeared, panting heavily and complaining. Seeing how exhausted Eiji was, Oishi could only sigh.
"Eiji, Echizen isn't like that. Agan sets goals in his training plan every day, and Echizen still has to finish them before he can go home, even if he arrives late. You're the one who should be worrying. You haven't even finished half of today's training, and you're already about to collapse."
"Ah! I've already done this much, and I'm not even halfway done? Agan's too harsh!"
Knowing what Eiji was like, Oishi continued.
Before you continue