Bang...
"Hyotei scores, 15–0."
"So noisy. What do you mean, 'there's nothing we can do about it,' Senpai? First, I'm going to shut them up."
Then he headed toward the backcourt. Everyone saw Kaitou, who had been at the net, move all the way to the baseline.
Anyone who knew Kaitou realized he was getting ready to hit his Spinning Snake Shot.
Inui, who was also at the baseline, saw Kaitou's movements and served a fast ball.
Mukahi Senpai, who received Chotaro's serves approaching 200 kilometers per hour every day, easily returned Inui's serve, which had held back some of its power.
After hitting the ball into the open court between the two of them, Kaitou quickly moved along the baseline.
He swung his arm in a wide arc, and the Spinning Snake Shot appeared. The tennis ball curved around the side of the net and landed on the singles sideline.
"Seigaku scores, 15–15."
The Spinning Snake Shot, which had only appeared during the match against Fudomine, had appeared again at the Kanto Tournament, much to the surprise of the spectators.
Moreover, Kaitou had now practiced the Spinning Snake Shot enough to land it inside the singles court. It had just touched the sideline, but it was still a huge improvement.
"Kaitou, is that how determined you are? Looks like I have no choice but to attack, too."
Sensing Kaitou's determination to win, Inui changed his strategy of calmly gathering data first and took off his wristbands, tossing them aside.
He rotated his wrists. Feeling much lighter, Inui returned to the baseline.
He tossed the ball with the same posture, but this time his swing was much faster and more powerful.
The ball shot toward Hyotei's side at incredible speed. The two Hyotei players couldn't react in time and stared blankly at where it landed.
Bang...
"Seigaku scores, 30–15."
"How about it, Kaitou? Can your Spinning Snake Shot and my super-fast serve shut them up?"
"Is that so, Senpai? Then let's show them what we've got."
Bang...
"Seigaku scores, 40–15."
Bang...
"Seigaku scores, game. The score is 1–1."
"Damn it, Chotaro, can you see that serve clearly?"
"It's okay, Mukahi Senpai. His ball speed is about the same as mine, so I can return it. I can only send it back to their side of the court, though. After that, I'll have to leave it to you."
"All you have to do is get it back. I'll take care of the rest."
Inui Sadaharu served another super-fast ball, and Hō saw it coming.
But he could only return it with difficulty. Inui seized the opportunity and smashed the ball.
Seeing this, Mukahi Senpai suddenly moved.
In an instant, Mukahi appeared where the ball was about to land and hit a Half Volley, returning it directly for a point.
Seigaku's two players had just gotten back into their rhythm, but this shot caught them completely off guard.
For the next few points, Hō continued to receive Inui's serves. Even Mukahi managed to return them.
As expected, Seigaku lost another game, bringing the score to 2–1.
During the break, Coach Ryuzaki offered the two no advice, only telling them both to calm down.
Seeing the two of them sitting without exchanging a word, Momoshiro grew anxious from the sidelines.
"Kaitou, what are you doing? Get fired up and take those two down!"
Momoshiro's words completely enraged Kaitou. He threw down his racket in anger.
Seeing the racket Kaitou had tossed aside, Inui immediately went to pick it up for him.
"I'm not going to cooperate with you anymore, Senpai. What you said was completely useless. From now on, I'll play however I want."
Unable to see any results, Kaitou stopped cooperating with Inui in the following games. He played as if it were a singles match, going after every ball himself.
"What's Kaitou doing? He's rushing around after every ball and running all over the court. This is ridiculous."
"They'll never win if he plays like that."
The other Seigaku players saw Kaitou's reckless play and began worrying about the two of them again.
"When both teams have players with similar styles, the thing that decides the winner is the trust between them."
Horio watched the completely different atmosphere on the two sides and couldn't help sighing. The two of them still had a way to go.
Kaitou, in particular, was completely unwilling to trust his teammate.
Bang...
"Hyotei wins the game. The score is 4–1."
"Hmph. You're Kaitou, right? Sorry, but willpower and perseverance have their limits. If willpower alone could win matches, nobody would have to work so hard."
"Mukahi Senpai, why bother saying so much to him? He doesn't understand anyway."
The two Hyotei players looked at Kaitou, who was looking rather battered, and sneered at his lone-wolf style.
"It's already 4–1, and Hyotei serves in the next game. That means Hō will use One Ball, One Soul again."
Katsuro and Katsuo saw the four players changing sides and couldn't help worrying about the next game.
Sure enough, Hō took another point in the next game with One Ball, One Soul.
The score reached 5–1. The two Hyotei players taunted them again.
"Seigaku, you're finished."
"Kaitou, they say we're finished."
"Hmph. You've collected enough data by now, right?"
"Of course. Now it's time to counterattack."
After Kaitou had dragged things out over several games, Inui had updated his data.
"Not bad. Your speed's a little slow, but you've improved quite a bit."
Horio was rather pleased to see that Inui had learned to gather data during a match.
The two teams changed sides again. Inui served another super-fast ball, and the Hyotei pair once more aimed their returns at Kaitou.
But Kaitou and Inui were completely different from before. Inui's data had shifted the balance between the two sides.
With Inui's analysis, the two of them kept closing the gap. Only then did the Hyotei pair realize they had been played.
"Damn it, Kaitou acted like he was furious, while Inui hid behind him and gathered data."
"They handed over so much data without even realizing it."
"We just have to hold on for one more game. If we win the next one, it's over."
Bang...
"Seigaku scores. The score is 5–2."
Bang...
"Seigaku scores. The score is 5–3."
"So Kaitou takes every ball by himself while Inui quickly gathers data on their opponents, allowing him to predict their shots. Is this the playing style of Seigaku's strategist, Inui Sadaharu?"
"But to reach this level in just three games—he's a frightening opponent. Still, Kaitou took every ball by himself in all three games. It would've been impossible without plenty of stamina."
Atobe watched Seigaku close the gap point by point and couldn't help marveling at how frightening Information Tennis was.
"Damn it, they predicted every shot. They really are a pain to deal with."
Hō was sweating more and more, and his stamina was slowly running out. Mukahi, who was in no better shape, reassured him.
"Don't rush, Chotaro. The ninth game is next. There are some balls you can predict but still can't reach."
Hearing Mukahi's words, Hō seemed to understand something. His agitation settled down.
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