Burning Kawamura

Bang...

"Fault."

Bang...

"Double fault. Seigaku scores, 15-0."

"Calm down, Choitaro. Don't let them intimidate you."

One Ball, One Soul started with consecutive errors. Meido thought Hō was just nervous.

Hō hit another One Ball, One Soul, but the tennis ball grazed the net and went out again.

Seeing Hō's repeated mistakes, the Hyotei cheerleading squad off the court began to complain.

Even Mukahi grew anxious watching Hō's errors, but only Atobe saw the trick.

"Inui saw through even Hō's little habit. Look, Inui is deliberately standing further left than his normal return position, trying to lure Hō into hitting the ball to the right."

"The moment Hō tries to hit the ball to the right, his right wrist will twist as he strikes. This increases the failure rate of One Ball, One Soul. The ball speed is already fast, making it even harder to control."

"Double fault. Seigaku scores, 40-0."

Just as Atobe had said, Hō's errors directly brought the score to 40-0.

One more error and he would essentially break his own service game.

"Choitaro, you don't need to deliberately hit the ball to an open space."

"That's right. Even if you can predict my shot, you won't be able to return it."

Hō stopped fixating on hitting to the right. After adjusting, he finally served successfully. However, the ball that should have been a direct point was caught by Kaitou.

Meido, at the net, saw this and returned the ball to Inui's right. Inui didn't move, but Kaitou appeared behind him.

He hit another Spinning Snake Shot. To reach the Spinning Snake Shot from the backcourt, Meido didn't hesitate to dive for the ball.

The ball was successfully returned. Inui watched the ball flying into the sky.

He prepared to hit the ball into an open spot on Hyotei's side. However, Hō unexpectedly covered the position.

Seeing his data overturned, Inui instantly changed his swing, opting for a smash in another direction.

"Seigaku scores, score is 5-4."

The referee's voice undoubtedly spurred on the Seigaku team. Everyone was happy that Kaitou and Inui had broken Hyotei's service game.

But Inui walked towards the referee, saying his smash had gone out.

The referee checked again and changed the call. The game resumed from 40-15.

"He's really stubborn. Now the crucial point is gone just like that."

Horio thought Inui's action was a bit foolish, but he agreed with sticking to his principles over victory.

Bang...

"Hyotei scores, score is 6-4. Hyotei wins."

As expected, Hyotei had started doing things beyond the data by that point.

Inui's effectiveness diminished, and with Hyotei holding the service game again, they naturally secured the victory in Doubles 1.

"Next is a clash of power against power. Let me see your progress, Kawamura Senpai."

"Next up is Singles 3. Please have both players take the court."

On the court, Kawamura and Kabaji, standing on either side, looked quite simple-minded.

One was expressionless, the other had a naive look on his face. Horio felt a bit awkward.

"These two really... you can tell they're power-type players at a glance."

On the court, Kawamura remembered that if they lost this match.

Their third year would have no more matches to play. He gripped his racket tighter.

"This is our third years' last match. If we lose, all our hopes will be gone. I must win!"

"Alright, burn it all, let me show you something."

"Match begins. Kawamura of Seigaku to serve."

On Seigaku's side, Kawamura, in his burning state, tossed the ball.

He unleashed his signature skill, the Burning Serve.

The flying tennis ball landed quickly on Hyotei's side. As it bounced, it seemed to carry sparks.

The expressionless Kabaji returned the ball simply and directly. Feeling the heavy force of the tennis ball, Kabaji increased the power of his return.

The two players persisted in this back-and-forth with gradually increasing force. There were no complex techniques.

It was a pure duel of strength, making the spectators' blood boil.

Atobe seemed bored by the slow pace and snapped his fingers. Kabaji on the court heard the sound, and his expression changed slightly.

His muscles tensed even more, and he increased the power of his return again. Kawamura, who had undergone targeted training during this period, was not afraid either.

After a few more rallies, Kawamura struck the pose for the Wave Ball, causing the eyes of everyone from Seigaku and Hyotei to tremble.

"It's finally time to get serious. Let Hyotei get a good look at the power of Seigaku's power player."

Horio smiled slightly as he looked at the explosive muscles on Kawamura's arm.

As the ball bounced back, Kawamura swung his racket with all his might.

A powerful wave emerged, flying towards Kabaji with immense force.

Without thinking, Kabaji prepared to receive the ball. As he swung his racket again.

The result wasn't just hitting the ball back; his racket and the ball flew off together.

"Not bad. The effect is still quite noticeable. At least the side effects have been reduced."

"However, it's about time that Kabaji started fighting back."

Horio watched as Kawamura scored a point with the Wave Ball. He figured the imitation monster should have figured it out by now.

The second game continued. After one of Kawamura's returns.

Kabaji indeed struck the same pose as Kawamura had for the Wave Ball, and then unleashed a Wave Ball.

Caught off guard by this sudden shot, Kawamura couldn't receive it. Thinking it was a coincidence, Kawamura served again, and the unwilling Kawamura unleashed another Wave Ball.

On the other side, Kabaji returned with the same pose. Kawamura, who was being repaid in kind, was completely astonished.

In his shock, Kawamura watched as his signature tennis move was easily imitated by his opponent, with power no less than his own, perhaps even greater. The desire to win reignited within him.

As these Wave Balls were exchanged, the score continued to widen.

Feeling he couldn't maintain this state any longer, Kawamura decided to stop holding back. He would win the match, even if it meant unleashing a 100% Wave Ball with all his might.

He didn't care if such a Wave Ball would put more strain on his arm.

Kawamura's tensed arm muscles, now fully unleashed, began to bulge with veins.

Seeing the ball fly towards him, and feeling his arm fully charged, Kawamura swung his racket at the tennis ball.

An unprecedented wave was generated, astonishing everyone once again.

The simple-minded Kabaji saw Kawamura's full-power Wave Ball and didn't try to dodge.

As if replicating Kawamura's movements, he received the Wave Ball. The once heavy tennis ball was imbued with even more force and flew back to Seigaku's side of the court.

Kawamura was determined to win with the Wave Ball. He struck the same pose again and shouted.

A pained expression appeared on his face as he roared with frustration, blocking the Wave Ball that had been imbued with force twice over.

The ball, which had only carried a strong wave before, now seemed to be sparking with flames as it flew towards Kabaji.