Weak Water

Puff...

"Net play, Seigaku scores, 30:0"

"That Tengan, actually caught Aron's Wave Ball."

"What a pity, I almost made it through the net."

"Being able to receive Kawamura's two-handed Wave Ball won't have much impact on the course of this match."

"That's right. Not to mention that Aron only hit a two-handed Wave Ball, there's another person who hasn't even taken a shot yet."

The Seigaku members weren't too surprised that Tengan could catch the two-handed Wave Ball; it was as if they had already known the outcome from the very beginning of the match.

"Damn it, I was so close to getting past the net!"

"Tengan, are you alright? Don't blame yourself too much."

"Kuroba, we absolutely cannot let Kawamura hit that Wave Ball, or we'll have no chance of winning."

The naive Tengan still hoped for victory in the match. Kuroba looked somewhat embarrassed, but did not refute Tengan.

Although the two deliberately avoided giving Kawamura the opportunity to hit Wave Ball in the subsequent matches, Horio always managed to make them make mistakes.

The score remained unchanged until it reached 4-0, and the serve returned to Seigaku.

"Kawamura -Senpai, leave the rest to me. You've worked hard in the previous rounds, you can get some rest now."

Horio went to the backcourt and gestured for Kawamura to switch places with him. Kawamura, feeling the condition of his arm, didn't make a fuss.

He responded and walked to the front position.

"What? They changed positions! They're making that first-year student go to the backcourt."

The Rokkaku Middle School students, who had been so shocked by Kawamura's Wave Ball that they had given up on the possibility of a comeback, saw Horio walk to the backcourt and wondered if Kawamura had injured his arm again.

"Did Kawamura's injury from the match against Hyotei never heal and has it recurred?"

"If that's the case, then if Kuroba and Tengan just target Horio, there might still be a chance to turn the tide of the match."

No one knew what the students from Rokkaku Middle School were thinking, but the students from Seigaku smiled when they saw the two switch seats.

"The kid's going to start playing again."

"Is he going to use that serve again?"

"Even though I've seen it before, that serve still amazes me no matter how many times I watch it."

On the court, Horio took out a tennis ball.

He twirled it in his hand, then tossed it into the air.

A normal swing, producing a normal serve.

Bang...

"Seigaku score, 15:0"

"What are Kuroba and Tengan doing? Are they so scared of their opponents that they don't even dare to hit the ball?"

As before, the seemingly ordinary ball scored blatantly against Kuroba and Tengan.

"Tengan, were you doing the same thing as me just now?"

"I don't know... I was just about to try and catch the ball when I realized I couldn't move at all."

"Damn it, is there something strange about that serve?"

The Seigaku members all had an "I knew it" look on their faces, and the mischievous Momoshiro immediately shouted.

"Horio, give them another Complete Imprisonment to show them what you're capable of."

"Complete Imprisonment, is that serve some kind of special technique?"

"I remember now, Complete Imprisonment, it seems to be the serve that Horio played during the match Yamabuki Middle School."

"Does that kind of serve really exist, one that completely immobilizes the player? It's impossible, isn't it?"

Upon hearing Momoshiro's words, the Rokkaku members' memories were awakened.

Bang...

"Seigaku score, 30:0"

"Seigaku scores, score 5-0"

"That's great, it's the last game!"

"As expected, the kid's strength won't allow his opponent to take even a single point."

"Little one, you have to play like this during your match later, understand?"

While praising Horio, Kikumaru couldn't resist taking a jab at Ryoma, which only intensified Ryoma's already strong desire to fight, as he already considered Horio his rival.

"I never expected the score to be this bad."

Kuroba was somewhat disappointed; he had never been beaten like this before.

"Kuroba, it's your turn to serve."

As Tengan waited to serve, he turned around and saw that Kuroba seemed a little lost in thought, so he quickly reminded him.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Kuroba gritted his teeth and looked up at Horio's figure across from him.

With a sense of resentment, he tossed the ball, swung his racket, and the tennis ball flew out.

"Not satisfied? Then let's test our skills on you and see how well we reaped the rewards in Chiba."

He initiated the attack with Inch Step, swung his forehand, and it looked like he was simply returning a more powerful shot.

"Tengan, don't move, I'll do it!"

Kuroba shouted loudly to stop Tengan from trying to receive the ball, then ran quickly and swung his hands at the tennis ball.

Bang! The tennis ball was hit and immediately flew towards Seigaku's half of the court.

After flying a distance of one meter, the tennis ball, which was originally flying straight, fell to the ground.

Thump... thump... thump... thump

"Seigaku score, 15:0"

"How about it? This move is called 'Weak Water.' It's New Tennis Skill I learned during my stay in Chiba."

I'm very satisfied with the New Tennis Skill; they perfectly reflect Horio's understanding of the ocean.

No matter how much force you use, the tennis ball can't get over the net, just like the ocean can accommodate all rivers.

"Weak Water... what does that mean?"

"And it seemed like that ball was stuck to the ground just now."

The crowd outside the court was stunned by Horio's New Tennis Skill, not only in its execution but also in its name.

Gan, who was wearing glasses, remained silent for a long time before finally remembering something.

"I see, no wonder it's called Weak Water."

"Agan, do you know what 'Weak Water' means?"

"The Weak Water has several meanings, but in Chinese mythology, Weak Water is referred to as a treacherous and difficult-to-cross river or sea."

Legend has it that even a feather, which is so light it has no weight, cannot float on it; it will sink to the bottom as soon as it touches the Weak Water.

I think Horio's New Tennis Skill is based on that idea, as long as it's a ball that's been returned.

Everything sinks as if it has touched Weak Water.

"As expected of the kid, we only went to Chiba to improve our physical fitness, but he's already developed a new skill."

"That guy is as powerful as ever."

The students of Seigaku were shocked when they heard Gan's explanation of the Weak Water.

"I don't believe it. How could I lose to a ball that looks so ordinary? If that's the case, then I'll hit it harder."

Kuroba couldn't accept the explanation that he was being lenient; he felt that he wasn't strong enough to return the ball.

So they returned to the baseline and served again.

"I originally just wanted to try it out with one shot, but since you said that, then you can try out the power of the Weak Water with the next few shots."

Having said that, Horio unleashed Weak Water once more.

Kuroba had already mustered all his strength and swung his racket at the incoming tennis ball.

Knock knock knock...

"Seigaku score, 30:0"

"Tengan, stand with me later. I refuse to believe that the two of us can't fight back."

Seeing the tennis ball land in front of him, Kuroba asked Tengan to hit a ball so they could return it together.