Kamikawa: Tezuka, you've been far too merciful to Atobe. Allow me to knock you back to reality!

Atobe had no time to think.

Bam!

Bam!

"Whatever tricks you've got, bring them on!"

Atobe put the thought aside, tossed the ball, and cleanly delivered a high-quality serve.

Thwack!!

This serve was even more precise than the last, landing right on the edge of the service line in the corner of the court.

"Nervous, are you..."

Kamikawa's gaze fell on the serve.

A topspin serve. Interesting... I can try that move.

Screee!

A harsh frictional sound rang out from the racket.

Thump!!

With a dull thud, the tennis ball shot away.

It skimmed rapidly across the racket face, sliced as swiftly as a drawn blade, and Atobe didn't even see the instant it was struck.

"What was that?!"

All he saw was a blade-like streak slicing into his court. The ball hit the ground, shot past him, and slammed into the wall, still spinning rapidly!

"What was that?!"

Shishido blinked repeatedly.

For an instant, he thought he'd seen a whirlwind like a blade slice into Atobe's court.

That shot had been dazzling.

Even Tezuka lost focus for a moment. He hadn't expected Kamikawa to have another move up his sleeve. The whirlwind dispersed, and the rapidly spinning ball left a faint black mark on the wall.

Not only that, it left a faint mark on the ground too, as if a blade had cut through it, leaving a smooth, even surface...

This kind of shot seemed to require certain conditions to take shape.

Tezuka had seen it clearly. In that instant, Kamikawa had made a slicing motion.

Slices were divided into three types: pressure slices, flat slices, and cut slices. Pressure slices were usually used against an opponent's high-bouncing topspin shots.

A pressure slice put backspin on the ball, making it bounce at a low angle. It was often used defensively. Along the baseline, besides rallying with regular strokes, players used pressure slices more than any other shot.

Tezuka's Zero-style Slice and Kamikawa's earlier Maple Leaf Slice were both types of flat slice. The racket was held at waist level, and the ball was sliced slightly in front of the body.

Flat slices were offensive shots. By putting a particular spin on the ball, they threw off the opponent and won points. An advanced flat slice, like the Zero-style Slice, made the ball roll backward after landing, leaving the opponent with no way to return it.

Kamikawa had used the spin from his opponent's topspin serve to create that visual impact. Of course, his use of mental power had played a part as well.

The principle was similar to the Swallow Return Flash, but the power was completely different. This move was a fast cut slice. It depended on one thing: speed—an extraordinary speed!

"Impressive speed, and that strange angle of deflection."

A familiar voice came from behind Shishido.

Oshitari, sweating, walked over with his racket in hand. Judging by his demeanor, he'd already finished his match against Jiro, and from the look of him, he'd won.

"Oshitari, you're done over there?"

Shishido was stunned. Oshitari had been up against Jiro, after all.

The number one of Hyotei Elementary School's three aces had been defeated just like that.

"Jiro's good at net volleys. It was a lucky matchup..."

Oshitari replied calmly, "I'm good at defense, and his smashes were just the kind my Giant Bear Return could shut down. Most importantly, that guy's stamina is terrible!"

Jiro might have had a natural talent for tennis, but his habit of sleeping all the time meant his stamina was a glaring weakness. The same went for Oshitari, Hiyoshi, who had just started sixth grade, and Mukahi.

These net-volley players lacked stamina more than anything.

Without extraordinary endurance, once a match lasted more than thirty minutes, they were as good as finished. They'd have no chance to fight back.

"That's Jiro for you..."

Shishido gave a small nod.

All three of them shared one weakness: they weren't very fit.

Shishido was the best of the lot. He could last at least thirty minutes.

Mukahi and Jiro were hopeless. After twenty-five minutes, they were practically exhausted and couldn't put up any resistance.

Everyone was still caught up in that blade of wind from earlier.

Thwack!!

A sharp crack brought them back to their senses.

"0–30!"

"That was the same return as before..."

Mukahi tugged at Shishido's sleeve. "That move is so ridiculous. It felt like a blade of wind was coming at me. My body couldn't react in time."

But when he remembered that Kamikawa had hit it, he quickly accepted it.

If Kamikawa could deliver such an outrageous serve, then a shot that couldn't be returned was within reason too.

"Using the opponent's topspin to make a quick slice requires a swing with near-perfect force and speed. That's the only way to pull off that move. Even if you understand the principle, that blade of wind..."

Oshitari's mental power was decent, and he'd more or less figured out how the blade of wind had been produced. But knowing how a shot worked wasn't enough. His body had to react the instant the ball hit the ground.

Even if he could see through it, returning that blade of wind by ordinary means would be difficult even for Atobe, wouldn't it?

As Oshitari saw it, the blade of wind would be hard to form unless the return had topspin.

Of course, that was only a theory. They'd have to keep watching to find out whether it could still form. Maybe Kamikawa could slice the ball instantly without relying on that slight topspin.

Could Atobe on the court figure that out?

Probably not...

What they saw from outside the court was completely different from what was happening on it. From Atobe's perspective, he'd clearly seen a blade of wind sweep across his court, and he hadn't been able to react at all. His body had seemed rooted to the spot.

He couldn't even take a single step.

Thump!

Thwack!!

On the court,

the successive blades of wind left Atobe completely baffled.

Kamikawa's rapid attacks had broken Atobe's service game.

The score soon reached 3–2, with Kamikawa in the lead.

"So you used my topspin serve to slice the ball quickly and create that shot?!"

"No! That's not all. What was that unbelievable visual impact...?"

The blade of wind had been astonishing, but Atobe's powers of observation were no joke.

He'd barely worked out how the blade of wind had been struck, but his body still wouldn't move.

"Ha... huff..."

When Atobe came to his senses, he realized he was panting heavily.

He hadn't moved at all just now, apart from serving.

So why

did his body feel so exhausted? What else about that blade-of-wind shot had he failed to see?

"You should have seen through the nature of that return by now, right?"

Kamikawa walked past Atobe and spoke softly. "The blade-of-wind shot works just as you think. I used your topspin serve and sliced the ball quickly to create that visual impact."

"Atobe, if you can't counter this move and take that step, you'll never surpass me—or Tezuka!"

Atobe's pupils contracted. He turned to look at Kamikawa. What did he mean by that?!

But all he got in response was Kamikawa's back. Perhaps he'd only understand what those words meant after the match was over.

"Atobe!"

Kamikawa held the ball and watched Atobe steadily regain his composure. "Tezuka has been far too merciful to you. I'll show you what a real gap looks like!"

"What?!"

Atobe's brow furrowed and his pupils contracted. He seemed to have guessed what Kamikawa meant.

Could this guy

really have been holding back throughout the match?

Then again, he still had that outrageous serve!

Whoosh~

The next moment,

Kamikawa tossed the ball high into the sky, bent at the waist, crouched, and sprang up in one fluid motion. As the ball began to fall, his upper arm drove his forearm, and his forearm drove the racket as he swung sharply forward.

Vrrrr!!

A piercing sound suddenly rang out.

The sharp noise reached everyone's ears.

For a moment, everyone couldn't help covering their ears, yet their eyes remained fixed on the tennis ball on the court.