The pale yellow tennis ball hit the ground and skidded past Atobe's feet along a bizarre, twisted trajectory.
Boom!!
The pale yellow glow faded. Spinning fiercely, the ball slammed into the wall and shot upward, flying straight into the sky!!
Atobe's gaze dropped, his face stiff. Even though he'd known in advance that Kamikawa would use Dancing Golden Snake at that moment, all he'd managed was to assume a ready position. He hadn't had time to react.
"15–0!"
Only after a long pause did Mitsuya Genko, serving as the referee, finally call the score.
Maybe this guy really was stronger than Atobe!
"No matter how many times I see it, it still shocks me."
Shishido sucked in a breath. Once he'd collected himself, he murmured,
"His serve's faster than it was before."
This wasn't Oshitari's first time seeing Dancing Golden Snake, but he could clearly tell that this serve was much faster than the one Kamikawa had used against Akutsu.
"It's even faster than the serve he hit against Tezuka at the JR Tournament."
The final of the JR Tournament flashed through Mukahi's mind. Back then, Kamikawa had hit Dancing Golden Snake just like this. A few months later, the serve had become even more powerful.
Earlier, when he'd seen Dancing Golden Snake at Yamabuki, he'd wanted to ask about this...
It was obviously Dancing Golden Snake, but judging by the speed and the way the ball swayed from side to side, it was clearly not as good as the one Kamikawa had hit at the JR Tournament.
This was the first ace of the match. It was also an ace that struck straight at everyone's confidence. Forget returning it—some people hadn't even reacted in time.
They'd only heard the two sharp sounds: the ball hitting the ground, then bouncing off the wall.
"This guy..."
Though he'd been calm at first, seeing that serve stirred fear in him despite himself.
Atobe forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart.
He took a deep breath and adjusted his breathing again and again, trying to steady himself.
But Kamikawa wasn't about to give Atobe much time to recover.
Thump!!
Kamikawa quickly raised his hand and served another Dancing Golden Snake.
"30–0!"
Thump!!
"40–0!"
Thump!!
"Game, Kamikawa. 4–2!"
After four consecutive aces, Atobe could just make out the serve's trajectory. He tried to fight back, but his body froze in place, unable to move.
If he couldn't even move, there was no way he could return the ball. Even if he managed to reach the serve, Atobe had little confidence he could send it back.
The pressure of being broken, the pressure of being unable to return his opponent's serve, and the pressure of having to hold his own service game—all of it piled up, causing Atobe's mental strength to waver for a moment.
Atobe stood rooted to the spot, his mind replaying the scene of his service game being broken.
"Phew..."
Atobe tossed the ball, bent his knees, raised his arm, and sent the ball flying with a sharp swing.
Whoosh!!
Screee!!
The ball struck the center of the net, scraping against it before slowly dropping down.
"Fault!"
"Phew..."
Atobe shook his head and took another ball from the ball boy.
Smack!
He raised his hand again and hit a topspin serve.
Whoosh!!
The ball struck the center of the net once more, scraped against it, and slowly fell.
"Double fault."
"0–15!!"
"Tch!"
Atobe glanced at the ball, annoyed. He could feel how heavy the pressure was at that moment.
"No way!"
"Atobe double-faulted! And on such an ordinary topspin serve—how could he miss?" Shishido's eyes widened.
A mistake this simple had happened to Atobe twice in a row.
And judging by Atobe's condition, there was clearly more to it than met the eye. What on earth was going on?!
After a long silence, Oshitari said uncertainly, "It's the pressure, I think."
"Pressure?!"
Mukahi and Shishido couldn't believe it. Atobe had actually made serving errors because of pressure.
"It's more than just pressure. It's his mental strength."
"You could also call it willpower, character, determination, conviction—things that can't easily be put into words. All of them fall under mental strength." Tezuka's voice came from behind them.
With greater mental strength than Oshitari and the others, Tezuka could naturally see what they couldn't.
"Power, speed, technique, stamina—if a player excels in just one of these and reaches the national level in that area, that doesn't make him a national-level player. At most, he's only stepped onto the threshold."
"They rely on their strengths to suppress their opponents. For example, Oshitari's technique and stamina are far superior to Jiro's, which is why he can beat him so easily."
"Likewise, Atobe's mental strength is nowhere near Kamikawa's. On top of that, he's inferior to Kamikawa in power, speed, and technique. All that pressure piled up, and then he lost his service game first."
"He can't calm down and play anymore."
Tezuka knew more than Oshitari and the others. Of course, Kamikawa had told him all this.
If a player's mental strength never broke through its limits, he would never reach the national level.
Thump!!
Screee!!
"Double fault!"
"0–30!!"
"Phew... Why... Why can't I get it in?!" Sweat beaded on Atobe's forehead. His body was weakening, and the crushing pressure threatened to bring him to his knees.
The images kept surfacing in his mind: his earlier serving errors, and his service game being broken. He tried his best to shake off those ingrained impressions.
But as soon as he tossed the ball, his mind went straight back to them.
"Atobe!" Kamikawa held his racket in one hand and smiled faintly. "I told you, Tezuka was far too kind to you. With his skill, he could have beaten you 6–0 in that match."
"I admit you've improved in speed and power lately, but it's still not enough... Atobe, if this is all the progress you've made, you'll never keep up with Tezuka and me."
Kamikawa's smile vanished as he spoke in an even tone.
Atobe's face went pale at his words.
They struck him like a heavy hammer to the chest.
Was the gap between him and them really that huge?!
No wonder he'd felt after that match that Tezuka had been holding something back. Tezuka had barely broken a sweat and still looked to be in excellent condition.
The match continued, and Atobe did everything he could to regain his composure.
But the serve was like a nightmare, one he still couldn't send over the net.
"What... What are you thinking?! Keigo Atobe!"
Atobe struggled to chase the ball, forced to run back and forth as he pursued the tennis ball, which seemed just within reach. In this match, Kamikawa had completely crushed his pride.
Thump!!
Kamikawa hit a backhand crosscourt shot, placing it precisely in the far corner.
The ball flew past Atobe and bounced high toward Tezuka. Tezuka reached out and caught it, his gaze calm as he watched the two players on the court.
"Match over!"
Then Mitsuya Genko, seated in the umpire's chair, called out loudly, "The winner is Kamikawa Mutsu, 6–2!"
Atobe said nothing. He put his racket into its case, turned, and walked away in the opposite direction. His eyes were despondent.
The last time he'd been beaten this badly was when he'd first started playing tennis. After that, he'd gained eyes that could see through everything. But now...
He'd lost—and to someone his own age.
As for the two games he'd won, Kamikawa had only been testing him. He'd simply thrown those points away.
Just like Tezuka had back then...
Before you continue