Zero Score, Unreasonably Strong

Tokyo.

Lawson Tennis Center.

JR Tournament, court B2, a figure was scurrying back and forth.

Sweat poured down his forehead, soaking his brown hair. The crowd outside grew larger and larger. Not only that, but gasps of admiration could be heard from other courts as well.

They had never seen a JR Tournament elementary division match played so brilliantly.

BOOM!!

BANG!!

Mechanical hitting sounds echoed.

2 minutes!

5 minutes!

10 minutes!!

The score on the scoreboard next to the umpire's left hand was particularly striking.

0-5

Following the order of the numbers, the names of both players were also written below the score.

In just ten minutes, Shishido had lost five games in a row.

Even his most prized serve-and-volley was easily shattered by Kamikawa. Forget winning, Shishido hadn't even managed to score a single point against Kamikawa.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Shishido sat in the rest area, gasping for air. He felt like his lungs were about to explode.

It was time to switch sides, but his legs were trembling uncontrollably. His stamina had reached its limit.

Just now, during Kamikawa's service game, he didn't even have time to react. He felt like Kamikawa's serve was faster, or perhaps his own movements had become slower.

"Get one point off him!"

"Less than fifteen minutes... I doubt Mukahi's match is going any faster than mine."

Shishido gave a wry smile, picked up the racket placed beside him, and walked back onto the court. He no longer had his previous arrogance, only the determination to persevere until the very last moment.

It was now his service game, but he felt he didn't even have the courage to serve and volley. His own path in tennis seemed to have been ruthlessly crushed by this guy.

"You're going to join Hyotei Academy later, aren't you!"

Kamikawa smiled and said, standing at the baseline.

"What do you mean!"

Shishido looked up at Kamikawa, seemingly guessing something.

"With this level of skill, I don't recommend you become a player in the Hyotei tennis club. You... are too weak."

To achieve a three-peat in the National Tournament, at Shishido's current level, he was only at the Metropolitan Tournament level, and it would be a stretch to even make it to the Kanto Tournament, let alone aim for the Nationals.

Shishido wasn't weak among junior high school students.

But he was definitely not strong either!!

Perhaps after the top players from the third-year junior high cohort graduated and left the tennis club, he could become a regular player under Atobe's leadership, but his current strength was definitely not considered strong.

The gap was like a chasm, and he hadn't even managed to score a single point against Kamikawa.

This was enough to show how vast the difference between them was.

"This top-three tennis player from Hyotei Elementary School is already considered a genius."

"But he's encountered another genius, one who is even more outstanding than him."

The umpire, sitting in his high chair, had seen too many geniuses. And all those geniuses, without exception, would be defeated by another, more exceptional genius.

In the world of tennis, only strength speaks. No matter how much boasting there was before the match, it couldn't change the rules of the game. This was the unique rule of the court!

BANG!!

0-15

BANG!!

0-30

BANG!!

Break point, Kamikawa, 40-0.

Three consecutive shots were clean return winners.

Shishido's mind went blank, with no time to even think.

It was break point. If Kamikawa won one more point, he would break Shishido's service game and end the match.

More than the physical fatigue, the most impactful thing was the glaring 0-5 on the scoreboard.

For a tennis player, a compromised mindset is far more fatal than physical exhaustion.

And at this moment, Shishido clearly couldn't adjust.

His confidence had been shattered mercilessly by Kamikawa.

Compared to Shishido's profuse sweating, Kamikawa was only slightly perspiring, a smile on his lips, his eyes calm as water, seemingly enjoying the match.

"Player Shishido."

At this moment, the referee couldn't bear to watch any longer and called out, "It's the final point, can you still keep going?!"

"Huu..."

"I, I can still go!"

Shishido's legs trembled uncontrollably. He was purely relying on his willpower to stay on the court. He took the tennis ball handed to him by the ball boy, vaguely seeing contempt and mockery on the ball boy's face.

As if, he felt the strange gazes from all the surrounding spectators, piercing his pride like needles.

The final point!

As long as he hit this last ball, the match would be over.

Thinking this, Shishido unconsciously tossed the tennis ball in his hand into the air. At this moment, he felt himself become light, his mind focused on only one thought: to take a point from his opponent.

Bang!!

He raised his hand and swung his racket fiercely.

Pat, swish~

The tennis ball hit the center line, spinning violently, and slowly slid down.

"Fault!"

The referee shook his head and shouted.

Shishido's stamina had reached its limit; his body was merely holding on, acting out of instinct. A serve of this level, let alone threatening Kamikawa, struggled even to land within the opponent's court.

The ball boy quickly ran in, picked up the ball, and handed it back to Shishido.

And Shishido once again tossed the ball in his hand into the air.

Only in moments of extreme crisis can one unleash power beyond their own capabilities.

As the tennis ball hung high in the air, Shishido pushed off with one foot, leaping upwards. His body bent, and he slammed his racket downwards.

Bang!!

A crisp sound was heard.

The tennis ball plummeted into Kamikawa's court like a cannonball.

The moment the ball flew out, Shishido landed, his feet touching the ground, and charged forward. His movements accelerated continuously, and before the ball even landed, he appeared at the net with a bizarre speed.

Such bizarre speed also drew the attention of those off the court.

It was too fast. They only saw Shishido's sprinting motion, and in the blink of an eye, he was at the net.

Thump~

Before anyone else could react, they heard the sound of a ball being hit.

Instantly, everyone's gaze turned to Kamikawa.

Kamikawa was slowly retracting his racket. He glanced at Shishido again and said, "In adversity, you've grasped some fundamentals. Passable, I suppose."

After speaking, the tennis ball fell into Shishido's court. The moment it hit the ground, it shot backward at high speed, hitting the iron net behind him. It spun continuously, twisting the iron net into a mess with the impact.

A shallow black mark was left on the ground.

Shishido stood still, completely losing consciousness at this moment. He subconsciously raised his hand.

This return.

It was even faster than what they had seen before.

As if sensing the end of the match, Shishido collapsed onto the ground like a deflated balloon, gasping for air. The glaring sunlight shone into his pupils. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, and at the same time, hid the face of a loser.

"The match is over."

"Player number 26, Kamikawa Mutsu from Tokyo Prefecture, is the winner!"

"The score is 6-0!"

The audience also erupted in cheers.

"Such an amazing elementary schooler."

Inoue, focusing and taking several photos, took a deep breath, his expression grave. "This year's JR Tournament has a very high level of competition."

"And his next opponent is Yukimura Seiichi from Kanagawa, who has never lost a single point in previous matches!"

Inoue adjusted his camera and brought up Yukimura Seiichi's photo.

He had originally been photographing Yukimura at B1. Compared to Kamikawa, Yukimura was already quite famous in Kanagawa, having won championships in various elementary school events. He was a strong contender for this JR Tournament.

Another strong contender was Sanada Genichiro, also from Kanagawa Prefecture.