King of Tennis (POT)

"That serve is way too fast!"

Outside the court.

One of Hyotei's regulars, Mukahi, widened his eyes in disbelief as he spoke.

Beside him, Shishido was equally shocked and instinctively asked, "Isn't that Taki's cannonball serve?"

"No."

Two voices answered simultaneously—Oshitari and Taki.

"That's right, this isn't the cannonball serve."

At that moment.

Atobe also spoke up.

He looked at Ishikawa on the court and calmly explained, "Taki's cannonball serve relies on his height and strength, concentrating an explosive burst of power into a single point. However, the force is so immense that it's difficult to control, which is why his first-serve success rate is only around 75%."

As he spoke, he glanced at the young man beside him. Taki's expression immediately turned serious, and he nodded firmly in understanding.

"But this serve is different."

Atobe turned his gaze back to Ishikawa. "He uses the momentum from his jump to increase the height of his bounce. However, this also means he sacrifices some of his explosive power, so the speed shouldn't be this fast."

"But the serve is clearly fast…"

Mukahi noticed the inconsistency and blurted out.

"That's exactly the issue."

Atobe nodded. "Despite lacking explosive power, his serve is still incredibly fast. If I'm not mistaken… it has to do with his technique."

Technique?

Tennis skill?

The group was momentarily stunned, then exchanged looks of surprise.

Especially Shishido and Mukahi.

They knew that Ishikawa was just a newcomer who hadn't been playing tennis for long. If he had relied on physical advantages to deliver an impressive serve, they could understand that.

But technique?

Did this first-year even have that?

Even Oshitari narrowed his eyes subconsciously.

He was the first among the regulars to witness Ishikawa's match and had even served as the referee for that game.

From what he saw during that match, Ishikawa's technical movements were clumsy, and his transitions between actions were far from smooth. It was clear that he was a complete beginner.

Those movements didn't seem like an act.

Besides, there was no reason for him to pretend to be weak in a match like that.

But these words came from Atobe, Hyotei's captain and one of the top players in the nation.

If Atobe said Ishikawa had remarkable technique, then it was undoubtedly true.

"Wait!"

Suddenly.

As if realizing something.

Oshitari looked up, his gaze locking onto Ishikawa as he shifted his position, tossed the ball into the air, and leaped up again. "This movement… that's it!"

Swish!

Ishikawa's racket swiftly swung from behind his head, striking the ball with precision.

At that moment.

Oshitari keenly observed that Ishikawa's arm, along with the racket, produced a blur so fast it was almost impossible to see.

Boom!

The ball shot out like a cannonball, crossing most of the court in an instant before landing with incredible speed.

"So fast!"

Even though it wasn't his first time seeing this serve, Oshitari was still shocked.

But then, he narrowed his eyes, a flash of insight crossing his mind. "His swing is so fast that it's impossible to pinpoint the exact moment of contact. That's why it's so hard to predict the ball's trajectory, making the serve feel even faster!"

Thud!

At the same time.

The ball landed in front of Nioh once again. Even Oshitari struggled to track the ball's landing point, so Nioh naturally missed it too.

Thus.

The second point.

He could only watch helplessly as his opponent scored again.

"30-0!"

The referee announced, and the court fell silent once more.

Everyone's faces were filled with awe.

Oshitari exchanged a glance with Atobe and nodded slightly. He had confirmed that Atobe's assessment was correct—Ishikawa's tennis technique was indeed extraordinary.

"How is this possible?!"

On the court, Nioh was completely stunned by the two consecutive ace serves.

Before the match, he never expected his opponent's serve to be this fast.

Nioh thought to himself, "Isn't this almost as fast as Taki's cannonball serve?"

"Nioh-senpai, how's my serve?"

At that moment, Ishikawa, who had moved to a new serving position, smiled and said, "But I think you must be going easy on me. It's okay, this is a serious match—no need to hold back."

Going easy?

The spectators around the court turned to Nioh in surprise.

"Uh…"

Nioh was momentarily speechless, then quickly forced a smile. "Yeah, you caught me. But your serve is really fast. If I don't take it seriously, it's hard to return."

He had no choice but to respond this way. Otherwise, wouldn't it mean he couldn't even react to a first-year's serve?

Besides.

This also gave him a way to save face, complimenting Ishikawa while leaving himself an out.

"This kid."

Seeing Nioh's flustered state, Atobe couldn't help but shake his head. He knew Nioh was actually a fierce and ambitious player.

But now, he was being completely overwhelmed by Ishikawa's serves, to the point where he couldn't even speak properly.

"But is that kid really a first-year?"

Then.

Atobe's gaze returned to Ishikawa.

With such an unusual serve and a level of mental maturity that didn't match his age, Atobe found it hard to believe that Ishikawa was truly a newcomer.

If he hadn't personally investigated Ishikawa's background, Atobe wouldn't have believed it.

Thud!

The crisp sound of the ball being struck rang out again.

Despite Nioh's best efforts to track the ball's trajectory, the speed was still beyond his reaction time. By the time the ball landed and bounced, it was too late for him to swing his racket.

"40-0!"

The referee announced the score once more.

As the crowd buzzed with shock, their eyes turned to Nioh. He stood there with a stiff expression, silently inspecting his racket.

"Was my serve too fast, senpai?"

Ishikawa's voice broke the silence, and everyone looked up to see him smiling. "In that case, I'll slow it down a bit."

Slow it down?

Hearing this, the spectators instinctively widened their eyes.

Mukahi also looked surprised. "Is he doing this on purpose?"

Sure enough.

Nioh's already grim expression darkened further.

"Arrogant brat!"

He suppressed his anger, but the fury in his eyes was almost palpable. He stared intently at Ishikawa, vowing to return that serve no matter what.

Swish!

Without a word, Nioh spread his legs, lowered his stance, and leaned forward slightly, adopting a defensive posture.

Whoosh!

On the other side, Ishikawa tossed the ball into the air again.

Then.

He bent his knees, tightened his core, compressed his body, and leaped up, swinging his racket in one fluid motion.

Boom!

The racket struck the ball once more.

But since Ishikawa had intentionally slowed down, although his swing was still fast, the Hyotei regulars, including Nioh, could now vaguely see the point of contact.

Whoosh!

The ball shot forward.

Nioh's highly focused eyes tracked the ball's trajectory and quickly calculated its landing point.

Thud thud!!

Thinking and acting simultaneously.

Nioh, after all, was the captain of Hyotei's second team and a strong contender for a regular spot. His reflexes were sharp.

Almost as soon as the ball landed, he had already moved into position. His racket was aimed at the bouncing ball, and he swung with all his might.

Swish!

However.

Under the watchful eyes of hundreds of spectators, Nioh's racket barely grazed past the ball.

The gap between them was less than a finger's width!

But for Nioh at that moment, that distance felt like an insurmountable chasm.

"How could this happen?!"

"I was so close, so close!"

"Damn it, if only I had reacted a little faster, I could've reached it, I know it!!!"

As he watched the ball slip past him, Nioh's mind was filled with frustration.

But when he finally calmed down and adjusted his emotions, he caught a glimpse of Ishikawa's faint smile.

Instantly.

A ridiculous thought crossed his mind.

"Was that serve… intentional?"

Did Ishikawa deliberately control the speed of the serve, timing the bounce to match his reaction speed but making it just slightly faster?

Swish!

At that thought.

A chill ran up Nioh's spine, spreading an uncontrollable sense of fear throughout his body.

(End of Chapter)