"What?!"
Sanada and Yanagi Renji looked at Yukimura with expressions of disbelief. They couldn't believe those words had come from Yukimura.
"Yukimura, this isn't a game!" Fushimi, listening nearby, also frowned, emphasizing sternly.
This concerned the honor of King Rikkaidai. Even when facing the Kanto Tournament runner-up from last year, they had to display the demeanor of kings and utterly crush them. They absolutely couldn't allow such a team to grow!
Fushimi was indeed far-sighted. After all, besides Gen Hikaru and Kawamura Hayato, the remaining Hyotei regulars were all first-years. They were the future of Hyotei! If they suffered a defeat like this, they might never recover. This would entirely eliminate the threat of the Kanto Tournament, the National Tournament, and even the next two years. Fushimi understood better than anyone the difference between reigning supreme as victors and slowly climbing up as losers.
"Fushimi-senpai, please don't interfere with my decision." Yukimura glanced indifferently at Fushimi, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He had made up his mind, and no one, not even Sanada, could change it.
"Mori-senpai, I hope you won't disappoint me." Yukimura's gaze fell on Mori, then shifted to the young man in the Hyotei uniform on the opposite side of the court. A gentle breeze ruffled his dark blue hair, causing it to sway slightly.
Our match... let's save it for the Kanto Tournament finals!
Seeing this, Sanada and Yanagi uncharacteristically fell silent. Sanada knew Yukimura well; once Yukimura made a decision, he would never change it. Likewise, Yanagi knew Yukimura's personality. Though he seemed like a perfect gentleman every day, his pride was stronger than anyone else's. A large part of the reason he invited Hyotei for this practice match was because of Kamikawa and Tezuka.
"Kamikawa Muzuki, born in Tokyo, graduated from Seishun Daiichi Elementary School. He was originally supposed to enter Seigaku, but for unknown reasons, he joined Hyotei."
"He and Tezuka Kunimitsu are childhood friends. He's a laid-back person, barely participated in elementary school tournaments, but at the JR Tournament, he defeated Yukimura with a score of 6-4."
"Furthermore, in the previous district tournaments and the Metropolitan Tournament, he played as a singles player and absolutely crushed his opponents with overwhelming skill, without a single loss."
Yanagi Renji's gaze was fixed on Kamikawa. Having constantly heard Yukimura and Sanada mention him, Yanagi naturally took some time to gather information on Kamikawa and Tezuka. There was a lot of data on Tezuka, but very little on Kamikawa. The few matches he did participate in included a direct defeat of Yukimura on the court.
"What?!" Fushimi's pupils contracted upon hearing this. He looked incredulously at Yukimura beside him.
That young man on the court, who didn't look much older than Yukimura, had actually defeated Yukimura directly, and with a score of 6-4? Without even going into a tie-break?!
This... this couldn't be!
Although Fushimi had some opinions about Yukimura, he had none about Yukimura's displayed skill. He was indeed strong, stronger than any peers or senpais he had seen before. To display such power as a first-year, only the "Emperor" of Makinoto could do it. The moment Fushimi saw Yukimura, he couldn't help but think of the "Emperor" from back then.
Now Yanagi Renji was saying that Yukimura had previously lost to Kamikawa.
"That was half a year ago. The current him is absolutely no match for Yukimura!" Sanada said gravely, his arms crossed, explaining calmly. Over the past six months, his own skill had significantly improved. Yukimura, too, had been constantly strengthening his abilities. Even Sanada himself wasn't sure how much Yukimura had changed during this time.
"Yes, with Yukimura's skill, even national-level players are no match for him. How could so many first-years like Yukimura emerge?" Ishihara also smiled, not taking Yukimura's past loss to heart. Half a year ago, many exceptionally talented young players would gradually fade into obscurity after entering middle school. Who knew, after so much time, the other party's improvement might not even be as obvious as Sanada's.
"Rikkaidai's Mori Jūsaburō spent a year at Shitenhoji during his first year. He just transferred from Shitenhoji to Rikkaidai this year," Oshitari, who had recovered, said calmly, his eyes somewhat vacant as he watched the red-haired second-year.
In Kansai, Shitenhoji was definitely considered a top-tier tennis powerhouse. His cousin had also entered Shitenhoji this year. If it weren't for his father's transfer and Hyotei's excellent performance last year, Oshitari might not have joined Hyotei, choosing Shitenhoji instead.
"How good is he?" Atobe's eyes fixed on Mori, curious.
"A genius!" Oshitari pushed up his glasses, uttering only two words. An out-and-out genius. A person who barely trained but displayed immense skill. He had even appeared in the National Tournament last year. He played as Shitenhoji's Singles Three, easily defeating his opponent at the time. Unfortunately, Shitenhoji's results weren't great; they met the dominant Makinoto Middle School in the quarterfinals and were ultimately eliminated.
"A genius, huh?" Atobe's tone was light. He seemed to think of someone else. Someone Kamikawa had also called a genius.
On the Court
Kamikawa looked up at Mori, who was still sleepy-eyed and seemed half-asleep. Mori held his racket with one hand, apparently not even having done a basic warm-up. This demeanor certainly suited Mori's personality.
"Mori-senpai, please take care of me."
"Hehe~ Likewise."
The two shook hands, then decided on who would serve. Mori didn't seem to care, said a casual remark, and walked to the baseline.
"Giving up the serve voluntarily, huh?" Kamikawa gazed at Mori's back. A genius praised by Byodoin and those high schoolers, who reached the top ten in the U-17 as a first-year. Let me witness such talent with my own eyes.
Pop!
Pop!!
Kamikawa bounced the tennis ball lightly on the ground, adjusting his breathing. Then he tossed the ball high, bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity, and leaped into the air.
Whoosh!!
Serpentine Dance!
The glowing yellow tennis ball was struck fiercely by Kamikawa.
Zzzzzzt!
The ball landed with intense spin, bouncing at a slight angle before transforming into a bizarre arc, streaking past Mori. The exaggerated spin was so much that Mori didn't even have time to react.
Only when a crashing sound reached his ears did the tennis ball violently hit the wire fence, the intense spin twisting the wire into a tangled mess. Black smoke rose from the glowing yellow ball.
Mori looked down. He hadn't realized cold sweat had broken out on his forehead. He stared at the charred black area on the ground by his feet, his pupils shrinking.
"What was that?!"
Sidelines
The Rikkaidai crowd looked on in terror. This was their first time witnessing such an exaggerated and bizarre serve. The ball almost glided along the ground, and the serve's speed was extremely fast, with an astonishing amount of spin.
"Serpentine Dance. He used it in the finals before," Sanada frowned. He and Yukimura had watched that final match.
"It's faster than what we saw then." Yukimura's brows were tightly furrowed. He also felt the terror of that serve. Just the landing speed of the serve reached an astounding 200 km/h, not to mention the ball's irregular bounce and inexplicable sway after landing.
"Referee, please announce the score!" Yanagi Renji recorded the data of that serve, then called out to the third-year senior acting as referee.
"O-ok... ok..." The referee swallowed, regaining his composure, and shouted, "15-0!"
"Mori-senpai, I'm completely ready for this match. Don't disappoint me too much," Kamikawa said with a smile, his gaze on Mori, who hadn't fully recovered.
Whoosh!!
"30-0!"
Whoosh!!
"40-0!"
Whoosh!!
"Game, Kamikawa, 1-0!"
Before everyone could fully grasp what happened, Kamikawa had hit four consecutive Aces to score.
"What a strange serve." Yanagi Renji looked up at Yukimura beside him. He had played against Kamikawa and should know the ball's bounce angle. Perhaps he could get the answer he wanted from Yukimura.
However, Yukimura merely shook his head calmly. In Kamikawa's previous match against him, Yukimura had witnessed a strange slice, not the serve he was seeing now. During Kamikawa and Tezuka's match in the finals, when he and Sanada stood on the sidelines, they had seen this move from Kamikawa. Now, the bounce angle was lower than before, and the power was even more intense.
"He looks pretty ordinary, huh?" Atobe crossed his arms, gazing at Mori on the court with an air of superiority. He had thought the opponent could return that serve, but it seemed he was just like Atobe himself, helpless against that serve. Even national-level tennis players could only stare blankly when first facing the Serpentine Dance.
"That was a beautiful serve—" Mori's brow was tightly furrowed. The remaining sleepiness was completely shaken off by Kamikawa's four serves. The aura emanating from that young man, Kamikawa, was very similar to Yukimura's. It was rare to possess such an aura as a first-year.
"I can't be careless next time."
He crouched, suddenly grabbing and squeezing the ball as it bounced up. He tossed the ball high into the air, simultaneously bending his knees to lower his body's center of gravity backward, arching his back, his eyes fixed on the ball in mid-air.
Whoosh!!
Then, he suddenly jumped and swung his racket.
Thwack!
There were no fancy movements. By lowering his center of gravity, he hit a flat serve that was surprisingly faster than a regular fast serve.
"It's not a perfectly standard flat serve, but the speed is surprisingly fast," Yanagi Renji's face was calm in the audience, but his tone revealed a hint of surprise. Not just him, even Sanada beside him showed a trace of surprise. Neither of them had expected a second-year senior who didn't train every day to hit a serve of that caliber.
"That second-year doesn't seem so simple after all," Atobe was somewhat surprised. From the serve alone, Mori's skill level was evident.
"The serve is indeed good, but he's facing Kamikawa."
Kamikawa's strength wasn't just his serve. His exquisite technique, combined with his powerful mental energy, and his control over the entire situation, were all areas where Kamikawa excelled.
Sure enough!
The next moment, Kamikawa moved. He stepped behind the ball. The moment his racket touched the ball, he felt the power of that serve. Without any hesitation, Kamikawa quickly hit a powerful cross-court drive, returning the favor.
"He seems to have seen through Mori-senpai's serve," Yanagi Renji's brow furrowed. The skill Kamikawa was now displaying was already on par with Atobe's just now. If you added that serve into the mix, even Atobe would be no match for him.
"Seeing this, I understand why Yukimura wanted this match now."
From every angle, Kamikawa's skill was equivalent to Yukimura's. If Yukimura couldn't return that serve, he would be at a disadvantage from the start against Kamikawa.
Exquisite technique requires strong fundamental abilities to support it. And Kamikawa, who could hit that stunning serve, naturally had fundamental abilities surpassing most middle school players. Even a simple drive could precisely land near the baseline.
It was clear that Kamikawa, at this moment, was definitely at a national level.