Thwack! Thwack!
As both players exchanged blows for several rallies, all eyes were fixed on Mori.
"That second-year isn't bad; he's actually holding on for so many rallies," Atobe mused, a hint of surprise in his voice. Mori's drowsy demeanor at the start of the match made it hard to believe he possessed such skill.
"Indeed, his defense is quite solid. However—" Oshitari's gaze locked onto Mori, then shifted to Kamikawa. "The player with the serve should have the initiative, but as the rally continues, the initiative has actually fallen to Kamikawa."
Is Mori not trying to attack fiercely? No, it's not that he doesn't want to; it's that he can't.
Unbeknownst to them, the momentum of the match had been firmly seized by Kamikawa. Kamikawa used alternating left and right groundstrokes, hitting the ball to both sides of Mori's court. Each return was powerful, forcing Mori to take a little more time to deal with the shots. This constant chipping away quickly allowed Kamikawa to gain complete control.
!!
"That guy—" After another return, Mori stretched his muscles. The force of the returns made his palms numb. To control the ball with such precision while also maintaining astonishing power... This guy was like a monster!
Mori looked up as Kamikawa hit another baseline groundstroke. He quickly rushed forward, and the moment the ball bounced, he hit a precise half-volley. He couldn't drag this on any longer; if he did, he would be the one to lose this game. He had to switch from defense to offense now.
Suddenly, Kamikawa appeared at the net, leaping into the air. The ball, like a cannonball, plummeted into Mori's court, whistling past him. Mori was about to sprint but found his body frozen in place.
"0-15!"
"Mori-senpai," Kamikawa said calmly from across the net, "you should be warmed up now, right?"
Mori remained silent, his gaze fixed on the spot where the ball had landed. That last smash was incredibly powerful; even if he had managed to get to it, he might not have been able to return it.
"I need to speed up my attacks." Mori pulled a tennis ball from his pocket and walked to the baseline, adjusting his mindset. Long rallies were a disadvantage for Mori. Due to his lack of consistent training over the years, Mori's stamina, speed, and power were severely lacking. Even with his strong talent, fundamentals needed to be built up through years of training. This wasn't something talent alone could compensate for. Talent could only enhance technique and mental strength, but it certainly couldn't significantly boost those three core aspects. Often, what determined victory was the most basic of stats: power, speed, and physical endurance.
Thwack!
Without overthinking, Mori served again.
Step...
The moment he served, Mori didn't hesitate, stepping forward to approach the net. Serve-and-volley! To gain absolute initiative, serve-and-volley was the optimal solution! And it could speed up the pace of the attack.
Step... step-step...
Across the net, Kamikawa reacted swiftly, moving towards the ball's landing spot. His movements were minimal, without any wasted motion. His gaze fixed ahead, he turned his body, put power into his ankles, lowered his racket, and with a light jump, hit a beautiful mid-height lob over Mori's head.
Whoosh!
Mori's net approach stopped instantly. He put power into his ankles, pivoted on the balls of his feet, and immediately turned, sprinting towards the baseline. Thanks to his height advantage, Mori quickly reached the baseline. As the ball bounced up, Mori barely managed to return the lob.
"The front court is wide open." Yanagi Renji's brow furrowed. Just one lob had easily broken Mori's offense. Was that guy's ball sense really that astounding?!
Facing the incoming ball, Kamikawa lowered his racket face. This action instantly put Mori on alert, and Mori stepped forward, rushing to the net.
Sure enough, it was a drop shot at the net. And it was a perfectly executed drop shot that barely cleared the center net. Mori barely caught up to the drop shot, lowering his racket face, waiting for the ball to bounce and land on his racket. However, the moment the ball landed, it bounced slightly to the left.
Tap-tap-tap... "0-30!"
"That drop shot had a specific spin." Outside the court, Yanagi Renji's eyes widened involuntarily. This was the first time he had seen such a masterful drop shot. His 'Utsusemi' (cicada shell) was a short ball that wouldn't bounce, with the ball rolling slightly after landing. The principle of Utsusemi was simple: to negate the opponent's spin when returning the ball, and it had to be returned at the net. But this drop shot was different; it bounced slightly to the left the moment it landed, creating an irregular bounce.
Tap-tap-tap... "0-40!"
Thwack!
"Game, Kamikawa! 2-0!"
"His technique is indeed excellent, but his power, speed, and stamina aren't outstanding. No wonder he'll get a bagel from Ochi-senpai in the Kanto Tournament two years from now." Kamikawa's gaze fell on Mori. After just one rally, Mori's forehead was covered in sweat, his steps were unsteady, and he was gasping for air.
Simply relying on technique, Mori could indeed defeat some tennis players in the National Tournament, but relying solely on technique wasn't enough. In tennis, fundamentals are the most crucial aspect. Any technique, any skill, is a product built upon fundamentals. If the fundamentals are solid enough, even a simple serve or a simple return can be devastating to an opponent.
Through this simple exchange, Kamikawa had a rough idea of Mori's current level. In the second-year National Tournament, against Shitenhoji, he probably managed to 'play to death' the Speed Star of Osaka by relying on his technique. Furthermore, that Speed Star of Osaka wasn't very confident at the time, and the pressure of losing two consecutive games gradually caused him to abandon his own advantages, leading to his defeat. In Kamikawa's opinion, abandoning your greatest advantage and choosing to challenge with other mediocre stats is undoubtedly asking for death.
After figuring out Mori's strategy, this shining second-year talent couldn't stir up any waves in front of Kamikawa.
Thwack!
"Game, Kamikawa! 3-0!"
Another four aces quickly ended Kamikawa's service game.
Mori sat on the coach's bench, gasping for breath. No one knew how severely his mental energy was being depleted at this moment. A deep sense of powerlessness almost consumed his entire body.
"Am I—am I going to lose?!" Mori had tried various approaches, but he couldn't even touch the ball. His body constantly tried to adapt to such ball speeds, which led to a terrifying consumption of stamina and mental energy. Especially since Mori hadn't had any proper training since entering junior high. Even being in two 'Golden Eras' hadn't ignited Mori's deep-seated belief in winning.
"Is he—is he really a first-year?" Mori looked up, briefly sizing up his opponent. A wave of astonishment surged within him. Kamikawa's forehead was only slightly sweaty, and his breathing showed no sign of disruption. It seemed as if he was performing a very simple task. His mind, body, and technique were completely overwhelmed by his opponent.
"To lose the match like this—how can I accept it?" Losing to someone his own age, losing to someone a year younger than him, when this scene truly unfolded before Mori, that damned competitive spirit deep within him finally surged forth.
In a daze, he slowly rose, picked up his racket, and walked towards the court.
"Phew! It's really hot today!"
Inside Rikkaidai Junior High.
A man in a checkered, light-yellow shirt, wearing a tie and carrying camera equipment, walked towards the Rikkaidai Tennis Club, shaking his shirt as he went. A "Professional Tennis Monthly" badge hung on his chest, with his name "Mamoru Inoue!" written below it.
"But it's all worth it." Inoue pulled a handkerchief from his chest pocket, wiping away sweat. His gaze fell on the tennis club in the distance. This time, he had specially learned about the match scheduled for today through a friend. Hyotei vs. Rikkaidai, a practice match between last year's Kanto Tournament champions and runners-up. Both the sales appeal and the spectacle were enough to draw attention. In his opinion, Hyotei's strength was considerable, but Rikkaidai was even stronger.
"I hope Sanada and Yukimura haven't started their match yet." Images of Sanada and Yukimura flashed in Inoue's mind. He had personally witnessed Sanada and Yukimura winning the Kanagawa Prefectural Tournament.
Soon, Inoue appeared at the entrance of the tennis club. Looking at the densely packed Rikkaidai team members, his gaze swept across, and he quickly found himself in a relatively spacious area, a perfect shooting spot with few people standing around.
Thwack!
!!
At this moment, a rhythmic hitting sound from the court instantly caught his eye.
"The match has already started; it seems I arrived just in time." Inoue quickly adjusted his camera equipment, his gaze fixed on the court.
Step... step-step...
A seemingly slightly green teenager stepped up to the net.
!!
After catching up to the ball, before it could even land, he raised his hand and hit a beautiful volley. The ball shot out like an arrow, precisely landing on the center line.
Whirrrrrr!
The ball spun violently, then bounced high into the air.
"What a beautiful topspin!" Inoue couldn't help but exclaim, his hands still working, focusing his camera on the hitting teenager.
"Is that Kamikawa Muzuki, the champion of the previous JR tournament?!" After taking two photos, Inoue quickly came to his senses, his gaze falling once again on the teenager. His figure perfectly overlapped with the photos in his mind.
"And this one is—" After a moment of hesitation, Inoue's gaze fell on the red-brown-haired teenager. His brows furrowed; for a moment, he couldn't recall the exact identity of the opponent. Judging by his age, he should be a second-year, but Rikkaidai didn't have such a distinctively colored player last year.
"Is he from Kansai? Or a transfer student from Kyushu?" Inoue's mind raced, but soon, the exclamations from the court once again interrupted his thoughts.
Thwack!
With a crisp sound, the ball swept over the center net and landed steadily at the net. This time, after the ball landed, it produced a slight backspin, causing the ball to roll slightly towards the left.
"Game, Kamikawa! 6-0!"
"Match over, winner is Hyotei Gakuen's Kamikawa Muzuki."
The third-year senpai acting as umpire, who was already speechless with astonishment, now gritted his teeth as he announced the humiliating match result. With clean and decisive attacks, Kamikawa easily overpowered Mori's technique head-on. This second-year prodigy, set to be highly anticipated in the future, now appeared exceptionally disheveled.
Mori slumped at the net like a deflated balloon, as if all his strength had been drained in an instant. His chest heaved violently, gasping for breath, his clothes drenched in sweat, which ran down his forehead and cheeks, dripping onto the ground, forming a puddle.
Mori slowly looked up, his eyes empty and devoid of spirit as he stared at Kamikawa approaching the net. His gaze revealed an unspeakable weariness and sense of defeat. His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but not a single sound escaped him.