"Zero-Shiki Serve!" Tezuka murmured, as if a certain answer had just clicked in his mind.
Seeing Tezuka's state, Kamikawa smiled and didn't press the issue. Instead, he turned to Tezuka and said, "That doubles match should be over by now. It's your turn to step onto the court, Tezuka!"
Tezuka versus Yukimura... In the original story, after Tezuka finally arrived at the Junior Rankers tournament, he faced Sanada first. He utterly crushed him in two matches with scores of 6-0 and 6-1 before going on to play against Yukimura. That match never saw a conclusion.
However, judging by Tezuka's condition at the time, his skill was arguably even superior to Yukimura's. For a fleeting moment, relying on his "Pillar of Fortitude," he even managed to overpower Yukimura.
But ultimately, it was a match that ended midway.
Both of them were equals in terms of spirit, physique, technique, speed, and power.
Perhaps, the match that once had no result might find a satisfying answer today.
"It looks like he's warmed up," Atobe observed, watching Kamikawa and Tezuka approach. Tezuka had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, his eyes were sharp, and a formidable aura emanated from him. It was clear he was fully prepared.
"Tezuka hasn't really played since that time at Hyotei's entrance ceremony, when he faced Atobe, who had swept through the entire Hyotei Tennis Club," Oshitari commented, having regained his composure.
"Yeah, but Tezuka said his current skill isn't as good as Kamikawa's," Mukahi said, who had just stepped off the court, glancing at Kamikawa.
Hyotei's "Big Three" were each stronger than the last.
Kamikawa was the most cunning among them, always presenting himself as harmless.
In reality, his skill surpassed both Atobe and Tezuka.
"Gakuto, have you forgotten what happened at the Junior Rankers tournament earlier?"
Shishido involuntarily recalled that match. It was the first time he'd ever seen two elementary schoolers play at such a high level.
These two, no matter which school they were in, would likely lead that school to the nationals. Their skills were beyond anything Shishido could imagine.
"Everyone, settle down. Watch closely. This match might offer some valuable lessons for you, even though it's singles. It will also greatly benefit Gen-senpai and Kawagoe-senpai."
Kamikawa smiled, looking at Gen and Kawagoe. There was still some time before the Kanto Tournament, and during this period, the only thing they could do was improve their fundamentals.
In terms of teamwork, those two were on par with Rikkai's doubles pair. The only thing they lacked was a solid foundation, which had been Hyotei's main weakness against Rikkai for so long.
This practice match against Rikkai had shown Kamikawa the current shortcomings of Hyotei's team. Out of two doubles matches and three singles matches, they only managed to win Kamikawa's.
If Sanada hadn't lost consciousness, Atobe's match probably would have been lost too.
There was still a gap in skill, but there was time to close it. Right now, what was needed was for everyone in Hyotei to clearly see the gap between themselves and Rikkai.
"Kamikawa's right. After this practice match, everyone who lost, including me, will face even tougher training. Hyotei absolutely cannot stop at the Kanto Tournament runner-up position this year."
Atobe spoke, his expression gradually chilling. He knew clearly that to defeat Rikkai with their current skill, they'd have to win all three singles matches. If they lost even one, Hyotei would be completely out of contention for the Kanto Tournament championship trophy.
Now, he needed to expand their margin for error, at least find a breakthrough point in the previously weak doubles, even if it was just one win and one loss, it would be better than two straight losses.
"Understood, Atobe."
Oshitari and the others, seeing Atobe's serious demeanor, all nodded in unison, wisely shutting their mouths and focusing their gaze on the two players walking onto the court.
"This is our first time playing each other, isn't it, Tezuka?"
Yukimura carefully observed Tezuka. A player who could easily shut out Sanada with a 6-0 score was certainly no ordinary opponent.
Furthermore, he was now the captain of the Hyotei Tennis Club.
On the very first day of the school year, when he joined the tennis club, he had already defeated Atobe, who had swept through Hyotei's tennis club.
Yukimura understood internally that he needed to bring his absolute best to face such an opponent. Moreover, Tezuka was emanating that aura only found in nationally-ranked players.
"It's a pleasure to play against you, Yukimura-kun!"
Facing the aura emanating from Yukimura, Tezuka's expression subtly changed. His face was stern as he slightly raised his racket and extended his left hand.
Yukimura paused, then took Tezuka's hand, a flicker of light in his eyes.
"The fourth singles match will now begin. Rikkai Dai's Yukimura Seiichi versus Hyotei's Tezuka Kunimitsu!"
"Match start! Rikkai Dai's Yukimura to serve! First game!"
With the referee's signal, both players returned to their respective baselines.
"What incredible aura! Tezuka will win, right?"
Mukahi sounded a bit unsure.
Yukimura's match against Kamikawa was equally astonishing, no less impressive than the final match against Tezuka. And coincidentally, both scores were fixed at 6-4.
After more than half a year of intense training, these two would only have improved. Who would win and who would lose? Not only were they unsure, but even Rikkai wasn't certain.
"Yukimura will win."
"That's right, Yukimura will definitely win."
"Lead us, King Rikkai, to victory in this crucial match!"
The distant Rikkai team members clenched their fists, feeling the tense atmosphere.
Sanada's heart sank slightly. He had mixed feelings about Tezuka; this guy was incredibly strong, stronger than any peer he had ever encountered. But he was facing Yukimura.
Having witnessed that match firsthand, he knew very well that in those previous matches, if Yukimura hadn't held back out of consideration, he might have ended up like Tezuka in that match, suffering a brutal shutout.
As he thought of this, Sanada looked at Yukimura with a heavy gaze, a hint of expectation in his eyes.
"Yukimura! Lead Rikkai to victory in this match!"
---
Just then.
With a crisp sound.
Yukimura raised his hand and struck a high-quality serve. Immediately, a glowing yellow streak of light tore through Yukimura's half of the court, rocketing into Tezuka's side. The ball precisely landed in the inverse triangle of the service line.
Yukimura's tennis was also rooted in solid fundamentals. Yukimura didn't have an excessive number of special techniques; what he possessed was mostly a manifestation of his mental strength. Most of the time, he relied on his unpretentious offense to gradually crush his opponent's self-esteem, driving them into a state where they lost interest in tennis.
Thwack!
Almost simultaneously, Tezuka anticipated the ball's landing spot, stepped into position, raised his arm, and swung his racket in a side-on backhand.
Boom!
Facing the piercing cross-court shot, Yukimura didn't hesitate, quickly chasing after the ball. Before anyone could react, the ball was struck back, aimed directly at the baseline's dead corner.
Whoosh!!
Facing the incoming shot, Tezuka moved slightly backward, positioning himself behind the baseline.
Hah!!
A single-handed forehand smash struck the very edge of the center net. The moment the ball touched the net, it rebounded, losing much of its power. The shot, originally aimed for the baseline, instantly changed its trajectory, becoming a net-cord winner that landed near the service line.
Yukimura didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, lowered his racket face, and delivered a beautiful slice for the return.
"What a beautiful slice—"
The trajectory of that slice was precise, landing directly at Tezuka's net, a high-speed, line-hugging slice.
"Thump-thump-thump—"
Tezuka frowned. He suddenly stepped forward, charging towards the net. The moment the ball's trajectory reached its highest point, he leaped into the air and unleashed a powerful forehand smash. The forceful ball shot directly towards Yukimura, who was not far away. Yukimura raised his racket, subconsciously trying to return the shot, but the distance was too short, and the force was immense.
The moment the ball touched the racket face, both the racket and the ball flew into the air.
The racket fell behind Yukimura, while the ball slowly dropped, rolling little by little to Yukimura's feet.
"0-15!"
The Rikkai team members' pupils contracted in shock, a bead of cold sweat forming on their foreheads.
"Phew..."
Feeling the lingering weakness in his palm, Yukimura slowly exhaled.
"This feeling is subtle."
Yukimura turned his head, staring at the racket fallen on the ground. He picked it up, then turned back to look at Tezuka. The person who could push Sanada into such a desperate situation was indeed formidable.
This pressure felt very similar to his previous match against Kamikawa.
But this time, the winner...
...would only be him!
"What's wrong, Yukimura?"
Tezuka's gaze flickered, fixed on Yukimura standing on the opposite side of the court.
"That was a very good drop shot," Yukimura complimented without reservation.
He picked up a ball handed to him by a ball boy and casually bounced it on the ground a couple of times.
Thwack!!
After adjusting his breathing, he suddenly gripped, tossed, and raised his hand to deliver a standard topspin serve.
---
!!
Tezuka leaned forward, chasing the direction of the ball. The ball landed and bounced, and with a backhand pull, Tezuka placed the ball precisely in the corner of the triangle.
Thwack!
When Tezuka hit the ball back, Yukimura seized the initiative again, placing the ball in the opposite corner, forcing Tezuka to run back and forth.
"By repeatedly hitting cross-court shots left and right, is he trying to force Tezuka into making a mistake this way?"
Atobe frowned, having also seen through Yukimura's intention.
"Not only that, his left and right cross-court shots are precisely aimed at the corners, and the bounce angle is tricky. Every shot could easily fly out of bounds, greatly extending the range."
The standard court width is 18.30 meters, but the hitting area for singles, the baseline width, is 8.23 meters.
Normally, a player's return would aim for the baseline, within the 8.23-meter range.
However, if you aim for the corner areas, the ball's bounce angle after landing can break free from the original width constraints, implicitly extending the intended 8.23 meters by one or two meters.
This kind of left-and-right play could lead to an opponent scoring if they're not careful.
But...
"Have you noticed that Hyotei's captain, Tezuka, hasn't moved a single step from the center line at some point?"
Suddenly, Ishihara noticed something.
At some point, the balls Yukimura hit were confined to the area where Tezuka was standing.
It was as if they were being drawn in; Tezuka only needed to adjust his angle to make the perfect shot. Could this really be done?
"This is..."
Yanagi Renji had opened his eyes at some point, his heart filled with even greater shock.
"By using special spin, he can firmly control the ball within a designated range. It's a technique also used by the legendary Samurai Nanjiro, known as a 'domain' technique."
"And this specific move is Tezuka's unique 'Tezuka Zone'."
Sanada said calmly. He had witnessed this technique half a year ago.
However, Tezuka could now skillfully employ this technique, subtly adding specific spin to directly implement a full domain coverage.
Thwack!
When Tezuka returned the ball, Yukimura moved sideways, creating enough space, lowered his racket face, and used a slice to disrupt the balance of Tezuka's Zone.
"Tap... tap-tap—"
Tezuka frowned. He stepped forward towards the net, lightly chipped the ball high into the air.
Yukimura rushed to the net, leaped, and the moment the ball had not yet ascended, he unleashed a powerful smash. The ball was slammed down with great force.
---
!!
The ball landed and bounced high. Tezuka suddenly raised his racket. The ball struck the racket, and the racket was instantly sent flying by the force.
"15-15!"
"Is that a retaliation for that last point?"
Tezuka felt the force radiating through his palm, frowning as he looked at Yukimura.
He was quite competitive, wasn't he?
But then again, to have a point taken in that manner...
If it were Tezuka himself, he would have tried to get that point back from Yukimura in the same way.
"Tezuka, your Tezuka Zone... its weakness was exposed in that match half a year ago." Yukimura continuously simulated the scene of Tezuka unleashing his Zone in his mind.
He was different from Kamikawa. Kamikawa spoke with Tezuka almost every day about the flaws in his Zone. But Yukimura's only references were the two matches: Sanada vs. Tezuka, and Kamikawa vs. Tezuka.
"The Tezuka Zone has been broken."
Shishido and Mukahi's faces changed. To find a weakness in the Zone so quickly...
If it were them, they would still need some time to adapt to the spin. But Yukimura was different; in continuous rallies, he directly pinpointed the weakness of the Tezuka Zone.
"The slice neutralizes the spin."
Atobe said calmly. His eyesight had also caught on to the secret.
"Mhm."
Kamikawa nodded slightly. "With Tezuka's current wrist strength, it's not enough to support a full-range Tezuka Zone. There are bound to be flaws."
As a 13-year-old, first-year student, skeletal deficiencies are something talent cannot make up for.
"Don't worry."
Kamikawa seemed to sense Atobe's concern, and his gaze returned to Tezuka. "This match has just begun.
I believe Tezuka anticipated his Zone being broken."
Their spirit, physique, and technique were all on the same level. It just depended on who would lose their patience first and unleash their signature move.
Even Tezuka, with his powerful mental strength, before awakening his "Limitless Perfection," faced with the "Destruction of Five Senses," how would he break through it? Kamikawa was very curious to know.