"Match start! One set, sudden death!"
Seeing both players ready, the umpire's voice rang out loud: "Yuudai Yamato to serve! Game!"
Phew...
Yamato gripped the tennis ball tightly. No matter what, he absolutely had to win this Singles 3 match. He had to ensure Fuji got to play in that Singles 2 game, no matter what.
With that thought in mind...
Whack!!
Yamato tossed the ball, bent his knees, his eyes fixed on the tennis ball in the sky, then leaped up and swung his racket.
Thwack!!
The bright yellow tennis ball zipped towards the inverse triangle of the service line. The serve's accuracy was pretty good. Almost at the instant of the serve, Atobe rose onto the balls of his feet, dashed towards the ball, and quickly swung his racket.
Thwack!!
A crisp sound. The tennis ball was smacked with a backhand drive, forcefully hitting the dead corner of Yamato's opposite court, then bounced quickly, straight into the wall.
Tap...tap-tap...
Yamato barely chased after it, forcing a return.
The next second, Atobe appeared at the net, leaping into the air and powerfully slamming the ball down.
Thwack!!
Yamato's face changed. His body wanted to move, but he couldn't push himself out, only watching helplessly as the ball bounced in front of him.
"0-15!"
Even if it wasn't a return-ace, in just a few shots, Yamato already felt the gap between himself and his opponent. This guy's talent was comparable to Kamikawa's and Tezuka's.
Hyotei! What kind of magic did it possess to attract so many incredibly talented youths to enroll?!
"Don't get lost in my magnificent tennis skills!" Atobe glanced calmly at Yamato, then his gaze shifted to Yamato's arm, "Your arm seems to have suffered a very serious injury."
"Honestly, even if your arm wasn't injured, there's no way you could win this match!"
With that, Atobe walked towards the baseline, completely ignoring the change in Yamato's expression.
Phew...
Yamato took a deep breath, walked back to the baseline, and prepared to serve again. His arm injury had been common knowledge for a while now.
Smash!
At that moment, with a resounding crack, Yamato served again.
Thwack!
The ball cut an arc, landing in the left half of the court. Having witnessed Atobe's return game, Yamato pressed this ball even deeper, placing it infinitely close to the sideline. With such control, even he might not be able to...
Thwack!!
Before Yamato could even think, Atobe skillfully returned the ball. Almost as soon as the ball was returned, Atobe stepped forward and sprinted. His desire to attack was practically written all over his face.
Yamato frowned, forcing a change in his shot direction, hitting a tricky cross-court backhand drive. Atobe instantly stopped his sprint, turned, and charged again, steadying his feet. Before the ball could even land, he decisively smashed it, sending it in a straight line towards the backline of Yamato's right court.
Thwack!!
The bright yellow tennis ball landed instantly, bouncing high.
"0-30!"
"Incredible control, and every shot has a tricky angle." Inui's brows were tightly furrowed. He had expected Atobe to be strong, but he never imagined he could be that strong. His speed, power, and control were all far superior to Yamato's. Even if Inui gathered all the data, he couldn't guarantee he could defeat him. Data was just an aid; without strong enough skills to back up that data, it would all come to nothing in the end. This was the lesson he'd learned just now after his doubles match.
"Not only that, but Captain Yamato might..." Fuji took a deep breath. Yamato was at a Kantou-level standard, yet he was completely helpless against Atobe. Does that mean Atobe also possesses National-level skill?! The sight he witnessed back then might have been his own stepping stone to the National level.
On the court, Yamato held his racket, his eyes unfocused, breathing heavily. He couldn't even return his opponent's shots. With such precise control, this guy's skill was almost on par with Tezuka's.
Thwack!
Thwack!!
Two consecutive shots, both scored by Atobe's return. The speed of the returns was already beyond Yamato's acceptable range.
"1-0, Atobe! Change sides!" the umpire announced loudly.
"Yamato, the match isn't over yet. You need to steady your mind first, don't let him get to you," Coach Ryuzaki noticed Yamato's condition and urged him. She knew this match would be tough, but she never expected that even as the Singles 3 player, Hyotei's vice-captain also possessed skill that surpassed Yamato's.
"Yes," Yamato weakly replied, picking up his racket, and walked towards the other side of the court. Atobe walked past Yamato, and his aura made Yamato stop in his tracks.
"National level!" Yamato took a deep breath. From Atobe, he felt the same aura that Ochi and Tezuka exuded, an aura only possessed by players who have entered the National-level domain.
"It's about time to end this farce."
Standing on the court, Atobe tossed the tennis ball in his hand, his eyes fixed on the ball in the air. He lowered his center of gravity, then quickly swung his racket.
Thwack!!
The moment the ball landed, it hugged the ground, sliding past Yamato's feet as he watched.
"15-0!"
"The tennis ball bounced irregularly?!" Seigaku's members' faces changed drastically. Could a first-year really hit a serve like that?
"It's very similar to your Tsubame Gaeshi, Fuji," Inui said blandly.
"No... it's different! His spin is faster than my Tsubame Gaeshi, and it drops earlier," Fuji slowly shook his head and said. Of course, he didn't say one more thing: the biggest difference between Tsubame Gaeshi and this serve was the return angle. Tsubame Gaeshi was a return shot, which could be hit back with a volley before the ball even landed. But a serve was different; a serve had to bounce after contacting the ground before it could be returned. And that ball's bounce angle was extremely low, making it much harder to time the return than imagined.
Thwack!
"30-0!"
---
Thwack!!
"40-0!"
Thwack!!!
"Game, Atobe, 2-0!"
In less than three minutes, Atobe had already taken two games from Yamato. For the rest of the match, Yamato gritted his teeth, constantly chasing those seemingly unreturnable tennis balls for the sake of Seigaku. Even if he dove several times and ended up covered in scrapes, he would persist until the very last moment.
His seemingly meaningless offense deeply affected the members of Seigaku. Yamato was like that; he would rather sacrifice his own tennis career than see Seigaku reach a higher stage.
Phew...phew-phew...
Yamato held his racket with both hands, his uniform already stained with dirt, but he continued to persevere fearlessly. It was as if his body didn't feel any pain. In just fifteen minutes, for Yamato, time stretched on endlessly.
Last point! Only one point left! He had to win this point from that boy.
Thwack!!
A bright yellow streak of light flashed past him, violently hitting the wire fence. The tennis ball spun frantically, and at that instant, Yamato still couldn't react.
"Match over! Hyotei's Atobe wins 6-0!"
"Overall score 3-0! Hyotei Academy advances to the semifinals!"
A light sweat beaded on Atobe's forehead, as if he had just completed a warm-up.
"Yuudai Yamato."
"Your foolish persistence... it's not bad after all." Atobe walked to the center net, extending his hand, his tone flat.
"Foolish persistence, huh?!" Yamato gave a bitter smile and reached out, gripping Atobe's hand.
He then turned to look at everyone. The tennis club members, who had just lost the match, were now giving Yamato a thumbs-up.
"You did your absolute best, Captain Yamato!"
"We... we still have hope to advance!"
"That's right! There's still the consolation bracket, and one last spot! Let's keep going until the very end, Captain Yamato!!"
Yamato paused, looked up at everyone, and smiled, "Everyone!"
"Let's stick with it until the very end!"