"That Maple Leaf Drop, it's as strong as ever," Oshitari couldn't help but exclaim.
What's more, Akutsu's movements, his timing at the net, and his control over those lobs were all perfect. It had only been a little over a month, but this guy's power had grown even stronger.
"Kamikawa..."
Tezuka's eyes flickered. He, too, felt the pressure. The bounce angle of that Maple Leaf Drop was incredibly unique. Unlike his Zero-Shiki Drop, the Maple Leaf Drop's trajectory seemed to bend precisely to Kamikawa's will.
"Is that guy... really a first-year?!" Sengoku, who considered himself incredibly gifted at Yamabuki, widened his eyes in disbelief.
To make that monster lose a point so early, and to hit such a brilliant drop shot... that wasn't just "strong" anymore. He was a monster among monsters!
"Sengoku! Watch this match closely!" Bantada's voice drifted into Sengoku's ears.
Bantada rested his chin in his clasped hands, squinting as he watched Akutsu on the court, then glancing at Kamikawa. These two would undoubtedly become amazing tennis players who would shock the Japanese tennis world in the future.
"Just a little over a month, Akutsu... it's still too soon for you." Bantada sighed inwardly. If he had just a bit more time, he was confident he could make Akutsu even stronger. But that first-year, Kamikawa, truly possessed extraordinary talent.
Over this past month, Bantada had clearly seen Kamikawa's strength improve significantly. His increases in power and speed were no less than Akutsu's.
Thwack!Thwack!
The sounds of rackets hitting balls echoed continuously, and the chatter from outside the court gradually quieted.
The level of play displayed by both sides was incredibly high. Even when people spoke, it was in hushed whispers, marveling at the skill shown by the two players on court. Remember, this was only a Metropolitan Tournament match! It wasn't the Kanto Tournament, much less the National Tournament!
Yamabuki's Akutsu and Hyotei's Kamikawa—their names would likely grace the pages of the Tennis Weekly tomorrow, becoming known to countless tennis enthusiasts.
Whoosh!
On the court, Akutsu rushed to the net once more, his speed even faster than before.
Smack!
He leaped, delivering a powerful smash that slammed down.
Step... step-step...
Kamikawa stepped forward. The moment the ball bounced, he twisted his body and swung his racket smoothly.
He found the perfect hitting spot, executing a flawless Half-Volley. The ball whizzed past Akutsu, landing in the corner. Seeing this, Akutsu moved swiftly. Just as the ball was about to bounce out and hit the fence, Akutsu pushed off with his legs, using a sudden burst of speed to slide a distance and return the shot.
Thwack!
The next second, Kamikawa leaped into the air and smashed it down. The ball bounced high, and Akutsu stopped, panting heavily. Even if he had rushed, he couldn't have returned that last shot.
"Game, Kamikawa, 1-0."
"Change sides!" the umpire called out loudly.
Kamikawa had broken Akutsu's serve right from the start. It had to be said, Akutsu was like a completely different person compared to a little over a month ago. His power and speed had both improved, but his control was still a bit lacking. Control wasn't something you were born with; it required years of continuous training and refinement. Even with all his talent and physical prowess, the idea of surpassing Kamikawa in such a short time was still rather naive.
With the serve now in his hands, Kamikawa lightly bounced the ball, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. "Try to return this, Akutsu!"
Kamikawa served.
Bang!
A deafening explosion.
In an instant, the ball landed on Akutsu's side, bounced slightly, a strange, flickering vibration passing through it before it violently slammed into the fence, spinning relentlessly. Under the high-speed rotation, the fence was contorted beyond recognition, and the ball was embedded within it. Akutsu's body had already initiated a hitting motion, but in that fleeting moment, his swing had completely missed.
The umpire stood frozen, taking a long moment to recover.
"Umpire! Time to call the score," Coach Sakaki said calmly.
"Oh, oh! Right!"
The umpire snapped back to reality and then shouted loudly, "15-0!"
The entire court, including the spectators, also began to stir. An ace, and a strangely unpredictable one at that. The match had only just entered its second game, and Kamikawa, having just gained the serve, could produce such astonishing serves. Unless witnessed firsthand, ordinary people wouldn't believe a first-year rookie could hit such a shot.
"That serve..." Kikumaru instinctively glanced at Fuji.
This particular serve hadn't appeared in his match against Fuji. Did that mean Fuji hadn't even pushed Kamikawa to his full strength back then?! Was the difference really that significant?!
"That serve!" Inui squinted, flipping open his data on Kamikawa. "The angle of the serve is almost identical to when he played Fuji before."
If the serve angle was the same, that meant the serve he used against Fuji was only a half-finished technique!
Whoosh!
At this, everyone turned to look at Fuji. Fuji had opened his eyes at some point and smiled faintly, saying, "Oh dear, how hurtful~ So, he didn't even use a proper technique when he played against me."
"Golden Snake Twist!"
Upon seeing Kamikawa's astonishing serve, Atobe's expression became serious. "This guy's serve is even faster than when he played against me!"
"Kamikawa, he's really strong!" Shishido, who was still feeling dejected from his own match loss, looked up, fixing his gaze on Kamikawa on the court.
In this moment, Kamikawa shone with an exceptional brilliance!
The situation now was naturally the last thing Yamabuki wanted to see. For Yamabuki, Singles 3 was absolutely crucial. If even Akutsu lost, then they absolutely had to win Singles 2, and even Singles 1. An invisible pressure completely enveloped the Yamabuki team.
"Hyotei's, Mugetsu Kamikawa!" Sengoku couldn't help but grip the fence tightly, muttering, "He... he's really strong!"
Thwack!
Soon, Kamikawa raised his hand and delivered another Golden Snake Twist.
"30-0!"
Thwack!
"40-0!"
Thwack!
"Game, Kamikawa, 2-0!"
Despite only one game being played, Akutsu was sweating an extraordinary amount. His team uniform was soaked with sweat. He had tried almost every angle to return that serve, but the result was that he couldn't even touch the ball.
Initially, the Golden Snake Twist was a serve without mental focus. But with Kamikawa's increasing mental power and the emergence of Wind Blade Stroke, Kamikawa had gradually begun to employ mental energy, thus producing incredibly oppressive techniques.
This serve, to onlookers, had an extremely violent vibrating angle and was incredibly fast. But in Akutsu's eyes, the speed and angle were even greater. Most people, let alone missing the swing, couldn't even swing their rackets at all. Akutsu, relying on his wild intuition, had almost instantly made the hitting motion.
Unfortunately... Akutsu's mental power wasn't strong enough yet.
"If you can't return this serve, then there's no way you can beat me!" Kamikawa said calmly, as if stating something utterly commonplace.
A serve infused with mental focus couldn't be returned by anyone who hadn't entered the national level. Akutsu, in just over a month, had grown to a top Kanto-level player.
But it wasn't enough! He was still only playing tennis by instinct.
Like this, he couldn't even shake Kamikawa, let alone someone like Sanada, who had just stepped into the national level!
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