"Lucky!" Sengoku took the upper hand in the racket spin, easily winning the first game's serve. For a singles player, having the first serve can really impact the flow of the match.
Sengoku walked to the right court and started his serve, bouncing the ball a few times. He looked at Atobe on the opposite side, his relaxed expression fading. He knew how important this match was. If he lost, Yamabuki would lose completely.
But...
"I'm Sengoku Kiyosumi, the second strongest player at Yamabuki Middle School!"
Toss, raise hand, swing!
Thwack!
The ball arced, appearing in Atobe's left half, almost touching the service line, bouncing towards the baseline.
Thud!
Atobe reacted quickly, almost instantaneously judging the ball's landing spot, making a beautiful flat drive.
"What?!" Sengoku followed the ball with his eyes, moving quickly to his left. Before his body even got close to the ball, it had already bounced and flown away.
"0-15!"
"A return ace?!"
Outside the court, Yamabuki's captain, Kitayama, frowned, looking at Atobe on the court. He couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected of Hyotei's second strongest player, his skill is probably even above Kamikawa's."
Hearing that, Inagaki, beside him, had a completely different answer. "Above Kamikawa? I don't think so! This is just the beginning, Kitayama. Do you think that kid Sengoku will just give up?"
"Don't forget, he still has that excellent serve!"
After Inagaki mentioned it, Kitayama remembered Sengoku's killer serve—the Tiger Cannon!
But, could the Tiger Cannon really score against that guy? Kitayama couldn't help but worry.
Whew...
Atobe Keigo, he's certainly not easy to deal with. Sengoku took a deep breath, bounced the ball a few times, tossed it up again, bent his knees, fixing his eyes on the ball suspended in the sky. He powered up with his legs and leaped high.
Both the ball and Sengoku's body continued to rise until they reached their peak, then he powerfully slammed it forward.
Thud!
A dull thud echoed as the yellowish-green ball, with a hint of orange glow, suddenly plummeted into Atobe's court. The serve speed wasn't slow, and the sound of the hit was heavy.
"This shot..." Atobe narrowed his eyes, quickening his steps forward. The moment the ball bounced, he returned it with a perfect half-volley, without any hesitation.
Sengoku had just landed when the ball already whizzed past him, heavily pressing on the baseline.
With a half-volley, the faster the opponent's return speed, the stronger one's own half-volley counterattack becomes. Atobe simply didn't give Sengoku a chance to land and return the ball. A serve like that, once returned, meant an instant loss of point.
"0-30!"
---
"Sengoku Kiyosumi."
Outside the court, Kamikawa looked at the stunned and helpless Sengoku, and couldn't help but say, "He's a first-year who's really stood out from Yamabuki this year. He's certainly strengthened Yamabuki's traditionally weak singles."
"Yamabuki's singles prospects are pretty laughable, aren't they?" Oshitari couldn't help but retort. With that level of skill, even he could easily suppress him. That Tiger Cannon serve wasn't slow, but Hyotei's regulars had seen serves much faster than that.
Leaping high and hitting a smash-like serve from above could indeed increase the serve's power, but if it was returned, his body definitely wouldn't be able to react.
"This is so boring! Let's just finish this match already." Mukahi leaned forward instinctively, resting on his arm, saying with a helpless expression.
"It's time to go," Inui suddenly said, checking his watch.
Kikumaru and the others looked at Inui with confusion. Kikumaru asked, "What... what? What happened?"
"We have to fight Akiyama Third Middle School for the last spot to the Kanto Tournament," Inui said, pushing up his glasses, and then looking back at the court, adding, "Hyotei's taken this match."
Even though the match had just begun, Inui had already figured it out. Sengoku was no match for Atobe. That boy, Atobe, was definitely not just Hyotei's vice-captain because of his family's influence. His skill was certainly not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Inui only wanted to collect data on Atobe; as for Sengoku... Inui didn't really pay him any mind.
"Yeah!" Fuji's gaze fell on Atobe, then he looked at Kamikawa and Tezuka outside the court. "Hyotei, we'll meet again at the Kanto Tournament. Next time, I'll definitely defeat you!"
Having experienced a painful defeat, Fuji had matured. He now yearned to win every match, a drive to win he never had before.
As the Seigaku team left, the match on the court was also nearing its end. Atobe, as expected, remained focused even until the very last moment.
Thud!
With a resounding crack, the ball was powerfully driven by Atobe. Almost instantly, the ball landed on the baseline, whizzing past Sengoku.
Sengoku held his racket, his steps unsteady, desperately wanting to return that shot, but his body couldn't respond.
"Game, set, and match. Hyotei's Atobe wins 6-0."
"Overall score 3-1, Hyotei Academy wins!!"
"Hyotei! Hyotei! Hyotei!"
A wave of cheers erupted from outside the court. This was Hyotei's victory! It was a true affirmation of the Hyotei team!
Since it was a regular tournament, the schools qualifying for the Kanto Tournament wouldn't be announced until after the loser's bracket finals.
"Coach Sakaki, you've really built a fine team," Bantada said, approaching Sakaki Tarō after the match, praising him. This year's Hyotei was much stronger than last year's. Last year, Hyotei's true strength lay in Ochi Tsukimitsu, but this year they had three singles players as strong as Ochi.
"Coach Bantada, in tennis, only victory brings joy, wouldn't you agree?" Sakaki Tarō stood up, looking at Coach Bantada in front of him, the renowned coach of Yamabuki Middle School. Without him, Yamabuki wouldn't have been able to consistently reach the Kanto Tournament and even the National Tournament every year. His coaching ability was unquestionable. Back then, he led the obscure, newly formed Yamabuki tennis club to defeat the renowned tennis school, Seigaku. That match cemented Mikihisa Bantada's coaching reputation.
"You're right," Bantada said with a knowing smile. "This time, it was a good learning experience for Yamabuki. I hope we can meet again in the Kanto Tournament next time."
"Next time, it definitely won't be a complete loss like this."
"Farewell, Coach Sakaki!"
Bantada turned and left after speaking. This was a time for the victors to celebrate, and he, correspondingly, needed to have a talk with the tennis club members who had lost their matches.
---
After a long while, Seigaku's loser's bracket final also concluded. Kamikawa and Tezuka had watched four full matches.
In the first match, Seigaku's doubles pair was Kikumaru and Oishi. This future Golden Pair of Seigaku was still too green in their current performance. Oishi wasn't stable enough, and Kikumaru didn't consider stamina management. However, this pair would definitely become Seigaku's strongest doubles team by next spring.
With Fuji's final drive, the ball slid along the ground, ending the match with a superb Swallow Dive, and Seigaku successfully advanced to the Kanto Tournament with a 3-1 record.
"I will now announce the five schools representing Tokyo in the Kanto Tournament. Champions—Hyotei Academy, please step forward!!"
Atobe, as the captain, slowly stepped forward.
"Runner-up, Yamabuki Middle School!"
"Semi-finalists, Rakuhua Middle School, St. Rudolph Academy!"
"And the team that emerged from the loser's bracket—Seishun Academy!"