This match was officiated by Oshitari.
Atobe, Tezuka, and the other regulars from the tennis club stood at the very front of the spectator stands. Their hearts pounded with anticipation. On one side was the highly respected former tennis club captain, and on the other, the current strongest player at Hyotei.
"Match begins! One set," Oshitari announced plainly, getting straight to the point.
Ochi won the coin toss and chose to let Kamikawa serve first. He could sense that this guy had quite the reputation within the Hyotei Tennis Club. He's not even the captain or vice-captain, yet he commands such respect?
"Today's Hyotei... it seems to carry the aura of a true king," Ochi remarked, his expression growing colder. Shin Tarou and the second and third-year students knew well that Ochi was now in his zone.
Let me see the true strength of Hyotei's current regulars! Ochi's gaze sharpened, a cold glint in his eyes as he looked at Kamikawa. Once he entered his zone, he became serious, focusing solely on the match. All other talk could wait until it was over.
Whoosh...
Whack! Whack!!
Kamikawa took a deep breath, slowly exhaling. He bounced the tennis ball twice on the ground, then gripped it tightly in his hand.
Let's see what the main architect behind Hyotei's rise to national prominence is capable of!
With that thought, Kamikawa tossed the ball up. It soared above his head as his upper body stiffened and his knees bent. Just as the ball reached its apex, he pushed off with his legs, leapt into the air, raised his racket, and slammed it down with all his might!
WHAM!
A resounding boom.
The tennis ball shot off like an arrow, plummeting into Ochi's court. The moment it bounced, it darted sharply left and right, taking an incredibly tricky angle and kicking up a cloud of dust.
"15-0!" Oshitari announced, his voice trembling slightly.
"Was that the Twisting Snake?!" Mukahi and Shishido's eyes widened, incredulous. This serve's power was even greater than anything they'd seen before!
"That power..." Ochi's heart twitched. His eyes were locked onto the serve, but he made no move to return it.
Just as I thought. This guy wasn't even going all out before.
Whether facing Atobe or Mori, Kamikawa had never unleashed such an astonishing serve. His previous serves had only been at about sixty or seventy percent of their true power. Even then, only a handful of players nationwide could track that serve's trajectory, and only one or two of them had the ability to return it.
"Kamikawa... he seems to enjoy holding back," Tezuka murmured, a knowing look on his face as he watched Kamikawa. In the past six months or so, Kamikawa's growth was certainly far more significant than he'd let on. That's precisely why Tezuka hadn't actively challenged Kamikawa to a formal match.
"This serve... it's definitely worthy of a Hyotei regular." With just a single shot, Ochi could gauge Kamikawa's level. He's strong, much stronger than I was in my first year. But Ochi, being adept at fast serves himself, had already seen through Kamikawa's serve.
"He saw it." Feeling Ochi's aura suddenly intensify, becoming even more oppressive and icy, Kamikawa unconsciously tightened his grip on his racket.
Whew...
Kamikawa took a deep breath. His resolve was unshaken. In fact, his fighting spirit only surged higher.
What he truly yearned for was Ochi Tsuki-Mitsu at his absolute full power!
WHAM!
With that thought, Kamikawa delivered another perfectly executed Twisting Snake.
The ball plunged into Ochi's court. Having already seen through the serve, Ochi didn't hesitate. His figure appeared at the net, and the moment the ball bounced, he was there.
Then, Ochi raised his racket and, just as the ball made its bizarre change in direction, he hit it back.
"A Half Volley!" Atobe's heart skipped a beat. He saw through Kamikawa's serve with just one shot? And returned it with a near-perfect half-volley?
Even Atobe himself, who could pinpoint the landing spot and the erratic movements of the Twisting Snake, couldn't return it with an absolutely perfect half-volley. Yet, Ochi had seen it once and returned it.
Is this the true power of the former captain who led Hyotei to the nationals?!
"A flawless half-volley. Both the timing and the control are impeccable." Even though the match had just begun, Ochi's displayed skill already made Tezuka feel a strong sense of threat.
"Step... step-step..."
Just then, Kamikawa dashed forward, his figure appearing at the landing spot. He turned his body, gripping the racket with both hands.
Whack!
As the ball bounced up to waist height, Kamikawa swung his racket forward with both hands. Feeling the power transmit through the racket, the next second, the ball shot back towards Ochi with even greater force!
Ochi's eyes flashed. Without a moment's hesitation, he returned it with a backhand slice. The ball soared high, arcing gracefully towards Kamikawa's other half of the court.
Whack!
Kamikawa countered with a high-speed, line-hugging slice, returning the favor.
WHAM!
Ochi stepped forward and hit another backhand return. This time, it was a powerful, corner-hugging cross-court drive.
"Kamikawa... he's actually keeping up with Ochi's rhythm!" Tarou's eyes widened as he watched Kamikawa's speed constantly increase. He had underestimated this seemingly laid-back guy. Or rather, it wasn't that Kamikawa was lazy; it was that no one had pushed him to fight with all his might!
"However, Ochi's advantage in basic technique, speed, and power is just too great. Ochi's true strength lies in his mental fortitude! Kamikawa, I hope you can withstand the pressure of Ochi's mental strength!"
Shin Tarou had coached Ochi for three full years. On the very first day Ochi joined the tennis club, Shin Tarou recognized something different about him: his innate mental strength was extraordinary. Over three years of coaching, Shin Tarou continually pushed Ochi into high-pressure environments, believing it was the only way to endlessly enhance Ochi's mental game. Now, Shin Tarou wasn't even sure what level Ochi's mental strength had reached.
BOOM!
Just then, a resounding boom echoed across the court.
"15-15!"
On the court, Ochi stopped moving and walked towards the baseline. Kamikawa, still frozen in his hitting pose, remained perfectly still, unable to even react.
Roll...
The tennis ball rolled to Kamikawa's feet. It was only then that Kamikawa came back to his senses.
"So fast!" Kamikawa lowered his head, staring at the ball at his feet, his brow furrowed.
As long as Ochi stands at the net, he can hit a near-perfect Mach Ball, even without jumping?
"Did you see that, Gen?!" Kawamura's eyes were wide. The last time he saw Ochi hit a Mach Ball was during last year's national tournament, in a singles match against Shishigaku Middle School. Even top-tier national-level players could only stare helplessly when faced with the Mach Ball.
Genki Mitsukage took a deep breath, his voice trembling as he said, "The Mach Ball! That's Captain Ochi's Mach Ball! Captain Ochi is getting serious."
Shin Tarou frowned. "The Mach Ball." Does this match warrant him using the Mach Ball? And as a smash, no less? Even some professional tennis players might not be able to clearly see the trajectory of a Mach Ball like that.
THWACK!
WHAM!
Another striking sound echoed on the court. Both players' movements became faster and faster. But once Ochi unleashed the Mach Ball, the tide of the match would instantly turn.
WHAM!
"Game, Ochi, 1-0!"
"Kamikawa... he actually got broken on his serve! That smash was just too fast." Mukahi looked at the court in horror. Despite Kamikawa unleashing his full-power Twisting Snake, his opponent easily countered it and then hit an absurdly fast smash. Mukahi hadn't even seen the smash's trajectory. If Oshitari hadn't announced the score, he would still be staring dumbfounded at Kamikawa.
Shishido, standing beside him, was equally stunned. It wasn't until Mukahi spoke that he snapped out of it, his eyes wide. "Is that Captain Ochi's most impressive Mach Ball?"
"What's the ball speed?" Atobe glanced at Takizawa Oginosuke, who was holding a speed gun.
"Couldn't measure it, but at least 250 km/h." Takizawa Oginosuke couldn't give an exact answer. He hadn't even reacted in time, let alone measured the speed. The moment he pressed the button, the ball had already slammed into the wall.
"250 km/h." Atobe's brow furrowed. With such a powerful smash, it was no wonder Kamikawa couldn't return it. Even Atobe himself had to watch four shots before he could barely track that smash's trajectory. But his gut told Atobe that the former Hyotei Tennis Club captain, Ochi Tsuki-Mitsu, was definitely not as simple as he appeared. He must be hiding even greater power.
"Ochi-senpai, I heard that the Mach Ball can be used even without a smash. I want to see Ochi-senpai's Mach Serve!" During the changeover, Kamikawa suddenly stopped, looked up, and directly met Ochi's gaze, speaking calmly.
Upon hearing this, the Hyotei team members on the sidelines widened their eyes. That terrifying smash... can it really be used as a serve?!
"Gen-senpai, is what Kamikawa said true?" Shishido, somewhat unsure, looked at Genki Mitsukage. Genki Mitsukage was an old-timer who had followed Ochi and should have seen Ochi's Mach Serve.
"Yes," Genki Mitsukage nodded, saying, "Captain Ochi's Mach Serve has a ball speed of over 280 km/h! Forget returning it; his opponents don't even have time to react!"
THWACK!
Just then, Ochi stood at the baseline. He raised his racket and delivered a standard flat serve. The ball descended from above into Kamikawa's court. Before anyone could react, the ball had already landed and slammed with a bang into the concrete wall behind Kamikawa.
"15-0!" Oshitari's voice rang out.
Kamikawa's eyes burned bright. "Again, Ochi-senpai."
WHAM!
Ochi moved to the left half of the court, raised his racket, and delivered another flat serve.
THWACK!
A resounding boom. The ball tore through the entire court, and its residual bounce force still made it hit the wall.
"30-0!"
"No good, Kamikawa!" Mukahi clenched his fists. This kind of serve was impossible to handle. They couldn't even react, let alone return it.
"He probably didn't even catch the ball's trajectory," Kawamura squinted. He hadn't even seen the ball's trajectory yet, and he figured Kamikawa was in the same boat.
"No, Kamikawa probably saw it." Looking at Kamikawa on the court, Tezuka calmly stated, "Even Atobe and I caught the serve's trajectory, let alone Kamikawa. He must have seen it. Now, he's just waiting for the opportunity to return it."
THWACK!
Without another word, Ochi hit another Mach Ball. The moment Ochi struck, he dropped his raised right foot and stepped towards the other half of the court.
Whack!
Ochi heard the sound of the ball hitting the racket. He took a step, and through his bangs, he saw the ball hovering on the racket.
Kamikawa's figure had appeared at the Mach Ball's landing spot at some unknown moment, with such incredible speed that even the spectators hadn't reacted. The powerful ball slammed into the racket face, spinning violently.
"So fast!" Shin Tarou's eyes narrowed. Even he hadn't reacted in that instant.
Such astonishing speed, appearing on a first-year, in his opinion, it wasn't just speed, but also power. Speed alone wouldn't be enough to return a Mach Ball. The Mach Serve was incredibly fast; even if you touched the ball, if you didn't have enough strength to support it, your racket would be knocked flying by the force.
But Kamikawa's racket wasn't knocked flying by this force. The ball hovered on the racket, spinning continuously.
Zzzzz... By the time everyone came to their senses, the ball had already flown out, hitting the net cord and making a continuous摩擦sound. As the spinning slowed, the ball fell from the net cord.
"Net! 40-0!"