"Momoshiro's Bullet Serve was returned for a point, and the speed of that ball was just ridiculous!"
In the Seigaku team tryouts, Inoue and Saori had already seen Momoshiro's strength. As a second-year student, Momoshiro was undoubtedly a talented player. Yet, his signature move, the Bullet Serve, was returned before he could even get to the net.
"He didn't just return it. He aimed for Momoshiro-senpai's feet and hit the ball right on the foot he was stepping on. His control is just as impressive as his speed."
Hearing Ryoma's words, Inoue looked and saw a clear mark on the ground where the ball had hit, right next to Momoshiro's foot, just as Ryoma said.
"Saori, get the camera out! The middle schooler playing against Momoshiro is no ordinary player. That kind of speed and control is unheard of in any middle schooler. He might even be a contender for the Kanto or National tournaments."
After just one return, Inoue's attitude towards Seiya changed completely. He could tell that the middle schooler was not some anonymous player, yet he couldn't recognize him at all. It was illogical; as a reporter in this field, he should know every strong player.
"A person even you don't recognize, Inoue-senpai? Is he a first-year, or maybe he's just returned from overseas like Ryoma?"
"This game goes to Wenren Seiya. The score is 1-0. Next game, Seiya will serve."
As Ryoma and the others were talking, Momoshiro had already lost four consecutive points and his serving game. He wasn't too discouraged, however. On the last point, he felt like he was starting to catch up to the ball.
"Wenren Seiya? I've never heard that name before. I wonder what kind of move he'll use for his serve."
Inoue wasn't the only one who was curious. Momoshiro and Ryoma were both watching Seiya intently. They had never seen Seiya's serve before, as An had been the one serving during the doubles match.
Seiya held the ball in his hand, looked at his racket, and smiled. "This is a rare opportunity. I guess I'll try something new."
He tossed the ball high with his left hand, and his eyes became incredibly sharp. As the ball fell, everyone saw his arm move in a blur. The next second, the net shook, and the ultra-fast ball with a loud sonic boom exploded on the court behind Momoshiro.
"Wenren Sword Style... no, Wenren Tennis Style, First Form: Tempest Fang!"
Momoshiro, who was still in a low stance, looked back in disbelief at the ball rolling on the ground behind him. The same expression appeared on everyone's faces, even Ryoma, who had been completely calm until now.
"The speed of that ball was at least 195 kilometers per hour! Can a middle schooler really hit a serve like that?"
Seiya's serve left everyone in shock. They thought his serve would be impressive, but not this terrifying.
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
"This game goes to Wenren Seiya. The score is 2-0. Now, the sides will switch."
Momoshiro was completely defenseless against a 195 km/h serve. Unsurprisingly, Seiya easily won his service game.
After switching sides, Momoshiro served again in the third game. With the experience he gained from the first game, he was slowly starting to get a handle on Seiya's speed. From being completely unable to react to taking two steps and barely being able to get his racket on the ball, Momoshiro improved in just two games.
"Out! This game goes to Wenren Seiya. The score is 3-0."
Even though the score was 3-0 and Momoshiro hadn't won a single point, he wasn't discouraged. He was now able to return Seiya's balls, and he was confident that he wouldn't let Seiya win so easily on his next service game.
In the fourth game, Seiya used his "Tempest Fang" again to secure all four points, bringing the score to 4-0. In fact, Seiya had many other moves he wanted to try, but he didn't want to show too much to an opponent he might face again in the future. At the same time, he couldn't help but be impressed by the growth of Ryoma and Momoshiro, who had the protagonists' aura. He was sure that he had been serving at the same speed, but in just a few games, Momoshiro was able to return his balls in the fifth game.
"You're a very impressive opponent. You adapted to my speed in just a few games? But that's not enough to beat me. After all, I never said I was just a speed player."
Seiya returned Momoshiro's shot, and just as Momoshiro was about to return it with confidence, the force from the ball shocked him. His racket flew out of his hand, and Seiya won the fifth game, bringing the score to 5-0.
The last game was Seiya's serve, and with the "Tempest Fang," Momoshiro had no chance of returning it. It was almost a guaranteed 6-0 loss. Momoshiro was covered in sweat, while Seiya looked completely relaxed.
Just as Seiya tossed the ball in the air to serve, a booming voice shouted, "Seiya, An, what are you two doing?! It's time to go home!"
The person who had just arrived was Tachibana Kippei, the captain of Fudomine's tennis club. He had come to find his sister at his family's request and was shocked to see this scene.