"How did Seiya learn such a powerful serve behind our backs?"
"I know, right? It's even better than Shinji's slice serve. He was hiding it from his own teammates!"
Seiya's serve had shocked everyone. Kippei, the captain of Fudomine, looked at Fuji, whose eyes were now wide open, and thought to himself, "Seigaku's genius, Shuusuke Fuji, is a formidable opponent. But when your opponent is Seiya, it's a matter of the genius having different levels."
"30-0"
"40-0"
"Game, Wenren Seiya from Fudomine. Score 1-0."
When Seiya won his service game, Seigaku's morale, which had just been boosted by Ryoma's win, plummeted again. Fuji, whom they had placed so much hope on, had lost four consecutive points in just a few minutes, giving away the first game.
"Not even Fuji-senpai can return that guy's serve?"
"The ball is too fast to see. How can any normal person return it?"
As Horio and the other first-years were talking in a discouraged tone, Ryoma interjected, "I think Fuji-senpai has a chance to return it."
"That's right, I think Fuji can do it, too. His dynamic vision is excellent. If Ryoma and I can barely see the ball, then Fuji should be able to. It will just take some time for him to adjust."
Kikumaru and Ryoma's words gave the Seigaku team a glimmer of hope. If Fuji could hold his service game and slowly adapt to Seiya's serve speed, they still had a chance to win.
The second game began. Fuji was now completely serious. His eyes, which were usually half-closed, were now wide open, and he was staring intently at Seiya. Fuji knew from the first game that Seiya was a strong opponent. This game was crucial for Seigaku, and he absolutely could not lose. Fuji's sister once said that he never played for himself, but when he had a strong conviction, he was terrifyingly strong.
Whap!
The sound of Fuji's racket hitting the ball was crisp. He sent a perfect shot to the corner of Seiya's court. Everyone who was watching complimented the "beautiful shot" with a sigh of admiration.
However, a ball that would usually be a clean ace was returned by Seiya in the next second. Seiya, who was at the net, was suddenly at the baseline and returned the ball perfectly.
"When did that guy get back to the baseline?!"
Everyone was shocked by Seiya's movement, but Fuji had no time to worry about that. The ball Seiya returned was flying toward him at a very high speed.
"It's a topspin shot. In that case, I'll use that move. My opponent is strong; I can't hold back anymore. If I can't hold my service game, it will be very hard to win later!"
Fuji was not Momoshiro. He successfully returned a shot of the same speed on his first try, whereas it took Momoshiro a few games to do the same. Not only did he return it, but he used a slice shot to hit the ball back to Seiya. After it passed the net, the ball dropped and slid across the ground.
"Point, Fuji from Seigaku! 15-0!"
"Here it is! Fuji-senpai's Swallow Return!"
The Seigaku players were ecstatic. The ball didn't bounce and just slid across the ground. The Fudomine players were surprised, as they had never seen such a beautiful shot before.
"Yes! He has that 'Tempest Fang' move, but Fuji-senpai has his 'Swallow Return.' We have a chance now!"
Seeing Fuji score a point, the Seigaku team was excited, and Coach Ryuzaki let out a sigh of relief. But when she saw Kippei with his arms crossed, still as steady as a mountain, her face became grim again.
"It seems the situation is even worse than I thought."
The Seigaku players were confused by Inui's sigh, but Ryoma and Tezuka could already tell something was wrong.
"Fuji-senpai just won a point with his 'Swallow Return,' but look at their captain and that guy on the court. Do they look worried at all? Their Singles 1 player is just an average player. If they lose this game, it's almost the same as losing the match. They won't panic after just one point. That means they're still not using their full strength."
Ryoma's words made the excited Seigaku team fall silent. Before they could say anything, Seiya proved Ryoma right.
On Fuji's second serve, Seiya hit a topspin shot again. Fuji didn't hesitate and used his "Swallow Return" again. Fuji knew that using the same move multiple times against a master player like Seiya could be a mistake, but with Seiya's speed, he had no other option to score a point.
"Here it comes! Another Swallow Return!"
The crowd gasped as the ball flew over the net and quickly dropped. But Ryoma and the others were shocked to see that Seiya, who was just at the baseline, had rushed to the net at an incredible speed and swung his racket at the ball before it even hit the ground.
"Is he going to return the ball before it even lands?!"
Whap!
The ball was struck and sent flying back with great force.
"Out! Point, Fuji from Seigaku! 30-0!"
Seiya had returned the "Swallow Return," but he didn't control his power well, and the ball went out. But even with the out-of-bounds shot, the Seigaku team was shocked. In just one shot, he was able to return the "Swallow Return."
"It's a half-volley! I can't believe that second-year from Fudomine has already mastered such a difficult technique."