Chapter 68: Fierce Battle
"Then... let me see how good you are~"
Boom!
As soon as the referee finished speaking, the tennis ball in Atobe's hand was hit hard and flew away.
Snap!
The tennis ball was not fast, but it was very powerful and accurately hit the boundary of the serving line.
"Not bad indeed!"
Hisaburo Mori's eyes lit up. It was not difficult to see his level just from Atobe's simple high-pressure serve.
As if he was excited to see the prey, Maori Jusaburo lowered his arms and slightly pulled down the head of the racket. Then, he swung the racket in his hand towards the bouncing tennis ball.
The tennis ball rolled quickly for a short distance in front of his racket, and then, with a deft flick of his wrist, the tennis ball came into his comfortable hitting area.
boom!
All the actions happened in a flash, and the tennis ball was pulled into the air with a sharp airflow.
Whoosh
A powerful backspin cut diagonally toward the bottom line of the trail.
"nice shot!"
There was a gleam of light in Atobe's eyes, and Mori Jusaburo's return of the ball was perfect.
This straight slice seems to be flying out of bounds, but the backspin on it will make the tennis ball fall early. If you are not careful, you will lose a point directly.
This kind of delicate treatment of small details is not something that a guy who skips training all day can do.
"It seems that he really has some skills..."
Tap tap...
Tsuchiya moved quickly and flew to the baseline of the other half of the court.
Sure enough, the moment he landed, the tennis ball suddenly fell as it approached the ground, and Maori's return shot hit the baseline accurately.
Swish…
Atobe moved his racket forward, then lifted it upwards, and the tennis ball, which bounced at a very low angle, was lifted high up by him.
However...the next moment.
Step…step…step…
From Atobe's perspective, Mori Jusaburo's body moved quickly to the front of the net as if he had predicted the future.
"Excuse me, Atobe-kun..."
With a slight smile, Maori Jusaburo jumped high and dunked the tennis ball in the air in a wild manner.
The tennis ball fell down with a strong airflow and a fascinating momentum.
"That may not be the case..."
Atobe's eyes focused as he scanned the incredibly powerful smash.
Swish!
With a step forward with both feet, Teibu turned his body sharply, half-bending his knees, and lifted the racket at an appropriate angle under the centripetal force of his body.
Bang!
The powerful smash fell into the net, but was bounced back again by the racket in Totoro's hand.
Whoosh... snap~
The tennis ball flew over Maori's head as he was falling from the air, and landed steadily near his baseline.
"Hyotei Academy Atobe scores 15 to 0."
The referee's announcement sounded. Maori Jusaburo looked back at the tennis ball at the baseline, and then looked at Atobe who had released his stance.
"Is this the strength of Minister Hyotei..."
His eyes flickered, and the smile that Mori Jusaburo had just shown in mid-air was long gone.
…
"What a wonderful offensive and defensive battle!"
The spectators outside the stadium who knew a little bit about the game were all enjoying the show. Just the first goal alone was enough to make them excited about the planning involved.
"Is this the head of the tennis club that person belongs to?"
Tezuka clenched his hands tightly across his chest. Even in his opinion, Atobe's counterattack to the final blow was brilliant enough.
"Yes, the senior from Rikkai University first feinted to lure Atobe-kun into hitting a lob. The real killer move was actually the smash that came after, and Atobe-kun had anticipated this step..."
Fuji had a gentle smile on his face and whispered softly beside him. This style of play of Atobe was his favorite.
Effective defensive counterattack without losing its splendor.
"But... have so many people already learned this counterattack..."
His mind shifted slightly as he remembered that he had also created such a counterattack, but was unable to demonstrate it on the court.
"hehe……"
The unknown emotion that suddenly surged in his heart made Bu Er himself feel a sense of novelty.
“Is this what envy feels like?”
He shook his head and gently dispelled this strange thought, and his heart soon calmed down again.
"It seems like you and Atobe get along pretty well~"
Uesugi Yuu patted Oshitari's shoulder and said teasingly, "Oshitari and Atobe practiced with each other so much before, it seems like they learned a lot."
"Snapped……"
The corners of his mouth twitched, and Oshitari gently slapped away the hand that Uesugi Yuu had placed on his shoulder. Although there was nothing wrong with Uesugi Yuu's words, he always felt that his tone was too bad.
…
Off the court.
The corners of Atobe's mouth curved slightly, and it had to be said that some specific moves were indeed very useful.
"Are you going to get serious?"
Seeing that Mori Jusaburo's body seemed to be shaking with excitement, Atobe's interest also increased a lot.
Swish!
The tennis ball was slightly tossed, and Tebe swung his arms suddenly, twisting the racket and hitting it down.
Boom!
With a loud bang, the battle began again.
boom!
"30-0"
…
boom!
"40-15"
…
boom!
"Game, Hyotei Academy Atobe Keigo, 1-0"
Relying on outstanding insight and technical skills, Jibu was the first to secure the serve.
"Good, you've got me excited."
Maori Jusaburo said to Atobe calmly with a smile on his face.
He has an excellent talent for tennis, and his body also has special talents that ordinary people don't know about. From the beginning of playing tennis, no one has been able to easily beat him.
Even though he often didn't train, he was confident that his talent would allow him to be a regular no matter where he went. This was true for Shitenhoji and the Kanto hegemon, Rikkai University.
"It's coming, Atobe-kun~"
boom!
With a slow sound, Mao Li shot the tennis ball in his hand towards Atobe.
"Heh...not bad speed..."
Atobe smiled softly. The stronger the opponent, the happier he was. The experience of defeating the strong and crushing the weak were never on the same level.
boom!
With a flick of his wrist, Atobe easily returned the serve that seemed extremely fast to ordinary people. The sharp drive directly hit the bottom line of the opposite corner.
"too slow……"
Like a whirlwind, Mori Jusaburo caught up with the tennis ball at an astonishing speed.
boom!
He just shook his wrist slightly, pulled the racket lightly, and the tennis ball drew a perfect straight arc.
"15-0"
“This leg strength…”
Atobe stared at the feet of Mori Jusaburo who was swinging gently from side to side.
Just now, the speed at which Maori chased the ball from the baseline was even faster than that of Kenya Oshitari of Shitenhoji whom he had met before.
"Come on, let's continue~"
Maori smiled lightly, this level was not even his full strength.
boom!
"1-1"
…
boom!
"2-2"
The two fought very fiercely and the score gap never widened.
Snap…Snap…
Atobe tapped the tennis ball twice. Mori Jusaburo's leg strength was indeed amazing, and even if he used his feet to take small steps, he could only barely keep up.
"But...it's almost time to end the probing. You've exposed too many vulnerabilities."
The corners of Atobe's mouth curled up, he had seen through the weakness of Mori Jusaburo's leg strength.
"Then...just indulge in my magnificent ball skills!" Atobe murmured.
Swish…
The tennis ball was thrown high up by Atobe, and then he bent his knees slightly, stretched his body backward, and struck a somewhat exaggerated posture.
The tense body brought a powerful explosive force, and the strength of the whole body gushed out from the elbows and wrists. The racket in his hand hit the falling tennis ball hard.
boom!
The tennis ball whistled slightly and headed towards Mori Jusaburo's half of the court with great force.
Chi Chi... whoosh~
A moment after landing, the tennis ball flew across the ground with a cloud of dust.
"This is!?"
Looking at the tennis ball flashing past his feet, Maori Jusaburo raised his eyes with a look of shock on his face.
"15-0!"
Atobe's Tannhauser serves and scores with one hit!
