"One win and two losses. Seigaku has finally managed to claw back a bit of hope."
Outside the court, Tachibana watched as Echizen and Akutagawa walked off the court and remarked with a sigh, "But now comes the real test for them."
"Yeah," Kamio and Inui nodded in agreement.
The reason? The remaining two singles players from Hyotei were genuinely top-tier national-level powerhouses.
As for Seigaku, aside from Tezuka, who could hold his own against them, the others—even Fuji—were a step behind.
"Brother..."
Not far away, Fuji Yuuta, who had also realized this problem, wore a look of deep concern on his face.
"Don't worry," said Mizuki, who had once lost to Fuji and been thoroughly outplayed by him. "Your brother is strong. At the very least, he didn't show his full strength in last week's match."
"Yeah."
Fuji Yuuta nodded. He knew his brother's abilities all too well. Back when he left Seigaku, it was largely because he couldn't stand living under the shadow of Fuji's "genius" title, constantly being referred to as "Fuji the Genius's younger brother."
But now, he desperately hoped that his brother's talent would shine through and defeat their opponent, saving Seigaku.
"Next up, the Singles 2 match will begin."
"Hyotei Academy's Ishikawa Shin versus Seigaku Academy's Fuji Syusuke."
"Both players, please prepare."
As the announcement echoed through the stadium, the audience quickly shifted their attention from the previous match. Their eyes landed on the two strikingly handsome young players on either side of the court.
"Fuji," Joushiro said, looking at the brown-haired boy with his eyes closed and a gentle smile on his face. "Seigaku's genius, the one who stands alongside Tezuka as one of Seigaku's twin pillars."
"Yeah," Atobe nodded slightly.
He had known of Fuji's reputation for a long time. Unfortunately, Seigaku's lineup in the past two years hadn't been strong enough, and matches often ended by the time Singles 3 rolled around.
As a result, aside from Tezuka, who played in Singles 1 and was their strongest player, Fuji was also one of Seigaku's most mysterious players in terms of data and information.
"However..."
Atobe's gaze shifted to the black-haired boy in front of him, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "This match will show everyone who the real tennis genius is."
Hearing this, the Hyotei team members exchanged knowing smiles.
As Atobe said, in their eyes, there was only one true tennis genius in all of Tokyo—no, in the entire country—and that was their very own Ishikawa from Hyotei.
"This match..."
Compared to Hyotei's confidence, the Seigaku team's expressions were much more tense.
Among all of them, only Inui, who had actually faced Ishikawa before, knew just how terrifying this guy was.
In fact, he even suspected that Ishikawa hadn't shown his full strength during last week's match against Tachibana.
"Fuji..."
Thinking of this, even the usually calm and serious Inui clenched his fists. "This match... it's all up to you now."
At the net, the two players, who were of similar height, locked eyes.
"You're strong," Fuji said, his usually closed eyes slowly opening, revealing a clear and serious gaze. "I can sense an aura similar to Tezuka's coming from you."
As a top-tier Kanto player, Fuji had always been low-key, but he had a habit of subtly observing other players.
When it came to Ishikawa, he clearly felt a pressure emanating from him—not overwhelming, but undeniably present.
The only other time he had felt this kind of pressure was from Tezuka.
However, in the past two years, he had never had the chance to face a player like Tezuka. As for Seigaku's own captain, due to a misunderstanding from the past, Fuji still hadn't resolved his lingering feelings about their relationship.
But now, he finally had the opportunity to face a player on par with Tezuka in a high-stakes match like the Tokyo Metropolitan Finals.
"You flatter me, senpai," Ishikawa replied with a smile, facing the unusually motivated Fuji. "I've heard about you too—a true tennis genius. I imagine you haven't yet encountered an opponent who can push you to your limits, right?"
"Well," Ishikawa's smile deepened as he met Fuji's serious gaze. "I'd like to experience your Triple Counters firsthand."
Hearing this, the spectators around the court could feel the tension rising.
"Fuji-senpai..."
Momoshiro, Kaidoh, and the other first and second-year Seigaku players were stunned. They had never seen Fuji look so serious before.
"Watch closely," Ryuzaki, sitting in the coach's seat, said sternly. "This match will be very meaningful for all of you."
A moment later, after the two players had determined the serve order and retreated to their respective baselines, the referee's gaze fell on Fuji.
"Game start, best of one set. Seigaku Fuji to serve. Game, Fuji!"
*Swoosh!*
As soon as the referee's voice fell, Fuji, standing at the baseline, gently spun the ball in his left hand and let it drop naturally.
*Tap!*
Then, with a seemingly casual motion, he sliced the ball over the net.
"Huh?!"
The audience was taken aback by Fuji's serve. No one had expected such a mundane slice serve to start off what was supposed to be a tense and high-stakes match.
"W-what's going on?" Shishido asked, completely baffled. "Did Fuji just mess up his serve?"
A mistake?
As hard as it was to believe, even Inui couldn't find a way to explain Fuji's seemingly ordinary serve.
"You're wrong about that," Nanjiro, who was standing nearby, said with a grin. "That serve... it's not as simple as it looks. I didn't expect Seigaku to have a player like this. Heh."
After saying this, he turned his gaze to Ishikawa, curious to see how this boy—who had managed to rattle his son's confidence and was described by Ryuzaki as anything but ordinary—would respond.
*Tap!*
Fuji's serve landed.
As expected, the ball landed in an unremarkable spot, with neither the angle nor the placement being particularly tricky.
"That's it?!"
Hyotei's Mukahi and Oshitari shook their heads in disbelief. They had expected Seigaku's so-called genius to pull off something impressive, but this serve was neither flashy nor effective.
*Sizzle...*
But then, something unexpected happened.
The ball, after landing, began to spin rapidly.
"Huh?"
Sensing the sudden change in the ball's movement, Joushiro and the others raised their eyebrows.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, the ball shot up with incredible speed.
The abrupt acceleration caught everyone off guard.
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
But that wasn't all. The ball, after bouncing, began to zigzag wildly in mid-air.
*Swish!*
Finally, it completely vanished from sight.
"What?!"
"It disappeared?!"
"How is that possible?!"
Most of the spectators, including some of Seigaku's own players, were stunned.
"The Disappearing Serve, huh?"
Momoshiro, Kaidoh, and the others quickly regained their composure, their eyes lighting up with excitement.
Of course. They had known all along that their "genius" senpai would never start with such a mediocre serve.
Momoshiro clenched his fist and said, "With this, we can take the first point. Perfect!"
The Seigaku players were pumped.
"Is that really the case?"
But in Qian's eyes, a flicker of concern appeared. Although Fuji's serve was impressive, his opponent was no ordinary player either.
*Swish!*
In the next moment, as if confirming his suspicions, Ishikawa's figure suddenly darted to the side. Then, he raised his racket and swiftly struck at what seemed like an empty space.
*Bang!*
With a sharp crack, the tennis ball shot forward like an arrow. The speed was so fast that even though Fuji sensed something was wrong and tried to react, it was already too late by the time he lifted his foot.
*Thud!*
The ball landed, precisely hitting the baseline on Fuji's backhand side.
"0-15!"
"Hiss!!"
The crowd instinctively gasped in shock.
"F-Fuji-senpai's vanishing serve... it was actually...!"
Kikumaru and the others were so stunned they could barely speak. Momoshiro and Kaidoh's smiles froze on their faces. On the other hand, the members of the Hyotei team showed no surprise at all that Ishikawa had returned Fuji's serve.
Coach Sakaki nodded with a smile. "In terms of insight, only Atobe can rival him."
Fuji's vanishing serve might have been dazzling to others, but to Ishikawa, there was no mystery to it.
Mukahi grinned. "I wonder what this genius from Seigaku is thinking right now."
At that moment, Fuji was equally shocked. The vanishing serve, while not his most powerful technique, was still one of his carefully crafted skills. This was the first time he had used it in front of an outsider. He had intended to use it to crush his opponent's momentum, but he never expected it to be broken so easily.
"Ishikawa Shin!"
Fuji's gaze locked onto his opponent as he pulled out another tennis ball. "If that's the case, then let me see what else you're capable of!"
*Bang!*
With that thought, Fuji quickly served the ball.
*Tap!*
The ball landed in a tricky spot, and its trajectory was sharp, curving outward aggressively. Clearly, Fuji was trying to pin Ishikawa to the baseline.
*Bang!*
Ishikawa countered with a backhand shot, sending the ball straight to Fuji's backhand baseline.
*Step, step!*
Fuji sprinted forward. As he watched the ball bounce off the baseline, he felt a hint of pressure.
*Bang!*
But then, unwilling to back down, Fuji returned the ball to Ishikawa's baseline.
"Such incredible control!"
The players from other teams watching from the sidelines were amazed by the skill both players displayed.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
As the two engaged in a rapid baseline rally, the white marks accumulating on the baseline only added to the spectators' awe.
"This is insane!"
"Are they really middle schoolers?"
"This level of control leaves no room for error!"
Both players demonstrated an astonishing mastery of their techniques. Every slice, every drive—the ball seemed to obey their will, landing precisely where they intended.
However, long rallies like this took a toll on both stamina and focus. After more than twenty exchanges, Fuji began to feel the strain. He glanced at his opponent and noticed Ishikawa closing in on the ball, which sent a jolt of alarm through him.
"Why is he so fast?"
"Is it something like Echizen's split-step?"
A hint of panic flashed through Fuji's mind. From breaking his vanishing serve to the precise baseline control in the rally, and now this—Ishikawa kept piling on the pressure, leaving Fuji no room for carelessness or complacency.
"In that case..."
After reading Ishikawa's shot, Fuji quickly moved to intercept it. Without hesitation, he lifted his racket and sent the ball high into the air.
"A lob?"
"Wait, at this distance and position, a lob seems too risky..."
"Was that a mistake?"
The audience murmured among themselves. Most assumed that the long rally had affected Fuji's rhythm, leading to an unforced error.
"Is it coming?"
On the Seigaku side, the team's eyes lit up with anticipation at the sight of the lob.
"Not necessarily," Inui cautioned. "Ishikawa has the upper hand right now. He might not go for a smash."
That was the logical assumption. At least, if Inui were in Ishikawa's position, his first instinct would be to stay cautious.
*Swish!*
But to everyone's surprise, Ishikawa didn't hesitate. He immediately jumped into the air.
*Bang!*
He smashed the ball down with force.
*Swish!*
On the other side, Fuji crouched low, his movements resembling a bear tracking its prey. He quickly opened his stance, ready to counter.
"It's here!"
The first-year students from Seigaku shouted excitedly, "Fuji-senpai's *Bear Hunt*!!!"
*Tap!*
But as soon as the words left their mouths, Ishikawa's smash struck the handle of Fuji's racket. The impact sent a violent shock through Fuji's hand, forcing him to drop his racket.
*Bang!*
At the same time, Ishikawa leaped into the air again and effortlessly delivered a second smash.
*Thud!*
The ball landed, exploding with a faint yellow light beside Fuji. At that moment, Fuji's handsome face was filled with disbelief as he realized his signature move had been completely dismantled by his opponent.
---
(End of Chapter)