Prince of Tennis: Shocking! Hyotei's Demon King is a Yukimura fangirl!

The roar from the stands this time was even louder than before. Someone from the Seigaku support group stood up, holding up a support flag and shouting, "Fuji is so cool!"—his voice cracked.

On the sidelines, in the St. Rudolph's spectator area, Fuji Yuuta stood by the railing, his fingers unconsciously gripping the cuff of his school uniform jacket. He watched the blue and white figure on the field, his lips moved, and he muttered softly, "My brother... he's still the same as always, always coming up with something new."

Guan Yuechu pursed her lips. Although she didn't like Fuji Syusuke's nonchalant attitude, her pen still diligently jotted down two lines, but she said unconvinced, "It's just so-so."

Liu Ze, leaning back in his chair next to them, didn't hear their murmurs. He clicked his tongue at the game, then leaned over to Yuta with a cheeky grin: "Yuta, your brother's serve is pretty good. Why didn't I see him use it when we played against him before?"

Yuta didn't turn around, his voice muffled: "How should I know?"

"Aren't you brothers?"

"So, if you're brothers, you know everything?" Yuta suddenly turned his head to look at him, his tone a beat faster than usual, then immediately stopped, turning his face away. "He's not usually the type to tell me everything."

Liu Ze choked on his cigarette, took it from his mouth, and shrugged: "Fine, fine, I won't ask anymore."

Guan Yue, holding her fan, gently tapped them twice, then looked up at the players who were gaining momentum again. She earnestly provided the team with the data: "This serve's data has never been recorded before. It's a sideslice slice serve, with two changes of speed after landing, and the angle of change of direction is estimated to be over forty degrees..."

"This level of wrist control requires a lot of practice. He practiced for at least six months, but never used it in public. That's what makes this script interesting."

Akazawa glanced at his notebook and asked, "Mitsuki, do you think this ball is useful?"

Guan Yue didn't look up, twirling her fan in her hand: "It's useful. At least it'll work for this game. It'll help me hold my serve."

"What about the next game?"

Mizuki glanced up and looked towards Hyotei. Oshitari walked back to the service line, adjusting his wristband with unhurried movements, showing no sign of impatience.

"That depends on how quickly the other person adapts."

On the Fudomine side, Tachibana An was so excited she almost stood up, leaning on the edge of the stands: "Brother! Fuji-nii is amazing! That ball really disappeared!"

Tachibana Yoshihira crossed his arms and gave a soft "hmm," his eyes showing surprise.

Sengoku of Yamabuki rested his chin on his hand and clicked his tongue in amazement: "Wow, as expected of the genius Fuji. That move was absolutely brilliant."

"Senpai, senpai, that was an amazing serve!" Tan Taichi, adjusting his headband, widened his eyes and tugged at Akutsu's sleeve. Then he pulled out his notebook, his eyes sparkling: "It's like magic."

Akutsu didn't speak, but glanced sideways at Fuji's wrist on the field and let out a low hum.

Wakato from Shonan Jungle rubbed his eyes, stared at the court for a few seconds, then turned to Aoi Hanamura beside him: "Coach, what was the principle behind that ball just now? Did the ball really not go out of bounds? It looked like it flew straight out to me?"

With his arms crossed, Aoi Hanamura followed Fuji's movements and slowly began to speak: "In bounds. After tossing the ball, he rotated his wrist inward and applied a lateral slice force at the moment of contact. This isn't a conventional serve; it's closer to a baseline slice. Judging from the change in the ball's spin, he used a lateral slice to alter the direction of the bounce after landing, making it appear as if it disappeared. As expected of the genius Fuji."

Kajimoto stood to the side, his gaze never leaving Fuji's direction. "Fuji has never used this move before."

"I wouldn't just reveal something I've got hidden away with." Hanamura Aoi closed her notebook, a slight smile playing on her lips. "The fact that she's bringing it out now shows that the pressure she faced in the first two games was indeed considerable."

Kajimoto nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Oshitari in the opposite half of the court: "I just don't know how long this move will work on Oshitari Yuushi."

Saeki from Rokkaku Junior High School laughed heartily and patted his companion on the shoulder.

"Fuji has always been full of clever ideas when it comes to tennis. While other kids were still practicing their forehand, he was already thinking of all sorts of special techniques. He's not called a genius for nothing."

Minami Kentaro, standing next to him, stared wide-eyed, still reeling from what he'd just witnessed.

……

The stands for Hyotei and Rikkai were unusually quiet at this moment.

Xiang Ri stared with his mouth agape, his red bangs disheveled by the wind. He glanced at the field, then turned to look at Ci Lang beside him, his eyes full of questions.

Jiro was also bewildered, his fluffy curly hair disheveled, and he was holding a bag of snacks in his hand. To be honest, "I didn't see clearly. How did the ball get to the back?"

Kirihara squatted on the steps, unaware that potato chip crumbs had fallen onto his pants, his kelp hair sticking out in a mess.

"The ball has disappeared!"

Shishido stood with his arms crossed, his brows furrowed. He stared at Fuji's wrist, trying to discern something, but the distance was too great for him to see any details.

"The wrist movement was too fast." Feng stood beside him, her expression also somewhat serious. "The secret should be hidden in the ball-tossing motion."

Beside them, Marui sucked the foam from his mouth. He licked his lips, leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, and muttered in amazement, "Wow, Fuji's move from Seigaku is comparable to Sanada's 'invisible swing'!"

Kuwabara touched his bald head, his palms slightly sweaty. "Hmm, you can't find a landing point with the naked eye at all."

Sanada listened to his teammate describe his serve. The "Thunderbolt" serve was also known for its speed and suddenness, but compared to this move, the principle was completely different. His eyes under the brim of his hat sharpened as he watched Fuji regain his momentum on the court, carefully observing the way the ball was generated and the rules of its variation.

Liu sat beside him, a small portable DVD player that had appeared in his hand at some point. The screen reflected the light, and he was replaying the slow-motion replay of the ball. He pressed pause, freezing the frame at the instant before the ball hit the ground, looked at it, then pressed play again and sighed.

"The camera's frame rate wasn't high enough; it didn't capture the change of direction at the moment of landing." He said, putting away his camera, picking up his laptop, and focusing intently on the field. "We need equipment with a higher frame rate to analyze the data."

Yagyu adjusted his glasses, his gaze fixed on the court, his expression serious. "Use visual illusions and spin to change direction, concealing the aggressiveness of your serve within gentle movements."

"A very clever move."

Renou leaned on his shoulder, twirling his little braid with his fingertips, a playful smile on his lips.

"Piyo~ Hiro, look at that guy Oshitari. He was doing so well in the first two rounds, but now he suddenly misses, and his expression doesn't even change. It seems that this move, while troublesome, isn't enough to stun him."

Atobe, standing beside him, gently tapped his brow. His exceptional eyesight had allowed him to see through the deception; his icy blue eyes were fixed on Fuji's wrist, filled with interest.

"Ah, so it's a slice serve."

Kirihara and Jiro turned to look at him simultaneously, exclaiming in unison, "A slice serve? You think that makes the ball disappear?"

Atobe lowered his hands, crossed his arms, and said, "Because this wasn't a normal slice serve; it changed direction in the air after landing."

"Then why did Atobe 'disappear'?" Mukahi scratched his red hair, his face full of doubt.

Atobe glanced at Yukimura, tilting his chin slightly towards the court: "Not many junior high school players can execute a serve like that. Fuji Syusuke has been keeping it well hidden."

Yukimura smiled but didn't reply. He paused for a moment while rubbing the kitten's belly.

The little guy rolled over in his palm, curled up its four paws, draped its tail over his wrist, and let out a soft "humming" with its round eyes half-closed.

Hearing the questions from several people, Yukimura slowly spoke, his clear voice carried by the wind, just loud enough for the people around him to hear: "Fuji Syusuke didn't use the conventional toss and smash motion. Instead, he raised the ball high and spun it rapidly the instant he released his grip, causing the ball to spin at high speed in the air. When the racket touched the ball, his wrist rotated inward, adding a lateral cutting force, which caused the ball to spin abnormally."

He paused, his gaze falling on the tennis ball that had rolled to the sideline. He reached out and gently brushed the tips of its ears, slightly blocking the kitten's view. Luna let out a soft protesting "meow," then cautiously peeked out again.

Yukimura ignored it and continued, "Before it lands, the ball moves slowly and has a flat trajectory, looking no different from a normal serve, which makes it easy to relax your guard. But once it lands, due to the spin, the ball does not bounce as usual, changes direction in the air, and rushes outward at high speed."

"If the opponent positions themselves according to conventional anticipation, it will be too late to react after the ball lands, and their swing will naturally miss. It looks like the ball has disappeared."

"To put it simply, it's a visual illusion."

"It makes sense." Liu suddenly realized, and took out the DVD again to check Fuji Syusuke's hand movements from the previous shot. After confirming, he quickly recorded the data with his pen, using the probabilities to corroborate Yukimura's judgment one by one, reciting the data aloud:

"To achieve this, the wrist pronation angle needs to be 20 degrees greater than a regular serve. The lateral spin is about 2.7 times that of a regular serve, and the deflection distance after landing exceeds 70 centimeters. It's impossible to receive with a conventional anticipation."

Kirihara remained squatting, clutching the potato chip bag in his hand, making a rustling sound as he squeezed it.

"Change direction mid-air after landing?! That's hard to control, Senior Liu."

Liu did not answer immediately.

Instead, he paused on the paper with the tip of his pen before speaking: "It does require skill. As Seiichi just mentioned, before he hits the ball, he adds a layer of lateral spin to the ball with inside spin. This spin is hardly released during the flight, because the ball speed is not fast and the air resistance is insufficient, so the ball looks like a normal flat serve during the flight."

"But the ball itself actually spins at a very high speed; it's just that the direction of rotation is offset by the ball's own spin during flight, creating a visual trajectory deviation. Once the ball lands, the friction of the rubber surface is enough to release this spin instantly. The direction of friction between the ball's surface and the ground changes, and the ball's trajectory also changes."

"That's why it can change direction in the air."

"Yes." Liu's pen began to move again. "The difficulty with this serve lies in maintaining that spin throughout the entire flight, releasing it only at the very moment of landing. Too early, and it will change direction in the air, which your opponent can see; too late, and the change of direction after landing won't be significant enough, allowing your opponent to adjust."

He paused, glanced at the field, and said, "Fuji's ball control is better than we anticipated."

Niou leaned on Yagyu's shoulder, stroking his chin with a sly smile: "Oh, it sounds like a move specifically designed to trap players who rely on prediction. Pretty convoluted... I'd probably fall for it if I went up there."

Yagyu nodded slightly: "Indeed. Creating visual errors by exploiting people's predictive habits is essentially a form of rotational deception. This tactic is very effective against players who rely on experience to predict the outcome."

Kirihara clung to the railing, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"I can't see where it's going to land... how am I supposed to catch it?" He put down the bag of potato chips, subconsciously turned to look at his manager, and asked with a frown, "Are we just going to watch the ball disappear?"

Yukimura didn't directly answer Kirihara's question. Instead, he glanced at Atobe beside him. Atobe still acted like he'd seen right through him, but didn't offer any explanation. Instead, he was turned to the side, seemingly waiting for Yukimura's solution.

He wasn't presumptuous, and with a smile, he explained to everyone: "Receiving it isn't difficult. Just predict the spin trajectory using your wrist movement and move to the landing point after the change of direction. Or... use your super-powerful dynamic vision to capture the spin pattern and directly lock onto the tennis ball's true path, don't be fooled by the illusion before it lands. Swing your racket at the air."

As Yukimura spoke, he turned his head to look at Atobe beside him, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and deliberately asked, "This ball shouldn't be difficult for Atobe-kun, right?"

Hearing his confident tone, Atobe hummed with satisfaction, crossed his arms, and raised his chin slightly, exuding a sense of self-righteous pride: "Ah, of course. If you can't even see through this little spin, all that time I've spent practicing my vision-observing skills has been for nothing."

Despite saying that, he secretly admired Fuji's move a bit more. He'd kept his trump card hidden for so long, and then brought it out at this crucial moment; Seigaku's genius was no joke.

Niou chuckled softly at his smug expression, raising an eyebrow: "Indeed, Atobe-kun's eyesight is sharp enough to handle such a trick."

Yagyu chimed in slightly, "In terms of dynamic vision, Atobe-kun is indeed top-notch."

Luna, seeing her father Yukimura talking to the chattering two-legged creatures around him while ignoring the cat, grew unhappy. She rubbed against Yukimura's wrist, wrapped her little tail around his arm, and licked his fingertips with her pink tongue.

Yukimura felt a tickle on his fingertips from the licking, looked down at the little guy's upturned round face, and whispered, "Be good, don't make a fuss."

Luna ignored him, continued to rub against his wrist, and made soft "meows" as if to say, "You're touching meows, why aren't you touching meows anymore?"

Yukimura had no choice but to continue rubbing its little belly.

Before the murmurs on the field had completely died down, Fuji had already picked up the second ball.

He bounced the ball twice in his palm, looked up at Shinobu opposite him, and a faint smile still lingered on his lips.

"Oshitari-kun, catch another ball from me."

The same ball toss, the same wrist rotation—the movements were perfectly synchronized. The tennis ball traced a gentle arc, clearing the net and landing on Shinobu's backhand side.

This time, Shinobu was on high alert, his eyes glued to the ball's trajectory, trying to discern its spin. He saw the ball's flight path and predicted its approximate landing point, taking a half-step in advance. But just as the ball hit the ground, it seemed to be blown off course by the wind, veering sharply towards the outside of the sideline, a full ten centimeters off his predicted landing point.

As the racket face extended, he felt the racket reach the edge of the ball, but he couldn't hit the ball back.

The swing missed again.

The ball grazed the edge of the racket frame and flew out, landing on the court behind him.

"Thump—"

"ACE, 30-0".

When the referee's voice fell, the murmurs in the stands doubled in volume.

"Disappeared again!"

"What on earth happened? How could the ball just disappear into thin air?"

"No way, there really is such a serve?"

"Fuji Syusuke has been keeping this up for so long! I've never seen him use it in any of the previous matches!"

"What about Hyotei? Will Oshitari be unable to even return a serve?"

"It's hard to say. In the first two rounds, Oshitari dominated Fuji, but now that Fuji has unleashed his ultimate move, he's immediately turned the tide?"

"A genius's trump card is not so easy to guess."

……