My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level

Chapter 119 Breaking the Formation in Seconds, Yamabuki's Terrifying Power

"How...how is this possible..."

'

Momoshiro, having lost the match, still showed a hint of disbelief on his face. Shihei couldn't believe he had lost so easily.

"whispering sound..

'

Kaidou opened his mouth and made a rustling sound like a snake flicking its tongue, which gave those around him a chilling feeling.

But his snake-like eyes showed a look of bewilderment.

Lost!

They actually lost their doubles match!

Moreover, Kaido never expected that the opponent would be able to unleash his and Momoshiro's ultimate moves.

"Hmm."

Ryuzaki's face looked very grim.

Judging from Yamabuki's fighting style, they had clearly figured out Momoshiro and Kaido's fighting styles long ago. Their final move further demonstrated that they came prepared.

"Seigaku deserved to lose this match!"

Outside the stadium, Inoue shook his head and sighed inwardly.

Both sides were calculating and unprepared. Although Inui from Seigaku was also a data-driven player, the level of understanding they showed about their opponent was completely different.

In other words, Seigaku is already at a disadvantage in terms of statistics. Doubles is Yamabuki's forte, and if they secure two consecutive wins, Seigaku's chances in this semi-final will be slim.

"I'm sorry, Ryuzaki-sensei, we..."

'

Momoshiro and Kaidou bowed their heads and apologized after losing the match. Ryuzaki sighed, offering no punishment but also saying nothing.

In reality, from Seigaku's perspective, this doubles match 2 felt more like a filler game. The combination of Momoshiro and Kaidou was neither particularly good nor bad, making it rather pointless.

Thinking of this, Ryuzaki couldn't help but turn his head and glance in the direction of Banta.

In her mind, she recalled the first day of the tournament last week, when Yamabuki sent out almost no key players. Not only were there players who hadn't secured a starting spot, but even a rookie like Tan was allowed to play.

This was a major tournament, not a regional qualifier; a slight misstep could easily lead to an upset. But Yamabuki did it anyway, and both the result and the process were quite successful.

"What a pity."

Ryuzaki sighed.

He wasn't disappointed that the first and second-year team members didn't get the chance to train; rather, he admired Banta's decisiveness. The fact that the opposing team could field their own reserve players already showed they were better than her.

In Ryuzaki's opinion, if she had been more decisive and replaced Inui with Tsune to fill a doubles spot, the outcome of the match might not have been the same.

But what's done is done, and no amount of regret can change the outcome. Ryuzaki wasn't one to dwell on gains and losses; she composed herself and fixed her gaze on Yamabuki's direction.

Then two tall figures walked out together.

"It really was them!"

Upon seeing the two, Ryuzaki instinctively clenched his fist. Their doubles skills were unparalleled, not just in Yamabuki, but even in the Metropolitan Tournament; almost no one could defeat them.

"Next, the doubles match 1 will begin."

At that moment, the announcement sounded again: "Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata from Yamabuki Middle School versus Shuichiro Oishi and Eiji Kikumaru from Seishun Academy."

"Both players, please prepare yourselves."

The words fell.

Two students from Seigaku also walked to the edge of the court.

One of them took a deep breath, and a resolute look appeared on Egghead's face; it was none other than Vice Minister Oishi.

The other person was bending down to tie his shoelaces. After finishing, he stood up, held his racket horizontally behind his head, and looked relaxed. It was Kikumaru Eiji, one of the regulars of Seigaku.

"Long time no see, Daishi."

At the net, during their exchange, Nan took the initiative to speak: "If I remember correctly, the last time we played against each other was at the Grand Prix a year ago, right?"

"Um."

Daishi nodded solemnly.

"what?"

Seeing this, the three Seigaku members outside the court immediately showed curious expressions. Horio, with his signature unibrow, asked in confusion, "Vice-Captain Oishi and those two from Yamabuki have played against each other?"

"Yes, it just so happens to be the semi-finals of last year's major competition."

Inui, standing nearby, nodded and said, "Back then, Seigaku lost a doubles match first, and then Oishi and another third-year senior..."

The opponents on the next stage were Nan and Dongfang.

"And the result?"

Katsuro and Katsuo spoke at the same time.

"We lost both doubles matches."

Inui shook his head and sighed, "The Yamabuki team is very strong in doubles; both pairs are national-level."

"How could that be!"

The trio's expression changed upon hearing this.

Without hesitation, Horio blurted out, "Isn't this just a repeat of last year?"

"Horiao!!"

Katsuro and Katsuo, who were standing next to him, both frowned and looked over.

"No, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant..."

Horio, realizing he had misspoke, waved his hands frantically to explain. But the faces of the Seigaku members around him darkened.

They weren't targeting Horio specifically, but rather felt that what he said made sense. Last year, Yamabuki's doubles team dominated, completely suppressing Seigaku.

Now, a year later, Seigaku is still weaker than their opponents in doubles.

"Last year is last year, now is now."

Seeing everyone's low spirits, Kawamura, holding the Seigaku flag, said in a deep voice, "I believe in Oishi and Kikumaru. They will definitely defeat their opponents!!"

These words brought many people to their senses, and they all nodded in agreement.

"That's right."

Fuji then spoke up, "The match isn't over yet, anything is possible. We can't dismiss Oishi and Eiji's efforts just because of last year's score."

Seigaku's training intensity has been quite high lately. Everyone is working hard to become stronger, and Inui has even given Oishi and Kikumaru intensive training to improve their mastery of the new formation.

"Go, Oishi."

After finishing their discussion about serving rights, Kikumaru grinned at his partner, "Let's use that thing Inui taught us to show them what's what!"

"it is good."

In the past, Oishi certainly wouldn't have acted so forcefully. But right now, Seigaku's morale is low, and as the vice-captain...

Something must be done.

And victory is undoubtedly the best way to boost morale!

immediately.

The two players who have won the right to serve stand on the court, one in front of the other.

"This is..

'

When the two stood in a straight line, one in front of the other, a chorus of surprised exclamations arose from outside the stadium.

"Inoue-senpai, what is this?"

Shiba picked up her camera, ready to take a close-up photo of Oishi and Kikumaru.

"Well..."

'

"That's interesting."

Just as Inoue was about to answer, a soft laugh came from behind the two of them: "I didn't expect that the junior high school students from Seigaku would have mastered such a professional formation."

Who?

Zhi frowned slightly.

Upon hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Inoue turned his head to look. He then saw a middle-aged man in a black monk's robe, with a disheveled beard, approaching them.

"Mr. Minami-Jiro!"

Upon seeing the person who arrived, Inoue's heart skipped a beat, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Are you here to watch Echizen's match?"

"Watch that kid's game, don't joke around."

The newcomer, Nanjiro, reached into his robes and rubbed his hands together, shaking his head as if he'd heard a joke. "That level of tennis isn't anything to watch. I'm only here because of some old guy."

"Forehead?"

Inoue paused, thinking to himself, "Could the person that Mr. Nanjiro calls 'old man' be that guy?"

Then, he glanced at the coach's position at Seigaku.

"Hey, you lecherous southerner."

At this moment, Shizuka, looking displeased, said, "It's one thing for you to interrupt, but at least explain what kind of formation Oishi and Kikumaru are using, right?"

"Australian formation."

Nanjiro glanced at Oishi and Kikumaru's stance and position, and said with a smirk, "A high-level doubles formation, rarely used by middle schoolers even overseas. But looking at the positioning of these two Seigaku kids, it's pretty good."

"Australian formation?"

Zhi was completely baffled.

"Um."

Inoue, standing nearby, explained, "It's a deceptive formation that can be used for both offense and defense. Since Oishi and Kikumaru used this move right from the start, they must have mastered it."

Bang!

At this time.

The ball is spun from the bottom line.

Tap tap!

Tap tap!

Almost simultaneously, Oishi and Kikumaru moved to the left and right respectively.

"Huh?"

Zhi covered her mouth in shock.

"This is the Australian formation."

Inoue nodded approvingly and said, "After the serve, both sides move left and right at the same time, using their positioning to restrict the opponent's return route."

In doubles, this is a technique used by very strong pairs.

"That's right."

Nanjiro, standing next to him, nodded and said, "Using this formation in the service game allows us to firmly grasp the initiative in the match."

Judging from their movements, these two kids have indeed practiced quite well.

Upon hearing this, Inoue was secretly delighted.

He didn't take other people's words to heart at all. But this was Echizen Nanjiro's "not bad," which meant far more than the praise from others.

Bang!

But at that moment...

Dongfang, who was positioned at the baseline, suddenly returned and flicked the ball out with a deft, almost seductive motion. The ball landed precisely where Daishi had served earlier.

"not good!"

Seeing the tennis ball flying towards him, Daishi's expression changed drastically as he moved to the left. Without hesitation, he turned around and spun back towards the ball, managing to deflect it with almost all his strength.

Unfortunately, one wrong step leads to another.

Minami, who was prepared, suddenly pressed down at the net, and the tennis ball slammed into the sideline, leaving Kikumaru no time to react.

"0-15!"

The referee spoke, and the room immediately fell silent.

Especially those Seigaku members who fantasized about Oishi and Kikumaru using this formation to wreak havoc, their expressions were all frozen at this moment.

"How is that possible?"

The first to come to his senses was Qian, who was outside the barbed wire fence.

He personally taught the two of them this formation. Especially after learning how strong Yamabuki was, Inui intensified their training.

He originally thought this move was a trump card for Oishi and Kikumaru, which could be used in key games to completely secure the outcome.

Unexpectedly, Oishi and his team used it in the very first round. Even more unexpectedly, this move was mercilessly countered by their opponents.

It's cracked.

While others were still bewildered, Qian felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face, and his expression turned extremely ugly.

"This...this must be a coincidence...?"

Horio, who was standing next to Inui, spoke up.

"impossible."

Inui shook his head with a serious expression: "Most people would be flustered if they encountered this kind of fighting style for the first time, or at least their vision would be obstructed by Oishi and Kikumaru's actions."

"But these two are too calm."

At this point, Qian's tone turned serious, and a beam of white light reflected from his opaque white glasses: "Their response is as if they've seen it thousands of times before; they've long since figured out the weaknesses in the Australian formation!"

"this..

'

Everyone was stunned.

Horio wanted to say, "Is that even possible?", but when he saw the calm expressions on Minami and Touhou's faces in the direction of Yamabuki, he had to admit that the truth was probably as Inui had said.

"Yamabuki's intelligence gathering abilities... are terrifying!"

Momoshiro spoke with lingering fear.

In the last match, his and Kaido's weaknesses were completely exposed. They were incredibly passive throughout the entire match, and were practically being led by the nose by their opponents.

Now, Oishi and Kikumaru are also facing a problem: their carefully prepared trump cards have been shut down by the opponent right from the start.

now.

A shadow fell over everyone's hearts, as if a stone was pressing on their chests, making it hard to breathe.

Don't let yourself be affected!

Kikumaru, who was in front, turned around and looked at his partner: "Oishi, let's do it again. I don't believe they really figured out the weakness in our formation."

"good!"

Da Shi nodded emphatically.

He and Kikumaru had endured countless hardships to train this formation. Yet, right from the start, they were told their strategy had been completely outmaneuvered. Even though he was an honest man, he couldn't accept this outcome.

Bang!

After adjusting their positions, Oishi hit the tennis ball again.

Tap tap!

Tap tap!

The two continued to move simultaneously, one to the left and one to the right, attempting to disrupt their opponent's judgment through their movement between the front and back courts.

"Oh."

At that moment, looking towards Yamabuki, Mizuki smiled and said, "The real strength of the Australian formation lies in disrupting the opponent's judgment with its actions. No matter whether the receiving side hits the ball to the left or right, Oishi and Kikumaru, who are already prepared, will easily counterattack, and may even score the winning goal."

"pity."

At this point, Guan Yue's smile became even more playful: "This tactic means that once the formation is deployed, action is necessary. And once action is taken, the weaknesses of the formation will inevitably be exposed!"

There is no formation that is invincible in the world.

The Australian formation is renowned and effective, but it's not without its weaknesses. However, finding and exploiting those weaknesses is extremely difficult.

For most people, seeing this formation for the first time would be enough to make them feel intimidated.

However, the South and the East are clearly not included in this list.

Because they had encountered this formation earlier than Oishi and Kikumaru. Furthermore, under Shibukawa's fierce offensive, their formation had already been riddled with holes.

In other words, no one knows the weaknesses of this formation better than them.

Bang!

next moment.

Nan, who was responsible for receiving the serve at the baseline, didn't even look and just raised his hand to throw the ball.

Whoosh!

immediately.

The tennis ball, lobbed high into the air, flew straight towards the opening where Oishi and Kikumaru had just made their move.

"not good!"

Daishi's expression changed drastically; he wanted to counterattack but was a step too slow. Just as he returned the tennis ball, Dongfang intercepted it at the net.

"It's not over yet!"

At that moment, Kikumaru leaped forward like a fish, hitting the tennis ball back before it could fly out of the air. Just before landing, he quickly extended his left hand to support himself on the ground, then used the momentum to leap up, completing a beautiful spin in the air before landing steadily.

"It's here!"

"Kikumaru-senpai's [Dance-Style Tennis/Special Skill Shot]!!"

The trio spoke excitedly.

Bang!

But just then, Minami, anticipating this, swung her racket from the baseline. The tennis ball landed in a position that Kikumaru couldn't reach.

"0-30!"

The referee spoke.

The cheers of the Seigaku members caught in their throats, and their eyes widened involuntarily.

Momoshiro, Kaidou, and the others wore solemn expressions: "This year's Yamabuki... is just too strong!"

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