My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level

Chapter 121 Singles Match 3, Sengoku vs. Echizen

"I...lost again..."

On the sidelines of the court, Oishi looked at Kikumaru, who was fast asleep in a chair, with a look of dejection on his face.

A year later.

Yamabuki and Seigaku faced off again, and he lost once more.

But this time it's different from last year. Last year, he was defeated by his own recklessness. He lost his composure and tried to help his senior out of a predicament, only to fall into the Yamabuki Trap.

This time, however, he was overly cautious. Because he was afraid of falling into the opponent's trap, he made Kikumaru bear too much responsibility that he shouldn't have had to shoulder.

boom!

Feeling extremely frustrated, he slammed his fist against his thigh.

the other side.

After winning the game and leaving the field, Nan and Dongfang tacitly approached Shechuan.

"How is it?"

Seeing the two smug-looking men, Shibukawa smiled and asked, "What did you learn from that match just now?"

"good."

Despite his inner smugness, Higashikata suppressed those thoughts when facing Shibukawa: "Oishi has become stronger, and that Kikumaru is also very powerful. But without their data beforehand, winning this match won't be easy."

"Um."

Nanya nodded and said, "According to your plan, we chose to freeze Kikumaru, the core of Seigaku's doubles team, which greatly reduced the difficulty."

"Anything else?"

Shibukawa looked at the two of them: "Tell me your original plan. If I'm not mistaken, you were originally planning to start with Oishi, right?"

How did you know?

Dongfang's eyes widened immediately.

"Hmm."

Nan pondered for a moment, then frowned and asked, "What's the difference?"

They agree with the strategy of crossing the river.

From a practical standpoint, he and Higashikata did indeed defeat Seigaku's golden duo with relatively little effort. However, in Nan's opinion, such tactics would also work well against Oishi.

"Of course."

At this moment, Mizuki walked over, twirling a strand of hair with a meaningful smile on his face: "If I'm not mistaken, you should think that Oishi is afraid of hunting tactics because of what happened last year."

"But according to my calculations, your chances of success are no more than 30%."

Why?

The two of them, along with the surrounding Yamabuki team members, all cast curious glances their way.

"It's very simple."

Mizuki laughed and said, "You only remembered the opponents' stats, but forgot their personalities. If we gang up on Kikumaru, Oishi might be cautious, but if we gang up on Oishi, no one will care about Kikumaru."

At this point, he gave the two of them a playful look: "You've both experienced Kikumaru's offensive capabilities, haven't you?"

"this..

'

Nan and Dongfang's expressions changed slightly.

They thought of Kikumaru's formidable net play. He didn't need to directly interfere with their siege of Oishi; a single decisive move at a crucial moment would be enough to throw them into disarray.

"and."

At this moment, Mizuki continued, "Don't forget the difference in physical strength between Oishi and Kikumaru. If the two of you team up against Oishi, it will probably take you at least half an hour to take him down."

Upon hearing this, Nan and Dongfang exchanged a glance, both seeing the lingering fear in each other's eyes.

If things really come to that, it's uncertain who will wear down whom. With Kikumaru also watching closely from the sidelines, the Yamabuki defenses could be breached at any moment.

"remember."

Seeing their reactions, Shibukawa spoke up at the opportune moment: "There are never perfect tactics in this world, only the most suitable people. If one path is blocked, you can try another."

"Been taught a lesson."

The two nodded their thanks to Shechuan.

With their talent, they were only barely at the national level for doubles. But after Shechuan's guidance, not only did their basic skills improve, but their horizons broadened, and even their ability to adapt in actual matches was enhanced.

Even now, they have the confidence to compete with top doubles pairs in national tournaments.

Of course, limitations on individual potential still exist.

But with an early start, they'll be ahead in every step, and with the dedicated training from Shibukawa and Mizuki, their talent should be more than enough to successfully complete this year's national tournament.

Compared to the lively atmosphere on Yamabuki's side, Seigaku's overall morale was quite low. For Seigaku, the prestigious school that finished second in the tournament last year, to suffer two consecutive defeats right from the start was truly astounding.

Although it was the same last year, this year Yamabuki is not only very strong in doubles, but also has received an epic boost in singles.

Sengoku, who ranks only third in the team's singles, was able to fight on par with a top player like Tachibana Kippei, the Lion of Kyushu, and even decisively defeated him.

It's hard to imagine just how strong the other two mysteriously powerful members of Yamabuki are!

"Next up is the singles match 3."

At that moment, the announcement came over the loudspeaker again: "Kiyosumi Sengoku of Yamabuki Middle School versus Ryoma Echizen of Seishun Academy."

"Both teams, please get ready."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone perked up instantly.

One is Sengoku, who just fought fiercely with Tachibana last week and made a name for himself. The other is Echizen, Seigaku's biggest discovery this year, with amazing talent.

While many people favor Sengoku in their duel, they are also eagerly anticipating Echizen's performance.

"How is it?"

On the Seigaku side, Tezuka looked seriously at the boy next to him wearing a white tennis cap.

"I feel good."

Echizen smiled faintly, his expression so calm that it didn't seem like he was about to compete against someone of Tachibana's caliber. This composure and confidence were something even Momoshiro and Kaidou couldn't match.

"Ryoma-kun..."

'

Seeing Echizen walk to the edge of the court, Katsuro, with his mushroom-shaped haircut, instinctively clenched his fist outside the wire fence.

"I believe he can definitely win!"

The bald-headed Shengxiong looked on with anticipation.

"What else can we do?"

Horio shrugged helplessly and spread his hands: "We can only try anything, after all, the situation can't get any worse than it is now."

"Echizen...

'

Inui stared at Echizen's retreating figure, his eyes filled with complex emotions behind his white-tinted glasses.

Just two months ago, Echizen had just joined the tennis club and qualified for the qualifiers, so Inui didn't take him seriously at all. But surprisingly, he defeated Kaidou.

Even so, Inui was very confident in his abilities. Moreover, the match between Echizen and Kaidou allowed him to collect data on the former.

For Qian, controlling this newcomer was a piece of cake.

But as it turned out, he miscalculated.

Echizen's talent, skill, and match experience are all superior to his. Even Inui's forte, data-driven tennis, is being used against him.

In the end, Qian suffered a crushing defeat.

That competition made him realize that Echizen was definitely not just an ordinary junior high school freshman. As it turned out, Echizen's talent was indeed amazing.

Two months have passed, and others may not have noticed the changes in him during this period because Echizen suddenly became a regular player and their expectations were too high in the early stages.

However, Qian, who records data every day, can clearly tell from the changes in the data that the opponent's strength has improved.

"Especially the week after the match against Fuji."

Inui narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "Echizen's strength has improved very quickly since that week. He also trains much harder, even a little too diligently."

He knew that Echizen had a strong sense of pride, but he didn't expect it to be to this extent.

"What a pity."

Inui was too far away to hear Echizen's reflections after going on stage. Almost no one noticed that the Seigaku newcomer's gaze lingered for a moment in Yamabuki's direction.

"Oh?"

Shibukawa has a keen sense of perception, and his gaze immediately fell upon Akutsu, who remained silent in the crowd, exuding an aura of unapproachability.

"There's a story behind this!"

He glanced at the two men with interest, recalling recent events. It was likely that these two sworn enemies from the original story had already clashed.

"That kid from Seigaku is probably in for a rough time."

Shechuan smiled.

Akutsu's talent was terrifying to begin with. Even though he trained harder than anyone else, he could only suppress his opponent when he had a proficiency panel.

In the original story, Akutsu only picked up tennis again in his third year of high school after being provoked by Banta. Even when he defeated a professional player at the age of nine, it was only his first time playing tennis.

To be honest, Akutsu in the original story never systematically learned tennis. In fact, even after joining the tennis club, he probably didn't train with the team much.

Even so, they still managed to put Echizen under considerable pressure during the match. After the tournament, he left the team immediately and didn't receive another selection invitation until the U17 team.

It was November, five months after the Grand Tournament. During that time, all the main characters had further improved their strength due to the intense competition and the challenges posed by powerful opponents.

But Akutsu managed to catch up through a month of hard training in the U17 team. Two months later, the World Cup in Australia started, and Akutsu immediately faced the Swiss team's star player, professional player Alexander Amadeus.

If it were someone else, they probably would have given up long ago.

But Akutsu not only played, but also broke through his limits with his terrifying talent, managing to take a game from that professional player, shocking the entire audience.

During this timeline, Akutsu underwent training under Shibukawa for over half a year. Although the intensity was not as high as during his U17 years, his improvement in strength was still remarkable.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he has already reached the pinnacle level nationwide. Among junior high school students, besides Shechuan, there are only a handful who can put up a fight.

Under these circumstances, Echizen had absolutely no chance of winning against Akutsu. Even if Shibukawa didn't know the specific details of that match, it was safe to say that Echizen would suffer a crushing defeat.

"However, this may not necessarily be a good thing."

As the thought crossed his mind, he looked at Sengoku, who was stepping into the room, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

That's right, Sengoku's current strength is an epic upgrade compared to the original story. But Echizen is no pushover. To put it bluntly, his talent is even greater than Akutsu's. He's the type who gets stronger when facing stronger opponents, and his true strength is unknown.

Rumor has it that Echizen suffered a crushing defeat in a practice match against Fuji within the team. If we add the match against Akutsu, given Akutsu's talent, Sengoku might not be able to secure a victory at this stage.

"Long time no see, Echizen."

At the net, Sengoku spoke with a smile.

A week has passed, and the abrasions from his last match against Ju have healed, making him a full recovery.

"Senior, please give me your guidance."

Echizen nodded.

He has an arrogant personality, but that applies to people. Although he is exceptionally talented, he is not one to bully the weak, nor does he mock everyone. He usually only retaliates when others provoke him.

Although he wasn't very familiar with Sengoku, he had a good impression of Sengoku as the referee during the last match.

Moreover, the other party is indeed not a simple character.

Although Echizen wasn't present at last week's match, it's easy to tell from what others have said that this person is definitely a master.

"You're quite something, kid."

Sengoku lowered his voice and said, "I've never seen anyone remain so calm and confident after being defeated by Akutsu. If I'm not mistaken, he was originally your target, wasn't he?"

I guess so.

Echizen did not hide anything.

His training intensity had far exceeded his usual level during this period, all in order to find an opportunity to get revenge on Akutsu. Unfortunately, although Seigaku did run into Yamabuki, their order of appearance did not match.

"Hey, don't look at me like that."

Sengoku was a carefree person to begin with. With Shibukawa and Akutsu suppressing Yamabuki, the burden on his shoulders was much lighter, and he became even more reckless.

"Go all out in the match later, and let me see just how strong you've become!"

"it is good."

Echizen nodded.

He was never one to be preoccupied with gains and losses. Although he didn't get to meet Akutsu, Sengoku was still a very good opponent.

Immediately after agreeing on the serving order, the two players retreated to their respective baseline positions.

"The match begins, one game to decide the winner!"

From the high chair, after confirming the condition of the two players, the referee nodded and said, "Seigaku Echizen serves, game over!"

"Mr. Minami Jiro".

As soon as the referee finished speaking, Inoue, standing in a corner outside the barbed wire fence, asked curiously, "What do you think Ryoma's chances of winning are?"

"This kid? He's still a long way off."

Nanjiro waved his hand dismissively and shook his head, saying, "When I was his age, I was an absolute main player on the team. There was no way I would be assigned to this position."

"what?"

Inoue was taken aback by what he heard.

So, after all that talk, the other person was actually discussing Echizen's ranking within Seigaku. But then again, while Nanjiro's era was indeed marked by a single outstanding player, the current Seigaku boasts masters like Tezuka and Fuji.

The two were facing completely different situations.

"etc."

At that moment, Shiba, who was standing nearby, seemed to have noticed something and exclaimed in surprise, "Ryoma switched his racket to his right hand! This is..."

call.

Before she could finish speaking, Echizen tossed the tennis ball into the air, then leaped up, his racket flashing upwards. With a loud thud, a sharp, pale yellow streak flashed by.

Before many people could react, the tennis ball had already landed and was spinning wildly. Then, the tennis ball, which had already landed quite deep, bounced straight up and slammed into Sengoku's face.

"It's here!"

Upon seeing this, the trio immediately exclaimed excitedly, "It's Echizen (Ryoma-kun)'s topspin serve!!!"

"This ball?"

At the same time, Momoshiro, Kaidou, and the others' expressions changed when they saw the sharp arc of the tennis ball bouncing up.

too fast!

Echizen's serve is noticeably sharper than it was a month ago when he played against Fudomine Ibu Shinji!

Viewed from the side, the trajectory of the tennis ball resembles a sharp blade. Both its speed and deceptiveness far surpass what it was last month.

"Hmm."

Outside the barbed wire fence, Qian subconsciously clenched his fist: "As expected! He's gotten stronger again!"

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