My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level

Chapter 93 Fuji vs. Echizen

"Hurry! Hurry!"

"What happened?"

"Over on the court, Fuji-senpai and that newbie are about to have a match!"

"Fuji-senpai and Echizen?"

Youth Academy Tennis Club.

As news of the match spread, more and more people flocked to the stadium where Fuji and Echizen were playing. Among them were regular players such as Momoshiro and Kaidou.

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

After confirming the positions of both sides, the second-year team member on the high chair announced loudly, "Fuji serves, game over!"

The words fell.

All eyes were on Fuji.

The latter took out a tennis racket, patted it, and then held it in his hand, without immediately launching an attack.

"What's going on?"

"Why do I feel like Fuji-senpai isn't taking this seriously?"

"That's just how he is, whether it's during competitions or in everyday conversations. He's a very gentle person."

gentle?

Hearing what the others said, Horio, with his straight eyebrows, crossed his arms in front of him, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"This clearly shows they don't take Echizen seriously. Hmph, the same goes for Kaidou-senpai and Inui-senpai before, they still lost in the end."

Horio thought to himself.

He initially harbored some hostility towards Echizen, regarding him as a rival. However, as Echizen gradually built his reputation and even decisively defeated two regular players, Kaidou Kaoru and Inui Sadaharu, Horio was completely convinced.

In this match, Horio naturally put himself in the shoes of Echizen, who was also a first-year student.

If it were just Kaidou who lost, Horio would still think that second-year and third-year students are different. But Inui also lost, instantly diminishing the importance of the third-year regulars in the minds of the newcomers.

Therefore, Horio was quite confident that Echizen could defeat Fuji. And now, seeing Fuji so careless and overconfident, his confidence in Echizen was even stronger.

"Go for it, Echizen!"

"Ideally, I'd even defeat the top two ranked seniors."

Horio clenched his fist inwardly.

Slurp.

Just then, Fuji suddenly gently rotated the tennis ball he was holding in his hand, letting it fall naturally.

"This is?"

Many people were stunned.

Some newcomers even subconsciously thought that Fuji had made a mistake. But after seeing clearly how the opponent swung his racket, everyone frowned.

"Cut, cut the serve?"

"You must be kidding me!"

"Fuji-senpai, you really can't do this, can you?!"

The newcomers' unwavering image crumbled instantly because of this serve. In their eyes, no matter how arrogant a senior player was, they shouldn't have served such a humiliating serve.

The newcomers had only been in the tennis club for less than two weeks. They only knew that Fuji was a regular player and had a reputation as a genius, but they had no idea how strong he was.

After all, at this point, Fuji did not prove himself with [Swallow Return Flash] in the regional qualifiers like he did in the original work.

In contrast, the second and third-year team members all perked up. They knew very well that Fuji was not the type to humiliate others.

"This serve... is probably not that simple."

Outside the crowd, Qian, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, pushed up his glasses, and a glint flashed in his eyes beneath the lenses.

Whoosh!

At this time.

The tennis ball flew over the net and landed with a thud inside the service line in front of Echizen.

Everyone frowned upon seeing this.

verified.

This is just a very ordinary slice serve.

"This ball...hmm?"

Echizen initially thought the slice serve was nothing special. However, given his personality, he wouldn't be provoked by such a serve.

But just as he was about to retaliate, the tennis ball, which was spinning close to the ground, suddenly bounced up.

Whoosh!

Whoosh whoosh! ! !

The tennis ball flashed left and right repeatedly, the frequency increasing rapidly. After reaching a certain critical point, it vanished completely from everyone's sight in a flash.

"Disappeared?!"

Horio screamed loudly from outside the stadium.

The rest of the team members, even those who were familiar with Fuji's strength, looked as if they had seen a ghost.

No one could have imagined that the tennis ball would simply vanish into thin air!

Even Echizen was the same.

*Pat-a-tat*...

In the instant he was distracted, the tennis ball that had disappeared reappeared out of thin air and gently rolled away from behind him.

"15-0!"

"The serve... disappeared?"

Echizen raised his eyebrows slightly.

He had initially thought that the previous shot was a feigned weakness by his opponent, or a deliberate attempt to provoke him. But now it seemed clearly a display of skill.

"Unfortunately, tennis doesn't just disappear into thin air. Every skill in tennis has its origins."

Having had top professional players as sparring partners since childhood, and losing almost every day, his experience in matches is far beyond what ordinary players can match.

Fuji's ball skills might scare others, but they couldn't shake Echizen's heart at all.

"Not bad, calmer than I expected."

On the other side, Fuji, who had taken in Echizen's reaction, nodded to himself.

This newcomer in front of me has a maturity in his work style that far exceeds that of his peers. Of course, to those who have preconceived notions and disapprove of his behavior, this appears arrogant and difficult to communicate with.

But Fuji admires the other person.

They are talented, have innovative ideas, and possess extensive competitive experience. What they truly lack is simply the opportunity to compete against top-tier opponents.

"If possible, I wouldn't mind being your whetstone."

Fuji smiled and hit the tennis ball.

This was the same slice serve as before, but no one dared to underestimate it. Echizen also perked up, paying close attention to the changes before and after the tennis ball disappeared.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the tennis ball disappeared, but Echizen didn't react; he just stared intently at the spot where the tennis ball disappeared and reappeared.

"30-0!"

"No way? That Echizen can't even react."

"I told you long ago, although he has good talent, he's still not good enough compared to a true master."

"I... I think it's alright. Fuji-senpai's serve doesn't look like it's that easy to break."

Some were surprised, some mocked, and some defended Echizen. However, these discussions outside the stadium did not shake his resolve.

"good."

Fuji nodded in satisfaction.

To counter his "disappearing serve," hasty action will only backfire. Instead, calm analysis, like Echizen's approach, and keen observation of the changes in the tennis ball are the right way to go.

Bang!

really.

Fuji's third serve was met with a strong counterattack from Echizen.

"How is that possible?"

Many people stared wide-eyed, while Momoshiro, Kaidou, and other regulars had expressions of "I knew it" on their faces.

"He's too calm."

Qian pushed up his glasses and shook his head, saying, "Using the same trick on him multiple times will reduce its effectiveness. This newcomer's adaptability far exceeds what others imagined."

Crabapple's snake ball.

Qian's data tennis.

There's a reason why their signature moves were countered one after another. It would be naive to think that any single move could completely counter Echizen.

"As expected of you."

Seeing Echizen return the tennis ball, Fuji laughed instead. He had expected his opponent to break the "disappearing serve" in the first game, but it should have been on the fourth point. However, his opponent only used two chances to see through the flaw in his serve.

"In that case, let's increase the intensity a bit more."

Fuji thought for a moment, then swung his racket rapidly. With incredible speed and power, like a gazelle leaping off a cliff, he smashed the tennis ball in a wide arc, sending it hurtling against the side before bouncing back up.

"40-0!"

"That was such a beautiful shot!"

"That's right, it was practically a star! That shot must have been just a lucky one, right?"

Everyone stared at Fuji in shock.

"not bad."

Fuji lightly flicked his racket, a satisfied smile on his face.

That last shot was indeed a casual one. But in that instant of inspiration, it was as if he had grasped something, and the incredibly high arc of the shot surprised even himself.

Unfortunately, that feeling was fleeting.

Even if Fuji wanted to replicate that shot again, he might not be able to do it again.

"What amazing ball skills."

Echizen's eyes revealed intense apprehension. At that moment, he was also recalling Fuji's ball technique from earlier; the arc was full and smooth, yet it became sharp and swift at the turn, as beautiful as the tail of a shooting star.

Of course, someone just put it more accurately: the entire trajectory of Fuji hitting the tennis ball from the moment it hits it to the moment it lands is indeed like a beautiful star ring arc.

"Is this his true strength?"

"No, that's not right."

Echizen quickly noticed something amiss in the surprised looks of those around him. Clearly, not only he, but everyone around him was also surprised by Fuji's ball skills.

This suggests that the opponent may have only played it temporarily, and it is unlikely to be reproduced in a short period of time.

Even so, it's enough to make me take this seriously.

The thought crossed my mind.

Amidst the astonished gazes of onlookers, Echizen switched the racket from his right hand to his left, and began to bounce up and down.

"Switch to your left hand?"

"And this footwork... is it small, quick steps?"

Is he finally going to get serious?

Everyone, including the regulars, perked up.

Bang!

At this moment, Fuji served again, but this time it was no longer the "disappearing serve." Even so, the ball was extremely fast, making it impossible for an ordinary person to defend against.

However, this serve is not enough against a serious Echizen.

He quickly stepped forward and swung his racket, sending the tennis ball back with a loud thud.

Tap tap!

Fuji also started running quickly.

After catching up with the tennis ball, he swung his racket without even looking at it, hitting a beautiful and sharp shot with a beautiful arc.

But Echizen caught up with them.

"He's so fast!"

"It's the effect of taking small, quick steps, which allows him to move half a step ahead, reducing the time needed for his actions."

Upon hearing this, some people's gazes fell upon Gan, who was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, in the crowd. His data tennis was largely countered by this move.

Bang!

But Fuji reacted quickly; Echizen's counterattack posed no threat to him, and he easily returned the tennis ball.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged more than ten blows.

They moved faster and faster, and it became difficult for others to even keep up with their movements.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Among the crowd, a boy with a blue headband looked utterly shocked. "He...he actually fought Fuji-senpai to a standstill?"

The boy, Arai, a second-year member of the Seigaku team, looked extremely grim. Just a week ago, he had actually tried to teach this newcomer a lesson.

Looking back now, he was completely oblivious to his own mortality.

"So strong!"

On the court, Echizen, locked in a fierce battle with Fuji, grew increasingly anxious. His opponent's shot speed continued to increase, yet he was already feeling the strain.

However, Echizen is the kind of person who grows stronger when faced with a strong opponent; bowing down and yielding to a powerful foe has never been his style. The immense pressure from Fuji, on the contrary, became a crucible for tempering his will, making it stronger the more it was forged.

"He actually caught up with Fuji?"

Kawamura, who had an honest-looking face, was completely shocked.

"That's normal, this kid has great potential."

Qian shook his head and said, "To deal with him, you either need to suppress him with absolute strength, or you can only exhaust his physical strength."

This is the insight he gained after repeatedly reviewing his match against Echizen in the school's selection competition.

"This is just a practice match."

Ryuzaki, however, saw through Fuji's intention and smiled, "Fuji probably wants to put some pressure on this kid and bring out more of his potential."

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

at the same time.

Fuji and Echizen fought for another ten or so rounds.

The latter's actions not only did not stop, but showed signs of becoming stronger as the fight progressed.

Snapped!

Just then.

Echizen seized the opportunity and decisively hit a beautiful short ball.

"nice shot!"

Everyone secretly praised it.

Even the second-year students who didn't get along with Echizen had to admit that this short shot was beautifully executed. This clearly demonstrates Echizen's exceptionally high basketball IQ, allowing him to adapt flexibly in actual combat.

Snapped!

only.

This short ball ultimately failed to kill the game, as Fuji managed to return it before the ball bounced twice.

"As expected of Fuji, really... Wait a minute!!"

A third-year team member was about to offer praise, but as soon as he spoke, his eyes widened as if he had seen a terrifying scene.

Swish!

But then a red and white figure soared into the sky; it was none other than Echizen, who had anticipated this move.

"senior."

As Echizen leaped into the air, raising his racket high, his gaze fixed on Fuji: "You... still have a long way to go!"

boom!

As soon as he finished speaking, he smashed the racket down.

"not good!"

However, upon seeing Echizen's spike, Momoshiro's expression instantly changed, and he shouted, "Don't spike! Damn it, Echizen, you're too impulsive!!"

The smash came down suddenly.

Meanwhile, Fuji, with a smile playing on his lips, crouched and turned, simultaneously spreading his arms like a bluebird spreading its wings. His right hand, gripping the racket, precisely blocked Echizen's smash.

"What?!"

Still suspended in the air and not yet landing, Echizen instantly felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet and straight up to the top of his head.

A smash... and it was just countered like that?!

*Pat-a-tat*...

Then.

The tennis ball landed precisely inside the baseline.

"game!"

"Fuji, 1-0, switch positions!"

tread.

At that moment, Yue Qian landed. He looked at his opponent with a complicated expression, and all the things that had seemed illogical before suddenly came together in his mind.

"He deliberately created an opening to lure me into hitting short shots; he even anticipated my smash."

now.

Looking at the gentle, brown-haired boy opposite him, Echizen had the unsettling feeling that he was in the other's palm. This made his heart tighten for no reason.

The other party was far more terrifying than he had imagined!