My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

Therefore, although Echizen believed he wasn't deliberately trying to appear arrogant, his pride was actually no less than anyone else's.

In particular, through meticulous calculations and strategic planning of the first and second moves, Echizen has never faltered in front of anyone.

On the contrary, it is often others who underestimate him because of his young age, allowing Echizen to feign weakness and turn the tide of the game.

But now, he has failed.

Not only were his ball movements anticipated, but even his own actions were entirely within the opponent's calculations. This feeling made Echizen genuinely unhappy.

However, Echizen wasn't truly arrogant. When facing formidable opponents, his potential, honed from sparring with top-tier fighters since childhood, would be unleashed.

Immediately after the exchange of positions, Echizen switched his racket to his right hand.

"Right hand?"

"Is this the serve they're going to take?"

call!

Amid the discussion, Echizen tossed the tennis ball into the air, then jumped up and swung his racket, flicking it outwards from behind his head.

With a loud bang, a sharp beam of light shot out.

"It's here!"

Upon seeing this, Katsuro and Katsuo, members of the Echizen atmosphere team, excitedly exclaimed, "Ryoma-kun's [top spin serve]!!"

Whoosh!

The tennis ball plummeted downwards.

It then began to spin violently close to the ground after landing.

"Spin serve?"

Looking at the tennis ball in front of him, Fuji's eyes crinkled into a smile.

The so-called topspin serve is a regular serve with added spin. This causes the tennis ball to bounce at a high angle after landing, counterintuitively heading straight for the opponent's face.

In other words, this serve is more unpredictable. It's very effective against average players, but players with excellent technique or reaction time can adapt to and return it in just two or three shots.

As for Fuji, this ball posed absolutely no threat.

"He probably knows this too, and the reason he's still fighting is probably to test the waters."

For most people, this approach makes no sense. But Echizen has a very high football IQ, especially in the two matches against Kaidou and Inui; Echizen is not the kind of person whose personality remains unchanged.

Compared to static tug-of-war, Echizen is better at dynamic battles, finding opportunities in chaos.

"But it's a pity."

Fuji's eyes flickered slightly, and his two feet below shifted and separated, creating space in a very narrow area where he could retaliate.

Whoosh!

The next moment, the tennis ball bounced up rapidly, heading straight for Fuji's face. However, the top two players from Seigaku were not affected in the slightest. He slightly tilted his head to avoid the killing blow, and then smoothly swung his racket upwards, returning the tennis ball with a thud.

"Pretty!"

"As expected of Fuji-senpai!"

Cheers erupted from the sidelines.

Fuji effortlessly countered Echizen's serve, making Horio and the others on the sidelines sense something was amiss.

"Echizen's special move was useless."

Horio's hands trembled with nervousness: "But Fuji-senpai's anti-spiking technique is something Echizen can't break. If we keep playing like this, can he really win?"

"Ryoma-kun..."

Both Katsuro and Katsuo clenched their fists in tension.

on the field.

Echizen launched an offensive after serving. He was indeed experienced, and after his serve was broken up, he immediately began to hit the ball left and right, trying to move Fuji around.

But his opponent's experience was in no way inferior to his, especially his exquisite ball skills, which not only easily neutralized the spin of the ball when hitting it from the opposite direction, but also made the opponent run left and right in the same way.

Tap tap!

Tap tap!

In the blink of an eye, the two players had been teetering back and forth on the baseline for nearly a minute. Every shot they hit was a deadly move for any ordinary player.

Some people can't even keep up with their speed anymore.

"how is this possible?"

On one side of the court, the closer they got to the ball, the more nervous they became.

After such a long tug-of-war, the opponent hadn't revealed a single weakness. In contrast, he was already starting to struggle.

"This kid is really troublesome!"

On the other side, Fuji was also quite surprised by Echizen's stamina and mentality. As a first-year student, he simply couldn't have lasted this long.

Even if it weren't for that crushing defeat four months ago, which spurred Fuji to change his previous lax attitude, train diligently, and persevere until now, he might not have actually gained the upper hand in this protracted battle.

Bang!

Sudden.

In the instant Fuji lost focus, Echizen decisively struck, delivering a backhand volley that flew through the air like a bullet.

"That kid!"

Fuji felt a slight tremor in his heart.

He had only been thinking a little too much when the other side seized the opportunity, which shows how terrifying Echizen's ability to detect enemy aircraft is.

Immediately, Fuji sped up his movement, swinging his racket to intercept the tennis ball before it passed by him.

"hateful!"

Echizen's face tensed instantly beneath the brim of his hat.

The opponent was too tough to deal with; he almost thought he had scored on that last play. But unexpectedly, Fuji still managed to react.

Master!

This is the most formidable opponent Echizen has encountered in actual combat, apart from his father and brother!

Without the slightest hesitation, Echizen switched his racket back to his left hand. This signified that, as a left-handed player, he was ready to unleash his full potential.

"What's the use? Let's see if we can get the points when facing Fuji-senpai."

Arai pursed his lips. Last time, he was taught a lesson by Echizen with an old racket. Although he outwardly accepted it, he was still unhappy inside.

Seeing Echizen being suppressed by Fuji, he was extremely pleased.

"whispering sound."

From the crowd, a boy wearing a yellow and white headscarf sneered disdainfully. He had always looked down on Arai, a guy who liked to bully others but had no real strength of his own.

"Losing to Fuji-senpai isn't such a shameful thing, is it?"

At this moment, a tall, handsome boy with spiky hair smiled and said, "Besides, getting points is really not a difficult thing for Echizen."

Lavender.

Takeshi Momoshiro.

A pair of bickering lovers from Seigaku, and also the only two second-year regulars. Their attitudes are completely opposite to those of the others.

While Echizen may not be as strong as Fuji, this newcomer has enormous potential. Faced with the pressure from Fuji, he might just be able to turn that pressure into motivation.

really.

As the game continued, Yukichi's performance became increasingly hot. On the contrary, Fuji gradually became shocked.

"His speed and reaction time are improving."

At this moment, Fuji looked at Echizen with the eyes of someone admiring a precious gem. He knew that the other party had considerable talent, but he never expected that this boy's understanding of tennis would reach such a level.

In Fuji's eyes, Echizen was like a spring without limits. The greater the force he applied, the stronger the rebound from him.

"Tsk tsk."

Outside the crowd, Ryuzaki smiled and clicked his tongue, "This kid's talent is really impressive..."

"Ah."

Tezuka, who was standing next to him, nodded slightly.

Echizen had only been a member of Seigaku for less than two weeks, but the moment he saw the boy, he knew he was no ordinary person. As it turned out, the boy was far more than just talented.

talent.

Ball IQ.

will.

They also have the determination to fight and struggle.

It's hard to believe that this is a junior high school student. In fact, if it weren't for this match, or if Fuji hadn't tried to put pressure on his opponent, Tezuka would have wanted to find some time to test this newcomer's abilities.

"But then again..."

Tezuka's gaze fell on Fuji.

Just as Ryuzaki said, Fuji's impression of him has changed a lot since the last National Autumn Youth Selection Tournament.

The previously restrained aura became more aggressive, with a hint of sharpness about to be revealed.

But Fuji controlled himself very well, without putting too much pressure on anyone. In fact, during this period, there were even faint signs that he was returning to his former reserved self.

"so......"

Tezuka looked at Fuji, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes: "What exactly happened to you back in Yamabuki?"

...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

on the field.

Echizen and Fuji engage in a fierce battle.

The boy was full of momentum. Although he did not gain the upper hand and was even suppressed by Fuji, his momentum was completely different from when the match started.

Driven by ambition, unstoppable!

It's only because it's Fuji on the court that anyone other than Tezuka and Fuji, a regular member of Seigaku, would probably be overwhelmed by Echizen's explosive momentum right now.

"This kid...is really strong!"

Momoshiro clenched his fist excitedly.

He had just said it casually, but he didn't expect Echizen to become more and more courageous in the fight, and he was not suppressed by Fuji's momentum at all.

"How could I possibly make that kid bow down just by showing off my aura?"

Haitang said coldly.

His initial aura was incredibly sharp, like a viper's venomous fangs, utterly dangerous. Yet, the young man remained completely unaffected; his mere presence was something few could possess.

This match against Fuji was more like unleashing the boy's potential. He went from being a rising star to shining even brighter, approaching the top Kanto level.

"Well."

Inui narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "Even a regular Kanto-class fighter would probably be no match for Echizen."

Many images flashed through his mind.

Yamabuki's Senseki, Hekkaku's Saeki, Hyokui's Ninzu...

Even the original Fuji is included in this category.

However, since the end of the autumn selection tournament, Fuji has clearly made a personal breakthrough and is no longer the same as before. Although Inui did not obtain any real information about him, he was certain that this genius from Seigaku had probably already advanced to the national level.

"It's about time to end this."

As the thought crossed his mind, Inui looked at Fuji, who had raised his racket and was in a slicing stance. A glint of light flashed in his eyes behind his white glasses.