My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

Snapped!

really.

He made his move without hesitation.

Quickly slice and hit the tennis ball.

"what is this?"

Even the slow-witted Horio trio could tell that Fuji's shot was no ordinary ball. Echizen, in particular, was on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Whoosh!

The tennis ball flew over the net and plummeted downwards. Then, to the astonishment of the crowd, it did not bounce back up properly upon landing, but instead slid quickly along the ground.

hiss hiss hiss...

Looking at the light-colored marks left by the tennis ball, even Echizen, who prided himself on his extensive match experience, was stunned on the spot.

"game!"

"Fuji, 2-0!"

"What's this...?"

Echizen's pupils dilated slightly, as if he was still immersed in the image of the tennis ball flying low to the ground.

"I see."

"Genius... Fuji Syusuke!"

"Is this your true strength?"

Echizen took a deep breath, and his unfocused gaze returned to normal. Not only that, his gaze became more focused, and the momentum and fighting spirit that had been suppressed by [Swallow Return Flash] erupted once more.

"This kid..."

Qian, Taocheng, and the others were slightly shaken.

Ryuzaki's face lit up with joy.

The lenses on Tezuka's nose reflected a sliver of white light.

"As expected of you."

Fuji smiled too.

The boy's fighting spirit seemed inexhaustible; most people would be intimidated by it. But Fuji, who had experienced crushing defeat and felt even more terrifying pressure, wasn't surprised.

The world is too big.

No matter how great one's talent, it doesn't guarantee invincibility; a narrow-minded view will only lead to stagnation. Moreover, Fuji also admires Echizen's qualities in this regard.

"Your potential has been unleashed. So, let me give you an unforgettable competition experience."

Fuji hit the tennis ball with a smile on his face.

Then.

He started quickly, clearly taking the initiative to launch an attack.

...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

on the field.

Fuji was like a sharp gust of wind, his attacks were fast and dangerous, forcing Echizen into a precarious situation, forcing him to retreat step by step.

Looking at the scoreboard, Fuji held a commanding 5-1 lead. Echizen struggled to hold on, but had reached his limit.

"How can he be so strong?"

Sweating profusely, Echizen looked at his opponent. Apart from his own father, he had never been pushed to this point before.

The current score is 40-30, and Fuji has reached match point.

"no!"

"We absolutely cannot admit defeat like this!"

A faint golden flame burned in Echizen's pupils. He was not one to give up easily, and waiting to die was not in his nature.

Snapped!

But at this moment...

Suddenly, Fuji on the other side made a move, hitting a smash with an extremely exaggerated upward trajectory.

"Did we make a mistake?"

Echizen thought to himself.

"No, that's not right!"

He immediately became alert.

Although he didn't know what the other party was going to do, based on his understanding of Fuji, this genius of Seigaku would never make such a basic mistake.

He suddenly looked up at the sky.

Sure enough, after the tennis ball flew high, it didn't continue flying outwards. Instead, it changed direction and plummeted down like a shooting star.

With a snap.

The tennis ball landed behind Echizen.

Swish!

The boy reacted instinctively, preparing to turn around and try to return the tennis ball with his back to the net.

hiss hiss hiss...

But the tennis ball didn't bounce normally; instead, it spun violently, staying close to the ground.

"This rotation... is bad!"

Echizen immediately prepared to accelerate forward, but unexpectedly, the tennis ball, spinning close to the ground, suddenly jumped up. But not backward; instead, to everyone's astonishment, it bounced head-on towards Echizen.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, people and the ball missed each other.

Meanwhile, Fuji, with a smile on his face, raised his palm and, to the astonishment of the onlookers, lightly clenched his fingers to grasp the tennis ball in his hand.

quiet!

The huge stadium suddenly fell silent!

"The game is over."

A moment later, the referee's trembling voice rang out: "Shusuke Fuji wins, score 6-1!"

Chapter 95 Visiting Yamabuki, Rivals Meet

"Huff...huff huff..."

on the field.

Echizen, supporting himself on his knees with both hands, gasped for breath.

His body wasn't reacting this strongly during the match. Now that the match is over, the pent-up fatigue is suddenly exploding from all parts of his body.

At this moment, Echizen felt that even moving a finger was difficult, and when he tried to lift his head, his neck seemed to be petrified, so stiff that he could not move.

"Are these the top two players in Seigaku?"

Echizen took a deep breath. Even though he had lost the match, his damned pride wouldn't let him back down. He stiffened his neck and forced himself to walk to the net.

"You did very well; you're even better than I was two years ago."

Grabbing the outstretched hand, Fuji smiled and spoke.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior."

Echizen had recovered somewhat; although his face was still a little pale, he was clearly more energetic.

"We'll have another chance to play."

"it is good."

The two looked at each other and nodded.

It's just the outcome of one match; it doesn't really matter. Even though Echizen lost, his importance in other people's hearts only increased.

Even Arai and the others, who had always disliked him, had to admit that this newcomer was too strong. If it were them, they probably wouldn't have lasted even 10 minutes without a second-hand match.

"Well played, Echizen."

On the other side, as soon as Echizen left the court, Momoshiro walked up to him with a smile and greeted him.

"Senior Momoshiro, please don't make fun of me."

Echizen pouted, looking as if he was afraid the other person would get close.

The two had a good relationship. Within the team, Echizen was the only one who might joke around with Momoshiro. The latter also liked this newcomer, who seemed arrogant but was essentially a rookie, and Momoshiro enjoyed teasing him.

“I meant it.”

Momoshiro shook his head and said, "Do you think losing to Fuji-senpai is something shameful? Heh, let me tell you, Fuji-senpai has probably reached the national level by now."

"National level?"

Echizen's heart stirred slightly.

Having grown up in North America and honed his tennis skills there, Echizen had little concept of the so-called skill ranking system. But Momoshiro's words after his loss to Fuji piqued his interest.

"Yes, none of the players who can reach the national level are simple people."

Momoshiro explained, "There are only 32 spots available for the national tournament each year. But do you know how many teams actually qualify for the regional preliminaries?"

"How many?"

Echizen squinted.

Momoshiro said with a serious expression, "In Tokyo alone, there are over 600 teams!!"

600?

The color of his face changed slightly.

This is no small amount.

More importantly, this is only the number of teams within the Tokyo metropolitan area. There are still two more tournaments to go, the Kanto Tournament and the National Tournament, and none of the teams that emerge victorious from these competitions will be easy opponents.

From this perspective, the national-level standard is indeed quite formidable.

"Pity."

Seeing Echizen's expression, Momoshiro said mysteriously, "You're late, kid. If you had met Fuji-senpai four months ago, you probably wouldn't have lost so badly."

"why?"

Echizen raised his eyebrows slightly.

Momoshiro's expression was smug, but the information he revealed intrigued Echizen. Echizen was eager to know what had happened to Fuji, who had defeated him.

"I've only heard about it."

Momoshiro lowered his voice and whispered in Echizen's ear, "Four months ago, Fuji-senpai participated in a national youth selection competition. After that, he seemed like a different person. He trained more diligently, and the way he looked at people became frightening."

"National...qualifiers?"

Echizen's heart stirred slightly.

Judging from this, Fuji probably encountered some strong opponents from other regions during that match. The clashes with those experts significantly improved Fuji's strength.

The problem is, Echizen hasn't been without progress in those four months. Moreover, he's certain that his progress is no slower than Fuji's, and if the two of them were to return to where they were four months ago, he might not be confident of defeating the other.

"Actually... there's another explanation."

Just as Echizen was lost in thought, Momoshiro glanced around and, finding no one paying attention to them, immediately lowered his voice and said: