My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

At the moment the ball and racket collided, Echizen's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

"Why is it so heavy?"

He had anticipated a powerful shot, but the sheer force of the impact still exceeded his expectations. However, Echizen was no pushover; he immediately used his skill to deflect the force while simultaneously pushing his racket outwards, sending the tennis ball flying.

Tap tap!

Akutsu, however, charged forward like a cheetah, caught up with the tennis ball, and smashed it without saying a word.

boom!

A loud crash was heard.

Immediately afterwards, a cloud of dust rose from the ground.

"0-15!"

Taking everything in view, Sengoku calmly spoke as his gaze settled on the tennis ball that had bounced off the ground and rolled onto the side.

"hiss!"

Only then did the crowd belatedly realize what was happening. Their gazes towards Akutsu were filled with awe.

"This guy... seems a bit too strong."

Echizen shook his aching wrist, and when he looked at his opponent again, his eyes suddenly turned serious.

He had seen power-type fighters before.

Kawamura of Seigaku is a master of strength. Even in Los Angeles, or even the entire West Coast, there isn't a single person of Echizen's age who can surpass Kawamura in strength.

But even Kawamura couldn't put as much pressure on Echizen as the buzz-cut boy in front of him.

The opponent was not only strong, but also launched a fierce attack. His movements were wide and sweeping, and his explosive power was astonishing.

in other words.

Echizen, who originally only wanted to gather information on Yamabuki... has bitten off more than he can chew!

Bang!

Taking a deep breath, Echizen serves again.

He has extensive experience in matches and knows that against powerful players, you can't go toe-to-toe with them. Instead, you should target their weaknesses, such as hitting close-range shots to limit the radius of their returns and prevent them from using their full power.

Swish!

however.

Akutsu's reaction speed and flexibility far exceeded expectations. In the blink of an eye, she had already shifted her position, creating a suitable hitting spot.

A loud bang.

A powerful ball exploded at Echizen's feet again. He instinctively swung his racket, but the moment the racket touched the tennis ball, his face changed drastically as if he had hit a lead bullet, and he quickly let go.

With a snap, Echizen's racket hit the ground, while the tennis ball continued its momentum as it slammed against the wall.

The entire stadium fell silent immediately.

"0-30."

Sengoku spoke calmly.

Knowing Akutsu's strength well, he knew that this was just a basic maneuver for his opponent.

"Hey, Echizen."

Since it was just a private practice match, Sengoku didn't take it too seriously. He smiled and looked at the boy in the tennis cap: "If you don't take it seriously, you'll get dominated."

what?

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.

They didn't expect that the boy who had just delivered such a powerful spin serve hadn't used his full strength.

"Well."

Echizen's expression changed.

He originally planned to surprise his opponent with a right-handed topspin serve. Then, after Akutsu worked hard to turn the tide, he would switch the racket to his left hand.

This will definitely disrupt the opponent's mindset and may even affect their subsequent performance.

This is also Echizen's usual tactic.

But he didn't expect that, as soon as the match started, he was forced by his opponent's pressure to consider switching to his forehand (left hand).

pat!

Without hesitation, Echizen immediately switched his racket to his left hand.

Sengoku was right; he had to go all out against a strong opponent to have any chance of winning. However, when they saw him switch his racket to his left hand, the surrounding audience widened their eyes in astonishment.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Exactly, how could this kid be left-handed?!"

That topspin serve was terrifying. Plus, Echizen is a newcomer. Therefore, many people assumed that his dominant hand was right-handed.

Bang!

However, Echizen did not hesitate at all before hitting the serve.

Facing a formidable foe, he had no time to be distracted. He immediately roused himself and launched a forceful offensive.

Unfortunately, his opponent was Akutsu. Facing the aggressive Echizen, the latter did not hesitate to fight back with offense.

Bang!

boom!

Bang!

boom!

In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged several blows.

Akutsu fought with increasing ferocity, while Echizen was forced to retreat step by step by the terrifying power attached to his opponent's shots.

It is different from the subtlety and sharpness of the unparalleled.

Akutsu's tennis can be summed up in two words... [fierce and powerful]!

The opponent is fast, explosive, and ridiculously strong. Normally, Echizen could hold his own against Kawamura.

However, even Echizen, who usually suffered severe beatings from his own father, was starting to struggle against Akutsu's relentless, tyrannical attacks after a few rounds.

Damn it!

"Just who is this guy?"

"When did Yamabuki acquire such a formidable figure?!"

Echizen was so frustrated he felt like he was going to vomit blood.

He had only come to gather intelligence, but he hadn't expected to run into such a formidable opponent. What was even more unacceptable to him was the widespread perception that Japanese tennis was of low quality, completely outmatched by its European and American counterparts at the same age level.

As a result, I encountered so many formidable people as soon as I arrived.

Momoshiro Takeshi unleashed an extremely powerful burst of energy.

The incredibly determined Haitang Xun.

Inui Sadaharu, a master of calculation.

And then there's the genius Fuji, who recently made him taste defeat, and now he's encountered another formidable opponent.

This doesn't even include Tezuka, who firmly holds the top spot at Seigaku, and the mysterious captain Yamabuki, who is rumored to have given Fuji a crushing defeat.

At this moment.

Echizen suddenly felt a sense of absurdity, questioning the meaning of life.

Am I really the four-time U.S. Junior Tennis Champion?!

Chapter 97 Shibukawa's Strength

"The match is over!"

On the high chair.

Sengoku looked down at Echizen, who was panting heavily, and announced loudly, "Akuzu Jin wins, score 6-1!"

"Humph."

Akutsu, who had won the match, snorted coldly and turned to leave.

He didn't hold the opponent's earlier offense against him. The opponent was indeed quite strong and had put some pressure on him during the match, but he ultimately suppressed him.

"This kid... he's really tough!"

Sengoku's gaze fell on Echizen's racket. At this moment, the red racket's face was disheveled, and the lines had broken due to continuous and violent impacts.

It's only because Echizen's technique is excellent; otherwise, in the previous duel, if he had only absorbed a fraction of Akutsu's force, his racket would probably have broken long ago.

To onlookers, Akutsu seemed incredibly fierce. The sheer power of those explosive tennis balls still made them tremble involuntarily when they recalled them.

But Sengoku's attention was more focused on Echizen. The fact that Echizen could compete with Akutsu to this extent showed that his skills, physical abilities, and willpower far surpassed those of his peers.

Do not!

Many second- or even third-year students might not be able to achieve this.

"No wonder they're a regular player who fought their way up from a place like Seigaku."

Sengoku kept this in mind.

The opponent is only a first-year student, but has enormous potential. Given enough time, they could very well become Seigaku's ace.

If we add Tezuka and Fuji...

"Indeed, we must never let our guard down."

Sengoku clenched his fists inwardly.

Yamabuki's Shibukawa and Akutsu are undoubtedly the two strongest teams right now. In doubles, the Minami-Touhou and Niito-Yone and Kita pairs have improved their teamwork even further, not to mention Mizuki, a data-driven player who seems to have been born for doubles.

In this situation, the pressure on Yamabuki falls on singles 3.

Sengoku even wondered what his chances of winning would be if he were to face the boy in front of him.

"Seventy percent? Or eighty percent? Hmm... I can't go any higher."

Echizen just unleashed his full potential; his offensive awareness and understanding of various responses in actual combat were both top-notch.

Even after Akutsu's outburst, Echizen managed to master the art of small, quick steps on one leg under pressure, instantly relieving most of the pressure from Akutsu.

Unfortunately, Akutsu was still hiding his true strength.

The ensuing outburst was a one-sided beating, like an adult utterly dominating a child. Faced with Akutsu's fierce and rapid offensive, the Echizen defense line was completely overwhelmed.

At that time, Sengoku put himself in Echizen's shoes and realized that he might not be able to do better than Echizen.

Of course, Sengoku also has his trump cards.

That's the [Tiger's Fury] he activated under pressure during his last match against Shibukawa. This move originates from boxing, and Sengoku is still exploring it, but he has already found the direction.

"I need to practice more when I get back."

Ironically, the one under the most pressure in this match was Sengoku. As if he had witnessed the 'danger' outside, his desire to improve his strength became even more urgent.

“Akuzu Jin... I’ll remember you.”

After losing the match, Echizen stared intently at the spot where Akutsu had left.

He was completely exhausted at this point. His situation was even worse than in the match against Fuji.

Back then, he was simply drained of all his strength. Now, he even has great difficulty gripping the racket; the sharp pain in his hand makes him feel almost dazed.

Even Echizen found it hard to believe that he had actually finished the match despite the opponent's fierce offensive.

"Is tennis in Japan really this large-scale?"

Echizen suppressed his inner shock. The arrogance he had developed from years of dominating overseas had been greatly tempered after the two crushing defeats.

Less arrogance, more reverence.