My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

The other regulars around him nodded in agreement.

Putting everything else aside, Muromachi's reaction speed surpasses that of Honda and the other third-year students. Moreover, his movements are decisive; he swings his racket swiftly almost as soon as he gets close to the tennis ball.

With a bang.

The tennis ball, which bounced off the ground, was actually stopped by Muromachi.

"So strong!"

"Muromachi is amazing! He actually caught Sengoku's Tiger Cannon!"

"Now, he's going to be the first non-regular to receive the Thousand Stone Tiger Cannon!!"

Everyone thought to themselves.

Muromachi was no exception; before successfully receiving the tennis ball after anticipating Sengoku's serve, a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

"Ok?"

just.

Muromachi's expression changed the instant the ball and racket collided.

"So heavy?"

His pupils suddenly contracted, and his right hand, gripping the racket, trembled. After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to put his left hand on top, changing to a two-handed grip, and finally managed to block the impact of the tennis ball.

However, he missed the best time to return the ball. The tennis ball he hit hit the net with a thud and rolled down.

"call......"

Muromachi exhaled a deep breath of stale air.

Then, he looked at Sengoku with awe.

"As expected, even without going all out, a master of the Kanto level is someone I can't withstand."

Even so, Muromachi was still quite pleased with himself.

After all, the players ahead of him couldn't even touch the tennis ball. In comparison, he, who was able to receive and return the ball, was clearly stronger.

With that thought in mind, Muromachi left the stadium.

After that, Uesugi called several people, including Kita Kazuma, who became a regular in the original story but is only a first-year student now.

And Nishikori Tsubasa, who succeeded Akutsu as a regular player after Akutsu left the tennis club.

However, despite their reactions, neither of them managed to touch the tennis ball. This situation further highlighted the significance of Muromachi's successful return of the ball.

"hey-hey."

Feeling the gazes of those around him, Muromachi couldn't help but smile. He was now a true prodigy of the Yamabuki Prodigy.

"next."

At this moment, Uesugi spoke again: "Shibukawa Shin!"

The words fell.

Many people turned to look.

A boy with black hair covering his eyes, making it impossible to see his face clearly, picked up a racket and walked onto the court.

"Shechuan?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Sengoku was somewhat surprised: "If I remember correctly, he seems to be in Class 6. Yes, he's in the same class as Kentaro. I didn't expect him to be selected."

In his memory, the other person had a very low profile. He was also somewhat timid and hesitant. Once, he saw Shibukawa being asked for money by an older student and took the initiative to help him out of the crisis, which is why he remembered him.

Otherwise, he might not have remembered the other person.

Furthermore, Sengoku, who rarely trains with the team and spends more time flirting with girls, is unaware of the changes that have occurred in Shibukawa during this period.

"Judging by the number of people, he seems to be the last one, ah~ um~~"

Sengoku yawned. He couldn't return a single serve, and the boredom was making him a little sleepy. Then, he patted his face to perk himself up and, as usual, tossed the tennis ball high into the air.

Then, he jumped up, leaned forward, and smashed the tennis ball.

"Oops!"

In the instant he swung his racket, Sengoku suddenly realized that he wasn't playing against an opponent of equal skill level, but rather undergoing an assessment for advanced training.

But it was too late to pull back his power; he could only try to reduce the force of his shot. Even so, it was still far superior to those defective Tiger Cannons from before.

"Oh no, should we send another one? Uh, probably not, but we can't always predict Uesugi's personality..."

Sengoku felt uneasy and glanced nervously in Uesugi's direction. The latter also recognized the power of the serve and felt a sense of helplessness.

"That kid Sengoku is still too lax."

Uesugi secretly made a decision: before stepping down as captain, he had to discipline Sengoku properly. At the very least, he needed to get Sengoku to focus more on training.

As for Shibukawa receiving the serve, he didn't take it seriously. After all, even Muromachi could barely touch the tennis ball, let alone now, with Sengoku's Tiger Cannon being even more powerful.

Not only him, but almost everyone else thought that Shibukawa definitely wouldn't be able to turn the tide in tennis.

"That kid..."

Only Banta kept his gaze fixed on the black-haired boy. Anyone else would probably have been terrified upon seeing Sengoku's powerful serve.

but.

Banta saw the same calm on Shibukawa's face as before. It seemed that in the other's eyes, this extremely powerful tiger cannon was not so terrifying.

Chapter 17 A Startling Success

Facing Sengoku, Shibukawa dared not be careless in the slightest.

The opponent is a master of the Kanto region, and the Tiger Cannon is his signature move. Even if he doesn't use it at full power, its power is definitely not simple.

however.

When Sengoku actually hit the tennis ball, Shibukawa realized that this serve was more powerful than the previous ones.

Is he targeting me?

Shechuan thought of it subconsciously.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't have much interaction with Sengoku, and they weren't on the same level in terms of talent, strength, or status in Yamabuki.

"So, he made a mistake?"

Shibukawa squinted.

His mental energy was also highly concentrated at this moment. Instantly, the trajectory of Sengoku's serve appeared before his eyes.

"It worked!"

"The principle of the Tiger Cannon is to deliver a smash-like serve from a high position over the shortest distance. To ensure a successful first serve, Sengoku must target the middle area."

As he thought this to himself, Shibukawa made his move.

Amidst the astonished gazes of onlookers, he quickly took a step forward, closing in on the area where the tiger cannon was about to land. Almost simultaneously, with a muffled thud, the tennis ball slammed heavily onto the ground.

"This ball!!!"

Muromachi's expression changed slightly as he watched from the sidelines.

Even from a distance, he could tell that Sengoku's serve was much more powerful this time. Even if it wasn't the complete [Tiger Cannon], it was definitely not something he could withstand.

"That guy's in for a rough time."

Thinking of this, Muromachi looked at Shibukawa with pity.

He also noticed the changes in the other person during this period. Even the proud Muromachi had to admit that the other person's level of hard work made him feel inferior.

But in tennis, talent plays a major role. Without talent, no amount of training will help. A genius's flash of brilliance is something an average person can never catch up to in a lifetime.

Unfortunately, he, Muromachi Jutsu, just happened to be that 'genius'!

"That ball speed?!"

on the field.

Shibukawa had just arrived when the tennis ball landed, faster than he had anticipated. However, with his [Swing] skill at level 6, he could still catch up even so.

But Shibukawa did not do that.

He knew very well that Sengoku's Tiger Cannon was not just about speed. A tennis ball falling in a straight line from a high point over the shortest distance was no different from a smash.

With Sengoku's power, the smash was simply too much for him to handle. A hasty attempt to intercept would only result in public humiliation.

Therefore, there is only one option left: to fight back with both hands.

But the serve came too suddenly, and even Muromachi and others outside the court couldn't counter it with a two-handed swing.

For this reason, they almost unanimously believed that even if Shibukawa caught up with the tennis ball, the chance of a successful counterattack was 0%.

Swish!

however.

In the instant everyone was pondering, Shibukawa moved. The racket in his hand flashed with a pale blue light, turning into a blurry afterimage. At the same time, his left hand also reached out and grabbed the handle almost the instant his right racket collided with the tennis ball.

boom!

A loud bang.

The incomplete Tiger Cannon from the Sengoku pistol collided solidly with the racket. However, as everyone expected, the racket was not knocked away.

As Shigekawa lowered his center of gravity and tightened his core, he exerted force with both hands gripping the racket.

"Get over here!!!"

With a loud shout, Shibukawa forcefully flung the tennis ball away.

boom!

With a loud bang, a clear white mark was left beneath the Thousand Stones, which had not yet hit the ground. The tennis ball, still moving with undiminished momentum, slammed into the wire mesh and then rolled down.

Splash...

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the iron netting that was swaying violently from the impact.

"Is this a lie?"

"They actually fought back?"

"Is this guy... really Shibukawa?"

The ordinary team members were shocked.

Even the regulars were no exception; everyone, including the club president Uesugi, looked at Shibukawa differently.

"This kid... is pretty strong."

A third-year regular said with a look of surprise.

Don't let their status as regular starters fool you; it would be incredibly difficult to counter Sengoku's Tiger Cannon in a real match. Even though that serve wasn't the full version, its power was still astonishing.

Being able to return that serve, putting everything else aside, makes Shibukawa undoubtedly the most outstanding among the ten selected players.

"Damn it!"

Sensing that everyone's attention was on Shibukawa, Muromachi clenched his fists in frustration.

Just moments before, he was brimming with confidence that his opponent would never be able to return Sengoku's serve. Reality, however, proved him wrong, leaving him extremely frustrated.

What hurt him even more was that Shechuan's success turned what he thought was a good achievement into a joke.

"Just you wait, Shibukawa."

Muromachi stared intently at the black-haired boy on the court, thinking to himself, "I hope I don't run into you during the school qualifiers. Otherwise, I'll show you just how different practice is from real combat."

...

"This kid always manages to do things that surprise others."

Bantian, standing not far away, wore a smile.

Although he knew that the other party was not so simple, Banta was still extremely shocked when Shibukawa actually fired Sengoku's Tiger Cannon back.

That's a Tiger Cannon!

Even if it's not the full version, its power is definitely on par with a major tournament-level serve. In other words, Ishikawa is now, to a certain extent, capable of matching players of this caliber.