King of Tennis (POT)

Boom! 

"Game!" 

"Keigo Atobe from Hyotei, 2-3! Change sides!" 

In the blink of an eye, Atobe had taken the game. 

The sudden reversal left everyone in a daze. 

"What... what just happened?!" Momoshiro couldn't comprehend it. 

Just moments ago, Tezuka had been in complete control. But now, he had lost the game. On the other hand, Atobe seemed like a completely different person—radiant and brimming with confidence! 

"Tezuka..." 

As they switched sides, Ryuzaki asked Tezuka as he passed by, "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah," Tezuka nodded calmly. 

"That's good," Ryuzaki sighed in relief. 

Tezuka's match was crucial for Seigaku's victory. If even Tezuka lost, there would be no point in continuing the rest of the matches. 

"But..." Oishi couldn't help but voice his concern as he watched Tezuka walk to the other side of the court. "Is he really... going to be okay?" 

"Trust Tezuka," Inui shook his head. 

Atobe's sudden surge was unexpected, but with Tezuka's abilities, he would surely handle it calmly. 

"Sixth game," the referee announced after the sides were switched. "Seigaku's Tezuka to serve, one game final!" 

Tap! Tap! Tap! 

At the baseline, Tezuka gently bounced the tennis ball. 

In his mind, he replayed Atobe's recent moves. The speed and power of Atobe's shots hadn't changed, but Tezuka had been completely unable to react to those positions. 

"Is this... the so-called 'true blind spot'?" Tezuka's eyes flashed with a chilling intensity. Suddenly, an aura of "Muga no Kyouchi" (State of Self-Actualization) erupted from him, its brilliance almost blinding. 

Clearly, the captain of Seigaku was getting serious. 

Boom! 

But after just four exchanges, Atobe's return shot once again found Tezuka's absolute blind spot. 

"0-15!" 

"How... how is this possible?" Chitose was stunned. "How is Tezuka being suppressed like this?" 

"I don't know," Inui shook his head, then turned to the middle-aged man beside him. "Mr. Nanjiro, do you know why?" 

At that, Saito's gaze also shifted to Nanjiro. 

"Well," Nanjiro nodded. "That boy Atobe has an incredibly sharp eye. If I'm not mistaken, he's seen Tezuka's absolute blind spot!" 

"Absolute blind spot?!" The three of them were shocked. Inui and Chitose looked at Atobe on the court in disbelief, while Saito's eyes gleamed with interest. 

"Middle school matches... are this intense?" Saito muttered. 

First, there was Tezuka, who had mastered various top-tier techniques. Now, there was Atobe, with his extraordinary vision. After the initial shock, Saito felt a surge of excitement. 

Whether it was Hyotei or Seigaku, he wasn't particularly interested in who won the middle school matches. But these two players had already made it onto his list. 

In Saito's eyes, Atobe and Tezuka's skills had reached the level of the lower ranks of the U-17 team. With such talented middle schoolers joining, the rule changes for this year's World Cup might just propel them to heights they had never imagined. 

Boom! 

Atobe's return shot landed once again. 

Just like before, the ball flew past Tezuka without him even reacting, scoring another point. 

"Game!" 

"Hyotei's Atobe, 3-3!" 

"Tezuka," Atobe said with a confident smile after scoring. "Stop struggling. I've completely seen through your blind spots." 

In the following seventh game, Atobe's serve, he took the initiative and quickly secured his service game, taking the lead. 

Boom! 

"Game!" 

"Hyotei's Atobe, 4-3! Change sides!" 

After a series of exchanges, Atobe firmly held the upper hand. 

On the other hand, Tezuka, faced with Atobe's complete understanding of his blind spots, couldn't react at all. 

"Is it really impossible to react to blind spots?" Tezuka's expression grew serious. 

He had tried to use his "Tezuka Zone" to counter this, but unfortunately, Atobe had already mastered the reverse spin to break the Zone. 

Similarly, the spin pattern of "Tezuka Phantom" had also been deciphered by Atobe. 

With both of Tezuka's signature spin techniques countered, combined with Atobe's terrifying vision, the scales of victory were tipping heavily in Atobe's favor. 

Boom! 

"0-15!" 

Boom! 

"0-30!" 

Boom! 

"0-40!" 

"Captain..." Momoshiro and Kaidou clenched their fists. They couldn't believe that, aside from Ishikawa, there was someone else who could push Tezuka into such a corner. 

"No, it can't be!" Horio gritted his teeth as he watched Tezuka struggle. "Captain Tezuka will definitely turn this around. Atobe's abilities will be countered sooner or later!" 

Tap! 

But the next moment, Atobe suddenly played a drop shot. As Tezuka rushed forward, Atobe seized the opportunity. Using his "Atobe Kingdom" vision, which was like an X-ray, he saw through the condition of Tezuka's wrist bones and joints. 

Boom! 

With a crisp sound, Atobe's shot knocked the racket out of Tezuka's hand. 

Swish! 

Then, Atobe leaped into the air, raising his racket high and smashing down with a powerful shot. "Tezuka, revel in my brilliance!" 

Boom! 

The ball landed and skidded across the ground—Atobe's signature move, "Towards the Despair's Fugue!" 

"Game!" 

"Hyotei's Atobe, 5-3!" 

Thud. 

Atobe landed steadily. 

"Victory goes to Hyotei! The winner is Atobe!" 

"Victory goes to Hyotei! The winner is Atobe!" 

"Victory goes to Hyotei! The winner is Atobe!" 

Outside the court, two hundred Hyotei team members cheered in unison for Atobe. The overwhelming support echoed throughout the stadium, creating a震撼ing atmosphere. 

"Heh." 

Atobe turned and walked back to the baseline, spreading his arms with a confident smile, as if he were a king surveying his soldiers and subjects, his gaze sweeping across the court. 

"This guy's really something!" Sanada raised an eyebrow. 

He hadn't expected Atobe to have such a move up his sleeve. Now, Tezuka was at a severe disadvantage. 

"Atobe's talent was never ordinary," Yukimura said, shaking his head. "And under his influence, Atobe's progress has undoubtedly accelerated." 

Yukimura knew that the drastic changes in Hyotei's team were all due to Ishikawa's presence. Like a fierce shark introduced into Hyotei's waters, the impact was bound to be significant. 

"Exactly," Yanagi nodded. "Given how he arranged the lineup, he must have anticipated that Atobe would evolve under the pressure from Tezuka." 

Ninth Game. 

Tezuka's serve. 

The match had reached a critical point. 

For Tezuka, he had to quickly find a way to break through Atobe's techniques. At the very least, he needed to hold his serve. 

Boom! 

With that in mind, Tezuka unleashed a high-speed "Zero-Shiki Serve." 

Boom! 

However, Atobe had already seen through his movements. With a burst of his "Emperor's Aura," Atobe sped up and returned the ball before it could roll back. 

"Wha—?!" 

The Seigaku team's faces turned pale. 

"The Zero-Shiki Serve... was really countered?!" Horio's voice trembled. 

If before, when Atobe had returned the Zero-Shiki but the ball hit the net, they still thought the serve was unbreakable—at least for Atobe. But now, Atobe had outright countered it, sending Seigaku's already low morale plummeting further. 

Boom! Boom! Boom! 

Tezuka returned the shots, but Atobe pressed on with his attacks. 

Against Tezuka, Atobe didn't dare give him any breathing room. After all, with Tezuka's talent, no one could be sure if something unexpected might happen until the very end. 

Boom! 

A reverse curve drive shot landed squarely on the baseline. 

"0-15!" 

Boom! 

Atobe used a drop shot as a decoy, drawing Tezuka forward before suddenly hitting a passing shot to score. 

"0-30!" 

"All my moves... he sees through everything," Tezuka thought, his heart sinking. 

He couldn't escape Atobe's observation of his absolute blind spots. Hiding his weaknesses was no longer an option. 

"The Zone and Phantom... he's seen through them both," Tezuka thought as he prepared to serve. "Simple spins won't be enough to escape his vision. So..." 

Swish! 

Suddenly, an idea flashed in Tezuka's mind. 

Boom! 

He unleashed another high-speed serve. 

"It's no use!" Atobe confidently moved to the ball's landing spot and swung his racket, aiming for Tezuka's blind spot. "This match is over, Tezuka!" 

Whoosh! 

The ball flew toward Tezuka's blind spot. As expected, Tezuka seemed frozen, unable to react. 

"It's over!" Horio clutched his head in despair. 

The rest of the Seigaku team also looked grim. 

Losing this match would essentially mean losing any chance of winning the finals. 

Whoosh! 

But the next moment, the ball, which should have bounced away, suddenly changed direction. To everyone's astonishment, it flew to Tezuka's left side. 

"Tezuka Zone?!" someone blurted out. 

Boom! 

Tezuka swung his racket, and the ball landed precisely on the baseline. 

"15-30!" 

"What?!" Atobe's expression changed drastically. "I clearly saw his blind spot. And the spin on that ball was definitely the Phantom. How did it turn into the Zone?" 

Boom! 

Tezuka served again. 

Atobe, now fully focused, locked his gaze on Tezuka, pushing his vision to its limits. 

Hum! 

In an instant, it was as if an X-ray had been activated. Tezuka's entire figure turned black and white in Atobe's eyes. His bones, muscles, nerves, and joints were all laid bare. 

Boom! 

Seeing the blind spot, Atobe swung his racket with full force, his "Emperor's Aura" surging. The ball shot forward with increased speed. 

Whoosh! 

But then, an invisible force field seemed to erupt around Tezuka. A fierce whirlwind blew Atobe's shot out of bounds. 

Tap! 

The ball landed outside the court. 

"Out!" 

"30-30!" 

"This time... it's the Tezuka Phantom?!" Atobe's eyes narrowed. 

He had clearly felt the spin on Tezuka's shot, which should have been the Zone. But instead, it turned out to be the Phantom. 

"Did he change the spin patterns, like how Shishido and Ootori's 'Mirage' formation works?" Atobe wondered. 

Theoretically, that shouldn't be possible. But this was Tezuka—the middle schooler whom Ishikawa had praised as being on par with Yukimura. Anything was possible with him. 

Boom! 

Suddenly, Tezuka served again. 

To test his theory, Atobe, upon feeling the Phantom's spin, applied the reverse spin to counter the Zone. 

Tap! 

But his shot flew out of bounds, landing at Mukahi's feet. 

"Out!" 

"40-30!" 

"What's going on?" Mukahi, startled, looked at Atobe with a puzzled expression. "Why did he hit such a poor shot?" 

"Yeah," Oshitari also looked confused. "Tezuka's serve clearly had the Phantom's spin. Did Atobe not notice at all?" 

"He was deceived," Ishikawa, standing nearby, sighed. "Atobe tried to counter both the Zone and the Phantom with reverse spins, but neither worked. So, he thought he'd been tricked." 

"But in reality," Ishikawa continued, shaking his head, "Tezuka wasn't using just the Zone or the Phantom. He combined both spins into a single, overlapping technique." 

"An overlapping Zone?" Ohtori blurted out. 

"A super spin ball," Ishikawa explained, his eyes fixed on Tezuka. "Tezuka-senpai used his masterful spin control to merge the Zone and the Phantom into one—a 'Perfect Harmony' super spin ball." 

"Perfect Harmony? Super spin ball?" Oshitari and Shishido exchanged glances. 

Ishikawa went on, "In this state, the ball carries both the Zone and the Phantom's spins. If the opponent tries to counter the Zone, the Phantom will push the ball out of bounds. And if they try to counter the Phantom, the Zone will pull the ball back to Tezuka." 

"Such a technique..." The Hyotei team was stunned. 

"Ryoma..." On the court, Tezuka, holding the ball, glanced toward the Hyotei team with a deep look in his eyes. 

He hadn't expected his newly developed technique to be deciphered so quickly by Ishikawa. 

This guy... is truly terrifying. 

For a moment, Tezuka felt a sense of relief. 

Thankfully, his opponent was Atobe and not Ishikawa. Otherwise, even this "Perfect Harmony" technique might have been countered. 

After all, Ishikawa, the first-year vice-captain of Hyotei, had likely already mastered such a technique. 

Boom! 

With that thought, Tezuka served again. 

Hum! 

The ball, carrying the combined spins of the Zone and the Phantom, landed at Atobe's feet. Atobe instinctively returned it, but the ball was pushed out of bounds. 

"Game!" 

"Seigaku's Tezuka, 4-5! Change sides!" 

The game ended with Tezuka turning the tide. 

Faced with the seemingly invincible "Perfect Harmony," Atobe's techniques were all countered. 

Reluctantly, Atobe switched to a defensive stance, hoping to wear Tezuka down over time. He believed that the "Perfect Harmony" must place a greater strain on Tezuka's arm than the Zone or the Phantom. 

But he was wrong. 

After Tezuka unleashed the "Perfect Harmony," the burden on his arm was actually reduced. 

Thus, Atobe's strategy fell apart. 

Boom! 

Ten minutes later, when Tezuka's drive shot landed precisely on the baseline, the referee announced, "Game, set, and match! Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu wins, 7-5!" 

Author's Note: 

The sudden drop in temperature has also left me feeling a bit under the weather, with a slight headache. Thanks for your understanding! 

read more inpatreon

belamy20