King of Tennis (POT)

"The Pinnacle of Skill" 

After losing the match, Keigo Atobe stared intently at his opponent, Kunimitsu Tezuka. Until the very end, he couldn't break through Tezuka's ultimate technique. The terrifying combination of spins, both inward and outward, was something even his keen eyes couldn't fully decipher. 

"A deeper level of skill, huh?" 

Atobe took a deep breath to calm himself. Walking up to the net, he shook hands with Tezuka and said firmly, "Next time we face each other, I won't lose." 

"Mm." 

Tezuka nodded calmly. 

He could sense that Atobe's potential was far greater than what he had shown today. Given some time, Atobe would undoubtedly be able to decipher the fusion of spins in Tezuka's technique. 

However, Tezuka himself wouldn't remain stagnant either. By then, he was confident he could still defeat Atobe. But Tezuka wasn't the type to engage in unnecessary rivalry. Having won the match, he saw no need to compete with Atobe in words. 

"Tezuka is so cool!" 

From the stands, Shishido Ryouji exclaimed excitedly, "He actually defeated Atobe! With this, Seigaku might really have a chance to win!" 

"Exactly." 

Inoue nodded emphatically. 

In the finals, with five matches in total, it was a zero-sum game. Every point gained by one side meant a disadvantage for the other. With Seigaku's overall strength not being the strongest, they had managed to find a glimmer of hope in what seemed like a dire situation. 

"This is interesting." 

Watching the two players leave the court, Saotome smiled and said, "I never expected that among the middle schoolers, someone could fuse two different types of spins into one." 

After a pause, he added with admiration, "If I'm not mistaken, this person might just be the strongest among the middle schoolers!" 

Thinking this, Saotome felt a surge of excitement. Initially, he had only wanted to gauge the strength of the middle schoolers to have a better understanding. But the performances of Tezuka and Atobe had far exceeded his expectations. 

According to the U-17 World Cup rules, each match required at least three middle schoolers to participate. Now, he had already identified two top-tier players. 

'If only I could find one more...' 

Saotome thought to himself. 

"The strongest?" 

However, upon hearing this, Shishido shook his head and said, "Mr. Saotome, is this your first time watching the National Championships?" 

"Uh, yes." 

Saotome nodded. 

"No wonder." 

Inoue also shook his head and said, "Actually, while Tezuka and Atobe are indeed strong, among middle schoolers, they might only rank in the top five." 

"Top five?" 

Saotome was stunned. 

He stared at Inoue and asked, "Mr. Inoue... are you serious?" 

"Why would I lie?" 

Shishido gave him a strange look and said, "Seigaku's Tezuka, Rikkai's Yukimura, and Hyotei's Ishikawa, Atobe, and Akutsu—these are the top five middle schoolers in the nation!" 

"Rikkai's Yukimura... yes, I've heard of him. He seems quite famous among middle schoolers... Wait!" 

As Saotome recalled the information he had about Yukimura, he suddenly realized something and his expression changed. "You just said that among the top five middle schoolers... Hyotei has three?!" 

"Yes." 

Inoue nodded. "Among the top five middle schoolers, aside from Atobe and Tezuka, it's hard to determine who is stronger. But Hyotei's Ishikawa is undoubtedly the strongest!" 

Hyotei's Ishikawa? The strongest? 

Even someone as composed as Saotome couldn't help but look shocked. He could tell that Inoue wasn't the type to make baseless claims. And yet, even after witnessing Atobe's ability to see the "true blind spot" and Tezuka's "Pinnacle of Skill," Inoue still firmly believed that Ishikawa, who hadn't even played yet, was the strongest among all middle schoolers. 

"Ishikawa... is that him?" 

Saotome's gaze then fell on the black-haired boy standing behind Coach Taki on the court. 

"Next up, the doubles 2 match will begin." 

The announcement echoed through the stadium. "Hyotei's Shishido Ryouji and Oshitari Yuushi pair versus Seigaku's Inui Sadaharu and Kaidoh Kaoru pair!" 

"Shishido?" 

Upon hearing this, Inui, who was about to tie his shoelaces, looked up. When he saw Shishido confidently walking onto the court wearing a blue baseball cap, he raised an eyebrow. "Has his knee injury healed?" 

"Huh." 

On the bench, Coach Ryuzaki's expression also changed. If Shishido's injury had healed, didn't that mean Hyotei's doubles 2 weakness had been fixed? 

"This is going to be tough." 

Ryuzaki's heart sank. 

At this moment, Seigaku seemed to have taken the lead by winning the first match. But in reality, she knew better than anyone the true strength of her team. 

Tezuka playing in singles 3 indicated that their strategy hadn't changed from before the rule adjustments. They were still focusing on the remaining two doubles matches, hoping to secure victories there. 

But now, with Shishido's return, Hyotei's doubles 2 had been strengthened. Given the strength of Hyotei's doubles pair, Seigaku's chances of winning were slim. 

"What's the big deal about Shishido?" 

Kikumaru Eiji said defiantly, "No matter how strong Hyotei's doubles are, their so-called 'doubles miracle' only happens in desperate situations!" 

"Exactly." 

Oishi Shuuichiro nodded firmly. "The match hasn't even started yet. We can't let their morale get to us. We have to believe that Inui and Kaidoh can win!" 

"Right!" 

Hearing this, Coach Ryuzaki's expression softened. 

She had been intimidated by Hyotei's strength, but her players' fighting spirit reminded her that this was the finals. No matter how strong Hyotei was, Seigaku had no choice but to fight with everything they had! 

"But..." 

Kaidoh, who was playing in doubles 2, scratched his head nervously. "Our opponents are Hyotei's golden pair after all..." 

"Kaidoh, here." 

At that moment, Fuji Syusuke smiled and handed him a racket. 

"Okay." 

Kaidoh reached out shyly. 

Whoosh! 

But the moment he gripped the racket, it was as if a switch had been flipped. His entire demeanor changed. 

"BURNING!!!" 

With a roar, Kaidoh's eyes blazed with determination. 

This sudden transformation startled Oshitari on Hyotei's side. "This Seigaku senior..." 

"Don't be intimidated, Yuushi." 

Shishido said nonchalantly, "As long as we play our own game, no one can defeat us." 

"Understood." 

Oshitari nodded seriously. 

Looking at Shishido's back, he felt a sense of reassurance. No matter who their opponent was, Shishido always stood in front of him, shielding him from the greatest pressure. 

Soon, both teams approached the net. 

After a brief exchange, they determined the serving order and took their positions. 

"Let the match begin." 

The referee observed both sides and nodded firmly. "Hyotei's Oshitari to serve, first game!" 

"How will these middle schoolers perform in doubles?" 

From the stands, Saotome narrowed his eyes. 

After hearing from Inoue and Shishido that there were at least three more middle schoolers as strong as Tezuka and Atobe, his interest in the doubles match had waned. 

After all, the world stage valued individual strength more. In terms of doubles, high schoolers would completely overshadow middle schoolers. 

Thud! 

Thud! 

Thud! 

At the baseline, Oshitari gently bounced the ball. 

"This kid..." 

Saotome observed him closely. Oshitari's height was impressive, even by high school standards. 

However, even so, the serves he could produce likely wouldn't be anything extraordinary. 

Whoosh! 

On the court, Oshitari tossed the ball into the air and executed a perfectly standard serve. 

"One... Ball... Soul!!!" 

Bang! 

In an instant, he sent the ball flying like a cannonball. 

Thud! 

The ball landed. 

The sheer speed of the serve left Inui at the baseline with no time to react. 

"15-0!" 

"It's here!" 

Immediately, someone from Hyotei's cheering squad shouted excitedly, "Yuushi's new heavy cannon serve!!!" 

"This..." 

Saotome was dumbfounded once again. 

"This serve speed..." 

Even with his extensive experience and having witnessed far more exaggerated scenes, he was stunned. 

Zero Shiki, Tannhäuser... and now this ridiculously fast serve! 

"Is this for real... these middle schoolers?" 

One or two top-tier serves were one thing, but how could a doubles 2 player also have such an insane serve? 

"Ugh!" 

On the court, after measuring the speed of Oshitari's serve, Inui's expression darkened. "His serve is even faster than during the Kanto finals." 

In the previous semifinal, Inui hadn't been present to watch. Although Yanagi had relayed some information to him, he hadn't provided the exact speed of Oshitari's heavy cannon serve. 

However, this was within Inui's expectations. 

This game was meant to be sacrificed. 

Bang! 

Bang! 

Bang! 

Three more heavy cannon serves followed, and Hyotei easily secured the game. 

"Second game." 

"Seigaku's Inui to serve, first game!" 

Next, it was Inui's turn to serve. 

'This guy's height... is also quite impressive.' 

Seeing the tall Inui, Saotome narrowed his eyes and thought to himself, 'Could it be that he also has some incredible serve?' 

However, this was just a passing thought. 

In Saotome's opinion, there were many good serves, but truly top-tier serves weren't something just anyone could pull off. 

Otherwise, in the U-17, there wouldn't be only one player, Mouri, known for his exceptional serve. 

Whoosh! 

At that moment, Inui tossed the ball into the air. 

Under everyone's gaze, he rose slightly, stretching his body, and swung his racket with a powerful motion. 

Crack! 

The ball shot out like a bullet, cutting through the air with a sharp gust of wind. 

Thud! 

The ball landed. 

The intense pressure compressed the air in front of it, kicking up a cloud of dust upon impact. It looked like a waterfall crashing to the ground! 

Shishido, who was supposed to receive the serve, didn't even have time to react. 

"15-0!" 

"This..." 

Saotome was dumbfounded once more. 

He hadn't expected his casual thought to actually come true. 

"This serve speed... isn't much slower than the previous one, right?!" 

"Right." 

Inoue nodded. "This is Inui's Waterfall Serve. In terms of speed, it's on par with Oshitari's heavy cannon serve—one of the fastest serves among middle schoolers!" 

"Waterfall Serve... fitting name." 

Saotome nodded. 

Meanwhile, Nanjiroh, who was sitting nearby, gave him a curious look. 

'It seems this Japanese U-17 coach doesn't really know the depth of the middle schoolers' abilities.' 

With that thought, a subtle glint of amusement flashed in Nanjiroh's eyes. 

Crack! 

Crack! 

Crack! 

On the court, Inui continued to deliver ace serves, securing the game and tying the score. 

"Inui's serve is faster than before." 

On Hyotei's side, Ryou Shishido, who was measuring the serve speed, said with a serious expression, "219 km/h, almost as fast as Yuushi's new heavy cannon serve!" 

"Right." 

Atobe and the others also looked wary. 

"219 km/h?" 

Ishikawa's eyes flickered. 

He glanced at Inui, who seemed relaxed and still had energy to spare after serving, and thought to himself, "He's faster than in the original story. It seems his overall improvement must be significant." 

However, Ishikawa's attention soon shifted to Kaidoh. 

"Inui wouldn't do something like this without a reason." 

Kaidoh's strength within Seigaku was even inferior to second-years like Momoshiro and Kikumaru. His doubles performance with Fuji was also mediocre at best. 

Yet, Inui had still paired him in doubles, which meant there had to be a purpose. 

Sure enough, in the third game, Shishido and Oshitari used their Mirage technique, but Inui patiently observed their movements and deciphered the differences in their swings. 

By the third ball, he had already broken the technique. 

Then, using the data he had gathered, Inui pinned Shishido to the baseline, while Oshitari was also pressured into staying back. 

"Inui knows our data too well." 

Shishido said with a grim expression, "In that case, let's target Kaidoh at the baseline." 

"Right." 

Oshitari nodded firmly. 

He had been wanting to do this for a while. 

Compared to Inui, who had their data, Kaidoh at the baseline was a much easier target. 

Thud! 

With that, he sent a high lob. 

The ball soared over Inui's head, its trajectory seemingly aimed precisely at the baseline. 

"Since when did Yuushi develop such precise control?" 

Mukahi and Hiyoshi both looked surprised. 

"Probably mimicking Seigaku's Oishi." 

Oshitari shook his head. "He once said he didn't want to be just a serve specialist. He's been practicing this with Ishikawa." 

Thud! 

Sure enough, Oshitari's lob landed perfectly on the baseline. 

"Nice!" 

Mukahi couldn't help but cheer. 

"Wait..." 

Hiyoshi was about to say something, but his gaze caught Kaidoh at the baseline, who had rolled up his sleeves and was flexing his muscles. 

"BURNING!!!" 

In the next moment, Kaidoh let out a roar and unleashed a ferocious drive. 

Boom! 

The ball shot out, crackling with electricity as it flew straight between Shishido and Oshitari. 

"Not so fast!!!" 

Shishido's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, raising his racket to block the shot. 

Thwack! 

However, there was no stopping it. 

The moment the ball made contact with his racket, it tore through the strings. 

Thud! 

The ball landed. 

Oshitari behind him could feel the ground tremble. 

"This is..." 

Seeing the destructive power of the shot, the Hyotei team's expressions changed. 

"It's here!" 

At that moment, Horio and the others shouted excitedly, "Kaidoh-senpai's new technique... the Explosive Wave Ball!!!"