King of Tennis (POT)

"Synchro." 

Even though the match had already ended, the eyes of many doubles pairs from other schools remained fixed on the court, where Shishido and Ootori were still enveloped in a swirling white aura. 

"Is this the power of the doubles miracle? Sadaharu... you didn't lose for nothing." 

On the Rikkai side, Yanagi let out a soft sigh. Beside him, Yagami's expression turned serious. Their victory over Hyotei in the semifinals three days ago had been nothing short of a fluke. If Shishido hadn't injured his knee and Ootori hadn't been protecting him, Rikkai might not have even secured a single win. 

"This is Hyotei's true strength!" 

From the Yamabuki side, Sengoku nodded solemnly. "Whether it's singles or doubles, their overall strength is in a league of its own on a national level." 

"Indeed." 

The two undefeated doubles pairs from Yamabuki nodded in agreement. They, more than anyone, could attest to this. From the district tournament onwards, they had witnessed Hyotei's doubles pair grow from awkward coordination to awakening the Synchro ability. This was precisely what made Hyotei truly terrifying. 

Teams like Rikkai, already at the pinnacle, were undeniably strong, but there was always a sense of distance, as if their strength existed only in concept. Once defeated, their myth would shatter. Hyotei, however, was different. This team had grown step by step, and under Ishikawa's training, their overall strength continued to improve. 

What was even more chilling was that Ishikawa was only in his first year of middle school, yet he already possessed the strength to dominate the national middle school tennis scene. One could only imagine that in the next three years, under his leadership, Hyotei would become an inescapable shadow looming over every team in the nation. 

"One win, one loss." 

Inui watched as the two pairs left the court, his expression slightly grave. "The next two matches will be a significant test for Seigaku!" 

In the singles 1 position, Ishikawa's presence was an insurmountable hurdle for Seigaku. 

"Sigh." 

Sasabe let out a soft sigh. Who would have thought that Seigaku, who had been on the verge of securing two consecutive wins and eyeing the national championship, would now find themselves on the brink of defeat? 

"There's no helping it. They've encountered a Synchro-level pair." 

Saotome couldn't help but shake his head. 

Synchro! 

The ability known as the doubles miracle! 

Even in the high school world stage, few pairs had awakened this ability, let alone middle schoolers. 

Inui sighed, "Overall, Seigaku's overall strength just isn't strong enough." 

Hearing this, Saotome grew even more curious. If the previous singles 3 match was just an appetizer, how intense would the upcoming matches be? 

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

"Hyotei Academy's Akutsu Jin vs. Seigaku's Fuji Syusuke." 

"Please prepare." 

As the announcement ended, the eyes of the spectators turned towards the resting areas of both teams. 

On Hyotei's side, a tall, sharp-eyed youth with spiky gray-white hair stepped forward—Akutsu Jin. 

On Seigaku's side, a handsome, brown-haired boy with a gentle smile and closed eyes walked onto the court—Fuji Syusuke. 

Moments later, the two contrasting figures met at the net. 

"Seigaku's genius, huh?" 

Akutsu scrutinized Fuji with a playful glint in his eyes. "You were defeated by that guy in the district tournament. After all this time, you must have improved quite a bit, right?" 

That guy? 

The others were momentarily confused, but those familiar with the situation quickly turned their gaze towards Hyotei's side, where a handsome, smiling youth stood—Ishikawa Shin, Hyotei's vice-captain. Since the district tournament, he had swept through every opponent, building an invincible reputation. Fuji was the third top player he had defeated, while Akutsu was the second. 

"You're right." 

Instead of showing any anger at Akutsu's taunt, Fuji smiled. "That match taught me a lot. In a way, I should thank him." 

"Also," Fuji added, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied Akutsu, "I'm curious to see just how strong you've become after being defeated by him as well." 

Huh? 

Many were surprised by Fuji's response. 

"Is this the same gentle Seigaku genius?" 

Akutsu from St. Rudolph was taken aback. "He's completely different from the aloof figure he was during the early stages of the district tournament." 

"Fuji..." 

Mizuki stared intently at Fuji. Indeed, as Akutsu had said, the boy before them no longer resembled the cold, distant figure from the district tournament. However, in Mizuki's data, Fuji's "smiling" demeanor was merely a facade, not his true nature. 

Thinking this, Mizuki shook his head. "Only when he gets serious does he reveal that terrifying gaze." 

Is that really the case? 

Beside them, Fuji Yuuta, the buzz-cut boy, raised an eyebrow slightly. He remembered clearly that ever since the district tournament, his older brother had been training relentlessly. The sheer volume of training would have been too much for Yuuta to handle for more than three days, but Fuji had persisted day after day, repeating the monotonous drills. Over this period, Yuuta could clearly sense his brother's rapid improvement. 

Unfortunately, during the Kanto tournament, Seigaku had only managed to hold out for four matches against the powerful Hyotei. Fuji, as the singles 1 player, hadn't even gotten a chance to play. 

Now, two months had passed since the district tournament. Even an average player would have shown some growth after two months of rigorous training, let alone someone with Fuji's prodigious talent. After two months of honing his skills, Fuji was finally ready to reveal his true prowess in this match. 

"The match will now begin. Best of one set!" 

The referee, seated high above, looked down at the two players at the baseline and announced, "Seigaku's Fuji to serve. Game start!" 

Tap! Tap! Tap! 

As the referee's voice faded, the spectators' eyes turned to Fuji, who was bouncing the ball at the baseline. 

Flick! 

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Fuji gently spun the ball and let it drop. Then, with a swift motion, he sliced the ball across the net. 

"A slice serve?" 

Those from other regions who had never seen Fuji's serve were puzzled. They couldn't understand why, in such a high-stakes match, Fuji would use a simple slice serve with no apparent technique. 

Tap! 

But as the ball landed and began to spin wildly, bouncing erratically and disappearing from view, their eyes widened in shock. 

"It's here!" 

Horio and the others exclaimed excitedly, "Fuji-senpai's Vanishing Serve!!!" 

Swish! 

However, before their voices faded, a figure suddenly appeared, swinging a silver-black racket with precision. With a thud, the ball was sent flying back. 

"He returned it?!" 

The crowd was stunned. 

"Hmph." 

Akutsu, holding his racket with ease, smirked. "Stop with these child's tricks. Bring out your real techniques!" 

Whoosh! 

With that, he sent the ball back. 

Tap! Tap! 

On the other side, Fuji calmly responded. He angled his racket to absorb the ball's force, then with a flick of his wrist, effortlessly returned Akutsu's powerful shot. 

"Impressive!" 

Momo observed, "Just a simple technique to neutralize Akutsu's power. Fuji's mastery of technique is truly exceptional." 

Thud! 

But the next moment, Akutsu, already in position, swung his racket and sent the ball hurtling back. 

"His speed is incredible." 

Kikumaru's expression turned serious. "No matter how clever Fuji's returns are, Akutsu can easily catch up." 

"Not just that," Inui added, his voice low. "Akutsu is provoking Fuji." 

Provoking? 

The others were puzzled. 

Then, as if realizing something, Momo blurted out, "Is that... a topspin shot?!" 

Facing Fuji, Akutsu had the audacity to use a topspin shot. The only other player they had seen do this was Ishikawa. 

Now, Akutsu was doing the same. 

As Inui had said, Akutsu was clearly challenging Fuji. 

Swish! 

On the other side, Fuji responded by lifting his racket and slicing the ball downward. 

Thwack! 

The ball flew over the net, landed, and then skidded low, hugging the ground as it shot forward. 

"It's here!" 

"Phoenix Return!!!" 

The Seigaku team, especially Horio and the others, were ecstatic. 

The representatives from other schools, upon seeing Fuji's technique, were equally stunned. 

"This technique... Fuji Syusuke?" 

Saotome was equally amazed. He hadn't expected to see such a refined technique so soon after witnessing those from Tezuka and Atobe. 

What was even more surprising was that this shot didn't come from Akutsu, one of the top five players in the nation, but from Fuji. This made Saotome even more curious about how Akutsu would counter this move. 

"Heh." 

On the court, Akutsu smirked as he watched the ball skid towards him. 

Tap! Tap! 

He lowered his stance and dashed forward like a cheetah, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. 

"This speed?!" 

The Seigaku team's expressions changed. 

But just as Akutsu was about to reach the ball and seemingly break Fuji's technique, Fuji smiled. "This ball's trick isn't that simple." 

Whoosh! 

To the astonishment of the crowd, the ball split into two, veering off to either side of Akutsu like a pair of divine birds—one male, one female. This was the true form of Fuji's Phoenix Return! 

"As expected of Seigaku's genius!" 

The crowd couldn't help but marvel. 

Swish! Swish! 

But in the next moment, to everyone's shock, Akutsu's figure also split into two. Both figures chased after the balls, and with a thud, Akutsu returned the shot. 

"0-15!" 

The ball landed, and Fuji failed to react. 

Swish! 

The figure on the left side of the court slowly faded away. 

"Is... is this real?" 

Someone in the crowd gulped. They couldn't believe they were witnessing something akin to a shadow clone on the tennis court. 

"Akutsu's speed is insane!" 

Inui's expression turned grave. "His explosive power, combined with his strong muscles, allows him to achieve incredible bursts of speed!" 

In terms of raw physical ability, Akutsu was indeed a cut above the rest. 

From the start of the match, he had been dominating Fuji. 

However, Fuji had faced Ishikawa before and had experienced pressure far greater than this. 

Soon, Fuji served again, using his precise techniques to keep Akutsu at the baseline. 

But this strategy didn't last long. 

Facing Akutsu's relentless returns, Fuji was forced to lift the ball higher, allowing Akutsu to approach the net. 

Seeing this, Fuji opted for a lob. 

But this played right into Akutsu's hands. He leaped into the air and smashed the ball down with a powerful spike. 

Thud! 

The ball landed, sending Fuji's racket flying. 

Fuji's Kirifuri Drop had been countered. 

Next, his Hakuryu was also overpowered by Akutsu's speed. 

In less than two minutes, Fuji had not only been broken but had also seen all three of his counter techniques easily dismantled. 

"A tennis genius is no match for a once-in-a-decade prodigy!" 

From the Yamabuki side, Banji sighed, his expression complex. Though he wasn't entirely comfortable with Akutsu leaving Yamabuki for Hyotei, seeing the boy's talent flourish beyond his expectations filled Banji with pride. His only wish now was to see Akutsu go even further, perhaps even becoming a professional tennis player. 

Thud! Thud! Thud! 

On the court, Akutsu and Fuji continued their fierce battle. 

Akutsu's movements were swift and aggressive, while Fuji was forced to retreat, seemingly unable to mount a counterattack. 

Thud! 

Suddenly, with another powerful spike from Akutsu, the referee announced, "Game! Hyotei's Akutsu leads, 2-0!" 

In the blink of an eye, Hyotei had secured two consecutive games, extending their lead. The overwhelming pressure from Akutsu left the Seigaku team feeling suffocated. 

"Is this Akutsu Jin's tennis?" 

Saotome's pupils contracted slightly. In Akutsu, he could faintly see the shadow of another player.