Chapter 27: Martial Arts-Style Tennis
Bang!
The tennis ball hit the ground.
The umpire's voice followed: "0-15!"
"Hiss—"
At that moment—
A wave of gasps echoed throughout the court.
Outside the court, Chotarou excimed in shock: "He… he actually used that method to counter Hiyoshi's net attack?"
Shishido, Mukahi, and the others were equally stunned.
"I can see it—he’s incredibly calm."
Oshitari couldn't help but praise Ishikawa: "In that situation, anyone less composed would have attacked Hiyoshi’s right side. But instead, he went for a lob!"
That alone—
Showed the difference between Ishikawa and an average pyer.
Calm, composed, with the kind of strong heart needed to withstand the pressures of real competition!
"Good! Very good!"
Meanwhile—
Hiyoshi’s expression darkened as he realized his tactic had been seen through and countered with a humiliating lob.
"Ishikawa… I underestimated you. You're even stronger than I thought. In that case, there's no need for me to hold back anymore!"
With those words—
Under the astonished gazes of the spectators, Hiyoshi suddenly shifted his stance, crossing his feet while lowering his right leg. At the same time, he raised his racket in a posture that resembled drawing a bow.
"Is that…?"
Realizing something, Mukahi blurted out: "Martial Arts-style Tennis?!"
"That’s the Martial Arts stance!"
"Hiyoshi's even bringing that move out?!"
"Well, it makes sense. If you were humiliated like that, wouldn’t you get serious too?"
"Oh?"
As the crowd murmured in excitement, Sakaki, watching from a distance, showed a look of surprise.
"So, he’s using that move already?"
The Martial Arts stance.
Having trained in ancient martial arts since childhood, Hiyoshi practiced this fundamental stance every day.
About two months ago—
During Hyotei’s third-term intra-school selection matches, when Hiyoshi was still in his first year, he once again lost to Atobe.
Unwilling to accept defeat—
Sakaki noticed that something was off about Hiyoshi’s movements during the match. So, he advised him to py in a way that felt most natural.
As a result—
Hiyoshi instinctively incorporated his martial arts movements into his tennis. His strength instantly soared to another level!
It was then that Sakaki realized Hiyoshi had more potential than Chotarou and was the most suitable candidate to succeed Atobe as Hyotei’s next captain!
But now—
Against a mere first-year rookie, in just the second game, during his own service game, Hiyoshi was already forced to use this move.
This significantly lowered Sakaki’s opinion of him.
Of course—
Sakaki wasn’t stubborn. He knew that it wasn’t Hiyoshi who was too weak—It was that this Ishikawa was simply too strong.
"Interesting."
Watching Hiyoshi assume the Martial Arts stance and prepare to serve, Sakaki shifted his gaze to Ishikawa.
"Well, rookie? Your strength… it’s not limited to just this, is it?"
He was excited, full of anticipation—
Because whether Ishikawa won or lost, Hyotei would still gain a promising new pyer. And if he defeated Hiyoshi—Then Hyotei had truly found a hidden gem!
Bang!
On the court—
Hiyoshi unched his attack. His serve targeted Ishikawa’s backhand.
The ball hit the ground, bouncing at a sharp angle, fast and precise. Against an average opponent, it would’ve been an outright ace.
Bang!
But the next second—
Ishikawa swiftly swung his racket, returning the ball before it could bounce out of range.
"Hmph!"
Seeing that his serve didn’t score directly, Hiyoshi let out a cold snort. He swiftly lowered his body, adjusting his footwork with rapid shifts, closing in on the flying ball.
In the blink of an eye—
Hiyoshi was already in position. Without hesitation, he raised his racket and struck with a powerful drive.
Boom!
A thunderous impact echoed.
The ball shot forward like an arrow.
Compared to before, both the pace and power of his shots had increased significantly!
This was Hiyoshi’s Martial Arts-style Tennis! As the name suggests—
It was a way of pying tennis that integrated ancient martial arts movements. Fast, forceful, and unpredictable.
Though the stance looked somewhat unorthodox, it drastically boosted his attack power.
At this moment—Hiyoshi was using this style to overwhelm Ishikawa, unching relentless attacks from both sides.
Bang!
Another shot—
Hiyoshi finally broke through Ishikawa’s defense and scored.
"15-15!"
"Hmph!"
Scoring a point—
Hiyoshi’s gaze grew even colder. "You are troublesome indeed… It took me over a minute just to score one point. But unfortunately for you—"
"Now that I’ve activated my Martial Arts-style Tennis… your fate is sealed!"
Bang!
Immediately—
Hiyoshi served again. His vicious serve struck the ground, kicking up dust as it bounced.
The spectators instinctively shrank back from the sheer force.
The non-regurs watching could feel Hiyoshi’s intensity just from that serve!
Next—
Hiyoshi unched another wave of attacks.
Continuously shifting between his ingrained martial arts stances. One shot after another—forcing his opponent on the defensive.
Before long—he scored again.
30-15.
Another two minutes ter—Hiyoshi scored once more.
40-15.
He reached game point in his service game.
"Hiyoshi’s pying so aggressively!"
Outside the court, Mukahi spoke with a hint of fear.
Even he would struggle against this ferocious Martial Arts-style py.
"Heh!"
At that moment—
Among the lower-ranked pyers, someone smirked and muttered: "See? That first-year was nothing without his serve."
Hearing this—
The others quickly chimed in:
"Exactly, Hiyoshi’s completely crushing him!"
"This match is as good as over!"
"Is it really?"
Hearing their words, Oshitari shook his head.
He gnced at Atobe.
Atobe noticed and smiled. "You see it too, don’t you?"
"Yeah."
Oshitari nodded.
Yes—on the surface, it looked like Hiyoshi had the advantage, as if he had completely overpowered Ishikawa.
However—
None of them, not even Hiyoshi himself, had realized something crucial.
From 15-15 to 40-15—
Hiyoshi had only won three points—But it had taken him almost five minutes to do so.
"That’s no coincidence."
Realizing this, Oshitari’s gaze nded on Ishikawa, his eyes fshing with shock.
"This guy… he's adapting to Hiyoshi’s pystyle during the match. At this rate…"
"Hiyoshi won’t be able to score this st point so easily!"
(End of Chapter 27)