"Hey, hey."
Seeing that Ishikawa was serious, one of the Ice Emperor high schoolers imdiately spoke up in a stern voice, "Kid, get out of here. This is a place for high schoolers, not so middle school brat like you."
"Middle schooler?"
Hearing this, Mōri was shocked. Ishikawa stood at 1.7 ters tall, so Mōri had assud he was just a late-blooming high school freshman. He never expected the guy to be a middle schooler.
"Hmm."
anwhile, Ōchi glanced at Ishikawa's attire, as if recalling sothing, and frowned slightly. "You're that top rookie from Ice Emperor Middle School, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, the others quickly caught on.
"It's you?"
"That first-year from the middle school division who earned Coach Saeki's praise!"
"Hey, middle schooler, cut it out. High schoolers are on a whole different level. Don't piss off Ōchi—it won't end well for you."
The high schoolers from Ice Emperor all chid in, trying to persuade Ishikawa to leave. The only reason they were being patient was because he was wearing the Ice Emperor uniform, making him their junior. Otherwise, they would've kicked him out already.
"You want to challenge ?"
Ōchi, however, ignored the others. His single exposed eye locked onto Ishikawa, and in an instant, an overwhelming ntal pressure bore down on him. Anyone with weaker ntal fortitude would've been trembling under that gaze.
But Ishikawa showed no signs of panic.
He looked at Ōchi and smiled. "I heard you're a legend at Ice Emperor, and that you're especially skilled at serves. Coincidentally, I've got so experience with tennis myself. I was hoping you could give so pointers."
"Pointers on serving?!"
The high schoolers stared at Ishikawa like he was out of his mind. This was the first ti anyone had dared to speak to Ōchi like that. Or maybe... Ōchi hadn't unleashed his usual ntal pressure on their junior?
"Alright."
Surprisingly, Ōchi—who was usually cold and avoided trouble—agreed to the sudden request from this Ice Emperor middle schooler.
The other high schoolers exchanged glances, all thinking the sa thing: *This is insane!*
"Ōchi... actually agreed?"
Mōri was equally shocked.
But then he glanced at Ishikawa and shook his head inwardly. This middle schooler might have sharp instincts, but getting serve advice from Ōchi? That was a tall order. It wasn't that Mōri looked down on Ishikawa—it was just that Ōchi's serves were on a completely different level.
*Thud. Thud. Thud.*
On an empty court, Ishikawa and Ōchi stood on opposite sides.
Ishikawa was bouncing the tennis ball, while the spectators—including the Ice Emperor high schoolers and Mōri, who had just lost to Ōchi in the official match—watched intently. They were all curious to see what kind of tennis this kid could play.
*Whoosh.*
Ishikawa tossed the ball into the air.
In one fluid motion, he lowered his center of gravity, his body coiling like a spring.
*Swish.*
Then, he leaped into the air, swinging his racket from behind his head in an upward arc, striking the ball with precision.
*Crack!*
A crisp sound echoed as the ball shot forward like a bullet, slicing through the air with incredible speed.
"This serve?!"
The high schoolers and Mōri all widened their eyes at the sharp trajectory of the ball.
*Ssshh.*
The ball landed and spun fiercely.
"Oh?"
Ōchi's eyes flickered with surprise. He quickly took half a step back, creating space to return the shot. This reaction left the onlookers puzzled.
"Is there sothing else going on with that ball?"
*Whoosh!*
In the next mont, the ball rebounded sharply, shooting straight toward Ōchi's face.
"Whoa!"
"That's so insane spin!"
The high schoolers were stunned. They hadn't expected this first-year to pull off such a fierce serve.
"But... as expected of Ōchi."
After the initial shock, the Ice Emperor players nodded in admiration. "He saw through the ball's trajectory in an instant. He predicted it and neutralized the—wait, what?!"
Suddenly, their expressions changed again.
*Thud.*
The ball, which had been heading straight for Ōchi, suddenly accelerated mid-flight. The unexpected change forced Ōchi to adjust his stance at the last second.
*Tap.*
The ball bounced lightly past him.
Ishikawa didn't make any exaggerated movents. With a simple flick of his racket, he sent the ball gently over the net.
"15-0!"
The ball floated down like a falling leaf, leaving the Ice Emperor players and Mōri utterly stunned.
"That's one impressive slice."
Mōri clenched his fist unconsciously, his gaze fixed on Ishikawa with disbelief. "It's like... textbook-perfect."
It was hard to believe a middle schooler could execute such a flawless slice. Of course, as a mber of Rikkai, Mōri had seen slices on par with Ishikawa's. But to pull it off against Ōchi? That wasn't just about skill.
This kid was facing Ōchi, after all!
Thinking about how he'd given it his all and still couldn't score a single point against Ōchi, while this middle schooler had done it so effortlessly, Mōri couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
"That's so sharp spin," Ōchi comnted on Ishikawa's serve. "But if I'm not mistaken, there's more to that serve, isn't there?"
"What?!"
The others' expressions shifted once again.
"As expected of you, senpai."
Ishikawa gave a slight nod. As expected, the opponent was the strongest server among Japanese high schoolers in the original story. Combined with his terrifying ntal strength, he had instantly recognized the follow-up variations in Ishikawa's serve.
"Let's see it," Echizen said with a faint nod, his exposed right eye fixed on Ishikawa. A powerful, oppressive aura radiated from him.
"Alright," Ishikawa replied with a smile.
He had co to the high school tournant specifically to find this legendary captain from Hyotei. He wanted to face him, but more than that, he wanted to witness the serve that was unrivaled in the U-17 circuit.
*Thud!*
Ishikawa sent the ball flying again.
The motion was similar to his previous twist serve, but this ti, the speed was noticeably faster.
"This guy…"Mori tightened his fist. "He was really holding back!"
*Swoosh!*
The ball landed and began spinning fiercely.
"Here it cos!"
"That insane spin again!"
The Hyotei high schoolers' expressions shifted.
*Whoosh!*
But to everyone's surprise, the ball didn't bounce toward Echizen as expected. Instead, it curved sharply to the right, tracing a wide arc.
"W-what?!"
"How is that possible?!"
The group instinctively widened their eyes. No one had anticipated that Ishikawa's twist serve could have such a dramatic variation.
"Nice shot," Echizen acknowledged with a nod.
The serve's curve had indeed exceeded his expectations. Such a sharp change in trajectory could easily catch opponents off guard in a high-stakes match.
"However…"
*Step!*
With a single stride, Echizen closed the distance. Thanks to his towering height and long reach, he managed to catch up to the ball after it had already bounced and was curving away.
*Bang!*
With a loud crack, Echizen returned Ishikawa's twist serve.
*Whoosh!*
The ball shot back toward Ishikawa's side at an incredible speed, seemingly about to go out of reach. Yet, Ishikawa made no move to return it.
"What's going on?"
The Hyotei players andMori frowned in confusion.
They couldn't understand why Ishikawa wasn't reacting. Echizen's return wasn't particularly fast, so it wasn't like Ishikawa couldn't reach it. It almost seed like he wasn't even trying.
But if that were the case, it would be incredibly disrespectful. Even if this wasn't an official match, Echizen was still his opponent. To challenge him and then not even attempt to return his shot—what was the point?
*Tap!*
In the end, Ishikawa simply let the ball fly past him.
"This kid…"
One of the Hyotei high schoolers looked displeased.
Echizen had been their captain for five years, leading them from regional tournants all the way to the national stage. Even though there were no team matches now, in their hearts, Echizen was still their leader.
Ishikawa's behavior felt like a slight.
"You noticed, didn't you?"
Echizen, however, looked at Ishikawa with a hint of surprise.
"I figured as much," he added with a nod. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have let that ball go."
"What do you an?"
The others were still confused.
"Wait…"
Mori, however, seed to catch on. He glanced toward the baseline behind Ishikawa, and his eyes lit up with realization. "That's it! The ball was out!"
A faint white mark was visible just outside the baseline, aning Echizen's return, despite being a solid shot, had landed out of bounds.
Mori couldn't help but give Ishikawa a deep look. "And he noticed that in an instant?"
That level of insight was terrifying.
*Tap… Tap… Tap…*
"Senpai," Ishikawa began, bouncing the ball again as he looked up at Echizen, whose expression remained cold and unreadable. "Have you ever faced a serve you couldn't return?"
"A serve I couldn't return?"
Echizen raised an eyebrow.
As a top-tier server, when facing an evenly matched opponent, matches often turned into long, grueling battles. But if there was a serve that could make him wary…
"Hmm," Echizen's right eye narrowed slightly, as if recalling sothing. A flicker of seriousness crossed his face.
"In terms of pure serves, I don't think I've encountered one I couldn't handle," he said, his gaze locked on Ishikawa. "Why? Are you that confident in your serve?"
To be honest, he admired this calm and composed young man who could remain unfazed under his ntal pressure. But that was all.
Echizen's status now went far beyond being the captain of Hyotei High's tennis team or the top seed in the Kanto tournant. He had already stepped onto a higher stage, and his perspective extended far beyond Kanto or even Japan.
The serves this young man had shown were impressive, but to Echizen, they weren't exactly groundbreaking.
"Alright," Echizen's eyes sharpened, a glint of determination appearing. "It's a bit early, but I suppose I can give you a taste of what tennis beyond the middle school level looks like."
He had made up his mind. When Ishikawa served next, he would counter with everything he had.
*Whoosh!*
anwhile, Ishikawa tossed the ball into the air, his expression turning serious. His muscles tensed as he bent his knees and coiled his body.
*Swish!*
At the perfect mont, Ishikawa leaped into the air, his body leaning forward as he brought his racket down with full force.
*Bang!*
A deafening crack echoed across the court.
The Hyotei players andMori instinctively flinched, their eardrums rattling.
Then, they saw it—a dark, almost distorted streak cutting through the air, dotted with faint specks of light. The trajectory led straight to the service line in front of Echizen.
*Thud!*
A faint white mark appeared right on the line.
*Rustle…*
A yellow tennis ball rolled out from behind Echizen.
The Hyotei players eyes widened in shock.
(End of Chapter)
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