[Player has defeated Boss-level character, Sanada Genichiro (Lv59), and gained 3,800 experience points.]
[Player has obtained a special ability dropped by Sanada: *Hard to Know Like Shadow Lv1*.]
[*Hard to Know Like Shadow*: Flawless, implying various action patterns to confuse the opponent. Prevents the opponent from discerning your movents and weaknesses.]
"*Shadow*, huh?"
Ishikawa was slightly surprised.
He had expected to gain one of Sanada's *Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain* techniques, especially *Mountain*, which he greatly admired for its defensive prowess.
But instead, he had acquired one of Sanada's two ultimate techniques—*Shadow*!
"However," Ishikawa thought to himself, "the effect of *Shadow* should overlap with *Truth of Go* and *Mind's Eye*, right?"
[Ding!]
Sure enough, the system chid in.
[Detected partial overlap with existing abilities. Would you like to perform ability fusion?]
"Yes."
[Fusion successful.]
[*Truth of Go* ability enhanced. Current level: Lv2.]
*Buzz!*
As the system notification ended, Ishikawa felt a surge of new knowledge flood his mind. He now had a deeper understanding of how to conceal his weaknesses and mislead his opponents.
"No level-up?"
Ishikawa was a bit disappointed but quickly shrugged it off. Special abilities, like the *State of Selflessness*, were unique. *Hard to Know Like Shadow* was only at Level 1, and even if converted into experience points, it wouldn't be enough to fill the Level 2 experience bar.
Still, Ishikawa could feel that with the integration of *Shadow*, his comprehension of *Truth of Go* had deepened. The barrier to the next level seed to be within reach.
If Level 1 of *State of Selflessness* represented initial understanding and mastery, then Level 2 was akin to *Perfection of Pinnacle* and *Limit of Supre Wisdom*. And Level 3? That would be the profound *Peerless Perfection*!
"There are about 20 days left until the Nationals," Ishikawa thought. "Maybe I can break through to Level 3 with these two special abilities before then."
With that, he joined the Hyotei team and prepared to head back.
---
*anwhile, on the high school court...*
The final match of the high school division was also underway. The players were Tochi, dressed in a gray-white jacket, and a young man with slightly tanned skin, wearing a light red short-sleeve shirt and dreadlocks.
The scoreboard displayed a commanding 5-2 lead for Tochi, with his opponent, *Fuwa Tetsuhito*, struggling to keep up.
"Is this the strongest player in the Kanto region?" Fuwa thought, feeling the imnse pressure radiating from Tochi.
The entire match had been one-sided, with Fuwa barely getting a chance to breathe. Now, Tochi was on the verge of claiming the championship.
"I have no choice," Fuwa muttered. Though he hadn't yet figured out Tochi's *Mach Serve*, he decided to unleash his ultimate move.
*Swish!*
His brown-gray eyes suddenly turned silver, reflecting Tochi's movents like a mirror.
*Boom!*
Fuwa returned the shot with the exact sa power, speed, and spin as Tochi's.
"Oh?" Tochi raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "So this is his *Mirror Eye* technique."
As a mber of U17, Tochi was well aware of Fuwa's reputation. Despite being ranked in the lower half of the U17 elite, Fuwa had never lost a match since joining. His *Mirror Eye* allowed him to instantly analyze and replicate his opponent's techniques, effectively turning their own moves against them.
"Interesting," Tochi nodded. Fuwa was the second player in the Kanto region who had caught his attention—the first being Rikkai's Marui Bunta.
Of course, there was one other person who stood out, but Tochi considered him in a league of his own—the young prodigy from Hyotei.
*Tap.*
Tochi suddenly switched to a drop shot.
"Huh?" Fuwa was montarily surprised but quickly understood Tochi's plan. "He's trying to lure to the net, force to hit a lob, and then smash it down."
While most players would avoid falling into such a trap, Fuwa had his own plan.
*Thud!*
He rushed to the net and lobbed the ball high into the air.
"Now's his chance!" the spectators cheered.
"Heh," Fuwa smirked. While Tochi was setting him up, Fuwa was doing the sa. He planned to use his *Mirror Eye* to reflect Tochi's smash back at him.
*Boom!*
Tochi seized the opportunity and smashed the ball down with full force.
*Buzz!*
Fuwa's eyes flashed silver as he activated his *Mirror Eye*.
*Crash!*
But the next mont, a deafening explosion echoed as the ball landed at Fuwa's feet.
"W-what?!" Fuwa stared in disbelief. "Wait, was that the *Mach Serve*?!"
The *Mach Serve* was essentially a smash variant. With Tochi's towering height, the speed of his serves reached an astonishing level. And when executed at the net, it beca the *Mach Smash*—a devastating move that amplified the serve's power to its maximum potential.
"Ga, set, match!"
"Tochi Tsukimitsu of Hyotei wins, 6-2!"
"Congratulations to Tochi Tsukimitsu from Tokyo's Hyotei Academy, the champion of this year's Kanto High School Division!"
"So this is the power of the *Mach Serve*..." Fuwa muttered, still reeling from the shock. His *Mirror Eye* had shattered upon contact with Tochi's smash, leaving him utterly defeated.
"*Mach Serve*?" one of the Hyotei players chuckled. "That wasn't even 70% of his full power!"
"S-seventy percent?!" Fuwa's eyes widened in awe. "Is this the true strength of Japan's U17 No. 4?"
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Let's go," Tochi said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. The Hyotei team followed him as they left the court.
"Sigh," Tochi sighed softly as they walked.
"What's wrong, Tochi?" one of his teammates asked.
"Nothing," Tochi shook his head, his expression calm.
In truth, he was a bit disappointed. He had hoped that Fuwa, ranked 11th in U17, would pose so challenge. But even at less than 70% of his power, his *Mach Serve/Smash* had been too much for Fuwa to handle.
"Well," Tochi thought, "players like that kid from Hyotei don't co around often."
Thinking of Ishikawa, Tochi felt a mix of curiosity and urgency. With his talent, it wouldn't be long before he could return a *Mach Serve* at 70% speed.
Tochi made up his mind. The next ti they t, he would have to break Ishikawa's lightning-fast serve.
---
*anwhile, in a remote mountain training base...*
The U17 training camp was buzzing with activity. High school players in red and white jackets were rigorously training, their every move monitored by caras scattered throughout the facility.
In the central control room, a middle-aged man with curly brown hair answered a phone call.
"Yes, this is the head coach of Japan's U17 training base. Understood."
After a brief conversation, he hung up and turned to his assistant.
"Kawasaki, contact the middle school league officials. Have them adjust the tournant rules to match the U17 World Cup format."
"Got it," the assistant replied, imdiately getting to work.
"Middle schoolers, huh?" the head coach mused, leaning back in his chair. "I guess it's ti to keep an eye on this year's middle school tournants."
Deep in the mountains, an unkempt old man with a scruffy beard lounged in a chair, grumbling to himself.
"Middle schoolers? Hmph, only those idiots would co up with sothing like that."
But then, a sly grin spread across his face.
"Though... if I rember correctly, that pervert's son should be in middle school by now, right?"
The old man chuckled, clearly plotting sothing mischievous.
*(End of Chapter)*
pat-reon: belamy20*
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