*Thud!*
*Bang!*
*Thud!*
*Bang!*
On the court, two figures darted back and forth.
After hitting the ball, they quickly moved to the other side.
"Strange…"
On the side of Shitenhoji, Zaizen, watching Chitose continuously defend against Akutsu's attacks from the baseline, muttered in confusion, "Senpai hasn't made any more predictions since earlier."
"Huh?"
Kojirō was taken aback for a mont before replying seriously, "Could it be that his [Absolute Prediction] ability only works during his own service ga?"
This statent imdiately gained the agreent of the Shitenhoji team. In their eyes, the reason Chitose hadn't been able to break through and score must be due to this limitation.
"Is that so?"
Shiraishi, however, shook his head.
If Chitose needed his own service ga to make absolute predictions because it required sufficient analysis ti, then this rally had given him plenty of ti to think.
Yet, Chitose still hadn't made a prediction.
"Wait…"
Suddenly, as if realizing sothing, Shiraishi's expression changed. "Could it be… that possibility?"
*Bang!*
At that mont, Akutsu unleashed a powerful drive, scoring a direct point!
"15-0!"
"Nice!!!"
Seeing Akutsu score again, the Hyotei team erupted in cheers.
"Interesting," Atobe remarked with a smile. "It seems Chitose's predictions have failed?"
"Huh?"
The Hyotei team was also puzzled. They couldn't understand why Chitose's *Saikyoku Hado no Kiwami* (Ultimate Limit of Talent and Wisdom) had suddenly stopped working against Akutsu.
"Ryuuzaki-senpai," Oshitari asked curiously, "You must know sothing, right?"
*Whoosh!*
Instantly, everyone's gaze turned in the sa direction. Even Shiraishi and the others from Shitenhoji looked over.
"There are only two possibilities for the prediction to fail," Ryuuzaki explained with a smile under everyone's scrutiny. "Either there's so unknown limitation to the *Saikyoku Hado no Kiwami*, or… Chitose-senpai actually saw the future."
"He saw it?"
Mukahi and Oshitari frowned, not imdiately understanding what Ryuuzaki ant.
"You an…"
However, Oshitari seed to have figured it out, his eyes widening. "Chitose predicted… that he would lose?!"
*Whoosh!*
The mont he said this, everyone's eyes widened in shock.
*Bang!*
As if confirming Ryuuzaki's words, Akutsu's attack once again tore through Chitose's defense, scoring with a flat drive!
"30-0!"
"Ugh…"
On the court, Chitose's expression was grim.
This was the second ti. His predictions and analysis of the future had been obscured by that dark aura again. He couldn't see the possibilities clearly, and an uneasy feeling crept into his heart.
It was as if sothing terrifying was about to happen in the near future!
*Bang!*
"40-0!"
*Bang!*
"Ga!"
"Hyotei's Akutsu, 2-2!"
In the blink of an eye, Akutsu had tied the score.
It seed like both players were taking turns to dominate, each holding their serve.
And in reality, that's exactly what was happening.
In tennis, the player with the serve often holds a slight advantage. When the skill gap isn't too large, the server usually wins the ga.
*Tap!*
*Tap!*
*Tap!*
At the baseline, Chitose lightly bounced the ball.
*Hum!*
As he gripped the ball, the aura of *Saikyoku Hado no Kiwami* enveloped him once more. Waves of energy flowed into his brain, activating it like a high-speed computer.
*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*
Instantly, Chitose's pupils reflected countless possible future scenarios.
Serve, return, volley…
At first, everything seed normal. But when his predictions reached the 50th shot, the images began to distort. The once-clear image of his opponent was now shrouded in a strange black aura.
In that mont, an overwhelming sense of danger washed over him.
*Whoosh!*
All of Chitose's predictions vanished, and his consciousness returned to reality.
"Chitose? Chitose?"
"Huh?"
Chitose looked up in surprise to see the referee addressing him. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"I… I'll serve right away."
Chitose nodded.
He instinctively wiped his forehead, only to find it drenched in sweat.
"Haa…"
Taking a deep breath, Chitose's eyes sharpened. After a deep glance at Akutsu's position, he decisively tossed the ball into the air.
*Bang!*
He unleashed a high-speed spinning serve.
When the ball landed, it mysteriously disappeared upon bouncing.
"It's here!"
The Shitenhoji team cheered. "Chitose's [Divine Hidden Serve]!"
"A disappearing serve?!"
The Hyotei team was shocked. They imdiately thought of Fuji's disappearing serve from Seigaku.
"No," Oshitari corrected. "This serve has even more spin than Fuji's. Without keen insight, it's impossible to see through it!"
*Bang!*
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Akutsu, relying on his sharp animal instincts, predicted the ball's trajectory and smashed it back.
"The Divine Hidden Serve was broken just like that?"
The Shitenhoji team was stunned. They had thought this move would at least secure them a ga, but it was countered in an instant.
*Thud!*
Chitose returned the shot.
The ball disappeared once more after being hit.
"What?!"
The Hyotei team exclaid in surprise. "That move works on regular shots too?!"
*Bang!*
But Akutsu saw through it again.
By now, the gray-white aura around Akutsu was intensifying. As the match progressed, his speed and power were visibly increasing.
*Bang!*
*Thud!*
*Bang!*
*Thud!*
The two engaged in a fierce rally.
Chitose was once again on the back foot, but he didn't give up. Instead, he pushed his *Muga no Kyouchi* (State of Self-Actualization) to its limits.
However, the stronger he beca, the more Akutsu's own aura intensified.
Two opposing forces—one white, one gray—clashed fiercely.
The speed of the rally beca so fast that even Shishido and Oshitari could no longer track the ball.
The match had entered a completely different realm.
*Bang!*
But in the end, the gray-white beastly aura overwheld the radiant light of *Muga*. The ball flew past Chitose and landed with a resounding thud.
"Ga!"
"Hyotei's Akutsu, 3-2! Change sides!"
From this ga onward, Akutsu turned the tide, completely suppressing Chitose.
*Bang!*
"Ga!"
"Hyotei's Akutsu, 4-2!"
*Bang!*
"Ga!"
"Hyotei's Akutsu, 5-2!"
In no ti, Akutsu secured two more gas, pushing Chitose to the brink. However, the top player from Shitenhoji wasn't willing to go down without a fight.
In the final ga, he grew more aggressive, his speed increasing as he abandoned finesse and relied purely on raw power to counter Akutsu.
*Hum!*
On the final point, Chitose's aura surged.
Through the intense battle with Akutsu, his *Muga* had beco more refined, and his strength had grown significantly!
*Whoosh!*
With a mighty swing, Chitose unleashed a fiery drive, the power of which even surpassed Sanada's original [Raging Fire] from the Kanto finals!
"Bring it on!"
Seeing the ferocious shot coming his way, Akutsu's spirit soared. His gray-white aura intensified, and a dark energy began to rge with his beastly mode, deepening the color of his aura.
*Bang!*
In the next mont, Akutsu swung his racket with full force, sending the ball rocketing back.
*Boom!*
The ball slamd into the ground like a cannonball, and before Chitose could react, it shot past him, tearing a hole through the wire fence behind him.
"Ga, set, match!"
The referee announced, "Hyotei Academy's Akutsu Jin wins, 6-2!"
"Haa…"
On the court, Chitose let out a deep sigh, his expression complex as he looked at his opponent.
He had lost.
But the top player from Shitenhoji, one of the two prodigies from Kyushu, accepted his defeat with grace.
He had seen it clearly.
From the third ga onward, this Hyotei player hadn't aid a single shot at his blind spot on the right side.
In a way, Chitose had been given an advantage.
"Is everyone from Hyotei… like this?"
With a quiet sigh, he glanced at Akutsu, whose gray-white aura was slowly fading. Chitose's body relaxed slightly.
As the match ended, the oppressive and dangerous aura surrounding Akutsu had completely dissipated.
"So… what I saw was just a glimpse of a possible future?"
In reality, that terrifying black aura hadn't appeared.
But Chitose was certain that if Akutsu had been pushed to the brink, the beast within him would have fully awakened.
At this thought, Chitose felt even more respect for Ryuuzaki.
"I can't even imagine how he managed to defeat this Akutsu!"
"The third round of matches has now concluded," the referee announced. "Hyotei Academy wins three matches to zero and advances to the next round!"
"Woohoo!!!"
The Hyotei team erupted in cheers, celebrating their advancent to the national semifinals.
They were now one step closer to the pinnacle of high school tennis.
"Hyotei!"
"Hyotei!"
"Hyotei!"
Chanting their school's na, the team's excitent was palpable.
"These guys… are too strong," Shiraishi, the captain of Shitenhoji, sighed. "At this rate, they're the team most likely to claim the national title this year."
"Yeah," Kojirō nodded in agreent.
Only by facing Hyotei could one truly understand the sheer power of this team.
After all, before the match, no one had expected Shitenhoji, the top team from Kansai, to lose three matches in a row.
"Let's go," Coach Watanabe stood up with a smile. "I've already checked us out of the hotel. If we leave now, we can save a lot of money."
"Coach, you cheapskate!" Kojirō quickly intercepted him. "You promised us beef hotpot! You're not backing out now!"
"Huh? Who said anything about beef hotpot? I clearly said we're having plain noodles. You must've misheard."
"No, it was beef hotpot!"
"Plain noodles!"
"Beef hotpot!"
"Plain noodles!"
"Um…"
As the two argued, a timid voice suddenly spoke up.
*Whoosh!*
Everyone turned to look.
There, wearing a leopard-print tank top, the red-haired boy, Kintarō Toyama, pointed at himself and said sheepishly, "My match… hasn't started yet, right?"
"Uh…"
The team was montarily speechless.
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