The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

"Deuce!"

The referee stretched out his hand and indifferently announced the score.

This is the scene of the national tournament qualifiers, held at the Kakimakura Tennis Park, featuring Hyotei vs. Ochi Minamikawa.

Since this is Hyotei's first match, all five matches must be played.

The match between Hyotei's Natsume Tsukiya and Ochi Minamikawa's captain Oda has been going on for over an hour.

In the previous four matches, Hyotei crushed the opponents with a score of 6-0 across the board. Only this last match remains, a singles match against their number one player.

This match was quite grueling for Oda, who was number 7 in Zone A. In the first round, he defeated number 8, Tsuboyama Kamisui, 4-1, which greatly boosted Oda's confidence.

In the second round, Ochi Minamigawa faced Fukawa Middle School, who had crushed them 5-0 to advance. Ochi Minamigawa advanced with a score of 3-2 and faced their biggest rival, Hyotei Academy, who had received a bye for the previous two rounds.

Hyotei Academy was a seeded team last year, and their strength is beyond doubt.

Ochi Minami was stunned by four 6-0 defeats right from the start. If it weren't for the fact that they had to finish five matches, Captain Oda would have stopped playing long ago.

There was no other way but to bite the bullet and go on stage.

The guy standing opposite me was named Natsume Tsukiya. I heard he was a second-year substitute at Hyotei Academy. I thought I would be crushed, but I didn't expect that his strength was about the same as mine.

What's most infuriating is that the guy's fighting style is exactly the same as mine, a complete copy of myself. The whole match felt like I was fighting against myself. Just when I was about to win, he managed to tie the game.

Is that guy all he can do to imitate other people's ball skills?

Oda, the protagonist of Ochi Minamigawa Middle School, went from complete despair at the beginning, to nervously taking the stage and dealing with the situation carefully, to regaining confidence and seeing victory in sight, and finally gradually becoming irritable, his emotions falling into another extreme.

"Bang!"

After another fierce battle.

The last ball grazed past Oda's outstretched racket.

"Game Ice King, seven games to five!"

After the referee announced the decision again, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn it!"

Oda, the author of "Ochi Minamigawa," slammed his racket to the ground, gritted his teeth, knelt down, and said indignantly:

"I was so close, so close to beating him! I'm not reconciled to losing to someone who can only imitate other people's skills!"

"What kind of guy are you referring to?"

With his racket held horizontally at his waist, Natsume Tsuki stood nimbly in front of Oda, looking down at him and asking questions.

Oda looked up and saw him grinning broadly. Perhaps the battle just now had given him confidence, and he roared at Natsume Tsukiya:

"It's the kind of guy like you who only knows how to imitate others. If you're so capable, have a fair fight with me and defeat me with my ultimate move. What kind of person are you?"

"I win!"

Natsume Tsukiya tilted his head back with a handsome air, paused, turned and left, waving behind him:

"I'm just proving that your special move lost to you, not that it was useless!"

"Damn it, are you saying I'm useless?" Oda gritted his teeth.

"I didn't say that," Natsume Tsuki also said loudly, "It's just a fact."

"Hmph." Atobe Keigo snorted coldly and said, "Natsume, isn't that why you can't be selected as a regular member?"

"Atobe, don't try to lecture me. A regular player?"

Natsume Tsukiya said without any fear:

"It all depends on my mood. If I'm in a bad mood, I can defeat all of you and become the king of Hyotei anytime."

"Hahaha, don't get too caught up in your own fantasies." Atobe Keigo laughed, pressing two fingers to his forehead.

Natsume Tsukiya also gave a slight smile.

He was an anime fan who stayed up all night watching "The Prince of Tennis." One night, he bumped his head and woke up to find himself in this world, as a guy named Natsume Tsukiya.

It also possesses a special skill: the ability to perfectly replicate someone else's talent.

In The Prince of Tennis, there are many characters who can copy other people's skills.

Hyotei Kabaji Takahiro could copy an opponent's skills with just a glance, such as Tezuka Ward, but unfortunately he couldn't copy experience, knowledge, or physical attributes.

Rikkai University's Niou Masaharu uses Niou Phantom + Synchro to copy all special moves up to his own physical abilities, but the copied skills may be weaker than the originals.

After reaching the state of selflessness, Echizen Ryoma of Seigaku was able to copy everyone's moves, making them even more powerful, as demonstrated in the National Tournament against Yukimura Seiichi of Rikkai University.

Ryoga Echizen can not only copy, but also permanently steal his opponent's skills, making them unable to use the original skills. By fighting against his opponent, he can rewrite their muscle memory, thus preventing them from using their special techniques.

And that guy from Shonan High School...

Natsume Tsukiya is the type who gets stronger the stronger his opponent is, always being one percent better than his opponent.

Having acquired this unique skill, Natsume Tsuki considered many schools before finally deciding to join Hyotei Academy.

There is no other reason.

I just found it interesting.

Shintaro of Hyotei repeatedly asked him privately for his opinion on becoming a regular member of Hyotei, but he always said to wait and see. This year, he decided to become a regular member of Hyotei, to first test his skills against the regulars of Hyotei, and then participate in the National Tournament to test his skills against Seigaku's Echizen Ryoma, Fuji Syusuke, Tezuka Kunimitsu, Rikkai's Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichiro, and others.

After the national tournament, it will be interesting to have another match with those arrogant guys from the training camp. It would be fun to see two people with the same moves facing off on the field.

In short, Natsume Tsuki was quite relaxed, since his moves were always one percent stronger than his opponent's.

It becomes stronger when faced with a strong opponent.

The opponent was weaker, which made Natsume Tsuki also appear weaker.

For example, in the match against Ochi Minamikawa, the other players on Hyotei basically dominated with their serves, ending the game quickly with a score of 6-0, while he fought for more than an hour.

It's not that he's limited by his skills; he could defeat them at any time and end the battle within fifteen minutes. He just enjoys fighting his opponents, and the more arrogant they are, the more disgusted Natsume Tsuki becomes.

Therefore, many people underestimate him, such as Ogawa, Chikabayashi, Kaita, Kenkazu, and Takiginosuke from the Hyotei junior team.

There's also Hiyoshi Waka, this guy who's always trying to defy his superiors. Last year, he was defeated by Natsume Tsukiya, who copied his ancient martial arts style, Seiryu Hakko Suzaku Genbu. He still holds a grudge against Natsume Tsukiya.

As the entire Hyotei team prepared to board a luxury bus to return to school, a duo of reporters from a youth tennis professional monthly magazine walked towards them.

"Hello, Atobe, I am Inoue Mamoru, who interviewed you before."

A middle-aged man in a plaid shirt, carrying a camera, stepped forward, introduced himself, and looked around:

"I heard today was Hyotei's first major tournament of the year, but it's already over?"

"Mr. Inoue, you're late. I never wait for anyone."

Keigo Atobe has always been self-centered, showing no respect to anyone, let alone being courteous.

"Inoue-senpai, these are the results of today's match in Zone A."

Inoue Mamoru's assistant, Shiba Saori, ran over and handed over the form.

"Oh, Hyotei's results are pretty good. They started with a 5-0 score, just like Seigaku, who are also seeded teams," Inoue Mamoru remarked after watching the game.

"Hmph, Seigaku," Atobe Keigo said coldly, "Our Hyotei's only rival is Rikkai."

"Atobe, it's because you're so arrogant that Hyotei has always only managed to come in second place in the Kanto region," Natsume Tsuki said to Atobe with a grin, staring at Shiba Saori.

"Natsume, shut up! This year, I'm going to defeat those guys and lead Hyotei to the national championship!" Atobe Keigo said ambitiously.

"I dare say, Hyotei will lose the Metropolitan Tournament championship this year under your leadership." Natsume Tsuki stared at Shiba Saori, making her skin crawl.

"Natsume, what are you saying?" Taki Oginosuke, a staunch supporter of Atobe Keigo in the group, said indignantly.

"Hahaha, what a joke. There has only ever been one champion in the tournament, and that is Hyotei." Atobe Keigo said dismissively.

"Miss Shiba Saori, hello. I'm Natsume Tsukiya, the ace of Hyotei. Let's have tea sometime."

Natsume Tsukiya ignored Atobe Keigo and walked straight toward Shiba Saori.

"..." Shiba Saori was stunned.