The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

Chapter 108

"Hey, Nakamura, we can actually accept losing."

Nakamura, the tense liaison officer, was still telling the two members of the US West Coast team to stop joking when he heard the sponsor's voice.

He froze for a moment, then stammered, confused, "Wh...what?"

But I felt much more relaxed.

To everyone's surprise, the sponsor's face turned cold, and he said, "However, we cannot accept that the team you valued lost the entire match without winning a single game. Do you understand?"

"ah...

Nakamura was dumbfounded and looked towards the center of the field, hoping for a miracle.

Genichiro Sanada stared at the screen, thinking to himself, "Atobe actually has that kind of reaction ability. It seems I should be even more careful."

He paused, turned his head to glance at Natsume Tsukiya, and thought to himself, "However, why does it feel like he was prepared beforehand? With that kind of hitting speed, he shouldn't have had enough time."

On the sidelines, Hanamura Aoi was quite certain: "Billy's ability to intercept the Waltz of Destruction in mid-air was something he had already rehearsed in his mind. And Atobe has never seen Billy Casey's aerial interception before, so how did he manage to react like that? It must be related to his meeting with Natsume before the match. He's really an amazing guy."

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"

Billy Casey swung his racket, internally vowing, "I absolutely cannot lose, especially not so miserably, like a clown, not having won a single game so far. Absolutely not!"

"Bang!"

A ball was suddenly swung out.

"I'm used to it."

Keigo Atobe shouted, "Someone's power is a hundred times greater than yours!"

His words aroused a wave of doubt among the crowd.

"Bang!"

Both sides fought hard.

Billy Casey thought to himself, "I'm not reconciled. I don't believe that all my special skills have been countered by that guy from the Kanto team."

Unwilling to give up, Billy Casey suddenly unleashed another high lob.

"Bang!"

Atobe Keigo showed no mercy, delivering a powerful jump attack.

"Bang!"

"Thirty to forty!"

"My ultimate move actually doesn't work on him?" Billy Casey was utterly bewildered.

Atobe Keigo, on the other hand, was extremely pleased.

"duce!"

"Sanada Atobe is in the lead!"

"Don't be ridiculous, we can't even win a single game."

"What are those two idiots doing? If this continues, our sponsors will be very unhappy. They're absolutely stupid."

"Match ended! Genichiro Sanada and Keigo Atobe won, score 6-0!!!"

The referee's voice was broadcast throughout the stadium, and a series of low gasps of surprise rang out.

"How could this happen? The American West Coast team lost 0-6?"

"Does this mean that the US Western Naval Force is all show and no substance?"

"However, regardless, our Kanto team still won, and it was a beautiful victory!"

"How could this happen? We actually lost!" Billy Casey screamed, grabbing his head in a frenzy. "My God, this can't be real."

He looked towards the stands, where the goddess Stephanie had only a flat, indifferent face, devoid of any emotion. This time, she was truly in trouble.

"Billy!" Mike Lee reminded him.

The two walked to the center of the field, facing the two members of the Kanto team.

Billy Casey looked at Atobe Keigo in disbelief and asked, "How could this be? How could you?"

"How could I?"

Keigo Atobe stated without any hesitation, "Because we have a god-like figure in our team, it was destined that you would lose the match."

"hateful!!!"

Billy Casey wasn't angry about losing the match, but rather about not being able to showcase his skills. Whether it was the shotgun volley or the rope serve, these were moments where he could display his charisma, yet his opponent completely shut him down...

This match showed absolutely no sign of their fighting spirit...

Billy Cassie's goddess left her seat, and Billy Cassie immediately chased after her, calling out, "Stephanie?"

"Let's not meet anymore. I don't like people who only talk big..."

"No..." Billy Kessie felt like the sky had fallen.

"Very good, you did a great job."

Hanamura Aoi praised, "The first game really set the tone for us. Six to zero, that's a number that's very appealing."

"Of course..."

While they were still celebrating, things were already in chaos on the American West Coast team's side.

"You two idiots, what on earth are you doing? You didn't get a single point!"

Richard said, "How are we going to explain this to our wealthy patrons?"

"I'm sorry, Boss!"

The two bowed and apologized.

lounge:

Tom Griffith: "Those two were absolutely terrible; they didn't get a single point."

Terry Griffith: "Brother is right. Mike and Billy, not only can't they win, but they also got a zero. It's really outrageous."

"The next match will be the doubles game between the US West Coast team and the Kanto team. Players, please prepare yourselves!"

Tom Griffith: "Let's go, the doubles is still up to us."

"That's right!"

"Hmph, you better not lose," Kevin Smith said.

Tom Griffith laughed and said, "Kevin, you'd better not take your anger out on us."

"Shout!" Kevin Smith turned his head.

"Now, let's announce the starting lineups for both teams' doubles teams: Tom Griffith and Terry Griffith for the American West team, and Ryo Mido and Chotaro Ootori for the Kanto team!"

The stadium erupted in cheers after the lineup was announced.

"Tom Terry, we chartered a plane just to come see you!"

"Tom, Terry, you guys keep it up!"

"Mr. Baker."

"What is it, Mr. Nakamura?" Richard asked coldly.

Nakamura: "Mr. Baker, as you probably know, this sponsorship involves tens of millions of dollars. Most of the sponsors need a victory; they have many options. Only a small portion aren't so fixated on winning. The main reason they chose to partner with you is because your team consists of star players. If you can't win a single game, you'll lose sponsors in the domestic market. So, no matter what, you absolutely must win the next game, otherwise I won't be able to explain to our sponsors..."

"Don't worry, there's absolutely no problem. The last match was just to test the opponent's strength."

Richard made all sorts of excuses for himself.

The two talked for quite a while.

Nakamura could only secretly pray that he wouldn't lose too badly. Sports business is always linked to physical health, not to fans, because this is a competitive sport, and its market is always the average person, not a fan base...

After Nakamura left, Richard sighed heavily. He knew that his star-studded team had the most female fans among the Tom and Terry Griffith brothers, but those fans only liked their looks; their purchases of rackets and sports equipment were merely a side effect of their affection for the two brothers...

This contradicts the sports business environment that sponsors want to create.

Richard said to the Griffith brothers, Terry and Tom, "You need to come back with a 100% victory. We could have followed the script, winning one game and losing the other to stir up the crowd's emotions. After all, you're not just ordinary players; you're an all-star team. But right now, the sponsors seem very dissatisfied with the previous game's result and need a victory to restore their confidence. We have to do everything to please the sponsors, understand?"

"Yes, Boss!"

The two said in unison, "We will definitely bring back the victory in this match."

"Very good!" Richard praised.

"Senior Mido, I never thought we'd be standing here one day."

Ootori Chotaro sighed.

Ryo Mido said, "Chōtarō, what do you mean?"

Chotaro Ootori said, "Mido-senpai, before the club captain participated in the school ranking tournament, our strength was far behind others, right?"

"That's right," Ryo Mido replied after thinking for a moment.

"So many people participated in this training camp, including Rikkai University and other schools like Seigaku, but very few of them made it onto the national team. Yet we were able to stand here."

"That's right!"

The two of them looked at Natsume Tsukiya sitting outside the arena.

"Chōtarō".

"Um.

"let's go!"

"yes!

The two walked towards the coach's bench.

The other side was already in an uproar, after all, Tom Griffith and Terry Griffith were star players who had captivated a large number of female viewers.

"coach!"

Ryo Meido and Chotaro Ootori stood in front of Aoi Hanamura.

Hanamura Aoi turned to Natsume Tsukiya: "What do you mean?"

The woman's eyes held a hint of infatuation.

"Beat them to a pulp, don't hold back, finish this as quickly as possible."

"Twelve words," Hanamura Aoi said, moving her fingers. "That's it!"

The two nodded and turned around.

Hanamura Aoi: "In your opinion, how strong is the opponent?"

"These two are not weak, but they are not strong either," Natsume Tsuki also said.

"The doubles match between the US West Coast team and the Kanto team is now starting. Tom Griffith of the US West Coast team serves."

The referee has finished making his announcement.

Tom Griffith, holding the ball: "It's going in!"

"Yes!" Terry Griffith nodded.

"Thump!" Tom Griffith tossed the ball up, thinking to himself, "I have to win!"

"!"

Game: Mido Ootori, Score: 1-0!

Eiji Kikumaru: "Hyotei's Mido and Ootori, what a sharp fighting style."

Sadaharu Inui: "That's right, the two of them have become stronger after the intensive training."

Satoshi Horio: "Great, we've taken the first game."

"Tom!"

"Terry, my poor Terry."

Nakamura: "What's going on, Mr. Baker? I made it very clear that we have to win, so why are you acting so weak and helpless?"

Hanamura Aoi also found it a bit strange, saying, "The opponent doesn't seem as strong as we imagined."

Natsume Tsuki remained silent, not because the opponent was too weak, but because he had forcibly increased the strength of his own team.

He came into this world, joined Hyotei, and participated in the competition...

What must be experienced will be experienced, including this game right now; that cannot be changed.

He knows every single detail too well.

So while others were still taking things one step at a time, he had already thought ahead, including the U17 training camp, the World Championships, and so on.

If you can win, then why lose?

"One ball into the soul!"

Ootori Chotaro started throwing the ball.

"Here it comes, it's a one-ball wonder!" The Kanto side was extremely excited.

"Bang!"

Explosions were made.

Tom Griffith and Terry Griffith were completely bewildered by the situation: "What was that serve?!"

From the stands: "It seems that the Kanto delegation also has some good players."

"For local endorsements, it seems like we could also find a representative from the Kanto region."

Nakamura listened intently, inwardly screaming, "This is really bad. That was a multi-million dollar deal, Mr. Baker, what were you thinking?"

Game: Mido Ootori Chotaro, Score: 2-0.

Ryo Mido and Chotaro Ootori quickly won the second game.

Then came the third and fourth games.

Richard was stunned, unable to believe it: "What on earth is going on? How could the Kanto team be so strong, completely overwhelming us..."

Billy Casey: "It seems that even the handsome twin brothers can't withstand the sharp attacks of the Kanto team."

Mike Lee: "Those two have such great teamwork that it's almost as good as the twin brothers. It's really a bit scary."

Kevin Smith frowned: "What's going on? I've challenged all the schools in Kanto, and none of them are any good, but this team seems to have an invincible squad."

Billy Casey: "Kevin, you don't need to be confused. After all, the national team is selected from the strongest people in the entire Kanto region, so it's naturally different from what you're facing."

Kevin Smith: "I don't care who they are, I'm going to crush them all..."

Inside the stadium, fans unfurled banners to cheer them on.

"Tom, keep it up!"

"Go Terry! I'll support you no matter what."

However, the two players from Hyotei played such a cool style that they gave their opponents no chance and completely dominated them, which made the more passersby in the scene excited and instantly drowned out the voices of the fans.

The sponsors all shook their heads.

"Thirty to zero!"

"40 to 0!"

"Game: Mido Ootori Chotaro, score 5-0!"

Richard could no longer sit still.

The fans were very emotional and cried, but the number of fans of the two individuals was ultimately limited and could hardly overshadow the ordinary people who came to cheer for the local children.

He couldn't help but be nervous.

Nakamura was filled with despair, thinking to himself, "Mr. Baker, we're finished now. In the Kanto region, parents take their children's sports events very seriously; they won't support you just because you're a star team..."

"Very good, continue, let's win the match," Natsume Tsukiya instructed.

The level of importance this place places on sporting events has reached an astonishing degree.

Natsume Tsuki also remembers the scene at the Hakone Ekiden this January. The sponsors' "GG" signs almost covered the entire track, and the TV screen was mostly filled with "GG" signs. Parents were also busy running around...

For tennis, corporate sponsorship accounts for the majority of sponsorships. The Atobe Keigo family, the Niizuma Hokan family, and various large and small companies are all sponsors of various events.

Richard's approach was widely promoted by leveraging the training of many Kanto players at the West Coast Tennis Center, but if they couldn't win or suffered a crushing defeat, then his approach wouldn't work.

"Bang!"

"Match ended! Ryo Mido and Chotaro Ootori won, score 6-0!"

This result instantly brought the atmosphere at the scene to a climax.

"Are the players on the Kanto team that good?"

"Hmm, they look just as good as the US West Coast team."

"Perhaps the US West Coast team is just not very good."

"However, I heard from the news that the US West Coast team is even stronger than last year's national team."