The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

"Tap tap tap~"

The ball bounced back and forth in Fuji Yuta's hands.

"No matter what, he's a middle school student, also a second-year student... That guy probably isn't any stronger than Echizen Ryoma."

Fuji Yuuta looked up and glanced at the person opposite him:

"I still have a chance, I must win."

He still held great hope, after all, Natsume Tsuki had only shown his skill with one shot.

"Bang!"

The white athletic short-sleeved shirt fluttered as the ball was hit.

"Bang!"

Natsume Tsuki also aimed precisely at the corner.

Fuji Yuuta was initially quite nervous, worried that he would use the same move as before, but seeing that it was just a normal counterattack, he immediately relaxed and suddenly darted to the corner.

Off-site,

"Yes, that's right, Yuta. That kind of special move can't be used indefinitely, can it?"

Guan Yuechu leaned back in her chair, relieved.

"Um?"

Hyotei, however, thought differently.

Especially Ryo Mido, whose brows furrowed again.

He had a deep impression of Natsume Tsukiya from his time in the club, mainly because he had won over all the pretty girls in the club except for those who were loyal fans of Atobe, which made him famous.

For example, the new wife's crown.

Later on, this guy joined a club and occasionally competed. He always fought back and forth with others, and he wouldn't stop until he infuriated his opponent.

That guy has a special characteristic: he seems to be able to learn the opponent's ball skills just by looking at them once.

However, at that time, no one cared about this, always thinking that he could only imitate those weaker skills, until he participated in the school ranking competition...

In addition, there were his prophecies.

Ryo Mido paid special attention to him.

Ryo Mido watched Natsume Tsukiya's performance in the recent ranking matches dozens of times.

"That's right, in that match against Atobe, that guy Tsukiya deliberately feigned weakness to mislead Atobe..."

Having made up his mind, Mido Ryo finally spoke, saying:

"That's a trap."

Inoue Mamoru looked bewildered: "A trap?"

Chotaro Ootori chimed in, "Mido-senpai, what do you mean by saying it's a trap?"

Inoue Mamoru listened attentively.

"Do you remember the school ranking tournament?"

"Yukiya is the best at Hyotei, so what?"

"..." Inoue Mamoru.

"That guy, in the match against Atobe, he could have easily countered, but..." The scene flashed through Ryo Mido's mind.

"You mean, Tsuki deliberately revealed a flaw?" Ootori Chotaro looked towards the arena.

Yuushi Oshitari said shrewdly:

"He deliberately created a false impression for his opponent, just to land that one move."

The entire Hyotei team looked towards the center of the court, but Inoue Mamoru became even more curious. Was this a video of an internal match at Hyotei?

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle~"

The tennis ball spun wildly on the racket, constantly rubbing against the net strings with a loud thud. Fuji Yuta gritted his teeth, his arm trembling, "Such force."

The force of that shot was as heavy as a lead ball, which surprised him greatly.

Even the racket made a snapping sound.

"Bang!"

Fuji Yuta took a deep breath and used all his strength to strike into the air.

"It's a high-lob shot!"

Someone pointed to the sky and shouted loudly.

Yuta Fuji hadn't expected that if he could hit the heavy ball back, it would be even heavier. But the ball rolled to the edge of the racket, causing the center of gravity to shift, and he had no choice but to hit a high lob.

Natsume Tsuki had already anticipated this, and with a large stride, he leaped into the air.

"So tall!"

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

"They're here!" Ryo Mido said, then looked intently at the arena.

"Bang!"

"Tap~ Tap tap~"

Two distinct voices were heard, one from the front and one from the back.

Fuji Yuta suddenly felt his arm go numb, and the racket in his hand was knocked away by that powerful and precise force.

Before he could react, the guy opposite him took another big step and leaped high into the air, casting a shadow that enveloped Fuji Yuta.

"That guy, that expression..." Fuji Yuta looked up, feeling inexplicably sad. The look of smug satisfaction on that guy's face, as if he had everything under control, was something every tennis player longed for but could never achieve.

"Snapped!"

The loud bang blasted into my eardrums.

The lemon-colored tennis ball flashed through my pupils like a tram at night.

The guy opposite him also landed, raised his chin, looked at Fuji Yuta himself, and then looked at the ball.

Damn it!

Fuji Yuta was furious but couldn't vent it.

It was agreed before the match that it would end in fifteen minutes...

"A waltz towards destruction!"

"Score!"

"Very good."

"..."

Amidst the uproar and commotion, the referee announced the score.

Guan Yuechu's mood fluctuated, and he became restless, gritting his teeth as he watched Natsume Tsukiya in the arena:

"How could that guy know Atobe Keigo's ultimate move, the Waltz Towards Destruction..."

As an intelligence gatherer, Kanzuki had compiled a list of the signature moves of the top players from various schools. Atobe Keigo's aerial signature move and his line, "Don't get too caught up in my amazing ball skills," left a deep impression on him.

The other guy, a second-year student, can actually...

Ootori Chotaro: "Mido-senpai, is this what you're talking about?"

Ryoichi Mido:

"Intentionally feign weakness, let the opponent hit a high lob, then use Atobe's signature move to deliver a fatal blow."

Inoue Mamoru kept turning his head and hurriedly said:

"Wait, you mean that's Atobe's signature move?"

Ootori Chotaro: "That's right, that's Atobe's signature move."

"Also, what does it mean to deliberately appear weak?"

Inoue Mamoru was deeply shocked. As a professional tennis journalist, he knew very well that replicating a signature move was extremely difficult; signature moves almost became everyone's trademark. For example, Ryoma Echizen's topspin shot was always described in newspaper reports as the work of a genius who could hit topspin shots...

Unexpectedly, this captain of Hyotei is not only a second-year student, but also knows the special technique of the former captain. This is a bit scary for other schools. Do they have to face two Atobes at the same time?

Yuushi Oshitari replied:

"The biggest difference between our minister and Atobe is that Atobe waits for the opportunity, or rather creates the opportunity, to lure the opponent into hitting a high lob, while he forcibly creates high lobs."

"What do you mean by forcibly creating a high-reaching ball?" Inoue Mamoru asked in astonishment.

"In other words, regardless of whether the opponent wanted to or not, they had to hit a high lob ball on that last shot. That's our captain," Yuushi Oshitari continued.

He was quite certain of that.

After all, I personally fought that guy during the competition.

"Did you hear? That guy actually used Atobe Keigo's signature move."

"Really? That's terrifying."

"So, wouldn't St. Rudolph's second-year students be facing off against the opposing minister?"

......

Various voices rose and fell.

Ryo Mido heard this and thought to himself:

"Idiot, that's our minister!"