The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

"..."

Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata locked eyes, their pupils filled with astonishment.

"What's going on with those two guys?"

Dongfang Yamei could no longer hold back and spoke up.

The two worked together flawlessly, making them both very proud. However, the two from Hyotei were like a wall, an insurmountable wall of water.

No matter how perfectly Yamabuki's team coordinated their attacks, those two, those two silent men, could always accurately retaliate.

Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata could sense that their opponent seemed unwilling to attack or something, and was only relentlessly counterattacking.

In the stadium,

The Hyotei duo fell silent, so silent that even their breathing seemed to have become still.

Only the sounds of footsteps and the ball hitting the shuttlecock remained.

This feeling,

This was the first time that Kentaro Minami and Masami Higashikata had experienced this.

......

"Hey, Ban-suke, what's going on with those two from Hyotei?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi leaned forward, gripping the checkered net with both hands, and asked Banta Mikiya, whose arms were crossed, in a low voice. It was not hard to hear the conflicted doubt in his voice.

"Um?"

Banta Mikiya's deep, smiling brows furrowed in thought, and the heavy tone in his throat seemed to echo Sengoku Kiyosumi's words, yet also to reveal his own confusion. After a long silence, he finally spoke:

"Sengoku, what do you think these two look like right now?"

"....."

Sengoku Kiyosumi looked at the two people in the arena. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, yet their steps remained steady. Their faces showed no anxiety for victory, but their eyes were filled with unwavering determination. He paused for a moment, then blurted out:

"A calm fire?!"

After speaking, he subconsciously looked at the two people in the room.

"To be able to achieve this level, their coach is truly extraordinary."

In Banta Mikiya's eyes, the two were like two vortexes in the same aura, intertwined. He glanced at Shintaro and said:

"Simply focusing on defense doesn't seem like a sign of our strength reaching this level; it's more like we're pursuing something unseen by others. Ironically, our players are gradually becoming restless because of this calm..."

Banta glanced at Akutsu casually, only to see him lean in, gripping the netting so tightly it rattled. "You old geezer, this is the interesting thing you were talking about?"

"....."

Banta Mikiya was taken aback; clearly, this wasn't it. However, it was a pleasant surprise, and he smiled:

"Akuzu, is there only one kind of footstep sound on the court?!"

What surprised Akutsu was this: at first, he could hear four feet running, but gradually, no matter how hard he listened, he could only hear one person's footsteps. Moreover, the two from Hyotei were as calm as water, as profound as still water, which embodied Akutsu's desire to fight.

"Hmph~" Akutsu could only snort disdainfully in the face of Banta Mikiya's precise question.

"Bang!"

The bouncing yellow light hit the sideline, refracted at an angle, and grazed Dongfang Yamei's racket.

Dongfang Yamei looked up in surprise, only to see that the two people opposite her were unusually quiet, with no extra emotion flowing through them, as if they were completely absorbed in their fight.

Dongfang Yamei suddenly felt that all her secret codes seemed to have become mere tricks and gimmicks...

The Yamabuki duo had already lost their rhythm due to the state of Mido Ryo and Ootori Chotaro.

"Bang!"

"Game Hyōtei, one game to Love!"

"Bang!"

"Game, Hyokui, five games to two!"

"Bang!"

"Match over! Hyotei wins, score 6-2!"

Yamabuki's Masami Higashikata and Kentaro Minami stood sweating in the middle of the field, listening to the referee's ruling, but they didn't care about the result. They just looked at the two people opposite them with surprise in their eyes.

"That aura on them has disappeared," Dongfang Yamei said calmly.

Kentaro Minami nodded:

"How strange, how could this be?"

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with allure.

"....."

"I'm sorry, my partner."

The two turned to look at Ryo Mido and Chotaro Ootori, who were walking towards Hyotei's camp, and apologized to Mikiya Banta.

"These two..."

Banta Mikiya's gaze also fell on the two men, and for a moment he couldn't find the words to criticize the match.

"Great, we won!"

The members of the Hyotei camp jumped up and cheered loudly, looking up at their teammates.

"As expected of Ootori and Mido, they won the match with ease."

"With this, Hyotei has secured two wins. They only need one more to win the game!"

.......

As Ryo listened to the club members talking about how relaxed things were, he frowned slightly. Only the two of them knew the real situation, and he couldn't help but refute them in his heart:

"It wasn't that easy at all. Those two guys on the other side were perfectly coordinated, and we couldn't use our special moves. It's all thanks to Natsume's synchronization training, otherwise, who knows how this match would have turned out..."

"minister!"

The two of them came together in front of Natsume Tsukiya, like victorious warriors paying homage to the emperor.

Ootori Chōtarō stumbled and almost collapsed, but luckily, Oshitari Yūshi next to him helped him up.

Yuushi Oshitari was instantly surprised. The two who seemed so calm were now so exhausted.

He couldn't understand.

Natsume Tsukiya smiled slightly.

The kind of synchronization he trains through breathing techniques is different from the Seigaku Golden Combination, so it's naturally very tiring at first.

Although you don't need to use your extra energy and emotions on receiving serves, you have to consciously keep in step with your partner. Catching the rhythm is a mentally taxing task. You don't feel it when you're playing against each other, but once you return to normal, that feeling of stepping out of a dream suddenly comes over you.

Only through continuous training can one master it.

Therefore, Natsume Tsuki wasn't worried at all.

They asked someone to help the two of them to the side to rest.

Shintaro turned his head, full of doubt. Why were these two acting like this?

"It seems that it wasn't the other coach's doing." Banta Mikiya immediately came to this conclusion after seeing Natsume Tsukiya's mouth keep talking.

"Sengoku, you need to be careful about the other side's captain," Banta Mikiya instructed Sengoku Kiyosumi.

"The other side's minister?" Sengoku Kiyosumi looked towards the other side.

Just then, Atobe Keigo reached out and grabbed the racket next to him, and stood up.

Inoue Mamoru quickly pressed the shutter: "Hyotei's Atobe is on the court."

"I didn't expect Atobe to take the stage so early. That's quite surprising."

Kagemoto Hajime somehow found himself next to Inoue Mamoru, tugging at his bangs and saying:

"If we win this match, Yamabuki will be eliminated."

Inoue Mamoru was taken aback. Yamabuki Junior High School, led by Banta Mikiya, was a regular team in the national tournament. It would be quite surprising if they lost the first match of the Kanto Tournament this year.

"However, the first match of the Kanto Tournament has to go the full five games. As Hyotei's number one singles player, Natsume Tsukiya will face Yamabuki's Kiyosumi Sengoku in this match..."

Looking at the list, Inoue Mamoru wondered what would happen, as Natsume Tsuki had defeated Atobe Keigo and Sengoku Kiyosumi had participated in the youth selection.

He wasn't quite sure.

"The singles match between Hyotei Academy and Yamabuki Middle School, number three, is about to begin. Please prepare yourselves."

The sound came from the loudspeaker.

Yamabuki Junior High School erupted in uproar.

"Muromachi went from being number two in singles to number three, can he handle it?"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I think it's possible, if it's Muromachi."

"That depends on the situation. We've lost our winning doubles match. If we lose this one too, we're out of contention."

"I never expected Hyotei to be this strong."

"Isn't that obvious? Although Hyotei lost to Fudomine, their regular players are very strong."

.....

"What should we do, Akutsu-senpai?"

Tan Taichi, a first-year student, was the most anxious. He clenched his fists, trying to find some comfort in the tall and strong Akutsu.

"snort!"

"Akuzu-senpai, if we lose this match, Yamabuki won't be able to compete this year."

Tan Taiichi said earnestly.

"So what if we lost?"

Akutsu didn't care much, but his eyes were fixed on the opposing camp.

"Atobe, Atobe, Atobe!"

The shouts from Hyotei were deafening.

Keigo Atobe, holding his racket, stood tall on the platform, thoroughly enjoying the cheers of the crowd.

"despair!"

A crisp snap erupted from his fingertips, eliciting a collective "Oh!" from everyone. After the snap, Atobe Keigo pointed his racket at the court, chin raised, and said:

"The winner is me."

When narcissism reaches its extreme, it can be quite startling.

Cheers erupted again.

Yamabuki, on the other side, was dumbfounded.

"It's Atobe, it's actually Atobe?"

"Has the other side already sent their minister?"

"We're doomed, it's the other side's Atobe Keigo."

"Muromachi is no match for him."

......

"Hey, Master?" someone called out.

Banta Mikiya really didn't expect that the opponent would send Atobe Keigo as the third singles player.

"Hey, Atobe, the other team is the runner-up in the Kanto Metropolitan Tournament."

Natsume Tsukiya stood at an even higher vantage point, looking down at Atobe Keigo, and smiled:

"Don't you dare embarrass Hyotei!"

Keigo Atobe, gripping his racket and radiating an air of indignation, walked toward the court, but stopped in his tracks upon hearing Tsukiya Natsume's words.

"I'm going to beat the runner-up!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

"Atobe of Hyotei is so arrogant, he doesn't take Yamabuki seriously at all."

"Yeah, Yamabuki is the runner-up team in this tournament, and they also have a national-level player like Kiyosumi Sengoku."

"Atobe Keigo, he really is..."

. . . . .

Yamabuki, on the other hand, was completely stunned.

Akutsu snorted.

On the court, Keigo Atobe continued to walk around.

He had accumulated a lot of fighting spirit in his heart. Ever since he was defeated by Natsume Tsukiya, he had started his path of evolution. He had never had the opportunity to show his strength. Now, although he was not satisfied with the position of fighting three people in a single battle, it was still an opportunity to show his strength.

Muromachi Juuji, a second-year student at Yamabuki Junior High School, felt a little wary when he saw Atobe Keigo for the first time, but kept reassuring himself:

"He only started school a year earlier than me, Atobe from Hyotei, I might not necessarily lose..."

Inoue Morinori glanced at Natsume Tsukiya and thought to himself:

"Atobe was suspended for a period of time by Natsume Tsukiya, and now he's being arranged to play singles number three. Is this to end this match and send Hyotei to the next round?"

The two stood at opposite ends of the court.

Atobe Keigo's haughty demeanor made Muromachi Jutsuki feel uneasy, and a thought involuntarily arose in his mind: how about defying fate?

Before the battle even began, a sense of defeat was already creeping into my heart.

Atobe Keigo didn't care about any of that; he just waited for the referee's announcement.

"Both sides choose sides."

The referee gestured for the two players to come to the net.

"The other way around!"

Keigo Atobe spoke first, a wild smile playing on his lips.

Whirring whirring!

The racket spun in Muromachi Juji's hand and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Hyotei Atobe Keigo serves!"

The referee announced.

"Don't you dare go easy on me, or I'll be unhappy."

Keigo Atobe, carrying his racket with a wicked grin, walked away, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled.

"Please...please release the water?"

Muromachi Juji was completely dumbfounded. As a contestant who loved collecting information, he knew a lot about famous figures like Atobe Keigo.

Atobe Keigo was also a victorious general in the Kanto region, and many skilled fighters had fallen to him.

Now he's telling himself not to release water?

Atobe Keigo didn't care about any of that and walked straight towards the back of the field.

"Is Atobe driven crazy by the suspension?"

Yuushi Oshitari began to speak:

"Now that he finally has someone to vent his anger on, how could he possibly let him go?"

These words sent chills down everyone's spines, and they couldn't help but look at Yamabuki with pity.

"Tap tap tap!"

Keigo Atobe exudes a sharp and powerful aura; his aggressiveness can be felt from a great distance.

The tennis ball was compressed and bounced in his hands.

Then, it was suddenly thrown into the air.

Muromachi lowered his body ten times, concentrating intently.

"Bang!"

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle!"

A brief sound of impact, followed by the hissing sound of gliding along the side.

"What?"

Muromachi Juji suddenly turned his head, and a yellow light, trailing crimson sparks, passed by his feet.

"Fifteen Love!"

"Is that Atobe from Hyotei?"

"So strong."

"I didn't even see the ball's trajectory."

"Yamabuki seems to be in a completely different league from him."

......

"That Atobe guy has definitely been busy lately; you can tell from that shot."

As Atobe Keigo's teammate for three years, Oshitari Yuushi calmly analyzed the situation, and the Hyotei members agreed, nodding in agreement.

Given Atobe Keigo's personality, he wouldn't sit idly by and wait for his doom.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

One ball after another, like cannonballs, fiercely rammed into Muromachi's stadium.

Muromachi could only stand there, stunned, and endure Atobe Keigo's wrath.

"How could this happen? Muromachi-senpai... he was completely defenseless," Tan Taichi said sadly.

"Hmph, Atobe of Hyotei," Akutsu scoffed.

"Change court!"

Soon it was time for the hair replacement.

"Calm down, calm down!"

Muromachi kept encouraging himself.

"Bang!"

A ball is thrown towards Keigo Atobe's stadium.

Atobe Keigo raised his racket at the same time.

"Bang!"

Before Muromachi Juji could adjust his position from his serve, a streak of light appeared on the baseline behind him.

"What?"

......

"Game: Hyotei Atobe, Five Games to Love!"

"Atobe of Hyotei is completely beyond Yamabuki's ability to handle."

"....."

To everyone's astonishment.

"Match over! Hyotei Atobe wins, score 6-0!"