The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

"What is that guy... doing?"

"They scored!"

"Love thirty!"

Even the referee stared wide-eyed, momentarily stunned, before composing himself and announcing the score.

"That is..."

Ryo Meido of Hyotei blinked.

"It's...it's Marui's signature move, 'tightrope walking'!"

Akutagawa Jiro's sleepy eyes instantly cleared, and he jumped up and down, shouting:

"He actually knows Marui's signature move, tightrope walking! That's amazing! That's incredible! That's incredible!"

Jiro Akutagawa's loud jumping instantly attracted a group of eyes, all turning to look at him.

"Marui? Who's that?"

"Is it from Hyotei?"

"I don't know, I've never heard of it."

.....

"Hey, Mizuki?" Fuji Yuta called out.

Guan Yuechu was slightly taken aback, then snorted softly:

"It's said that Rikkai's doubles ace, Marui Bunta, has a special skill called tightrope walking, which allows him to hit the opponent's ball towards the post, where it bounces off the net and rolls down into the opponent's court... I never expected that this guy from Hyotei would know it too."

"Click click click!"

Inoue Mamoru's gaze was caught between two people. He turned away from Akutagawa Jiro and stared intently at Natsume Tsukiya, thinking to himself:

"Perhaps he is truly more outstanding than he appears."

He glanced down at his watch. "The match between Fudomine and Seigaku should be almost over."

"Wow...that's amazing!"

The oranges and apricots of Fudomine can only be admired in murmurs.

Kiyosumi Sengoku dragged a leg that trembled with muscle, her expression blank, her dry lips murmuring to herself:

"They... they actually know how to use Rikkai Daimaru Bunta's... tightrope walking technique?!"

Sengoku Kiyosumi's gaze fell intently on Natsume Tsukiya, and she simply couldn't believe that he would...

"Wow, what great luck!"

Just as everyone was marveling at Natsume Tsukiya's incredible skill, he suddenly clenched his fist, jumped up, and shouted joyfully:

"I'm so lucky today!"

"..."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

"What? Good luck?"

"So, was it just a coincidence?"

"Probably. Judging from his expression, it seems like this is the first time he's hit such an amazing shot."

"Hey, you scared me! I thought he could actually replicate Marui Bunta's special technique, but it turns out it was just a coincidence."

"By chance, by chance."

"A thousand koku! He just happened to be there."

Yamabuki's companions, with their mouths covered, shouted at Sengoku Kiyosumi amidst the noise.

Sengoku Kiyosumi was confused. At this moment, he clearly felt that his opponent's strength was very stable. While he was marveling at the opponent's amazing ball control, the opponent actually said... "Good luck?"

"Excuse me, do you wish to continue?"

Seeing that Sengoku Kiyosumi remained motionless and made no request, the referee asked:

"Do you need to see a doctor about your leg?"

"what?"

Sengoku Kiyosumi was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses. The cramping pain in her calves grew stronger and stronger. She gritted her teeth and knew that she couldn't back down. Even so, she absolutely couldn't give up the match. She immediately replied:

"Sorry, I have to continue!"

Since he had been seen through, there was no need to hide it anymore. Sengoku Kiyosumi simply gave up on deliberately concealing his identity and dragged his legs back to the backstage area.

He gripped the soft tennis ball tightly in his hand, his fingers exerting a more forceful grip than ever before, in order to suppress the throbbing pain in his leg.

Chigoro's forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold, tired sweat, but his gaze calmed down. He had noticed a shift in his mindset. In just a few tens of minutes, he had gone from a wild outburst to a gradual, determined fight, and now, all he wanted was to finish the match...

"xiu!"

The tennis ball was tossed into the air, and Sengoku Kiyosumi stared at the slowly rising ball, thinking to himself:

"I've actually learned a lesson here!... In that case, I can't waste the tuition I've already paid."

"Bang!"

This time it wasn't his prized Tiger Cannon, but a regular serve.

Sengoku Kiyosumi's intense emotions subsided, and he became calm, his dynamic vision becoming more focused.

"I could handle Sengoku's condition!"

"His leg is injured, and he still wants to continue?"

"Wouldn't it be even more frustrating to give up halfway through?"

.....

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Each ball struck the court with a short, sharp sound, the force of which was enough to reveal the stamina of the Hyotei second-year players.

The Yamabuki camp was completely silent.

The leaves rustled in the wind.

An involuntary sense of despondency welled up in everyone's hearts.

Sengoku Kiyosumi no longer felt that way. He only felt very tired. All the honor and face, all the beliefs and goals, fell to the ground one by one, like those balls, no longer under his control.

Whether it was his own frivolousness, his desire to show off, or his sense of team honor, all of that had long since vanished. Even the willpower to finish the race was waning. He no longer knew what was supporting him to continue; he only knew his body wouldn't stop...

"peng!"

Sengoku Kiyosumi, whose consciousness was fading, heard a muffled thud, followed by a hissing and scraping sound.

The racket slipped from his hand, and he breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing onto the court in a V-shape, with a deep, clear blue sky above him.

"Game, set, and match! Hyotei, score 6-0!!"

The resounding announcement reached Sengoku Kiyoharu's ears, whether near or far, and he smiled slightly.

I've never played a match like this before. Will there ever be another match like this in the future?

Unexpectedly, the game ended up to the point where we forgot about the score...

"Hey, look! That Yamabuki guy is still laughing."

"Yeah, I don't understand it. He was down 6-0, and he could still be laughing."

"I definitely wouldn't be laughing if I were beaten 6-0."

.....

All compassion instantly turned into incomprehension and resentment.

Many of the Yamabuki members were also puzzled.

"Sengoku-senpai, you actually lost! The opponent... six to zero!"

Tan Taichi sniffled, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

"..."

Banta Mikiya also sent someone to help Sengoku Kiyosumi over.

Hehehe~

Sengoku Kiyosumi limped over to Banta Mikiya, panting as he gave a hearty laugh, seemingly without a trace of gloom in his mood.

"A thousand koku?" Banta Mikiya called out.

"To serve you, sir." Sengoku Kiyosumi felt no guilt whatsoever.

"How are you feeling?" Banta Mikiya asked calmly.

"Fantastic!" Sengoku Kiyosumi smiled again, panting with boundless joy.

Banta Mikiya: "You got beaten 6-0, didn't you?"

Banta Mikiya's words were unusually devoid of any obscene language.

"That guy..."

Sengoku Kiyosumi turned his head and saw the girl he admired sweetly handing a handkerchief to Natsume Tsukiya, then unscrewing the bottle cap and waiting. He felt a pang of sadness, but then felt relieved and said:

"This is such a skill-based matchmaking machine, it's really enjoyable to play against them."

Banta Mikiya turned his head slightly to look. This match wasn't entirely without gains; at least he gained a brand new heart.

Thank you for your guidance!

The two teams stood on the field and bowed to each other.

Sengoku Kiyosumi stood opposite Atobe Keigo, being supported by someone, and smiled:

"Atobe, your team members are really strong. Next time, I'll have to play against you, the team leader."

"What are you saying, Sengoku?"

Atobe Keigo snorted and said:

"Wasn't that the captain of Hyotei High School who you were just fighting with?"

Although Keigo Atobe was reluctant to reveal that he was no longer the captain, Tsuki Natsume was indeed currently the captain of Hyotei, a position he earned through his own efforts, which Atobe had to acknowledge.

"..."

The Yamabuki group was taken aback.

With a collective "uh," they all turned their gazes toward Natsume Tsukiya.

Then came a look of utter surprise from Sengoku Kiyosumi: "Captain?"

"What, doesn't it look like it?"

Natsume Tsuki also raised his eyebrows and said:

"What kind of expression is that, Sengoku? You're really asking for a beating."

"Hehehe!"

Sengoku Kiyosumi scratched his head and laughed, saying:

"So, I'm in a much better mood."

"Hahaha!"

The group burst into laughter.

"Is it over?"

Momoshiro Takeshi, who had rushed in hastily, suddenly stopped outside the arena, looked into the arena with wide eyes, and asked with great concern.

The person following closely behind him, whose hair covered half his face, said angrily:

"Momoshiro, you're blocking my way."

"Kamio?"

"Ju Xing called out."

"Xiao Xing, so you were here?" A hint of surprise appeared in Kamio Akira's eyes.

"How's the match going?" Tachibana An was only concerned about Fudomine's match.

Kamio Akira, looking quite smug, lowered his eyebrows and said:

"We won very easily, of course!!"

Upon hearing this, Tachibana An finally relaxed completely.

Kamio Akira then asked:

"So, who won?"

Kyo pointed to the sign over there, "Hyotei 5-0!"

"Hyotei!"

Kamio Akira immediately tensed up. He had practiced his techniques diligently in order to defeat Atobe of Hyotei. Upon hearing that Hyotei had won, he felt both nervous and excited, and immediately declared:

"Hyotei, very well, let them experience Fudomine's power once again."

"Kamio!" There was a hint of resentment in Tachibana An's voice.

"What's wrong, Anzu?" Akira Kamio asked with a grin.

"Look carefully before you speak."

A worried expression appeared on Ju Xing's face.

"What?" Akira Kamio hadn't even looked at the scoreboard carefully.

"Yamabuki competed against us in the Tokyo Grand Prix, she's really good, right?" Anzu Tachibana asked.

"Yes, but we were injured that time, otherwise we might not have lost to them," Kamio Akira said.

"It's... six to zero!"

Beside him, Momoshiro Takeshi's suppressed gasp interrupted Kamio Akira's words.

Ju Xing chimed in:

"Hyotei is really amazing."

Kamio Akira followed their gazes and saw two scores of 6-0 on the sign: one was Atobe Keigo, and the other was Natsume Tsukiya!

"How could this be?" Kamio Akira exclaimed in surprise, "Kiyosumi Sengoku of Yamabuki was beaten 6-0!?"

"He is indeed very strong."

Takeshi Momoshiro seems to have the most to say on this.

"Yes, Sengoku Kiyosumi is indeed very strong," Kamio Akira agreed.

"I'm talking about Natsume Tsukiya."

Momoshiro Takeshi's eyes were burning.

"Momoshiro and Yamabuki's Sengoku fought, so you should know about Sengoku's situation, right?" Tachibana An asked.

Momoshiro Takeshi recalled his battle with Sengoku Kiyosumi. If Sengoku Kiyosumi hadn't been careless, the match might have been even more intense, and it would have been hard to say who would have won.

Because he had played against Sengoku Kiyosumi before, when he saw that Sengoku Kiyosumi had been defeated 6-0, his astonishment was like a boulder shattering on ice.

The match between Momoshiro Takeshi and Natsume Tsukiya was not finished, so there was no complete assessment of their strength. Now, considering Sengoku Kiyosumi's situation, Natsume Tsukiya's strength is probably terrifying. I can't help but wonder how I would deal with him if we met again.

"Sengoku of Yamabuki has a very steady and strong playing style."

Momoshiro Takeshi's tone and the way he looked at Natsume Tsukiya seemed to Tachibana An that he was not so much praising Sengoku Kiyosumi's strength as he was acknowledging Natsume Tsukiya's formidable power.

Anju looked at the arena with some concern, then said to Akira Kamio:

"Kamio, we have to tell our brother about this match!"

"Hey, Anzu, Hyotei may be strong, but we don't need to be afraid of them, right..." Kamio Akira thought dismissively.

"Hyotei is still as strong as ever."

A voice appeared right behind them.

Inoue Mamoru, who had been taking photos while listening to their discussion, turned around upon hearing the voice and said, "Oh, it's Inui-kun."

"Five to zero, I thought the match would be very intense."

Inui Sadaharu pushed up his glasses. According to his notes, Yamabuki was not a weak team, and he expected that they wouldn't be completely defeated by a strong team like Hyotei. However, the result before him was enough to say nothing more.

"The Hyotei team members are stronger than before."

Having watched the entire match, and having watched many of Hyotei's matches in the past, Mamoru Inoue made this judgment.

"Six to zero again?" Inui Sadaharu carefully examined the numbers on the scoreboard.

"Yes." Inoue Mamoru's tone revealed a hint of surprise.

"Ah-Qian, how is it?"

A gentle voice came from behind.

"Fuji-senpai?!" Momoshiro Takeshi turned his head, recognized the person, and immediately called out.

Momoshiro Takeshi's eyes were filled with endless confusion.

"Momo's here too," Fuji Syusuke asked with a smile.

"Fuji-senpai, what brings you here?"

Inui Sadaharu came to gather information, and he himself came because of a chance encounter at the street basketball court. So, what is Fuji-senpai here for?

"Let me take a look."

Fuji Syusuke smiled, revealing no trace of his intentions.

"Bro!"

Beside the trees across the way, Fuji Yuuta saw his older brother, Fuji Syusuke, and couldn't help but call out his name aloud.

"Hehe, all the people I like are here."

Kanzuki glanced sideways and saw Fuji Syusuke's face, then chuckled and said:

"Yuta, your brother really cares about you."

"Kanzuki, you don't need to tell me that." Fuji Yuuta frowned.

"However, Yuuta, between your brother Fuji Syusuke and Natsume Tsukiya, who is actually stronger?"

Guan Yuechu said it on purpose.

Yuta Fuji stared at Syusuke Fuji, unable to make a judgment for a moment.

Fuji Syusuke is known as a genius of Seigaku with unfathomable strength, while Natsume Tsukiya is also incredibly strong. Who is truly stronger? Although he leans towards his older brother, he really can't make up his mind.

"Agan?" Fuji Syusuke called out again.

"Oh, Fuji, Natsume Tsukiya's score against Yamabuki Sengoku is six to zero!"

Inui Sadaharu held the notebook up in front of Fuji Syusuke!