The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

Pushing yourself to the limit is indeed not an easy thing to do.

This match,

Ryo Mido fought against three opponents—two of them plus himself—and was utterly exhausted. But after the fight, he felt refreshed, not just from the invigorating feeling after the fierce battle, but also from an indescribable sense of exhilaration.

It seems that what my minister said was right; controlling the game and being forced to fight back are completely different feelings.

Ryo Mido looked towards the audience and saw the bright and clear smile on Takara Niizuma's perfect face. He seemed to understand why Takara Niizuma was so loyal to that guy.

This person is unconventional, yet...

"Mido, let's go."

Ryo Mido's thoughts were interrupted by Keigo Atobe.

-

Immovable Peak.

"I'm sorry, Captain Tachibana."

Dejected Kyosuke Uchimura and Tatsunori Mori were helped back to their camp. They forced smiles as the vows they had made echoed in their minds, and they couldn't help but feel apologetic and sorrowful towards Kippei Tachibana.

"You've done a great job. Leave the rest to us."

Tachibana Kippei said that he was slightly upset about the first defeat, but it was something that could not be helped. The opponent had already sent out their former ace, Atobe Keigo, and it was simply beyond human power to force a victory.

"Depend on....."

Tachibana Kippei uttered the first word, then looked up at the guy opposite him, Natsume Tsukiya, who was standing on the stone steps with one hand on his hip, looking very relaxed and happy, his lips constantly moving. There were two people standing in front of him, like a doubles team for the next match. "It's up to you guys." Tachibana Kippei, who was about to say those four words, immediately stopped himself.

Before him stood Ishida Tetsuya, his head wrapped in a white bandana, one eye narrowed, his face radiating trust and sincerity. This made it impossible for Tachibana Kippei to say such a thing. His teammates trusted him unconditionally, so how could he truly ask them to risk their lives?

The gratitude for being recognized, the brotherhood, the camaraderie of youth—all these factors combined mean that if I were to declare this match a "victory battle" for the two of us, given Ishida Tetsuya's personality, he would surely sacrifice his arm to relentlessly pursue victory.

Victory is important, but who is more important? Can one only fight this one battle in this life?

"You may go."

In that instant, Ju Juping's tone changed, every word revealing his trust in the two of them.

"Yes, Captain Orange!"

The two answered with smiles, and Tachibana Kippei could still sense the heavy resolve in their hearts. Fudomine's journey had been far from easy...

Without being said, everyone at Fudomine knew that while there seemed to be a singles match as the last line of defense, the two of them had no way out in this doubles match and would definitely go all out.

Juju nodded and looked across at the other side.

Natsume Tsukiya stood on the stone steps, a head taller than everyone else in front of him. Atobe Keigo remained seated, having just returned and been teased by Natsume Tsukiya. He was now listening elegantly.

Natsume Tsukiya swayed his hips, causing his new wife, Takami, to chuckle.

"Did you remember?"

Natsume Tsukiya shook his racket like a sieve as he said:

"Occasionally, we can use some tricks to let them know that Hyotei has a thousand ways to defeat them, but we don't need to imitate them all the time. In this match, you should use the 'using minimal force to overcome great strength' technique!"

Natsume Tsuki also glanced sideways; Kabaji Takashi remained silent, like a robot.

"Hey, say something, or I'll lose all face as the department head," Natsume Tsuki said, tilting his head.

"Kabaji!?"

Atobe Keigo smiled and called out.

"yes!"

"ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh~"

Natsume Tsuki also slumped down, completely defeated by him.

Keigo Atobe was extremely satisfied with this. Hyotei was no longer under his control, but Kabaji obeyed his orders without question. The young master of the Atobe family was still the young master who was not easily despised.

Mukahi Gakuto revealed a look of anticipation for victory, his steps steady and confident, his short hair tossing as he walked towards the center of the field.

"Using four ounces to move a thousand pounds, what is that?"

"This is the first time I've heard this."

"This is the result of the minister's special training. Do you know about the special training?"

"So this is special training for the regular players. I wish our junior team could get some special training too."

...

A chorus of envy and doubt arose from the surroundings, but the announcement of the start of the match came over the loudspeaker:

"The Hyotei Academy vs. Fudomine doubles match, Part 1, begins now! Fudomine serves!"

Mukahi Gakuto stood in front, racket in hand, looking at the two people opposite him, paying particular attention to the one with the headscarf. According to the information, of the two, this Ishida Tetsuya was the more troublesome one.

1.88 meters tall...

Looking at the other person's height, Mukahi Gakuto couldn't help but have a sudden thought: how come he was only 1.58 meters tall? It was really unbelievable.

-

Wave sphere,

His thoughts quickly returned to the present. According to the minister, the other party would use the Wave Ball to fight to the bitter end. This was the first time he had seen this Ishida Tetsu, but he had seen Ishida Tetsu's older brother, Mukahi Gakuto, many times. That guy was a real monster.

"Bang!"

As he drifted off into his own thoughts, a gust of wind whistled past his ear, causing his hair to flutter and feel a chill.

Mukahi Gakuto's eyes twitched backward.

Hyotei also has monsters, like Takahiro Kabaji, so there's no worry at all that this impregnable wall of defense could be successfully ambushed by the opponent.

The birch forest is like a machine without softness, lacking any elasticity. When it moves, the ground shakes and the earth trembles. Its gaze is like a pupil recognition machine, automatically receiving all incoming balls.

"Bang!"

A powerful swing, an ear-piercing sound, and a whistling wind—the streak of light whistled past Mukahi Gakuto's ears once more.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle~"

Ishida Tetsuo's facial muscles tensed, his racket trembled as if about to fall from his hand, and the sound of the tennis ball rapidly darting through the air echoed continuously.

"That was incredibly powerful!"

Ishida Tetsuya was immediately shocked.

"Bang!"

In terms of strength, he might not necessarily lose. Ishida used a little force in his arm, but not 100%. For this first ball, there was no need to go that far. A little probing was the right way to go.

Steady and methodical approach—that's the strategy for Fudomine and his partner today.

Hyotei is strong, but not everyone there is like Atobe Keigo.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

...

I hit about seventeen or eighteen balls, but the more I played, the worse it felt.

Sakurai Masaya's gaze finally fell on Mukahi Gakuto, who was just running around but not catching the ball.

That big piece of wood, after playing with me and Ishida Tetsu for so long, is just like a piece of wood, without any fluctuation at all, no different from a street ball machine.

The two men from Fudomine stared at each other in astonishment, nodded to each other, increased the force in their hands, and increased the speed of their attack.

"How could this happen?"

Fudomine Tachibana's deep worry resounded. The bizarre scene made Fudomine feel oppressed, completely lacking the exhilarating and refreshing feeling they had during previous matches.

Freaks and bizarre tactics abound...

"What on earth is Fudomine doing? Can't those guys even play basketball properly?"

"Exactly, this is not comfortable at all."

"One person against both of us? That's underestimating Fudomine."

"Those are despicable guys."

.....

The indignant voices from the Fudomine camp rose up like frying water.

Kippei Tachibana frowned deeply. Hyotei's behavior was indeed puzzling. Could it be that the opponent really had the strength to fight two opponents at once, with all of them?

He just couldn't believe it.

Not only Fudomine was puzzled by Yan Yan's comments, but even Yamabuki and St. Rudolph, who came to watch the match, were also very confused.

Guan Yuechu pondered and muttered:

"These two weren't like this when they were fighting us. What happened these past few days?"

"Kanzuki, it seems that Hyotei's strength has improved quite a bit again." Akazawa Yoshiro said with keen insight.

"You were one against two in the last game, are you going to repeat the same tactic in this one?"

Fuji Yuta said in disbelief:

"Does Kabaji, the giant from Hyotei, really possess that kind of strength?"

...

"Akuzu-senpai?" Tan Taichi asked.

"Tch!" Akutsu spat out in disapproval. "Hyotei!"

In the field—

The suspicion and astonishment in the eyes of the Fudomine duo deepened. They looked at each other and instantly understood that they had to take the necessary action.

Ishida Tetsuya revealed the strong and powerful muscles in his arms, while glancing sideways at Tachibana Kippei.

Tachibana Yoshihira frowned in deep thought, "Could the people of Hyotei really force Ishida to use the Hadouken at the very beginning of the game?"

"Brother?!" Tachibana An exclaimed.

Tachibana Kippei could only nod helplessly. In this situation, the opponent was like two lions, one fighting and the other providing cover. If they didn't show some breakthrough strength, this match would probably drag Fudomine into an unfavorable situation.

Kippei Tachibana anticipated that the two from Hyotei might use a stamina-wearing contest. Although Fudomine and Ishida were not bad either, if the opponent came prepared and had specially trained for this, then it would be a different story. The best strategy was to force out the opponent's ultimate move as soon as possible.

"Coo coo coo coo~"

With Captain Tachibana's permission, the muscles in Ishida's arms bulged like mushrooms bursting forth, emitting a truly terrifying sound that deeply shook the horror of that power.

"Bang!"

With a deafening roar, the ball swept in with overwhelming force, spiraling like a whirlwind, carrying an irresistible pressure.

Those who saw it for the first time outside the venue were dumbfounded:

"What is that?"

"Fudomine, they actually have someone like that?"

"As expected, none of the teams that have made it this far are weak."

"Fudomine, that's strong."

.....

Even those who had already witnessed it in the Grand Tournament were still deeply astonished upon seeing that terrifying power again, and the eyes of the Fudomine members were filled with anticipation:

"That's Ishida for you. Let Hyotei see how powerful Fudomine is."

"That's right, let's take it in one fell swoop."

"Very good!"

...

The cheers of champagne being popped at halftime carried far and wide to St. Rudolph.

"That guy?" Akazawa Yoshiro stared at Kabaji in surprise.

"Those guys from Fudomine probably don't know that their opponent is a monster, a monster that can copy an opponent's moves with just a glance."

Guan Yuechu, with a smug expression, explained:

"Oh no, they're two monsters, and that Natsume Tsukiya also seems to be able to use other people's techniques."

Fuji Yuta: "..."

"Hyotei is the winner!"

Kabaji Takahiro raised his arm woodenly, like a heartless machine, chanting Hyotei's unyielding slogan. His gesture moved Fudomine instantly.

"That... is that Ishida's move when he uses the Hadouken?"

"How...is this possible?"

"Impossible, how could he?"

"That's terrifying, the weirdo Kabaji Takahiro from Hyotei."

......

"Just you wait and see, you guys."

Mukahi Gakuto secretly gloated:

"Your signature skills are nothing compared to those of Hyotei."

Suddenly, a loud bang resounded throughout the venue.

The fire dragon devoured the retaliatory attack, smashing towards the two from Fudomine.

Ishida Tetsuo muttered to himself, "How...how is this possible?!"

In just a moment, he snapped back to reality. "No matter what, we can't afford to lose this match, Wave Ball..."

His muscles swelled up again as if inflated, and with a shout of "Ah!", Ishida Tetsuya put even more force into his arm.

"Click click click!"

The tennis ball pressed heavily against the racket, making a creaking sound.

"Bang!"

With a sudden strike, a sharp pain shot through his arm, but he managed to retaliate with an even stronger blow. Ishida Tetsuya, panting, kept a close eye on his opponent.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind, but it was quickly crushed into dust by victory. Fudomine could not be defeated by Ishida Tetsuya, he thought.

"Bang!"

Ishida Tetsuya could immediately feel the stronger counterattack; his throat tightened, and he gritted his teeth.

"Bang!"

The entire match turned into a duel of fluctuating ball movements.

"His brother is said to be the strongest man in the country."

Xiang Riyueren thought:

"Unfortunately, this isn't Kansai, Fudomine isn't Shitenhoji, and Ishida Tetsu isn't Ishida Gin. In Kanto, Kabaji's strength is unmatched. Trying to outmuscle Kabaji, who possesses the Hadouken, is just crazy!"

......

"Bang!"

"Love fifteen!"

"call!"

The loud bang followed by the pronouncement of the verdict brought a sigh of relief to everyone.

In particular, Tachibana Kippei's worries about Ishida Tetsuya outweighed his hopes for victory in this game.

Ishida Tetsuya felt a faint, throbbing sensation in his arm, as he stared at the other man, trying to find a similar weakness in him, but all he saw was a wooden figure standing expressionless. He felt resentful yet helpless, and said:

"Is that guy a monster?"

Masaya Sakurai: "Ishida, are you alright? Is your arm hurt?"

As someone without any special skills, all Sakurai Masaya could do was offer his greetings.

"Hehe, are you alright?" Ishida Tetsuya rubbed his head, revealing a smile that made people feel both sorry for him and relieved.

"Tap tap tap!"

The tennis ball bounced back from the ground, and the soreness in his arm gradually intensified, but he knew in his heart that he couldn't back down from this match...

"call out!"

The ball went into the air.

"Bang!"

A very high-level outburst.

"Bang!"

Kabaji Takahiro continued his counterattack.

Ishida Tetsuya hesitated for a moment, but decided that he would risk losing this arm if necessary.

"Ishida, stop!"

Ju Juping realized something was wrong and immediately shouted out.

Ishida Tetsuo frowned, thinking to himself:

"Captain Tachibana, my Hadouken is not even a fraction as good as my brother's, but all I can do is use Hadouken. Besides Hadouken, I don't know what else I can do to protect Fudomine's victory. This time, I can't listen to you anymore. I'm sorry, Captain Tachibana. Fudomine... belongs to all of us. I have to do my part, otherwise, how can I be considered a member of Fudomine?"

"despair!"

A crisp snap of fingers rang out from the sidelines, and Kabaji Takahiro, who had just raised his arm to make a wave ball motion, instantly lowered his arm.