The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

"Love fifteen!"

"Love thirty!"

"Love forty!"

"......"

In Zone A of the court, Hiyoshi Waka, who was always ready to overthrow his superior, stood frozen in surprise, his pupils filled with unfamiliarity towards Natsume Tsukiya.

"Score 0-1, Natsume wins this round!"

The referee's voice still echoed in my ears.

"How...is this possible!"

Takiginosuke gripped the railing tightly, his hands clenching even more, and looked at the relaxed Natsume Tsukiya with disbelief, saying:

"That guy... Hiyoshi didn't get a single point."

"Hiyoshi is a regular team member, how could he...."

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot, but Rijita once lost to Tsukiya."

"How is that possible?"

"That's right, Hiyoshi once got beaten 5-0 by Tsukiya, but that guy was busy dating a senior from the high school at the time..."

"What? You mean, that guy was busy with his date and ran off before the game was even over?"

"That sounds like Tsukiya's style."

"That's right, that's why Hiyoshi is so resentful about it. He always believed that he still had a chance to turn things around, but now it seems that he still can't beat Tsukiya."

......

Old stories were dug up and discussed in a small circle.

In the arena, Zigino stretched out one leg, assuming a sword-wielding posture.

"It is Hiyoshi's ancient martial arts style."

"Yue is in big trouble now."

"There's a reason why Nichiguchi can become a singles player who far surpasses Chotaro Ootori."

"Did Hiyoshi use his ultimate move so quickly?"

.....

Hiyoshi's gaze was sharp as he stared intently at the other person.

"To be honest, the coach probably started valuing you a lot after the rookie tournament. You easily defeated Rikkai's rookie, Kirihara Akaya, and then easily took five games from me. I didn't even have time to use my special move, and you just walked away so easily..."

"I've been waiting for this opportunity to avenge myself. No matter how talented you are, I will not lose to you again. I will become Hyotei's strongest singles player and, sooner or later, I will dethrone Atobe from that position..."

"Look!"

A gasp pulled Hiyoshi Waka out of his inner turmoil.

"Hey, Tsukiya, why are you copying Hiyoshi's moves?"

"Oh, Natsume, I've never seen him use his own special moves, he's always just copying others."

"If that's the case, this match will be interesting."

Hiyoshi's gaze turned fierce as he muttered to himself:

"Don't be ridiculous. Do you think you can defeat others by just copying them? Copying others will only make you a copy. Do you want to become a monster like Kabaji? Just an ordinary monster."

"Bang!"

"Fifteen Love!"

With a clear sound, Natsume Tsuki also used the Flying Crane Spreads Wings posture and launched a fierce attack at Hiyoshi Waka.

He scored immediately.

At this moment, Hiyoshi Waka finally came to his senses:

"Speed?! That fast?!"

"You can't afford to get distracted during the match." Natsume Tsukiya's laughter came from the other side, which made Hiyoshi Waka even more determined to defeat him.

"Bang!"

"ACE!"

"Wow, Hiyoshi actually got an ace from Tsukiya."

"....."

"We actually lost, we actually lost to that kind of guy."

Hiyoshi was drenched in sweat, lying on the ground with his pupils dilated, completely in disbelief.

"Match ended, score 6-0, Natsume Tsukiya wins."

The only sound in the stadium was the referee's voice.

"What the hell? Hiyoshi, he's always talking about taking the top spot in the one-on-one fight, but I never expected him to fall to Natsume this time." Gakuto Mukahi turned his head and complained disdainfully.

"The strong rule." A blue light flashed across Oshitari Yuushi's glasses, as if he had spotted a very good prey.

"Speaking of which, if this continues, that guy Tsukiya is really going to become a regular player," said Gakuto Mukahi.

"Tsukiya was already very skilled."

"I'm scratching my head," said Ootori Chotaro.

"They lost. Hiyoshi actually lost."

"Just who is Natsume?"

"Natsume is a casual member of the tennis team who is occasionally pulled in by the coach to participate in unimportant matches."

"Has he ever participated in the school team tryouts?"

"No, this guy just recently started talking about defeating Atobe."

"Yeah, we all thought he was just talking, after all, he's the kind of guy who only thinks about dating all the time. We never expected him to actually be serious."

......

"Mido-senpai, where are you going?" Ootori Chōtarō called out.

Wearing his hat backwards, Ryo Mido walked towards the basketball court.

"Let's have a match." Ryo Mido pointed his racket at Tsukiya Natsume.

"OK."

Natsume Tsukiya was always smiling, but he was also a bit of a goofball, pouting as he said:

"But on what grounds?"

"Why should I?" Ryo Mido frowned.

Logically speaking, for non-regular team members, as long as you make a request, the other party will respond respectfully.

The guy in front of me is clearly not that kind of person.

"Why should I fight you? What benefit would I get if I beat you?" Natsume Tsukiya said, raising an eyebrow.

"If you beat me, I'll agree to let you become the captain of Hyotei."

Having no other choice, Ryo Mido suddenly remembered that this guy was clamoring to bring down Atobe, so he spoke up.

"I've beaten you, so I'm the captain of Hyotei now, even without your permission."

Natsume Tsuki didn't reply directly, but instead said:

"This is Hyotei's rule: strength reigns supreme."

"Is it because you're afraid?" Ryo Mido's gaze sharpened even more.

"A provocation tactic?"

Natsume Tsuki also raised an eyebrow and smiled:

"This trick really works on me, but the price is that you will suffer a crushing defeat."

"Wait until you beat me before you talk big like that. I'm not Hiyoshi Waka." Mido Ryo turned and walked towards one end of the court.

Hiyoshi sat blankly on a chair outside the court, listening to the conversation between the two. He couldn't believe he had been defeated 6-0, so he raised his head to see how Mido Ryo would respond.

If Mido also loses, that would be even better...

Hiyoshi frowned, wondering why he had such a thought.

However, playing against Natsume Tsukiya is really unpleasant; there's always a feeling of being constantly pressured and frustrated.

"Coach, you agree, right?"

Natsume Tsuki also looked at Shintaro, who stood upright. His burgundy suit and impeccable gentlemanly attire made him a quintessential high-class individual.

"Defeat all the regular players, and you will be the king."

Go!

Shintaro pointed two fingers at the court, emphasizing the importance of strength and eliminating the loser—this was Hyotei's rule, and even the wealthy Atobe Keigo was no exception.

"Atobe, what do you think?" Natsume Tsuki also looked at Atobe Keigo.

"Hmph, don't get lost in your own beautiful dreams and waste my time." Atobe Keigo said confidently, pinching his brow.

"This throne of first place should be occupied by the strongest person."

Natsume Tsuki also turned his head, his eyes revealing a look of delight.