The Prince of Tennis, Talent Replication

Chapter 82

"Thirty to zero!"

"40 to 0!"

"Oishi, that was a great shot! Keep it up!"

"Okay, sure!"

"Great! Keep it up! Just one point short. You truly are a golden duo. No matter where the opponent attacks, the seniors can handle it with ease."

"I see!"

Niou Masaharu: "Yagyu, that guy from Seigaku with the band-aid on his face, has a bad habit. If he moves to the left, his racket tilts to the right, and vice versa. We just need to pay attention to that when we attack!"

"Your eye is still as sharp as ever, just like back then," said Yagyu Hiroshi.

Niou Masaharu smiled: "These two guys are much easier to deal with than those two from Hyotei."

Meanwhile, Kikumaru Eiji—Oishi Shuichiro—was basking in the joy of scoring three consecutive points.

Shuichiro Oishi responded to Eiji Kikumaru, thinking to himself, "If we can beat Rikkai, Seigaku might actually win the Kanto Tournament. And once Tezuka returns, we'll have a chance in the National Tournament!"

Thinking about this, my excitement and confidence grew wildly.

"That guy, he gave up three points and he's still laughing, how annoying."

Niou Masaharu's sinister and scheming smile instantly disgusted Kikumaru Eiji.

"Don't focus on Eiji; we just need to play our own game well."

"That's true."

Just then, the Rikkai duo stood side by side near the baseline, instantly attracting the attention of the entire stadium.

"Why are those two people standing so far away?"

"Doesn't that free up space in front?"

"Are we trying to lure the senior students into hitting the ball forward?"

Eiji Kikumaru chuckled, "We won't fall for that."

. . . .

Shuichiro Oishi serves.

"!"

"Forty to fifteen!"

"How awful."

Eiji Kikumaru's rant.

"It's just one goal, no problem, we'll finish them off with the next one!"

"good!"

Kikumaru Eiji was extremely excited.

"!"

"To the left."

"Forty to thirty."

"!"

"To the right."

"Forty to forty!"

"hateful."

Kikumaru Eiji began to get frustrated: "No matter where we hit, they can always block us."

Niou Masaharu frowned, locking onto Kikumaru Eiji's movement, and moved his racket to the right.

"It will go to the left!"

"!"

"The game is as big as the sea, one game to Love!"

The cold voice shattered Seigaku's illusions.

Rikkai is not the last stop; this match is a practice match, a preliminary battle before facing Hyotei.

Niou Masaharu held his racket horizontally, his gaze sharp as a blade as he stared at the opponent, which only fueled Kikumaru Eiji's frustration.

"Tap tap tap!"

"Bang!"

Niou Masaharu's serve.

"Bang!"

"Fifteen to zero!"

"Thirty to zero!"

"40 to 0!"

"Rikkai wins this game, score 2-0."

"Damn it, why did this happen?"

The Kikumaru Eiji-Oishi Shuichiro pair, this golden doubles team, always seems to have an unpredictable change in strength depending on the opponent and the environment. Apart from synchronization, they don't seem to be a national-level super doubles team.

Before Kikumaru Eiji even fought Rikkai University, his mindset was already compromised.

Now, their weaknesses have been exposed and targeted by two Rikkai students, yet they remain oblivious.

"Is this the level of skill Seigaku uses against Hyotei's doubles team?"

Niou Masaharu didn't hold back, slinging his racket over his shoulder and directly questioning him.

"Hey, what's that guy saying?"

"What does he mean by 'this level'?"

"Exactly, how can you say that about our golden duo?"

"What are you saying?" Kikumaru Eiji glared angrily.

Niou Masaharu, without any restraint, said, "My words are very clear. What I can see, Hyotei Atobe can also see."

"He said he can see things that Atobe can also see. What are they?"

Kikumaru Eiji pouted, his brows furrowed with confusion.

"Eiji, don't let his words affect you."

Shuichiro Oishi comforted him, "Calm down first."

"How could I possibly stay calm in this situation?"

Eiji Kikumaru was furious, and muttered to himself, "The problem is clearly with me..."

1

Ryuzaki Sumire sat on the bench, legs crossed, glancing sideways. As the head coach of Seishun Academy, she couldn't even notice the players' little habits, and didn't say a word.

This is the same coach who started coaching the Seigaku tennis team during the Echizen Nanjiro era—

Niou Masaharu was very puzzled, but perhaps, like Rikkai University, everyone could only rely on themselves.

"Oh no, the senior students are fighting amongst themselves too."

"However, that Niou Masaharu from Rikkai University actually said that the problem lies with Kikumaru-senpai, but what exactly is this problem?"

'

The students of Seigaku were puzzled.

Inoue Mamoru secretly scanned the entire arena: "I think the one who understands this best is probably Oishi Shuichiro. A so-called 'golden combination' should be as pure as gold. If Oishi Shuichiro can't even detect Kikumaru's obvious weaknesses, then unexpected things are bound to happen in this match. If this were a formal match, the pressure would be even greater. An argument between the two would definitely affect their performance. The Rikkai team members truly live up to their reputation; they were able to instantly pinpoint their opponent's weaknesses. If they hadn't faced Atobe Keigo and Kabaji Takahiro, who could evolve, I wonder what the outcome would have been..."

Provoked by this, Inoue Mamoru felt more and more uneasy, realizing that Seigaku had many problems.

These two, who claim to know each other best, are unaware of each other's fatal flaws?

Fortunately, they encountered Rikkai before the match; otherwise, what would have happened if they had faced Hyotei?

"ah!"

When it was Kikumaru's turn to serve, he was clearly very angry.

"If you were facing Hyotei today instead of me, what do you think would happen?"

Niou Masaharu kept his eyes fixed on Kikumaru and began to ask questions.

Kikumaru Eiji was extremely troubled. He had his own shortcomings, but he couldn't see them.

It is said that everyone has two bags, one containing their weaknesses and the other containing their strengths. We can see the strengths, but not the weaknesses.

"He should be able to see the big rock."

Kikumaru Eiji grew angrier the more he thought about it. "Why can't Oishi see this either? Are we still the best, most compatible, and most understanding partners?"

"Eiji, calm down."

Shuichiro Oishi was still shouting from behind, "You can't do this kind of reckless behavior!"

"Okay, okay, I'll admit I messed up. It's all my fault."

Looking back, both of them and outsiders agree that they are the people who understand each other best. Now, this person who understands them best clearly doesn't understand them, yet they only blame them from behind.

"We two are the most compatible partners in the world."

Kikumaru Eiji's anger stemmed mostly from Oishi Shuichiro. He gritted his teeth, his heart filled with resentment: "Is he really the most compatible and understanding partner in the world, someone who doesn't understand his partner at all? Oishi!"

"Bang!"

"Zero to fifteen!"

"Damn it, I thought we could fight back."

Kikumaru Eiji was very indignant.

"Eiji, what are you doing? Calm down first!" Oishi Shuichiro stepped forward and shouted angrily through gritted teeth.

"Yes, yes, I wasn't calm enough, I'm so sorry."

"Eiji!"

"Stop talking! You'd better not make me angry again!"

Kikumaru Eiji's resentment remained: "Oishi, you don't understand me at all. Based on our chemistry, are you just blind to my flaws? In this situation, do you think I don't want to win? Instead of pointing out my weaknesses from the perspective of someone who understands me best, you turn around and criticize me. Why can the other side see them, but you, as my most compatible partner, can't?"

99

66

66

Kikumaru Eiji hesitated, wanting to speak his mind, but immediately realized that saying such things would create a rift in Oishi Shuichiro's heart, so he could only hold back.

Of course, he also believed that it was unreasonable to force his partner to know everything about him, but he believed that Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro were different, and always had been.

But what exactly is the leverage the other party has over it?

"Bang!"

The score quickly reached five to zero.

Ryuzaki Sumire finally cast a glance at Sanada Genichiro, and although she didn't say a word, it said it all.

"Nioh?!"

Genichiro Sanada looked at Masaharu Niou. In the past, Sanada would never have rushed to waste Rikkai University's time.

However, after the battle with Hyotei, he was ultimately shaken. First of all, the matter of Kirihara could not be left unresolved.

We must settle this score with Natsume Tsukiya.

Hyotei, which Natsume Tsukiya was so proud of, had become stronger after Natsume Tsukiya took over. Sanada wanted to make Hyotei, which Natsume Tsukiya cared about, lose the match.

Secondly, Rikkai should play against more people. Tennis is ultimately a competition between people. If they only rely on machines and familiar people to play against, their understanding will be limited.

The purpose of this trip, besides having personal motives, was more importantly to compete with the emerging middle school and gain a more comprehensive understanding of Rikkai University's overall strength.

This deputy minister from Rikkai University has also made a qualitative leap in his mindset.

"Vice Minister?"

Niou Masaharu, carrying his tennis racket, stood in front of Sanada Genichiro, glanced at Kikumaru Eiji, and said, "Are you sure you want to tell me?"

Genichiro Sanada: "This time, we were invited as a school to test the results of Seigaku's training camp. Now that we've identified their weaknesses, we've pointed them out early. With only one game left, how much they can learn and correct is up to them!"

Genichiro Sanada's words shocked everyone at Seigaku. A strong sense of guidance washed over them, completely opposite to Sumire Ryuzaki's training methods.

"Hyotei, are they really here to help Seigaku fight against Hyotei?"

"This must be fake."

"Why? Why would Rikkai be willing to help Seigaku, whom they look down on?"

"This is probably thanks to Captain Tezuka."

"But what is that fatal flaw that guy was talking about?" Momoshiro Takeshi asked impatiently.

Kawamura Takashi: "I don't know."

Fuji Syusuke: "Even those of us who were with Eiji didn't discover any weaknesses in him?"

Katsuro Kato: "Do you know Echizen?"

"..." Echizen Ryoma remained silent.

Satoshi Horio scratched his head: "Oh dear, even my golden partner, Oishi-senpai, doesn't know, how could anyone else possibly know?"

"Well?!"

Oishi Shuichiro's mind went blank for a moment, and he immediately looked at Kikumaru Eiji.

Yes, how could I not know?

Oishi Shuichiro watched Niou Masaharu intently, thinking to himself, "Actually, I'm the one who should be the most calm. The purpose of this match is to test the results of our training camp, but I was only focused on winning and neglected Eiji's feelings. But what exactly is that fatal flaw?"

"Since the deputy minister has said so, there's nothing we can do about it."

Niou Masaharu smiled coolly, pointed at Kikumaru Eiji, and said, "Your fatal weakness is..."

'

"Bang!"

Everyone's minds seemed to explode after hearing this.

"Is that so?"

"What an excellent eye."

"He knew it from just one game."

"We've fought Kikumaru so many times, how come we didn't even notice?"

"So, everyone should pay more attention to some of their little habits, right?"

"As expected of Rikkai University, they are truly extraordinary."

Niou Masaharu: "You all watched our match against Atobe, right? If you think you can beat those two right now, you're being incredibly naive!"

He made a startling statement.

Although it may sound harsh, the 5-0 scoreline is undeniable, and no one can deny it.

The reporter was quite surprised: "If they continue to fill in the gaps at this rate, then Seigaku might really become a big problem for Hyotei."

"I'm sorry, Eiji. I shouldn't have been so focused on winning that I neglected your feelings."

Shuichiro Oishi was the first to apologize.

"Actually, I'm not good either, I shouldn't blame you."

Kikumaru Eiji pouted and his face was flat.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The two looked at each other in silence, then burst into laughter, their laughter filled with joy.

"Don't be too happy yet."

Niou Masaharu poured cold water on the idea, saying, "Once a habit is formed, it's not so easy to change."

"Meow!"

Kikumaru Eiji made a face.

"It seems like they've all gotten back into form."

"I'm smiling," Fuji Syusuke said.

Ryuzaki Sumire breathed a long sigh of relief and looked at Rikkai with new respect. The strong have their reasons for being strong.

"Alright, let's move on to the next match."

Shuichiro Oishi stretched out his arm.

The two met: "We'll fight side by side!"

Niou Masaharu: "This is starting to look somewhat decent."

"Yagyu, we need to have a serious fight too."

Niou Masaharu continued, "Otherwise, people will think that losing to Hyotei is because Rikkai is too weak!"

The war is about to start.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

They fought with remarkable skill.

Having let go of their inner conflicts, Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro complemented each other and successfully bypassed their bad habits.

They quickly caught up in the score.

Niou Masaharu, however, secretly regretted it.

Exhausted, he could only let Yagyu Hiroshi take on two opponents at once.

"It seems I really need to work on my physical fitness!"

Niou Masaharu smiled.