Chapter 133
Page 133
At the same time, the referee on the high chair announced, "The Yamabuki Junior High School pair of Inakichi Nitobe and Taichi Tan have won, with a score of 7-5!"
Chapter 110 Two Consecutive Victories
"Damn it!"
On the court, Ishida, furious at losing the game, slammed his fist into the ground. Sakurai, standing beside him, looked bewildered, seemingly not expecting them to lose so easily.
"We were clearly in the lead just now..."
Sakurai murmured.
He still doesn't understand how they could have gone from having the upper hand to being turned around and losing the game.
"It's a wave sphere."
The previous match footage flashed through Sakurai's mind at high speed like a slideshow. He immediately grasped the key point, his eyes fixed on his opponent.
"They set me up!"
"Damn it! If I had known this would happen, I would have resisted hitting that ball!"
Ishida was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.
Looking back now, he only regrets that he was too impulsive. If he had persisted for a few more rounds, he might have been able to defeat his opponent without using the wave ball.
Do you really think so?
But then, a dignified voice came from behind them.
"Senior Tachibana?"
The two turned to look at the dashing young man sitting in the coach's seat, their eyes full of confusion: "What do you mean by that?"
"Yes, Tachibana-senpai, I think Ishida is right."
Sakurai also shook his head with a wry smile and said, "If we can hide the Wave Ball, it's like a sword hanging over the opponent's head, making them wary."
"and......"
At this point, his face darkened, and he said with a wry smile, "If I had been able to discover their plan in advance and stop Ishida, we wouldn't have lost."
"The idea is good, but the possibility of implementation is zero."
Ju shook her head and said, "Do you really think that the opponent was cornered in the eighth game?"
"Difficult, isn't it?"
Ishida replied instinctively.
"of course not."
Ju shook his head and said, "What you see as the 'opponent's limit' is just what the other side wants you to see. That kid with the green headband is not simple."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Tan, who was shyly scratching his head and grinning foolishly after being praised by the Yamabuki group.
In this match, Yamabuki's main player seemed to be the third-year student, Niito. But Tachibana could tell that the first-year student wearing the green headband was the core of this doubles team.
The opponent's playing style is very flexible.
Suppress the enemy first, feign weakness in the mid-game while gathering data, and then launch a counterattack immediately and without hesitation after luring Ishida to use all his special moves in the late game.
The final counterattack, in particular, was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a meticulously planned one. Taking advantage of the opponent's surprise, they decisively defeated the stunned Ishida and Sakurai in one fell swoop.
Otherwise, given their abilities, if they had remained calm, they might have been able to hold out for a while longer.
"Alright, go and rest now."
Tachibana patted the two on the shoulder, and Ishida and Sakurai immediately slumped their heads like defeated roosters, leaving the court dejectedly.
"That first-year student from Yamabuki... is interesting."
at the same time.
Among the crowd outside the stadium, Liu, wearing a white shirt, slightly opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the departing altar.
calm.
serious.
And that meticulous planning method is nothing like that of an ordinary first-year student.
"This kid has a deep understanding of human nature. Those two wave balls just now, it seemed like Fudomine got the benefit, but in reality, it was like punching cotton."
Liu Xinzhong was full of praise.
This boy named Tan is the most outstanding newcomer he has seen in the Kanto region this year. The only one who can be compared to him is probably that first-year regular from Seigaku.
"It's a pity that Fudomine has lost its qualification to compete for the Tokyo Grand Prix championship."
With Liu's keen eye, it wasn't hard to see that Fudomine's strategy was to go all out in the first three matches. The result of their first defeat essentially sealed Fudomine's fate.
Of course, Liu is not a results-oriented person.
Based on his observation of Fudomine, this team has great potential, and even if they are eliminated, they have a good chance of winning the fifth ticket to the Kanto Tournament in the losers' bracket revival match.
Despite Rikkai's strength, the more teams like Rikkai that Liu, who is in charge of intelligence, observes, the more experience he can summarize to help Rikkai develop.
Moreover, since Fudomine has fielded its full force, focusing its main players on the first three matches, the subsequent doubles 1 and singles 3 will definitely not be easy either.
Liu was also eager to know what the current strength of the Kyushu Lion, who had left Lion Music without warning and disappeared for more than half a year, was.
"Next, we will be playing doubles match 1."
"Yamabuki Middle School Kansatsuki and Kita Kazuma, vs. Fudomine Middle School Kamio Akira and Ibu Fukaji."
"Both teams, please get ready."
Soon, the announcement for the next match came through.
"It's finally our turn."
On the side of Fudomine, Kamio, with long wine-red hair and one eye half-hidden by his bangs, twisted his neck, looking eager to try: "Let's go, Shinji, let's show them what we're made of!"
"Ah."
Shinji Ibu, with his long black hair, responded softly.
He seemed to be in low spirits, as if he were immersed in some kind of depressed state. His aura was very low, making people afraid to meet his gaze.
"really."
Seeing Fudomine's lineup, Mizuki, who had walked to the sidelines, lightly twirled a strand of hair and smiled, saying, "Fudomine is using this kind of tactic that has no aesthetic appeal whatsoever."
"I think it's pretty impressive."
Kita Kazuma, the middle-parted-haired boy who followed him onto the court, shook his head and smiled, saying, "Every member of Fudomine is in great spirits. In the previous matches, they played every ball with great effort."
Kita held such an opponent in high regard. But because of this, he would remind himself to be extra careful during the match, to give it his all, and not to be careless in the slightest.
"Perhaps."
Guan Yue smiled noncommittally.
Everyone has different perspectives, and comparatively speaking, he is a staunch believer in results-oriented thinking. In Guan Yue's view, no matter how beautiful the process, it cannot overcome the cruelty of the competition's outcome.
St. Rudolph worked hard enough, didn't he?
They give their all in every match, and Captain Akazawa goes all out.
The results of it?
They'll just continue their fate of finishing in the top 32 in Tokyo last year.
If Mizuki hadn't decisively agreed to Shibukawa's offer and chosen to leave, he would now be nothing more than a member of the sunken ship of St. Rudolph.
"Let's get back to the main topic."
As they entered the court, Mizuki lowered her voice and said, "Just do as I tell you and keep an eye on Kamio. Don't be as stupid as Ishida. Never use that move unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Uh...I know."
Seeing the signal from Mizuki, Kita paused for a moment, then nodded emphatically.
Although he didn't know what the other party was up to, he trusted Guan Yue. The other party would never do something that wouldn't be profitable.
"Ok?"
Meanwhile, Kamio, who had just arrived at the net, overheard their conversation. His expression changed slightly as he looked over: "What were you talking about?"
"N-nothing."
Kita waved his hands repeatedly, trying his best to control his expression, but his evasive eyes betrayed his thoughts. The situation was definitely not as simple as he made it out to be.
"It's weird!"
Kamio immediately became alert.
Ibu's expression also turned serious, and his gaze toward Mizuki and Kita became more sharp.
However, Mizuki didn't continue the topic, but instead seriously discussed the distribution of serving rights in the match. The more she did this, the stronger Kamio and Ibu's doubts became.
It wasn't until the match started that the two regained their composure.
But once the seeds are planted, they are not so easy to eradicate. After the match began, both Fudomine and Kita were wary of Kita, believing that the latter was hiding a secret weapon against them.
As a result, the two played very conservatively, barely managing to maintain their service game points and unable to pose a real threat to Mizuki and Kita.
...
Bang!
boom!
Bang!
boom!
The doubles match was intense.
Although Kamio and Ibu are the most talented members of Fudomine and have data on Yamabuki provided by a mysterious person, Mizuki also has their data.
For a time, the score was very close, and neither side could gain the upper hand.
boom!
The match entered the 20rd minute.
Kita suddenly accelerated and scored with a powerful smash.
"game!"
"Yamabuki, 4-3, switch positions!"
"damn it!"
With his serve broken, Kamio's expression immediately turned grim.
"Well."
Ibu, equally composed, said, "I thought this guy was going to use that ultimate move."
His opponent was quite strong, and his signature sidespin serve posed little threat. Furthermore, since this was a doubles match, Ibu's other technique, "Instant Paralysis," was completely useless.
With the added boost from the data analysis, Ibu played a very frustrating game throughout.
"Ignore that so-called ultimate move."
Noticing the unusual behavior of the two, Tachibana immediately gave instructions: "Fight the way you usually do. Don't let anything they say throw you off balance."
"understood."
The two exchanged a glance and nodded earnestly in response.
They've now realized that the 'secret weapon' the other side mentioned might not even exist. It was just a bluff to scare them into not taking any rash action.
then.
In the eighth game, Kamio and Ibu rallied and broke their opponent's serve with a fast-attack style.
"game!"
"Fudomine, 4-4!"
Having won a game, Kamio and Ibu were even more confident. In the next game, it was Ibu's serve, and he decisively used a sidespin serve.
Because they had the first move and both players were completely relaxed and aggressive, they held their serve in just 3 minutes, turning the tide and taking a 5-4 lead over their opponents.