"Let me see it, Seiichi Yukimura!"
Kamikawa bounced the tennis ball a few times, then looked up at Yukimura's figure in front of him, taking a deep breath. Ball toss, arm up, swing.
Bang!!
Even with this serve, you could see the difference. It hugged the sideline, a highly threatening delivery. Instantly, that ethereal aura surged forth.
Bang!!
The glowing yellow tennis ball whizzed past Kamikawa's feet, leaving a faint mark. Kamikawa turned his head to look at the ball mark on the court, a hint of surprise on his face.
"The State of Self-Actualization! (Muga no Kyōchi)"
Immediately, the swirling aura around Yukimura dispersed the surrounding mist. A faint reddish energy swirled around him, the murky red blending into the milky-white aura. Yukimura slowly raised his head, his emerald-like eyes shining faintly.
"Zero-fifteen!" the umpire called out, having finally recovered.
"So fast!"
(Please remember 101kan.com for the fastest chapter updates)
Shishido hadn't even reacted, his pupils slightly constricted. How could it be this fast? Was their previous rally not even this guy's true power?
"Amazing... amazing!" Mukahi murmured.
An untouched return-ace! The motion was simply too quick, as if he scored in an instant. Their earlier rally was already astonishing, but now that ethereal aura had appeared, completely changing Mukahi and Shishido's perception. It was even faster than before.
"Is this your Intuition?"
Upon seeing Yukimura's unique Muga, Kamikawa paused, staring at Yukimura. "What I want to see isn't this."
Though the State of Self-Actualization was a type of Intuition, Kamikawa knew in his heart that the State of Self-Actualization wasn't the path Sanada and Yukimura were destined to follow.
Yukimura remained silent, holding his racket in one hand, walking back to the baseline.
"Interesting!"
Seeing Yukimura's lack of reaction, Kamikawa's smile widened. "Then let me see what kind of power you can unleash, now that you've entered Muga."
Again, he raised his arm, tossed the ball, and swung!
Bang!!
This serve was just like the last, fast and precise, clinging to the inverted triangle of the service line.
Tap... tap-tap...
Yukimura moved along the baseline, hitting a powerful backhand return on the fierce serve.
Whack!
In his Muga state, Yukimura's reactions, speed, and power were all significantly enhanced. He didn't need to overthink; his body reacted instinctively.
Whack!!
Whack!!!
Yukimura consistently stayed at the baseline, chasing the ball and hitting drives, aiming for cross-court shots to pull Kamikawa around. But Kamikawa didn't yield an inch, chasing the ball along the baseline and constantly prolonging the rally.
Boom!!
"Thirty-fifteen!"
Bang!!
"Thirty-thirty!"
The score climbed point by point, back and forth.
Kamikawa lowered his racket, the ball scraping across the face of it for another high-quality slice shot.
However, this time Yukimura rushed forward, hitting a volley the instant the ball bounced. Kamikawa quickly retreated, continuing to return with drive shots. Despite being in his Muga state during these continuous rallies, Yukimura wasn't gaining an advantage.
"Strange," Shishido observed, watching the two rally. Something felt off.
"What is it, Ryo?!" Mukahi, who was completely engrossed, heard Shishido's lament.
"Don't you think it's strange?" Shishido kept watching, feeling more and more like something was amiss. This game was lasting an unusually long time. There were points that should have been won easily before, but Kamikawa was now returning them without mercy.
"It is a bit strange," Mukahi agreed, realizing it too.
Bang!!
Yukimura quickly ran to the left baseline corner to hit the ball, his expression darkening. This wasn't the first time he'd used the power of Muga. He had already stepped into a deeper level of Muga, possessing self-awareness, allowing him to use corresponding techniques based on his own thoughts.
Keep in mind that the current Sanada hasn't even reached Muga, let alone being able to control his self-awareness. Sanada is undoubtedly a genius. But compared to Tezuka and Yukimura, he's still a bit lacking. Yukimura, at just ten years old, had swept through the entire Kanagawa Prefecture, nearly every match ending in a 6-0 victory. And Tezuka, in various tournaments in Tokyo, dominated with absolute skill.
Remember, at this age, Tezuka could skillfully use Tezuka Zone and had already opened one of the three doors within the deeper mysteries of Muga. Such talent, looking back through history, was only ever displayed by the legendary Samurai, Nanjirou.
These two had just graduated elementary school and hadn't even entered junior high, yet they possessed such power. For tennis players, especially those who've played since childhood, ages 12 and 14 are crucial developmental periods. Twelve years old is when you just enter junior high, and your physical capabilities grow rapidly over time. The most typical example is Ryoma Echizen, who experienced rapid growth at age 12. And at 14, entering high school from junior high, the body undergoes a second growth spurt. The increase in strength and speed from bone growth allows for adapting to even more demanding training.
The two players on the court right now, even if they were immediately dropped into a junior high tennis club, could become regular players, perhaps even sweep through Kanto and face the Nationals! And Yukimura, having mastered the State of Self-Actualization, already had one foot into the national level. What incredible talent!
"If these two are ever in the same school in the future, that school will surely dominate the Nationals." Inoue put down his camera, muttering, "If they're not in the same school, they will create a new golden age of tennis!!"
Bang!!
Bang!!!
This time, their offense grew even more ferocious. Every single shot landed precisely close to the baseline. Their unparalleled control was once again on full display. At this point, the spectators outside were finding it increasingly difficult to keep up; they had completely lost the rhythm of these two players. After several exchanges, both sides were searching for their opponent's weak points.
Bang!!
"Two-two!"
Bang!!
"Three-two!"
Bang!!
"Three-three!"
The score was incredibly tight, both sides trying their best to hold their service games, because as long as the service game remained, the score couldn't be pulled apart. In these continuous rallies, if either side made even a momentary mistake, the opponent would seize it, return the shot, and score quickly.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
It was Yukimura's service game, but his breathing was noticeably erratic. He was sweating more than twice his usual amount. In contrast, Kamikawa, during the rally, was sweating significantly less.
"You must have realized it by now..."
Kamikawa's words startled Yukimura. Kamikawa smiled and said, "You, more than anyone, should be aware of the side effects of The State of Self-Actualization."
"An extraordinarily high stamina drain, more than double the usual. Although it allows you to unconsciously unleash techniques, I haven't used a single smash from the start of this match until now. You should know why, right?"
From the moment Yukimura activated Muga, he had made a few tentative high lobs to try and bait Kamikawa into smashing, but Kamikawa had avoided them all, preferring to hit flat, passing shots that weren't as powerful, rather than scoring with a more potent smash. Furthermore, in their rallies before this, Yukimura likely hadn't seen many impressive techniques. Even if he had, Yukimura wouldn't have bothered to use them. This also inadvertently restricted another ability of The State of Self-Actualization: the ability to utilize special moves seen from other tennis players.