"No... this isn't right."
Yukimura's eyes narrowed, his voice filled with disbelief.
Only players who had stepped into the State of Self-Actualization would truly know its side effects.
Yet, from Kamigawa, Yukimura couldn't feel even a trace of that same power.
On the contrary... Yukimura did sense a similar power from Kamigawa's friend.
So that's where the problem is?
In an instant, Yukimura understood something.
After all, Tezuka had mastered that power, so it made sense for Kamigawa to mention the side effects of Self-Actualization.
However, Kamigawa's true strength wasn't just Self-Actualization.
Yukimura calmly steadied himself, his eyes fixed forward. The aura of Self-Actualization around him gradually faded. He'd expended a lot of stamina, and it should be taking effect now.
With that, he tossed the tennis ball into the air, bent slightly, leaped, raised his arm, and swung his racket.
His movements were seamless.
Whack!!
The tennis ball landed almost perfectly on the very edge of the service line.
To possess such astonishing ball control even after expending so much stamina...
You truly are something, Seiichi Yukimura!
"Step... step-step..."
Kamigawa stepped forward, unusually coming to the net, taking the initiative to attack.
The tennis ball bounced off the line, and Kamigawa returned it with a half-volley stance.
The moment Kamigawa connected with the ball, he immediately knew something was wrong.
His eyes swept over Yukimura, and the tennis ball flew past the center line, smashing directly into the fence behind Yukimura.
This sight startled the spectators standing in front of the fence.
"Out! 15-0!"
Even the referee seemed a bit confused, glancing at Kamigawa.
"Out? How is that possible?!"
"Kamigawa returned that kind of serve before, how could it go out of bounds? And a powerful out-of-bounds shot, a home run?!"
Shishido repeatedly slapped his cheeks, his face filled with astonishment.
He even wondered if he had fallen asleep. How could that shot have gone out? Kamigawa's posture and hitting point were both perfect.
How could this be...
"It must have been a mistake, right?"
Mukahi said uncertainly. It was normal to have one or two errors under such high pressure, but Kamigawa's mistake this time was a bit too big.
"Perhaps," Shishido tilted his head to look at Kamigawa.
He just had a feeling something had happened.
Just as everyone was regretting that last shot, Kamigawa repeatedly squeezed his tennis racket, a slight smile playing on his lips. He was absolutely sure now: his sense of touch had been deprived.
When did it happen?
"You truly are strong."
Yukimura seemed to sense it too, smiling slightly as he said, "It took me fully activating my State of Self-Actualization to barely deprive you of your sense of touch."
What?!!
The spectators outside the court widened their eyes, looking at Yukimura.
How could this be? Deprive someone of their touch?!
Is that really something a human can do?
"It's finally begun."
Inoue's voice trembled slightly. He had once visited Kanagawa Prefecture and witnessed the U14 DKN Kanagawa Youth Tournament, an elementary school competition. In that match, Yukimura played against Akichi, a regular player from Rikkai Dai Junior High.
Keep in mind, U14 was a tournament only middle schoolers were eligible for. But in that match, trailing 0-4, Yukimura displayed a unique tennis skill.
Annihilation of the Five Senses!!
He rallied to win six straight points. Under the setting sun, the shadow of a god seemed to appear behind him. From that day on, Yukimura earned a new nickname in Kanagawa:
The Child of God - Seiichi Yukimura!
And at that time, Yukimura was only ten years old.
Hmph~
On the court, Yukimura tossed the ball into the air again, raised his arm, and swung his racket.
He unleashed another precise serve right on the line.
"Do you intend to strip me of all my senses?"
On the court, Kamigawa tried to adjust his state, attempting to regain his sense of touch. But with each swing, he clearly felt his ball sense gradually disappearing.
He couldn't distinguish the strength of his own strokes, relying only on his perception to adjust the direction of his ball control.
Whack!
Whack!!
Two figures dashed back and forth across the court.
Affected by the loss of his touch, it was clearly evident that Kamigawa's return strength, accuracy, and speed were continuously weakening. Even so, he managed to maintain a brief stalemate.
Yukimura didn't rush to attack, instead hitting back and forth, keeping the ball consistently in the diagonal corners.
Whack!!
"30-0!"
Whack!!
"40-0, Yukimura!"
Whack!!
"Game! Yukimura, 4-3!"
Changeover!!
Despite appearing to be a struggle, Kamigawa hadn't scored a single point.
His upper body was soaked with sweat, and an invisible pressure mounted.
In this game, Kamigawa expended far more stamina than Yukimura. He had to intensely focus on every ball's landing point to gauge the power he needed for his swings.
The characteristic of high mental power was evident at this moment. Even after his touch was deprived, his other senses were not affected for a while. Such immense mental pressure could easily cause an opponent to fall into the Yips state (motor disorder).
That's a movement disorder, where one doubts and questions oneself, leading to unconscious muscle contractions and abnormal athletic performance.
"His condition can't be much better than mine."
The continuous high-intensity use of Self-Actualization had severely drained Yukimura's stamina due to its side effects.
Even with Yukimura's astonishing stamina, his age was still a factor.
And... Kamigawa also felt his sense of touch returning, with no signs of his other five senses being deprived. The advantage of his high mental power was showing.
"So, you can't deprive me of my five senses without activating Self-Actualization, huh?"
In the previous rally, Kamigawa had realized this point. Without using Self-Actualization, Yukimura's speed, power, and technique reverted to normal levels.
"So, what I need to do now is break free from the feeling of confinement caused by the deprivation of touch, or actively launch an attack."
Thinking this, Kamigawa took the tennis ball from the ball boy and slowly walked towards the court.
As long as he understood the principle, breaking it wouldn't be too difficult.
Besides, Kamigawa still had other moves he hadn't used yet.
"Huuuh... huhuuh..."
Yukimura adjusted his breathing. Using Self-Actualization consumed a lot of stamina, and likewise, Annihilation of the Five Senses placed a considerable burden on his mental power. Yukimura rarely used this move.
It was also because the side effects were too great; his body hadn't fully developed yet, and long-term use might cause it to buckle under the strain.
"Only two more games left."
Yukimura took a deep breath, regulating his breathing. He stood up and also walked onto the court.
Whack!!
On the adjacent court, the A-block final.
"Game, set, match!"
"Number 19, Kunimitsu Tezuka from Tokyo, wins!"
"Score: 6-0!"
On the A-block final court, the referee loudly announced the match result.
The thunderous applause from the spectators pierced Sanada's heart like needles.
Sanada gasped for air, his hands on his knees, his cap having fallen to the ground during the match. He was sweating an alarming amount.
"Someday, someday, I will become number one, and then I will utterly defeat you!"
The boy named Sanada gasped heavily, his gaze fervent, his face grim. He picked up his tennis racket from the ground, his resolve unwavering.
Staring at the glaring 6-0 on the scoreboard.
He turned and left the court. Since the day he learned tennis, he had never experienced such a crushing defeat.
"Hmm!"
Tezuka responded calmly, placed his racket into its case on the chair, slung the racket bag over his back, and walked towards the B-block final court.
During his match, Tezuka hadn't seen Kamigawa.
Plus, he could feel the aura emanating from his friend. Kamigawa's opponent was very strong; even he couldn't guarantee a win in that match.
But...
He believed Kamigawa would do it.
His childhood friend and neighbor, whose strength remained a mystery to this day...