"That ultra-high-speed vertical serve... Did Atobe learn it from the captain, or...?"
Oishi stared at the court, puzzled.
Beside him, Yamato shook his head. "That's a technique developed by Hyōtei's former captain, 'Moonlight' Yoshiyuki. Rumor has it, it's an unfinished version of another move. The captain merely copied it."
Yoru vaguely remembered details from the original story.
Both Atobe and Moonlight were geniuses when it came to crafting serves.
When Atobe first enrolled, he swept through Hyōtei with his high-speed serves alone.
Given Atobe's understanding of serving, mastering the Ultra-High-Speed Vertical Serve wouldn't be difficult for him.
Thud—thud—
The sound of racket strikes and ball impacts echoed one after another.
The tennis ball flashed across the court, landing sharply at the far corner of the service box.
"Fast... but the angle's a little off."
On the court, Tezuka swiftly adjusted his stance, swinging his racket toward an empty space as if intercepting an invisible ball.
A dull thump followed—the vanished ball suddenly reappeared, struggling against the strings of his racket.
During matches, Yoru would equip specialized runes. Among them, the Insight Rune was particularly deadly against high-speed shots, while the Swift Strike and Agility Runes enhanced counterattacks.
Coupled with their usual high-speed training sessions against QP, Seigaku's members had developed strong immunity to fastballs.
Bam—!
Tezuka returned the shot, sending it straight toward the near corner.
"Incredible reflexes..."
Atobe's brow furrowed slightly.
Tezuka's return didn't surprise him—but the ease with which he pulled it off did.
Based on the previous game, Tezuka's skill level was already staggering.
Atobe wasn't naive enough to think a single high-speed serve could defeat him.
"Then let's shift this match into my preferred rhythm!"
Atobe dashed forward, intercepting the ball just before it flew out of bounds—his return was flawless.
"Amazing! To counter a near-corner drive with such precision..." Kawamura praised.
Next to him, Inui adjusted his glasses. "According to my data, Atobe's five-dimensional stats aren't inferior to ours. It seems he's undergone intense training as well."
Hearing this, Yoru's lips twitched.
If not for the runes, you kids wouldn't even come close to Atobe's stats.
Bam—! Bam—! Bam—!
The two exchanged several more rallies, Atobe's gaze never leaving Tezuka.
It was his habit—as an insight-type player, he constantly analyzed his opponent, searching for exploitable weaknesses.
"Too bad... Tezuka naturally counters Atobe."
Yoru sighed inwardly.
Bam—!
After another sharp return, Tezuka suddenly rushed toward the net.
"Hm?"
Atobe tensed, instincts flaring.
No time to think—the ball was already upon him. He could only aim to place it as far from Tezuka as possible.
But at that moment—
Tezuka predicted the trajectory, cutting it off mid-path.
As the ball skimmed past the centerline, he twisted his racket, slicing downward at a 45-degree angle.
The ball floated lightly over the net—then plummeted the moment it crossed.
Zero-Slice Drop Shot!
Under Yoru's guidance, Tezuka had mastered the technique of accelerating the ball's descent.
"A drop shot? Too naive!"
Atobe laughed, charging forward, racket already swinging—
Then his body froze mid-step, arm locking in place.
The ball landed... and rolled backward without bouncing.
Tezuka Kunimitsu scores! 15-0!
"How... how is this possible?!"
Atobe's expression stiffened, eyes locked on the motionless ball at his feet.
It was identical to the Zero-Serve—no rebound after landing.
"Whoa—!"
The crowd erupted.
"It's the same as that serve earlier! There's a shot like this too?"
"You've never seen it? That's the Zero-Slice."
"Both are 'Zero' techniques, but a serve and a return are completely different."
"Yeah, the serve is way harder to pull off~"
Spectators buzzed with excitement.
Meanwhile, Hyōtei's team collectively sucked in a breath.
"A Zero-Slice... Tezuka's already mastered this too?" Oshitari muttered, stunned.
"He looks completely comfortable with it. Must've had it in his arsenal for a while. What a monster." Shishido's face darkened.
At this rate, their captain was being completely suppressed—with no clear way to turn the tables.
Atobe had defeated every Hyōtei regular (except Jirou) to claim his title.
In other words, even if they all faced Tezuka together, they might still lose.
Was the gap really that vast?
"If this is all you've got... you're not fit to challenge our captain."
A cold voice cut through the noise.
Atobe snapped back to reality, meeting Tezuka's piercing gaze—and felt his competitive fire ignite.
"Interesting!"
He'd underestimated Tezuka before the match.
But after these two games, he'd begun acknowledging him as a true rival.
Who knew Japan's middle school scene housed someone this strong?
His shoulders trembled—not from fear, but excitement.
"The match has only just begun. We've got plenty of time!"
Atobe returned to the service line, bouncing the ball methodically.
For an insight-type player, the longer the match dragged on, the higher his chances of victory.
Bam—!
Another serve.
This time, Tezuka didn't rush the net after his return—even though it was a high-quality shot.
The Zero-Slice was a dazzling technique.
But unlike the serve, a regular shot could be returned before it bounced.
Once the opponent figured it out, repeating it for easy points would be difficult.
Anyone who could be repeatedly scored on by the Zero-Slice didn't deserve to face Tezuka in the first place.
Bam—! Bam—! Bam—!
The ball flew back and forth across the court.
Dozens of exchanges later—
This was Atobe's ideal tempo. The longer the match, the more weaknesses he could dissect.
"Found it!"
"Your openings... they're multiplying, Tezuka!"
A frenzied grin spread across Atobe's face as he whipped his racket toward a precise spot.
"Now it's my scoring rhythm!"
Swish—!
The ball shot forward.
Tezuka moved to intercept—but something felt off.
The angle, the placement... everything about this shot unsettled him.
His return was shaky.
Seizing the chance, Atobe leapt—
Smash!
A net-front kill. Unreturnable.
Tezuka could only watch as the ball slammed into the court and flew out of bounds.
Atobe Keigo scores! 15-15!
After a grueling battle, Atobe had finally claimed his first point!
"So this is his type..."
QP studied Atobe with newfound interest.
During their last match at Seigaku, Atobe had lost too quickly to showcase his skills.
But now it was clear—he was an insight-type player.
"To identify weaknesses this fast... His vision and tennis IQ are impressive."
Yoru smirked beside him.
"Too bad he ran into Tezuka."