Boom!
At the peak of Heart's Cliff, in the designated area in front of the wooden cabin, as Oni swung his racket, the tennis ball spiraled like a top, shooting toward a distant boulder.
Bang!
A loud explosion echoed as the powerful shot sent gravel flying, scattering and rolling down the cliff.
Sizzle...
At the point of impact, the tennis ball spun fiercely, with wisps of black smoke rising from it.
"Hmm."
Not far away, Oni's expression darkened as he observed the result of his shot.
While the shot seemed powerful, it had only managed to loosen a layer of the boulder, barely scratching the surface. At this rate, it would take three to five months to completely shatter the boulder.
However, this wasn't due to a lack of strength on Oni's part. On the contrary, with his mastery of the Super Gravity Dimension tennis technique, he could easily obliterate the boulder in a single shot.
The problem lay in the fragile racket he was using. It couldn't withstand the immense power required for such a shot. If he were to use brute force, the racket would break before the ball even left it.
Moreover, Mifune had made it clear that Oni had to achieve the goal without damaging the racket.
"I need to improve the spin further."
As the former strongest player in U-17 and the top-ranked middle schooler in the national tournament, Oni was far more than he appeared. He understood that Mifune's goal was to train his control—specifically, his spin.
"A calligraphy master can create a masterpiece even with a poor brush."
In the distance, Mifune stood with his arms crossed, quietly observing.
He had high expectations for Oni, but the latter's weakness lay in his lack of technical finesse. While this wasn't an issue against average players, it would become a致命 flaw when facing top-tier opponents.
On the other hand, if Oni could refine his technique, he would become a nearly flawless player, on par with平等院, and reach a professional level.
"Two professional-level players in one team... That's the kind of strength only a Big 4 team possesses."
"If Oni can overcome this, this year's World Cup..."
Swish!
At that thought, Mifune's gaze shifted to another area.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Ishikawa, holding a heavy racket, lightly tapped the tennis ball. Compared to earlier, his swings were no longer as strained.
"Not bad."
Mifune nodded slightly to himself. "His adaptability is truly remarkable."
Initially, he had been concerned that Ishikawa's young age and lack of strength would make it difficult for him to handle the heavy racket.
But now, it seemed he had greatly underestimated the boy's abilities.
"Based on the five-dimensional analysis, his strength has already reached at least 4 points."
Mifune estimated that once Ishikawa fully mastered the racket, his strength would likely reach 5 points. And a strength level of 5 was considered quite impressive, even among high schoolers.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Ishikawa tossed the ball into the air.
Then, with a powerful push from his feet, he raised the racket and swung it forcefully toward the descending ball.
Bang!
The deafening sound, like a gunshot, startled a few eagles that were chasing入江 in the distance.
Swish!
The ball shot out like a blazing cannonball, heading straight for the tofu block with a tennis ball placed on top.
"This kid..."
Mifune frowned slightly.
Ishikawa's serve was incredibly powerful, but the challenge was to send the ball flying without damaging the tofu. This shot seemed intent on destroying both the tofu and the ball!
Bang!
However, to Mifune's surprise, the ball didn't hit the tofu directly. Instead, it grazed just 2 centimeters above it.
Whoosh!
The resulting gust of wind lifted the ball from the tofu's surface, sending it flying toward a nearby wooden bucket.
Boom!
Meanwhile, the ball that had landed earlier exploded like a corner of the mouth, sending it flying and riddling the tofu with holes.
Plop.
The ball that had been carried by the wind missed the bucket, landing just beside it.
"Did I fail?"
Ishikawa shook his sore arm, replaying the shot in his mind to identify what went wrong.
"This kid!"
Not far away, Mifune's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He hadn't expected Ishikawa to solve the problem in such a way. The goal was to strengthen Ishikawa's power, but the boy had clearly focused on technique instead.
Yet, Mifune couldn't find fault with it. Ishikawa had nearly completed the challenge within the given rules.
Although Ishikawa's approach was somewhat clever, Mifune chose not to intervene. He knew that truly top-tier players excelled not just in physical ability or technique, but also in intelligence.
Players who rigidly followed the rules without any creativity were not the kind he admired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After three unsuccessful attempts, Ishikawa began adjusting his strategy.
As he adapted to the racket, he started adding more spin to his serves.
Bang!
This time, he applied the principle of "effortless strength" from martial arts, merging spin and power as seamlessly as possible.
Bang!
The ball landed, and a gust of wind swept over the tofu, lifting the ball from its surface. The ball Ishikawa had hit spun fiercely upon impact, creating a侧旋 that sent碎石 flying at an angle.
Boom!
The tofu remained untouched, while the ball carried by the wind drifted toward the bucket.
Whoosh!
However, just as the ball was about to fall into the bucket, a gust of wind from the cliff blew it off course, causing it to land beside the bucket.
"Not bad."
Ishikawa smiled, satisfied with the result.
Meanwhile, Mifune's eyes gleamed with interest.
He wasn't bothered by Ishikawa's clever approach. Instead, he was impressed by how quickly the boy had adapted to the racket's weight and combined power and spin so effectively.
"Genius."
The word instinctively came to Mifune's mind.
For someone like him, the term "genius" wasn't thrown around lightly.
"Hmm?"
But the next moment, as Ishikawa tossed the ball again, Mifune's eyes widened in surprise.
Bang!
This time, the ball didn't graze the tofu. Instead, it landed directly on the ball placed on the tofu.
Thud.
The force of the impact crushed the tofu, while the ball flew into the distant bucket.
"This kid is interesting!"
Seeing this, Mifune couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Ishikawa.
The earlier clever moves had been Ishikawa's way of showing that he could easily complete the challenge using alternative methods.
But this shot demonstrated that, despite having the ability to take shortcuts, he chose to follow Mifune's training plan.
In just a few minutes, Mifune had come to understand that Ishikawa was calm, composed, and supremely confident top-tier genius.
"No wonder he defeated Oni."
Compared to Oni, who relied on sheer power, Ishikawa's all-around potential was far greater.
In this genius boy, Mifune vaguely saw the shadow of a familiar figure.
Thinking this, Mifune smiled. "Even compared to that guy, he's not far behind!"
As the head coach of U-17, Mifune, known for his strictness and high standards, felt a renewed sense of purpose.
With such a talented player in his hands, he knew he had to bring out his full capabilities to properly train him.
Thus, after Ishikawa and the others completed this phase of training, Mifune didn't send them to climb the waterfall as planned. Instead, he called them over.
"Head Coach."
The three, somewhat exhausted, nodded respectfully.
"Sit."
Mifune, sitting cross-legged on a rock, paid no mind to his disheveled appearance. The three followed suit and sat down.
"I know why the three of you are here."
Mifune's rugged face broke into a sly smile. "Now, I'll teach you the first step to entering the Path of Asura!"
Swish!
At these words, while Ishikawa and Oni remained calm,Irie, who rarely showed his true emotions, couldn't help but widen his eyes.
The Path of Asura?
Was Mifune really about to reveal his hidden techniques?!