"Damn it!"
Ishikawa's words had thoroughly enraged Tohno. Or perhaps, such a humiliating statement had ignited the pride of this U17 representative.
Immediately, he tossed the tennis ball into the air once more. Then, under the stunned gazes of the high schoolers, he angrily swung his racket down.
Bang!
A loud explosion echoed.
Known for his skill, Tohno's shot this time was surprisingly rough. However, lacking finesse, the shot was all the more violent. Upon closer inspection, the target of this serve was none other than Ishikawa, who stood behind毛利 and原哲也.
Under normal circumstances, someone would surely have shouted, "Danger!"
But whether it was the representatives of the first string, the second string players, or even the three coaches, everyone remained relatively calm.
The first string believed Ishikawa was about to be taught a lesson. Meanwhile, the second string players quickly recalled the astonishing match between Ishikawa and Oni just a few days prior. In their eyes, the power of this shot was nowhere near Oni's demonic strikes.
"The speed is decent," Ishikawa remarked calmly from the baseline, as if the situation had nothing to do with him. "But, senior, your anger has caused you to lose control of your body, leaving you full of openings."
Swish!
As soon as he finished speaking, Ishikawa's racket swiftly cut through the air in front of him. With a thud, Tohno's serve was sent flying back.
This shot seemed utterly ordinary.
Those who knew Ishikawa's strength were puzzled, while many first-string representatives frowned, thinking he wasn't all that impressive without understanding the full context.
"Hmm?"
However, among the crowd, the scruffy blond young man's eyebrows instinctively raised, and the chubby guy with the pompadour, who had been squinting, suddenly opened his eyes wide. Behind them, the towering young man's eyes also flashed with a glint of realization.
"Huh?!"
Seeing this, Tohno instinctively taunted, "Is that all you've got? Kid, you talk big, but you're nothing special!"
Step!
With that, he took a decisive step forward and swung his racket, intending to smash the ball back.
After all, in Tohno's eyes, this shot was nothing special. It was something he could easily return with a casual swing.
Bang!
But the moment the ball met his racket, Tohno's confident expression suddenly changed.
His pupils contracted, and he instinctively looked down in disbelief at the tennis ball trapped by his racket.
Heavy!
It was too heavy!
An unimaginable force was spreading from the point of contact, radiating outward. But before Tohno could react, that heavy sensation turned into searing pain.
Crack!
A crisp sound, like bamboo splitting, echoed.
Tohno's face twisted in pain.
But it didn't end there.
Thud!
The ball easily tore through the strings of Tohno's racket and, under his horrified gaze, spiraled into his abdomen with intense rotation.
Bang!
A sickening thud resonated.
Under the stunned gazes of the onlookers, Tohno's body flew through the air like a broken kite.
Thump!
Coincidentally, he landed right in front of the first-string representatives.
For a moment, the entire court fell into dead silence.
"Ahhh!!!"
Then, Tohno let out a blood-curdling scream.
"My hand! It's broken! It's broken!!!"
As they watched Tohno writhing on the ground in agony, many of the first-string representatives' eyes filled with deep fear.
One move!
With just one move, Ishikawa had reduced Tohno to this state!
Ishikawa Shin...
Immediately, whether they knew him or not, all the first-string players gazed at Ishikawa with profound intensity, etching his name deeply into their memories.
"Notify the medical team," Kurobe said from the second-floor platform, his expression unchanged as he watched Tohno rolling on the ground like a scalded dog.
Standing beside him, Saito and Takuzo couldn't help but shake their heads.
From an outsider's perspective, Kurobe's earlier words seemed to protect毛利 and原哲也. But in reality, Kurobe wasn't protecting the newcomers—he was protecting Tohno himself.
However, Tohno hadn't realized this.
"So... who's the real fool here?" thought Tokugawa, the manager of Court 1, as he watched from a distance, a cold smile forming in his heart.
Tohno seemed to have figured something out.
But precisely because of that, he appeared even more foolish. After all, no matter how you looked at it, Ishikawa was someone who had defeated Oni in a direct match.
Someone with that kind of strength wasn't someone a mere No. 8 could provoke!
"Or perhaps, the overseas matches have made them lose themselves, forgetting the most basic sense of respect?"
Thinking this, Tokugawa's gaze shifted to the blond young man among the first-string representatives.
It had been a while since they last met, and the pressure he exuded had grown even more intense. As for Tohno's miserable state, it seemed as thoughByoudouin Houou hadn't even noticed.
Swish!
As if sensing Tokugawa's gaze,Byoudouin Houou turned his head slightly and glanced at him.
Then, his eyes locked onto the black-haired boy on the court.
"Interesting,"Byoudouin Houou murmured, a hint of surprise on his slightly weathered face. "I didn't expect someone like you to emerge among this year's newcomers."
That last shot had been quite impressive.
Others might not have noticed, butByoudouin Houou had sensed that Ishikawa had utilized the super sweet spot in his return. However, it hadn't escalated to the level of a light strike.
Moreover, Ishikawa's technique was exceptional.
By using spin to conceal the ball's destructive power, he had caught Tohno completely off guard.
This level of calculation wasn't something an ordinary newcomer could achieve.
And that piquedByoudouin Houou's interest.
"Second-rate coaches," he called out, looking up at the trio on the second-floor platform. "Can we get this ranking match started soon?"
"No problem," Kurobe replied calmly, as if this ranking match was no different from any other—just a simple duel.
"Well?"Byoudouin Houou's gaze returned to Ishikawa. "You're not going to back out, are you?"
It was a low-level provocation, but it had no effect on Ishikawa.
However, he too was looking forward to the ranking match that would begin tomorrow.
Under the tense gazes of the second-string high schoolers around him, Ishikawa smiled and said, "I'm also looking forward to facing the No. 1 of the first string!"
"Huh?"
The onlookers felt the atmosphere grow heavier, a thick sense of tension filling the air.
But Tokugawa, who had been watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but narrow his eyes in disbelief as he looked at the two.
What just happened?
How did the ranking match suddenly turn into a private duel between these two?
I was here first, wasn't I?!