"15-0!"
The umpire announced.
The members of Hyotei Academy were stunned.
"No way..."
Hirakoba wiped his eyes, unable to believe what he had just seen. "That big oaf actually pulled off Hiroshi's Big Bang?!"
This was beyond ridiculous.
Not only had Kabaji managed to replicate the move, but he had done so after just one game. Even the members of Higa Chuu, who had been present when Kite taught Tanishi the Big Bang, hadn't mastered it themselves. Yet, this guy from Hyotei had done it effortlessly.
"Kite..."
The team turned to their captain for answers.
"Calm down, you idiots," Kite said, his arms crossed and his expression calm. "So what if he learned the Big Bang? Hiroshi still has that other move!"
Right!
The Higa Chuu players immediately perked up, their eyes shifting back to the court.
"It's happening," Inoue, watching from the sidelines, nodded to himself. "Kabaji's pure heart."
During the Tokyo Metropolitan Tournament, Kabaji had stunned everyone by replicating Oishi and Kikumaru's techniques. According to Nanjiroh, this ability would only grow stronger as Kabaji's skills improved.
"It's clear," Inoue thought, "that Kabaji has been training hard within Hyotei. His strength has definitely improved since then."
It suddenly dawned on him that since the Kanto Tournament, Hyotei had been fielding the same few players—Shishido, Atobe, and a handful of others. Meanwhile, Kabaji, Hiyoshi, and Akutagawa had barely made an appearance. As a result, Inoue's impression of them had remained stuck in the past.
"Both Kabaji and Hiyoshi are second-years," Inoue mused. "By placing Kabaji in the singles 3 spot, Hyotei might also be preparing their next generation of players."
With Kabaji, Hiyoshi, and Ootori, Hyotei could easily dominate three matches. Add in Ryoma, who, despite being a first-year, was already the team's core player, and Hyotei's lineup for the next year would be absolutely terrifying.
*Thud!*
Kabaji unleashed another Big Bang serve.
"30-0!"
"He... really did it," Tanishi muttered, his face pale. He had thought Kabaji's imitation would be crude, but the Hyotei player had perfectly replicated the essence of the Big Bang serve.
*Thud! Thud!*
Two more serves followed, and Tanishi couldn't even touch the ball.
"Game! Hyotei's Kabaji, 1-1!"
The score was tied.
Tanishi, unwilling to back down, fought back in the third game, securing his serve. But in the fourth game, Kabaji retaliated with a series of powerful serves, and the match turned into a serve-and-volley battle.
The score kept seesawing, and the intense back-and-forth drew the attention of the spectators.
"Inoue-senpai," Tsubame whispered, watching the two burly players trade explosive serves. "Are they just going to keep doing this forever?"
If neither could break the other's serve, wouldn't the match go on indefinitely?
"No," Inoue shook his head. "As the match progresses, their stamina will drop. Their jumps, control, and focus will weaken, and that's when the serve will no longer be invincible."
*Bang!*
Sure enough, by the ninth game, with the score tied at 4-4, Kabaji finally managed to return Tanishi's serve.
"He returned it?!"
The Higa Chuu players were shocked. They hadn't expected their own player to be the first to lose his serve.
*Thud! Thud!*
Tanishi rushed forward, swinging his racket with all his might.
*Bang!*
The ball shot toward Kabaji's backhand. Though the placement wasn't perfect, the sheer power of the shot forced Kabaji to move.
*Thud! Thud!*
Kabaji sprinted across the court. He had been training diligently every day, and his efforts were paying off.
*Bang!*
Kabaji caught up to the ball and sent it toward the net.
"Nice shot!"
The Hyotei team cheered. Kabaji's play was solid, a testament to his hard work.
"If he wins this point, he'll have a good chance of breaking Tanishi's serve," Oshitari noted. "If he holds his own serve next, he'll—huh?!"
Suddenly, Oshitari's eyes widened in shock.
*Whoosh!*
Tanishi, who had been at the baseline, appeared at the net in an instant.
*Bang!*
He smashed the ball, scoring the point.
"0-15!"
"What... what was that?!"
Akutagawa, who had been half-asleep, was now wide awake. "How did he get to the net so fast?"
"Shukuchi," Ryoma explained. "It's a footwork technique from Okinawan martial arts. By using gravity and specific movements, it creates the illusion of instantly appearing at the net."
"So," Oshitari mused, "to counter it, you just need to aim for the sides, right?"
"Dammit!!"
Tanishi's face twisted in frustration. His secret technique had been exposed in an instant.
On the Higa Chuu side, Kite's eyes narrowed. "That first-year from Hyotei... he's a real nuisance."
Shukuchi was one of Higa Chuu's trump cards. They had used it to crush their opponents in the Kyushu Tournament. Kite had planned to use it to intimidate the so-called elite schools at the Nationals, but now, both Rokkaku and Hyotei had seen through it.
This infuriated Kite, and he resolved to eliminate the threat during the match.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Without Shukuchi, the match became a grueling battle of endurance.
Tanishi was strong and agile, able to handle close-range shots with ease. At first, he held the upper hand, but as Kabaji's movements became more fluid, Tanishi felt like he was playing against himself.
"This guy... he's too much," Tanishi muttered, sweat pouring down his face.
"Uh-oh," Kai frowned. "Hiroshi's stamina is terrible. A long match is bad for him."
Kite's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Kabaji to hold his own against Tanishi. If this dragged on, Tanishi would be the one to collapse.
"Tanishi!" Kite barked. "You fat pig, are you just going to stand there and wait for me to punish you later?!"
*Whoosh!*
Spurred by Kite's threat, Tanishi charged forward, attacking with renewed vigor.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Tanishi's onslaught was fierce, pinning Kabaji to the baseline.
*Tap!*
Suddenly, Tanishi dropped a delicate shot near the net.
"What?!"
Inoue and Tsubame were stunned. Even the Hyotei team was surprised. Who would have thought the bulky Tanishi could pull off such a refined move?
"This point... is mine," Tanishi grinned confidently.
His aggressive play had been a feint, and this drop shot was the finishing blow.
*Whoosh!*
But just as Tanishi thought he had secured the point, Kabaji appeared at the net in an instant.
"What?!" Tanishi's eyes widened. "Shukuchi?!"
*Bang!*
Kabaji didn't hesitate, smashing the ball to Tanishi's right.
*Thud!*
"Game! Hyotei's Kabaji, 5-4!"
"Gasp—"
Kabaji's use of Shukuchi left the Higa Chuu team in shock.
"He even copied Shukuchi?!"
Kai and Hirakoba were speechless. First the Big Bang, then the Samba Step, and now the secret Okinawan technique of Shukuchi—what kind of monster was this Hyotei player?
With the point secured, Kabaji had clearly rattled Tanishi. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly took the lead in the tenth game.
By the time Kabaji reached match point, Tanishi, spurred on by Kite's icy glare, finally snapped out of his daze. Desperate, he launched a flurry of aggressive shots, trying to claw his way back into the match.
In his desperation, Tanishi resorted to taunting Kabaji:
"Hey, big oaf from Hyotei, are you mute or something?"
"You're just a dumb brute. You don't even respond when insulted. You're a disgrace to Hyotei!"
"I don't know how Hyotei's coach even picked you. He must be an idiot too..."
Tanishi kept hurling insults, but Kabaji remained unfazed, as if he hadn't heard a word.
The Hyotei team was furious, but there was nothing they could do. Tanishi's behavior, while unsportsmanlike, wasn't against the rules.
Finally, running out of things to say, Tanishi glanced at Atobe and added, "And that guy Atobe? He's probably an idiot too—"
*Whoosh!*
It was as if a switch had been flipped. Kabaji's eyes, usually dull and emotionless, suddenly burned with rage. He glared at Tanishi, his anger palpable.
"Huh? Did I finally get to you?" Tanishi smirked.
*Bang!*
He deliberately sent the ball straight at Kabaji, hoping to exploit his emotional state. An angry player would likely lose control, making mistakes.
*Whoosh!*
Kabaji leaned forward, his body poised to strike. In his mind, he recalled the explosive shots Ryoma had taught him during training.
*Bang!*
With a powerful swing, Kabaji sent the ball rocketing toward Tanishi.
*Boom!*
The ball shot like a cannonball, forcing Tanishi to react quickly.
"This shot..."
Tanishi's confidence wavered. He knew taking this head-on would be painful, but losing the point meant losing the match.
"Fine! I'll match your power!"
Tanishi swung his racket with all his strength.
*Boom!*
But the moment the ball connected with his racket, Tanishi's confidence shattered. His face twisted in pain as the sheer force of the shot sent him flying.
*Thud!*
Tanishi crashed onto the walkway above the court, howling in agony.
"Match over," the umpire announced after a moment of stunned silence. "Hyotei's Kabaji wins, 6-4!"
"Ahhh! My arm! It's broken! It hurts so much!"
Tanishi writhed on the ground, his cries echoing through the stadium.
Everyone, including the Higa Chuu team, stared in shock at the scene. Even the Hyotei players looked at Kabaji with a mix of awe and fear.
No one had expected the usually quiet and reserved Kabaji to unleash such ferocity.
**(End of Chapter)**
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