Chapter 112: The True Genius

"What was that ball just now?

The timing of its sinking after crossing the net was much earlier than 'Swallow Returns to its Nest,' and the flight speed of the tennis ball was also a cut faster."

His eyes swept over the rolling tennis ball on the ground, and Chitose's gaze flickered slightly.

But Fuji clearly had no intention of answering, and another fierce serve followed immediately.

Boom!

A sharp, pale yellow beam of light shot out from under the racket of the smash.

Tap, tap.

The moment his toes touched the ground, Fuji's gaze sharpened, and his figure immediately dashed out.

This youth, once as gentle as a spring breeze, had suddenly transformed into a hot wind under the summer sun—radiating intense heat, scorching and burning as it blew past.

Boom!

Chitose chased the ball, his racket perpendicular to the ground, backhanding the sharply rebounding tennis ball the moment it touched the strings.

Sss—

A sound of intense friction rang out.

"You've got some nerve!"

Hum—

A light chime sounded, and the tennis ball vanished.

Watching Fuji leap into the air, Atobe narrowed his eyes; he keenly discovered the anomaly appearing on his opponent.

He opened his eyes completely, leaped with absolute certainty toward the baseline corner, a flash of brilliance in his eyes, and pressed his racket sharply against a patch of empty air.

Oshitari Yuushi's gaze was shocked; in his opponent, he seemed to see the aura that only people like Atobe, Yuuki Satoru, Tezuka, and Chitose possessed.

The tennis ball rose rapidly after touching the ground, as if it had vanished from sight in an instant.

There was not a moment of respite.

Boom!

The tennis ball flew back violently, a golden stream of light pointing straight to the baseline of the right court.

But as the pressure exerted by Chitose grew heavier, Fuji's concentration reached a terrifying level.

"This move... I have already seen through it!"

His center of gravity sank slightly, Fuji's arm stretched toward the bottom of the tennis ball, and his racket scooped from bottom to top.

The tennis ball fell with menacing force, and a cold, clear voice rang out across the court.

Such an intense offensive rhythm left the opponent with no room to breathe.

Boom!

With an explosive sound, the tennis ball carried astonishing momentum, plummeting down like a long rainbow piercing the sun.

Therefore, as long as the ball speed is calculated and the backcourt overhead smash style is used at the right time, this invisible tennis ball can be successfully returned.

For Seigaku, the win rate for this match was almost zero.

Milky-white energy circulated and flowed, his running speed increasing by a few notches; Chitose intercepted the tennis ball's path with precision, his left arm flashing.

"Godly Concealment!"

"Kirin... Landing!"

"I will grant your wish!"

He,

is stepping through the gates of the national level!

"Fuji Syusuke..."

Swish!

The tennis ball flew high over the net, and a chance ball full of provocation appeared on the court.

Speed, power, eyesight...

Every one of Fuji's abilities was improving rapidly.

It was just that such a rally was hard on the audience; they hadn't even understood the previous ball before the next collision arrived.

Watching the slowly flying tennis ball in front of him, Chitose could naturally receive the message Fuji was conveying.

He took a deep look at the slightly dented racket face, then kicked off the ground with his right foot to lunge forward, integrating the strength of his body to smash the tennis ball back violently.

Fuji took a side-step to arrive in front of the tennis ball's falling trajectory, his right knee slightly bent, left foot propped up, his center of gravity shifting to his right side in an instant.

Holding the racket with both hands like a sword, he rotated his body, and the racket lashed out violently from his right side.

Crisp footsteps landed on the court, Fuji's hair fluttered lightly, and his blue-and-white figure dashed rapidly toward the right court.

Swish—

He leaped up without hesitation, like a flying eagle spreading its wings, his gray-white jersey fluttering in the wind.

The moment he landed.

"Didn't you crush my 'Brown Bear Drop'?"

Boom!

The tennis ball flew diagonally toward the opposite court; even without using 'Mayfly Coverage,' Fuji could now capture the trajectory of 'Godly Concealment.'

Tap, tap!

"This guy is starting to evolve."

With the power of this smash, even if he used 'Brown Bear Drop' to respond, the racket would be knocked away!

The so-called 'Godly Concealment' does not make the tennis ball truly disappear, but rather hits a powerful spin ball that is vertically perpendicular to the ground.

In this state.

Boom!

Fuji's figure leaped on the service area line, and a sharp mid-court volley was violently smashed out by him.

With a cold shout, Chitose arched his back, his racket whistling as he smashed down.

Having been baptized by the National Competition, Chitose's match experience was only greater than Fuji's, and he could fully keep up with this rhythm.

He was like the most brilliant swordsman, executing a sword technique that only existed in legends—

Swallow Return!

The racket was a sharp longsword, the tennis ball a swallow in the air.

Boom!

The swallow in mid-air was instantly extinguished, but what extinguished it was not a longsword, but a Kirin beast rising from the ground.

Behind Chitose, at the backcourt baseline, a wisp of ethereal white smoke fell straight down.

"30-40!"

The line judge hurriedly checked the landing spot; the tennis ball had landed precisely on the white boundary line.

"Kirin Landing...

Seigaku's Fuji Syusuke is truly an amazing tennis player."

On the Ice Emperor side, the dignified and handsome Coach Sakaki praised softly. He closed his eyes slightly, as if he could still see that exquisite and gorgeous technique.

Whether it was 'Swallow Returns to its Nest' or 'Brown Bear Drop,' these moves had evolved in this match; Fuji had once again injected new life into them.

"Coach?!"

Hearing such high praise from Coach Sakaki, Mukahi Gakuto's face showed an expression of extreme surprise.

You have to know, since he joined the club, he hadn't even received ordinary praise a few times.

Without responding in time, Coach Sakaki looked at the court, or more accurately, at Fuji on the court.

At this moment.

Fuji rotated the angle of his racket, deeply feeling the changes in the wind, calculating the spin needed for the shot based on the wind's trajectory. The moment the tennis ball bounced to knee height, he sliced his racket skillfully.

"White Dragon!"

Swish!

A white swimming dragon shot straight into the clouds, then dived down from the sky. The long dragon fell to the ground, but unlike the 'White Whale,' it did not bounce back.

"40-40."

Pat.

Not until the tennis ball landed again did Coach Sakaki speak slowly.

"What do you think a genius is?"

Hearing this sudden question, the Ice Emperor regulars looked at each other, their eyes filled with a bit of confusion.

"Naturally, it's having the potential to become a strong player."

Atobe said with absolute certainty, and Oshitari Yuushi also nodded in agreement.

"Wrong!"

Beyond everyone's expectations, Coach Sakaki directly rejected Atobe's answer, not giving the Ice Emperor captain any face at all.

"At the 1970 Osaka Expo, Fujitsu prepared a computer as big as a cabinet, performing for the audience how to solve life-and-death problems in Go.

After personal computers became popular, Go software in computer tournaments reached a skill level of 15 kyu;

In 1997, the American IBM company used software to defeat the world chess champion..."

Coach Sakaki listed a series of developments in computer software within board games.

"With the development of technology, I believe that one day, computers will also defeat the world Go champion on a 19-line board.

Being able to defeat a world champion is naturally being a strong player, but...

Do you think a computer is a genius?"

"..."

The dull sound of hitting the ball, the cheers of the audience, and the referee's judgment sounded one after another in the surroundings.

The Ice Emperor team was exceptionally quiet at this moment.

"What is a genius?" Coach Sakaki raised his head slightly, whispering to himself.

Then he answered the question himself.

"Tennis or Go, it doesn't matter.

No matter what sport, usually nine-tenths of the tactics and techniques are fixed and can be learned from books or teachers.

However...

At the end of this, there still exists that irrational one-tenth."

His words paused slightly, his gaze moving to Fuji's figure, and he continued.

"Just like an osprey flashing across the water's surface to catch a fish; just like an antelope leaping across a cliff; just like the fleeting bloom of an Epiphyllum, the beauty of an instant forged into a moment of eternity."

I believe these are the qualities that tennis players truly need.

And Fuji Syusuke has this potential...

The kind that belongs to a genius."

After Coach Sakaki finished speaking, looking at Fuji who was still evolving, a bright light appeared in his eyes, and he added the unfinished words in his heart.

"We need the existence of geniuses.

The level of education worldwide has improved by leaps and bounds, but basic science seems to have stagnated.

Clearly, the system is improving, and the plans for cultivating tennis players are constantly being optimized, but until now, no one has been able to touch the boundaries of Echizen Nanjiro from ten years ago.

After long development, the volume of knowledge accumulated by humanity has reached an unimaginable level, and every field seems to be entering a bottleneck.

The nine-tenths of the past has now begun to become ninety-nine percent, and those who step into the one-tenth can no longer exceed the limit of ninety-nine.

We need the existence of geniuses, we need the existence of that brand-new one percent.

Once again...

Once again, lift that torch in the darkness.

Walk out of the ancient wilderness, explore unknown boundaries, and step toward a brand-new world."

"We need the existence of geniuses."

Fuji Syusuke...

Are you that one-tenth, or that one percent? ===== CHAPTER 113 =====