Chapter 119: Mifune's Doubt

Kurobe disagreed slightly, saying, "No, I think Takahashi has already won this match."

"Don't forget, before the match we restricted Takahashi and didn't let him use Taotie."

"Using only basic abilities, for Takahashi and Tanegashima to be playing like this is already impressive enough."

"There are few people in the First String who can play against Tanegashima in such a situation."

……

Indeed, just as the coaches and Irie guessed, Takahashi changed his strategy; he stopped attacking proactively and switched to defense, waiting for an opportunity to act!

However, Takahashi was now facing a difficult problem; he discovered that Tanegashima Shuji was almost without any blind spots.

Through the adaptation of the previous few balls, he reacted 0.05 seconds early, moved his body quickly, transformed the original blind spot into a position he was comfortable with, and resolved his own crisis.

At the same time, he wanted to return this move to Tanegashima, hitting the tennis ball toward a position Tanegashima was uncomfortable with or an angle he couldn't react to in time, but he was surprised to discover.

No matter what tricky angle he hit the tennis ball toward, Tanegashima could always successfully resolve it.

Moreover, the spin he applied to the tennis ball all disappeared when it flew back toward him.

Takahashi gave up on proactive attacking and focused his attention on how to return the tennis balls hit toward his own blind spots.

Tanegashima Shuji was also a defensive-type player.

Both of them gave up on proactive attacking, and both could successfully return various tennis balls hit toward their blind spots.

That is why a situation appeared on the court where the two of them had been playing one point for nearly 10 minutes without a winner being decided.

To deal with Tanegashima's Metsu Mu, for now, all Takahashi could do was defend; he had to manage not to lose points first.

Tanegashima Shuji, what a terrifying opponent!

……

Beside the court.

Oni's expression was serious, and low words were issued from his mouth.

"Have you felt an ominous aura? It's very oppressive and very obscure."

Tokugawa was stunned and said, "No, I haven't!"

Irie also felt strange and said, "Ominous, oppressive, obscure! I don't have that feeling."

Oni said, "Is that so? I hope I felt it wrong!"

Irie said, "I noticed Takahashi's gaze has changed; he has never been this serious in the matches over the past two days."

Mifune, who was in the Monitoring Room, also made this discovery.

At this moment, he put down the wine pot in his hand and pointed his finger at the gaze of Takahashi on the monitoring screen.

Takahashi's gaze was firm and powerful, without any impurities, watching the incoming tennis ball with intense concentration, his brows slightly furrowed, as if the tennis ball were his entire world.

"His gaze is very good!"

Mifune said, then he was a bit puzzled.

Such a highly concentrated gaze proved that his spirit must also be highly concentrated.

He had also seen this kind of gaze in the eyes of many people before.

But these people had, without exception, entered the Selfless State.

They had opened the limit of Thousand Hammers, the limit of Talent Blooming, or the limit of Peerless Perfection.

But according to Kurobe's investigation, Takahashi had never opened the Selfless State.

And at this moment, there was no white transparent light emitting from Takahashi's body that the Selfless State possessed.

What is going on?

A mind without distracting thoughts, a mind without outside interference!

Takahashi had clearly achieved these two points, yet he hadn't opened the Selfless State?

Saito listened to Mifune General Coach's words, nodded, and said, "Yes, this is probably the most serious match Takahashi has played since entering the Training Camp; there is no smile in his eyes, only firmness and seriousness."

Mifune pondered Saito's words.

The most serious match?

Could it be that Takahashi had never been serious in his previous matches?

Indeed, Takahashi was only a middle school student, and only in his first year.

With such powerful basic strength, the strength to be able to defeat Oni and Tokugawa, it was probably hard to find an opponent among all middle school students.

Competing against others, he indeed did not need to be serious.

It seems Takahashi's potential has not yet been fully developed.

If he continued to play seriously like today, plus his own unique method of education, the door to the Selfless State would open for him one day sooner or later.

Takahashi's basic strength was already so powerful, and to simultaneously open the Asura Divine Path and the Selfless State.

Mifune was a bit excited; he had been the General Coach and supervisor of the U17 for so many years, and he had never seen a middle school student with such powerful strength.

If he were allowed to grow up smoothly, Japan U17 would not lose to any country in terms of high-end combat power in the future.

After all, Takahashi was only 12 years old, just in his first year of middle school!

……

On the competition court.

"Bang!"

Tanegashima jumped up suddenly, swung his racket with force, and delivered a fierce smash at the tennis ball.

Takahashi's figure moved rapidly, arriving at the landing point of the tennis ball in advance.

At the moment the tennis ball landed and bounced, he swung his arm upward with force, and the tennis ball headed toward Tanegashima's half of the court again.

"The timing of this half-volley is grasped really well!"

"To actually be able to counter Tanegashima's smash, Takahashi's strength is truly not to be underestimated!"

Tokugawa sighed in admiration.

Irie pondered aloud: "Takahashi is growing very rapidly in this match; from being unable to return Tanegashima's shots at the beginning, to now being evenly matched with Tanegashima, neck and neck."

"The match has now reached a stalemate; neither side can break through the other's defense."

"It wouldn't really turn into a battle of stamina between the two, would it!"

Watching the match on the court, Oni felt his inner unease growing stronger.

That ominous, oppressive, and obscure aura made him feel very uncomfortable.

It inexplicably reminded him of the feeling he had when facing Takahashi's dimension—Taotie yesterday.

However, the two were not similar; the sense of oppression brought by Taotie was stronger, and the fear it brought was greater.

This aura was clearly much more restrained, yet it made one feel inexplicably uneasy.

But neither Irie nor Tokugawa felt anything.

Could it be an aftereffect of being hit by Takahashi's Taotie yesterday?

Oni fell into deep thought.

……

Another 5 minutes passed.

"Bang!"

Takahashi watched the incoming ball, his heart stirred slightly, and he twisted his wrist gently.

The flying tennis ball struck the frame of the tennis racket directly, rolled once along the strings, and then flew back into the air.

Tanegashima's eyelids twitched.

Another very complex spin, mixed with extremely unstable power.

The trajectory of this ball...

Tanegashima pondered, layers of white ripples appearing on his tennis racket; it was none other than Metsu Mu.

Just as the tennis ball approached the racket, it seemed to be hit by an unknown force, instantly turning 90 degrees and heading toward Tanegashima's left.

It was exactly the "Shaped Return" that Takahashi had used when competing against Sanada before.

Tanegashima looked at the tennis ball rolling on the ground, somewhat surprised.

To actually change direction by 90 degrees in mid-air, Takahashi's signature move is truly surprising.

"40-30!"

"Takahashi scores!"

……

In the Monitoring Room.

Watching the scene on the screen, several Coaches were shocked.

"Is this Takahashi's signature move? Making the tennis ball perform a 90-degree turn in mid-air."

"We haven't seen him use it before."

Saito said.

"First, use the frame of the racket to make contact with the tennis ball. The frame is hard, unlike the strings which have elasticity, adding extremely unstable power to the tennis ball, then letting the tennis ball rotate once on the strings to increase the spin on the ball."

"In mid-air, all the unstable power contained in the tennis ball is converted into the force to change direction, turning to the left along the given sidespin."

"This Takahashi, where exactly is his limit?"

Kurobe couldn't help but exclaim.

He had thought that in yesterday's match against Oni Jujiro, Taotie was his greatest trump card.

He didn't expect that by pushing him today, he could still force out his other signature moves.

He really didn't know how many trump cards Takahashi was hiding.