Chapter 27: A Crushing Defeat Without Scoring a Single Point

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Tachibana An shouted from the sidelines.

The scene that had just occurred simply shattered her perception.

This move, "Explosive Ball Dance," was Tachibana Kippei's signature technique.

It was precisely by relying on this technique that he was able to successfully become the ace of Shishigaku and one of the Kyushu Twin Heroes.

In previous National Tournaments, when faced with this ball.

No one had ever successfully returned it.

Even Shiraishi Kuranosuke of Shitenhoji had no way to counter this ball.

As a prestigious school in the Kansai region, Shitenhoji was one of the top four in the National Tournament.

As the Captain of the Shitenhoji Tennis Club, Shiraishi Kuranosuke's strength was self-evident.

Yet, facing Tachibana Kippei's Explosive Ball Dance, he could only watch helplessly as his opponent scored, with no way to break it.

Such a powerful signature move had actually been broken in Tokyo by someone unknown!

And it was broken on the very first ball!

Tachibana An simply could not believe her eyes!

On the court.

Tachibana Kippei heard the sound of the tennis ball hitting the ground, and his pupils suddenly constricted.

It had actually been successfully hit back!

Thinking back, it was this very move that caused the eyes of the other member of the Kyushu Twin Heroes, Chitose Senri, to be injured.

For this, he felt immense self-reproach and had once even thought about giving up tennis.

Because the power of this ball was too great, even he himself could not control it well.

After successfully forming the Fudomine Tennis Club, he had sealed this move away.

Because he did not want anyone else to get hurt again.

Today, if it hadn't been for that ball that changed direction in mid-air, making him deeply feel a sense of crisis, he would not have risked using this move.

Because he himself did not know what kind of power this move would produce.

He had thought that using this move would change the situation and successfully score.

Yet he never expected that this ball, which he regarded as incomparably dangerous and powerful, would actually be successfully returned by his opponent.

Perhaps it was because Tachibana Kippei's gaze toward Takahashi was too intense.

Takahashi responded indifferently: "Don't be too surprised, because I saw through the true nature of this move."

"I have also developed a similar move."

What!

Tachibana Kippei's eyes widened into circles.

He saw Takahashi standing on the opposite side of the net.

He tossed the tennis ball in his hand into the air, tracing an arc.

He pulled his arm back with force, then, using the forward momentum, swung his racket violently.

His whole body turned to the left in one fluid motion.

The tennis ball rushed across the net at high speed.

Tachibana Kippei quickened his pace, chasing after the tennis ball.

However, after the tennis ball landed.

It did not bounce up immediately.

After spinning on the ground for a few turns.

The single tennis ball suddenly turned into several, bouncing off in different directions.

This...

Tachibana Kippei was greatly shocked inside.

Another point lost.

Beside the court.

"I've seen this ball before!"

Tachibana An called out.

But the last time she saw it.

When the tennis ball bounced up, it clearly left behind afterimages.

But now.

It was as if they were real, physical entities.

It was impossible to distinguish which were shadows and which was the real tennis ball.

It had only been a few days.

Was his progress this terrifying?

Now, this was just like her brother's Explosive Ball Dance!

Except one was a Serve and one was a Return.

Is this possible?

Someone who didn't even have a team could actually develop a signature move similar to her brother's.

Tachibana An felt her worldview being shattered!

Shattered completely!

……

Outside the court.

Shiba Saori began rubbing her eyes again.

She felt it was necessary for her to go to the hospital and see an ophthalmologist.

Why did she always see double images when looking at things?

Was it nearsightedness?

Or astigmatism?

Otherwise, why did she see several tennis balls appear after this ball bounced?

Beside her, Inoue muttered to himself, "Takahashi is actually able to hit a similar Serve."

"Is that precisely why he was able to return it smoothly just now?"

"Has the principle of this move already been seen through by him?"

"What immense power and genius this is!"

……

Inside the court.

Tachibana Kippei's expression had completely darkened.

He knew he no longer had any hope.

Regarding his own ultimate move, Explosive Ball Dance, Tachibana Kippei could not actually fully control it.

The power, which was almost brute force, caused the tennis ball to be filled with immense explosive force, thereby causing the tennis ball to exhibit irregular movement.

It was as if several tennis balls appeared at the same time.

But this power was not under Tachibana Kippei's control.

Takahashi's Serve, compared to power, also added spin.

This caused the tennis ball to also appear as several after landing.

Although both achieved the goal of making the tennis ball multiply into dozens.

However, Takahashi was clearly more at ease!

Because his expression was very calm and composed.

It seemed the trajectory and power of the tennis ball after it bounced were all under his control.

Yet Tachibana could not achieve this.

It was precisely because of this that he had injured his teammate Chitose's eye.

Tachibana Kippei hit it using almost brute force, so when faced with dozens of tennis balls, he could not successfully distinguish which one was real.

But Takahashi had done it!

This also proved that Takahashi's understanding of this move was more profound than his!

……

"1-0!"

"Takahashi wins!"

The first game was Takahashi's service game; it was unexpected that Tachibana Kippei hadn't scored a single point.

Upon realizing this fact, Inoue was shocked once again.

Was Takahashi actually this powerful?

Even Tachibana Kippei hadn't been able to take a single point from him!

This was the Captain of Fudomine!

The leader of the team that took second place in the Regional Preliminaries.

……

"Bang!"

……

"0-15!"

"Takahashi scores!"

……

"Bang!"

……

"0-30!"

……

"0-40!"

……

"0-2!"

"This game, Takahashi wins!"

Tachibana Kippei's ultimate move, Explosive Ball Dance, was countered by Takahashi.

But when faced with Takahashi's ultimate move, Tachibana Kippei was helpless.

The situation was one-sided.

Soon the second game also ended, and it was still a victory for Takahashi.

Tachibana Kippei hadn't scored a single point!

"Do you still want to continue the match?"

Takahashi asked.

"There is no need."

Tachibana Kippei knew that if he continued to play, he would have absolutely no chance of turning the defeat into a victory.

The gap between him and Takahashi was simply too vast!

There was not a single chance at all!

He could not even manage to score a single point!

At this moment, beside the court.

The various members of Fudomine were in a state of near numbness.

In their hearts, that incomparably sacred and incomparably powerful Captain had actually lost.

And he had lost so thoroughly.

Was the Captain too weak?

No, that was impossible.

The Captain's strength was something they had all witnessed with their own eyes.

Fudomine's doubles strength was indeed not high enough, but their singles were very powerful.

The strength of the two was simply worlds apart.

The strength of Singles No. 3 Kamio Akira and Singles No. 2 Ibu Shinji had both been displayed during the recent preliminary tournament.

Although they were defeated by Seigaku, they were still very powerful within Fudomine.

It was clearly not on the same level as their doubles.

And the Captain was able to firmly hold the position of Singles 1, his strength far exceeding that of the other two singles players.

This was also a fact that all the team members tacitly acknowledged.

However.

At this moment, the Captain had lost!

They really did not want to admit it.

But the fact was placed right before their eyes.

The Captain had lost to Takahashi.

It was not that the Captain was too weak.

It was that Takahashi was too powerful!