Chapter 28: All-Encompassing Suppression, The Possibility of Inoue

Tachibana Kippei lost to Takahashi Yanichi.

This is a fact that all the Fudomine team members do not want to face.

Yet this fact has truly and realistically happened right before their eyes.

What makes them even less willing to face it is:

Takahashi's strength is greater than that of their Captain, Tachibana Kippei.

Far superior to all of them!

This realization leaves them deeply devastated.

Among them, the one whose emotions are particularly intense is Tachibana An.

She originally felt that Takahashi was too arrogant, too conceited, and too contemptuous of others.

She wanted to use her brother Tachibana Kippei's hands to teach Takahashi a good lesson.

But she never expected that Takahashi truly had the strength.

His strength completely matches his pride!

Now, it is not she who is teaching Takahashi a lesson.

On the contrary, it is Takahashi teaching her how to conduct herself.

The one sitting in a well and looking at the sky is she, Tachibana An!

The one who does not know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth is also she, Tachibana An!

The one who does not know that there is a sky beyond the sky and people beyond people is also she, Tachibana An!

This is simply rubbing her self-esteem ruthlessly into the ground.

Yet she can only willingly endure it.

Because.

Her skills are inferior to others!

Tennis is all about strength!

One must know that her brother, Tachibana Kippei, is also an incomparably powerful player who possesses National Level strength.

Takahashi, who defeated Tachibana, that strength...

Is likely standing at the very pinnacle of the entire middle school tennis world!

Outside the court.

Inoue Mamoru and Shiba Saori are also in disbelief.

Tachibana Kippei has lost just like that.

Lost to someone they have never seen before.

And someone who did not participate in the Regional Preliminaries.

This news is truly shocking!

At the same time, a thought appears in Inoue's mind, surprising even himself.

That is, Seigaku's Echizen Ryoma is likely not the opponent of the person before them.

This Takahashi is truly too mysterious and too powerful!

Originally, as a reporter, he had placed all his attention on the Seigaku first-year regular, Echizen Ryoma.

Because Echizen Ryoma displayed powerful strength and is also the son of the Samurai, Echizen Nanjiro.

But he now decides that he cannot focus on Echizen Ryoma so much anymore.

He must shift his attention to this Takahashi.

He is even more powerful than Echizen Ryoma!

The entire middle school tennis world is truly full of talent, with each generation stronger than the last!

Just, which school is Takahashi actually from?

Inoue is very confused.

A Takahashi with such powerful strength actually did not participate in the middle school tennis tournament.

He really does not know which school it is.

To actually waste such a natural talent!

Wasting talent!

It is simply enough to make heaven angry and people resentful!

At this moment, far away in Kanagawa, Sanada sneezes several times.

Recently, things have not been going well for him.

Not only has the first-year he values most, Takahashi Yanichi, completely lost his trail.

Even his own resistance has become worse; he is actually sneezing.

Still too lax!

He must increase training!

However, for him, Inoue, this is an excellent opportunity.

He, as a reporter for Tennis Monthly, has discovered a peerless genius.

An unknown genius!

This has huge benefits for his career.

A promotion, a raise!

A bright future is right before his eyes.

It all depends on whether he can seize it.

He gripped the camera in his hand tightly; it contained precious data.

It was as if he were gripping his own future.

"Shiba, you must protect this camera!"

Inoue said firmly.

The match was over.

Takahashi and Tachibana were both packing up their bags.

Tachibana spoke up: "Takahashi, you are truly amazing!"

"I never expected that I wouldn't even score a single point against you."

"My attempt to recruit you was presumptuous!"

Tachibana Kippei felt deeply moved inside.

He had thought he could rely on his own formidable strength to successfully recruit Takahashi.

Yet he never expected that he would be the one to suffer a crushing defeat.

Someone possessing such strength, how could they possibly look favorably upon his Fudomine?

Recalling what happened earlier, he felt incomparably embarrassed.

It was truly like wielding a broadsword in front of Guan Gong.

Overestimating his own capabilities!

"There is one more thing. Yesterday, you reminded me to play as Singles Two; was it because you knew we would definitely lose?"

"Is Seigaku really that strong?"

Takahashi shook his head and said, "That was just a tactic."

"A tactic?"

Tachibana Kippei was very confused.

"Have you heard of Tian Ji's Horse Racing?" Takahashi asked.

"Is that an idiom from the Dragon Kingdom? I haven't heard of it." Tachibana was very humble.

Takahashi picked up a tree branch from the ground.

He began to draw on the ground.

"In short."

"Suppose there are 6 people, and three matches are to be played."

"Let's simply call them A, A1, B, B1, C, and C1."

"A's strength is greater than B's, B's strength is greater than C's; the same applies to A1, B1, and C1."

"A's strength is slightly greater than A1's, B's strength is slightly greater than B1's, and C's strength is slightly greater than C1's."

"What would the result of the matches be?" Takahashi asked.

"If everyone's strength is greater than the other person's, then A1, B1, and C1 would definitely all lose."

"Without a doubt, since the disparity in strength is so great."

Tachibana Kippei answered quickly.

"No, although the strength is inferior to the opponent, there is still a chance to win."

Takahashi said calmly.

"What?" Tachibana Kippei expressed great confusion.

"Tactics, this requires tactics."

"What if you let A1 play against B? And B1 play against C?" Takahashi continued to ask.

Tachibana Kippei fell silent.

After several seconds, he replied: "They would win!"

"Even if C1 loses against A, it doesn't affect the victories of A1 and B1. In a best-of-three match, A1, B1, and C1 would still achieve the final victory."

Tachibana Kippei said slowly, his mind beginning to think continuously.

"That's exactly it. Since you are destined to lose, and you cannot improve in a short time."

"Then switch to an easier opponent."

"If you truly cannot beat an opponent, then don't fight them."

"Switch to an opponent you can beat."

Takahashi said calmly.

These few short sentences exploded in Tachibana's mind like Thunder.

"If you can't beat an opponent, don't fight them."

"Switch to an opponent you can beat."

Tachibana felt his brain couldn't keep up; he urgently needed to get a pen and take notes.

To review it constantly, to gain new insights through reviewing the old!

"Actually, Fudomine's doubles arrangement is quite good; the strength of Doubles No. 2 is far higher than Doubles No. 1." Takahashi continued to remind him.

"It was just to secure one victory."

Tachibana replied.

"Actually, this is already applying the strategy of Tian Ji's horse racing, it's just that the singles matches later on held us back," Takahashi said.

"So that's how it is."

It was as if Tachibana Kippei had been suddenly enlightened, and he understood everything all at once.

His occasional ideas were correct, not just in tactics, but also in tennis technique.

However, what he had touched upon was only the surface.

He hadn't expected that Takahashi could actually explain all of their underlying principles.

This was not just a little bit higher than his own level.

He was simply a person on an entirely different level.

His own understanding was very superficial; being able to win was purely a stroke of luck.

Yet Takahashi was able to see through to the essence of things at a glance.

It seems that not only in tennis technique, but also in leading a team, he had lost to Takahashi, left far behind in his wake.

The way Tachibana Kippei looked at Takahashi changed completely.

This was truly the bearing of a Captain!

He had actually harbored the delusion of recruiting Takahashi as a team member.

It was simply utterly ridiculous!

Utterly foolish!