Chapter 33: The Terrifying Sanada

"Bang!"

The tennis ball flew quickly over the net, heading straight for the baseline on Marui's right side.

Marui remained standing where he was, not moving at all.

"15-30!"

"Point for Sanada!"

Takahashi, who was watching from the sidelines, noticed it.

Rather than saying Marui was challenging Sanada, it was more like Sanada was coaching Marui.

Sanada controlled the speed of the tennis ball; it wasn't fast at the beginning, but he gradually accelerated it, making the ball's speed faster and faster until Marui couldn't keep up.

And don't forget, Sanada was still wearing wrist weights on his arms.

He truly lives up to being the "Emperor" of Rikkai!

Facing a fellow third-year regular, he was actually this composed and at ease!

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Perhaps the gap between the two was too large, as Marui didn't score a single point in the following few rallies.

Coming to the second game, it was Sanada's Serve.

"Bang!"

In the blink of an eye, the tennis ball landed behind Marui.

"15-0!"

"Point for Sanada!"

The speed began to increase significantly!

The people around were also discussing it heatedly.

"What a fast Serve!"

"Although I already knew the Vice Captain was very strong, every time I see a Serve like this, I still can't help but praise him again!"

"Senior Marui really has courage; I wouldn't have the guts to challenge the Vice Captain at all!"

"Senior Marui's Tightrope Walking is also quite formidable!"

"As expected of a regular!"

"Wanting to become a regular in the Rikkaidai Tennis Club is truly hellishly difficult!"

Takahashi estimated this ball to be nearly 195 km/h.

Don't forget, Sanada was still wearing wrist weights on his arms.

Then Sanada's true speed would likely exceed 200 km/h.

Truly terrifying!

"Bang!"

"30-0!"

"Bang!"

"2-0!"

He won this game relying solely on his Serve.

Marui Bunta had also made some progress.

On the first ball, he had no reaction.

On the second ball, he could judge the direction.

On the third ball, he could move his position, but he was still a little off.

Given the gap in strength, losing was no injustice!

It was Marui's service game once again.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Seizing the opportunity, Marui quickly arrived at the net and hit a Short Ball.

This ball was different from the Tightrope Walking just now.

The tennis ball struck the iron pillar beside the net.

Then it crossed over the iron pillar.

It dropped into Sanada's half of the court.

Marui popped the green bubble in his mouth and said, "How about it? This is my newly developed special move—Iron Pillar Smash!"

Sanada's eyes lit up, and he said, "Not bad, very creative!"

"You've improved!"

Sanada is proud.

It seems one truly cannot underestimate anyone from Rikkai.

This ball is a great test of power and direction.

The power cannot be too great, otherwise it will go directly over the iron post.

Nor can it be too small, otherwise it will not reach the position of the iron post.

And the direction as well, returning the ball toward the iron post.

This angle is very tricky.

It seems this Marui Bunta's ball control is quite superb!

But the gap in absolute strength allowed Sanada to quickly find a way to break it!

On the third ball, Sanada successfully returned it.

……

"Bang!"

……

"6-0! Sanada wins!"

The match is over.

Sanada won the victory without any suspense.

"Senior Marui, as a regular, didn't even score a single point. The Vice Captain is worthy of being the Emperor of Rikkai. So formidable!"

"That goes without saying; the strength of regulars also differs."

"Look, how many people dare to challenge the Vice Captain in every selection tournament? Except for that stubborn Kirihara."

"Indeed! Those who dare to challenge the Three Giants are few and far between; no one wants to be brutally crushed!"

"Alright, having watched the Vice Captain's match, we must prepare for our own."

"It ended so quickly!"

The other team members watching from the sidelines were preparing to leave.

But they discovered.

Their respected Vice Captain Sanada did not leave.

A different person had replaced him on the other side of the net.

It was none other than Takahashi Yanichi!

They all stopped in surprise.

"What's the situation? Takahashi is also going to challenge the Vice Captain!"

"Did I see that right?"

"Who gave him the courage!"

"Although Takahashi beat Kirihara last month, you have to know that the difference in strength between Kirihara and Vice Captain Sanada is worlds apart. Kirihara challenges the Vice Captain every month, but has never won once!"

"Takahashi is too bold!"

"And for this past month, he hasn't been practicing properly, which has really angered the Vice Captain."

"Coming up to challenge at a time like this is simply courting death!"

"Takahashi should be happy just to have a regular spot; why can't he keep a low profile?"

"Still too young, knowing nothing of true strength!"

"Young people should take some hits, otherwise they'll get carried away; even with talent, it won't work if they don't even come to training!"

The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, all discussing it heatedly.

Immediately after, they saw their Captain Yukimura Seiichi and the Strategist Yanagi Renji also walking toward this spot.

"This match has even attracted the Captain's attention; even if he loses, Takahashi won't have lost out."

"That's true, usually the Vice Captain manages us, and the Captain only appears on big occasions; if I could get noticed by the Captain, I'd be willing even if I were shut out!"

"Then do you dare to challenge the Vice Captain?"

"Uh... no, I don't."

……

After the toss, Sanada serves.

Takahashi carries his tennis racket on his shoulder and says to Sanada: "Hey, can you take off the wristband on your hand?"

Sanada pauses for a moment, looks at the black wristband on his hand, and says indifferently: "To deal with you, there is no need to take it off!"

Takahashi turns and walks away, takes a wristband out of his tennis bag, and puts it on his hand.

Looking at it, the weight is not light!

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

They didn't expect Takahashi to be so arrogant!

Sanada's expression also changed.

He tosses the tennis ball into the air and swings his racket fiercely.

"Bang!"

The tennis ball shoots out like a bullet.

"So fast!"

"Even faster than when he was playing against Senior Marui just now!"

Just as everyone was exclaiming, Takahashi moves his body quickly, waits in advance at the ball's landing spot, and successfully returns it.

The returned tennis ball is even faster!

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"So fast!"

"My eyes are about to go blurry!"

"I didn't expect Takahashi to be able to rally with the Vice Captain for so long."

The spectators could barely keep up with the speed of the tennis ball's movement and exclaimed one after another.

"Bang!"

Takahashi held the racket in his right hand, the tennis ball spinning continuously on the strings.

A very strong force came from the tennis racket, feeling just like a lead weight.

Takahashi placed his left hand on the racket as well, attempting to increase his power.

However, it was useless.

The tennis ball still bounced away.

"15-0!"

"Sanada scores!"

"Although I've already praised him, I still can't help but compliment the Vice Captain's strength again."

"Too strong! Whether it's power or speed, the Vice Captain is more than just a little bit amazing."

"The Vice Captain wears a wristband to show care for his juniors and underclassmen, but he actually wears one too..."

"Takahashi is finished; his own strength isn't enough, yet he dared to come and provoke him."

"He hit a steel plate, didn't he!"

"He's asking for trouble."

"He insisted on competing against the Vice Captain; is his brain filled with water?"

The people around were one-sidedly cheering for the Vice Captain, not just because Sanada's strength was sufficiently powerful.

It was even more because Takahashi did not come to training, and on the few days he did come, he brought drinks and manga to go on vacation.

This made the other team members who were training desperately very envious and jealous.

At this moment, seeing Takahashi at a disadvantage, they were all very excited and thrilled!