stonecrandall Page 154
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Even freshmen watching the game from the sidelines, who knew nothing about tennis, couldn't help but feel excited and thrilled.
The reason for this is that they truly felt the charm of tennis from the increasingly heated match between Chen Anxia and Tezuka Kunimitsu.
'So this is tennis...'
Similar thoughts began to surface in the minds of the new students.
Of course, besides tennis, Chen Anxia also showcased her charm on the court.
Every movement, striving for perfect replication, appeared so elegant to the unfamiliar newcomers off the court.
This elegance seems to have been elevated beyond Chen Anxia's own appearance and temperament, making her even more attractive to young, budding girls.
Led by Tomoka Kosaka, these young girls began to shout and cheer for Chen Anxia.
Amidst the cheers and encouragement, Chen Anxia seemed to have acquired his own title: ...king.
After seeing Chen Anxia's enviable support group, the tennis club members also began to cheer for their captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu.
However, Chen Anxia and Tezuka Kunimitsu, both on the field, automatically ignored external distractions and focused on the game at hand.
Bang!
Another powerful yet silent impact rang out, and under everyone's gaze, Chen Anxia unleashed another Speed smash towards the opposing team.
Whether it was an illusion or not, some people seemed to see distorted air currents bursting out from Chen Anxia's tennis racket.
Moreover, they felt that the sound of the tennis ball cutting through the air this time seemed heavier and sharper than before.
In Tezuka Kunimitsu's eyes, the tennis ball flying toward his court seemed to be trailing a swirling tail of air, tearing through the air with terrifying speed and power.
Upon seeing this, Tezuka Kunimitsu realized that Chen Anxia's shot had once again surpassed the power of the previous one.
This marks the nineteenth time Chen Anxia has surpassed his previous achievements.
This fact unsettled Tezuka Kunimitsu, who couldn't help but wonder, 'Has he been hiding his true abilities all along, or has he been constantly surpassing himself?'
If it's the latter, then where is his limit?
'If it's the latter, then what kind of...monster is he...?'
Amidst a flurry of thoughts, Tezuka Kunimitsu returned to the landing spot, still holding the racket in one hand, and boldly met the incoming ball head-on.
Even though Tezuka Kunimitsu had prepared himself mentally, he still felt an unimaginable shock when he received the ball.
In my ears, I seemed to hear a series of harsh and obscure 'creaking' sounds.
Tezuka Kunimitsu knew that this was the sound produced by a tennis ball spinning violently and constantly rubbing against the racket face.
Not only that, Tezuka Kunimitsu also felt his right hand, which was holding the racket, trembling slightly due to the enormous force of the ball.
However, this is still within the range that Tezuka Kunimitsu can withstand with one hand, but it is already close to his limit.
Tezuka Kunimitsu, who was fully aware of this, knew that he could not continue to test the waters like this.
Although Chen Anxia's speed smashes were all within Tezuka Kunimitsu's tolerance range, each return put a considerable strain on Tezuka Kunimitsu's arm.
These burdens are accumulating and building up, waiting for the moment they will finally erupt.
That's not what Tezuka Kunimitsu wanted to see.
Without the slightest hesitation, Tezuka Kunimitsu returned the ball directly.
All of this was brief, and no one noticed the unusual movement in Tezuka Kunimitsu's hand holding the racket.
Even Kikumaru Eiji, with his exceptional eyesight, only noticed that Tezuka Kunimitsu's right hand, holding the racket, paused for a moment when he received the ball.
Of course, this doesn't mean that Eiji Kikumaru couldn't notice it, but rather that he was quite far from the tennis court at the time, so even with his excellent eyesight, he couldn't see it clearly.
However, although Kikumaru Eiji did not notice Tezuka Kunimitsu's abnormality, he clearly saw that Chen Anxia's speed in that instant surpassed his previous speed once again.
Like Tezuka Kunimitsu, Kikumaru Eiji was also secretly counting, knowing that this was Chen Anxia's nineteenth time surpassing him.
This fact deeply shocked Kikumaru Eiji.
Kikumaru Eiji knew that Chen Anxia's current burst of speed had reached 80% of his full strength.
Kikumaru Eiji didn't know if Chen Anxia's speed could be surpassed again.
If so, it would mean that Chen Anxia would soon be able to match, or even surpass, his own speed...
Fuji Syusuke, who was standing next to Kikumaru Eiji, now had a completely serious expression on his face.
Watching Chen Anxia unleash another Speed smash on the court, Fuji Syusuke couldn't help but mutter to himself, 'His stamina hasn't reached its limit yet; he can still deliver that kind of return shot...'
Then, Fuji Syusuke couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.
Actually, from the very beginning, there was one thing that Fuji Syusuke was very concerned about: Chen Anxia kept using the Speed smash, as if this was the only skill he knew.
Or is it that Chen Anxia really only knows this one type of ball skill?
Thinking this, Fuji Syusuke couldn't help but glance at Tezuka Kunimitsu, silently repeating to himself, 'Tezuka, where did you find him?'
"Could it be that he is the pillar of Seigaku's future that you've chosen?"
Meanwhile, the players outside the arena have gone from being moved, shocked, and stunned to being numb.
Although the speed shot had exceeded their expectations, seeing Chen Anxia hit the speed shot again and again, and seeing Tezuka Kunimitsu return the speed shot again and again, they couldn't help but become numb.
However, their skills were limited, and they couldn't discern the changes in Chen Anxia's speed smashes.
Otherwise, their apathy would be far more than just numbness.
On the court, after Chen Anxia hit a speed shot that surpassed his previous performance, he couldn't help but take two deep breaths to calm his increasingly heavy breathing.
Even with Chen Anxia's current physical condition, he felt strained after unleashing twenty consecutive Speed smashes.
Chen Anxia knew that with his current physical strength, he could only unleash six more Speed smashes at most, after which his stamina would be depleted.
However, Chen Anxia will not stop.
Because surpassing the Speed shot is Chen Anxia's only hope.
Chen Anxia was also betting that Tezuka Kunimitsu's right hand couldn't support six speed-boosting smashes.
Without hesitation, Chen Anxia prepared to hit another Speed shot while looking at Tezuka Kunimitsu, trying to see the trajectory of Tezuka Kunimitsu's shot.
But upon seeing this, Chen Anxia seemed to have witnessed something unbelievable, and his expression suddenly froze.
Before Chen Anxia could react, Tezuka Kunimitsu held his racket in a reverse grip and chopped the incoming ball.
......
Chapter 228 Zero-Style Chop
At the moment Tezuka Kunimitsu made his backhand slice, the people around him didn't think anything of it and assumed it was just an ordinary slice.
Moreover, given Chen Anxia's current position near the baseline, Tezuka Kunimitsu's slice shot was perfectly timed.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Tezuka Kunimitsu's slice shot gently crossed the net and landed on the ground.
Then, a scene that shocked everyone unfolded.
The tennis ball, which should have bounced after hitting the ground, did not bounce; instead, it rolled a short distance in a straight line towards the net.
Seeing this, the freshmen gathered outside the basketball court's wire fence were all dumbfounded.
Although most of these freshmen do not know much about tennis, according to their basic common sense, a tennis ball should bounce back up no matter how high it bounces after hitting the ground.
However, Tezuka Kunimitsu's slice shot didn't bounce; instead, it rolled straight toward the net.
This shot, which defied common sense, was simply unbelievable, like magic.
At this point, Tomoka Kosaka couldn't help but ask, completely bewildered, "Sakuno, isn't your grandma a tennis coach? Do you know what happened with that shot?"
Ryuzaki Sakuno also looked completely bewildered, and replied directly, "I have absolutely no idea."
Similar scenes are constantly playing out among the new students.
Compared to these newcomers who know nothing about tennis, the players with a certain level of tennis skill are even more impressive.
They knew that such a dreamlike, unsolvable slice shot had never existed in their world, and even world-renowned professional players had never executed a similar slice shot.
They also know that it's not that those world-renowned professional players deliberately don't play similar slice shots, but rather that those world-renowned professional players simply can't play similar slice shots.
Such an unsolvable, dreamlike chop shot shouldn't even exist in the world.
However, in the game "The Prince of Tennis," this seemingly unbeatable slice shot actually appeared in the hands of a middle school student...
After the initial shock, all the players showed expressions of fervor and excitement.
Although such an unbeatable slice shot doesn't exist in reality, it does in the game "The Prince of Tennis." So, can they learn and execute such an unbeatable slice shot?
Of course, they also harbored a wishful thought: to bring this dreamlike, unsolvable defensive shot back to their world.
They knew that once such a dreamlike and unsolvable slice shot appeared in their world, it would cause a huge shock in the tennis world, and they would become famous as a result.
Thinking about it, these players had already decided in their hearts that they must join the Seigaku Tennis Club and find a way to learn such a dreamlike and unsolvable slice shot from Tezuka Kunimitsu.
The tennis club members who were also present immediately became agitated after regaining their senses.
Because they knew this dreamlike, unsolvable slice shot, and it was precisely because they knew that they became increasingly excited and agitated.
Exclamations, whispers, and excited shouts rang out outside the stadium.
"Zero-style slice, this is the minister's signature Zero-style slice!"
"This is the Zero-Style Chop? It's amazing!"
"I'd only ever heard of the Zero-Style Chop before, but today I finally got to see it for myself!"
"No matter how many times I watch it, this zero-style slice is still so incredible. It's simply an unsolvable return shot."
"I didn't expect the minister to use the Zero-Style Chop. Does this mean the minister is serious?"
......
On the nearby school building, Kikumaru Eiji couldn't help but exclaim after seeing the Zero-Style Chop, "No way, no way, Tezuka actually used the Zero-Style Chop? Is Tezuka serious?"
Then, Kikumaru Eiji asked, full of confusion, "But why is Tezuka taking this seriously?"
"Although that kid's return shot was amazing, it shouldn't be enough to make Tezuka use the Zero-Shiki Chop, right?"
When Fuji Syusuke first saw Tezuka Kunimitsu use the Zero Style Chop, he was also surprised.
But Fuji Syusuke quickly realized something, and upon hearing Kikumaru Eiji's question, he immediately replied, "There must be some secret in that return shot that we don't know about."