Prince of Tennis: Shocking! Hyotei's Demon King is a Yukimura fangirl!

Chapter 106 Atobe VS Sanada, The Battle of the Two Emperors

The referee raised his hand to confirm that both sides were ready and blew the whistle.

"Singles match, Keigo Atobe vs. Genichiro Sanada. The match is now beginning."

Atobe stood at the baseline and juggled the ball twice in his hands.

He raised his head, his icy blue eyes piercing the net, locking onto Sanada on the other side. The playful, exuberant air of scattering flower petals was gone, replaced by the focused, cold concentration of a hunter locking onto its prey.

He tossed the tennis ball into the air, his wrist suddenly exerting force.

The racket makes a short, crisp sound when it hits the ball.

"Tannhäuser serves."

The high-speed spinning tennis ball swooped down with a "whoosh," hurtling towards Sanada's backhand corner with sharp momentum. It landed in the service court with almost no bounce, sliding along the grass towards the sideline.

Sanada took a step forward and extended his racket, but the ball had already slipped out of his hitting range.

"ACE. 15-0."

A series of suppressed gasps rose from the sidelines.

Everyone instinctively wanted to exclaim in amazement, but then they immediately remembered the etiquette that Wang Yueling had instructed them to observe the game, so they quickly lowered their voices, hiding the shock in their eyes.

The Rikkai members were all astonished; none of them had ever heard of Atobe having such a trump card.

Niou raised an eyebrow slightly and lowered his voice to sigh, "Puri~ A new move right from the start, that opening line is quite unexpected."

"That Tannhäuser, the bard?"

Liu murmured, his gaze fixed on every detail of Atobe's serve on the court. As he wrote, he quietly analyzed the data, "This Tannhäuser serve has extremely strong low-altitude spin and very low bounce. It puts a lot of strain on the wrist, but it can precisely disrupt the opponent's return rhythm."

He paused for a moment, then quickly jotted down a line of data in his notebook.

"That's a brilliant and ingenious serve."

The Hyotei boys' faces were full of pride and self-satisfaction, exchanging admiring glances.

Mukahi's lips curled into a wide smile as he nudged Shinobu beside him with his elbow.

"See that? Atobe's new move, isn't it cool?"

"Yes, that was fantastic."

As Mochizuki Ryou watched Atobe serve and listened to their hushed conversations, she raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly, but said nothing.

This serve was one that he had personally witnessed Atobe hone step by step, and the fact that he could play it at this level was within his expectations.

On the court, Atobe controlled the rhythm and scored two consecutive aces.

Sanada's hat brim was pulled low across from him, making it impossible to see his expression.

Atobe tossed the ball again and swung his racket.

This ball was again served by Tannhäuser, and the landing point was still Sanada's backhand.

But this time Sanada didn't just stand there and wait. The moment Atobe hit the ball, he judged where it would land and lowered his center of gravity to a very low position.

The racket moves forward the instant the ball bounces, striking upwards with a powerful upward motion. The ball is lifted into the air, tracing a high arc, and then smoothly clears the net.

Not only did it perfectly counter Tannhäuser's low-bouncing serve, but the return shot also landed precisely in Atobe's backcourt corner.

The moment the ball hit the ground, a clear look of surprise flashed across Atobe's face. Everyone watching from the sidelines also wore expressions of disbelief.

After watching the whole thing, Wang Yueling raised her eyebrows slightly, and a genuine look of surprise flashed across her eyes.

"Sanada's return of that ball was quite interesting."

Liu paused on the paper with her pen, then lowered her head to quickly jot down notes in her notebook, explaining them softly to the person next to her.

"Sanada used the technique he learned in the high-speed serve return practice on the back mountain the day before yesterday."

He spoke slowly and clearly.

"With just three balls, he figured out the flaws in Atobe's almost perfect Tannhäuser serve. Sanada's ability to adapt to the situation and learn is truly amazing."

After listening, Marui chewed his gum twice, turned to look at Kuwabara, and looked enlightened.

"So, all of Ling's weird training methods make sense. When he made us catch the ball on the steps behind the mountain the day before yesterday, I thought he was messing with us."

Kuwabara nodded.

"It seems to be quite useful."

After listening to Liu's explanation, the others around him all sighed in admiration.

These days, the seemingly bizarre mountain training arranged by Wang Yueling turned out to be anything but useless entertainment.

Every training exercise is designed with practical combat in mind.

Kirihara's eyes widened in disbelief, his voice filled with unscientific shock, "Vice-Captain... you received that serve? I couldn't even see the shadow of that serve..."

Marui reached out and patted the back of his head again, but not hard.

"Do you think everyone is like you, just blindly going through the motions?"

Kirihara rubbed the back of his head where he had been hit again, but this time he didn't glare at him anymore, because his attention had been drawn back to the court.

After Atobe's serve was broken, the match became a tight, drawn-out affair.

Each ball needs to be hit dozens of times.

40-15，40-30，40-40。

Sanada managed to tie the score at game point.

The battle for the last point of the first game continued, and all the boys watching the game had tense expressions, their heads bobbing back and forth with the ball.

Mukahi's forehead was sweating with tension, and his short red hair was a mess in the wind, but he didn't care. Shinobu's eyes, behind his glasses, were fixed on the field, his lips pressed tightly together.

The situation isn't much better at Rikkai University.

Marui had long since stopped chewing his gum; it was just sitting there in his mouth, motionless. Kuwabara's fingers tapped unconsciously on his racket, the rhythm quickening.

Niou leaned against Yagyu, his braid hanging down behind his shoulder, neither wrapped nor played with, just hanging there. Yagyu's glasses reflected the light, obscuring his expression, but his fingers kept pushing up his glasses, again and again, four or five times already.

Kirihara was even more exaggerated, excitedly lying on the fence, his nose almost squashed flat.

"I'm so nervous..."

His muffled voice came from between the net lines, "This ball took way too long..."

Marui finally spat out the chewing gum, wrapped it in a tissue, and held it in his palm.

"This is hardly a training match..."

He watched the intense match on the court, swallowed hard, and said, "Calling this the final of the national tournament, the decisive set, wouldn't be an exaggeration."

Wang Yueling was still holding her phone, but the screen was already dark.

His gaze was fixed on the court, his azure eyes were calm, but his hand holding the phone tightened slightly.

If Seiichi could see this match, he would probably be very happy.

After they've finished fighting, have someone edit the video and send it over.

He snapped out of his reverie and refocused his attention on the court.

In the end, Atobe held onto his serve by controlling the placement of his shots more precisely and making flexible tactical adjustments on the court.

The referee's voice came from the sidelines.

"Game, Atobe. 1-0."

Atobe walked back to the baseline, his breathing a little heavier than usual. He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his icy blue eyes sweeping over Sanada opposite him, and the corners of his mouth slightly curled up.

A silent provocation.

Sanada, standing opposite, noticed, but his face under the brim of his hat remained expressionless, though the fingers gripping his racket tightened considerably.

After a short break, the second game officially began.

At the very start of the game, Sanada immediately activated the "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain" offensive mode.

His fighting style is fierce and aggressive, and his aura is fully unleashed. Relying on absolute strength, he strongly pressures Atobe head-on.

I want to win this game as quickly as possible.

Seize the initiative on the field.

However, Sanada's playing style relies heavily on explosive power, and after long, drawn-out rallies, his stamina began to steadily and silently deplete.

Atobe keenly spotted this subtle flaw and immediately adjusted his tactics on the spot.

Instead of opting for head-on, aggressive exchanges, they deliberately changed lanes wide to the left and right, repeatedly stretching the distance between the front and back lines.

They deliberately dragged out every point into a long tug-of-war, gradually depleting Sanada's physical reserves.

15-15，30-30，40-40。

Game point, break point, lead, deuce.

The two players switched roles, and neither could easily break through the other's defenses.

Every time Sanada was about to win a game, Atobe would turn the score around with a precise passing shot or a tenacious defensive play.

Sanada's breathing began to become erratic.

It's not a rapid breath, but a deeper, outward-expanding change in breath.

His physical exertion was much greater than Atobe's.

Every shot requires force, every ball requires a sprint. The explosive power of "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain" doesn't come from nowhere; it comes from the enormous energy released instantly by the muscles.

In long stalemates, that energy is gradually depleted, like sand in an hourglass, constantly leaking away.

Atobe was intentionally wearing him down.

Sanada was well aware of this, but he couldn't stop. Because once he slowed down, Atobe's attacks would come crashing down like a tidal wave, one after another, suffocating him.

He could only continue attacking and exerting his strength, trying to win before his stamina was exhausted.

Finally, he won the game with a powerful attack at the net.

"Game, Sanada. 1-1."

Sanada walked back to the baseline, lowered his head to adjust his breathing, and his panting under the brim of his hat was a little heavier than before.

He looked at Atobe across from him, a hint of surprise flashing in his dark eyes.

The current Atobe is more solid defensively and has more stamina than ever before. In the past, Atobe would have been the first to give out in such a long rally.

Although his physical fitness is not bad, under such high-intensity competition, it usually starts to decline significantly in the second half of the second round.

But right now, Atobe seems quite relaxed.

They are no longer the opponents who could be easily suppressed and quickly defeated by their strength.

Sanada suppressed his surprise.

It's just progress.

He admitted that Mochizuki Ryo's physical training was indeed effective, but progress does not guarantee victory.

He remains the same Genichiro Sanada who can control the overall situation.

Atobe Keigo is not enough to shake him.

The afternoon lake breeze gently carried scattered rose petals across the fence, the faint fragrance of flowers mixed with the scent of peach blossoms, refreshing and delightful.

The third game began immediately, and the atmosphere was even more intense and heated than the first two games.

Atobe started with Tannhäuser serve as usual, and then seized the right opportunity to hit his signature move, "Waltz Towards Destruction," on the next few balls.

The moves flow smoothly and seamlessly, with natural and fluid transitions between offense and defense.

Sanada calmly and composedly responded, unleashing a barrage of attacks from "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain." "Aggression Like Fire" forced Atobe into a continuous retreat, while the defenses of Hayashi and Yama repeatedly thwarted Atobe's offensives.

The two began tackling each other at the baseline again.

One beat, two beats, three beats...

After a long stalemate, Sanada was unwilling to remain in a passive tug-of-war any longer.

His eyes suddenly hardened, and there was no longer any probing or reservation.

They unleashed "movement as swift as thunder".

The super-fast ball burst through the air, its speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, carrying a thunderous impact straight towards the corner of the court.

The speed and spin of this shot far exceeded the level of the previous doubles match.

In singles, Ray's power was fully unleashed, no longer the half-finished product bound by the court and partner as in doubles.

It was a truly decisive, game-winning shot that could break through any defense.

A suppressed uproar instantly erupted throughout the venue.

The Rikkai members were instantly invigorated, their eyes filled with surprise and delight.

"Lightning!" Kirihara's voice pierced through the air. "The vice-captain used lightning!"

Niou straightened up, his eyes suddenly sharpening. His voice was low, carrying an unwavering certainty.

"Finally, he used it. There's no way Atobe can catch this ball."

Yagyu pushed up his glasses, said nothing, but his fingers gripped his racket tightly.

The tip of Liu's pen remained still on the paper.

His eyes were wide open, and his brown pupils reflected the ball flying towards Atobe's half of the court.

The data told him that the ball's speed, spin, and landing point were all beyond the scope of a normal catch. Theoretically, no one could return the ball at that angle and speed.

Unfortunately, his certainty was wrong...

Atobe stood at the bottom line.

His icy blue eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the ball hurtling towards him.

With his exceptional dynamic vision, Sanada's body had already subconsciously moved in that direction the instant he hit the ball, making an accurate prediction.

Neither dodge nor avoid.

With feet firmly planted on the grass and hands gripping the racket, I met the ball head-on with the force of thunder.

The ball struck the racket face with a dull thud. Atobe's arm jerked back from the impact, but he didn't let go. He gritted his teeth and pulled forward with both hands.

The ball was hit back.

It wasn't a soft, transitional shot; it was a deep baseline shot with strong topspin. The ball was fast and landed deep, firmly pressing down on Sanada's white baseline.

Sanada was stunned.

He never expected Atobe to catch that ball. Even more unexpectedly, he never expected him to hit it with such a tricky placement.

He snapped back to reality, took a few steps back, and returned the ball. But that momentary hesitation greatly diminished the quality of his return.

The ball traveled too high and landed in the midfield.

Atobe seized the opportunity and quickly moved to the net, scoring with a smash.

"Advantage, Atobe".

A brief silence fell over the entire venue, followed by an overwhelming murmur of amazement.

The Rikkai University members were filled with disbelief, their shock barely concealed.

"He...he caught it?"

Marui's voice trembled with shock, "Ray... Atobe caught it?"

Kuwahara's mouth was also open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

Niou straightened up, all the leisurely ease he had shown when he saw Sanada unleash "Lightning" vanishing instantly, replaced by a serious expression. Yagyu, who was adjusting his glasses beside him, was also stunned into silence by the sight.

Kirihara, clinging to the outside of the enclosure, was so shocked that his mouth was agape enough to fit a whole duck egg, his eyes were wide open like saucers, and even his jelly-covered kelp head stood on end.

"The deputy minister's all-out attack... was caught?"

His voice trembled with a sense of utter disbelief, "How is this possible... No one at Rikkai University, except for the club president, could handle this..."

Liu pressed the tip of her pen hard on the paper, and the ink quickly splattered into a large black dot.

He didn't speak, but his hands were trembling slightly.

It wasn't fear, it was shock.

He knew better than anyone the true power of "Moving Like Thunder". During Rikkai University's internal training, Sanada had only used lightning once in a practice match, which was in his duel with Yukimura.

Yukimura retaliated by extinguishing his five senses.

Now, Atobe, alone on the singles court, gripped the racket with both hands and forcefully caught the ball.

He wrote a line in his notebook, his handwriting much more illegible than usual.

"Atobe Keigo's level of evolution has exceeded expectations!!!"