King of Tennis (POT)

"What... what was that just now?"

A newcomer's jaw dropped as he stared in disbelief at the figure of Oshitari slowly rising to his feet.

Had Oshitari just effortlessly returned such a powerful smash? 

That was unbelievable! 

"Was that the *Bear Counter*?"

Ishikawa, as if only now realizing what had happened after hearing Mukahi's explanation, said, "I've heard that you're a genius at Hyotei, and now I see it's true. You really live up to your reputation!"

"It's just a simple technique," Oshitari replied, shaking his head. "When it comes to genius, how could I compare to you? I wasn't nearly as strong as you are now when I was a first-year."

It was the truth.

The level of skill Ishikawa was displaying now surpassed not only Oshitari's abilities at that age but even Atobe's at the time.

However, after scoring with the *Bear Counter*, Oshitari felt a sense of relief. He glanced at the young opponent across the net and thought to himself, *No matter how cautious you are, you couldn't resist going for a smash.*

*Thud!*

Oshitari served again.

This time, he appeared even more composed, his confidence fully restored.

Scoring had that effect.

If he had continued to be on the defensive or failed to score, even someone as mentally strong as Oshitari would have eventually succumbed to the pressure.

But he wasn't overconfident.

After the second serve, when Ishikawa returned the ball, Oshitari didn't immediately go for a lob. He remained cautious.

Even though no one except Atobe had ever broken through his *Bear Counter*, Oshitari decided to wait until he had worn his opponent down a bit more before attempting another lob to ensure safety.

"Interesting," Coach Sakaki murmured, watching from the fourth-floor window. A faint smile played on his lips. "Even Hyotei's genius has become this cautious?"

This only raised Sakaki's estimation of Ishikawa even higher.

First, it was Hiyoshi, then Shishido, and now Oshitari. Each opponent had started off brimming with confidence and aggression, only to gradually adjust their tactics and become more conservative as the match progressed.

After several matches, it was clear that Ishikawa was the true aggressor.

"But..." Sakaki's eyes gleamed with interest. "Facing Oshitari, who has a counter for smashes, can you still turn the tide as you've done before?"

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

On the court, the match once again turned into a grueling rally.

*Tap!*

At the right moment, Oshitari seized the opportunity and sent a lob toward Ishikawa.

"Here it comes again!"

"Be careful! It's a trap!"

"Don't fall for it!"

The newcomers tensed up, their hearts racing.

*Step!*

Without hesitation, Ishikawa leaped into the air, raising his racket and smashing the ball down with full force.

*Bang!*

The sound of the impact echoed across the court.

This smash was even faster than the previous one, hurtling toward the ground. Just as it seemed about to score, Oshitari appeared, using the same technique as before—turning, crouching, and flicking the ball back over Ishikawa's head.

"30-0!"

"Huh?"

"Failed again?"

"That move is just too strong! It's like the ultimate counter to smashes!"

The court buzzed with chatter. The team members exchanged comments, while the newcomers looked at Oshitari with even greater awe.

He was just too strong! 

With that move in his arsenal, Oshitari's defensive capabilities were nearly invincible.

*Thud!*

Oshitari served again.

Having successfully tested his opponent twice, he now had a clear understanding of the limits of Ishikawa's smashes.

"The power is impressive, but it's still not on par with Atobe's."

Of course, Oshitari didn't underestimate his opponent. After all, Ishikawa was only a first-year. With two more years of growth, his skills might very well rival Atobe's.

But until then, it was Oshitari's job to teach him a lesson.

With that thought, Oshitari launched another attack.

Ishikawa didn't change his strategy, seemingly intent on waiting for Oshitari's lobs so he could attempt another smash.

*Tap!*

Sure enough, when Oshitari sent another lob, Ishikawa ignored the despairing looks from the first-year newcomers and went for another powerful smash.

But once again, the smash was countered.

"40-0!"

"This kid just won't give up, huh?" Mukahi muttered, watching Ishikawa land expressionlessly after another failed smash.

"It's not surprising," Ryoh interjected, shaking his head. "He's just too confident in his own abilities. After all, he's a first-year who hasn't lost a single match so far. It's natural for him to refuse to accept defeat."

In their eyes, Ishikawa had hit a mental barrier he couldn't overcome.

Oshitari's *Bear Counter* was like an iron gate, firmly blocking any chance of Ishikawa breaking through.

Of course, Ishikawa could have tried changing his tactics, but Oshitari wasn't foolish either. If Ishikawa stopped going for smashes, Oshitari could use drop shots to lure him to the net and then follow up with a lob.

In short, the *Bear Counter* greatly mitigated the disadvantage Oshitari faced against Ishikawa's dominant serve.

With the gap narrowed, the outcome of the match would come down to stamina and willpower.

*Thud!*

"Game!"

"Oshitari, 1-1!"

As expected, after a series of intense exchanges, Oshitari managed to hold his serve.

The upperclassmen and newcomers reacted differently. The former felt this was how it should be, while the latter were puzzled by Ishikawa's stubbornness.

However, since Ishikawa still had his powerful serve to rely on, they weren't overly concerned.

*Thud!*

But just as everyone thought Ishikawa would use his super-fast serve to secure his next service game, he instead delivered a simple, fast serve, much like the one he had started with.

"What's going on?" Mukahi frowned. "Is he... giving up?"

"Probably just lost his composure," Ryoh speculated.

"How boring," Kabaji yawned, his earlier excitement completely gone. This dull match wasn't worth his attention. But when he caught a glimpse of Atobe's stoic expression, he quickly stifled his yawn and forced himself to keep watching.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The match continued.

Ishikawa kept attempting smashes, adjusting the angle and power each time, trying to find a way to break through Oshitari's *Bear Counter*.

But every attempt failed.

In the end, even after losing his own service game, Ishikawa still hadn't found a weakness in the technique.

"No wonder Oshitari and Fuji were able to reach the Kanto level with this move in the original story," Ishikawa thought to himself.

Only by experiencing it firsthand did he realize just how difficult it was to counter this technique.

"It's over!" Mukahi exclaimed, seeing Ishikawa lose his service game. "He was too careless. He didn't realize how serious the situation was!"

"Yeah," Ryoh nodded in agreement.

Losing his precious service game might not seem like a big deal, but with the serve alternating every game, Ishikawa was now in serious trouble.

If things continued this way, even if he managed to hold his next service game with his super-fast serve, Oshitari had already broken his serve and taken the lead.

Barring any surprises, the match would likely end in the tenth game, on Oshitari's serve.

But the first-year showed no signs of tension. To Mukahi and Ryoh, Ishikawa's calm demeanor only highlighted his lack of strategic awareness.

"Is that really the case?" Atobe, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes in thought. "Is this kid really the type to overlook such a critical flaw?"

Contrary to the others' opinions, Atobe believed that Ishikawa's calmness after losing his service game wasn't an act, nor was it due to ignorance of the severity of the situation.

Rather, it was because he had already found a way to counter the *Bear Counter*.

After all, everyone had overlooked one thing: based on his previous matches, Ishikawa wasn't just a strong server with excellent technique—he was also a skilled data tennis player!

With his keen observational skills, Oshitari's strategies had likely already been thoroughly analyzed.

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(End of Chapter)