"Ice Emperor's rolling out Keigo!"
Qian never saw this coming—the vice-captain himself in singles 3.
"Rikkai's matching with their vice-captain, Sanada!"
Fuji's eyes locked on Rikkai's side.
"Singles 3… didn't expect these two to clash this early."
Inoue's gaze flickered. Shiba beside him leaned in, curious.
"I showed up late to Rikkai-Ice Emperor's practice match. By the time I got there, it was already over.
But word is, both Keigo and Sanada flexed insane skills in that one."
Inoue sucked in a breath. This match? Hype levels off the charts. Could be the peak of the whole Kanto tournament.
On court, eyes locked. Keigo broke the silence:
"Sanada, let this king see what you're packing now!"
Sanada smirked, ice-cold: "Keigo! I'll drag you straight to hell!"
Mic drop. Sanada spun, headed to baseline.
Keigo snorted, no trash talk, just strode the other way.
"Sanada's aura is murder," Ishihara muttered. "That draw in the practice match lit a fire under him."
Renji and Yukimura stayed quiet, eyes glued.
"One-game decider!"
"Rikkai Dai Fuzoku—Sanada serve!!"
Ref's call. Sanada inhaled, gripped the ball, lips curled: "Here we go, Keigo Jingu!"
SMACK!!
Neon-yellow bullet blasted out.
"Fast as hell!"
Hyotei side—Shinji's pupils shrank. That speed? Unreal.
"Lightning serve—not just Swift as Wind."
Looks like Keigo wasn't the only one leveling up.
BOOM!
Ball hammered the line on Keigo's right.
Keigo dashed, forehand ripped a diagonal winner the second it bounced.
Sanada read it, already there—backhand cracked.
"Check Swift as Wind!"
"Can't even see the swing—this Sanada Stringichiro tennis?" Qian's heart raced. Even on tape it's nuts; live? You can't track the damn ball.
SMACK!
Keigo charged net, intercepted mid-air—volley kill. Sanada's wind? Snuffed.
!!
Sanada fired another Swift as Wind—faster.
"Their level's insane…" Fuji exhaled. "Power, speed, tech—dead even. And the shit they're pulling? Way above my pay grade."
He'd stepped up against Akutsu, but deep down? Nationwide elites were a different beast.
"I… can't keep up," Qian muttered, head down. Ten rallies in and his brain was fried. Keigo and Sanada were three moves ahead.
That's the gap.
!
!!
Crisp cracks echoed.
Two shadows zipped, Keigo attacking on instinct, Sanada anchoring baseline—pure control. No fancy spins, just timing, speed, precision.
"Immovable as Mountain."
Kawamura spoke up.
"Huh? Mountain what?"
Kikumaru blinked.
"Immovable as Mountain—Sanada's Wind-Forest-Fire-Mountain defense. Iron wall. He's bleeding Keigo's patience, baiting mistakes."
Kawamura explained. In that practice match, Sanada drained Keigo dry with it. Even Keigo's god-tier control couldn't crack the mountain.
Only hitting nationwide and unlocking "see-all-weakness" eyes let him breach it.
YEAH!!
Keigo backhand lashed right side. Left-right spam finally cracked Sanada's wall. Sanada lunged, barely lobbed high.
Net-rushing Keigo leapt—smashed before apex.
Sanada racket up—perfect frame hit.
Force ripped the racket from his grip. Ball and racket soared.
CLANG. Racket hit first.
Ball rolled… to Sanada's feet.
"0-15!"
"Hah! Your power's dropping, Sanada."
Keigo finger to brow, eyes flashing. Snap. Arms wide, chin up: "Drown in this king's gorgeous tennis!"
"HYOTEI!"
"HYOTEI!"
"HYOTEI!!"
Cheerleaders exploded.
"He's stronger."
Sanada scooped his racket, staring up—Keigo loomed larger. "Hyotei's Keigo Jingu… talent on my level!"
Practice match proved it. Now? Not just control—force and speed too?!
"Even so—Rikkai wins!"
SMACK!
Sanada blasted a serve—faster, nastier, dead-center inverted triangle.
Keigo scrambled, returned—Sanada already mid-court, seizing initiative.
Immovable wasn't cutting it? Time to attack.
BANG!!
Keigo ripped a forehand.
Sanada ready—side-step, backhand Swift as Wind.
WHOOSH!!
Ball screamed into Keigo's court—net-front backhand explosion, faster than before.
"Do it, Sanada!"
Rikkai crew fist-pumped.
"Wait—"
Renji frowned. Something off.
Next second—Keigo materialized mid-court.
Before bounce—right leg stomp, launched. Left leg up, double-handed grip, ball spinning wild on strings.
ZZZZZZ—racket groaned.
BANG!!
Returned. Sanada spun, smashed—body ablaze.
Net-front smash against Keigo's Jack-Knife.
"Aggressive as Fire!"
Shinji's eyes shook.
Tezuka, rare surprise: "Beautiful smash."
"Aggressive as Fire, huh!"
Keigo read it—flaming meteor dive-bombing. No panic.
Backpedaled, predicted drop—spun around, one-handed grip, ball spinning furious.
BANG!!
Arced clean to baseline.
Fire? Extinguished.
"0-30!"
"That's Shinji's Bear Drop, right?"
Renji recognized.
"Similar… but different."
Yukimura saw deeper—Keigo braced left wrist with right hand for extra counter-force.
"Sanada! That all you got?!"
Keigo taunted, racket raised, smirk sharp.
His Sanada? More than this.
Wind-Forest-Fire-Mountain—this king's shattering 'em all.
"Win this game first, Keigo Jingu!"
Sanada's face darkened. Trash talk? His kryptonite. Strongest mental among vice-captains… but tilt him and he cracks. Showed in U-17 vs. Tokugawa—bad.
!
!!
Rallies accelerated.
Both pinning baselines, control locked. Sanada warming up, reclaiming pace.
Crowd hypnotized by the ball. Everyone else? Lost the rhythm—just robotic smacks.
"Sanada's whole Wind-Forest-Fire-Mountain got neutralized—he's screwed—"
Ishihara panicked.
"That's his scoring bread-and-butter!"
"No," Renji shook head. "Wind-Forest-Fire-Mountain combo—defense and offense."
!!
Sanada with serve—dominating.
Steady as Forest, weaving Swift as Wind and Aggressive as Fire—relentless attacks.
Net control = arsenal unlocked.
"That move… he hasn't used it."
Yukimura worried—that practice match trump card. Weakness-vision. Even if Sanada forces Thunder to patch holes… how many times can he fire it with his stamina?
!!
"15-30!"
!!
"30-30!"
!!
"40-30!"
!!
"40-40!"
BOOM!!
"Game—Sanada, 1-0!"
Score chase ended with Sanada's nasty net skim—held serve. One game? Ten minutes.
Side change—both collapsed in chairs, sweat pouring. Full throttle from jump—no stamina management.
Keigo breathed rhythmic, recovering.
"You good, Keigo?!" Shinji worried.
Keigo stood, exhaled: "Relax. This king ain't losing."
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