"What... what just happened?"
The sudden shift left everyone bewildered. But the reality of the situation seemed to indicate that Echizen's defense had indeed been breached.
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
*Thwack!*
It was the fifth game.
Ishikawa's serve.
He gently tapped the tennis ball, feeling a different sensation in his grip compared to before. When he looked up at Echizen, the mist-like aura of mental energy that had previously shrouded the other player's emotions had completely vanished.
"Is this the real world now?"
With a single thought, Ishikawa's vision shifted. The world before him turned black and white, while Echizen's body began to emit colorful waves of energy.
From head to toe, Echizen's body displayed shifting hues—red turning to yellow, then back to red. The edges of his figure were tinged with shades of blue and purple. It was as if Ishikawa was seeing Echizen's body through an infrared lens, revealing the fluctuations in his temperature and emotions.
This was Ishikawa's newly awakened ability.
A fusion of the essence of swordsmanship and the principles of Go, born under the immense pressure of Echizen's formidable mental strength—**Truth's Eye**.
**[Truth's Eye: A sharp sword intent cuts through the essence of all things, while a wise gaze perceives the root of every problem. It allows the user to see through the power, speed, and spin of a tennis ball, as well as the actions, personality, and emotional fluctuations of an opponent.
(Note: The strength of this ability is determined by the user's mental power.)]**
"So... these are his emotional changes?"
Ishikawa's eyes gleamed as he observed the blue and purple hues on Echizen's body gradually being replaced by shades of pale yellow and orange.
Emotions could be controlled or faked.
But now, the seemingly aloof Echizen had no secrets left in Ishikawa's eyes.
*Thud!*
Suddenly, Ishikawa sent the tennis ball flying.
The ultra-fast serve left the spectators no time to react. By the time they could process what had happened, the dust kicked up from the court had already obscured Echizen's figure.
*Phew...*
Contrary to what others might have assumed, Echizen felt a sense of relief as the dust settled. The feeling of being completely exposed had been deeply unsettling. Only now could he catch his breath, even if just for a moment.
However, what Echizen didn't realize was that his emotional fluctuations were laid bare before Ishikawa. Every subtle change in his demeanor was now visible, and the resulting shifts in his strategy were equally transparent.
"Senior... your left side is wide open!"
*Bang!*
When Ishikawa returned the ball, the explosive sound left Echizen utterly stunned.
"How is this possible?!"
Shrouded in dust, Echizen's usually cold eyes now flickered with disbelief. Through Ishikawa's black-and-white vision, he could clearly see the orange hues of shock spreading across Echizen's body, intensifying into a deep red.
"He... he scored again?!"
Outside the court, the spectators were equally stunned.
Once might have been a fluke, but twice? That signaled a clear shift in the dynamics of the match. They had likely underestimated the black-haired boy.
*Thud!*
"40-0!"
*Thud!*
"Game!"
"Ishikawa, 2-3!"
In no time, Ishikawa turned the tide, narrowing the score gap.
"Thank goodness."
Feeling the shift in momentum, the high schoolers from Hyotei let out a collective sigh of relief. One of them muttered, "Echizen still has the lead. As long as he holds his serve, the match will stay in his favor."
Their confidence had shifted from Echizen's invincibility to merely hoping he could maintain his advantage.
"Will it really be that simple?"
Mouri, however, narrowed his eyes. His instincts told him that the changes on the court weren't something Echizen's serve alone could resolve.
*Thud!*
Sure enough, after Echizen served, the two engaged in a series of intense exchanges. Ishikawa seized on a tiny opening in Echizen's defense, threading the ball through with pinpoint precision.
"0-15!"
Ishikawa called out, his gaze fixed on Echizen. Though the dust obscured the details of Echizen's expression, Ishikawa's new ability—born from the resonance of two unique skills—allowed him to see through the veil and grasp every nuance of the match.
"Those eyes of his..."
Echizen's hand trembled slightly as he gripped the tennis ball.
At this moment, he felt the palpable shift in the match more acutely than anyone else.
Yet, even so, the No. 4 representative of the U-17 national team could do nothing. In fact, it was only thanks to Echizen's immense mental strength that he hadn't faltered. For anyone else, the bizarre turn of events might have shattered their confidence.
"His insight has improved dramatically."
Holding the ball, Echizen's mind raced. "To stop his scoring streak, there are only two options. Either block his insight or overwhelm him with sheer power."
The first option... Echizen couldn't achieve. He couldn't even comprehend how his actions and intentions were being read so easily.
As for the second option—Echizen could do it.
**Mach Serve.**
This was his ultimate trump card, his deadliest weapon. With this serve, even professional players would struggle to keep up.
And Ishikawa had only just entered the elite high school level.
But Echizen hesitated to resort to it.
The thought of relying on the Mach Serve to maintain an advantage over a junior—a former captain of Hyotei, no less—was something Echizen couldn't bring himself to accept.
"Let's end this here."
Ishikawa's voice broke the silence.
"Huh?"
Not only the spectators but even Echizen was taken aback. As the dust settled, his cold gaze locked onto his opponent. "Why?"
"Senior," Ishikawa said with a smile, "with your current mindset, it's hard for you to bring out your full potential. Besides, this is just a practice match. I'm sure we'll have another chance to play in the future."
With that, he turned and walked off the court, leaving everyone in stunned silence.
Ishikawa put away his racket and walked to the edge of the court on his own. He packed his racket and the weighted lead plates back into his bag, nodded at Echizen, and then left.
"This..."
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances as they watched Ishikawa walk away.
No one could understand why Ishikawa, who had initially been in a dominant position, would suddenly suggest ending the match.
"Did he lose his focus?"
Meanwhile, Echizen struggled to suppress his emotions, tucking the tennis ball back into his pocket. He squinted at Ishikawa's retreating figure, thinking to himself, "He saw through me after all. How did he do it?"
Even now, Echizen couldn't figure out how Ishikawa's skills had improved so dramatically in such a short time.
At the same time, he couldn't help but feel curious about Ishikawa's final words.
"We'll meet again?"
"Does he know something?"
At that moment, Echizen, a player known for his icy composure and calm demeanor, began to experience subtle changes in his personality.
No one knew that the competitive fire that had been dormant in him for years, untouched by any match, had been reignited by this sudden appearance of a junior from Hyotei.
On the other side, when Ishikawa returned to the junior high school competition area, Hyotei's match had already ended.
As expected, Atobe, the captain of Hyotei, had completely dominated with a crushing 6-0 victory over Kajimoto, the captain of Jyousei Shounan. Kajimoto's much-vaunted high-speed serve hadn't even earned him a single point against Atobe.
"ISHIKAWA (Vice-Captain/ Ishikawa)!"
Seeing Ishikawa return, the Hyotei team curiously gathered around him. Shishido joked, "Did you follow in Yamabuki's Senju's footsteps and go hang out at the girls' tennis court?"
Rumor had it that Senju from Yamabuki hit on an average of seven girls a day.
"Haha."
Hearing Shishido's comment, Mukahi laughed and said, "With Ishikawa's looks, he probably doesn't need to go out of his way to hit on girls."
Even without considering his tennis skills, Ishikawa's appearance alone far surpassed Senju's. Besides, the only reason Senju could manage to hit on seven girls a day was probably because he never succeeded.
Of course, everyone also believed that Ishikawa wouldn't have gone to the girls' tennis court. Shishido and Mukahi were just trying to figure out where he had actually gone.
"Seniors, no need to guess," Ishikawa said, seeing the curiosity in everyone's eyes, even Akutsu's. He shook his head and explained, "I went to meet a former senior."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, the others misunderstood and assumed Ishikawa had gone to meet someone who had introduced him to tennis, perhaps a mentor or启蒙者.
Even someone as reserved as Oshitari couldn't help but wonder who this person might be.
"Ishikawa."
At that moment, Hanamura, the coach of Jyousei Shounan, approached with Shinjou, who had changed into a new jacket.
"Thank you for your help earlier," Hanamura said, bowing deeply. Shinjou also bowed solemnly to Ishikawa, surprising everyone with his serious demeanor. "Thank you very much!"
"Oh?"
Seeing this, the Hyotei team's curiosity was piqued.
Even Coach Sakaki and Atobe exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of curiosity in the other's eyes.
Where had Ishikawa gone?
Why had the attitudes of the two from Jyousei Shounan changed so drastically?
What had happened?!
That day, the first round of the Kanto tournament came to an end.
The eight strongest schools, including Hyotei, Rikkai Dai, and Seigaku, were determined. Among them, five teams from Tokyo had advanced, with the exception of Ginkan, who had the misfortune of facing Rikkai Dai.
After returning, each team began intense preparations for the next round.
Even Rikkai Dai, under the guidance of their strategist Yanagi Renji, started training at a higher intensity than before.
Meanwhile, Seigaku and Rokkaku, who were likely to face each other in the third round, dedicated three days to a joint training camp.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
On the weekend, at Midori no Mori Tennis Park.
As the first rays of morning sunlight broke through, the quiet tennis courts once again buzzed with activity.
The second stage of the Kanto Tournament had begun!
---
(End of chapter)