Chapter 13

Yagyu Hiroshi pushed his glasses and served the ball from the sideline.

Yagyu Hiroshi deduced the match with the Jackal Kuwabara many times in his mind, and finally found the inspiration for victory from the match between Kirihara Akaya and him.

Jackal Sangyuan is a defensive type, so the game cannot be dragged out and must be quick and decisive.

After serving, Yagyu Hiroshi executed his usual golf-style shot.

"Puh~ Hiroshi has figured out a way." Niou Masaharu glanced at Yagyu Hiroshi who was firing on all cylinders as soon as he came on the court. It seemed that he had found a breakthrough.

Excluding the Big Three, no one in the physical team should be able to outlast Jackal Sanghara, but Jackal Sanghara has an obvious problem, of course, only within the team.

That was the key moment in the practice match between the main sparring partner and Kirihara Akaya, who used the Red-Eye mode to win the practice match with the Jackal Kuwabara.

The one who is most determined to win in the Rikkai University team is Captain Yukimura, followed by Sanada, and the rest have to stand at the back.

The order in the middle is hard to determine, but if necessary, Niou Masaharu and Yanagi Renji don't mind losing a game.

That's why there are rumors that Rikkai University's newcomer Kirihara Akaya defeated all the regular players except the Big Three of the tennis club. When Yagyu Hiroshi and Jackal Kuwahara were slow to react to unexpected situations, one was relatively new and the other had such a playing style.

"Game Kuwabara, 1-3!"

This is the loophole that Yagyu Hiroshi found. The performance of Jackal Kuwahara in singles matches, especially in school matches, is completely different from that in doubles matches.

The desire to win is relatively low, which is very different from the doubles state outside of school.

Just like the Jackal Kuwabara is still maintaining his own rhythm now, Yagyu Hiroshi has been attacking with all his strength since the first ball.

Only by attacking unexpectedly can one break the iron wall defense of Jackal Kuwabara, one of the doubles team of Rikkai University.

Marui Bunta, blowing bubble gum, naturally saw what Yagyu Hiroshi was thinking. "Kuwabara, you're too weak. Be more aggressive!"

"I know, Bunta. Chasing the score again." The Jackal Kuwabara fired back with his Fire Rat Cannon, killing the innings.

However, Jackal Sanbara knew in his heart that he did not take the outcome of this match very seriously. Compared with winning the singles match, Jackal Sanbara cared more about winning with Bunta. Therefore, after the competition group was determined, Jackal Sanbara was very confident and showed so in the competition. It was just that the other players were not as strong as Yagyu Hiroshi.

With the lead, Yagyu Hiroshi pressed on. "Laser beam."

"Game Yagyu, 5-3!"

Marui Bunta looked up, knowing that the outcome of the match was already decided and that Jackal Kuwabara had little chance of a comeback.

In doubles, Marui Bunta could feel the solid defense and strong support behind him, but when Kuwabara was alone on the outside, he became uncompetitive. If this were to happen in doubles, Marui Bunta would not allow Yagyu Hiroshi to open up the score if he took too long at the beginning.

In doubles matches, the defensive range of the court is longer than that of singles. Jackal Sanghara can still defend well, facing the attacks of two people. However, in singles, he is chased by his opponents, and Jackal Sanghara's performance is not as stable as in doubles. This is also a common problem in switching between singles and doubles.

Yanagi Renji quickly recorded the data with his pen. In addition to the return habits, angles, preferences, etc. of Yagyu Hiroshi and Jackal Kuwabara, there were also data on other starting teammates.

Among them, Sanada's is the most conspicuous, and there are many chances of Yanagi Renji changing it.

According to Yanagi Renji's calculations, Sanada should be more inclined to follow the match schedule that Yukimura had previously arranged for the main qualifying matches.

That was a calculation based on Sanada's past habits. The probability of re-adopting the new table was 43. Using the analogy of conservatism and innovation, Sanada would often choose the former. After Yukimura fell ill, Sanada became more inclined to the latter, and Yanagi Renji gradually increased the probability of the latter option.

Unless there are any unexpected events, the match between Yagyu Hiroshi and Jackal Kuwabara will be over soon.

On the last ball, Yagyu Hiroshi served and went to the net, pressing forward step by step.

The tennis ball was hit back by Jackal Kuwabara at the baseline and then intercepted by Yagyu Hiroshi in the front court.

"Game Yagyu, 6-3!"

Yagyu walked to the net and shook hands with the Jackal Kuwabara. "Thank you for your guidance."

"It's me. Yagyu has become much stronger." The jackal Kuwabara stepped forward.

Sanada stood on the sidelines with a scowl. "Too lax."

In this match, Jackal Kuwabara's fighting spirit must be the same as in the doubles match, and Yagyu Hiroshi will never be able to get such a big score advantage.

"In the match between Yagyu and Jackal, the probability of the former winning is 32, the latter is also 32, and the probability of a draw is 33, depending on the on-the-spot performance." Yanagi Renji gave the data.

Marui Bunta stepped aside to let Jackal Kuwabara hold his tennis bag. "You left too much time for the ball just now. Looking at Yagyu's serve, you knew he was going all out right from the start. You should just go for it."

"Okay, Bunta." How could Jackal Kuwabara not know this? It's just that what people say and what they do are not necessarily consistent, otherwise Niou Masaharu and Marui Bunta would not have both lost to Kirihara Akaya in sparring.

Niou Masaharu made room. "Puh-huh~ Congratulations, Hiroshi."

"Well, looking at the weather, your match will be postponed to tomorrow. Are you ready?" Yagyu Hiroshi took out a towel to wipe the sweat off his face.

When he left the court, Yagyu Hiroshi's condition spoke for itself. His opponent, the Jackal Kuwabara, didn't even sweat much, and they rarely faced each other in front of the net during the match.

If the Jackal Kuwabara gets serious, Yagyu Hiroshi feels that after a match his situation will be similar to that of Marui Bunta and the military advisor after the match.

"Just put it aside, haha. There are still too few reference places. He is obviously a national-level player but rarely appears in official competitions. It is really troublesome to find information." Niou Masaharu complained.

I don't know how many times I ran around these past few days before I found some useful information about Tezuka's games. His tennis skills are indeed not weak, but there are no videos of him giving his all.

The elementary school JR tournament that I heard about from Yanagi Renji only contained footage of the matches between Sanada and Yukimura, and there was no mention of Tezuka competing at all.

The records of on-campus practice are not very complete, and many of the images were found during the county competition, so they are not complete.

The level of the county school is basically unable to force Tezuka to give his full strength. In addition, the competition system means that many times the game is over before Tezuka gets a chance to play.

"Gather at this venue at the same time tomorrow and disband." Sanada and Yanagi Renji checked the time and announced the disbandment.

Since we were going to participate in the main qualifying round, the amount of training has been reduced a lot, and we can't skip even the last bit.

"We still have one more night, Niou." Marui Bunta took the Jackal Kuwabara to a place to start their daily training, scolding the Jackal Kuwabara while doing it.

The jackal Kuwabara responded good-naturedly, "Yes, yes, Bunta."

The non-starters who watched the match gradually walked out of the indoor tennis court, reminiscing about today's game and imagining tomorrow's excitement.

Niou Masaharu picked up his racket and began to play against Yagyu Hiroshi. "One night won't be much use. It's not a matter of time. Even if it's postponed for a week, there's only so much prep we can do."

"Just do your best." Of the three giants, Yagyu Hiroshi had only seen the match between Niou Masaharu and Yanagi Renji, calculating every move. The match that made Yagyu Hiroshi decide to change clubs was the one where Niou Masaharu was competing for a regular spot.

As the sun set, the non-regular players finished their training, packed up the court and left the tennis court. There were not many people left in the Rikkai University Tennis Club.

After dinner, Marui Bunta and Jackal Kuwahara returned to the court.

"Niou, this is the venue over here." Marui Bunta came back after finishing his daily training and replenishing his strength.

Niou Masaharu stopped sparring with Yagyu Hiroshi. "Pfft! I thought Bunta was mad because he lost the Jackal match."

"I'm not that stingy. It's just a game. We can just win it next time. But after the match with Sanada tomorrow, there will be a tie-break with Kirihara. We can also have a doubles practice." Marui Bunta bounced the ball with his racket.

Niou shook his pigtails and tilted his head to look at Yagyu Hiroshi. "Pfft~ I'm really concerned about this. What did Hiroshi say?"

"Okay." Yagyu Hiroshi nodded.

Niou Masaharu's movements had completely changed, even the way he held his racket. "Let's get started, Marui. The probability of serving and volleying is 91%."

A calm tone came out from Niou Masaharu's mouth. When he looked up, the silver-haired Niou was standing in the position where Military Advisor Liu looked like.

"Liu? Niou? This is the secret weapon prepared by Niou." The jackal Kuwabara was shocked.

Yagyu Hiroshi didn't react much. This move had been used by Niou before when they were practicing privately, but the target of the transformation was Yagyu Hiroshi himself. In Niou's words, it was an illusion.

Marui Bunta's eyes changed, and he chose the same tactics as in the morning match and Yanagi Ren's second match, counterattacking at the net.

"It's useless. The probability of Marui choosing tennis smash is 67." Niou Masaharu completely replicated the match between Yanagi Renji and Marui Bunta in the morning. Of course, Marui Bunta was also cooperating on the other side.

In this match against Yanagi Renji, Marui Bunta opted for a smash, actively seeking opportunities. His stamina drained, allowing him to hit the net and gain a chance to counterattack. However, simply imitating someone is not that easy to win. "Niou, the same trick won't work."

Marui Bunta picked up the ball and suddenly changed his playing style.

"There's a chance of a lob, but even if the chance is only 11, I'll leave room for response, Marui." Niou Phantom's reaction was exactly the same as Yanagi Renji's counterattack when he saw Marui Bunta returning the ball.

Niou Masaharu hit the ball back into the backcourt. According to Yanagi Renji's strategy, either continuing to control the return or suppressing Marui Bunta in the backcourt was an advantage. Which one to choose was up to him. "Puff! My illusion isn't just a simple imitation."

"Damn, Niou is quite good at hiding." Marui Bunta hurried to the backcourt to chase the ball.

In a blink of an eye, Niou, standing in front of the net, saw Yanagi Renji transformed into Marui Bunta. "Secret Technique—Iron Pillar Hit~ How's that? I'm a genius, right?"

"Hmph, when did you learn that?" Marui Bunta stopped.

Niou Masaharu also stopped, and the two Marui Buntas fighting against each other made the Jackal Kuwabara look around. If the field hadn't been set from the beginning, the Jackal Kuwabara wouldn't have been able to tell.

"Pfft~ Of course I saw it during the last practice session between you and Jackal, but the conditions were a bit harsh." Niou Masaharu returned to his composure.

"Sanada is not so easy to be defeated, and it is not easy to become Yanagi's match. What is the name of the move?" Marui Bunta asked.

Niou Masaharu put away his racket. "Pfft~ My illusion, I just wanted to check its strength."

"Well~ the intensity in the beginning can be said to be beyond expectations, and the response to the changes in tactics in the latter part was also very timely, but there is still a difference. In the second half of the practice, I played according to the method of data tennis. The military advisor of Niou card could not completely seal my special moves, so I had to control them. Okay, tomorrow's game is in the morning, so save your energy. And don't forget that we still have a practice session." Marui Fumita chewed bubble gum.

It was rare for Niou Masaharu to stay this late. "If they were identical, or even completely mastered, then the Big Three would become the Big Four, pfft~"

While chatting with Niou Masaharu, Yagyu Hiroshi had already gone to check the venue conditions.

"Let's go, Kuwabara. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's game. That guy Niou won't give his all in practice, so there will definitely be something exciting to watch tomorrow. Ah~ I'm so exhausted after two high-intensity games." Marui Bunta spread his hands and let Jackal Kuwabara carry the tennis bag.

The Jackal Kuwabara was in high spirits. The conditions Bunta had just proposed during his fight with Niou Masaharu were clearly meant to give his partner a fight. "Thank you for your hard work. I'll treat you to some kitchen sweets, Bunta."

"Let's go!" Speaking of delicious food, even though he hadn't eaten yet, Marui Bunta felt that his physical strength had recovered a lot.