Chapter 20

"Puh~" Niwang rolled his eyes and thought of a good idea that would solve the problem once and for all.

We have cooperative training with Hyotei once a year, and we have a pretty clear idea of ​​the types of the third-year players.

"Nio serves."

Niou Masaharu tossed the tennis ball in his hands, creating a weakened illusion. "Let me think about how the junior on the team serves."

"Is this Rikkai University's starting pick?!" Akutagawa, still half-asleep, felt the angle and force of the ball, becoming even less motivated.

Before the first round started, Ren Wang had already imitated 90% of his junior students' mistakes and omissions in their returns, using various fancy returns to confuse his opponents and score points quickly.

If it were anyone else, they would be so happy to get such a score from Rikkai University's regular players that they would be overwhelmed.

Unfortunately, his opponent is Jiro Akutagawa of Hyotei.

Sanada was watching from the side with a frown on his face, Nioh was playing tricks again, it would be easy for him to just use his strength to win the match.

Yanagi Renji glanced at Akutagawa's state and knew what Niou was planning. "Keep an eye on Sanada for a while."

Akutagawa Jiro was woken up by Karaji many times during morning training. The purpose of coming to the training camp was to practice basketball with Bunta, and his goal was achieved during free training.

It was a pity that he was not grouped with Bunta this time. His motivation was halved and his opponent was not strong either. Akutagawa felt that he could no longer suppress his sleepiness.

As for Nioh's true strength? When Atobe and Bunta were put together, Akutagawa Jiro's eyes were on Bunta first, not to mention the less familiar Rikkai University players.

From Akutagawa's increasingly slow movements, Tebe noticed something was wrong. He pressed his eyebrows, wanted to speak, but then turned his head away, trying not to see anything.

Keigo Atobe knew everything about his teammates. In order to prepare for the practice match with Rikkai University, Akutagawa insisted on training with the team for a week without skipping any training. He couldn't be woken up by just the sound.

Niou Masaharu's cunning smile was particularly dazzling on the court, and the sound of a return ball that everyone present could easily counterattack echoed on the sand.

It was a low slice, not very fast, flying straight towards Akutagawa.

Akutagawa Jiro remained standing but did not react.

"Game Nioh 1-3!"

Atobe raised his hand to signal Yanagi Renji. "We lose."

"Zzzzzz..." Akutagawa was sleeping soundly. One night of good sleep could not make up for the many days of training.

Oshitari had just finished comforting Taketo and arranged to go back and practice together. Akutagawa was asleep on the court again, and Karaichi was still playing against Rikkai University's Yagyū. It was unrealistic to ask the young master to go, as there were few people who could move. "Akutagawa, that guy."

Oshitari put Akutagawa on the sidelines. Despite the loud noise, Akutagawa Jiro did not wake up. He changed his position and continued to sleep.

"Too lame." Shishido Ryo, who was also a loser, turned his head. As a loser, he shouldn't have said much, but losing because of sleepiness and the opponent didn't use any strength at all, there was no point in losing.

Hou Chotaro looked at Senior Shishido, then looked at Senior Akutagawa who was left behind by Senior Oshitari, and took a thin blanket from the store to cover Senior Akutagawa.

"Hakachi serves." Atobe was multitasking, and even when he watched the game on another court, it did not affect his refereeing.

Yagyu took a look at Niou's field and focused on his own game. Karaichi's characteristic is to imitate moves, and there is no better way to make progress than to break through himself.

The score difference between Karachi and Yagyu is not that big. The games on Nioh's side have all been completed, and the two are still competing slowly.

Yagyu took a deep breath and adjusted his mentality. The key to winning or losing this game lies in whether he can find the flaws in Karasu's imitation moves.

Huadi is like a mirror, using the opponent's moves directly, which is different from Niou who can casually create phantoms of different styles.

War of attrition and war of strength.

Just like the imitation of mirror reflection, the effect will be different depending on the physical condition. Karaichi's strength is much stronger than Yagyu's, so Yagyu needs to use some techniques to release the force when returning the ball.

Yagyu tried various returns, from basic smashes to complex volleys at the net, striving for precision and speed in every move.

Karaichi almost perfectly copied Yagyu's movements, returning the tennis ball in the same way it was hit.

Thanks to Niou, and his partner who could create illusions, Yagyu and Niou exchanged moves to facilitate their doubles play, and Yagyu knew very well how to counter their own moves.

Liu Sheng felt that he could still withstand the power of Huadi. The changes in the score were caused by the venue. The use of variable returns was greatly affected by the venue and sometimes he could not achieve the desired effect.

As time went on, the score between Yagyu and Karachi was tied at 6-6.

Yagyu gained a lot. Facing Huadi, he used his own ball path, which was both familiar and unfamiliar. Looking at the moves from another angle, he found many areas that needed improvement and strengthening.

The match on the Nioh side ended first, and the subsequent match between Sanada and Oshitari was held on the sand court on the Nioh side.

Sanada stared at Niou who had made room. With Niou's strength, he could win fairly without even using his full strength.

Niou Masaharu blinked, feeling the burning gaze from behind him. He wouldn't attack Sanada if he hadn't lost, so he'd just say he was too lax. Even if Akutagawa hadn't been drawn out of his sleepiness, Niou wouldn't have given Sanada the chance to strike with his iron fist.

Yanagi Renji stopped Niou from provoking Sanada. "Niou, your data has been updated, and the menu for subsequent training has been expanded."

"Wait, military advisor!? How can this match show that I need more training~" Niou immediately left Sanada behind and walked through the crowd to get close to Liu.

Yanagi Renji handed Niou the newly revised training menu. Putting aside Niou's deliberately weak shots, the results showed that his returns on the sand were just as good as on a regular surface. This demonstrated Niou's observation and adaptability. He discovered the use of the sand that very day and found the trick to his returns in a single day. "It didn't add much."

"Puh~" Nioh breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the changes in the training menu. The previous changes in the training menu were already very physically demanding, and there were only some changes in the training items.

Seeing that Niou had calmed down, Liu turned his attention to the game. Normally, Niou would not jump back and forth on Sanada's cordon, but would only provoke outside the safety line.

Sanada breathed a sigh of relief, his teammates couldn't handle it, but Nioh won the game after all.

Sanada, who advocates a fair and upright style of play, can accept not using his full strength because his opponent is not strong enough, but he finds it difficult to accept Nioh's pretending to be weak, even though the effect is the same.

Oshitari wore a smile, the curve of his lips remaining unchanged, though the pressure was immense. "Sorry for the wait, the game can begin."

Oshina could feel Sanada's low pressure through the net. Without looking back, the familiar gaze pierced his back. The cold and sharp feeling was definitely from Atobe who had just finished his refereeing work.

Although Sanada did not take Hyotei's Oshitari seriously, after becoming Hyotei's second-in-command, Liu gave him a lot of information.

The only Hyotei that Rikkai University will remember is Atobe Keigo.

Without any hesitation, Sanada served quickly and headed straight for the blind corner.

Inuzaka's reaction is not slow either, so don't expect to score points with just one move.

As the tennis ball came into his hand, Oshitari's grip on the racket paused. The force and impact were so strong. 'At Atobe's level, even practice matches can't be any easier.'

Hitting the ball back, at this time, Ozaki missed Nioh especially.

In the previous training camp, Oshitari had formed a team with Niou, and the cunning duo reached an agreement and played a fancy and energy-saving draw.

"Don't let your guard down." Any flaw would be exploited by Sanada without any hesitation.

"Game Sanada 1-0!"

Atobe's death ray arrived shortly after, and Oshitari shrugged, ready to get more serious. "What a tough style of play! There were some gaps that were too late to fill."

Atobe's intention of giving Oshitsuki to Sanada was to push Oshitsuki's potential. Others in the team competition could not beat Oshitsuki, and the only one who could win could not give Oshitsuki more motivation.

Oshitari acknowledged that Atobe was the king of the tennis club, so losing to Atobe was not that unacceptable.

Sanada was ahead, but Oshitari didn't give up.

Even if we lose the practice match, the score can't be that bad, otherwise we won't be able to get away with it in front of Atobe.

Oshitari, who is said to have mastered a thousand unique skills, changed the rhythm and angle of his return, continuing to test Sanada's strength.

Normally, training camps and practice matches wouldn't have this kind of situation; it would either be a clash of kings or a training session for newcomers. Oshitari was still a doubles player, so it was rare for him to have the opportunity to face a strong opponent like this.

In official competitions, teams competing against Rikkai University basically cannot reach the second place in singles. Even if there are strong players, Hyotei's ranking is usually given to Atobe.

Oshitari's ever-changing moves attracted the players outside the arena to watch the exciting duel.

"Really, Yushi, this guy is not serious. He's lagging behind." Mukai Taketo wiped the sweat off his face and shook his head helplessly. Knowing that the situation was not favorable for Oshitari, he closed his mind and entered another state.

Bunta tilted his head. The number of moves Oshitari mastered was truly astonishing. "Just having more moves won't defeat Sanada."

"It's too unglamorous, Oshitari." Atobe didn't express any opinion. The result of the game would tell everything.

Yanagi Renji recorded the match in his notes with satisfaction. In this sand match, apart from Nioh providing some useful data, only the match against Sanada was worth recording.

Sanada and Oshitari went back and forth. Oshitari closed his heart and focused on the game, not wanting to end the game with a score of zero.

"Game Sanada 5-0!"

Sanada firmly controlled the tempo of the match, suppressing the score. 'But Hyotei's ninjutsu certainly has some strength left, they're too lax.'

A high return shot, and Sanada hit back head-on. "Aggression is like fire."

"You're not going to use a counterattack, are you? That trick won't work on Vice Minister Sanada." Kirihara Akaya changed his early surprise.

Niou ruffled Kirihara Akaya's messy hair. "Just now, when Sanada's flaming attack was countered, you looked incredulous. You changed your expression so quickly, Kirihara. Don't underestimate the third year."

"The vice-minister hit back with a direct shot after being counterattacked." Kirihara Akaya said it as if he was playing in the field. In fact, this game made Kirihara Akaya see a lot. You know, when it comes to Hyotei, Kirihara's eyes only see Hyotei's minister, who is said to be a player with the same strength as the Big Three.

This time, Oshitari returned the smash with a spike, aiming at Sanada's racket, using the force to his advantage.

The tennis ball bounced back and Ozaki jumped up to smash it.

The racket in Sanada's hand did not fall, and the ball hitting the racket did have some impact.

"That's! Atobe's move." Mukaito Taketo is very familiar with it. It can be said that none of Hyotei's team members are unfamiliar with it.

When practicing with the captain, no one has not dropped their racket a few times.

Sanada held the racket horizontally and counterattacked with the edge of the racket.

"I actually broke two smashes." Feng Changtaro widened his eyes.

Shishido Ryo chimed in. "It's Oshitari who's too weak. If Atobe had used it, he wouldn't have failed."

Atobe, who was watching the fight, knew that Oshitari was serious this time, and his moves were no worse than his own, which showed that Sanada's grip was not small and he actually had some strength to spare. "It's not all in vain."

"Game Ninja 1-5!"

…

"Game Sanada 6-1!"

Among the audience who were focused on the game between the two, only a few noticed that Sanada and Oshitari were not affected by the sand from the beginning of the game, and there were no mistakes in returning or receiving the ball.

When Sanada and Oshitari shook hands, they left a comment: "You're too lax."

If Oshitsuki had shown the strength he showed in the last two games at the beginning, the score would not be so ugly. Seeing Oshitsuki made Sanada feel like Nioh was on the opposite side. He left the field after completing the post-match etiquette with a touch of his hands.

Before Oshima, who had just finished the match, could breathe a sigh of relief, the voice of Master Atobe came: "Let's go back to school for a practice match, Oshima."

"Okay, okay." Unable to refuse, Oshitari sighed and agreed. "You really can't get carried away during a competition."

There are very few opponents who can move a genius, and Sanada is one of them.

All the practice matches are over, Rikkai University won more than it lost, and the worst result was a draw.

It was not yet late, and Hyotei, whose results were not very good, did not stay long and took the school bus back to school. The players from Rikkai University dispersed on the spot after dinner.