Chapter 6: Ishikawa's Insight
**Boom!**
On the tennis court, a faint yellow streak of light exploded in front of Shinohara Saburo, who stood frozen like a statue.
**"30-0!"**
After calling the score, Mitsui glanced deeply at Ishikawa.
**"Another ace serve?!"**
Outside the court, the Hyotei team members were visibly shaken.
Two consecutive aces—this couldn't just be a coincidence anymore.
This newcomer's serve was truly powerful!
So powerful, in fact, that it was almost unbelievable!
Who would have thought that Shinohara Saburo, known for his agility, couldn't even touch the ball?
**[Ding!]**
Meanwhile, a notification sounded in Ishikawa's mind.
**[Player has executed an ace serve. Basic Serve EXP +4.]**
**"The experience points aren't fixed?"**
Ishikawa frowned slightly but quickly brushed it off.
Most games worked this way, with experience gains fluctuating within a certain range due to programming settings.
Shaking off the thought, Ishikawa repositioned himself, adjusted his stance, and tossed the ball into the air once more.
**Boom!**
**"40-0!"**
**[Ding!]**
**[Player has executed an ace serve. Basic Serve EXP +5.]**
**[Basic Serve level has increased. Current level: Lv. 1 (4/20).]**
**Hum!**
A stream of information flooded Ishikawa's mind. Techniques and insights about serving that he hadn't grasped before suddenly became clear.
**"So that's how it is."**
When he opened his eyes again, Ishikawa couldn't help but chuckle at himself.
Turns out, his previous serves had been riddled with flaws. While others might not have noticed, the regular sitting in the referee's seat had surely caught them.
**"It's about time to wrap up this game."**
Ishikawa's gaze shifted to Shinohara, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
**Whoosh!**
He tossed the ball into the air once more.
Rising onto his toes, he extended his arm, leaned forward, and brought his racket down in a swift, powerful motion.
**Boom!**
Another explosive serve.
The ball whizzed past Shinohara, who instinctively flinched at the gust of wind it created.
**"Game!"**
**"Ishikawa, 1-0!"**
**"Change sides!"**
As soon as the announcement was made, the entire court fell silent.
Four aces in a row, and the first game was over!
Even those who had thought Ishikawa might stand a chance against Shinohara hadn't expected things to go this far.
A first-year against a third-year.
And the latter hadn't even touched the ball.
**"Was it just my imagination?"**
From the referee's seat, Mitsui furrowed his brows slightly.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Ishikawa's final serve had been significantly better than the previous ones.
**"I must be overthinking it."**
Mitsui quickly dismissed the thought.
He reasoned that the speed of Ishikawa's swing must have been so fast that it had tricked his eyes.
Yes.
Even Mitsui, a seasoned regular, was momentarily fooled.
**"His swing speed is too fast. If I'm not mistaken, he must have some serious skill in kendo!"**
Just this realization alone made Mitsui feel that his time as the referee was well spent.
Although Ishikawa was less than 170 cm tall, he was only a first-year. With the top-tier nutrition program at Hyotei's tennis club, meticulously designed by Atobe, Ishikawa's height could easily reach 185 cm in the next two years. By then, his serve alone would be enough to secure him a place in the national championships!
As the first game ended, the players switched sides. Shinohara, now with the serve, tightly gripped the tennis ball in his hand.
**"That damn brat."**
He glared at Ishikawa, his face dark with a mix of anger and wariness.
Four consecutive aces!
Even Shinohara, as stubborn as he was, couldn't deny that Ishikawa was no ordinary player. At the very least, until someone could break his serve, Ishikawa was practically invincible.
So, if Shinohara wanted to win, he had to break Ishikawa's serve. But before that, he had to hold his own serve. And Shinohara was confident about that.
**"You've had your fun. Now it's time to show you what real tennis looks like!"**
With that thought, Shinohara quickly tossed the ball into the air.
**Boom!**
He slammed the ball across the court in a flash.
**Tap tap!!**
Immediately after, he sprinted toward the net with all his might.
**"Here it comes!"**
**"Shinohara's serve-and-volley!"**
**"He's so aggressive! He's even faster than he was a month ago!"**
**"Huh… Is he planning to challenge the second-string players?"**
Seeing Shinohara's swift movements, many of the Hyotei team members exchanged uneasy glances.
Hearing their murmurs, Shinohara allowed himself a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
**"That's right."**
**"I've been in the tennis club for over two years. I'm not going to graduate without even playing in a single official match."**
**"At the very least, I'll make it to the Tokyo Metropolitan Finals!"**
This was Shinohara Saburo's ambition.
He didn't dare dream of becoming a regular, but he still had a shot at making the second string. To that end, he had been training intensively since the end of his second year.
His goal was to make a splash in the upcoming intra-club selection matches.
Never did he expect that a first-year newcomer would push him to this point.
For Shinohara, using his serve-and-volley against Ishikawa was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. But he had no choice.
Ishikawa's serve was too troublesome.
He had no choice but to bring out his trump card.
**"Hmm?"**
On the other side of the court, Ishikawa's eyes locked onto the rapidly approaching ball.
The serve was fast.
But with his 3-point mental stat and the enhanced cognitive abilities from his secondary profession, **Kendo**, Ishikawa possessed extraordinary insight.
Moreover, having observed Shinohara's match with Suzuki earlier, Ishikawa had already figured out most of Shinohara's playing style and patterns.
With just a glance, he predicted where the ball would land.
Then, his gaze shifted to Shinohara.
**Serve-and-volley!**
This was a tactic often used by net-rushing players.
In the original series, Hyotei's Shishido and Akutagawa, as well as Fudomine's Tachibana, were all masters of this technique.
Having watched the original anime, Ishikawa knew that the most effective way to counter such players was to aim the ball directly into their path of movement. Ideally, placing it just half a step away from them.
As for predicting Shinohara's direction, after watching him play for most of the match, Ishikawa had already figured it out.
The only thing left was his control over the ball.
Fortunately, while acquiring the max-level secondary profession, **Kendo**, his technique stat had also increased by 2 points.
For top-tier players, a technique stat of 3 was nothing impressive.
But this was a practice match.
And his opponent was a nameless extra from the original series.
A technique stat of 3 was practically overkill!
**Whoosh!**
Countless thoughts flashed through Ishikawa's mind in an instant.
Aiming at Shinohara's predicted path, Ishikawa's hand, wielding the racket, executed a top-tier kendo technique.
With the added strength from his 2-point power stat, the racket swung with such speed that it left an afterimage.
**Bang!**
The racket collided fiercely with the ball as it bounced off the ground.
Shinohara, who had been rushing forward, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He looked up just in time to see a blur of yellow rapidly expanding in his vision.
**"This is… bad!!!"**
The ball came too fast.
Shinohara had no time to react.
In his haste to adjust, his movements became disjointed due to his own speed. Carried by momentum, he completely lost his balance and fell face-first onto the court with a loud thud!
**Clang!**
Meanwhile, Ishikawa's return shot hit the wire fence once again.
**Tap tap tap…**
As the ball bounced on the ground, the Hyotei team members around the court fell silent once more.
**"0-15!"**
Mitsui announced, his gaze deep and thoughtful as he looked at Ishikawa.
That half-volley had been too fast. Moreover, the timing, placement, and angle of the shot were nearly flawless.
It was hard for Mitsui not to suspect that this first-year newcomer had been hiding his true strength all along.
*(End of Chapter)*