APTnovel Chapter 193 I'm already looking forward to the Kanto Tournament finals, Ling!
Chapter 193 I'm already looking forward to the Kanto Tournament finals, Ling!
After the match ended, the Rikkai University players also stood up.
Marui finished chewing the last bit of gum, spat it into a tissue, and wrapped it up. "Wow, they really shaved their heads. Seigaku's pair are so weak. I thought they were going to fight for ages!"
"Total duration: 28 minutes and 48 seconds."
Liu closed his notebook, the cover making a soft rustling sound. "Feng's service games averaged less than two minutes each, and Seigaku's service games were only four to five minutes each. The overall pace was alright, six minutes faster than expected."
"The skill gap in this doubles match was huge, and Seigaku's preparation was clearly inadequate."
As Sanada packed his bag, he shared his thoughts: "Inui Sadaharu's stats were completely outmatched, and Kaidou Kaoru's mentality collapsed in the first game. Hyotei played at their own pace throughout the entire match, and Seigaku didn't even get a glimpse of the initiative."
"That's not all."
Yagyu removed the clothes that were covering the head of the white fox. "Hyotei only started using their mixed formation after the second game. But they were already testing Seigaku's reaction mode in the first game, and only revealed their trump card after confirming there was no threat."
"The overall tactical execution was very calm."
"Puri~ I told you Hyotei had a better chance of winning." Niou straightened up from the railing, stretched, and cracked his bones. "The moment Shishido uttered that sharp tongue, Kaidou's mentality collapsed. A data-driven player paired with an emotionally unstable player is really helpless against this kind of direct, oppressive style of play."
"Moreover, Seigaku is a really temporary pairing, while Hyotei has been training as a fixed team for two months. They're not even in the same league."
"Speaking of which..." Kirihara scratched the back of his head, "Ootori-senpai's serve was terrifyingly fast. Is this really the level a middle school student should be at?"
"He's just a middle school student." Sanada slung his tennis bag over his shoulder and looked at Kirihara softly, "There's still room for improvement in his shot. If he trains his wrist strength for another six months, he should be able to go another 5 kilometers per hour faster."
"Five kilometers faster? Can you even keep up?" Kirihara was stunned, his eyes wide.
"It's difficult." Liu turned to a blank page, her pen rapidly calculating data on the paper:
"Feng's current serve speed has reached about 215 kilometers per hour, which is top-tier at the junior high school level. If it is increased by another 5 kilometers, the opponent's preparation time for receiving the serve will be reduced to less than 0.2 seconds."
"This reaction threshold is something almost all junior high school students can't reach. But..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Yukimura beside him, then swept his gaze towards Seigaku, before finishing his sentence, "There are still people who might be able to catch it. Besides Mochizuki Ryo, there's Yukimura's Annihilation of the Five Senses; and there's Tezuka's Tezuka Domain from Seigaku, catching it shouldn't be difficult."
Yukimura glanced up at Feng on the court, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Feng's serve has indeed improved rapidly. Ling designed a wrist strength training program for him during the training camp, and it seems to be working well."
"Yes, Feng certainly didn't let her guard down during that time."
Sanada thought back to the training camp where he trained with Ootori every morning, and nodded with a sigh, "His serve has always been his greatest weapon, but it wasn't consistent enough before. Today, his serve success rate was close to 100%, which shows that the consistency he's developed over the past two months of training."
"In any case, that point, combined with Hyotei's mixed doubles formation, is something we should study carefully."
"Indeed." Liu Sheng pushed up his glasses and nodded in agreement. "This hybrid formation can be adapted to different combinations. It can be used with an offensive formation and a statistical formation, as well as a balanced formation. His training program is not targeted at any one person, but is a whole system."
"That's really terrible!"
Niou clung to his partner, twirling his little braid, and added with a laugh, "Hyotei's future match lineups won't rely on fixed doubles combinations anymore. Anyone can pair up with anyone else, making it impossible for other teams to find a pattern to counter them. This is going to be tough, Pupina~"
Yagyu easily pulled him aside, slung his tennis bag over his shoulder, and concluded, "So we need to hurry. Hyotei won't stand still and wait for us. These two doubles matches are going to be a wake-up call for us, the reigning champions, Rikkai."
"Not making progress can really lead to defeat."
"Yes, yes. We're aiming for the championship, so we won't hold back. Let's all go for it!" Jiro, standing next to Marui, was about to return to the team to cheer for his teammates when he heard their discussion and jumped up proudly.
"Let me give you a sneak peek at the questions..."
He paused deliberately halfway through his sentence, moved closer to them, cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and whispered mysteriously:
"We've been playing three mock matches every day for the past two months, practicing both doubles and singles. The opponents change constantly, and sometimes Ling will even step in herself!"
"Personally?" Kirihara's eyes widened, and he leaned closer, his face full of curiosity. "Really? Senpai will be your sparring partner?"
"Um."
Cilang tidied his curly hair in a show of coolness, nodding with eight parts pride and ten parts smugness.
"Ling said that as a coach, he can't just talk the talk without walking the walk; he has to spend at least two days a week sparring with us. Every time we play with Ling, we feel like we've improved a bit, but the next time we play, we feel like we still need to practice."
Liu listened, opening his half-closed eyes, and jotted down what he said in his notebook: "Wang Yueling's coaching style is 'high-intensity confrontation training mode.' By going down to the field himself as a sparring partner, he lets the players perceive the changing logic of tactics in actual combat."
"This training method is far more efficient than theoretical explanations, but it demands extremely high levels of skill and physical fitness from the coach."
"No wonder Hyotei has improved so much in the past two months." Yagyu adjusted his glasses. "The strong coaches directly serve as sparring partners, which means they have top-level professional opponents every day."
Kirihara looked on with envy, his eyes practically overflowing with longing. "Hyotei and the others are so lucky to have seniors as their sparring partners."
Sanada watched the little lamb run off after speaking, his face expressionless, but his words were unusually serious: "Mochizuki Ryo's dedication to team training truly surpasses that of the average coach. That's why we can't afford to relax even a little."
After saying that, he glanced at Kirihara, raised his hand and patted his hunched back straight. "Akaya, don't be envious of them. When we get back, Renji and I can also play two against one against you. Of course, the doubles training can't stop either."
Kirihara immediately frowned, "Huh? We have to practice doubles too..."
"certainly."
Sanada raised his hat brim a little, gripped the tennis bag strap on his chest, glanced at his teammates around him, and finally stopped on the tennis court below the stands.
A solemn oath:
"Rikkai University, the undisputed champions, have achieved three consecutive victories without any weaknesses."
Yukimura listened to the familiar vow, a slight smile curving his lips, and stood between them.
The kitten nestled in his arms, kicked its legs twice on its back, picked up the little fish that had been under it, patted it a couple of times with its paws to make sure it wasn't hurt, and then nestled back into Yukimura's arms, resting its little head on the crook of his arm.
Hearing Sanada's voice, which sounded like muffled thunder, it raised its head and meowed along, its soft, babyish voice like an accompaniment to his vow.
Yukimura reached out and gently flicked the tip of its ear. Luna's sensitive ear twitched, but instead of flinching, it turned its head and rubbed its nose against his knuckles.
"You also think Rikkai University has no blind spots, right?" Yukimura said softly, not knowing whether he was asking the kitten or himself.
Luna looked up at him, her round, heterochromatic eyes reflecting his face. She opened her little mouth, waved her tiny paws, and gave a soft "meow," as if in response to him.
Yukimura smiled and looked up at the Hyotei coaching bench. Mochizuki Ryo was standing on the sidelines, talking to Kaba in the stands.
The sunlight fell on them, warm and cozy.
Yukimura muttered to himself, "The doubles was beautiful; they didn't give their opponents a single opening throughout the entire match. Is this the team you trained for two months?!"
"I'm already looking forward to the Kanto Tournament finals, Ryo!"
-
Cheng Chengxiang and his group also stood up, stretched their limbs, and prepared to go have lunch.
Kajimoto Takahisa walked in front, followed by Wakato Hiroshi, who pulled his hat brim down even further. The twin brothers walked side by side in the middle. Kiriyama Daichi leaned against the fence and glanced at the scoreboard on the field, confirming it was 6-0, and clicked his tongue.
"Hyotei's doubles team is several levels stronger than Seigaku's."
Hanamura Aoi walked ahead, her wine-red curly hair swaying in the wind. Hearing the team's exclamations, she analyzed the situation calmly.
"A data-driven player paired with a snake-style player is theoretically a good combination, but the difference in their teamwork and mental stability is too great. Shishido and Ootori seem to have been partners for at least a year, but according to the data, they only started as a fixed pairing in the last two months."
"That's what makes it even more interesting."
Ruo Ren stretched, put his hands in his pockets, and said with a hint of emotion, "Hyotei is currently one win and one loss. The upcoming singles matches three and two will almost certainly be decisive. This afternoon's singles matches are going to be tough."
"Indeed."
Kajimoto walked ahead with steady steps. "Hyotei's doubles team is tougher than I expected. The singles matches will probably be even more intense, especially the duel between their captains, that's the main event today."
"Who will play in the singles third round?" Kiriyama Daichi rubbed his hard head. "Hyotei has quite a few candidates for singles: Atobe, Oshitari, Akutagawa..."
"That depends on how Mochizuki Ryou arranges the formation."
Huacun adjusted his glasses, taking one last look in Wangyue Ling's direction. His eyes behind the thin-rimmed glasses were sharp, and his words carried his usual confidence: "The opponent's formation is always unexpected. Who knows what new tactics they'll come up with next."
"However... no matter who the opponent is, the works I choose will not disappoint."
"Perhaps, after today's match, his name will carry much more weight in the junior high school tennis world than before."
"I must find a way to recruit him."
Kajimoto frowned but didn't say anything. He knew his coach's temper; once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.
Never mind, let her go dig.
"Then we'll just wait and see." Ruo Ren chuckled, hands behind his head, and greeted the pretty girl he'd encountered with a nonchalant air. "If doubles is this exciting, the singles matches will definitely be anything but boring."
The Tanaka twins followed behind them, no longer uttering any harsh words, but their expressions were somewhat solemn.
Shinjiro followed at the back of the group, remaining silent the entire time. But as he passed the stadium exit, he paused, glancing back towards Hyotei. His grip on his racket bag tightened, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
He looked away and continued walking forward.
-
At Hyotei, when Shishido and Ootori returned to the rest area, Kabaji was already standing there waiting to hand them towels and water.
Atobe remained seated, but a slight smile played on his lips, and his voice carried its usual flamboyant tone: "Ah... that was a pretty impressive performance, didn't disgrace Hyotei."
Shishido and Ootori bowed simultaneously, "Minister."
"Well played."
Holding his teddy bear towel, Wang Yueling's bright blue eyes sparkled with sunshine as he smiled and praised generously, "Your last-minute tactical changes in the final few games were very solid. You performed even better than in the practice matches. Here... this is your reward, and each of you will receive a limited-edition strawberry cake when you get back."
He then handed the teddy bear in his hand to Shishido, asking him to accept the prize on his behalf.
Shishido was wiping his sweat when he suddenly found himself holding a small bear, and his ears turned slightly red. Feng, too, scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly, "It's all thanks to Coach Dai's excellent guidance."
Atobe glanced at Mochizuki Ryo and scoffed, "You think you're so good at winning people over?"
Wang Yueling was already used to the peacock's arrogant behavior, so she just smiled and didn't tease him back, afraid of provoking him.
That would affect his image in Yukimura's eyes.
On the other side, Jiro ran over from Marui, holding a fan in his hand, and excitedly pounced on him for a bear hug, almost knocking them both away: "Ryo! Chotaro! You guys are so cool today..."
Feng took a step back, and as soon as she regained her balance, she was greeted with a barrage of compliments. Her ears turned slightly red: "Senior Cilang... slow down..."
Shishido, who was next to him, was not spared either; Jiro slapped him hard on the back with the support fan that Mukahi had left behind before leaving.
Shishido helplessly rubbed his back, which was sore from being slapped, and turned around to grab the fan. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it read "The Strongest Sun" in large letters.
"...Go back and have Yue Ren rewrite it."
He tossed the fan back into Cilang's arms, saying, "This is too ugly."
Cilang hugged his fan and burst into laughter.
The surrounding teammates all gathered around, praising him in unison.
Hiyoshi, head held high, said stiffly, "Not bad." Kabaji stood to the side and muttered, "Impressive." Taki didn't say anything, but smiled and used a small fan to cool them down.
Wang Yueling smiled and watched for a while, then raised her hand to look at her watch, clapped her hands, and spoke in a clear voice.
"Alright, everyone pack up. Let's go to the medical building to see Yue Ren first, then go eat. There are still singles matches this afternoon, so save your energy."
"Okay!" everyone responded in unison.
On the other side, the Rikkai University students also packed up their things and strolled over leisurely. The two groups joined together and headed towards the temporary medical building in the sports park.
Luna saw her owner approaching from afar, propped herself up from Yukimura's arms, clung to Yukimura's arm with her two front paws, and meowed incessantly in the direction of Mochizuki Ryo, her tail wagging like it was powered by a motor.
Yukimura's arm swayed slightly from the kick, and he chuckled, "Little guy, so excited, are you going to find Ling to complain that I brought you bread rings?"
Luna shook her little head, indicating that she wasn't that kind of cat.
The moment it saw its owner, its two little ears stood up straight, and its eyes shone as if it had seen several small dried fish flying around.
When Mochizuki Ryo got closer, it wriggled its short legs in the air a couple of times from Yukimura's arms, then pounced into Mochizuki Ryo's chest, hugging his team uniform collar with its two paws and rubbing its face against his chin, its little mouth opening and closing.
Mochizuki Ryo reached out and cupped its little bottom, then lowered her head and rubbed her nose against its forehead: "What's gotten into you? You weren't this enthusiastic when you were watching the game in Seiichi's arms."
Luna tilted her head and glanced at him, then turned to look at Yukimura, and snorted as if to say he was talking nonsense. Then she rested her chin in his palm and curled up into a ball, not moving.
Holding the small cloth fish, Yukimura looked up at Mochizuki Ryo and the kitten in her arms, smiled, and followed behind the main group side by side with Mochizuki Ryo. "The training results are quite impressive."
"Of course."
Wang Yueling raised an eyebrow, a smug smile curving her lips, and pulled Luna closer to her. "They were personally taught by the number one teacher in the world, of course they're outstanding!"
The kitten found a comfortable spot in his arms, rolled over, and exposed its soft belly. It then kicked its short legs toward Yukimura, as if inviting him to scratch it.
Yukimura smiled slightly but did not refute.
Reaching out, I gently scratched the kitten's belly with my fingertips. Luna purred softly, its eyes narrowed into slits, its head tilted back in bliss, the whole cat limp and fluffy.
Renwang leaned closer, looked at his blissful expression, and chuckled, then preemptively accused him: "You little cat, all you do is eat and sleep, and you have quite a temper. You were even yelling at me just now."
Luna's ears twitched, she opened one eye and hissed at him, then closed her eyes again, her little paws slightly opening and closing, too lazy to bother with this two-legged creature that annoyed the cat.
Marui walked beside her, holding up a blade of grass: "Luna, wanna play?"
The kitten's ears twitched again, but its eyes remained closed.
"Kittens have limited energy; they were just staring at the ball and shaking their heads, they're probably tired." Yukimura glanced at the black kitten in Mochizuki Ryo's arms. "Let it sleep!"
"That just means it's watching intently." Kirihara ran over to Kuwahara, tilted his chin up to look at the kitten, and muttered to himself, "If it could play ball, it would definitely be better than me."
Kuwabara touched his bald head and grinned sheepishly, "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, right." Kirihara looked up, his eyes shining. "The way it looked at the ball was just as focused as the captain's."
Upon hearing this, Yukimura's lips curved slightly, but he remained silent. Sanada stood to the side, his gaze beneath the brim of his hat fixed on the small, dark bundle in Mochizuki Ryo's arms. He moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing.
Niou, with his sharp eyes, saw it and chuckled, "Sanada, go ahead and touch it if you want, no one's stopping you."
Sanada's expression froze for a moment. He pulled down his hat brim and said in a stiff voice, "The match is over. Let's hurry up and go see Mukahi before we eat."
"What's the rush?" Niou leaned leisurely against Yagyu. "Let's pet the cat first..."
Sanada ignored him, turned around, and quickly walked to Atobe's side at the front. Neither of them spoke, but their backs were ramrod straight, displaying an inexplicable competitive spirit in their walk.
They would occasionally exchange a glance, their expressions menacing.
Wang Yueling looked down at the kitten in her arms, which was already purring evenly, and reached out to straighten the bread ring that had been tilted around its neck.
He looked up at Yukimura beside him: "Seiichi, want to have lunch together? Uncle Harano has prepared lunch in that building over there."
Yukimura looked back at him and nodded without refusing, "Okay."
Niou and Yagyu walked behind, chatting quietly about the match they had just played. Marui and Jiro huddled together, chattering about what desserts they would have later. Kirihara and Kabaji walked together, excitedly talking about the serve they had just played, with Kabaji nodding in agreement from time to time. Taki, Hiyoshi, and Kuwabara followed quietly. Yagyu carried his notebook, jotting down data as they walked, the pen scratching softly.
The group walked along the tree-lined path, the dappled shadows falling on them, dispelling much of the summer heat.
The discussions around them about the morning's match never stopped.
"Inui and Kaidou from Seigaku fought really hard in this game, but they were still defeated by Shishido and Rei."
"That's right! Hyotei's doubles team this year is terrifying. They completely dominated Seigaku the entire morning! If it weren't for that accident in doubles match 2, they might be leading 2-0 now. It's such a shame!"
"Yeah, Hyotei's doubles was a weak point last year, how come they're so strong this year?"
"What else could it be? They added a new coach, of course. Look at the changes in Hyotei today, that Mochizuki Ryo, whether it's rumors or reality, is really amazing."
"I heard he's only fifteen, the same age as the Hyotei players!"
"He's a genius... He's not only good at playing, but he's also a great coach."
"Both Seigaku and Hyotei are currently tied with one win and one loss, making the upcoming singles matches very exciting, especially the duel between their captains."
……