classifiedscript Chapter 177 A mere protagonist's halo? We'll just crush them.
Chapter 177 A mere protagonist's halo? We'll just crush them.
"What an amazing transition."
Saori Shiba exclaimed softly, but upon seeing Kikumaru being targeted, her brows immediately furrowed, and her voice became somewhat annoyed, "What the hell? Those two from Hyotei are going too far, deliberately targeting Kikumaru..."
She muttered a lot of things, expressing her indignation on behalf of Seigaku.
Inoue listened without saying anything, but wrote a line on his notebook with the tip of his pen.
The Hyotei players on the sidelines were also watching with great interest.
"Look, Seigaku's formation is messed up."
Shinobu leaned against the railing with his arms crossed, chuckling softly, "Taki's data tennis is getting better and better. He figured them out in just over a game. With Gakuto's flexible and complementary style, this doubles match is going to be really exciting."
Feng listened and nodded in agreement, her eyes full of admiration. "Coach Wangyue's guidance is truly excellent."
"This 'dual-mobility gradient formation' is indeed impressive. I only felt troubled when I faced it in the training matches, but now that the actual performance in the game is showing, I am quite amazed."
Ryo Shishido stood next to him with his arms crossed, not refuting, which was taken as tacit agreement.
"Indeed, this formation is very mysterious. Xiang Ri dared to charge forward, and the Waterfall was able to hold him back. If it were someone else, they might not be able to achieve the same effect."
Jiro leaned against the back of Atobe's seat.
I yawned. I was still feeling sleepy, but I suddenly woke up as I watched. I rubbed my eyes and leaned forward to stare at the two spirited players on the field.
A quiet sigh.
"They run so fast... even faster than when they played against me last week."
Atobe sat in the front, watching the score gradually widen, a very faint smile curving his lips, almost imperceptible unless you looked closely.
"Hmm, it's not bad."
Upon hearing Atobe's arrogant praise, Shinobu glanced at the Seigaku rest area across the street, turned his head with a casual smile, and said, "Kage, Ryo's tactics are pretty ruthless. He's specifically targeting one person and wearing them down to death."
"Hmph, what do you know? This is called 'all's fair in war'."
Atobe gently tucked the kitten in his arms, so softly he was afraid of waking it, and chuckled as he watched the scene unfold.
"Kikumaru's stamina is their most fatal weakness in this doubles team. If we don't wear him down, who will we wear down? We can't just waste our time trying to wear down Momoshiro, can we? That guy has great stamina."
"A hastily assembled team like this would be considered good if they could win even one game against a tiered formation. And now..."
He paused, slightly raised his chin, and said with his usual arrogance, "I doubt even a single point will be enough."
Shinobu smiled, adjusted his glasses, and didn't refute.
Luna, who was sleeping soundly in Atobe's arms, was awakened by their conversation and the loud sounds of batting on the court.
She groggily raised her head, her little ears twitching twice as she looked around. She tried to cover her ears with her paws, but the dough ring around her neck got stuck, so she had to bury her head inside it.
He curled himself up again, tucked himself into Atobe's arms, and then dozed off.
Following the sound of the wind, Wang Yueling listened to the discussions of her teammates not far behind her, her proud lips almost reaching her ears.
He was secretly praising himself.
Of course it will be soon.
For the past two months, Hyotei has been doing weight training every day with lead plates strapped to his hands, waist, and legs.
It's hard not to feel light and agile after removing the weight.
Moreover, Taki's real-time data predictions can save Yue Ren a lot of unnecessary running around, allowing him to make every step precise and efficient.
Ryo Mochizuki's gaze swept over Seigaku's side, and when he looked away, his eyes showed no emotion.
Seigaku's hastily crammed doubles foundation couldn't withstand Taki's real-time data combined with Mukahi's agility. The few lines of text on Momoshiro's arm could control his movements but not his instincts; in a real fight, he still operated on a one-on-one mindset.
Well... after only one and a half rounds, he couldn't hold on any longer.
"That's about right." Wang Yueling tapped the armrest lightly with her fingertips, a soft murmur playing on her lips, "At this pace, we'll be able to widen the score gap completely by the third round."
On the field.
Just like in the first game, the two Seigaku players were deliberately dragged into a protracted battle.
Sunflower is like a tireless hummingbird.
He moved around the net, sometimes pressing forward to intercept, sometimes retreating to the half-court to cover, his steps as light as if he were walking on the wind.
His position is never fixed. You think he's going to go online, but he'll retreat instead; you think he's going to defend the baseline, but he'll suddenly spring up and smash the ball.
Taki is like a precise coordinate, always standing in the best backup position.
His racket seemed to have eyes; he could predict the landing point of every powerful smash from Momoshiro and calmly block it back.
Kikumaru's feints at the net are always anticipated by Mukahi's deliberate calls of direction, allowing him to easily block them.
Their pace for each ball wasn't fast, but it was extremely long and sustained.
Like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, slowly draining Kikumaru's strength.
Kikumaru, being the one being targeted, was naturally running himself ragged.
He was panting heavily, his chest feeling suffocated as if a heavy stone was pressing down on it. His red curly hair was soaked with sweat, and strands clung to his forehead.
He looked at Xiang Ri across from him, and was repeatedly surprised. How come this person wasn't tired?
They've been running back and forth for so long, yet their faces aren't flushed or their breaths are even slightly out of breath; they seem perfectly fine.
Unbeknownst to him, Xiang Ri had been subjected to countless "extra training sessions" by Wang Yueling over the past two months due to his poor physical condition. He was forced to train his endurance, with daily weighted running and jumping exercises being a regular occurrence.
This amount of exercise is really nothing to him now.
"Huff... huff..."
Kikumaru, supporting himself on his knees, was panting heavily. Sweat dripped from his forehead onto the plastic track like beads, quickly evaporating.
"Kikumaru-senpai, are you alright?" Momoshiro ran over and asked in a low voice.
"It's alright." Kikumaru straightened up, wiped his face, and said, "Continue!"
However, the situation did not improve because of their persistence.
Taki's data was like a net that tightened and tightened, blocking all their routes. No matter how powerful Momoshiro's return was, it was useless if he couldn't hit the target; no matter how agile Kikumaru was at the net, it was all for naught if he couldn't outrun the opponent's anticipation.
Just then, Momoshiro finally seized an opportunity on the field.
Taki's return shot was slightly too high, landing in the mid-court. Momoshiro's eyes lit up, and without thinking, he rushed forward, leaping into the air with both legs, stretching his body out in mid-air, and slamming his racket vertically onto the ball.
"A dunk!!!"
This is his signature move, even stronger and more powerful than his smash in the previous game.
The entire audience held their breath, waiting to see him score with a smash.
Just as the ball was about to hit the ground, a gray-white figure darted over at lightning speed. Takiginosuke jumped to the height of the net, gripped his racket with both hands, and forcefully returned the ball.
"bump!!!"
Taki not only easily deflected the ball, but also added a strong spin to it, causing it to glide across the net and land on Seigaku's court, just near the sideline.
Momoshiro was still in the air, watching helplessly as the ball flew past right under his nose, with no time to react.
"40-0".
The moment the ball was struck, the entire stadium erupted in astonishment.
Aside from the Hyotei members, everyone from Seigaku, the spectators in the stands, reporters, and passersby couldn't help but marvel at the skill of this seemingly unknown "professional substitute" from Hyotei.
They were even more apprehensive about the hidden talents within Hyotei's tennis club.
A little incident occurred with the last ball.
Mukahi lobbed a very short ball at the net, and Kikumaru rushed forward to try and save it.
He was running too fast and had lost some strength. He lost his footing, twisted his ankle, and almost fell. He staggered several steps before managing to regain his balance and fight back.
Everyone in the Seigaku rest area held their breath.
Without Oishi, and if Kikumaru gets injured, their doubles team really won't be able to play.
Kikumaru stood still, shaking his ankle. It was very sore and numb, but thankfully he wasn't injured.
He gritted his teeth, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
After playing for so long, they haven't scored a single point.
This is so frustrating.
He looked up and subconsciously glanced to his right rear. Usually at this time, Daishi would be standing there, cheering him on and telling him tactics.
But now, he doesn't even have a partner he can rely on.
Although Momoshiro tried his best, doubles is not a game where two people play individually. Without teamwork, it can be very tiring.
Kikumaru felt increasingly depressed, and his nose started to sting.
"Kikumaru-senpai!" Momoshiro's voice came from behind. "Are you alright? How's your leg?"
Kikumaru snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and flashed a big smile: "It's alright, it's alright! I'm fine! Let's continue!"
He shook his head, trying to shake off the feelings of disappointment.
How could they give up in the second game?
But emotions aside, physical strength has also been completely depleted.
Kikumaru's movement slowed down noticeably during this play. Several times, even though he correctly predicted the ball's trajectory, his legs just couldn't keep up.
Even his best-kept special shot was greatly reduced in effectiveness due to exhaustion.
Momoshiro, eager to end the set quickly, couldn't resist launching another aggressive attack. But the more anxious he became, the more disorganized he became, and the opportunity he was waiting for never came; every return he made was subpar.
In the Seigaku rest area, Ryuzaki Jin sighed.
In just the second game, Momoshiro had already lost his rhythm, and Kikumaru was also nearing his limit.
If this continues, this game is in jeopardy.
On the sidelines, Fuji squinted at the two players on the court, his smile fading slightly. "Hyotei's tactics are no longer even bothering to hide them."
"They never intended to finish the first two rounds quickly. They had a firm grasp on Kikumaru's weaknesses, and with the help of this unique formation, there were no blind spots at all."
Tezuka nodded slightly, his expression serious: "The tactics were executed very well. The teamwork between Mukahi and Taki doesn't look like a temporary combination at all."
Kaito stood to the side, hissed, and gripped his racket tightly, his voice deep.
"Those two guys from Hyotei definitely did it on purpose. Kikumaru-senpai's net play advantage was completely wasted; he was constantly being pressured."
Ryoma Echizen pulled down his hat brim, twirling a ball between his fingers, his gaze fixed on Oginosuke Taki. The shadow cast by the hat brim obscured most of his face, revealing only his tightly pursed lips.
"Hmm... a data-driven player like Senior Qian, interesting." He muttered to himself, and the ball spun a little faster.
"No record."
Inui's notebook was already two pages full, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito, and his tone carried a rare hint of surprise, "There's no record of this formation in any of the materials; it must be something they've been practicing recently."
"This formation covers such a vast area. With layers in front and back, and both players able to cover flexibly, it's impossible to break through with traditional long and short balls. And Taki's anticipation is incredibly accurate; he's almost always in position before the ball..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Kikumaru's volley went into the net, ending the second game, which lasted for half an hour.
it is finally over.
"Game, Hyotei. 2-0, switch sides."
"Taki, that was so much fun!"
As the sun set, his face was covered in sweat, but he smiled broadly, excitedly turning back to give Taki a high five. "I always felt confined at the net when playing doubles, but playing like this is so liberating!"
"By the way, thanks to your reminder, otherwise I would have been in trouble."
He had just received Taki's footstep signal and knew in advance that Kikumaru would intercept him, so he had been waiting there for a while; otherwise, he would have missed him.
Taki smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his fingertips.
"That depends on how high you jump. We've collected enough data now, so we can play more freely in the next round."
"Alright!" Xiang Ri's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, eager to get started.
After holding back for two rounds, I can finally unleash my new secret weapon.
……
On the other side, Kikumaru practically crawled off the field while supporting his knees.
Sweat dripped from his forehead like beads off a broken string, his chest heaved violently, and even his voice was labored.
"I can't take it anymore... This is too exhausting, I'm dying of fatigue."
He waved his hand, plopped down on the bench, took the water that Long Qijin handed him, tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls, his voice a little hoarse.
"Why are those two from Hyotei moving around so strangely? It feels like there are people everywhere, and no matter which way I run, someone is blocking my way."
Momoshiro wasn't in much better shape; his jersey was soaked and the color had darkened considerably.
"Their formation was really weird."
As he spoke, he glanced down at his arm, where the words were blurred by sweat. He sighed, panting, "I can never figure out where they are. Every time I think I can find an opening, there's always someone waiting for me."
"Yeah, that's right!" Kikumaru looked up, his lips twitching as if he wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. "They're really strong. Stronger than I imagined."
Long Qijin's expression was not good.
She originally thought that even if Hyotei changed their doubles pairing to a strong one, their playing style wouldn't deviate too much from the norm, but she didn't expect them to pull out a completely new formation.
It caught them completely off guard.
Long Qijin squatted down, handed them towels, and said in a reassuring tone, quickly instructing, "Don't rush, keep your pace."
"They are Hyotei after all, so their strength is only natural."
"But you also have your advantages. In the third set, make some adjustments. Eiji, don't just rush forward all the time, try to draw attention in the midfield. Atao, try to hit more cross-court shots, aiming at the junction of the two players, and see if you can create an opening."
"Understood, Coach."
In the stands, Sadaharu Inui pointed to the data above and analyzed it with his teammates standing beside him:
"Based on the statistics from the first two games, 70% of Taki's returns are aimed at Kikumaru's backhand baseline, and 30% are short shots at the net. Mukahi's volleys tend to hit wide angles along the sidelines. Kikumaru and his team can defend against these attacks, and I hope the coach can point them out so they can seize the opportunity to break through."
Tezuka stood beside him, his deep voice ringing out: "Seigaku's tennis is not something that can be easily defeated."
He doesn't say much, but his words are powerful.
On the other hand, the atmosphere at Hyotei was much more relaxed.
Xiang Ri leaned back in his chair, swinging his legs, a bar of energy in his mouth, crunching loudly. His cheeks were flushed, and he was sweating a lot, but he didn't look tired at all; on the contrary, he was very energetic.
"Coach, we played beautifully, didn't we?"
With his mouth still full, Xiang Ri mumbled, "Should we finish the third round quickly? I'll use my new trick to catch them completely off guard!"
Wang Yueling, who was sitting next to him wiping her hands with a wet wipe, looked up when she heard this, smiled, and said, "You guys figure it out yourselves."
"Oh, I can't wait!"
Xiang Ri nodded and swallowed the last bite of the energy bar.
Taki sat next to him, his eyes closed, analyzing the various statistics of the two Seigaku players in the first two games in his mind.
Without looking up, he replied, "Kikumaru's stamina is currently at about 75%, his net coverage has shrunk by two-thirds, and his error rate has risen to 58%. Momoshiro's smash power has decreased by about 45%, and his upper body strength is clearly insufficient."
"By the end of the third game, Kikumaru's stamina should have dropped to over 80%, which is indeed the best time to attack."
Mochizuki Ryou nodded: "Okay, let's keep this pace. In the third round, pay attention, Seigaku's Oishi should be arriving soon."
"Oishi?"
Mukahi paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Oishi Shuichiro? Didn't I hear he was injured before the match started? If he can't compete, he must be seriously injured. What's he doing here?"
"He will definitely come."
Ryo Mochizuki rubbed his wristband, his tone calm, "The bond between the golden duo isn't so easily broken. Once he arrives, Kikumaru and Momoshiro's condition will definitely improve a bit, and with the mental buff, their teamwork will temporarily increase."
"Don't panic when the time comes, just fight according to the original plan. Their mental boost won't last long, their physical strength will run out, and no matter how much momentum they have, it won't be useful."
Mukahi and Taki exchanged a glance and both nodded.
"Understood, Coach."
After answering, Mukahi scoffed, "That's all Seigaku is capable of. They think they can turn the tables just by having more people cheer them on."
As he said this, his eyes darted around the stands, clearly still paying attention.
Wang Yueling smiled but didn't reply.
Of course he knew the power of the protagonist's halo. In the original story, as soon as Oishi arrived, Kikumaru and the other two were like they had been injected with chicken blood, and they turned the tide of the battle.
But that was the original storyline. The current Hyotei is not the Hyotei of the original work.
Two months of intensive training were not in vain.
He didn't become a coach for nothing.
The protagonist's halo is nothing; we can just crush them with sheer strength.
Luna snuggled against Atobe's chest, then groggily lifted her head, sniffing as if she smelled a familiar scent.
It suddenly raised its head, its little ears standing straight up, and looked towards the audience seats, meowing excitedly twice.
Atobe soothed the restless little guy in his arms and followed its gaze to see a group of boys in khaki sportswear walking towards the entrance of the stands.
The young man at the head of the group was very handsome, with fair skin, blue-purple hair, and a gentle smile on his face.
They are coming.