r18novel Chapter 4 Atobe's Challenge, Hyotei's Weakness 1
Chapter 4 Atobe's Challenge, Hyotei's Weakness 1
While pondering how to have the butler send the violin back to France for string replacement and maintenance, Wang Yueling put the violin back into its case.
As I was thinking about something, a shadow fell in front of me.
Atobe stood in front of him, still holding his racket, his breathing steady, clearly indicating that the amount of basic training he had just received had no effect on him.
"Let's have a fight."
It's not a question.
It is a declarative sentence.
Mochizuki Ryo closed the violin case, looked up at Atobe who was full of fighting spirit, and directly refused: "No. I don't plan to join the tennis club."
Why?
Atobe was somewhat surprised by this answer. Didn't Oshitari say before that this new transfer student was going to challenge him to a match? Why isn't the match happening now? He glanced at Oshitari, who was so guilty that he was avoiding his gaze, and wondered what else he didn't understand.
"My intuition is right, your tennis is very strong."
"Perhaps." Wang Yueling smiled helplessly, slung the violin case over her shoulder, her tone gentle but leaving no room for negotiation. "I might be more suited to playing the violin now. How was the piece you just played?"
Atobe stared into his eyes for several seconds, his brows furrowing slightly. As the emperor of Hyotei Academy with absolute authority, he was probably not used to being rejected so bluntly.
Finally, he awkwardly snapped his fingers and replied, "Hmm! Pretty fancy, right, Kabaji?"
"yes!"
After Jiro finished talking with Minister Hiyoshi, who practiced ancient martial arts, he seized the opportunity to pester Mochizuki Ryo, wanting him to demonstrate his cool martial arts swordsmanship again.
Before he could say much more, Sakaki Taro walked over, holding a match list that seemed to be saying meaningfully, "Atobe, the tournament is in two days, so let's organize some practice matches between the regulars today. The roster should be arranged like this."
Atobe glanced at the coach, then at Mochizuki Ryo's figure, as if he understood something.
"Everyone, assemble."
He turned and walked onto the field, clapped his hands twice. The sound wasn't loud, but the whole field could hear it. All the team members quickly assembled. Atobe said a few words and began to play according to the combination given by Coach Sakaki.
Ryo Mochizuki stood behind Taro Sakaki, intending to sneak away, but was stunned by a single look from Taro Sakaki.
Sakaki Taro turned to Mochizuki Ryo with his usual serious expression: "Since Ryo is here, watch the regulars' sparring before you leave. Just do me a favor."
See how eloquently that was said?
It's not a request, it's a plea.
They've all resorted to emotional appeals.
What could Wang Yueling say? She placed the violin case at her feet, put her hands in her pockets, and lazily watched the game on the field.
The match schedule was prepared long ago; it seems Sakaki-san had planned it all along.
It's not really for training to become a regular player.
It was purely for his benefit.
I want to get him involved.
Let him see it first. Once he sees it, he'll have some ideas. Once he has some ideas, he'll want to say something. Once he says something, he'll be close to joining.
The abacus beads practically flew into his face.
-
The first match was between Atobe and Hiyoshi.
Atobe's serve.
It was that familiar snap of the fingers, and the narcissistic opening line: "Be intoxicated by my magnificent skills."
When Mochizuki Ryou heard this, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, not in a smile, but with an expression of "I knew it."
The ball is tossed up, the racket is swung smoothly, a beautiful serve, fast ball speed, accurate landing point, tricky angle, every ball lands in the inside corner of the opponent's baseline.
In contrast, Hiyoshi struggled, either failing to touch the ball at all or being forced off the field.
Wang Yueling watched quietly, but her mind was racing. She habitually made an objective assessment of the two players in the current match, using the perspective of a professional tennis player.
At that moment, Sakaki Taro handed him a whiteboard with a blank form on it.
"Just writing whatever comes to mind," Sakaki Taro said.
Wang Yueling didn't answer, but honestly took the scoreboard and started writing and drawing while watching the game on the field.
Atobe's five dimensions are very balanced, and he excels in all aspects.
There are no obvious weaknesses.
As the captain of Hyotei, his leadership skills are beyond question. In particular, his eyesight and insight are exceptionally good. Before the ball even hits the ground, he seems to be able to quickly find the opponent's weaknesses and accurately control the landing point.
This predictive ability is somewhat like an absolute forecast, and it can be considered to have reached the threshold of "the ultimate expression of talent".
However, its weaknesses are also obvious.
"The technique is impressive, but it relies too much on talent."
Atobe's current signature move, "The Waltz Towards Destruction," is a fixed attack method that involves creating opportunities by hitting a high lob, followed by a double smash combo. However, against evenly matched opponents, it's easy for them to find a weakness in his attack after a few rounds.
The "Tanhäuser Serve" and "Ice World" that he plans to develop in the future are more interesting, but one is still under development and the other is nowhere to be seen.
Atobe's biggest problem is that he plays too "self-centeredly".
His focus is entirely on improving his own skills, and his offensive and defensive strategies against opponents generally rely on his excellent eyesight to find weaknesses on the court.
Wang Yueling then silently complained in his mind: "This kind of fighting style will put him at a disadvantage against opponents who are very strict in their background checks, and he is prone to falling down."
In the original story, Hyotei lost to Fudomine because Hyotei underestimated their opponent, misjudged the situation, and only sent out one of their regular players, resulting in a crushing defeat.
This kind of basic mistake shouldn't have happened to Atobe as the department head, but clearly the worst-case scenario has occurred.
"Arrogance and conceit" is a common problem in the entire Hyotei tennis club.
If you want to improve your skills to the next level, you need to cure this problem completely.
"The winner is Hyotei, the winner is Atobe..."
Atobe smashed the ball powerfully, scoring a point that drew cheers from the stands. The supporters, who had been busy with their own club activities, now had time to come and cheer for the tennis club.
Despite the deafening cheers, Mochizuki Ryo remained completely calm, though the fact that the cut on the scoreboard was ignored would make it even more convincing.
The problem is particularly acute in Hiyoshi's case.
He seemed to be putting the principle of "overthrowing superiors" into practice with his life, wanting to make every shot feel like "I'm second to none."
The desire to "overthrow superiors" is not a bad thing, but it cannot be just a belief and a slogan.
The essence of tennis is not "overcoming the opponent", but "winning".
Spending too much energy proving yourself can limit your potential; "you might end up not getting the upper hand, but instead getting crushed by it."
His playing style incorporates ancient martial arts into his tennis, which is a good idea, just like how he incorporated the swordsmanship of the Tang Dynasty's Mo Dao into tennis.
The difference between them is that Hiyoshi lacks actual combat experience, his techniques are too immature, and his methods are too rudimentary.
Wang Yueling sighed inwardly.
The second match is between Oshitari and Mukahi, the only decent doubles pairing at Hyotei.
Shinobu's five-dimensional skills are good; his ball trajectory is stable and intelligent, his landing points are accurate, and his rhythm is well controlled. Every ball is hit with considerable skill in the opponent's most vulnerable positions.
He truly deserves the title of "genius".
In doubles, he can control the entire game from the backcourt; his strength, vision, and judgment are all sufficient.
The saying goes, "Success and failure both depend on Xiao He."
For Shinobu, being "too talented" is his biggest problem.
Genius! Ha!
Wang Yueling scoffed inwardly, "The easiest thing for geniuses to fail is to be arrogant."
Look, he's so talented now that he's unwilling to give his all on the court.
The match is already halfway through, and although Shinobu has a significant advantage, it's clear to everyone that he's holding back.
At least Atobe and Sakaki Taro knew.
This is not a matter of physical strength, nor a matter of technique; it is a matter of attitude.
On several occasions, Mochizuki Ryo noticed that Oshitari, despite having the skill to hit more tricky and effortless shots, chose a more "safe" approach. It was as if he was hiding something, or perhaps he wasn't that concerned about winning itself.
This attitude towards victory is really infuriating to watch.
Even if someone possesses a thousand unique skills, deliberately refraining from using them raises the question: is it genuine skill or just a facade?
It's not surprising, because in Tokyo, when people talk about "geniuses," they can only think of Seigaku's Fuji Syusuke, and no one mentions Hyotei's Oshitari Yuushi.
Even his "Brown Bear Catch" technique, a minor trick only effective against smashes, isn't unique to him. It's really hard to know what to say.
Shinobu was jumping around happily facing the sun.
Xiang Ri scored with a beautiful "moon flip" volley at the net, and after landing, he made a "V" sign with his fingers.
Shinobu smiled and gave a thumbs up.
"But his stamina is really too poor." Wang Yueling noticed that Xiang Ri's breathing had already become rapid after less than ten minutes of fighting.