Prince of Tennis: The Emperor's Eye

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Chitose Senri’s Struggle

On the other side, Chitose looked at the sweat-drenched Tachibana with concern and asked,

”Tachibana, are you okay?”

”I... I’m fine. I really lost... completely.”

Tachibana forced a bitter smile and replied.

”Foreign tennis training is way ahead of ours. It’s not surprising they’re that strong. As long as we train hard, we’ll catch up,” Chitose said helplessly.

”Forget that for now. I’m going to rest. Be careful out there. Anyone who can hang around a player like that probably isn’t simple either,” Tachibana warned him.

”I know. I’ll be careful. You go rest,” Chitose nodded seriously.

As Tachibana left the court, Chitose Senri moved to the baseline. He did a few stretches to loosen up and waited for the match against Akashi.

At that moment, Akashi stepped onto the court wearing a jacket and holding a cross-pattern racket. He began his own warm-up with calm movements.

Chitose glanced at Akashi, but his gaze quickly locked on the racket in his hand. He spoke in surprise,

”Akashi-kun, did you grab the wrong racket? That thing looks unfinished.”

”Nope. This is my racket. Anyway, you can serve first this game,” Akashi replied casually, giving his racket a little wave.

”What?”

Not only was Chitose stunned, but even Tachibana sitting off to the side was wide-eyed in disbelief.

”No need to be shocked. You’ll understand soon enough. Oh, and Krauser will be the umpire for this match. That alright with you?”

Akashi ignored their reactions and spoke calmly.

”Uh... s-sure, no problem,” Chitose stammered. He could only nod.

But inside, anger was quietly bubbling. Akashi bringing that kind of racket into a match? It was clearly an insult. Like he was being looked down on.

Chitose had already made up his mind. He’d give Akashi a good lesson. Even if the guy was strong, he couldn’t just underestimate others like that. This was no different from handing out free points.

Soon, both players finished their warm-ups and stood ready. Chitose noticed Akashi still hadn’t swapped out the racket. His eyes turned sharp.

”One-game match! Chitose Senri to serve!”

Krauser announced from the umpire chair.

Chitose stared straight at Akashi. He took a deep breath, tossed the ball, and hit it across the net with a fast swing.

Akashi moved quickly to the landing point. He swung, and the center cross of his racket struck the ball cleanly.

”No way!”

Chitose stared in disbelief. He even forgot to chase after the return.

Tachibana, watching from the side, was just as stunned. He had thought the same as Chitose—that Akashi was mocking them, not taking them seriously at all.

But now, reality hit them both in the face. Akashi really could use that kind of racket and still go head-to-head. His strength was beyond anything they could grasp.

”0-15”

The moment Krauser called the score, Chitose snapped back to his senses. His face turned bitter. Then he looked seriously at Akashi and said,

”So this is the gap between us? But I’m not giving up that easily. I want to see how long you can keep playing with that racket. And that jacket of yours is an eyesore too!”

”Oh? You’ll find out soon enough. As for the jacket... try taking it off me if you can,” Akashi replied calmly.

Chitose didn’t say anything else. He served again. Akashi continued returning with ease using the cross-pattern racket.

Because of its unique structure, the power and speed of his shots were slightly weaker. Akashi didn’t dare go full force. Otherwise, the strings could snap.

Even so, Akashi’s shot control wasn’t far off from Chitose’s. And with Emperor Eye giving him full-field vision, Chitose had no easy time.

Gradually, Chitose started falling behind. In the end, Akashi broke his serve.

”0-30”

”Even with that kind of racket... he can still hit with that kind of precision?”

Chitose found it hard to believe. He had assumed that even if Akashi could play with that thing, his accuracy would surely suffer.

But Akashi felt like he was playing with a normal racket.

The pressure weighed heavier on Chitose. Krauser’s strength was one thing—he was a foreigner after all.

But this boy in front of him was a fellow Japanese, and his strength was beyond imagination.

But Chitose didn’t plan on backing down. He served again. This time, he added strong vertical topspin to the ball, making it shoot upward rapidly after bouncing. Then it vanished from everyone’s sight.

”Kamikakushi!”

From the umpire’s chair, Krauser narrowed his eyes slightly. Akashi, however, stayed completely calm. He quickly moved to one side and swung his cross-pattern racket at empty air. Miraculously, the tennis ball appeared at the exact spot, hit cleanly at the racket’s center, and was returned instantly.

”What?! He returned Kamikakushi that easily?”

Chitose had no time to think. His body moved on instinct. He rushed to the bounce point and returned the ball again, using the same vertical topspin.

”Kamikakushi!”

Chitose stubbornly used Kamikakushi again. This technique could be used for both serves and returns, making it a very versatile move. But under the full insight of Akashi’s Emperor Eye, it was completely exposed. Once again, Akashi calmly returned the shot.

After a few exchanges, Chitose’s shaken mindset led to a slip in focus. He lost another point.

”0-40”

For the final point of his service game, Chitose still used Kamikakushi. But just like before, it was useless against Akashi. He had no choice but to struggle in vain.

”GAME! 1-0”

Chitose stared at Akashi standing across from him. His jacket was still on, and not a drop of sweat marked his face. A wave of helplessness surged in. He’d expected there to be a gap between them, but he never imagined it would be this huge.

Tachibana, resting on the sidelines, also looked at Chitose with concern. He had thought Krauser was already terrifying. But after watching Akashi play, he realized what true strength looked like.

It was Akashi’s turn to serve. He had no intention of using Tannhauser Serve. With a cross-pattern racket, he couldn’t even pull it off.

On the opposite side, Chitose stood with his head down. Suddenly, a white aura swirled around him. When he raised his head again, his gaze was empty.

”That’s... Muga no Kyōchi? Using it this early... I guess you’re not giving up yet,” Akashi muttered as he shook his head.

With the sound of the serve, Akashi sent the ball flying fast. Chitose rushed to the bounce point and smashed it back. After crossing the net, the ball split into three phantom images, flying in different directions—it was Abare Jishi.

”That’s Tachibana’s technique? Chitose can use it too? No... that must be the effect of Muga no Kyōchi,” Krauser thought silently in the umpire chair.

”Basic Muga, huh? Still too weak. Ultra-Wide Defense Range!”

This was Akashi’s first time using the newly acquired skill. In an instant, a massive spherical defense zone formed around him. It was created through Emperor Eye’s enhanced perception.

Inside this zone, Akashi felt like he could do anything. Of course, it was just an illusion. The truth was, within the range, his reflexes were greatly enhanced.

He easily read the real ball and returned it. Chitose didn’t stop, firing back with every technique he knew.

Drop shots, crosscourt drives, spin rushes, even Jack Knife and Bakkyuu Ranbu. But against Akashi, none of them mattered.

”GAME! 2-0”

”GAME! 3-0”

”GAME! 4-0”

After losing four straight games, Chitose’s breathing became heavy. Still, he refused to give up. He even mimicked Tachibana’s Beast Aura. Sweat poured from his body like rain. The fusion of both techniques boosted his power slightly, but still not enough to break Akashi’s Ultra-Wide Defense.

”GAME! 5-0 Chitose Senri is unable to continue. Winner: Akashi Seijurō!”

Krauser quickly declared the match as Chitose suddenly collapsed on the court.

Tachibana jumped up and rushed to his friend. He helped Chitose up and pressed a water bottle to his lips, asking urgently,

”Chitose! You okay? Come on, drink some water! You need to rehydrate!”

Chitose drank several big gulps. That eased some of the fatigue, though his breathing was still ragged. Once Tachibana helped him to the sideline to sit, Chitose spoke weakly,

”Sorry, Tachibana... that was such a miserable loss.”

”No need to apologize, Chitose. You gave it your all. Just rest for now.”

After comforting Chitose, Tachibana turned to look at Akashi and Krauser.