Infinity Starting with Hikaru no Go

Page 159

Off the field, Satoshi Horio, Katsuro Kato, and Katsuo Mizuno couldn't help but start discussing it.

"This was too intense! There have been so many shots already, and there's still no winner?"

"They're both so strong, they managed to put on such a close match."

"I have never seen such a close game before, it's incredible."

"So, does that mean their strengths are about the same?"

"Probably, otherwise how could they have played such a close game?"

"Wait a minute, doesn't that mean Chen Anxia already has the ability to be a candidate for the Seigaku regular team?"

"My God, why is there such a big difference between us, even though we're all first-year students?"

......

Amidst their discussion, Echizen Ryoma spoke up with a very serious tone, "Their strength isn't just about the same, it's vastly different..."

Ryoma Echizen's words undoubtedly drew their attention.

Just as they were looking puzzled and about to ask, a large hand pressed down hard on the baseball cap worn by Echizen Ryoma, and said in a familiar tone, "Just as this brat said, their strength is far too inferior."

Before Horio Satoshi, Kato Katsuro, and Mizuno Katsuo could react, Echizen Ryoma slapped away the large hand on his head and asked with obvious displeasure, "Who are you?"

Upon seeing this, the newcomer grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth, and introduced himself, "I am a second-year student in the Seigaku Tennis Club, my name is Momoshiro Takeshi, it's nice to meet you."

The others didn't react much when they heard Takeshi Momoshiro introduce himself.

Only Horio Satoshi seemed to realize something, pointing at Momoshiro Takedo with surprise and disbelief, "Momoshiro Takedo!? Could you be Momoshiro Takedo, one of the regular members of Seigaku!?"

Katsuro Kato and Katsuo Mizuno looked at Takeshi Momoshiro with disbelief, and even Ryoma Echizen looked at Takeshi Momoshiro with some surprise.

Under their gaze, Momoshiro Takeshi nodded, acknowledging his identity.

Then, Satoshi Horio couldn't help but ask, "Momoshiro-senpai, what did you mean when you told Echizen that their strength was far inferior?"

"Is Chen Anxia's strength much weaker than that senior's?"

Momoshiro Takeshi shook his head slightly upon seeing this, then turned his gaze back to the arena. His originally cheerful face turned serious and earnest as he said, "On the contrary, Arai's strength is far weaker than Chen Anxia's. They are not even in the same league."

"Because this match has been completely taken over by Chen Anxia without Arai even realizing it!"

"!!??"

......

Chapter 235 Data Tennis: Absolute Control That Leads to Despair! (Please Subscribe!)

Momoshiro Takeshi's words left Horio Satoshi, Kato Katsuro, and Mizuno Katsuo all looking bewildered and completely confused.

In their view, the situation of the game was clearly very close, with Chen Anxia and Arai Masafumi evenly matched, chasing each other and neither giving an inch.

How could Momoshiro Takeshi think that Chen Anxia's strength far surpassed Arai Masashi's, and that he even controlled the match without Arai Masashi noticing?

Ryoma Echizen, standing to the side, was not surprised by this; rather, he was somewhat surprised that Takeshi Momoshiro could see this.

In his heart, Ryoma Echizen also began to acknowledge Takeshi Momoshiro to some extent.

Of course, there are only a few.

Before truly confirming Momoshiro Takeshi's strength, Echizen Ryoma would not truly acknowledge him.

At the same time, through Momoshiro Takeshi, Echizen Ryoma also began to look forward to the other Seigaku regulars he had not yet met, wondering what surprises they would bring him.

Momoshiro Takeshi was not surprised by the reactions of Horio Satoshi, Kato Katsuro, and Mizuno Katsuo.

Momoshiro Takeshi knew that to see these things, one had to reach a certain level of strength or experience.

Neither Arai Masafumi nor Uemura discovered it.

However, it is understandable that Masafumi Arai did not discover it, because sometimes those involved are blinded by their own perspective and cannot see the situation clearly.

Momoshiro Takeshi didn't hide anything, but he didn't say it directly either. Instead, he prompted Horio Satoshi, Kato Katsuro, and Mizuno Katsuo, "Observe Chen Anxia's movements before and after each return shot carefully, and also observe the range of Arai's receiving of the ball."

Although Horio Satoshi, Kato Katsuro, and Mizuno Katsuo were puzzled, they still began to observe according to Momoshiro Takeshi's words.

At first, even with Momoshiro Takeshi's hints, they didn't notice anything unusual.

It wasn't until Chen Anxia and Arai Masashi had exchanged over ten more shots that Katsuro Kato made his first discovery, a look of surprise and uncertainty on his face. He said, "Chen Anxia seems to arrive at the landing point early every time, always preparing to hit the ball in advance, it's like..."

"It's like we can predict the opponent's shot in advance!"

Satoshi Horio and Katsuo Mizuno were startled by what they heard, and after Katsuro Kato pointed it out, they finally noticed it too.

Then, as if he had noticed something, Satoshi Horio couldn't help but say, "That annoying Arai-senpai seems to be running back and forth around the four corners of the court!"

As he spoke, Satoshi Horio seemed to realize something, his body jolted, and he said in a trembling voice, "No, it's that Chen Anxia's return shots have never been hit towards the center of the court!"

"It's as if Chen Anxia deliberately made Senior Arai run back and forth in the four corners of the area!?"

Upon hearing this, Katsuro Kato and Katsuo Mizuno both showed expressions of shock.

At that moment, they also realized what Momoshiro Takeshi meant when he said that Chen Anxia had taken control of the game.

In their eyes, Chen Anxia's figure seemed to be infinitely magnified, looking at the court he was holding in his hands, and at Arai Masafumi running back and forth on the court, as if they were watching a farce.

Such a situation is truly shocking.

Seeing that Horio Satoshi, Kato Katsuro, and Mizuno Katsuo had already discovered these elements, Momoshiro Takeshi nodded solemnly and replied, "That's right, Chen Anxia predicted Arai's ball speed and deliberately made Arai run repeatedly between the four corners."

Upon hearing this, Katsuro Kato couldn't help but ask, "But why would Chen Anxia do this?"

Upon hearing this, Momoshiro Takeshi immediately said, "Perhaps Arai did something to anger Chen Anxia, ​​so Chen Anxia wants to plunge Arai into that endless cycle of physical exhaustion until Arai is completely exhausted."

"And all of this will eventually become a nightmare that Arai least wants to recall..."

Upon hearing this, Satoshi Horio, Katsuro Kato, and Katsuo Mizuno exchanged glances, all seeing horror in each other's eyes.

They never expected that the truth would be like this.

They had no idea that tennis could be played like this, that it could be so... terrifying.

Trapped in an endless cycle of physical exhaustion, this builds unimaginable psychological pressure, turning your opponent into a nightmare...

This style of play is truly terrifying.

They couldn't understand why Chen Anxia would do this. Could it really be because of Arai Masafumi's cheating and bullying behavior before?

Unlike them, Momoshiro Takeshi and Echizen Ryoma had more in mind.

Both Takeshi Momoshiro and Ryoma Echizen knew how difficult it was to truly control their opponent's game.

This requires not only anticipating the opponent's ball trajectory but also having precise ball control skills.

This ball control ability is not simply about hitting the ball precisely to a certain position, but about controlling the speed and power of the ball, ensuring that the opponent can receive the ball without noticing anything unusual.

To achieve this, one must have a thorough understanding of the opponent's data and, more importantly, match the opponent's data in real time during the game.

Just how difficult this is is enough to make one's scalp tingle just by thinking about it.

For Ryoma Echizen, none of his previous opponents in the United States were of the type like Chen Anxia.

Therefore, this was the first time Echizen Ryoma had encountered Chen Anxia's style of play, and he felt an indescribable pressure from it.

Just imagine for a moment, if it were you, could you do better than Masafumi Arai?

The answer is no, because the opponent you are facing has complete control over your data. In their mind, there is a very likely identical image of you, and they are anticipating all your actions.

In such a situation, you are like a caged bird, unable to break free no matter how hard you struggle.

Just thinking about that scene makes one feel depressed and hopeless.

However, this tactic is not without ways to counter it.

On the contrary, this style of play has a major flaw...

Unlike Echizen Ryoma, Momoshiro Takeshi's mind was immediately filled with a certain figure after seeing Chen Anxia's fighting style.

This figure is Sadaharu Inui, one of the regular members of Seigaku.

Sadaharu Inui's signature technique—data tennis—is about using data to gain absolute control over the opponent and even the entire match.

Of all the regular members of Seigaku, the person that Takeshi Momoshiro least wanted to play against was Sadaharu Inui.

This doesn't mean that Sadaharu Inui is the strongest in Seigaku, but rather that his absolute control over you will leave you feeling powerless and desperate, and will become your nightmare.

'Could it be that Chen Anxia is also using data-driven tennis?'

......

Chapter 236 Challenge: Chen Anxia VS Echizen Ryoma! (First update, please subscribe!)

"Whoo~"

"Whoo~"

"Whoo~"

......

Amidst the heavy breathing, Arai Masafumi felt as if his lungs were being burned by flames, an unbearable pain.

Sweat had already soaked through Arai Masafumi's clothes, adding an unbearable burden to his already incredibly heavy body.

Pfft!

Finally, during the arduous run, Arai Masafumi collapsed to the ground.

This fall caused Arai Masafumi to lose the strength and courage to stand up again, and he could only watch helplessly as the tennis ball bounced off the ground and gradually disappeared into the distance.

In fact, as the game progressed and became increasingly close, both Masafumi Arai and his partner Uemura noticed something unusual.

This wasn't because their abilities had reached the required standard, but because the anomaly was so real that it had to be discovered.

Imagine, where in tennis are you ever seen a match where the second point is already hundreds of points away from being decided?

Although Arai Masafumi discovered it and tried his best to escape this endless cycle of physical hell, he could not escape it no matter what.

Because Arai Masafumi discovered that he could receive every single return shot from Chen Anxia.

just like...

No, it wasn't just a thought; Masafumi Arai knew that Chen Anxia was deliberately hitting a return shot that he could receive.