The Prince of Tennis | Zhou Zhi

Chapter 25

"Zhiming. Know your enemy, know yourself."

"Di you all want to go?"

"Whether we go or not, it won't change how good they are."

"We should go. Let's see how much of a difference it is."

"Let's meet at the school entrance tomorrow." Yan said as we all agreed.

THE NEXT DAY

We were all doing our own thing and was waiting in front of the school entrance.

"What are you all doing?" Xinglong asked as he walked up.

"Even though we won't admit it, we're all worried."

"Worried about what?" 

"About showing our fear in front of Hai Guang." Zhou Zhi said with a smile as he took a pair of shades from his pocket and put it on my face before taking a picture of me.

"The data's all there. Hai Guang already knows how good we are."

"We're going to spy on them, so the atmosphere is important." Jiale said as h stood up and readjusted his glasses.

"Let's go." Lu Xia said as we all took off.

TIME SKIP

"I checked our latest data. Based on my predicted lineups and the data comparison between us and Hai Guang, Ii cam up with a new training method. You can give it a try. Who will try it first?" Yan asked as nobody said anything.

"Don't be afraid.  I can guarantee that it will help you make great progress." Yan said as nobody still volunteered.

"Good. I can see you're all brave and active. So... Lu Xia. You will have the two-player, high-speed attack training with Chi Dayong and Xinglong. Lu Xia will play against Xinglong and Chi Dayong. Xinglong will attack with Earthquake Smashes while Dayong will defend Xinglong. I especially made this training plan for dealing with Tian Zilong from Hai Guang. He is a formidable opponent who possesses both strength and speed. You can imitate his attacks with this training."

"Next, Jiale. You will play against Baiyang, Zhou Zhi, and Qiao Chen."

"What? Why do I have to deal with three players?"

"Because you have to improve your speed."

"What about me?" I ask Yan with my arms crossed. Just as Yan was about to answer, Qiao Chen interrupted.

"Are you crazy? After hearing about your illness, we are not letting you near a tennis ball." Qiao Chen said as I roll my eyes.

"Qiao Chen is right. The Coach also told me that you have to rest for a few more days."

"But... Fine." 

Soon enough, I was sitting down watching the new training for the others.

TIME SKIP

I was waiting outside to get my rackets fixed when I suddenly hear voices.

"Have you prepared for the next match with Yu Qing next week?"

 "Is that even necessary? They are just a bunch of clowns except for Mu Siyang.'

"It seems that Mu Siyang will not play in this match."

"Then it will be an instructional match. We will show them what tennis is."

"Hey." I yelled out, making them turn towards me.

"Hey. You're the little one, right? You just can't avoid your enemy." The guy said as he gave me a smirk.

"I can show you what tennis is right now." 

Soon enough, we were on both sides of the court, getting ready to play.

"Just serve." He said as I got ready to serve with my left arm.

I served the ball but the guy can barely return it.

"Looks like you still have a lot to learn." I said as I started the next serve.

I did the next serve but after a few hits, I missed the ball.

"How was it? Can you receive it?" He asked with a smile and a wink but I ignored him and went to get ready for my next serve.

"Hey, Lu Lian. Take the weights off your legs, okay?" 

"Take yours off first." I said as I start to take mine off before throwing it to the side.

"Come." I said as he kicked up his racket with his feet before catching it.

'Show off.'

I did the next serve but after a few hits, I still missed it.

The next few serves, I was able to return them but that was until he hit the ball, making it hit my right shoulder.

I fell to the ground with a groan.

"If you always stick to the rules when playing tennis, you will overlook some details. I'm sorry." He said with a smirk.

I went to my side of the court and when he served it, I went to return it but the ball hit my shoulder once more.

"Don't worry. I have more where that came from." He said as I gave him a glare.

"If you're that good, why don't you try aiming at my face?" I asked as he did the same serve.

 I went to return it but before I did, I switched positions and returned it but that didn't stop hi,. In fact, he kept going.

"You are not qualified." He said as he kept hitting it but I barely even hit it and it still went over to his side.

The next return, he hit the ball but I was too late, the ball hit my right shoulder making me fall to the floor.

"Yuan Chi, that was not necessary." His teammate said as I stood back up and went to my spot.

'Come on. I must focus on my attention and not think about my shoulder.'

I took a deep breath and thought about the other members before I opened my eyes and hit the ball, gaining a new energy but the guy was too slow and missed the ball.

"You still have a long way to go." I said in perfect English with confidence.

"What? What are you saying? I can't understand you." He said as I gave him a smirk and got ready for the next ball.

The next ball, he missed.

"Nobody beats me in tennis." I said in perfect English once more and got ready for the next ball.

As I went to my side, I switched the racket to my right arm and gave him a powerful serve, making him miss.

I did it once more and he still missed.

The last serve, I did one of my signature moves but he was too slow to return it.

I stood in my spot, now drained of energy and my shoulder pain coming back but I ignored both of them and stood in place, breathing heavily.

"Yuan Chi." A new voice said as my head started to ache in pain.

I turn my attention to the voice and without thinking, I made my way towards him and before you know it, I black out.