Counterattack (返し技 Kaeshiwasa) is the 305th chapter of manga, Baby Steps.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Summary[]
Asano is having problems on how to counterattack Eiichiro's attacks but due to his girlfriend's support, he manages to clear up his doubts and thinks of a plan.
Synopsis[]
The match continues with both sides holding their serves. The onlookers get excited and someone says Asano's in his best form. Ei-chan's having difficulty analyzing Asano's play style. Asano believes Ei-chan has the edge in physical ability, so he wants to avoid a long match. But he debates whether he should play aggressively or defensively, weighing the pros and cons of each, and is surprised that he's been driven to such a difficult choice by a high schooler. During the break before the next game, Asano notices Nene. He apparently apologizes, she waves off his apology and tells him to deal with his opponent quickly, and he faces the next game with renewed energy. The current score is 5-4 with Ei-chan in the lead, so it's now Asano's serve. Asano uses a spin serve for the first time in the match. Ei-chan manages to return it, but Asano goes to the net for serve and volley—even though he's mostly kept to the baseline before. Asano apparently does this to keep Ei-chan at the baseline. Asano's volley puts away the ball. Ei-chan thinks Asano's touch with the volley at an angle is even more delicate than Takuma's. Asano's thoughts continue to harp on the importance of technique. Ei-chan thinks he'd seen it in the videos but the reality exceeds his imagination and he wonders how to break Asano's serve. He thinks Asano's serve is good but not that powerful, and that Asano has various techniques whether at the net or the baseline. To hold back Asano's attack, Ei-chan wants to crush the start with his return, so he'll use his data more and read the course of Asano's serve like he had during his match with Pete. The breakdown of Asano's serves up to now: center, 30%; body, 10%; wide, 60%. Type of shot: frequently a slice, but the one just now was a spin serve. So Ei-chan decides to compete against Asano's serves using insight and response for his returns.