Yanagi Renji paused for a moment until the sharp pain in his wrist subsided. He picked up his racket, his face still calm as if he had expected this outcome from the start.
"This move isn't impossible to return. Data tennis isn't as simple as you think!" Yanagi Renji said, then turned and walked back to the baseline, ready to receive again.
Krauser didn't care at all about Yanagi Renji's words. He knew perfectly well that Wirbel Taufe couldn't be returned with ordinary means—only overwhelming strength or someone with innate genius like the one Akashi had once mentioned.
At the baseline, Krauser served again, but Yanagi Renji predicted the shot and returned it. Without hesitation, Krauser used Wirbel Taufe once more.
This time, Yanagi Renji gripped his racket with both hands, firmly holding the handle. At the moment of contact, he pressed downward with both hands to counter the vertical spin.
"This move is basically vertical rotation. As long as I use both hands and press down I can… wh-what! This spin, how is it possible…" Before Yanagi Renji could finish speaking, his racket was sent flying high into the air.
"30-0!"
Krauser sneered at Yanagi Renji, surprised he'd actually thought such a naive method could break Wirbel Taufe. He had expected something more clever.
"This spin direction… it violates the natural structure of the human wrist! How could something like this exist?!" Yanagi Renji looked at the racket on the ground in disbelief.
"I told you, you can't return this shot. No matter what you try, it's all useless!" came Krauser's cold voice from across the court.
He returned to the baseline to serve again, paying no attention to Yanagi Renji's condition. From now on, he wouldn't let Yanagi Renji score another point.
As Krauser expected, no matter what Yanagi Renji tried, he couldn't stop his racket from being knocked away. He even attempted using the racket frame, but unlike Yukimura's flawless technique, the violent spin overwhelmed him and made him lose control completely.
"GAME! Fudomine! 3-1!"
"GAME! Fudomine! 4-1!"
"GAME! Fudomine! 5-1! Change court!"
Krauser used Wirbel Taufe to take three straight games. Yanagi Renji, on the other side, was drenched in sweat, his bangs wet and stuck to his forehead, his whole appearance disheveled and exhausted.
The feeling of being unable to return a single shot left him in complete despair. He knew that if he lost, Rikkai's twelve-year winning streak in Kanto would end with him—and he couldn't accept that.
Seeing Yanagi Renji silently return to the bench, Yukimura, though deeply frustrated himself, still offered words of comfort: "Renji, don't put all the pressure on yourself. I'm just as responsible for this final. Even if we lose today, we can win it back at Nationals!"
Yanagi Renji didn't respond. He knew Yukimura's feelings all too well—if anything, Yukimura cared even more about Rikkai's honor. Yet now he was the one trying to console him. This thought made Yanagi Renji sink even deeper into gloom.
Meanwhile, at Fudomine's bench, Akashi looked at Krauser drinking water and smiled. "Krauser, one more game. Go secure the Kanto championship."
Krauser nodded seriously, set down his water bottle, and walked toward the court. As he passed Yanagi Renji, he noticed his opponent's head hung low and thought to himself, 'Looks like you've given up hope.'
Standing at the baseline, Yanagi Renji kept his head down. He didn't even feel like calculating probabilities anymore. Just as Krauser said, if he couldn't return Wirbel Taufe, then no amount of data would matter.
Yanagi Renji stiffly served the ball. Though his brain instinctively began calculating probabilities, he ran mechanically to the drop point without a shred of fighting spirit, waiting for the ball.
As expected, Krauser hit Wirbel Taufe again. Yanagi Renji's racket was knocked away once more, his expression flat and lifeless.
"0-15!"
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
The match reached match point. As Yanagi Renji prepared for another mechanical serve, a furious voice suddenly rang out from the bench.
"Yanagi Renji! What do you think you're doing?! Even if hope is slim, you should fight like a man until the very last moment!"
Yanagi Renji's body suddenly shuddered. He slowly lifted his head and turned to look at Sanada, seeing the furious expression on Sanada's face. Yanagi Renji let out a self-mocking smile.
"Yeah… what was I just doing? Giving up hope so easily… how am I qualified to be Rikkai's strategist?"
In that moment, Yanagi Renji opened his eyes, and in them shone the light of hope that refused to give up. Regaining his resolve, he wasted no time and served a sharply angled ball.
"The probability of a Wirbel Taufe return is 99%. Excluding normal returns, to minimize wrist impact, based on intelligence and data analysis, the most effective method is…"
Just then, Krauser had already returned the serve with Wirbel Taufe. As Yanagi Renji sprinted, he grabbed the joint between the racket's face and handle with his right hand, while his left hand held the upper part of the handle. Both hands gripped the racket tightly, bracing for the spinning ball.
A familiar vertical rotational force hit once more. This time, Yanagi Renji clenched his teeth, enduring the pain in his wrist, refusing to let go. While this grip did reduce some of the impact, it still inflicted significant strain on his wrist.
Finally, Yanagi Renji used all his strength with both hands and managed to return the ball. But Krauser stood in place without moving, simply watching the ball sail overhead.
On the sidelines, Akashi watched the scene and spoke softly: "Sleep now, oh king of Kanto's past!"
"OUT! GAME! 6-1! Match over! Winner, Fudomine Middle School!"
With the referee's announcement, the Kanto finals ended. Fudomine defeated the former Kanto champions Rikkai with a total score of 3-1, becoming the new Kanto champions.
At that moment, even Fudomine's players couldn't help but cheer inwardly, though they maintained calm expressions outwardly. Tezuka even revealed a rare smile.
Yukimura slowly stood from the bench, his mood heavy. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, now that it was real, he couldn't stop the wave of sadness rising in his heart.
"So we lost in the end… Fudomine… maybe you really have pulled ahead of everyone…" Yukimura murmured, then walked toward Akashi.
Akashi stood up when he saw Yukimura approach, smiling and waiting for him to speak.
"Congratulations, Akashi-kun. You led Fudomine to win the Kanto championship. But we at Rikkai won't accept this outcome. At Nationals, we will reclaim the honor that belongs to Rikkai!" Yukimura said seriously.
"Thank you! But at Nationals, Rikkai still won't stand a chance. This year's national champion can only be Fudomine!" Akashi smiled, but his tone was overwhelmingly forceful.
Yukimura said nothing more, extended his hand to shake Akashi's, then turned and walked back to Rikkai's bench to comfort his disappointed teammates.
Krauser walked back with a calm expression. The team crowded around to praise him, and he only nodded before walking up to Akashi, hesitating before speaking: "That last shot from Yanagi Renji…"
"No need to worry. That method can only temporarily block it. Before long, his wrist would've given out first," Akashi interrupted, answering before Krauser could finish.
In truth, Yanagi Renji's method just now was exactly like how Tokugawa dealt with Volk in the original, but even Tokugawa couldn't last more than a few rallies and ended up with a damaged wrist.
To counter Wirbel Taufe, there are only two options: brute force with inhuman grip strength like Byoudouin, or peerless technique like Yukimura, using the handle or frame to return it.
Of course, if the five attributes' difference is big enough, it can be ignored altogether—but no one currently in middle school could overwhelm Krauser in the five attributes.
This match was also a massive shock to the Seigaku and Hyōtei players watching from the stands, making them deeply aware of the gap between their schools and the champions.
Especially Atobe—after witnessing Tezuka's Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami, Akutsu's full-power Glowing Shot, and Krauser's Wirbel Taufe, the confidence he gained from his World of Ice was crushed once again. Clenching his teeth, he silently vowed to train even harder once he got back.
Fuji felt the same way. Whether it was Rikkai or Fudomine, both had given him a deep sense of crisis. He realized just how weak he still was and knew he had to speed up his evolution, or else he'd be left behind completely and never catch up.
Not long after, the announcement for the awards ceremony sounded over the speakers. The top three schools headed to the ceremony location one after another. Seigaku could only watch from below the stage once again, looking particularly desolate.
After the ceremony ended, Akashi found Yukimura, Atobe, and Yamato, notifying them that the second training camp would begin soon. Before the National Tournament started, everyone would spend their time at the camp, and he hoped they would continue to participate.
Yukimura and Atobe agreed immediately. Yamato said he needed to report to Ryūzaki Sumire first but promised to contact Akashi with the result right away. Then he hurried off to find Ryūzaki Sumire.
Akashi watched him leave, shaking his head, then turned to Fuji with a small laugh and said, "The next captain of Seigaku should be you, Fuji-kun, right?"
"Who knows~ there might be someone else chosen!" Fuji replied with a smile, his dark side clearly surfacing again.
Akashi looked at Fuji speechlessly, not even wanting to comment. He sighed and said helplessly, "Alright. But apart from you, Seigaku has no other choice. I just hope that once you become captain, you'll have more ideas of your own."
"I'll think about it!" Fuji said seriously, opening his eyes.
Soon, everyone bid each other farewell and began their journeys home. On Fudomine's bus, Akashi looked at everyone with a stern expression and said, "What happened today with Tachibana and Chitose must never happen again. If I find out anyone does something similar, no matter who it is, you will give up your regular spot. Do I make myself clear?"
Tachibana Kippei and Chitose Senri lowered their heads again, and everyone else nodded earnestly. Even Akutsu Jin did the same. Honestly, if it hadn't been for what happened with Tachibana and Chitose, he wouldn't have used his Glowing Shot so early. Just like Akashi said, arrogance is human nature, and they had to learn to control it.
Seeing everyone understood, Akashi said no more and closed his eyes to rest. Today's mental exhaustion had been considerable.
So the bus carried everyone, each lost in thought, slowly driving into the distance until they were all dropped off at home one by one. Because Akashi had fallen asleep on the bus, the butler and others didn't wake him up immediately.
When Akashi awoke, it was already evening. He shook his groggy head and asked the butler next to him, "What time is it now?"
"Master, it is now 7:20," Butler Tanaka answered respectfully.
"Oh? I didn't expect to sleep this long. Never mind, you can all go. I'll head back on my own," Akashi waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.
The next day, Seigaku, Rikkai, Yamabuki, and Rokkaku all received joint invitations for the training camp from Fudomine and Hyōtei. That's right—this time Akashi included Rokkaku. It wasn't because he saw any particular potential in their players, but mainly because he wanted to invite Ojii, and included Rokkaku along with him.
After all, Akashi still had the training method for Ashura's Path in his mind. This was the perfect opportunity to learn from Ojii's guidance. Although the system's products were guaranteed in quality, there might be unique insights Ojii could share.
At Rokkaku's tennis club, Ojii looked at the invitation letter that Saeki Kōjirō and the others handed him. He didn't respond immediately but calmly took a sip of tea before asking them, "What do you think? Should we go?"
"Ojii, I think we should check it out. Fuji from Seigaku told me before that the five schools held a training camp before the Kanto Tournament, and it was really effective. It's a good opportunity for us to be invited this time," Saeki said. Among them, he was the only one who had learned a bit about the camp from Fuji.
"Ah~ is that so? Hmm~ if you think it'll be useful, then let's go~" Ojii said in his slightly slurred speech.
"No problem, but the invitation letter also says they hope you can come too, Ojii. Will your health hold up?" Kurobane Harukaze asked worriedly.
"Don't worry~ my body is still strong~" Ojii said confidently. He even wobbled to his feet and struck a few bodybuilding poses, startling everyone around him.
Soon, the leadership of each school agreed to the camp. Since nothing had gone wrong last time, they weren't worried now. And so, preparations for the second joint training camp between the six schools officially began!