As the doubles two match ended, Yukimura slowly closed his eyes. He knew that Rikkai had already lost this year's national tournament. In fact, ever since he encountered Akashi, the result had been obvious.
Yanagi and Mōri walked off the court, breathing heavily, their expressions dark. This doubles match was a complete defeat—they couldn't even win a single point.
Yukimura knew the two of them had done their best, so after a few words of comfort, he didn't say more. Then he silently thought to himself: 'It's all up to you now, Genichirō!'
On the other side, Tachibana and Chitose also left the court. Akashi looked at them calmly and slowly said, "You did great this time. Keep up that mindset."
Tachibana and Chitose both nodded seriously, then returned to the front row of the stands to rehydrate and recover.
At that moment, Kurobe Yukio's phone suddenly rang in the stands. He took it out, answered immediately, exchanged a few words with the caller, and hung up.
Oni looked at him curiously. Kurobe hesitated a moment, then said to Oni and the others, "That was the head coach. I think you should know this too: the tennis association has already sent notice—Akashi may not be able to participate in the U17 World Cup in France."
"So it's come to this? The organizers are really strict this time," Mitsuya said seriously.
"That's right. The association included Akashi in the roster submitted to the tournament organizers, but both the ITF and the event organizers rejected it, saying he's too young and doesn't meet entry requirements," Kurobe sighed.
All three of them looked grim. Losing a key player like Akashi was terrible news for Team Japan.
Actually, the Japanese tennis association had forcibly included Akashi on the roster because of his family background, but Japan's low world ranking gave them no say, so the organizers flatly rejected the list and demanded Akashi's removal.
The ITF also sent a statement explaining that since Akashi hadn't yet turned 14, he could only play in U14-level events. U17 didn't meet the conditions, so his application was denied.
But there was no U14 event in Japan at all—this level of tournament was held only by strong European tennis nations to cultivate their elite talents, and Japan had no qualification to enter.
"By the way, Mitsuya, you're closer to Akashi than we are—you were roommates at the camp. I'll leave it to you to tell him," Kurobe said.
Mitsuya nodded, showing he understood. At the training camp, he and Akashi had indeed been closer: they knew each other before joining, they were both middle schoolers, and they shared a room—naturally they got along better.
Back on the court, singles two was about to begin. Both players had finished their warm-ups and were waiting on the sidelines for the umpire's call.
"We now begin the singles two match: Fudomine's Tezuka Kunimitsu versus Rikkai's Sanada Genichirō! Players, please enter the court!"
Tezuka and Sanada stepped onto the court together. When they reached the net, Sanada's face was stern, his body trembling slightly, as he said seriously, "Tezuka Kunimitsu! I've waited a long time for this match! This time, I will drag you into the depths of defeat!"
"Then give it everything you've got, Sanada," Tezuka responded calmly.
After a handshake, they did the coin toss. As expected, Sanada won serve. In Akashi's heart, there was no ripple of emotion—whether Tezuka had the first serve or not didn't matter at all.
"First game, Rikkai to serve!"
Standing at the baseline, Sanada recalled the time he and Tezuka faced off at the Tokyo Youth Open. He lost miserably—that was the first time someone other than Yukimura had defeated him so completely in tennis.
Though Sanada's grandfather and Tezuka's grandfather were friends, the two families lived far apart, so Sanada and Tezuka had never met as children, only hearing about each other.
At first, Sanada thought it was just someone with the same name. Only after his crushing defeat did he ask his grandfather about Tezuka and learned he really was that Tezuka Kunimitsu.
Sanada quickly forced the memories from his mind, then tossed the ball high. With a flick of his arm, the crack of impact rang out, the ball flying toward Tezuka's court at over 200 kilometers per hour.
"Swift as the wind!"
For ordinary players, that speed would be a sure winner, but not against Tezuka. With a flicker of movement, Tezuka arrived at the landing spot and calmly returned the ball, adding the rotation of his Zone.
This pro-level technique, Zone, was now just a probing tool for Tezuka. Players who could break his Zone were ones he would take seriously.
Sanada didn't hesitate, quickly closing the distance to the ball and once again hitting back with a Swift as the Wind shot. Just as it crossed the net, a white vortex appeared around Tezuka, drawing the ball straight to him. He adjusted his stance and fired a forehand drive.
Seeing Tezuka activate his Zone, Sanada wasn't surprised. He charged to the net and sliced the incoming ball sharply, drastically reducing its power so it drifted slowly toward the net.
"Calm as the forest!"
As the ball floated over, Tezuka stood motionless at center baseline. Sanada was already waiting for the umpire to announce the point, but then the white vortex suddenly expanded, streams of air swirling around the landing ball, pulling it slowly back toward Tezuka.
"How is this possible?! Even the Forest can't dispel the Zone's spin anymore, Tezuka?!" Sanada exclaimed, disbelief in his voice.
Tezuka didn't respond to Sanada's words. He calmly adjusted his stance and returned the ball as if he had expected it all along.
The ball crossed the net, flying straight for Sanada's right baseline. Sanada quickly reached the net, spun his body 360 degrees, and smashed the ball fiercely. The ball turned into blazing flames, roaring toward Tezuka.
"If I can't dispel the spin, then I'll break through your Zone head-on—Fierce as fire!" Sanada shouted loudly.
The white vortex around Tezuka tried to pull the flaming ball back, but this time the ball's momentum was too strong. The Zone warped, and the ball slammed into the baseline two steps to Tezuka's right, bouncing out of bounds.
"15-0!"
Tezuka glanced at the scorched mark left on the court, gaining a rough grasp of Sanada's improvement. He spoke calmly: "It seems your strength has grown again since the training camp, Sanada."
"Hmph! I've never slacked off a single day of training to defeat you, Tezuka!" Sanada said firmly.
Tezuka nodded without another word, bending forward and waiting for Sanada's next serve. Sanada wasted no time, unleashing another Swift as the Wind. Tezuka once again added Zone spin and returned the ball.
This time, Sanada didn't give Tezuka a chance. He immediately used Fierce as Fire, sending the flaming ball back to Tezuka's court. But suddenly, seven-colored light flared around Tezuka, converging on his left hand.
Tezuka took a small step left, his racket filled with Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami's power, and smashed the incoming ball. The ball ignited into an even fiercer blaze, shooting to Sanada's far baseline.
"I've been waiting for your Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, Tezuka!" Sanada said coldly, lightning flickering around his feet.
Sanada's figure vanished in an instant, reappearing at the baseline. Raising his racket high, he chopped down hard, sending the ball crackling like lightning on an unpredictable path toward Tezuka.
"Immovable like thunder!"
Tezuka swung his racket, wrapped in Muga no Kyōchi's power, but the ball twisted eerily past his racket and flew out of bounds.
"30-0!"
"I see… So this is the technique you practiced just to counter Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, Sanada," Tezuka said quietly, his face unchanged.
Though he had seen it during the Kanto tournament, it was his first time experiencing it firsthand. Ordinary means simply couldn't catch the ball.
Sanada said nothing, returning to the baseline to serve again. He couldn't wait to finally defeat Tezuka and wash away his past humiliation.
As Sanada fired another Swift as the Wind, Tezuka's Muga no Kyōchi shifted to his legs, flashing him to the drop point. The power shifted back to his left arm, and he returned the ball with Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami.
The ball sped back to Sanada's baseline even faster than before. But Sanada appeared instantly in front of it, his racket shrouded in lightning as he smashed it back with even greater ferocity.
This time, though, boosted by Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, the ball couldn't break free of the Zone's pull and was drawn straight to Tezuka. Tezuka's left hand, glowing with Muga no Kyōchi, met the lightning-charged ball.
A tremendous shock and numbness shot up his arm. Tezuka tried to absorb it with Sweetspot technique but found it ineffective. His racket flew from his hand, and the ball soared out of bounds.
"40-0!"
"Tezuka! That last shot was the real Immovable like Thunder!" Sanada said, his voice tinged with excitement.
That last shot had used Sweetspot technique—yes, Sweetspot. During training camp, Yukimura had dissected Akutsu's Glowing Shot, so he and Sanada both focused on mastering Sweetspot. Sanada had incorporated it into Immovable like Thunder, giving it far greater power than before—enough to knock Tezuka's racket loose.
Tezuka picked up his racket, his expression finally changing slightly as he frowned, staring at Sanada. Then he activated Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami, trying to simulate the rest of the match.
But dark, abyssal waves of black aura surged around Sanada, completely shrouding him. Tezuka's mental simulations shattered instantly.
"Mysterious as shadow!"
"Tezuka, put away your Saiki Kanpatsu. You won't see through this Shadow!" Sanada sneered.
With that, he served again. Tezuka could only drop Saiki Kanpatsu and rely on Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, but once more, Sanada's thunderous shot blasted the racket from his hand.
"Game! Rikkai! 1-0!"
"Tezuka, I know you're not giving it your all. Unleash your Ten'i Muhō! I'll shatter it with my lightning!" Sanada declared after winning the game.
"It's not time yet," Tezuka replied coolly.
As the second game began, Tezuka fired a Zero Shiki Serve. No matter how fierce Sanada's lightning was, it was powerless against the rule-breaking Zero Shiki.
"Game! Fudomine! 1-1!"
In the third game, as Sanada prepared to toss the ball, Tezuka's body suddenly radiated a dazzling blue light. When the glow faded, his hair floated on an unseen wind, his whole being glittering like a starry sky—Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami.
In the stands, Oni's eyes flashed brightly as he looked at Tezuka, a twinge of emotion rising in his heart. Irie and Kurobe couldn't hide their surprise either. Even knowing Tezuka had opened the final door, seeing it in person still left them in awe.
Mitsuya's expression stayed calm; he had long been mentally prepared for Fudomine's members. But the crowd around them erupted—this was the legendary technique of many people's idol, the samurai Echizen Nanjirō's most mysterious move!
Sanada looked at Tezuka, whose entire aura and hairstyle had changed, but he showed no hint of backing down. So what if it was Ten'i Muhō? He would still break it and show everyone. With that thought, he wasted no time and fired his serve.
Yet Tezuka's next movement shocked Sanada. Tezuka's figure blurred, appearing at the landing spot in an instant. A moment later, Sanada heard the sound of the ball bouncing behind him.
"0-15!"
Sanada stood frozen, disbelief in his eyes as he slowly turned to look—there, a tennis ball was rolling slowly out of bounds, and he hadn't sensed anything at all.
In truth, although Ten'i Muhō greatly increased Tezuka's speed, it wasn't to the point that Sanada couldn't react. The terrifying part was that from the moment Sanada saw the radiance of Ten'i, his strength began to erode bit by bit.
That was the scariest thing about Ten'i Muhō—it not only gave the user a massive buff but also cast a debuff on the opponent. That one boost and one reduction instantly widened the gap between them by a whole level.
In other words, Tezuka now was practically at half-step world-class, while Sanada, under Ten'i's erosion, could only perform at around half-step national or even just Kanto's peak level.
This was exactly why Akashi had pushed so hard for Tezuka to unlock Ten'i Muhō—no matter how powerful Sanada's lightning was, before Ten'i's brilliance, he wouldn't even have the strength to unleash it.
In the original story, Yukimura was completely suppressed by Ryōma's Ten'i, unable to display half his strength; only after he later developed Zero Senses Tennis did he finally stand a chance of confronting Ten'i.
Sanada still refused to believe that just Ten'i alone could boost Tezuka's power so much. He served again with all his focus locked in.
But it was useless. At his current level, Sanada couldn't see Tezuka's movements at all. All he could do was watch himself lose point after point.
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
"Game! Fudomine! 2-1! Change court!"
During the break, Yukimura looked seriously at the confused Sanada. "Gen'ichirō, don't let yourself get lost in Ten'i's brilliance! My mental sense tells me you've only tapped a small fraction of Mysterious as Shadow's power. In this match, you must try to break through Shadow's limits!"
Sanada froze. He had never considered that Mysterious as Shadow might hold other abilities; he had only developed it to seal Saiki Kanpatsu. But he had always trusted Yukimura's words implicitly, so he nodded firmly.
As the match resumed, Sanada activated Mysterious as Shadow and maintained it. Many were baffled—Tezuka was using Ten'i, not Saiki; had Sanada lost his mind?
Tezuka paid no attention to Sanada's actions and fired four consecutive Zero Shiki serves. Even with Ten'i's power, Zero Shiki's rule-breaking ability guaranteed easy points.
"Game! Fudomine! 3-1!"
In the following games, Sanada remained unable to counter Ten'i's might. His body felt weighed down by heavy chains, and he couldn't summon the strength for his thunder moves—something was clearly wrong.
"Game! Fudomine! 4-1!"
"Game! Fudomine! 5-1! Change court!"
Sitting on the bench, Sanada cooled his mind and analyzed his state carefully. Yukimura stayed silent, not wanting to disturb him.
As the seventh game began, the aura of Mysterious as Shadow around Sanada wavered slightly. But Sanada himself didn't notice—he was focused only on breaking free from Ten'i's grip.
"0-15!"
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
No matter how hard Sanada struggled, he couldn't shake Ten'i's power. But the black aura around him grew stronger and stronger. When Tezuka returned the ball again, Sanada's dark energy suddenly burst forth.
It felt like an endless black mist erupted from his body. For an instant, Sanada broke free from Ten'i's erosion. He seized the moment, pouring every ounce of his strength into one final move.
"Tezuka Kunimitsu! This is the strike I'm giving everything I have—Immovable like Thunder!" Sanada roared hoarsely.
The tennis ball, wrapped in massive lightning, flew over the net, transforming into a huge thunderball barreling toward Tezuka. Tezuka's eyes sharpened, Ten'i's light flaring as he stepped forward, both hands gripping his racket to meet the ball.
Crackling lightning exploded in every direction. Bolts zapped across the court, leaving deep scorch marks. Teeth clenched, Tezuka pushed Ten'i to its limits. The ball finally stopped, his return weak and slow, floating back toward the net.
Exhausted and once again engulfed by Ten'i's brilliance, Sanada still forced himself forward. He reached the net just in time for the ball to bounce—only to see it gently roll backward, stopping against the net.
"A Zero Shiki Drop… not bad at all, Tezuka," Sanada muttered softly, head bowed.
"Game! 6-1! Match over! Winner: Fudomine!"