On his way back to the hotel, Akashi specifically went to the spot where he had been blocked by the punks, but there was no one there anymore. Instead, he found some bloodstains on the ground, not knowing what had happened.
But Akashi wasn't about to just let Echizen Ryōga go. Since the American team hadn't been eliminated yet, he figured he could find Ryōga by tracking down Reinhardt.
Meanwhile, inside the players' area, the faces of Japan's representatives looked grim. They had already heard the news about Byoudouin's accident, and Mifune had rushed to the hospital.
The match against France was about to start, and yet their captain was injured at this critical moment. Even Irie's expression darkened, and Oni looked furious but didn't know how to vent his anger.
That evening, Mifune and Byoudouin finally returned to the players' area. Byoudouin's body was wrapped in bandages, and he looked seriously hurt. Everyone rushed over to check on him. Byoudouin insisted it was just a minor injury that wouldn't affect the match and told them all to get lost, but Mifune stood by with a furrowed brow.
In Byoudouin's view, if lightning couldn't kill him, a little injury like this was nothing. As long as he rested well overnight, he figured he'd be fine for tomorrow's match.
But Mifune, with his wealth of experience as a former professional, could tell from the doctor's report that the injury would definitely affect Byoudouin's performance in the short term.
The next day, the quarterfinal knockout match began on schedule. But to everyone's surprise, Akashi didn't go to watch Japan's match against France. Instead, he went to see the match between the USA and Spain.
The reason Akashi went to the USA match was because he wanted to find Reinhardt and ask about Ryōga's whereabouts. Right now, Ryōga was likely still wandering and hadn't officially joined the USA U-17 team.
Back at the Japan vs. France match, the crowd was already fired up when it officially started. For singles three, Mifune sent Tanegashima Shūji, while the French team fielded a third-year player, Connel Renault, rumored to have already gone pro with impressive strength.
In the first set, Tanegashima's "Halt Destruction Nothingness" overwhelmed Renault, leaving him unable to adapt. Frustrated, Renault made repeated errors and lost the set 6-4. But in the second set, Renault calmed down, regained his composure, and clawed back with a 7-5 win.
By the third set, both players were struggling physically but kept fighting to the end. The match turned into a contest of sheer willpower, going all the way to a tiebreaker. In the end, Tanegashima relied on his "Halt Destruction Nothingness" and his naturally strong mental strength to win the set 7-6, clinching the singles three match.
After the match, Tanegashima collapsed on the court, unable to move at all, and his wrist was swollen red. Mifune had to call several staff members to help carry him off the court.
Although Tanegashima's win was hard-fought, the crowd was stunned—no one expected that the underdog Japanese team would win singles three against the host country's strong France. Could Japan be about to shock everyone all the way to the top?
Next was doubles two. Mifune sent in Itō and Yamada, a pair combining speed and power. As Japan's former strongest duo, they were certainly formidable, but the French team wasn't going down easy either.
The match was intense, with both sides exchanging fierce shots, some even aimed directly at the opponent's bodies, with no regard for sportsmanship—both teams were determined to win at all costs.
The three sets ended with scores of 7-5, 6-3, and 6-4, giving Japan its second win. But the price was steep: Itō and Yamada lay on the court, covered in blood. Itō's legs were swollen like elephant trunks, and Yamada's right arm was drenched in blood, both of them bruised and battered.
In the stands, the middle schoolers watched in shock as the two were carried off on stretchers. For the first time, they saw just how brutal the world stage could be. Meanwhile, many French fans looked uneasy. Luckily for them, France's next player was their future star—Léopold Camus!
France's representative—Leopold Camus de Charpentier.
Or, as he called himself, Leopold Camus de Charpentier—his own self-styled name. Japan sent Oni Juujirou for singles two, and Mifune was desperate for Oni to win this match so Japan could advance straight to the semifinals.
As Camus stepped onto the court, he raised his hand, and a flurry of flower petals instantly filled the stadium. The French crowd erupted into wild cheers and screams.
The Japanese middle schoolers felt like they'd seen this kind of scene before. They couldn't help but turn to look at Atobe, who clicked his tongue with an annoyed expression but secretly wondered if he should get some petals himself in the future.
However, to everyone's shock, the match began with Oni completely overwhelmed. Camus's fundamental tennis skills outclassed Oni from the start. Even when Oni unleashed his Black Tomahawk, Camus seemed to be guided by the ball itself, effortlessly deflecting every strike.
In the end, Camus easily won the first set 6-2 against Oni. At the start of the second set, Oni unleashed his full power, activating Shura Mode and the Dimensional Oni God. For a moment, he managed to reverse the situation, but when Camus's racket was knocked out of his hands, the atmosphere on the court grew strange.
Camus picked up his racket and began stroking and comforting it like it was his lover, glaring at Oni with hatred, as if they had some deep-seated grudge.
From then on, Camus's body radiated the brilliance of love, and his dimensional ability fully awakened. No matter what shot Oni played, Camus could dismantle it by "talking" with his racket and the tennis ball.
To be honest, there were many players in the world who could use Ten'i Muhō, but only Camus took it to this level—falling in love with tennis itself. He overturned the old way of playing and started a new mode of romance with tennis, creating a revolutionary style that shocked the world.
In the end, Oni lost the match. The scores were 6-2 and 7-5. Mifune's face turned ugly because the next match, doubles one, would see France sending out two professional-level players who specialized in doubles.
For Japan, the pair was Ochi Tsukimitsu and Tōno Atsuki. Originally, Japan's plan was to decide the match in the first three games, but that plan had completely fallen apart, leaving them to rely on luck.
The doubles one match began with Ochi's Mach Serve astonishing the French pros, who couldn't see when the ball even landed on their side.
But this was doubles, and Ochi's service games were limited. Soon, Tōno started his Executioner attacks. At first, the French players didn't care—after all, such rough plays were common in the professional circuit.
But when one French player accidentally took Tōno's Guillotine shot to the head, he snapped. Both French players then went all out with savage attacks, turning the match into a brutal slugfest that shocked everyone watching.
Tōno quickly became battered and bloody, his body covered in bruises with barely any uninjured spots. But the French players didn't come out unscathed either—Tōno's Executioner shots left them covered in blood too.
Even Ochi got caught up, taking many body shots himself. Eventually, Japan lost the match. In the second set, Tōno and one of the French players both collapsed, unable to continue, and Ochi, whose stamina was already lacking, was completely overpowered by the remaining French player.
Still, the audience was thrilled, the bloody spectacle rousing their hidden violent sides, and they roared with excitement.
Now the overall score was tied at 2-2. The outcome of the last singles match would decide which country advanced to the semifinals. France sent out Duke Watanabe. Some on the French team weren't happy with Duke playing singles, but since it was Camus's decision, no one dared object.
Although Camus wasn't officially France's captain yet, it was clear he already held full control over the French U-17 team, and Duke was a player he trusted deeply.
For Japan, the obvious choice was Byoudouin Houou. He was the only one who could match Duke's strength now, since Duke's title as "Destruction King" was no joke.
No matter how worried Mifune was about Byoudouin's injuries, there was nothing he could do. At this moment, he couldn't help but curse the International Tennis Federation again—if Akashi could compete, Byoudouin could've properly recovered instead of fighting hurt.
As the match began, Byoudouin quickly seized the advantage, but his expression wasn't happy. Everyone could see Duke was holding back, unwilling to go all out against Byoudouin.
"You bastard, are you underestimating me?" Byoudouin finally roared furiously.
"N-no! You saved my sister Chloe's life, and even got hurt for it. I can't bring myself to attack you with full force!" Duke said in a deep, awkward voice.
"Do you know who's standing in front of you?! I am Byoudouin Houou! Put away that pathetic gratitude and attack me with everything you have! That's the least respect you can show your opponent!" Byoudouin shouted angrily.
Duke looked at the furious Byoudouin. His heart, which had only been filled with gratitude, now swelled with deep respect. He no longer hesitated. His muscles bulged, and with a loud roar, his clothes tore apart, shredding into strips hanging from his massive upper body.
"From now on, please be careful, my benefactor!" Duke said solemnly to Byoudouin.
At last, Byoudouin showed a satisfied smile. The ensuing match was spectacular beyond words. Whether it was Byoudouin's Glowing Strike or Duke's Duke Homerun, each shot could effortlessly destroy the court itself, sending clouds of dust billowing across the stadium and completely obscuring the view for many spectators.
Overall, Byoudouin still had the upper hand until the wound on his back reopened, staining the white bandage red. Even though he kept a stoic face while trading powerful shots with Duke, the force of his Glowing Strike visibly weakened, allowing Duke to barely block and return his attacks.
Byoudouin knew very well he couldn't last much longer. Without hesitation, he activated his Dimensional Pirate mode, unleashing every world-class technique he had learned on his journeys. For a while, Duke was completely overwhelmed, and Byoudouin took the first set 6-3. During the break, Mifune had staff urgently tend to Byoudouin's back injury.
Unfortunately, the treatment was only temporary. Midway through the second set, Byoudouin's injury worsened again. His dimensional powers faded on their own, and he was forced to concede the second set 6-4.
In the final third set, Byoudouin couldn't even hit his Glowing Strike anymore, relying solely on sheer willpower. Duke, meanwhile, silently held back some of his strength. Even so, Byoudouin couldn't fully resist. Eventually, he lost consciousness and collapsed on the court, the final score fixed at 5-2.
With that, France narrowly eliminated Japan with a total score of 3-2. Many spectators actually felt sorry for Japan, clearly seeing their captain had been injured before the match.
Meanwhile, the American team also lost to Spain. Due to severe internal divisions, many of the U.S. main players hadn't participated in the tournament at all. Making it to the quarterfinals was already a result of Reinhardt and a few others forcing their team forward.
From the stands, Akashi watched the dejected American players head to their locker room. He left the spectator seats and waited outside the venue for the U.S. team to exit.
Soon after, led by Reinhardt, the American players walked out, preparing to head back to the players' village to pack up. At that moment, Akashi stepped in front of Reinhardt, his tone icy as he spoke.
"Where is Echizen Ryoga? Don't tell me you don't know!"
"You're that boy from yesterday, right? Sorry! I really don't know where Ryoga is now. Yesterday we just ran into him by chance," Reinhardt said helplessly.
Akashi's gaze bore into Reinhardt. Under the Emperor Eye's insight, every tiny reaction was laid bare. After a long silence, Akashi determined Reinhardt wasn't lying, then spoke again.
"Then do you have a way to contact him?"
"Well… sorry, but without Ryoga's permission, I can't give you his contact information, boy," Reinhardt hesitated, then firmly declined.
"Very well. Then pass along a message for me: I've remembered what happened yesterday. He'd better come to me with a satisfactory explanation himself—or I can't guarantee what might happen to his little brother Ryoma in the future," Akashi's voice was devoid of emotion. He turned and walked away immediately.
Reinhardt watched Akashi's departing figure, puzzled. But he didn't have time to dwell on it; fixing America's team issues was now the top priority.
When Akashi returned to the hotel, Tezuka told him that Japan had been eliminated. Akashi showed little surprise—it seemed the gears of fate were still turning along their destined path.
After returning to Japan, everyone kept training their tennis at the U-17 camp. None of the middle schoolers planned to go home before the new school year. Once he recovered, Byoudouin left the training camp altogether and resumed his journey around the world, though his personality had clearly changed.
Akashi didn't stay at the camp either; instead, he went to Osaka. Nobody knew what he was doing there, and even the Shitenhōji players were completely clueless.
In a remote garden in Osaka Prefecture, Akashi was speaking respectfully with an extremely elderly woman. Beside them was a small elementary school girl with fiery red hair, bursting with energy as she bounced around.
Before Akashi left, he played a match with the old woman. Only the three of them knew the result. After the match, it seemed Akashi made some kind of promise with the little girl before leaving the garden.
Time passed quickly, and the new school year arrived before anyone realized. Akashi and his group officially became second-year middle school students. Within Fudomine Middle School, their tennis club had already become legendary.
When the tennis club began recruiting new members, it was a lively scene. Many first-years were desperate to join, eager to be part of the reigning national champions.
Among the new students were two with eye-catching hairstyles and hair colors—one blue, one red. Honestly, if this weren't the world of Prince of Tennis, they'd look completely out of place.
If Akashi were there, he'd instantly recognize them—they were Fudomine's future core players from the original series: Ibu Shinji and Kamio Akira!