After the match ended, the members of Shitenhōji could only lower their heads in resignation and pack up their belongings. Their journey in this year's national tournament had come to an end.
However, Shiraishi was already aware of the upcoming world tournament, so he had started thinking about how to get selected for the middle school team at U-17.
All the matches for the day were over, and everyone left the tennis park. Tomorrow's matches would be held in the gymnasium, which could accommodate even more spectators.
The next day, many people gathered at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, where the semifinals and finals of this year's National Middle School Tennis Tournament would take place. Over the past few years, middle school players had grown incredibly strong, and audience enthusiasm had surged.
At that moment, Akashi arrived outside the gymnasium with the Fudomine team. Today, they would face Rikkai in a match that would determine the final spot in the championship. While the regulars of Fudomine were very confident, Rikkai's strength couldn't be underestimated.
By the time Akashi and the others finished registration and entered the court, the stands were already filled with spectators. Many players from eliminated schools had also come to watch.
For example, Shitenhōji, Yamabuki, St. Rudolph, and Higa. As for the Higa team, Kite had directly given Kai a sum of money so they could stay in Tokyo a bit longer.
Fudomine had won so many championships over the past few years that prize money was never an issue. Akashi didn't care about such small amounts, and the school didn't dare touch it, so most of it was distributed among the regulars and second-string members. Kite now had a well-funded stash himself.
Soon, Rikkai's players slowly entered the court, all of them wearing serious expressions. Clearly, they were feeling the pressure of today's match.
After Yukimura arrived on court, he went straight up to Akashi. The two exchanged a few simple greetings. From Yukimura's tone and eyes, Akashi could feel intense fighting spirit.
But even if Rikkai gave it their all, there was no way they could beat Fudomine. On this, Akashi had absolute confidence. Now it just depended on how Rikkai arranged their player order.
When the referee and staff entered the court, the surrounding crowd erupted in cheers—they knew the match was about to begin. Yukimura sat down at the coach's bench.
But next to him, Fudomine's bench was missing Akashi. Yukimura was briefly surprised, then quickly understood—Akashi planned to play Singles 3.
With the spectators cheering enthusiastically, the referee climbed up into the chair and glanced at his watch. Seeing that it was time, he announced the start of the match between Fudomine and Rikkai.
At that moment, Akashi walked calmly to the edge of the court with his racket in hand. On Rikkai's side, a stern-faced youth wearing a cap also stepped forward.
"Up next is the Singles 3 match: Fudomine's Akashi Seijurō versus Rikkai's Sanada Genichirō! Will both players please enter the court!"
Akashi and Sanada walked into the court together. Unlike Sanada's intensity, Akashi still wore his jacket, his expression unreadable.
At the net, Sanada extended his hand seriously for a handshake, then spoke with firm resolve.
"Akashi-kun, I know I might not win this match, but I still hope you'll go all out! Facing each other head-on with everything we've got—that's what I expect of myself!"
"All out, huh? Very well, I'll grant your wish. I hope you can handle it," Akashi paused briefly, then accepted Sanada's request.
After all, once nationals were over, the middle schoolers would head into U-17 training camp. While many first- and second-years had spent time in the camp, few had ever experienced the full power of top-level high school players.
Byoudouin didn't count—he was always traveling the world. And Oni never used his Kishin Dimension during matches with middle schoolers. He rarely even showed his Ashura Path, except when he played a practice match with Akutsu.
As for Irie, there was no need to mention him. If he ever went all out in training, it'd be the end of the world. And Tanegashima, being a defensive counter-type, left most middle schoolers with only the impression of "already erased."
After Akashi finished speaking, he took off the jacket draped over his shoulders and tossed it onto the coach's bench, responding to Sanada in kind. Seeing this, Sanada's eyes ignited with fierce fighting spirit.
Under the referee's urging, the two began the coin toss. To Akashi's slight annoyance, he lost again. Sanada gained the right to serve first, leaving Akashi both puzzled and resigned.
"First game! Rikkai to serve!"
Sanada walked to the baseline and looked at Akashi, who stood calmly across the net. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he said, "Akashi Seijurō! This is the ultimate secret technique I've worked hard to master. I'll use it on you today!"
With that, Sanada tossed the ball high. His arm turned into a blur, and his racket struck with a snap. A fierce wind blasted toward Akashi, so strong that even the net began to shake. The ball vanished completely, and then Akashi heard it land behind him, just as all his hair was blown upward.
"Swift as a storm!"
"ACE! 15-0!"
"I see. An evolved form of Swift as the Wind? Seems like you've made some real progress," Akashi said coolly after Sanada scored.
"You won't stay ahead of us forever. One day, we'll catch up to you—maybe even surpass you!" Sanada's tone was deadly serious.
"Surpass me? Looks like that last point made you a little too full of yourself, Sanada Genichirō," Akashi's voice suddenly turned icy.
Sanada didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out another ball. He would let his actions speak louder than words. After tossing the ball up, his arm swung again, unleashing another Swift as a Storm.
As the fierce wind howled, Akashi disappeared in a flash, reappearing on the left side of the court and swinging into empty air. Instantly, the raging wind was sliced apart. A tennis ball shot across the court at incredible speed, heading for Sanada's side.
Lightning crackled around Sanada's body as he seemed to teleport to where the ball was headed. Angling his racket across his chest, he met the shot. All its power and spin vanished instantly as he returned it with a soft drop shot.
"Calm as a forest!"
Sanada had now achieved complete mastery of Move Like Thunder. Just now, he used its high-speed movement combined with Calm as a Forest to execute the drop shot. In fact, Move Like Thunder had always been two distinct techniques, but Sanada had never liked separating them before.
But such a drop shot was meaningless against Akashi. In an instant, he was already at the net. When the ball touched Sanada's racket, Akashi's Emperor Eye had already seen through the motion to dissipate force.
He casually lifted the ball back. But Sanada wasn't finished attacking. His body spun twice, flames erupting around him, and he smashed down hard on the incoming ball.
The court turned into a sea of fire. The ball surged forward like a massive wave of flame, crashing toward Akashi's side. Even the surrounding spectators could feel the searing heat.
"Fierce as fire!"
Akashi's expression didn't change in the face of the fiery wave. Calm as ever, he scanned the trajectory with his Emperor Eye. His body blurred into afterimages as he appeared at the landing point.
He swung forcefully, sending the ball flying back in a blazing streak. But in that moment, a towering mountain rose behind Sanada like a phantom.
"Steady as a mountain!"
The ball slammed into the mountain and stopped cold. As Sanada prepared to return it, he suddenly realized Akashi was already at the net, silently watching him.
Suddenly, Sanada's legs wouldn't obey. His body tipped backward involuntarily, and the ball drifted farther and farther from his reach. As he fully collapsed, the ball hit the ground and slowly rolled to a stop beside his foot.
"15-15!"
"Sanada… you're far too arrogant." Akashi's cold voice echoed in Sanada's ears.