"Are you kidding me… how is something like this even possible!" Mukahi stared at the sea of flames and the massive figure looming behind Tachibana, clearly overwhelmed.
"So it's true… my instincts weren't wrong. Damn it, why is it that every time we play against you guys, something ridiculous happens!" Oshitari muttered with exasperation.
Even so, Oshitari didn't plan to give up just because of an Alternate Dimension. Losing to it was one thing—but giving up without a fight was another. He tossed the ball up high, no longer using Melody of the Night—it was useless against an Alternate Dimension.
As the ball dropped, Oshitari raised his racket, snapping his wrist as he struck, sending the tennis ball flying with a fierce spin, cutting through the air toward the opposite court.
"Tannhauser Serve!"
The ball cleared the net and plummeted downward. Upon landing, it spun violently and slid forward, but a wall of flame suddenly erupted in its path. The ball halted in place as if it hit an invisible wall.
The fire dispersed, revealing a racket intercepting the shot. Chitose had hidden his presence using Tachibana's Alternate Dimension. A closer look showed the two of them connected by a red aura—Beast Synchronization.
Chitose scooped the ball and followed with a powerful slice. The moment the ball left his racket, it vanished. But right after that, Chitose dropped to one knee, supporting himself with his racket as he gasped for breath. His stamina was clearly depleted.
At the net, Mukahi kept his eyes on the court. Though the fire was an illusion created by the Alternate Dimension and didn't affect the real world, Mukahi spotted the ball's shadow and instinctively swung at the air where it would reappear.
"Basic Kamikakushi doesn't work on me anymore. That drained feeling sucks, huh, Chitose!" Mukahi said after returning the shot, addressing Chitose who was still kneeling.
"It's about time we wrapped this up. Chitose needs rest too. Then disappear in the sea of flames—Roar of the Lion!" Tachibana's figure appeared right in front of the ball and struck the moment it crossed the net.
A thunderous lion's roar echoed through the sports center, audible even outside the arena. The ball vanished in an instant, and the giant Suanni behind Tachibana lunged at Oshitari and Mukahi.
"Mukahi!"
"I got it! Hah!" Mukahi didn't flinch at the Suanni's Kamikakushi. Instead, he leapt into a wide, fast backflip, landing beside Oshitari. The two joined rackets and swung together toward the charging illusion.
In the blazing inferno, both rackets were knocked high into the air, spinning before falling outside the court. A nearly charred and deformed tennis ball hit the ground beside them.
"GAME! 6-1! Match over! Winner: Fudomine Middle School!"
As the umpire declared the match, Tachibana's Alternate Dimension dissipated, and all illusions on court vanished. The spectators finally saw the aftermath—Oshitari and Mukahi, hands clutched to their right wrists, covered in dust and looking utterly defeated. Chitose, however, had managed to stand again.
"Geez, give me a break~ I never want to play you two again!" Oshitari said with a pained smile after catching his breath.
"Then let's work together on the world stage!" Tachibana responded with a bright laugh, completely at ease.
"Tch! I'll settle this with you later. Go check on Chitose—running out of stamina sucks big time!" Mukahi grumbled as usual, but this time his loss was genuine and acknowledged.
Tachibana nodded and went over to Chitose, helping him toward the bench. Oshitari and Mukahi also supported each other as they returned to the Hyōtei team.
"You fought to the very end. You've done well. You upheld Hyōtei's honor. Keep improving at the U-17," Sakaki Tarō said to Oshitari and Mukahi.
"Yes! Thank you for your guidance and support!" the two said in unison, bowing deeply in gratitude.
Meanwhile, Akashi looked at them with a smile and applauded to show his approval of the match. He then spoke:
"Honestly, you both exceeded my expectations today. Now go get some rest—especially you, Chitose. And Tachibana, before officially joining U-17, you need to master your Alternate Dimension."
Tachibana and Chitose nodded together, then headed to the Fudomine bench. The team gathered around Chitose, helping him to his seat. Meanwhile, Tezuka and Tachibana discussed the Alternate Dimension, with Akutsu occasionally throwing in a word or two from the side.
"The next match will be Singles Two—Fudomine Middle School's Tōyama Kintarō versus Hyōtei Academy's Kabaji Munehiro! Will both players please enter the court!"
Before long, the Singles Two match was about to begin. Kintarō bounced happily onto the court, while Kabaji, as always, looked stiff and unexpressive. Following the umpire's instructions, both players approached the net to bow. Kintarō grinned and said, "So you're my opponent today, big guy!"
But Kabaji didn't react at all. He just stood there blankly, his eyes dull as he stared at Kintarō. Even the usually extroverted Kintarō felt a little awkward, but he still kept talking.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you happy to play a match?"
"Victory... belongs to Hyōtei." Kabaji finally responded, though it had nothing to do with what Kintarō said.
At that moment, perhaps the umpire had seen enough and quickly urged them to do the coin toss. Kintarō won and got the right to serve first, while Kabaji silently turned away and walked to his baseline, bending forward to wait for the serve.
"First game! Fudomine to serve!"
"Alright, big guy! Here I go! Hah!" Kintarō shouted from the baseline, tossing the ball high, then leaping into the air. He flipped rapidly and finally slammed his racket down with a shout.
The ball shot toward Kabaji's court with incredible force. Kabaji stepped forward without expression. As the ball bounced, he struck it with both hands. The moment it hit his racket, a strong impact jolted his arms, but it was still within what he could handle.
Seeing Kabaji successfully return his serve, Kintarō got even more excited, bouncing around and flipping wildly, swinging at the ball with a series of seemingly nonsensical moves as he sent it back over.
The two exchanged fierce shots, but it was obvious to anyone watching that Kintarō wasn't playing seriously—he was just having fun. While Kabaji had his own unique traits, his actual ability was clearly on a different level from Kintarō's.
"So this is why you put Kabaji in Singles Two, Atobe?" Sakaki Tarō asked from the coach's seat behind Atobe.
"Yeah~ It's time Kabaji got a taste of top-level tennis. He's going to U-17 soon, and it's full of monsters! But honestly, I thought Fudomine's Singles Two would be Akutsu," Atobe replied, his tone slightly serious.
"Tōyama's pretty strong. He hasn't reached Akutsu's level yet, but he's already past the national tier—not much weaker than you were before your breakthrough," Sakaki said calmly.
Back on the court, Kintarō's laughter echoed as the match continued. But Kabaji's lack of speed meant he couldn't keep up, and soon, he lost the point.
"15-0!"
Second point—Kintarō was still going wild, but Kabaji's movements slowly started mimicking Kintarō's. Strange and unexpected motions began to appear. This only made Kintarō more excited.
"Game! Fudomine Middle School! 1-0!"
Even though Kabaji copied Kintarō's moves, the gap in raw ability remained. He lost the first game, but his face stayed blank.
"Hey! Hey! Did you see that, Akashi! Big guy was copying my moves just now! That was so funny!" Kintarō shouted and waved at Akashi sitting courtside.
Akashi just smiled and shook his head, not bothering to respond. Even Krauser on the bench didn't scold Kintarō this time—after all, this was the last middle school match of the year. Letting Kintarō enjoy himself wasn't a big deal.
Second game—it was Kabaji's serve. Standing on the baseline, he tossed the ball high and slowly said:
"One... shot... soul!"
The ball turned into a blur, smashing into Kintarō's court and flying out of bounds. Kintarō blinked in surprise, then his eyes lit up as he shouted in delight.
"ACE! 15-0!"
"That was awesome, big guy! But it's still slower than Akashi's serve. I'm definitely getting the next one!" Kintarō said confidently.
"One... shot... soul!" Kabaji showed no signs of responding and blasted out a second cannon-like serve. Just as the ball flew over the net, Kintarō was already in motion. He leapt into the landing spot and swiftly swung his racket. The moment the ball bounced up, he sent it flying back.
The rally played out like a repeat of the first game. They launched into another fast-paced exchange, and Kabaji's movements became identical to Kintarō's. The crowd looked visibly puzzled—it was strange watching such a massive guy do all those flips and jumps.
"GAME! Fudomine Middle School! 2-0!"
But the outcome was the same. Kabaji's abilities just couldn't keep up with Kintarō's movements. And because Oshitari had played before him, Kabaji hadn't had the chance to copy Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami in advance. Not that it would've helped much.
"GAME! Fudomine Middle School! 3-0! Change court!"
"GAME! Fudomine Middle School! 4-0!"
Four games flew by. Kabaji couldn't even take a single game from Kintarō. Now they were mid-way through the fifth game, when Kabaji suddenly froze. He just stood there as the ball zipped past him and bounced out.
"15-0!"
"Kabaji... can't... mimic anymore..." Kabaji spoke in broken words.
It was obvious—his body could no longer handle Kintarō's outrageous movements. Then Atobe's voice rang out from the sideline:
"Kabaji! Stop copying! Just play how you feel!"
"Mmgh!" Kabaji slowly nodded and let out a low grunt, then readied himself again to receive.
Kintarō's face lit up with joy as he saw the change. He shouted excitedly, "What was that just now? Why'd you stop copying me? Wanna try this one instead? Watch this! Super Megaton Deluxe Volcano Serve! Hyaaah!"
Kintarō, thinking Kabaji had simply lost interest in copying him, launched his special serve. The ball transformed into a blazing magma shot and blasted toward Kabaji's side. Kabaji let out a roar and rushed forward.
The ball slammed into Kabaji's racket with a burst of sparks. Clenching his teeth and gripping with both hands, he used all his strength to barely return the shot. Kintarō burst out laughing and began spinning in place, forming a giant tornado.
"You returned it! You're awesome, big guy! Then take this! Super Invincible Absolutely Delicious Big Wheel Mountain Storm! Hoooraaah!" Kintarō, now high in the air, had unknowingly activated Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami. Shouting loudly, he smashed his racket down, sending a red flash across the entire court.
"Don't go for it, Kabaji!!" Atobe shouted immediately in alarm.
But for the first time ever, Kabaji ignored Atobe's command. Eyes glowing, he pushed off the ground and charged straight at the meteor-like shot, yelling at the top of his lungs:
"Atobe's... wish! Victory... belongs... to... Hyōtei! Aaaahhh!!!!"
A huge cloud of dust exploded across the court, obscuring everything. The sound of a massive impact followed immediately after. The court seemed to shake from the force.
As the dust slowly cleared, everyone strained to see. Kabaji stood frozen in place. A massive hole had ripped through the center of his racket, and a warped tennis ball was embedded deep in the wall behind him.
"30-0!"
The umpire quickly called the score. At that moment, Kabaji's damaged racket dropped to the ground. He clutched his right hand and spoke slowly:
"Can't... hold... the racket anymore..."
"Kabaji! You idiot!" Atobe shouted, half angry, half concerned.
"Umpire! We forfeit the match!" Sakaki Tarō decisively called out, even though he knew this meant Hyōtei had officially lost the national championship to Fudomine this year.
"Since Kabaji Munehiro can no longer continue, I declare the match over! Score: 5-0! Winner: Fudomine Middle School!"
The stadium erupted with cheers, rising to a single chant:
"National Three-Peat!" "National Three-Peat!" "National Three-Peat!" "National Three-Peat!"
Akashi stood up slowly, turned to Fudomine, and said:
"We've achieved an unprecedented national three-peat! Now… let's take on the world together!"