"He's really got some nerve~ Looks like he's in for trouble soon, huh, Kabaji?" Atobe sneered coldly.
"Usu!" Kabaji replied as usual.
"Are you sure this is okay? You know what Irie's like! Akashi!" Oni stepped up beside Akashi and asked.
"It's nothing serious. Consider it a lesson for Ryōma. After all, they'll be facing the world soon," Akashi answered flatly.
"I feel like you're becoming more and more like Byōdōin. Just in this past year… what on earth did you go through?" Oni finally couldn't hold back and said.
"A ruler needs the proper authority. Byōdōin's era is ending soon. You should get ready too, Oni," Akashi said calmly with a glance.
"I knew it… I just hope you won't go down the same path as him," Oni's tone turned grave.
"Don't worry. I'm not like Byōdōin. I don't carry the guilt of a loser," Akashi remained indifferent.
"Judging by the time, Byōdōin and the others should be back soon. And knowing him now, your match will be dangerous. Be prepared, Akashi!" Oni warned.
"Dangerous? Hah~ The only one who can beat me now… is myself," Akashi's mind inexplicably drifted to Aomine Daiki.
"Game! Echizen Ryōma! 2–0!"
While Akashi and Oni were talking, Ryōma had already taken the second game. Irie had been doing his best to keep up with Ryōma's rhythm, but the gap in strength showed, and Ryōma kept exploiting his openings at key moments.
"Hey~ senpai! You're really from Court 3?" Ryōma stood at the baseline and called out to Irie.
"Huff... huff... Disappointed by my skills, huh?" Irie replied a bit downcast.
"A little. I thought this camp was supposed to be on a higher level! But now it seems like there's a big gap between you guys and Akashi-senpai~" Ryōma said casually.
"Little Akashi, huh? His strength is definitely in a league of its own here. I can't compare. But… aren't you underestimating us senpai just a bit too much, Echizen?" Irie's aura suddenly shifted, and his tone turned cold.
Ryōma instantly noticed the change in Irie, but instead of pulling back, his interest was piqued. Without another word, he tossed the ball and slammed a sharp, high-speed serve toward the corner.
But Irie seemed like a different person now. In a flash, he was at the landing spot, and as the ball bounced, he whipped a backhand return. The ball turned into a yellow blur, shot between Ryōma's legs, slammed the baseline, and bounced out.
"0–15!"
"Hey~ Echizen Ryōma! I think it's about time to end warm-ups!" Irie smiled again, but something about him now felt completely different.
"Heh~~~ I knew it wasn't that simple. So you're finally going all out, senpai!" Ryōma grinned, unfazed by the point he lost.
He tossed the ball and fired another high-speed serve. Irie responded immediately, and they clashed again in a fast-paced rally. But this time, the speed and technique had jumped a whole level.
"Going all out? That Echizen kid sure talks big~ Wasn't Irie's power stat a 1 in the five-attribute test?" Mōri asked with a smirk.
"Yes, and his stamina stat was only 2," Ochi replied in a cold tone.
"Exactly~ And yet he's somehow one of U-17's top five players!" Mōri's eyes gleamed.
"15–15!"
"15–30!"
"15–40!"
"30–40!"
"Game! Irie Kanata! 2–1!"
"Now do you get it, Echizen? This is what us senpai can really do!" Irie took the third game and called out.
"Not bad~ But... if that's all, then I'll go ahead and win this match, Irie-senpai!" As Ryōma finished speaking, a radiant seven-colored glow rose from his body—he had entered Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami.
"No... no way! That's Muga no Kyōchi! I didn't expect you to be hiding this, Echizen Ryōma! I'll remember this! But even if it's Muga no Kyōchi, I'm not afraid!" Irie's voice wavered slightly with emotion.
Not believing his eyes, Irie
Since this was an internal match, they didn't switch sides. Irie stood at the baseline and quickly served. The seven-colored glow gathered in Ryōma's left hand. He rushed to the landing spot and smashed a powerful forehand drive, the ball cloaked in Muga energy as it flew to the opposite court.
Irie rushed to intercept. The moment the ball met his racket, he knew it wasn't good. He quickly brought his right hand to support the swing and barely managed to return it.
"So heavy! How did his power suddenly get so strong?" Irie muttered.
"Oh? You returned it? Not bad, senpai~ But what if I double it? Can you still keep up?" As Ryōma spoke, he shifted the Muga energy to his feet. In a blink, he appeared before the ball again, his racket swinging, Muga energy transferring back to his left hand mid-swing.
"Double it? I remember now… this is Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami! Damn! This is trouble!" Irie seemed to realize something, but his feet didn't stop as he chased down the ball.
This time Irie gripped his racket with both hands and put everything into his return. But… his racket was knocked clean into the air again, and the ball tore across the court like a wild beast, straight out of bounds.
"0–15!"
"No way! He's just a first-year middle schooler, and he actually mastered the legendary Muga no Kyōchi!" a high school student courtside exclaimed in disbelief.
"Forget why he can use Muga no Kyōchi—did you guys forget Irie's biggest weakness? He lacks power! That flaw makes it easy for opponents to exploit him!" another high school student said worriedly.
"Enough. Just keep watching—you'll see. Irie's not as simple as you think!" a third-year beside them cut them off.
Actually, in the whole training camp, besides Akashi and a few others, only players from Court 5 and above knew Irie wasn't simple. He'd been hiding his true strength. And those who truly knew Irie's power were limited to the top 10 players in the first string—and of course, Mifune and the other three coaches were also aware.
The match continued. Since activating Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, Ryōma's every shot had become increasingly difficult for Irie to return. After just a few rallies, Ryōma's Muga-powered double-strength shots would exceed Irie's limit to counter.
"0–30!"
"0–40!"
"Game! Echizen Ryōma! 3–1!"
"Damn it! I can't believe how pathetic I look! Why are these middle schoolers all monsters now?!" Irie shouted, frustrated after his racket was knocked out of his hand again.
Ryōma glanced at Irie, who seemed to be losing composure, but said nothing. He didn't want to provoke him too much. Silently, he picked up a tennis ball and began bouncing it on the court. It looked like he was testing its bounce, but it was really a reminder that he was about to serve.
Thankfully, Irie quickly pulled himself together and got ready. Seeing this, Ryōma didn't hesitate. He tossed the ball high, and his left hand exploded with Muga energy as he slammed the serve forward. The ball screamed toward Irie's court at extreme speed.
"What?! Even his speed increased that much? How is that even possible?!" Irie was still reacting as the ball nearly hit the ground. He rushed toward the bounce point, muttering as he ran.
But he was a step too late. The ball bounced sharply, and although Irie dove for it, he failed to intercept and ended up crashing to the ground while the ball flew out of bounds.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"No way! That's Irie-senpai from Court 3! And he's getting totally suppressed by a middle schooler!" a high school student said, clearly distressed.
"Ah~ ah~ that guy Irie's doing it again," a lazy voice rang out behind him. Turning around, he saw a white-haired boy in first-string uniform standing not far away—it was Tanegashima Shūji.
"This is why I hate playing against Irie the most," Tanegashima said, ignoring the high schooler, continuing to speak to himself.
When Ryōma hit his second serve, Irie finally managed to barely reach the ball. But he still couldn't return Ryōma's Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami-powered double-strength shots. His repeated failed attempts left even some of the clueless high schoolers on the sidelines feeling sorry for him.
"30–0!"
"40–0!"
"Game! Echizen Ryōma! 4–1!"
"Damn it!!! I don't believe this!!! I'm from Court 3, and I'm losing this badly?!" Irie suddenly screamed, as if on the verge of breakdown, after Ryōma took the fourth game.
Just as Ryōma was about to say something, Irie suddenly grabbed his racket, spun around, and returned to the baseline, muttering to himself over and over:
"No way! No way! He can't be that strong! I refuse to believe it!!!"
In this strange state, Irie tossed the ball and served immediately, then charged the net. Ryōma blinked in surprise for a moment but quickly snapped back into focus, rushing to the bounce point and delivering a double-strength Muga return.
Irie roared as he swung with both hands toward the incoming ball. The ball stalled slightly on his racket, then blasted off toward Ryōma's left baseline. Ryōma instantly channeled Muga energy into his legs, dragging phantom shadows behind him as he arrived at the baseline before the ball landed.
Smack! The sound of the ball hitting the racket echoed as Irie's racket was once again knocked out of his hands. Irie looked completely unhinged, like what he was witnessing was beyond belief.
"0–15!"
"0–30!"
"0–40!"
In the next two rallies, Irie still couldn't touch Ryōma. Before long, the match reached match point—one more shot, and Ryōma would win. Irie had already served, and on the other side, Ryōma thought back to Irie's earlier collapse, feeling a strange stir in his heart.
When Irie barely managed to send a high lob over, Ryōma suddenly burst into a radiant blue glow. Countless azure particles swirled around him—without realizing it, he had entered Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami.
He stepped forward, leapt high, his hair flowing in the air. Holding the racket behind like a sword, he pulled it back in a pose resembling a katana draw, then slashed forward with a powerful backhand toward the incoming ball.
"Samurai Drive!"
Irie looked up at Ryōma midair, his face frozen in shock and panic. At that moment, it was as if his brain had stopped functioning, unable to do anything but watch Ryōma's performance above.
The spinning tennis ball struck the left cord of the net, and under the intense friction, split in two. Two halves shot out in different directions toward Irie.
"This match was fun, but it's time to finish it, Irie-senpai!" Ryōma called confidently from midair.
But in the next instant, two yellow flashes crossed behind Ryōma. Two thump sounds rang out as the tennis balls landed. Across the court, Irie's expression suddenly turned to a smile, and he spoke with playful sarcasm:
"If I lost like this, even little Akashi probably wouldn't let me off that easy, Echizen Ryōma!"
Smug Irie.