Standing at the baseline, Ishida Gin tossed the tennis ball high. In that instant, the muscles across his body bulged, especially his right arm—it looked like it had grown an entire size. As the ball dropped, Ishida Gin swung his racket while shouting:
"Fiftieth Form—Hadōkyū!"
With a thunderous crack, the ball shot out with overwhelming force, trailing sparks and lightning as it blasted toward the opposite court. The moment it crossed the net and landed, a cloud of dust exploded from Nakagawa's side. The ball bounced and continued flying straight out of bounds.
But in the next second, a racket intercepted the ball's trajectory. Nakagawa Naoto's face was tense as he focused on the incoming shot. The instant the racket touched the ball, an unimaginably powerful force surged through the frame and into his right hand.
A second later, his racket was knocked clean into the air. The ball soared out of the court and struck the wall, leaving a small dent. Nakagawa clutched his right wrist tightly, his face twisted with pain.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"I thought I was being careful enough… but your strength still went beyond my expectations." Nakagawa picked up his racket, shaken, after catching his breath.
"It only knocked your racket away? As expected of you, Nakagawa-senpai. Looks like I still need to work harder," Ishida Gin exhaled deeply and said in a low voice.
"No way! Nakagawa just had his racket blasted out of his hands?! What kind of monstrous strength is that? Nakagawa's supposed to be on par with Oni-san!" A nearby high school student couldn't believe his eyes.
"Ishida's power is more than just that. You'll see his true terror soon enough," Shishido Ryō said with a cold sneer.
"Say what you want, but that guy's always pushed himself to surpass the so-called King of Destruction," Atobe Keigo scoffed, glancing disdainfully at the stunned high schoolers.
Back on court, Ishida was already preparing for his next serve. He tossed the ball again and roared. His entire body tensed and swelled further. Veins bulged across his right arm, and his expression twisted with intensity as he shouted:
"Seventieth Form—Hadōkyū!"
"Sensei can now execute every form under the hundredth Hadōkyū as a serve. In terms of raw power alone, he's probably already unmatched across all of junior high," Ichiji Yūji said, his voice excited.
Staring down the incoming ball, Nakagawa didn't dare show a trace of carelessness. He gripped the racket with both hands and used all his strength to meet it head-on. Even so, the moment his racket connected, the sheer weight of the impact nearly knocked it from his grip.
"This kind of power is nothing! Compared to Oni, you're still way off!" Nakagawa roared as he returned Ishida Gin's serve.
"Is that so? Then I guess I've still got a long way to go. In that case… Hundredth Form—Hadōkyū!" Ishida Gin took position deep in the backcourt and shifted into his signature stance.
The tennis ball turned into a thick beam of golden light and blasted toward Nakagawa once more. Nakagawa didn't back down—he stepped forward with both hands on the racket to intercept. But the result wasn't at all what he expected.
The instant he blocked the shot, a sharp numbness shot through both his hands. The racket was knocked clean out of his grip, and his entire body was sent flying backward.
"30-0!"
After scoring, Ishida Gin pressed his palms together and gave a slight bow toward the opponent he'd just sent flying.
"Forgive me, senpai."
"Ah… that really stung. So, what should I do next?" Nakagawa's calm voice suddenly rang out behind Ishida just as he was turning around.
Other than being a bit dusty, Nakagawa stood up completely unharmed. He picked up his racket, gave his neck a casual roll, and walked back to the baseline like nothing had happened—like he hadn't just been launched across the court.
"He took the Hundredth Form and looks totally fine?! Looks like Nakagawa-senpai's physical endurance has leveled up again." Shiraishi Kuranosuke's expression grew visibly more serious.
"Is that so? All the better. Now I don't have to worry about hurting senpai," Ishida Gin replied with a relieved breath as he stepped calmly back to the baseline.
"What should I do next? That's easy—go all out! Hundredth Form—Hadōkyū!" Ishida Gin tossed the ball into the air. As he shouted, the ball blasted toward the opposite court like a cannon.
"Opening with that already? Then I won't hold back either!" Nakagawa flashed into position, gripping his racket with both hands and smashing the rising ball with full force. Veins popped along his arms—he was going all in.
The ball turned into a blur and appeared instantly in Ishida Gin's back left corner, then shot out of bounds at a sharp angle. Ishida Gin could only turn and look.
"30-15!"
"As a pure power-type player, your speed is your fatal weakness," Nakagawa said coldly.
Ishida Gin didn't answer. He launched another Hundredth Form serve. Unfortunately, the result was the same—Nakagawa intercepted it head-on, then fired another high-speed crosscourt shot. The ball slammed into Ishida Gin's right-side corner and bounced out before he could react.
"30-30!"
"I'll admit, I can't match your power. But in this match, you can't win—your speed is too slow." Nakagawa spoke calmly after scoring.
"Speed, huh? Of course I know. My training's always been about fixing my own flaws. And now it's finally time to put it into action," Ishida Gin replied in a steady tone as he steadied his breathing.
Nakagawa frowned. He had no idea what Ishida Gin meant. Slow movement had always been Ishida's biggest obstacle—everyone in the training camp knew that.
Ishida Gin stood at the baseline and took a deep breath. Then his left hand formed a unique seal. A strong surge of mental energy spread across his body, and a layer of dark blue aura slowly rose around him.
"Arrival of the Myōō!"
"Oh? That's actually impressive," Yukimura Seiichi said with a serious look in his eyes.
"It's a skill Sensei developed based on a suggestion from Akashi-kun. It's basically a burst-release mode," Shiraishi Kuranosuke explained from the side.
"Kinda similar to my Beast King Aura. Not bad at all," Tachibana Kippei added with praise.
"Using explosive bursts to make up for lack of speed? You really pulled it off, Ishida," Sanada Genichirō nodded in approval.
Meanwhile, Ishida Gin served again—still the Hundredth Form. But this time it carried far more power. Nakagawa still managed to intercept it and shot another high-speed crosscourt.
The ball streaked toward Ishida Gin's left-side corner with incredible speed. But this time, Ishida flashed into position. Afterimages trailed behind him. He dropped into a familiar stance.
"One Hundred and Eighth Form—Hadōkyū!"
With a furious roar, the ball blasted toward Nakagawa like a tidal wave. Nakagawa didn't retreat—he shouted back and charged forward.
A second later, Nakagawa's body was launched into the air. Racket and ball flew out of bounds together. It might have only been eight more forms past the hundredth, but the Hundredth Form was a major turning point. Each added form after that meant a big jump in power. The One Hundred and Eighth Form was nearly twice as strong!
"40-30!"
Even so, Nakagawa stood up without a scratch. He calmly dusted himself off. It was as if that monstrous power hadn't hurt him at all.
Ishida Gin didn't seem surprised. Without hesitation, he served another Hadōkyū. Nakagawa stubbornly tried to counter again with a high-speed return. But now with the boost from Arrival of the Myōō, Ishida's explosive speed was massively enhanced. He unleashed another One Hundred and Eighth Form—Hadōkyū and once again sent Nakagawa flying.
"Game! Ishida Gin! 1-0!"
"Ishida Gin, third-year regular of Shitenhōji. Power: 7, Speed: 1—can reach 4 during bursts. Stamina: 3, Technique: 2, Mental: 6. Total: 19–22," Kurobe Yukio read out the five-attribute data freshly delivered by the tactical team.