Danji Date stood at the baseline, already fired up and excited. He went all out with Springtime of Danji, but Ishida Gin didn't hold back either, returning it with the One Hundred and Eighth Form—Hadōkyū.
The two clashed again in a fierce rally. Ban Rikiya just watched with a helpless expression, making no move to interfere, while Kabaji stood still in place. But if you looked closely at his eyes, you'd see the silhouettes of Ishida and Danji flashing in his pupils.
"Awesome! This is great! Summer of Danji!!!" Danji shouted excitedly.
"Two Hundredth Form—Hadōkyū!!!" Ishida Gin roared, not giving an inch.
"0-30!"
"15-30!"
"30-30!"
The points went back and forth. What started as a doubles match gradually turned into a singles showdown between them. Ban Rikiya even walked off to the sidelines, giving up his position, while Kabaji had somehow made his way to the baseline without anyone noticing.
"Game! Second Team Challengers lead 1-0!"
In the end, Ishida Gin broke serve and claimed the first game. Danji wiped the sweat from his face. Even though it was just one game, he had used full power and felt the toll on his stamina.
"You've improved a lot, Ishida-kid! That shot was so heavy, my wrist's still tingling!" Danji laughed heartily as he looked at Ishida.
"You're too kind, senpai. My wrist's not doing great either," Ishida Gin replied with his usual gentle tone after taking the first game.
"I think you've had your fun now, right? Danji?" Ban Rikiya walked over with a smile and looked at Danji.
"Ah~ maybe not all the way, but it's about time! Ishida-kid, I admit you've got serious power. But don't forget, this is a doubles match. Hope your partner can keep up! Get ready!" Danji glanced at Kabaji, smirking playfully.
"Kabaji's someone I can fully rely on! Right, Kabaji?" Ishida Gin smiled calmly and walked to the baseline for his service game.
"Fssu!" Kabaji nodded stiffly. Before the match, Atobe had told him to fully support Ishida Gin in this game.
Ishida took a deep breath, calmed himself, then tossed the ball high. He poured most of his strength into his left arm and smashed it hard as it came down.
"Eightieth Form—Hadōkyū!!!" With a sharp shout, the ball shot across the net like a firework trailing lightning.
"Hmm~ heavy ball! Your power's legit! But don't underestimate me!" Ban Rikiya zipped into position and intercepted the ball.
Holding the racket with both hands, Ban took a deep breath and exploded with power, returning the Eightieth Form cleanly. Ishida wasn't surprised—he knew Ban's strength. Maybe not quite as much as Danji's, but definitely close.
Just as Ishida was about to answer with another Hadōkyū, Kabaji suddenly flashed in front of the ball, took a strange stance, and slammed the incoming shot.
"Springtime of Danji!"
Danji blinked in surprise. His signature move had just been copied so easily. The form and motion were practically identical to his own.
"Oh? Now this is interesting! Let me test out this shot's power!" Ban Rikiya said with curiosity, jumping in before Danji could react.
He moved to intercept with both hands on his racket, but in the next instant, his eyebrows shot up—something caught him off guard. The next moment, his racket flew out of his hands as the ball blasted past him and off the court.
"15-0!"
"Whew~ guess that wasn't just for show. It's got about the same power as yours, Danji!" Ban looked over at Danji, laughing.
"Huh? That so? Sounds like the two of us just got targeted by a middle schooler!" Danji laughed back.
"In terms of power, Kabaji has no weaknesses! Right, Kabaji?" From the stands, Atobe spoke up with pride.
"Fssu!" Somehow, Kabaji heard him and replied instantly.
After Kabaji revealed his copy technique, the match got even more intense. All four players started unleashing techniques one after another. The high schoolers watching on the sidelines looked pale—like the tennis balls might start flying their way any second.
"How the hell did these two musclehead teams end up matched against each other?!" one of the high schoolers cried out in disbelief.
"Could the coaches have rigged it behind the scenes?" another student blurted out with a wild guess.
"Don't talk nonsense. I heard both teams discussed their lineups and order among themselves. It's probably just a coincidence," a third student behind them chimed in.
What they didn't know was that both teams had their own tactical advisors—Mitsuya, Inui, and Yanagi were all masters of intelligence and formations. This pairing was no accident; it was the result of some strange mutual understanding among the three.
"Game! Second Team Challengers lead 2-0!"
While the crowd speculated, Ishida Gin and Kabaji cleanly took another game, and for the first time, Danji and Ban Rikiya's expressions shifted. Ban glanced at Danji with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
Danji hesitated for a second, then gave a firm nod. Seeing that, Ban dropped his usual smile, and in that instant, his entire aura underwent a drastic transformation.
"Looks like that Ban guy's about to get serious," Oni muttered, watching Ban from the court sidelines.
"To be honest, the real threat in that pair is Ban Rikiya. Too bad he's never revealed his true power in front of middle schoolers," Omagari Ryuuji commented casually.
"Now that's more like it—cripple all those middle school brats!" said Toono with a cruel look in his eyes.
"Judging from the deal I made, something even more interesting might be about to happen~" Kimijima suddenly added with a sly smile.
"What sneaky crap did you pull before the match this time?" Toono asked with disdain, glaring at him.
"What's it to you? You'd better worry about your own match first~" Kimijima replied, completely ignoring him.
On the court, Ban stood at the baseline, cold light flickering in his eyes. He tossed the ball high, his right arm suddenly bulging with grotesque muscle mass. With a fierce swing, he smashed the ball down hard.
The ball zipped over the net and landed deep in the backcourt. By the time Kabaji reached the drop point, cracks had already formed on the court surface from the impact. The ball bounced violently toward Kabaji's right hand.
"Crushing Mountain!"
From the coaches' bench, Akashi suddenly furrowed his brows. That move seemed familiar. If he remembered correctly, it was the signature technique of Yamada Takayuki, a previous U-17 First String player.
Kabaji wasn't ready. The ball struck the handle of his racket directly, sending a jolt through his wrist. The racket flew from his grip and landed far away, while the ball shot cleanly out of bounds.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Tch~ That bastard Ban still held back!" Toono grumbled with irritation.
"Hmph," Oni snorted, shooting Toono a sharp look. That move of Yamada's was originally meant to break wrists.
"You alright, Kabaji?" Ishida Gin asked quickly.
"I'm fine…" Kabaji replied with a shake of his head.
"You two haven't stood on the world stage yet, right? You better get used to matches where it's kill or be killed," Danji said in a low voice.
"I stepped onto the world stage two years ago, senpai, so there's no need to apologize. But… in return, I hope you're prepared as well," Ishida Gin answered calmly.
Then Ban unleashed Crushing Mountain again. At Kabaji's current level, he couldn't deflect it as easily as Akashi had done after two years of training. The technique's full power came through, sending Kabaji's racket flying each time. Fortunately, Ban didn't go as far as trying to break his wrist.
"Game! Japan Team! 2-1!"
"Kabaji…" From the bench, Atobe stared at Ban on the court. His eyes were sharp, like frozen blades.
All the other middle schoolers started to tense up too. Until now, the former Shitenhōji captains' goofy style had made them forget the truth—this was a brutal fight for a spot on the Japan Team. The First String players wouldn't show an ounce of mercy.
"While Buddhism teaches compassion and tolerance… that doesn't mean a Buddha can't get angry! Arrival of the Myōō!!!" Ishida Gin's aura suddenly exploded, his face contorting with fierce determination.