"Kanata, huh? You really fit with him. Both of you like seeing through people's hearts~" Tanegashima looked at the 'Irie' in front of him, his tone helpless.
"So you chose to Illusion me? I wonder how Niō-kun's acting will be~ But I suppose for a trickster like you, acting shouldn't be a problem, right?" The real Irie, seated in the stands, spoke with interest.
"You think too simply. Niō didn't Illusion into you to copy your acting." Oni's eye twitched as he immediately replied.
"Now that's just hurtful, Oni~" Irie said, though the smile on his face didn't fade.
The second game was Fuji's service game. He walked to the baseline and glanced at 'Irie' in the front court. His heart grew uneasy. Niō couldn't replicate the opponent's talent, and the Black Hole placed unbearable strain on anyone except Irie.
But it wasn't the time to dwell. Fuji trusted Niō had his own plan, and through Synchronization, he could sense that Niō had no intention of relying on the Black Hole this round.
"Tanegashima-senpai, your Void is strong. But against a ball you can't intercept… it should be useless, right? Wind technique—Shimei!" Fuji felt a breeze behind him and smiled as he spoke.
Before Tanegashima could understand, Fuji had already tossed the ball and swung down. The serve was fast, but Tanegashima still slipped to the landing point.
Just as he raised his racket, the ball vanished before touching the ground. The sound of impact came a moment later, and the ball was already bouncing out past Tanegashima's back.
"Ace! 15-0!"
Not only Tanegashima but even Omagari turned his head in shock, scratching his head with no idea what had just happened.
"The ball accelerated at the last instant before landing… So Fuji used the wind?" On the bench, Akashi's Emperor Eye instantly caught the principle behind Fuji's new move.
"I see~ You used the wind? That's not something to underestimate~" Tanegashima smiled at Fuji.
"Thanks for the compliment, Tanegashima-senpai~ So, have you figured out the counter yet?" Fuji asked with a smile.
"You'll know if you try again." Tanegashima didn't give a direct answer.
Fuji didn't hesitate, tossing the ball once more. This time, Tanegashima noticed something different—the racket carried a strange vibration as it struck.
At impact, the vibration wrapped around the ball. Tanegashima had already guessed the principle, so he rushed ahead of the bounce, swinging early.
He intercepted it and sent it back, but his expression suddenly stiffened. Across from him, Fuji simply smiled, not even moving, and even 'Irie' didn't react.
"Fault! 30-0!"
This time the ball hadn't accelerated before landing. Tanegashima's early swing violated the return rule, costing him the point.
He chuckled at himself. Losing a point wasn't the problem—he had gained more understanding of Fuji's new move. He already had a rough counter in mind, though unfortunately it was Omagari's turn to receive.
After switching positions, Fuji once again served with Shimei. Omagari locked onto the ball, dashed into position, and swung. But his racket cut air.
"Ace! 40-0!"
"This is really troublesome~ Damn it, spare me already!" Omagari muttered as he adjusted the headband on his forehead, spinning the badge in the center half a turn. The number flipped from 9 to its true mark—No. 6. No one knew why he wore it upside-down in the first place.
Ignoring his complaints, Fuji served another Shimei. Wrapped in invisible wind pressure, the ball flew to the opposite court.
Omagari dashed again. His left hand swung in a clean backhand where the ball should have landed. Empty.
But his right hand had swung first, just a fraction earlier. It looked simultaneous, but the sound confirmed it. Omagari's strike connected, sending Fuji's Shimei back.
The return had barely cleared the net when a Black Hole froze it midair. 'Irie' appeared behind the void, swinging his racket into Omagari's blind spot.
Unfortunately, Tanegashima intercepted the ball just then and used Halt Destruction Nothingness. The ball vanished abruptly in midair, but Fuji immediately activated Light Wind and accurately predicted the general trajectory.
In the frozen time-space, Fuji sprinted quickly to the left side of the court. His body was suddenly wrapped in a breeze, and he swung his racket at the empty air ahead.
The next second, time resumed, and his return was burning with a layer of reddish-brown flame. Omagari frowned at the sight but still moved in to intercept. Just as the ball was about to be blocked, it strangely slipped right through his racket.
"Wind technique—Kitsunebi Ball!"
"Game! Second String Selection! 1-1!"
"As expected of Fuji~ Two new techniques in just one game!" Oishi said with admiration from the stands.
"Looks like captain is doing pretty well!" Ryōma added.
"Oi, little one! You finally snapped out of it? I was worried since you hadn't said a word! Oh, and is Echizen Ryōga really your brother?" Kikumaru, seeing Ryōma speak, immediately pounced and bombarded him with questions.
"Senpai, let go first, I can't breathe!" Ryōma managed to choke out as Kikumaru squeezed his neck.
Leaving aside their antics, the third game had already begun. This time it was Omagari's service game. Though he didn't fully understand why the ball had phased through his racket earlier, it wasn't the first time he'd seen such a phenomenon.
After all, Byoudouin also had similar techniques, so Omagari quickly calmed himself. At the baseline, he tossed the ball high and ruthlessly blasted out an Arashi Tora. Unfortunately, 'Irie' seemed to have expected it, intercepting easily with a Black Hole.
At the same time, cold ice gathered in 'Irie's' eyes, instantly exposing Omagari and Tanegashima's blind spots. Dozens of icicles pierced around them, and 'Irie' aimed at one point to strike the ball.
"World of Ice!"
"You can even mimic this? But too bad, you're not Irie or Atobe! My blind spots aren't that easy to see through~" All the icicles around Tanegashima shattered into powder, and with a single block, he firmly returned the ball.
"If I'm not mistaken, your last two techniques both relied on the wind of the court, right? But now the wind has stopped. How will you respond, Fuji?" Tanegashima asked as he struck the ball at high speed toward Fuji.
Fuji, unyielding, opened Light Wind again and traded blows with Tanegashima.
Soon after, Omagari and 'Irie' joined in too. The rally grew intense, with techniques flying everywhere—balls vanishing mysteriously, Black Holes appearing without warning—the match was deadlocked.
But without wind, Fuji's trump card was sealed. Depending only on 'Irie's' Black Hole, they couldn't hold out for long, and soon fell back into disadvantage.
"15-0!"
"30-0!"
"30-15!"
"40-15!"
"Game! Japan Team! 2-1!"
In the end, Tanegashima and Omagari relied on their overwhelming strength to claim the third game. Seeing this, 'Irie' sighed softly as his figure shifted back into Niō's true form.
Niō had never intended to truly Illusion Irie, since it was impossible to replicate Irie's full strength. He had only hoped to shake Tanegashima's mindset by borrowing Irie's form.
But clearly, it failed. Tanegashima's mental state was one of the steadiest in the First String. Born with formidable willpower, he might not have developed any mental techniques, but his resistance was unmatched.