The fourth game was Niō's service game. After thinking briefly, he chose to Illusion into 'Tezuka'. That Mach Serve he'd pulled off earlier had only worked as a surprise. Unless Niō could truly serve at the same speed as Ochi, there was no way he could score against Omagari and Tanegashima.
Omagari stared at the 'Tezuka' before him, fully prepared. He bent low, holding his breath, eyes locked on his opponent. He already had an idea of how to counter that reverse-spin zone. Now was the time to test it.
At the baseline, 'Tezuka' wasted no time. Tossing the ball, he swung, giving it a dual compound spin. The ball flew toward the opposite court carrying a complex rotation.
The moment it bounced, Omagari's racket was already there. With a slicing motion, he tried to cancel as much of the reverse spin as possible.
The ball was returned, but 'Tezuka's' body rose into a towering white whirlwind. The ball, instead of heading out immediately after clearing the net, was pulled by an invisible force midcourt, veering right until it skimmed the sideline and flew out.
"Out! 15-0!"
"Not strong enough to erase it, huh?" Omagari muttered, frowning slightly, but his composure remained intact.
When 'Tezuka' served again with the Ultimate Zone, Omagari strengthened his slice. This time, he returned it cleanly, and the ball showed no signs of drifting out.
But then the whirlwind shifted, a white cyclone dragging the ball back toward 'Tezuka'. With a quick glance at their positions, 'Tezuka' swung his racket upward from below, sending the ball into a lob.
Omagari, already moving forward, screeched to a halt and sprinted back to the baseline. Tanegashima didn't move, trusting Omagari to handle the lob.
By the time Omagari reached the baseline, the ball was dropping fast, striking the line precisely. Just as he prepared to swing, the ball rolled backward on its spin before coming to a stop.
"Zero Shiki Lob!"
"30-0!"
'Tezuka' scored again with surprise, but he knew once Omagari and Tanegashima adjusted, the Zero Shiki Lob wouldn't work anymore.
Facing Tanegashima's return, 'Tezuka' tried a Zero Shiki Serve. As expected, Tanegashima copied Yukimura's method, sweeping it up at the bounce. But with his gift of Nothingness, the ball's spin dissolved completely on contact.
Because of Tanegashima's Nothingness, 'Tezuka's' spin techniques—whether Zero Shiki or Ultimate Zone—were sealed. Once again, the rally turned into raw exchanges.
This time, Fuji used Light Wind to cover for 'Tezuka', shouldering most of the defense. 'Tezuka' unleashed the Radiance of Strong Heart, striking back with rapid counters.
With their Synchronization, they held their ground, no longer sinking as before. They exchanged multiple rallies evenly until Tanegashima seized a tiny opening and scored.
"30-15!"
Fuji and 'Tezuka' were beginning to adapt, and the score climbed back and forth without widening. Still, Akashi on the sideline frowned slightly.
"40-15!"
"40-30!"
"Game! Second String Selection! 2-2!"
At last, thanks to the rising wind, Fuji decisively used Kitsunebi Ball to take the fourth game. But Tanegashima and Omagari barely reacted. They didn't seem bothered by dropping a game.
Sure enough, when the fifth game started, Tanegashima, who was supposed to serve, suddenly vanished into invisibility. Fuji and 'Tezuka' froze, stunned. They had no idea when Niō would serve, or from where the ball would come.
As Tanegashima prepared to toss the ball, Omagari spun his rackets in both hands up front, drawing Fuji and 'Tezuka's' attention. At that exact moment, two nearly simultaneous impact sounds rang out. By the time Fuji reacted, the ball was already out of bounds.
"Ace! 15-0!"
With Omagari distracting them, Tanegashima's technique grew even more devastating. He followed up with his Nothingness and Halt Destruction Nothingness, unleashing three invisible serves in a row.
Fuji and 'Tezuka' were helpless. On returns, they could at least guess based on their own shots, but with serves, they were completely blind.
"Game! Japan Team! 3-2!"
The sixth game began without wind on the court, leaving Fuji unable to use Shimei. He had to rely on a normal high-speed serve. But what followed surprised both him and 'Tezuka'. Omagari and Tanegashima started vanishing frequently.
Each time one returned a ball, the other would disappear, disrupting Fuji and 'Tezuka's' rhythm. On top of that, both Omagari and Tanegashima had strong resistance to the Radiance of Strong Heart, making it nearly impossible to slow their reactions.
That was why Akashi had frowned earlier. He realized Tanegashima, aside from the first game, hadn't really used Nothingness or Reciprocal Void. Now it was clear—he'd been lowering his and Omagari's presence, waiting for the right moment.
That was one weakness of visual misdirection. If you shone too brightly in the spotlight, the effect dropped sharply. Because Tanegashima had stood out early on, he avoided using Nothingness and Reciprocal Void in the following games.
With their seamless coordination and timely invisibility, Omagari and Tanegashima steadily disrupted Fuji and 'Tezuka's' flow. Thanks to Synchronization, Fuji and 'Tezuka' didn't miscommunicate, but they still lost points bit by bit.
"Game! Japan Team! 4-2!"
"Hey, have you noticed? Niō really seems to favor turning into Tezuka today," Zaizen Hikaru suddenly said.
"Now that you mention it… yeah, you're right. Tezuka is super strong and good-looking, but he's not exactly a doubles type!" Konjiki Koharu said thoughtfully.
"Good-looking? That's the point for you? Don't tell me you're trying to cheat on me, Koharu!" Hitōji Yūji snapped back instantly.
"Niō seems to be testing something… could it be the Radiance of Despair?" Yukimura guessed.
"It shouldn't be. Last night, I never showed Niō the Radiance of Despair," Tezuka finally spoke.
"Niō… what exactly are you trying to do?" Sanada muttered, eyes fixed on the 'Tezuka' on court.
While the middle schoolers speculated, the situation worsened for Fuji and Niō. Against the elusive Tanegashima and Omagari, they fell behind again. It wasn't that the strength gap was overwhelming, but the ball kept attacking from impossible angles.
"Game! Japan Team! 5-2!"
"Tanegashima's ability is too troublesome. If we don't find a solution, we can't win this match, Niō-kun," Fuji said, wiping the sweat from his face.
"There's nothing else we can do. All that's left is to give it everything we've got. So… stay sharp, Fuji!" 'Tezuka' replied gravely.
"Hey, Niō kid. Aren't you going to try someone else? Tezuka's abilities are pretty much useless against us now," Omagari called out across the court.
"Thanks for the suggestion, senpai. But until the very end, I won't give up!" 'Tezuka' answered firmly.
"Oh? Is that so? Then don't blame us for going all out. Omagari!" Tanegashima smirked as he called out.
"Geez… give me a break," Omagari sighed in his usual tone, but then a milky-white aura rose from him.
Tanegashima's body also glowed, and soon their auras intertwined. Their pupils turned pale gold, making Fuji and 'Tezuka's' expressions tense.
"As longtime doubles partners, Synchronization is something we can pull off easily!" Omagari and Tanegashima declared together.