"Mitsuya Akuto… truly a troublesome opponent!" Bertie frowned on the sidelines. He could feel pressure from Mitsuya, not from overall strength but from his use of data.
Bertie Borisovich Volk.
"This is just an exhibition. Q.P. hasn't gone all out yet. Now it's up to him to decide," Volk remained calm. He believed Q.P. would choose the best path.
"But if he shows his true strength in an exhibition, won't that affect the main tournament later?" Bismarck asked with a different view.
"Q.P.'s playstyle is completely different from yours. There's no need to hide so cautiously. As a member of the German team, he must have absolute confidence in his squad. The road to victory will always be filled with thorns!" Volk's tone was strict, but his confidence was clear.
In the fifth game, it was Mitsuya's turn to serve. But instead of heading straight to the baseline, he whispered a few words to Tezuka. Tezuka nodded with a stern face, then unleashed his Muga no Kyōchi, quickly channeling its power to his head to fully activate his brain.
At the same time, Mitsuya at the baseline released a strong surge of mental energy. A milky-white aura streamed from his body and drifted toward Tezuka, surrounding him.
The seven-colored glow around Tezuka flickered wildly when it touched that aura. Suddenly, the simulations in his mind became crystal clear, almost equal to foresight itself.
"Is this… synchronization or resonance? No, something's different…" Akashi's heterochromatic eyes gleamed with golden halos flashing brightly. He had noticed something intriguing.
After finishing his preparations, Mitsuya tossed the ball and unleashed an ultra-fast serve. But just as he swung, Q.P. suddenly called out to Fran:
"Forty-two, one-eighty-one!"
Before anyone could grasp what that meant, Fran was already on the move. He reached the landing spot, and a red flash lit his eyes. A phantom crosshair appeared in his vision.
A. Frankensteiner.
Once the aim locked on target, Fran swung full force. The ball rocketed past Tezuka in the frontcourt, slamming perfectly into Mitsuya's blind spot.
The ball bounced past the baseline, almost striking the wall. But Tezuka's figure flashed behind the line. He swung down hard, adding fierce spin to the ball and sending it flying back toward the opposite court.
"That's… Shukuchihō!" Kite's eyes sharpened from the players' bench as he recognized Tezuka's move.
The ball curved after crossing the net, plunging downward. But Q.P. slid to the front, intercepting just in time. He volleyed sharply into the open right half of the Japan Team's court.
"Down-the-line probability, eighty-five point six percent!" Mitsuya's voice rang out as he was already at the landing spot, lifting a lob high into the air.
The ball soared, and Fran leapt into the sky, locking onto the opponents' opening. He hammered the ball down with overwhelming force.
The ball rocketed toward the ground, but just before it landed, a racket intercepted from below. Using centrifugal force, the return sent it high again, tracing a massive parabola before smashing on the baseline and bouncing out.
"15–0!"
The Japan Team players were stunned at Tezuka's back-to-net form. He hadn't used the Zone's spin but had instead unleashed techniques from Kite and Fuji.
"Shukuchihō… Hōō Gaeshi… Higuma Otoshi! Is that Muga no Kyōchi?!" Fuji's eyes flew open in disbelief.
"No! Tezuka has been sustaining Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami. That wasn't Muga no Kyōchi," Chitose countered firmly.
"I see! Don't forget, Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami itself is a deeper form of Muga no Kyōchi. Who said you can't use Muga's power to copy techniques while inside Saiki Kanpatsu or Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami?" Akashi responded, sounding as if he had uncovered the truth.
"But to maintain Saiki Kanpatsu, all Muga's energy must be focused in the head to activate the brain. In that state, how could Tezuka still use Muga's power to mimic other moves?" Chitose asked in confusion.
"This is what Mitsuya-senpai did before serving. He used the data he gathered to strengthen Tezuka's Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami, while also letting Tezuka have the leeway to mimic other players' techniques! The same thing happened once when Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji played. Looks like they gave Mitsuya-senpai the idea!" Akashi explained again.
"Data output or input can both be used on partners. But for Akuto-nii to apply this move to someone who isn't even a data player…!" Yanagi Renji's calm voice came from behind as he arrived at the court after finishing matters with the medical staff.
"Maybe because his partner is Tezuka, that's why it works," Inui Sadaharu said as he appeared right behind Renji.
Even though Yanagi and Inui hadn't been chosen as representatives, as apprentice analysts for the Japan Team they were still responsible for collecting data courtside. So no one was surprised to see them here.
While they were speaking, Tezuka was pushing the secret of Muga to its peak! He kept unleashing one technique after another, completely disrupting Q.P.'s setup. With Mitsuya's precise data prep, Germany's side was clearly being pushed back.
But Q.P. wasn't going to let that continue. He exploded with raw speed and power, making Mitsuya's data and Tezuka's simulations useless. The score began to climb point by point for both sides.
"30–0!"
"30–15!"
"30–30!"
The crowd was shocked to see the Japan Team holding even against Q.P.—Germany's chief strategist, second only to Volk. Bismarck was strong too, but his fame worldwide couldn't compare with Q.P.
After all, in the German team, aside from Volk, Q.P. had the most popularity. With that "Perfect Quality" label and the aura of Germany's powerhouse team, it was impossible not to stand out.
On court, Tezuka's endless techniques from Muga no Kyōchi kept surprising Q.P., but against Q.P. going all out, their impact was fading.
Mitsuya knew Q.P. was hiding strength, but he hadn't expected this much. It had gone beyond his original projections, and now he was frantically recalibrating all his data.
"30–40!"
"Game! Germany! 3–2!"
In the end, Q.P. and Fran still took the fifth game. Even Mitsuya needed time to rework so much data, and Tezuka alone couldn't hold off Q.P.'s full-force attacks.
"Sorry, Tezuka! That was my prediction mistake. Q.P.'s strength is already near professional level! I didn't expect him to go all out in an exhibition!" Mitsuya admitted, his tone apologetic. He truly hadn't thought Q.P. would take it this seriously.
"This isn't your fault, Mitsuya-senpai. But if that's the case, then we can only fight with everything we have," Tezuka replied. He didn't blame Mitsuya—the German team was the world's strongest for a reason.
The sixth game was Fran's serve. Following Q.P.'s instructions earlier, he had just barely kept up with their rhythm. But as Germany's most watched prodigy, his current showing was being overshadowed by a Japanese middle schooler, and nerves crept into his heart.
He clenched his racket unconsciously, then tossed the ball and unleashed a booming cannon-like serve. Fran had decided to give it everything too.
But the next instant, a dazzling cyan light burst across the court. Within that glow, a golden afterimage flickered past Fran and Q.P. A heartbeat later, the sound of the ball hitting the ground came from behind them.
"0–15!"
"So it really is the Light of Pride… I didn't expect the Japan Team to have such an exceptionally gifted middle schooler!" Volk said softly as he watched Tezuka, who had awakened Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami.