After Atobe's declaration, the stadium remained dead silent. The audience hadn't even processed what happened yet. Only Duke strolled cheerfully to the sideline, picked up Atobe's coat, and carried it back to the team bench.
"Hmph! What nonsense! And you—why are you even picking up his coat?!" Byoudouin snapped irritably, glaring at Duke as he returned.
"Come on, boss~ don't say that. Don't you think that kid's pretty interesting? He kinda reminds me of that guy," Duke said with his usual grin, rubbing his bald head.
Byoudouin fell silent at that. He knew exactly who Duke meant—the French team's Camus. After all, Duke had come to Japan following him and still carried a bit of guilt toward his former captain.
On court, the four players finished their pre-match greetings and began the coin toss. There wasn't much left to say—Tanegashima didn't even know the English players anyway. England won the right to serve first.
"One set match! England to serve first!"
Leon stepped to the baseline, his gaze focused and serious as he looked across at Atobe. He had watched the recording of Atobe's exhibition match against Germany, but even now, he still couldn't quite believe that the incredibly strong player in that video was once his elementary school classmate.
But this wasn't the time to dwell on that. Leon grabbed a tennis ball, tested the bounce, then tossed it high. His left arm drove the racket downward with a sharp snap, sending the ball flying toward the opposite court with good speed.
Atobe instantly read the rough trajectory and dashed to the landing spot. However, as the ball crossed the net, it brushed lightly against the tape, changing both its spin and angle slightly. Though Atobe noticed the shift immediately, it was too late to adjust his swing. He managed only to return a high lob.
Eric, who seemed to have anticipated this, was already rushing forward. He leaped high and smashed the ball down with full force. It shot between Atobe and Tanegashima like a beam of light, bouncing once before flying out of bounds.
"15–0!"
"Ah~ looks like your friend's got some real skill," Tanegashima said casually, not at all bothered by the lost point. With his sharp eye, he could tell that shot had been no coincidence.
"A net-touch serve, huh? That's some impressive control," Atobe replied with an amused smirk, though his eyes were starting to sharpen.
"Thanks for the compliment. I am part of the England team now, after all. You'd better not look at me the same way you used to, Atobe," Leon said lightly, his tone gradually turning serious.
Leon served again, the ball once more grazing the net. This time, the change in angle and spin was even greater. But Atobe had already anticipated it. He waited until after the ball crossed the net before moving, then burst forward with explosive speed, intercepting it perfectly.
Atobe struck back with a powerful forehand, but Leon was prepared. He dashed forward and hit a quick volley toward the right-side gap. The ball clipped the net again and curved sharply, disappearing into Atobe's blind spot.
A moment later, Tanegashima suddenly appeared from behind Atobe, a grin on his face as he intercepted the ball with ease. The instant it touched his racket—it vanished.
Under Leon and Eric's startled gazes, the ball reappeared in their backcourt, bouncing once before flying out of play.
"Halt Destruction Nothingness!"
"15–15!"
"Don't forget this is a doubles match~ If you two keep your eyes only on Atobe-chan, I'll start feeling lonely," Tanegashima said playfully, winking at them after his return.
Leon and Eric exchanged a glance, nodding in silent understanding. Leon stepped back to the baseline and tossed another ball. It brushed the net again, curving toward the center of the opposite baseline.
But as Japan's strongest defensive player, Tanegashima wasn't about to be caught off guard by that. Unlike Atobe, he didn't wait for the ball to cross the net—he predicted its path the instant Leon served and moved early.
Seeing his serve returned so easily, Leon's pupils narrowed slightly. Eric quickly rushed to the net and volleyed the ball down the left sideline.
But in the very next instant, Atobe appeared at the front court and swung down hard—smashing the ball in one clean motion.
The ball shot past Eric at the net and flew straight toward the back corner. Leon dashed to the right and managed to block it back at the last second before it went out of bounds.
But almost immediately, Leon sensed something was wrong. He looked up—and sure enough, Atobe was already leaping high in front of the net. With a fierce swing, he smashed the ball down hard. The impact burst out like a shockwave, the sheer force knocking Eric's racket right out of his hand. The ball vanished into a blur of light and crashed out of bounds through a cloud of dust.
"Gigue Towards Lamentation!"
"15–30!"
"Have you forgotten, Leon? Ore-sama evolves every single day. Even if your strength has improved, your England Team doesn't stand a chance in this match!" Atobe said confidently as he landed, his tone full of pride.
This time, Leon didn't respond. Instead, he glanced toward Eric. Eric gave him a small shake of the head. Seeing that, Leon exhaled deeply and turned back toward the baseline.
Atobe caught the brief exchange and frowned slightly. He could tell they were scheming something. But with both his and Tanegashima's strength combined, no matter what the two planned, victory wasn't within their reach.
Leon's fourth serve came fast—but Tanegashima returned it effortlessly again. This time, though, Leon and Eric both rushed forward right after the serve, taking up a rare double-front interception formation.
Since one held the racket in the right hand and the other in the left, their coverage at the net was wider than that of an ordinary doubles pair. Tanegashima's return was intercepted by Eric, and soon the four entered into a rapid volley exchange at the net.
In this high-speed rally, Leon's net-touching serves played a significant role. Atobe had to focus intensely just to follow the sudden midair spin changes.
After several sharp exchanges, Eric suddenly noticed a large open space behind Atobe. Without hesitation, he aimed for the backcourt and sent a quick drive shot through the gap. The ball streaked past Atobe's side—he didn't even move to chase it.
Just as it was about to hit the ground and bounce out, a crisp smack echoed across the court. From the seemingly empty backcourt, the ball mysteriously rebounded back across the net. Before Leon and Eric could process what had happened, it struck the baseline and bounced out.
"Void Before Birth!"
"15–40!"
"Somehow, teaming up with Atobe-chan really helps me bring out my 'void' ability even better~," Tanegashima said cheerfully, appearing once more with a carefree grin.
Atobe's mouth twitched slightly. He was long past the point of correcting Tanegashima's nickname for him. Through the intense exchanges, he had already gauged his two old friends' current skill levels.
Leon launched his fifth serve—it was another net-touch serve. But to Atobe, it no longer posed a threat. His eyes gleamed coldly as a sharp light flashed within them. The instant he caught up to the ball, dozens of icy spears shot out from his gaze, encircling Leon and Eric.
"Freeze before ore-sama! World of Ice!"
As he spoke, Atobe targeted one of the ice spears and swung with precision. The ball rocketed straight toward the icy formation. Leon instinctively tried to move, only to realize—he couldn't. His entire body was frozen stiff. Eric, startled, couldn't react in time either. The ball shattered the illusory ice and shot cleanly out of bounds.
"Game! Japan leads 1–0!"