"So, how confident are you feeling?" Gustave asked with a warm smile as he approached the Yamabuki players.
"Of course we're confident!" Sengoku declared loudly, his voice carrying clearly across the courts. "Our goal this year is winning the national championship!"
The boisterous proclamation immediately drew attention from Hyōtei's side of the venue. Several players turned to stare at the source of such bold claims.
"Sengoku, keep it down," Oishi whispered urgently. "They can hear everything you're saying."
"So what if they can?" Sengoku shot back, his volume unchanged. "Let them know that Yamabuki's aiming for the national title this year!"
The painful memory of last year's final defeat still burned in his chest. He couldn't—wouldn't—let Hyōtei intimidate him again.
Across the court, Oshitari Yuushi leaned toward his captain with a wry smile. "Atobe, it seems Sengoku is still nursing that grudge from last year's loss."
"His feelings are irrelevant," Atobe replied with supreme confidence, adjusting the collar of his warm-up jacket. "Today's victory belongs to Hyōtei, just like this year's national championship will belong to Hyōtei. Nothing else is acceptable."
Atobe's unwavering self-assurance was precisely why he had boldly announced his singles three appearance to Tezuka on the tournament's opening day. Lesser players talked big—champions delivered results.
"That guy never changes," Oshitari muttered, shaking his head at his captain's theatrical proclamations.
After the brief exchange of psychological warfare, Gustave led his Otherworldly group to secure prime seating in the grandstands. With nearly an hour remaining before the official start, he decided to enhance their viewing experience.
"Chan'er, save our spots for a moment," he instructed the well-behaved girl. "I'll be right back."
Finding a secluded corner away from curious onlookers, Gustave quickly returned to the Bamboo Staff. Minutes later, he emerged carrying an enormous bag of sunflower seeds, a bucket of assorted beverages, and several small trash bins secured to his belt with rope.
"Come on, everyone, help yourselves to some snacks!" he called cheerfully, distributing the refreshments among his companions.
"You absolute madman," Chu Zihang said with genuine admiration, giving Gustave an appreciative thumbs-up. "I've never seen anyone turn tennis spectating into a full production like this."
Ace and Luffy immediately rushed forward to help distribute the provisions, their enthusiasm making the entire Bamboo Staff delegation a colorful spectacle among the gathering crowd.
As match time approached, both schools' cheering sections began arriving in earnest. The disparity in numbers was immediately apparent—and somewhat intimidating.
Atobe's family wealth had enabled him to charter over a dozen buses to transport Hyōtei supporters, resulting in hundreds of uniformed cheerleaders filling entire sections of the grandstand. Their coordinated chants and synchronized movements created an atmosphere resembling a professional sporting event.
Yamabuki's contingent, while passionate, numbered barely a hundred volunteers who had made their own transportation arrangements. Still, their matching school uniforms and genuine enthusiasm created a respectable showing against their more numerous rivals.
"Eiji, Oishi," Sengoku approached the Golden Pair with serious intensity. "When you take the court, don't let Hyōtei's cheerleaders get inside your heads. Stay focused on the match itself—that's how they beat me last year."
"Relax, Sengoku," Eiji replied confidently, slapping his teammate's shoulder. "You know who you're talking to, right?"
"We'll be careful," Oishi added with characteristic humility and thoughtfulness.
Meanwhile, Atobe was delivering his own pre-match instructions to Hyōtei's national-level doubles team.
"Maeda-senpai, Takamiya-senpai," he addressed the third-year veterans with respectful formality. "This doubles two match is crucial for setting our momentum. I'm counting on both of you."
"Don't worry, Atobe," Maeda replied confidently. "We'll definitely bring victory back to Hyōtei."
This represented their final year of middle school competition, and both seniors were determined to exceed the achievements of previous captain Ochi Gekko's era. Winning today's tournament would be their first major step toward that goal.
The four players—two from each school—approached the net with fierce competitive energy radiating from every movement. After the customary handshake and coin toss, Hyōtei claimed the serving advantage.
"Hyōtei's Maeda and Takamiya to serve!" the referee announced. "Play begins now!"
Thock!
The crisp sound of racket meeting ball echoed across the stadium as Hyōtei launched their opening attack. The serve blazed toward the gap between Eiji and Oishi—a precisely placed shot designed to exploit any weakness in their positioning.
An ordinary player would have been helpless against such placement, but Eiji possessed supernatural flexibility. He arched backward in an impossible curve, his spine bending like a gymnast's as he somehow managed to make contact and send the ball back over the net.
"Eiji's body flexibility is absolutely ridiculous!" Daigo exclaimed from the stands, his eyes wide with amazement. Though he had met all of Yamabuki's players during their training period, witnessing their abilities in actual competition provided an entirely different perspective.
"Daigo, just watch carefully," Gustave advised with knowing amusement. "This match will definitely challenge your understanding of what's physically possible."
While the Prince of Tennis world lacked the aliens, monsters, and supernatural threats of Daigo's reality, calling it "ordinary" would be a severe mischaracterization. Techniques like the selfless state, sensory deprivation, dimensional shots, and light-speed tennis existed in a realm somewhere between natural talent and outright magic.
Gustave had long since classified this world as "semi-supernatural" in his mental cataloging system.
Despite Eiji's miraculous return, his awkward position prevented him from generating significant power. The ball barely cleared the net, landing in poor court position that immediately invited counterattack.
Hyōtei's players seized the opportunity, with Takamiya leaping high to deliver a crushing overhead smash aimed directly at Eiji's feet. In singles play, the point would have ended immediately.
But this was doubles, and Oishi had positioned himself perfectly to cover his partner's weakness. His racket met the smash cleanly, redirecting the powerful shot back into Hyōtei territory with controlled precision.
The first game continued with fierce exchanges from both sides, neither pair able to establish clear dominance. Though Yamabuki ultimately lost the game, the margin was razor-thin—a single point separating victory from defeat.
"We can actually compete with them!" Eiji said excitedly as they switched sides. Coach Banji had warned them that Hyōtei's doubles team represented genuine national-level competition, with three years of elite tournament experience. The fact that they could match such veterans point-for-point seemed incredibly promising.
"Those two are seriously underestimating Maeda-senpai and Takamiya-senpai," Atobe observed with quiet amusement, watching the Golden Pair's celebration from his bench position.
The second game belonged to Yamabuki's serve, and they leveraged that advantage to claim victory and tie the score 1-1. Their supporters erupted in enthusiastic cheers, sensing genuine hope for an upset.
"Go, Eiji! Go, Oishi!" Most of the Yamabuki bench—excluding only the tactical minds of Coach Banji and Captain Tezuka—joined the enthusiastic support, their voices carrying across the stadium.
"What kind of strategy is Hyōtei employing?" Coach Banji murmured, his experienced eye studying the opposition's bench. "This playing style is completely different from their usual approach."
Across the court, Hyōtei's coach Sakaki Taro maintained his characteristic stoic expression, arms folded as he observed the proceedings with clinical detachment. His expensive suit and emotionless demeanor gave no hints about his team's true intentions.
"Gustave, it looks like Eiji and Oishi are evenly matched with their opponents," Conan observed from the stands, his detective's analytical mind working to assess the tactical situation.
"That's how it appears," Gustave agreed cautiously. He had never encountered these particular Hyōtei players in his knowledge of the original timeline, leaving him unable to predict their full capabilities or strategic approach.
Based purely on current court action, determining whether the Golden Pair could secure this crucial opening victory remained impossible.
The third game followed an identical pattern to the first—extended rallies and fierce competition resulting in another narrow Hyōtei victory. The fourth game saw Yamabuki respond with their own hard-fought win, though the effort required seemed significantly greater than their second game success.
At 2-2, both teams retreated to their benches for the standard hydration break, the stadium atmosphere electric with anticipation.
"Eiji, Oishi, keep it up!" Kawamura encouraged, handing water bottles to both players. "You can definitely defeat them!"
"No problem at all!" Eiji declared confidently, his natural optimism undimmed by the match's intensity.
Meanwhile, in Hyōtei's rest area, Atobe's calm demeanor suggested no concern despite the tied score.
"Senpai," he addressed the doubles team with quiet authority, "it's time to show them your real strength."
"Don't worry," Maeda replied with a knowing smile. "We've learned everything we need to know about their capabilities."
As the players returned to court for the fifth game, the true match was finally about to begin.