Because of their encounter with Rikkaidai in the last Kanto Tournament final, Coach Banji realized that against a powerhouse school like Rikkaidai, the only path was to fight with everything they had. But that didn't mean he shouldn't put careful thought into his lineup strategy. To gain every possible advantage against Rikkaidai, Coach Banji had spent considerable time planning his approach.
The same was true for Rikkaidai. Facing Yamabuki, a team as well-rounded and dangerous as themselves, Yukimura and Sanada had carefully deliberated their strategy before the match.
"I wonder who they'll put in singles three? I'm really looking forward to it!"
In Rikkaidai's rest area, Marui Bunta chewed his bubble gum while casually scratching his back with his tennis racket.
"Unless they're bold enough to put Tezuka in singles three, our chances of winning are pretty high!"
Yagyu Hiroshi adjusted his glasses with confidence.
"According to my calculations, if Tezuka Kunimitsu appears in singles three, our probability of victory is zero percent. If Fuji Shusuke takes the court, we have a sixty-two percent chance. If Sengoku Kiyosumi plays, our victory is one hundred percent guaranteed."
Yanagi Renji flipped through his data notebook, filled with statistics he'd collected from their previous match against Yamabuki and recent observations.
"Renji, you actually said if Tezuka shows up in singles three, we have zero chance of winning? How bold of you!"
Niō Masaharu playfully snatched Yanagi's notebook, flipping through the recorded data with mischievous glee.
The reason for Niō's teasing was obvious - the player representing Rikkaidai in today's singles three match was Sanada Genichirō himself.
His crushing defeat remained a thorn in Sanada's heart. In the last Kanto Tournament final, Sanada had lost to Fuji in singles two, leading to Rikkaidai's complete defeat. After that tournament, Sanada had put himself through hellish training, determined to defeat his opponents and reclaim the championship from Yamabuki.
Hearing Niō's mockery, Sanada chose to ignore the troublemaker. After all, during their school days, Niō was the only one who dared challenge his authority so brazenly. Getting angry would only play into his hands.
Seeing that Sanada wouldn't take the bait, Niō shrugged with disappointment, returned the notebook to Yanagi, and wandered off whistling.
"Sanada, who do you think Yamabuki will field in singles three?"
Yukimura approached Sanada, gazing toward Yamabuki's rest area with interest.
"Ideally, they'll put Tezuka in singles three. If I can defeat him here, Rikkaidai's path to defending our title will be clear."
Sanada's reply was cold and determined.
Hearing this, Yukimura simply smiled. He'd witnessed all of Sanada's grueling training since their loss to Yamabuki, the desperate effort to overcome his defeat.
But when the announcement came over the speakers, Sanada felt a pang of disappointment. Yamabuki's singles three player wasn't Tezuka or Fuji, but Sengoku.
Against Rikkaidai, Coach Banji's strategy was to return to their regular lineup. Rikkaidai had surely expected Yamabuki to shake up their formation for the final. By staying predictable, Coach Banji had caught them off guard.
Indeed, after hearing that Sengoku would face them in singles three, everyone except the disappointed Sanada showed surprise.
On Yamabuki's side, learning his opponent would be Sanada, Sengoku's usual carefree expression turned serious and focused.
"Hey, Sengoku! You've got this! You have to beat that stone-faced guy!"
From the stands, Luffy shouted enthusiastically. After all, Sengoku was the one who'd taken him honey hunting - they'd grown close.
"Don't worry, little Luffy!"
Sengoku turned around with a grin, flashing Luffy an encouraging thumbs up.
"Players, please take your positions!"
As the referee's whistle sounded, Sanada and Sengoku walked toward center court.
Among Yamabuki's three singles players, I'm the weakest. I don't have Tezuka and Fuji's natural talent. Only hard work can bridge the gap between us. Win or lose, I'm going to make sure my opponent and everyone watching remembers my name - Sengoku Kiyosumi!
Amid all the crowd noise, Anya heard Sengoku's determined thoughts.
"Brother Gustave, something's wrong! Anya looks terrible!"
Gustave had been focusing intently on the court when Yang Chan's cry caught his attention. He turned to see Anya's face had gone deathly pale.
Using her telepathic powers in a venue packed with tens of thousands of people, the cacophony of voices had overwhelmed Anya, leaving her looking miserable.
"Tom!"
Gustave called out, pulling Tom from Ai's arms and quickly enveloping their group with something like an electromagnetic barrier. This was one of Gustave's newly developed abilities - an electromagnetic camouflage screen.
Tom immediately produced his universal stethoscope and began examining Anya. After his checkup, he gestured to Gustave:
The examination showed Anya was fine, just weakened. Tom pulled out a small red pill and popped it into Anya's mouth. The effect was instantaneous - she returned to normal immediately.
"Anya, what happened just now? Do you need me to take you back to rest?"
Gustave asked with obvious concern.
"Brother Gustave, Anya is okay! You don't have to take me back. Anya wants to watch the whole match."
Anya didn't dare admit she'd been mischievous. She'd wanted to listen to Gustave's thoughts to understand the two players on court, but hadn't expected her mind to be flooded with so many voices at once. That's what had made her turn pale and weak.
"Anya, if anything bothers you, you have to tell me, okay?"
"Mm-hmm."
Anya nodded obediently. After this scare, she wouldn't dare be so reckless again.
"But that orange-haired big brother is so cool! Just like in TV dramas, going to battle with the determination to die!"
Anya gazed at Sengoku's resolute figure and found him incredibly handsome, like a scene from her favorite shows.
As usual, the serve was decided by coin toss. Needless to say, Sengoku's luck held strong. Whenever he was around, fortune seemed to smile exclusively on him.
"Lucky!"
Though nervous before the match, Sengoku still tried to boost his spirits with his signature catchphrase.
"Too slack!"
Hearing Sanada's sudden, lecture-like words, Sengoku looked confused. Wouldn't it benefit Sanada if he stayed relaxed?
At that moment, Sanada realized this was the national tournament final, not Rikkaidai's practice courts. Seeing Sengoku's casual demeanor, he'd instinctively shouted his criticism. How embarrassing.
"Hahaha! Did you hear that? The match hasn't even started and Sanada's already lecturing Yamabuki's players! Hahaha! Is Vice-Captain Sanada's authority reaching all the way to Yamabuki now?"
Niō Masaharu clutched his stomach, laughing hysterically. If he weren't mindful of the crowd, he would've run up to Sanada for some friendly harassment.
Hearing Niō's laughter, even Sanada couldn't help but blush. That had been truly mortifying.
"Ahem... let's give it our best effort!"
Sanada coughed twice and extended his hand to Sengoku in a gesture of sportsmanship.
"Haha, absolutely! I didn't realize you were actually pretty funny!"
Sengoku smiled and clasped Sanada's hand warmly. Perhaps this match would take a different direction than expected.