After Sengoku broke through to the national level, the thunderous attacks that had been nearly impossible to handle before became manageable, though still extremely difficult. Now he could actually fight back.
The match reached a temporary stalemate. With his morale soaring, Sengoku launched frenzied attacks, winning two consecutive games. It looked like he might actually pull off a miraculous comeback.
"Sengoku, you are a worthy opponent. I was originally saving this technique for Tezuka, but now, for Rikkaidai's victory, you'll be the first to face something as Emperor's Shadow!"
After this declaration, a layer of dark flames seemed to emanate from Sanada's body, radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression.
"What?!"
Sengoku had thought Move like Thunder was Sanada's strongest technique, but he never expected there was still a hidden move - Emperor's Shadow.
Sanada hadn't yet developed this technique when he fought Fuji in their previous encounter, which explained his loss. Now Sengoku would be the first opponent to experience the full power of Emperor's Shadow.
In Yamabuki's rest area, Tezuka watched Sanada with rare seriousness. When Emperor's Shadow activated, all information about Sanada seemed to be blocked - his movements could no longer be predicted.
However, for the current Tezuka, being unable to predict Sanada's actions didn't create too much pressure. He could rely completely on his Zero Serve to prevent Sanada from returning a single ball, and could defeat him head-on through his perfected selfless techniques.
But this was Tezuka - Sengoku on the court faced a completely different situation. After Emperor's Shadow appeared, Sengoku couldn't judge the path of Sanada's shots. Combined with Move like Thunder, Sengoku was rendered completely passive.
Just like that, relying on the perfect coordination between Emperor's Shadow and Move like Thunder, Sanada ultimately won the match 6-3, giving Rikkaidai an excellent start.
"Did I... lose?"
After the match ended, Sengoku collapsed to the ground from sheer physical exhaustion. Looking up at the massive screen overhead, he still couldn't accept his defeat.
Among Yamabuki's three main singles players, Sengoku had always been the weakest. In every crucial match, he lost more often than he won. He'd thought that after breaking through to the national level, he could finally win the opening match for Yamabuki. But in the end, he'd still failed.
Suddenly, a strong hand appeared in front of Sengoku. Looking up, he saw it was Sanada.
"You are very strong. I hope we'll have another chance to battle next time."
"I'll definitely defeat you next time!"
Sengoku grasped Sanada's hand and stood up, his voice filled with determination.
"I'll be waiting."
Sanada suddenly smiled.
"Hey, hey, hey! Did you see that? Sanada smiled? Sanada actually smiled?! Is that still the Sanada I know? Did a ghost possess him?"
The moment Niō Masaharu saw Sanada's smile, he started shouting. He'd been teammates with Sanada for almost two years, but this was the first time he'd ever seen him smile - he didn't even know Sanada was capable of smiling.
Throughout Rikkaidai's team, except for Yukimura, everyone else's reaction matched Niō's shock. After all, their vice-captain was perpetually serious - no one had ever seen him smile.
Hearing the commotion from Rikkaidai's rest area, Sanada's face immediately darkened.
This reaction actually amused Sengoku.
"Sanada, you should smile more often! It's good for your health! Hahaha!"
Sanada's expression grew even more sour, and he directly pushed Sengoku away. He'd thought Sengoku was a worthy opponent, but it turned out he was just as crude as someone like Niō Masaharu.
Sanada and Sengoku returned to their respective school's rest areas. Sanada wore a gloomy expression while Sengoku was grinning. If you hadn't watched the match, you'd think Sanada was the one who lost.
"Hey, Sanada! Smile! Don't be so serious!"
Niō kept teasing Sanada, but the vice-captain refused to acknowledge the troublemaker, simply sitting down and drinking water.
"How boring!"
Seeing that Sanada was ignoring him, Niō lost interest in the teasing.
"Sanada, your knee?"
"It's fine."
While the entire Rikkaidai team celebrated Sanada's victory, only Yukimura noticed that Sanada's legs were trembling slightly when he left the court. This was the aftereffect of Move like Thunder - the tremendous strain it placed on his knees.
"I see."
Yukimura nodded slightly. He understood the toll that Move like Thunder exacted on the knees. As long as Sanada got sufficient rest after the match, he should be able to hold up - unless he'd used the technique throughout the entire game from the very first point.
Shortly after singles three ended, doubles two began. From Yamabuki's side, it was the Eiji and Oishi partnership, while from Rikkaidai's side...
"Oh, it's that bubblegum kid!"
Seeing Marui Bunta stand up from Rikkaidai's bench, Eiji felt quite confident. After all, he and Oishi had defeated Marui and his partner Jackal Kuwabara during the Kanto Tournament. Psychologically speaking, Yamabuki held the advantage.
"Eiji, don't underestimate them."
Oishi saw Eiji's overconfidence and couldn't help but remind him.
"Don't worry, don't worry, Oishi! You know that bubblegum guy over there. We can definitely beat them!"
Eiji waved dismissively, as if he hadn't heard Oishi's warning at all.
Oishi shook his head helplessly. That was just how Eiji was. Though he made the perfect partner, Oishi didn't have any better solution for his casual attitude.
"Conan, I remember you and Eiji made a bet, right?"
After seeing Eiji and Oishi take the court, Gustave called out to Conan with a smile.
"That's right! I have a bet with that guy Eiji."
Conan nodded.
"So who do you think will win this match?"
"Well..."
"I still hope Eiji wins."
Although he'd made a bet with Eiji, Conan genuinely hoped Eiji and Oishi could win the match. After all, if he lost the bet, he'd simply take Eiji on a trip to his own world. But if Eiji lost, Yamabuki would be in serious danger. It wouldn't be easy to turn things around after falling behind 0-2.
"I didn't realize you and Eiji were such good friends!"
"How can I be good friends with that guy?!"
When Conan heard Gustave suggest he and Eiji had a good relationship, he immediately bristled like an angry kitten.
"Hahaha!"
Gustave simply laughed in response.
Looking back at the court, after Marui Bunta stood up, the next person to rise wasn't his usual partner Jackal Kuwabara, but Yanagi Renji.
"Why did they change players?"
The moment Eiji saw Yanagi Renji stand up, his good mood evaporated. During their last match against Rikkaidai, Yanagi had been a substitute and hadn't appeared on court. Yamabuki hadn't expected Yanagi to play when they analyzed the match beforehand.
"Eiji, Oishi, you must be careful! Renji is a data tennis expert - his skills even surpass mine!"
When Inui saw Yanagi Renji appear, a bad feeling settled in his heart. Among all of Yamabuki, only Inui truly understood how formidable Yanagi Renji could be.
"Don't worry, Inui. Eiji and I will be careful."
Hearing Inui's warning, Oishi nodded seriously.