After the match between Yamabuki and Hyōtei ended, Akashi curiously asked Banji about Dan Taichi. He remembered that in the original story, Dan's strength wasn't this high—maybe just slightly better than the background characters.
After chatting with Banji for a bit, Akashi finally figured out the reason. It all boiled down to the butterfly effect caused by his own interference. Since Akutsu didn't join Yamabuki, Dan never idolized him like in the original.
Instead, Echizen Nanjirō was basically the idol of most tennis fans in Japan. Even after so many years, his legend remained. Naturally, Dan admired him too, hoping he could one day become a top-level player like Nanjirō.
Also, thanks to the rise of players like Akashi, many schools had started taking their first-years seriously—and Banji even more so. He had always been focused on nurturing rookies. After spotting Dan's potential, he gave him extra attention.
He even summarized the training methods Akashi had provided and the experience from U-17's rear mountain training, tailoring a full training program just for Dan. Since Dan liked Nanjirō, Banji also gave him footage and records from Nanjirō's school days.
Little by little, Dan began to mimic Nanjirō's playing style. Banji didn't stop him—while it's ideal to have your own style, there's nothing wrong with learning from the strong early on. Especially when it came to someone like Nanjirō.
It was the same with Ryōma and Tezuka. Both of them had traces of Nanjirō's style. Ryōma basically followed his father's path. Though his techniques looked original on the surface, by the end of the original story, whether it was Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami or dimensional-style tennis, they weren't much different from Nanjirō's.
The next day, at the tournament park, neither Fudomine nor Hyōtei had arrived yet. Their match was scheduled for the afternoon. While Yamabuki and Ginka had a match in the morning, the result was obvious—Yamabuki would win easily.
No one knew what Ginka was thinking, but maybe since they had already qualified for the Kantō Tournament, they didn't care anymore. Claiming a mass food poisoning, they straight-up forfeited the match, letting Yamabuki take third place without lifting a finger.
Spectators who came to watch weren't happy, but thankfully, there was still the afternoon final—today's real highlight. People decided to wait it out.
Around noon, Fudomine and Hyōtei finally arrived at the venue. Seigaku also showed up to watch, even though their matches were over—they didn't want to miss the Fudomine vs. Hyōtei clash. Plus, they had to attend the award ceremony later.
As the lunch break ended, the finals of the tournament were about to begin. Many spectators gathered around the court, and with both teams arriving, the place became packed.
When Fudomine and Hyōtei's starting players entered the court, the crowd erupted in cheers. Hyōtei's members stood out, shouting their synchronized chant loud and clear.
Before the match started, Akashi greeted Sakaki Tarō, then glanced at Atobe without saying a word and returned to his coach's bench. Surprisingly, Atobe didn't trash-talk anyone before the match either.
The referee soon arrived. Seeing that both teams were ready, he didn't delay and officially announced the start of the final.
"Next is Doubles Two. Fudomine's Tezuka Kunimitsu and Liliadent Krauser versus Hyōtei's Oshitari Yūshi and Mukahi Gakuto. Players, please enter the court!"
Atobe's heart sank when he saw Fudomine's lineup. It looked like they had no shot in either doubles match—he'd have to rely on singles. But the bigger question was whether Akashi would even play today.
The four players stepped onto the court. Following the referee's instructions, they walked up to the net and bowed. Oshitari looked at Tezuka and said:
"Didn't expect to see you in Doubles Two, Tezuka."
"Let's go all out. No need to hold back," Tezuka replied with a serious expression.
"Tch. Two poker-faced guys," Mukahi grumbled.
Krauser shot him a cold glare but didn't say anything. He was well aware of Mukahi's big mouth. He'd just teach him a lesson during the match.
They moved on to the coin toss. Oshitari won and chose to serve first. All four players then turned and walked to their respective positions. In truth, both Oshitari and Mukahi were incredibly nervous—they didn't have much hope for the outcome.
Oshitari stood at the baseline, staring at the expressionless duo across the court. He tried to calm himself as he tossed the ball, using his wrist to increase spin. His racket sliced sharply downward at the moment of impact, giving the ball heavy rotation.
The ball flew over the net and dropped quickly toward Tezuka's front court. Just as Tezuka stepped into position to return it, the ball skimmed the ground and shot out of bounds.
"Tannhauser Serve!"
"15-0!"
Tezuka looked a little surprised and glanced toward the Hyōtei bench where Atobe sat, then quietly returned to position, ready for the next serve.
Akashi wasn't surprised at all. He had given the Tannhauser Serve training method to Sakaki Tarō long ago, so it wasn't shocking that someone else on Hyōtei could do it. In fact, within Hyōtei, only Oshitari could truly execute the Tannhauser Serve—Jirō was still a bit lacking.
Oshitari went for the Tannhauser Serve again on the second point, but this time Tezuka calmly returned it. He had just been caught off guard before—it didn't mean he couldn't handle the serve.
After scooping up the ball, Tezuka immediately fired a diagonal drive, sending the ball straight to Oshitari's backhand corner. Oshitari chased it down and returned quickly, but by then, Tezuka had already activated his zone. The ball flew directly into Tezuka's forehand path.
The moment he struck the ball, a rainbow-colored glow radiated from his left hand. He had activated Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami. The ball was returned with multiplied force, catching Mukahi completely off guard at the net—he could only watch as the ball shot past the sideline.
"15-15!"
From there, Tezuka maintained control with his zone, keeping Oshitari and Mukahi scrambling. Krauser barely had to do anything, simply maintaining position and watching from the side.
"15-30!"
"15-40!"
"GAME! Fudomine! 1-0!"
Using his zone and Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, Tezuka alone completely suppressed both opponents. Of course, this was also thanks to Tezuka reaching the half-step world-class level.
Tezuka's Ultimate Zone was slowly nearing completion. Once he perfected it, he would likely break through to the world-class stage.
Unlike Akutsu or Tachibana Kippei, Tezuka didn't use the super sweet spot for destructive power but to enhance the ball's spin—that was the foundation of his Ultimate Zone.
The second game was Tezuka's serve. As expected, he used four consecutive Zero Shiki Serves to win the game. So far, no one had managed to counter that technique. As for Akashi, no one had seen him serve yet, so it remained a mystery.
"GAME! Fudomine! 2-0!"
In the third game, Mukahi tossed the ball low into the air, swung his racket, and then rushed to the net after serving. The ball crossed the net and headed straight for Krauser's forecourt.
Krauser moved into position and struck a powerful topspin shot, giving the ball intense vertical rotation. Mukahi, already at the net, instinctively reached to block—but the violent spin made him lose grip on his racket.
"Wirbel Taufe!"
Mukahi's racket was sent flying high into the air as the ball, still spinning fiercely, shot out of bounds and slammed into the wire fence, startling the spectators.
"0-15!"
Oshitari looked across the court, realizing what was happening. It seemed their opponents were going for a quick win with sheer overwhelming strength.
But what followed confused him. Krauser continued using Wirbel Taufe every time, repeatedly sending Mukahi's racket flying. He never once aimed at Oshitari. Meanwhile, Tezuka just stood quietly in the backcourt, almost as if he were waiting for something.
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
"GAME! Fudomine! 3-0! Change courts!"
During the break, Akashi looked at the returning Tezuka and asked,
"How is it? Any progress?"
"Still a bit more… but I'm close," Tezuka replied seriously.
"Alright. Liliadent, give it your all too," Akashi said to Krauser.
"I know," Krauser replied with equal seriousness.
The break ended quickly. The fourth game was Krauser's serve. He tossed the ball high and launched a powerful serve straight to the opponent's back corner.
Mukahi rushed to intercept and barely returned it with a drive shot. But Tezuka immediately countered, the ball once again infused with the spin of his zone.
Oshitari rushed in and sliced at the ball to reduce the spin, but it was no use. At Tezuka's current level, his zone's rotation couldn't be neutralized that easily. The ball flew over the net and was pulled back by the vortex around Tezuka.
Just as everyone thought Tezuka would once again dominate with his zone like in the first game, Krauser suddenly stepped into the ball's path and unleashed a ferocious shot.
The ball rocketed toward Mukahi at the net. He reflexively jumped to block it—but that all-too-familiar sensation came again. His racket was knocked from his hand once more.
"15-0!"
The rest of the game followed the same pattern. Every time, Krauser intercepted balls drawn by Tezuka's zone and responded with Wirbel Taufe. Everyone watching assumed it was a tag-team move between Tezuka and Krauser.
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
"GAME! Fudomine! 4-0!"
Fifth game. It was Oshitari's serve. Standing at the baseline, he was already losing hope. It seemed even the two of them together couldn't beat just Tezuka—let alone factoring in the powerhouse Krauser.
Oshitari served a standard fast ball. His wrist could only handle four Tannhauser Serves per match. As the ball flew into Fudomine's court, Tezuka quickly returned it, once again with zone-infused spin.
Mukahi, seeing that it wasn't Krauser who returned the ball, jumped up and smashed it back using his momentum. But the ball still got pulled into Tezuka's zone trajectory.
This time, Krauser didn't step in. As the ball reached Tezuka, a huge tornado suddenly surged around him, completely engulfing his figure. Tezuka swung at the ball from within the swirling vortex, imparting an incredibly complex and special rotation. The ball tore toward the opposing court.
"Ultimate Zone!"
In that moment, Tezuka finally completed the perfection of the Ultimate Zone through his resonance with Krauser. Although they hadn't triggered the Infinite Tornado, this was already more than enough. Given their current strength, pulling off the Infinite Tornado would probably be impossible anyway.
Oshitari didn't hesitate when the ball came flying his way. He sliced at it once again, refusing to give up. To his surprise, he found he could now easily neutralize the zone's spin. However, the ball still carried a different type of spin as it flew toward the opposite court.
Tezuka watched Oshitari's return and lowered his racket, showing no intention of responding. Krauser did the same. Just as Oshitari and Mukahi started to feel confused, the ball suddenly curved in midair and veered straight out of bounds.
"Out! 0-15!"
Oshitari stood there, stunned. He was sure he hadn't mishit it. That meant Tezuka must've done something when returning the ball to cause it to fly out by itself.
But he couldn't figure out what. How could anyone manipulate a ball to go out all on its own? There wasn't time to dwell on it—the umpire was already urging him to serve.
As he prepared to serve, Oshitari made a decision: he had to figure out what had just happened. So he entered Closed Mind and activated the standard Muga no Kyōchi.
Stacking both buffs—this was Oshitari's strongest trump card. Borrowing the power of Muga, he unleashed a Scud Serve modeled after Scud Serves's Ōtori Chōtarō. In fact, his version was even faster than Ōtori's.
The ball blasted toward Tezuka's right side at over 215 kilometers per hour, but Tezuka simply blinked to the landing spot. A massive tornado rose up around him again. With a single backhand, he sent the ball spinning toward the opposite side.
The ball carried an extraordinarily complex spin as it flew into Hyōtei's court. Mukahi rushed forward to intercept, but Oshitari stopped him. Oshitari dashed to the net, leapt off one foot, and slammed his racket down onto the incoming ball. It exploded into over a dozen afterimages that roared toward the other side.
"Abare Dama!"
Yet Tezuka stood motionless, not even attempting to return them. The ball shadows twisted into bizarre arcs in midair and scattered wildly out of bounds, like flower petals flung into the wind.
"Out! 0-30!"
Chitose watched the strange scene unfold on court, then glanced at Akashi, who remained calm and composed. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked,
"What is this move Tezuka's using? Is it that Ultimate Zone he's been trying to perfect?"
"That's right. This is the final form of Tezuka's Zone—Ultimate Zone," Akashi nodded.
"When he hits the ball, he applies two types of spin simultaneously. If the returner manages to cancel the regular zone's spin, the remaining reverse spin will force the ball out of bounds. But if they cancel the reverse spin instead, the zone spin will pull the ball back to Tezuka's side," Akashi explained the basics.
"So as long as Tezuka maintains Ultimate Zone, he's unbeatable!" Tachibana Kippei said excitedly.
"In theory, yes. But it's not entirely unbreakable—just extremely difficult," Akashi replied calmly.
From the sidelines, Echizen Ryōma stared at the strange scene on the court, confused. He'd heard Fuji explain Tezuka's Zone earlier, but this was something else entirely. He looked again to Fuji and Inui for answers.
But even they had no explanation. Fuji watched Tezuka with a solemn expression, a storm of emotions in his eyes. Inui, meanwhile, scribbled furiously in his notebook, as if solving a highly complex equation.
In the Hyōtei players' box, Atobe Keigo's eyes were locked on Tezuka. He was certain—if he had to face Tezuka now, he'd probably lose. This Ultimate Zone, along with Tezuka's regular Zone, completely countered both his World of Ice and his strongest techniques.
It was clear now: Tezuka had firmly claimed the position of second only to Akashi. Even if Yukimura Seiichi faced Tezuka now, the odds were not in Yukimura's favor. The chances of losing were high.
"Out! 0-40!"
"GAME! Fudomine! 5-0!"
The score had already reached 5-0. Tezuka, using Ultimate Zone, had dismantled every move Oshitari and Mukahi threw at him.
No matter what technique Oshitari unleashed through Muga, the result was always the same—either the reverse spin launched the ball out of bounds, or the zone pulled it back to Tezuka, resetting the pattern.
It was torture for Oshitari and Mukahi. The Zone was already difficult enough. Now, the ball could even fly itself out of bounds. How were they supposed to keep playing? It was absurd.
But no matter how unwilling they were, it was useless now. The next game was Tezuka's serve—and it would likely be the last.
Sure enough, without expression, Tezuka fired off four Zero Shiki Serves. Oshitari and Mukahi could only stare helplessly, forced to swallow the bitter taste of defeat.
"GAME! 6-0! Match over! Winner, Fudomine!"
As Tezuka and Krauser walked off the court, Akashi smiled at them and said casually,
"Well done, both of you. Go rest. Tezuka, once we're back, make sure you master the Ultimate Zone completely and break through to the world-class level."
"I understand. I'll give it everything I've got!" Tezuka replied seriously.
Akashi had no doubts about Tezuka's talent. He was sure that before long, Fudomine would have its second world-class player.