Kintarō saw that Jirō had dozed off again and looked really interested, but the match was still going, so he served first, planning to ask later if there was any way he could learn to do that too.
Kintarō's serve was still full of explosive power—ordinary players couldn't return it at all. But in his sleep state, Jirō's body stored a bit of energy before instinctively hitting back like normal.
The two started clashing fiercely again, just like in the first game. Even though Jirō was unconscious, his body moved more fluidly than before. His grip stayed steady now—no more getting the racket knocked away.
The match grew intense once more. Both sides traded wins and losses, with the score climbing back and forth. Neither could shake off the other.
"40-40! Deuce!"
"40-40! Fudomine leads!"
"40-40! Deuce!"
Before they knew it, the third game had already gone on for nearly ten points. But from the look on Kintarō's face, he was having a blast. He'd never experienced this kind of tug-of-war match before.
When Kintarō took the lead again, he decided to end it with the next point. Akashi, watching from the sidelines, noticed the look on Kintarō's face and already guessed what he was planning. He stood up and grabbed his racket.
Jirō, still asleep, returned Kintarō's serve. On the other side, Kintarō spun in place like a top, and by the time Jirō connected with the ball, a huge tornado had already formed around Kintarō—much more intense than the one Tezuka had earlier.
The tornado quickly spread across Kintarō's whole court. Once the ball crossed the net, it got swept high into the air. The next second, Kintarō burst out from the tornado, flipping through the air. At the peak of his jump, he slammed his racket down hard on the ball.
"Watch this move—Super Invincible Absolutely Delicious Grand Wheel Mountain Storm!"
As Kintarō struck the ball, red light surged across the entire court, centered on him. The tennis ball shot toward Jirō's side like a flaming meteor, packed with massive energy.
Still in sleep mode, Jirō instinctively dodged to the side. The ball crashed into the court, blasting up a thick cloud of smoke. Akashi instantly moved to the fence behind Jirō.
The rebounding ball didn't lose momentum—it flew straight toward the outer fence. But it was suddenly stopped cold by a racket. Amid the smoke, Akashi's jacket flapped wildly in the wind. Thankfully, the power in the ball dissipated within seconds.
As the now slightly deformed ball dropped to the ground, the crowd around them coughed nonstop. The smoke was too strong. Only once it cleared did everyone regain their vision.
"Game! Fudomine! 2-1! Switch sides!" the umpire announced, after glancing at the damage the ball had done to Hyōtei's court.
During the break, Akashi slowly walked back to the bench and looked at the still-excited Kintarō.
"Kintaro, did you enjoy the match today?"
"Yeah yeah yeah! It was so fun! This kind of match is the best!" Kintarō grinned from ear to ear.
"That's good. Do you remember what Granny Sugi told you?" Akashi smiled and asked.
"I do!" At the mention of Granny Sugi, Kintarō's smile faded slightly, and he answered more seriously.
"Good. Then just keep enjoying the rest of the match. Follow your instincts," Akashi encouraged him.
On the other side, Jirō had been taken off-court by Kabaji and finally woke up. When he saw the score, he was a little surprised. He didn't expect to lose the third game even in sleep mode—but instead of being discouraged, he got even more fired up.
The break ended quickly. After switching sides, Jirō entered sleep mode again. It was the only way to keep up with Kintarō now. As he served, his body instinctively rushed to the net.
Kintarō didn't hesitate either and went all-in on his attack. The sound of balls being struck and Kintarō's energetic shouts echoed through the court.
"Perfect chance! Watch my move—Super Thousand-Kilogram Invincible Mount Tai Smash!"
"Whoa, that was close! But I still caught it! Hyaa!"
"That's right, that's right! This is how a match should be! Hahahaha!"
"I hit! I'll hit again! Hit hit hit!"
And so, the match between them entered another stalemate. But unlike the last game, it didn't drag on too long. Whenever Kintarō used one of his two signature moves, Jirō's sleeping body would instinctively dodge.
Luckily, even with his insane stamina, Kintarō couldn't keep using those ultra-high-power moves non-stop. So overall, the match stayed balanced at fifty-fifty. That was mainly because Kintarō hadn't completely broken into national level yet.
"Game! Fudomine! 3-1!"
"Game! Hyōtei Academy! 3-2!"
"Game! Fudomine! 4-2! Switch sides!"
"Game! Fudomine! 5-2!"
"Game! Hyōtei Academy! 5-3!"
By the time they entered the ninth game, Jirō's wrist had started to sting. That pain jolted him out of his sleep state. Because of past electric shocks to his wrist, he now woke up reflexively whenever he felt pain there.
Seeing the slight swelling in his wrist, Jirō knew he was at his limit. He probably wouldn't be able to handle Kintarō's powerful returns for much longer.
Even though he had been asleep just now and didn't realize what was happening on court, Jirō strangely felt very happy deep down. That emotion pushed him to keep going—he had no thought of giving up and was ready to battle Kintarō to the end.
Kintarō didn't hesitate. He tossed the ball and did a somersault serve again. Even at this stage of the match, his stamina was still solid—something that would probably make Kikumaru and Hiyoshi cry with envy.
Jirō, now awake, ignored the stinging pain in his wrist and returned the serve with both hands. His face still showed a cheerful smile—he was genuinely enjoying the match.
They clashed again at full strength, but soon, Jirō began to falter. After all, his wrist had taken repeated hits from Kintarō's powerful returns and was now slightly injured.
"15-0!"
"15-15!"
"30-15!"
"40-15!"
Match point came quickly. Just as Kintarō was about to serve, memories of his talk with Granny Sugi echoed in his mind.
Granny Sugi: "Kintaro, do you enjoy playing tennis? Is it fun?"
Kintarō: "Of course! Tennis is super fun! With something this awesome, of course I'm happy!"
Granny Sugi: "That's good. Then promise this old lady—you'll become the world's number one tennis player!"
Kintarō: "Don't worry, Granny! I'll definitely do it!"
Thinking of that, Kintarō came back to his senses. Though he didn't dwell on it further, those images stayed in his mind. Then, just like always, he served with a somersault motion.
Jirō, same as before, clenched his teeth and ran to the bounce point with both hands gripping the racket, forcing himself to return Kintarō's serve. He wasn't thinking about the match point anymore—he just wanted to keep playing.
As the ball flew toward him, Kintarō ran forward. The images in his mind became sharper and sharper. Then he shouted:
"I'm gonna become the number one tennis player in the world! Haaah!"
At the same moment he struck the ball, dazzling blue light suddenly burst from his body, so bright that many in the crowd raised their hands to shield their eyes.
When the light gradually faded, everyone finally saw what had happened on court—Kintarō looked completely different. His hair now stood straight up like a Super Saiyan, and his body radiated a constant flow of blue light, giving off a transcendent presence.
Tōyama Kintarō—Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami
"Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami!" Everyone from both Fudomine and Hyōtei stared in shock. Atobe even shouted out loud.
"Game! 6-3! Match over! Winner: Fudomine Middle School!"
While the crowd was still stunned, the umpire declared the match's end. Only then did they react and look at Jirō's side of the court. A lone tennis ball was quietly rolling out of bounds.
Jirō walked off the court with a look of relief. Atobe immediately had someone bring ice to treat Jirō's wrist. His gut feeling had been right—he wouldn't be stepping onto the court today.
Meanwhile, Kintarō walked back to Fudomine's bench still glowing with Ten'i Muhō. Chitose looked at him with a complicated expression but soon smiled, genuinely happy about Kintarō's breakthrough.
"Kintaro, remember how you feel right now. When we get back, work hard to fully master the Light of Restraint," Akashi said with satisfaction.
To be honest, Akashi hadn't expected Kintarō to awaken the Light of Restraint so quickly. But the match with Akutagawa Jirō had brought him so much joy and excitement that he had unknowingly awakened it on his own.
"Akashi, did you just say Light of Restraint? Isn't it supposed to be Ten'i Muhō?" Chitose noticed Akashi's wording and asked in confusion.
"Yes, Light of Restraint. But calling it Ten'i Muhō isn't wrong either. Internationally, it's generally called Light of Restraint. But in Japan, because of Nanjirō-san, most people here call it Ten'i Muhō. At its core, there's no difference," Akashi explained to Chitose.
Chitose finally nodded in understanding. Tezuka then added, "But I thought Kintaro hadn't even entered Muga no Kyōchi? How did he activate Ten'i Muhō directly?"
"Actually, Muga's secrets were something Nanjirō-san intentionally created as a shortcut for Japanese tennis players. For most, directly comprehending Light of Restraint is too difficult. Starting from Muga and advancing step by step to Ten'i Muhō is slightly easier," Akashi explained calmly to everyone.
Now the others finally understood. So the path of Muga had been pioneered by Echizen Nanjirō himself. No wonder neither Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami nor Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami could compare to Ten'i Muhō.
Though commonly called the Three Secrets of Muga, their power couldn't even come close to Ten'i Muhō. At that moment, Chitose finally let go of his obsession with Muga's power and began seriously reflecting on what Akashi had said about returning to one's original intent.
"Actually, Light of Restraint is just the beginning. There are three more levels beyond it. But for now, Kintaro, your goal is to fully master Light of Restraint," Akashi said seriously to Kintarō.
Kintarō nodded in agreement, though he still didn't quite understand what exactly was happening to him. Slowly, the glow around him faded, and his hair returned to its usual style.
Off-court, Ryōma silently watched as Kintarō was surrounded by the Fudomine team, a strange feeling stirring inside him. Ever since he had awakened Muga no Kyōchi, he'd gone to ask Fuji for details about the deeper secrets of Muga, since he couldn't rely on his dad for answers.
Fuji patiently explained the principles of Muga no Kyōchi, the three gates that opened within its deeper layers, and the abilities that the three ultimate Muga techniques could bring.
Of course, when it came to Ten'i Muhō, Fuji's explanation was vague. Even he didn't fully understand what Ten'i Muhō truly entailed. As far as he knew, only Tezuka Kunimitsu had ever unlocked it. But after today, that list now included Kintarō too.
"So the gap between us is really that wide? But I'll catch up soon. Just watch!" Ryōma muttered, unwilling to accept it.
Fuji, standing nearby, more or less guessed how Ryōma felt but didn't try to comfort him. There wasn't really anything he could say. Honestly, Tōyama Kintarō's talent was just monstrously overwhelming.
After Fudomine's match against Hyōtei ended, the tournament hosts held a small awards ceremony for the top five teams of the Tokyo District Tournament. Those five schools were: Champion – Fudomine, Runner-up – Hyōtei, Third Place – Yamabuki, Fourth – Ginka, and Fifth – Seigaku.
These teams would go on to represent the Tokyo area in the Kanto Regional Tournament. Unfortunately, Ginka wasn't present at the award ceremony due to a "collective case of food poisoning."
After the awards were handed out, Atobe, as prideful as ever, gave a parting remark to Akashi about settling things at the Kanto Tournament before turning and walking away.
Fuji and Minami also came over to greet Akashi before leading their respective teams out of the tournament park. Fudomine's group boarded their bus back to school.
Once the Tokyo District Tournament ended, all the schools returned to their usual training routines. At Fudomine, Kintarō now sparred with Tezuka daily. Tezuka was helping him learn to fully control the power of Ten'i Muhō.
Akashi, meanwhile, began organizing the next joint training camp. This year, he sent official invitations under Fudomine's name to all the schools that had joined previous camps.
The responses came quickly. Every school agreed to participate. A total of seven schools would attend: Fudomine, Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku, Seigaku, Hyōtei, Shitenhōji, Yamabuki, and Rokkaku.
Akashi even covered round-trip airfare for Shitenhōji, personally arranging their flight bookings so they only had to show up at the airport on time.
As for Ryōma's training, Akashi had also given it some thought. He would provide Ryōma with basic training in the five core tennis attributes, but anything beyond that—like potential development—was Nanjirō's responsibility. Akashi wouldn't interfere with it.
On the day of the training camp, regular players from the seven schools arrived one after another at the training estate. Most were already familiar with the place, but four players were here for the first time: Tōyama Kintarō, Echizen Ryōma, Aoi Kentarō, and Dan Taichi.
Kintarō came with Akutsu and had his dorm assignment sorted out immediately. The other three also had their upperclassmen or coaches with them to show them around.
After learning the training rules of the camp, the four first-years quickly agreed to them. But when Ryōma heard that anyone who failed their tasks would have to drink a special punishment drink made by Inui Sadaharu and Yanagi Renji, he couldn't help but shiver.
Meanwhile, Akashi, Yukimura, and Shiraishi were catching up and chatting. Aoi Kentarō, as the new captain of Rokkaku, should've joined in, but since he didn't know any of them, he hesitated to interrupt.
In the end, it was Shiraishi who brought him over and introduced him to the group, helping everyone get acquainted. Later on, Fuji, Atobe, and Minami also joined the captains' conversation.
As the camp officially started, the ones who seemed the happiest were Kintarō and Ryōma. The two constantly sought out strong opponents from different schools to challenge. Kintarō just wanted to have fun, while Ryōma was seriously gaining match experience.
Amusingly, Ryōma even challenged Fuji to a match—and was utterly crushed. He then got force-fed a huge bottle of Inui's nutritional blend, which sent his soul straight to heaven.
Meanwhile, Akutsu, Kite, and Krauser were taken by Akashi to visit the "Old Man" at Rokkaku. Akutsu had already learned to enter the Asura Path on his own, but Kite and Krauser were still a step behind in their training.
That's why Akashi had come to ask the old man for help. Upon seeing the three of them, the old man was clearly surprised—especially at the aura of the Asura Path radiating from Akutsu. There was no way he could miss that. It made the old man genuinely feel that the future of Japanese tennis had promise.
Under the old man's guidance, Kite and Krauser gradually began to gain a new understanding of the Asura Path. But they were still missing a key breakthrough. The old man advised them to try sparring with Akashi.
Once Akashi heard the advice, he understood what the old man was getting at. He took Kite and Krauser to an empty court and had them team up for a doubles match against him alone.
That day, while everyone else at the camp was doing their normal training, it felt like they all faintly heard someone say two simple words—"Zasshu!"