The moment Saeki saw Ishida Tetsu move, he realized what was coming. He quickly called for Marehiko Itsuki to fall back and rushed to the backcourt himself.
Ishida's right arm muscles bulged as he prepared to strike the incoming ball. But in the next second, the Hadoukyu they had expected didn't appear.
Instead, Ishida had used the stance of a Hadoukyu to play a drop shot. Saeki and Marehiko were both shocked and dashed toward the net, but they were a step too late. The ball bounced lightly a few times and stopped.
"0-15!"
After so many matches, Ishida had gotten smarter. He knew many players anticipated his Hadoukyu, so he simply used that expectation to catch them off guard.
This tactic not only helped him take points more easily, it also created pressure for future exchanges. As long as he made the Hadoukyu motion, his opponents would hesitate—was it really a Hadoukyu or just a drop shot?
Of course, if he met someone who could counter a Hadoukyu head-on, this trick would be useless. But from the looks of it, no one on Rokkaku could take on Ishida's Hadoukyu directly.
On the next point, Marehiko served another no-spin shot. Ibu moved quickly into position and hit a sharp crosscourt drive, sending the ball flying to the far left corner.
Marehiko exhaled sharply through his nose and turned to chase it down. He barely reached the ball and returned it with a no-spin shot down the line.
Ishida readied his Hadoukyu motion again. Saeki hesitated briefly but still retreated to the backcourt. Even if Ishida did another drop shot, now that he was prepared, he could probably reach it.
This time, Ishida didn't drop it. His arm muscles tensed completely, and he swung hard at the incoming ball. The ball exploded off his racket with a burst of sparks and lightning-like force.
"Hadoukyu, Type 20!"
Saeki shouted instructions while tracking the ball. In the end, both he and Marehiko moved behind the landing point and joined forces, combining their rackets to block the shot.
But it was no use. The rackets were knocked out of their hands, and though the ball lost most of its momentum afterward, it still hit the ground cleanly.
"0-30!"
After that, Saeki focused on observing Ishida's movements every time Marehiko served. He hoped to identify signs of when Ishida would unleash his Hadoukyu and avoid returning the ball to him.
But Ibu Shinji wasn't just standing around. Even if his temporary paralysis didn't work on Marehiko, his overall ability still exceeded Saeki and Marehiko's by a wide margin.
"0-40!"
Eventually, Ibu caught a small opening in Saeki's form and scored another point. Yet Saeki didn't look the least bit discouraged. He stayed focused, sharpening his insight to the limit.
Because he kept concentrating on Ishida's cues, Saeki was a bit distracted during returns, and Marehiko's coverage wasn't tight enough. In the end, Ibu sealed the game.
"Game, Fudomine! 2-0!"
The third game was Ishida's service game. Since this was doubles, he didn't hesitate and launched four consecutive wave serves—sending Saeki's racket flying.
"Game, Fudomine! 3-0! Change courts!"
After a short break, the match resumed. The fourth game was Saeki's serve. The numbness in his right hand had mostly subsided, and he delivered a well-angled serve.
The ball flew to Ishida's left baseline. Ishida sprinted back and barely reached it in time, firing back a powerful forehand drive.
On the sideline, Akashi sighed. Ishida's speed was still lacking. No matter how much he trained, his natural limits showed. Still, his power had grown fast. In the future, he'd be best suited for doubles—too many weaknesses for singles.
Both sides quickly traded shots. During the rally, Saeki finally spotted a small movement Ishida made when prepping a Hadoukyu. He still lost that point, but a smile appeared on his face.
"0-15!"
From then on, every time Ishida got ready for a Hadoukyu, Saeki would coincidentally send the return to Ibu. This started to frustrate Ishida.
Marehiko was even more straightforward—every no-spin shot was aimed at Ibu. That piled on the pressure. Though Ishida occasionally stepped in to help, they ended up losing the game.
"Game, Rokkaku Junior High! 3-1!"
It had to be said—the special rackets customized for them by oyaji played a big role. They brought out their full power and saved stamina.
In the fifth game, as Ibu stepped to the baseline, a deep red aura rose around him—it was the aura of a beast. He had decided to go all out.
With the beast aura activated, Ibu's serve speed and power increased. His side spin serve gained a noticeable boost. Marehiko couldn't time it properly and lost the point.
"Ace! 15-0!"
On the second serve, Marehiko had adjusted and returned it, but the quality was still low. Ishida seized the moment and unleashed a rare Hadoukyu.
"Hadoukyu, Type 30!"
"30-0!"
But on the next point, Marehiko was ready. His hitting style naturally countered spin-heavy shots, and they fell back into the pattern from the previous game.
Luckily, Ibu's beast aura let him go toe-to-toe with Saeki and Marehiko's dual attacks. Ishida did everything he could to shield Ibu—even refraining from Hadoukyus.
"40-0!"
"Game, Fudomine! 4-1!"
With Ishida holding back on Hadoukyus and fully focusing on covering Ibu, Saeki had no better strategy. All he could do was fight head-on. Ibu showed no habitual movements—well, except for his constant muttering.
"Game, Fudomine! 5-1!"
But in terms of pure strength, Saeki and Marehiko were no match for Ibu and Ishida, especially after Ibu activated his beast aura. They could only watch helplessly as the sixth game slipped away.
The match moved into the seventh game, with Ishida serving. Due to Akashi's restriction, he didn't use wave serves—just normal power serves.
Unfortunately, even without wave serves, Ishida still overwhelmed Saeki and Marehiko. They fought hard that game, but it wasn't enough to avoid losing.
"Game! 6-1! Match over! Winner: Fudomine!"
After the match, Saeki and Marehiko walked over to oyaji looking embarrassed and apologized. But oyaji didn't seem too bothered by the loss—instead, he encouraged them a bit, which helped lighten their mood.
Next was the Doubles 1 match. Fudomine sent out Fuji Yūta and Kamio Akira. Rokkaku countered with Kurobane Harukaze and Amane Hikaru. But their strength was slightly below that of Saeki and Marehiko—especially since Amane was still only a second-year.
For average players, a one-year age gap made a difference. But that only applied to ordinary players. Talented ones usually started shining as first-years.
"Now beginning the Doubles 1 match! Representing Fudomine: Fuji Yūta and Kamio Akira! Representing Rokkaku: Kurobane Harukaze and Amane Hikaru! Players, please take the court!"
As Amane walked onto the court, he kept tossing out cold jokes, making several angry vein-marks pop up on Kurobane's face. After the four greeted each other at the net, Amane still didn't stop.
"Having to play on a Sunday... absolutely unforgivable… totally unforgivable~~" Amane said with a serious expression.
Finally, Kurobane couldn't take it anymore and kicked him in the back of the head, shutting him up. On the other side, Yūta and Kamio exchanged glances—both clearly speechless.
Kurobane won the toss and chose to serve. As the match started, Amane dropped his goofy act and got serious, bending low at the net while Kurobane went to the baseline.
But Yūta and Kamio opened the match at full force. Kamio even activated his beast aura right away, clearly planning to end it fast.
"Game, Fudomine! 1-0!"
Under their aggressive onslaught, Kurobane and Amane couldn't keep up and lost the first game right off the bat. Getting broken early soured both their moods.
The second game was Yūta's service game. Without hesitation, Yūta launched a Big Bang Serve. The sheer force of the shot shocked Amane, who wasn't fully ready and got his racket blasted away.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Ace! 30-0!"
Yūta scored two quick points with Big Bang Serves. On the third serve, Amane was finally prepared. Using his extra-long custom racket to absorb some power and relying on his own decent strength, he managed to return the shot.
But Yūta instantly used Shukuchihō to rush the net and nailed a Super Half Volley. Before Kurobane could even react, the ball was already out of bounds.
"40-0!"
On the fourth serve, Yūta stuck with the Big Bang. This time Amane returned it cleanly thanks to his special racket. Kurobane stayed alert and blocked Yūta's sneak attempt.
Suddenly, Kamio accelerated from the backcourt and, using massive inertia, smacked the ball Kurobane returned with a vicious shot. The ball flew across at lightning speed. All Kurobane and Amane saw was a blur before the game ended.
"Super Sonic Bullet!"
"Game, Fudomine! 2-0!"
The third game was Amane's serve, but things didn't improve. The duo had no answer to Yūta's Shukuchihō and Super Half Volleys, or Kamio's surprise Super Sonic Bullets.
"Game, Fudomine! 3-0! Change courts!"
During the changeover, Kurobane and Amane listened intently as oyaji explained the mechanics of Shukuchihō. Both nodded seriously, thinking how to deal with it in the next round.
In the fourth game, they cut down on net play and lobs, focusing more on cross-court and angled shots. It was clear they'd figured out the weakness of Shukuchihō—it couldn't shift side to side.
But they forgot one person—Kamio Akira. He specialized in lateral speed. While not as fast as Shukuchihō, he was way quicker than most normal players.
With the added boost from beast aura, Kamio went wild this game. He fired off Super Sonic Bullets one after another, leaving Kurobane and Amane scrambling. Speed-type players were clearly their weakness.
They actually fared better against power players. With their own high power stats and those special rackets, they gave Kawamura Takashi and Momoshiro Takeshi a lot of trouble in the original.
"Game, Fudomine! 4-0!"
Kamio's burst sealed the fourth game. Funny how the first match saw Rokkaku countering Fudomine, but now Fudomine had the upper hand.
In the fifth game, not much changed. But a sharp eye would notice Kamio's speed had dropped slightly—just not enough to be obvious.
"Game, Fudomine! 5-0!"
On the sidelines, Akashi noticed this immediately. But there wasn't much he could do. Ishida's speed and Kamio's stamina—these were the weak points they'd been working on forever. Too bad progress had been slow.
Even though they trained hard using Akashi's method, they still couldn't improve their weak points as quickly as other areas. Compared to their strengths, the gap was even more obvious. Sometimes, talent really is a shackle.
In the sixth game, Yūta still wasn't ready to give up and went for another Big Bang Serve. But Amane returned it cleanly again—he did have some skill against power shots. Still, it didn't change the outcome.
"Game! 6-0! Match over! Winner: Fudomine!"
With the referee's call, Kurobane and Amane suffered a complete loss in Doubles 1. They walked off the court, frustrated and disappointed. Even oyaji's comfort didn't help, and he could only sigh helplessly.
Next up was Singles 3. Representing Rokkaku was their new captain, Aoi Kentarō—a player bursting with hot-blooded spirit, always holding onto hope, believing he could turn the tide no matter how desperate the situation.
But this time, he might really fall into despair. His opponent was a monster even by Fudomine's standards—the Silver Wolf, Akutsu!
Nobody knew where the nickname came from, but most players accepted it. With his silver hair and fierce presence, the title stuck.
"Now starting the Singles 3 match! Representing Fudomine: Akutsu Jin! Representing Rokkaku: Aoi Kentarō! Players, please enter the court!"
At the net, Akutsu looked annoyed but still shook hands with Kentarō. The kid's full-of-energy vibe reminded him a bit of Kintarō.
"Akutsu-senpai! Please take care of me in this match!" Kentarō said excitedly with a respectful tone.
"Tch—don't come crying when you get crushed!" Akutsu replied harshly, though there was no hostility in his eyes.
Kentarō won the toss and chose to serve. Seems like hot-blooded kids usually had decent luck. Akutsu just gave him a lazy glance and walked to the backcourt.
"First game, Rokkaku to serve!"
Kentarō stood on the baseline and served quickly. The ball flew toward Akutsu's right baseline, but Akutsu moved with a flash, reached the spot instantly, and struck a clean drive. The ball vanished from Kentarō's sight like an afterimage.
"0-15!"
"Amazing… As expected of Akutsu-senpai. Then I'll get serious too!" Kentarō muttered.
He served again—same spot, same line, overlapping perfectly with the first. Akutsu frowned, casually returned it, and once again, the ball flew too fast for Kentarō to react. He could only stand there, stunned.
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
"Game, Fudomine! 1-0!"
Kentarō quickly lost his serve, but his face showed no disappointment. He was still full of energy and hope as he waited for Akutsu's serve.
But he couldn't catch up at all. Akutsu's normal serves, already hitting over 210 km/h, were on another level. His strength was almost world-class.
"Game, Fudomine! 2-0!"
Oyaji had tried teaching Akutsu the way of Shuradō, but the word "mercy" wasn't in Akutsu's vocabulary. Not using Glowing Shot against someone familiar was already him being "considerate."
In the third game, Kentarō still kept serving to the same spot. This annoyed Akutsu—was the kid looking down on him? Still, for oyaji's sake, he held back and didn't punish him with Glowing Shot.
"Game, Fudomine! 3-0! Change courts!"
Akashi saw Akutsu walk off with irritation and smiled. He briefly explained Kentarō's style, which calmed Akutsu a bit—though he still looked ticked off.
As they switched courts, Akutsu passed by the Rokkaku bench and suddenly heard oyaji's voice.
"You saw the door before, right? Why not try opening it in this match?"
"You serious? That kid's one of yours, isn't he? Did he piss you off?" Akutsu asked, surprised.
"Don't worry about Kentarō. Just don't use anything too destructive. This is a great chance for him to broaden his horizons. With his personality, he won't break down just from facing someone stronger," oyaji said, sipping tea slowly.
"Hmph. Don't order me around. I'll decide how I want to play," Akutsu scoffed and stepped back onto the court.
In the fourth game, Akutsu continued serving at a pace Kentarō couldn't handle. But he noticed Kentarō's eyes still burned with defiance and confidence.
"Game, Fudomine! 4-0!"
In the fifth game, even after changing sides, Kentarō kept aiming for Akutsu's right baseline. This was his sniper tennis—placing every shot at the same spot to show off his control.
But Akutsu's power was overwhelming. Kentarō couldn't handle it. No matter how hard he chased, he kept losing points. Nothing changed.
"Game, Fudomine! 5-0!"
The match was down to the final game. Akutsu's serves stayed fast. Kentarō never gave up, still chasing every ball with determination. He believed he could turn it around.
"15-0!"
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
Now at match point, Akutsu looked across the net at Kentarō—still brimming with hope. For the first time, a trace of respect appeared on Akutsu's face.
Suddenly, his aura shifted. A faint silver light wrapped around his body. Then something shocking happened—Akutsu split into three figures, each preparing to serve in a different stance.
"Ashura Path—Eighth Consciousness!"