With the end of the Singles Two match, Seigaku was now on the brink. If they lost this next Doubles One match, their journey in this year's National Tournament would end here. And waiting for them were Hyōtei's strongest doubles pair—Oshitari Yūshi and Mukahi Gakuto!
Seigaku's lineup for this match was Inui Sadaharu and Kaidō Kaoru. There was still a gap in individual strength—Oshitari and Inui were already national-level players, but Kaidō was only at the Kanto level, while Mukahi was a half-step into the national tier.
On top of that, Oshitari and Mukahi had already mastered Synchronization, which could suppress Inui's data tennis to some degree. That made Seigaku's chances of losing pretty high. Even Ryūzaki Sumire had already realized this.
So before the match, Ryūzaki-sensei didn't pressure Inui and Kaidō too much. She simply told them to do their best. Truthfully, from the very start of this semifinal, Seigaku had already lost in terms of lineup decisions.
If just now it had been Atobe against Fuji in Singles Two, the outcome might have been completely different. Of course, no one could guarantee that Fuji would've beaten Atobe, but at least he had a better shot than Ryōma.
"Up next is the Doubles One match—Hyōtei Academy's Oshitari Yūshi and Mukahi Gakuto versus Seishun Academy's Inui Sadaharu and Kaidō Kaoru! Players, please enter the court!"
As the umpire announced it, the Doubles One match officially began. Unlike Oishi and Kikumaru earlier, Oshitari and Mukahi entered Synchronization mode immediately. They knew both Inui and Kaidō were strong in long matches, so the best strategy was a quick win.
From the start, the match tilted in Hyōtei's favor. Mukahi expanded his coverage at the net as much as possible, while Oshitari activated Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami at the baseline, waiting for the perfect moment to strike!
With the boost from Synchronization, their coordination was flawless. In contrast, Inui and Kaidō had decent synergy—they'd played together for nearly two years—but it still couldn't compare. Even with Inui's data support, they kept losing points.
From Seigaku's bench, the third-years watched Kaidō running relentlessly on the court, refusing to give up. It reminded them of a certain former captain—someone who once sacrificed his arm to give Seigaku even the slightest hope.
'Maybe Kaidō really is fit to be the next captain!' Fuji thought to himself.
"Game! 6-2! Match over! The winners—Hyōtei Academy!"
In the end, Seigaku still lost. Other than two games won by Inui with his serve, they had almost no resistance. Kaidō's special moves were completely ineffective against Mukahi—neither height nor curve got past his defense.
Just like that, Fuji lost his final chance to play, and Seigaku's run in this year's Nationals came to an end. The "three little ones" looked especially downcast, and the most important one—Ryōma—completely shut down. Even after arriving at the Rikkai vs. Fudomine match site, he still hadn't recovered.
Alright, let's shift our focus back to the Rikkai vs. Fudomine court. The Doubles One match was underway. This was Rikkai's last hope—but the scoreboard numbers made all of their players look grim.
Fudomine 5-1 Rikkai!
That's right—the match was almost over. The next to serve was Krauser. Across from him, Marui and Jackal were in bad shape. Though still synchronized, Marui was hunched over, gripping his knees from exhaustion. Jackal's stamina was holding up, but his body was covered in bruises.
"Synchronization really is a god-tier doubles skill," said Kite coldly, his body glowing with a faint violet light.
"But the players' own strength is what decides the outcome. In short... you're too weak." Krauser's icy voice followed, his figure wrapped in deep blue light.
On Rikkai's bench, Kirihara ground his teeth in frustration. He wanted to criticize Kite and Krauser's overly aggressive playstyle—but given his own performance, he had no room to talk.
Despite how terrible Jackal looked, his injuries were mostly superficial. As long as they applied ice right after the match, he'd recover in a day or two. Both Kite and Krauser were well aware of their limits.
"Earlier, when Marui used Wonder Castle to cover for Jackal, he burned through too much stamina. He probably won't recover in time now," Yagyū sighed.
"Jackal let his guard down. Trying to block a Dark Side head-on was a mistake," Sanada said with a frown.
"Can't blame him. With Marui's build, there's no way he can return that directly. The real issue is Jackal's Sweetspot technique—still not there yet. Puri~" Niō chimed in.
Meanwhile, on court, Krauser was already set to serve. Since this point was aimed at Jackal, Marui didn't move much—just stood there trying to recover his stamina.
Jackal, despite his bruises, didn't care about the pain. He locked eyes on Krauser, fully focused, trying to buy as much time as possible. If they lost this game, their chance would be completely gone.
But Krauser had no intention of dragging things out. Behind him, a vast ocean suddenly appeared, and on the surface, a massive whirlpool spun like it could devour the world.
He tossed the tennis ball high. His right arm made a wide swing, and then he slammed the racket down. The ball flew forward with intense, visible spin. The ocean behind Krauser surged like a tsunami, crashing forward with the ball.
"Wirbel Taufe!"
Jackal didn't hesitate. He rushed to the drop point. Even when faced with the massive wave, he didn't flinch. He swung at the rising ball, but the violent vertical spin transferred from the ball to his wrist.
His entire body seemed tangled in the whirlpool. As his racket flew up, the vortex swallowed him completely. From the bench, Sanada's eyes widened.
"Ace! 15-0!"
'Looks like Liliadent's Wirbel Taufe has taken a completely different path from Volk's. That's fine too.' Akashi nodded quietly from the coach's bench.
"When did Krauser unlock Alternate Dimension?" Chitose asked, surprised.
"No. That guy hasn't awakened it fully. At best, this is a prototype. And only possible because of the boost from the Shura Path," Akutsu replied flatly.
The Fudomine team all nodded in agreement. When it came to Alternate Dimensions, aside from Captain Akashi, Akutsu was probably the most qualified to speak on it.
While Fudomine discussed, Krauser was already setting up for his second serve. The massive ocean behind him still raged. Even Kite, standing at the front, felt uneasy just seeing it.
"Still not giving up? Humans can't resist nature's fury," Krauser said coldly, watching Jackal get ready to receive again.
"Rikkai... never learned the meaning of giving up!" Jackal panted, but his voice was firm.
Krauser didn't respond, but a flash of acknowledgment passed through his eyes. Then he tossed the ball and unleashed another Wirbel Taufe. The sea behind him again surged like a tsunami toward the other side.
"Ace! 30-0!"
"Ace! 40-0!"
"Game! 6-1! Match over! The winners—Fudomine Junior High!"
In the end, Jackal couldn't return even one serve. And with that, Rikkai's run in this year's National Tournament came to an end. The team was bitter, but they had given it their all—even Yukimura had pushed himself into the hospital. They had no choice but to accept the result.