"Looks like Atobe has completely shaken off the effect of Mental Assassination. I can feel the transformation in his mental strength," Yukimura said from the bench with a sigh.
"Just like he said, his evolution really is advancing at lightning speed~" Tachibana Kippei agreed with a note of awe.
"Ochi-senpai must have already noticed this earlier, which is why he deliberately targeted Atobe with full-force Mental Assassination," Chitose muttered thoughtfully.
"But this game, they'll most likely lose," Fuji said slowly.
"Mach Serve isn't invincible, but with Atobe and Sanada's current level, it's nearly impossible," Akashi replied calmly from the coach's seat.
On the other side, Mifune watched Atobe and Sanada and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This generation of middle schoolers really was stronger one after another. And it looked like Atobe was just about to step past that threshold.
"Good grief, give me a break~ to actually break free from Ochi's Mental Assassination, that's something. But Mach Serve is a wall you can't get around," Ōmote muttered with interest, his eyes locked on the four players.
"If I remember right, only Byoudouin and Tanegashima have successfully returned a Mach Serve, right?" Kimijima said beside him.
"Strictly speaking, I only blocked it, I didn't return it. At that speed, there isn't even time to activate Muga," Tanegashima corrected calmly.
"Which is exactly why Ochi's serve has stayed at a terrifying one hundred percent success rate, isn't it?" Irie said with a faint smile.
While everyone was talking, Ochi was already at the baseline. It was his turn to serve. Facing Sanada's prepared stance, Ochi didn't hold back and unleashed a full-powered Mach Serve.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Damn it! I've faced it so many times, and I still can't react!" Sanada growled, shaking his racket in frustration.
Meanwhile, Atobe's eyes glittered with dazzling light. During the previous set, he had already seen the essence of Mach Serve—it was nothing but speed. No angle, no spin.
Ochi calmly tossed the ball again. The moment his racket struck, the sound of impact rang out behind Sanada. Clearly, he still couldn't react.
"Ace! 30-0!"
Sanada's face darkened as he switched positions with Atobe. He could feel that in this match, his role was far smaller than Atobe's. That frustration gnawed at him. Even though this was doubles, he couldn't shake the habit of thinking like a singles player.
Atobe stepped far back from the baseline, nearly against the fence, trying to stretch the distance to gain even a fraction of a second to react. Ochi saw his stance but stayed utterly calm.
As Ochi tossed the ball, Atobe pushed his eyesight to the extreme. The instant racket met ball, Atobe lunged to the right with his racket, but caught nothing. The ball slammed into the fence and bounced weakly to the ground.
"Ace! 40-0!"
'Just a little more! Just that tiny bit, and I'll see it!' Atobe roared in his heart, his gaze locked fiercely on Ochi.
"Did Atobe just react to the Mach Serve!?" Shishido Ryō exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yeah, but just reacting isn't enough. He's still far too late to actually return it," Shiraishi replied flatly.
Even Ochi felt a ripple inside. He hadn't expected Atobe's evolution to be this fast. But in the next moment, he composed himself, tossing the ball again with explosive force.
This time, Atobe saw almost nothing. The moment he wanted to react, the ball had already smashed into the fence. He couldn't believe it—he had just been so close a moment ago.
"Game! Japan Team! 2-2!"
"Oishi! Oishi! Look at the speed gun!" Kikumaru tugged at Oishi's arm and shouted.
Everyone turned their heads toward the display. On the board, the reading flashed: 299 kilometers per hour! The number made the entire crowd draw in sharp breaths.
"N-no way! I thought two hundred ninety kilometers was already the limit!" Oshitari Yuushi's voice trembled.
"Compared to Mach Serve, my Super Sonic Bullet is…" Kamio said awkwardly, trailing off.
"Mach… Super Sonic Bullet… hn… gotta admit, you're good at naming things. But what's the point? You still… get crushed… hey, do you even know… the relationship between Mach speed and sound speed? That's physics, you know…" Ibu Shinji mumbled in his endless monotone.
"Nearly three hundred kilometers an hour? That's already beyond the limit of human reaction," Inui said as he scribbled furiously in his notebook, pushing up his glasses.
"Superb dynamic vision and nerve reflex speed—without both, don't even think about returning a Mach Serve," Yanagi Renji concluded firmly.
"Maybe after the shuffle matches, I should ask Ochi-senpai to let me experience a Mach Serve myself. That way, my Light Wind will probably become even more perfect~" Fuji muttered, rubbing his chin.
The fifth game was Atobe's service game. He wasn't frustrated about that last Mach Serve at all. On the contrary, it only fueled his desire to return it. But first, Atobe calmed himself as he stepped onto the baseline.
He picked up a ball without hesitation, tossed it high, and twisted his wrist sharply. For a split second, his brow twitched faintly before his racket slammed down.
"Tannhauser Serve!"
The ball spun violently and flew across the net. The moment it hit the ground, it skidded forward with crazy rotation. But Mōri, still in his sleep mode, bent down and reached to intercept it. The ball hit his racket, bounced sharply upward, and fell out of bounds.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"That ball bounced up by exactly 0.6 cm! Mōri's instinct made him react. Atobe's wrist now carries a one hundred percent chance of strain," Mitsuya's eyes gleamed as he analyzed from the stands.
Standing at the front, Ochi had also sensed something was off. But Atobe had already served again. This time, when the ball started skidding, Mōri swung down to cut it.
The instant racket met ball, Mōri actually scooped it up—but in the next moment, the ball smashed into the net. The fierce spin made controlled return impossible.
"Ace! 30-0!"
After scoring, Atobe glanced at his right wrist. He knew clearly that after more than a full set, he could no longer produce a flawless Tannhauser Serve. Still, his trademark arrogant smile remained.
Ochi now understood Atobe's situation too. Both Tannhauser and Mach were nearly unreturnable, but while Ochi's serve had no side effects, Atobe's came at a heavy cost to his wrist.
Mōri, still with eyes closed, switched positions with Ochi. Atobe, standing at the baseline, took a deep breath and tossed the ball high. His right wrist snapped hard, sending the ball spinning fiercely into the opponent's court.
"Still sticking with Tannhauser?" Ochi murmured softly, then moved quickly to intercept. The ball spun, skidding forward, and Ochi swung to cut it.
But just before contact, the spinning ball suddenly split in two. One veered left, the other right, both flying past Ochi before merging again beyond the baseline.
"Ace! 40-0!"
"Even if I can't keep it skimming the ground, I can still control the spin to this degree," Atobe sneered at Ochi.
"Is that so? Then this will be the last time you get that chance," Ochi answered coldly, his gaze sharp.
Atobe stiffened instinctively, but quickly steadied himself. He grabbed another ball, tossed it high, and unleashed his mental force. Energy surged from his body, coating his racket. The moment it struck the ball, a shockwave spread violently outward.
"Ice Emperor!"
The ball shot forward with overwhelming impact. Ochi braced with both hands on his racket, straining to hold it steady under the crushing force. Even so, the ball soared high into the air.
But Atobe had already sprinted to the net. He leapt, swung hard, and smashed the ball onto Ochi's racket handle. The impact ripped Ochi's racket straight from his grip.
"Rondo Towards Destruction!"
The ball soared again. Atobe jumped a second time, smashing it with all his might. Behind him, a vast starry sky appeared as the ball glowed with radiant light, blasting straight at Mōri.
"Atobe Kindom!"
Mōri's instincts kicked in instantly. He gripped his racket with both hands and swung, but he couldn't last long. The ball tore his racket away, snapping strings in the process.
"Game! Second String Selection! 3-2!"
"Opportunity? Ore-sama never needs opportunities. I just have to hit a ball you can't return!" Atobe declared proudly, a smug grin on his face.