"What was that just now...!" Atobe still hadn't recovered. He was sure he had already predicted the future.
"That was my Ability Synchronization with Mōri-san!" Mōri took the initiative to explain to Atobe.
"Ability Synchronization... I didn't expect you two to be hiding a trump card like that!" Atobe paused for a moment after hearing Mōri's words, but quickly regained his arrogant demeanor. It was just one game point.
The third game was Atobe's serve. Without hesitation, he launched the Ice Emperor. This time, under the effect of Ability Synchronization, Mōri managed to return the shot, hitting the ball toward the right sideline.
Sanada rushed in and fired a reverse backhand—Swift as the Wind—but was intercepted directly by Ochi. At the same time, Atobe had already moved to the net, using his explosive burst and smash technique to engage Mōri and Ochi in a fierce rally.
But with his new insight, Mōri's net interceptions had improved drastically. Even Atobe couldn't score easily. Thankfully, Sanada stepped in to cover and used Black Dragon Double Strike to disrupt their rhythm. Eventually, Atobe struck a Atobe Dimension shot and won the point.
"15-0!"
"Didn't think they'd become so troublesome after synchronizing. No choice—gotta end this fast." Atobe muttered to himself, eyeing Mōri and Ochi across the court.
Standing behind the baseline, Atobe's aura began to rise sharply, spiritual pressure spilling out in waves. As he tossed the ball, the scene around him transformed into a snowy glacier under a sky of falling snow.
"Absolute Zero World!"
The ball turned into a massive white aurora and blasted toward the opposite court. Even though Mōri had insight into techniques, he couldn't move to the landing spot in time. His reaction was dulled.
"Ace! 30-0!"
Atobe didn't pause and served another Absolute Zero World. This time Ochi tried to receive, but he too was frozen in place, unable to move.
"Ace! 40-0!"
This Absolute Zero World was essentially a fusion and enhancement of the Ice Emperor and Ice World. It retained the Ice Emperor's explosive power and froze opponents using dead angles, locking them down in place.
Just as Atobe was about to launch a third Absolute Zero, a sharp pain shot through his right shoulder. He couldn't control the swing angle, and the white aurora crashed straight into the net.
"Service fault! Second serve!"
Atobe frowned and rolled his shoulder repeatedly. On the coaching bench, Akashi let out a faint sigh. The backlash had finally come. Atobe's underdeveloped body couldn't handle forcibly drawing out future burst strength. This had already surpassed his physical limits.
Still, Atobe didn't seem too concerned. After steadying himself, he launched another Absolute Zero. Ochi barely managed to reposition, but still couldn't intercept the ball.
"Game! Second String Selection! 2-1!"
The fourth game was Mōri's serve. But Mōri's main strength now was net interception. With Ability Synchronization, his defense had reached the level of Tanegashima Shūji.
As soon as Mōri served, both sides entered into intense rallies. Atobe still had strong pressure, but he could no longer score as easily as before. Mōri intercepted nearly every shot without ever resorting to lobs.
Ochi, seemingly just covering for Mōri, had ghost-like movement that even made Sanada feel inferior. He completely outpaced Sanada's Swift as Thunder and seemed to move by teleporting.
"15-0!"
"15-15!"
"15-30!"
"15-40!"
Even so, except for Ochi's surprise shot on the first point, Atobe and Sanada held the advantage. Atobe's predictions and explosive bursts continued to frustrate Mōri and Ochi.
Mōri fired off another ultra-fast serve. Sanada rushed to the landing point and blocked it cleanly, then followed up with a Black Dragon Quadruple Slash. Unfortunately, Mōri read it instantly and intercepted it calmly from the backcourt.
Atobe immediately charged the net, but suddenly felt a numbness in his knees. His body lurched forward uncontrollably, and he crashed to the ground awkwardly. Sharp pain flared all over his body.
Sanada saw Atobe's condition and his pupils shrank sharply. Lightning flared across his body, and with a flash, he moved to the tennis ball, taking a stance like drawing a blade and slashing a fierce backhand.
"Radiance of Cloud, Unhindered as the Void!"
The tennis ball turned into a slash that flew across the court. But Mōri and Ochi were already prepared. One stepped forward, the other back, and their rackets came together to block the slash.
As they applied force, the ball was sent back. But in the next instant, Atobe gritted his teeth and pushed himself to his feet. Ice crystals spread across the court. In his eyes, Mōri and Ochi were now just skeletons. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his right arm, he forcefully swung.
"Atobe Kingdom!"
The tennis ball skimmed past Mōri and Ochi's feet, slammed the center line, and bounced out past the sideline. Even if Mōri had tried to dislocate his shoulder, it was already too late—he was frozen in place.
"Game! Second String Selection! 3-1!"
After hitting that shot, Atobe staggered, barely able to stand by leaning on his racket. Pain surged through every part of his body. Some areas had gone completely numb—no feeling at all.
'What's happening to my body? Don't tell me…' Atobe suddenly realized something, and his face darkened.
"You alright, Atobe?" Sanada stepped over and asked.
"Of course I'm fine. Who do you think I am?" Atobe forced a smirk and tried to straighten up. But every movement brought stabbing pain.
Sanada looked at the stubborn Atobe and didn't know what to do. Forfeiting? Atobe would never agree. And honestly, neither would he. But Sanada himself wasn't in great shape either—after using Radiance of Cloud, Unhindered as the Void again, he barely had any stamina left.
"I just need a moment to recover. You handle the next game for now, Sanada!" Atobe said seriously.
"Got it. Consider this repaying a favor, Atobe!" Sanada nodded with a firm expression, making up his mind.
At that moment, the umpire came to check on Atobe's condition. But Atobe kept insisting he was fine. The umpire couldn't say much more and just allowed the match to continue.
Around them, the middle school and high school players watching stayed quiet. Everyone looked serious. They knew this was the turning point. If Atobe collapsed now, there'd be no suspense left in this match.
The fifth game was Sanada's serve. To give Atobe more time to recover, he didn't use Abare Jishi. Instead, he saved every bit of energy and tried to drag the game out.
But no matter how hard Sanada tried, he couldn't stop the combined attacks of Mōri and Ochi alone. His only threatening move was the Black Dragon Quadruple Slash, but with Mōri on court, there was no way he could score with it.
"0-15!"
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
"Game! Japan Team! 3-2!"
Sanada managed to buy time, but couldn't stop the points from slipping away. Atobe focused fully on recovery, barely moving during the entire game.
Next was Ochi's serve again. Sanada felt a deep sense of helplessness. It always seemed to be this way. Whether against Tezuka or Akashi before, or Mōri and Ochi now, he never seemed to have the power to fight back.
'Another humiliating match. One of Rikkai's Big Three? Hah… I don't even feel worthy of facing Yukimura anymore.' Sanada stood in the backcourt, dejected.
Ochi, meanwhile, didn't care what Sanada was thinking. He launched a Mach Serve straight away. With the current state of the opponents, he didn't even need to use teleportation. Four straight Mach Serves left Sanada and Atobe frozen in place, helplessly watching the points fly by.
"Game! Japan Team! 3-3!"
"Looks like it's over. Even if Atobe recovers, he won't be able to explode like before," Irie sighed softly in the audience.