After the match ended, Mōri went straight to Ochi's side, struggling to hold him up. Ochi's stamina was nearly gone, and he could barely walk without leaning on Mōri's support.
On the other side, Atobe stared blankly at the ball on the ground, then let out a long breath. He turned and grabbed Sanada's arm, pulling him up before the two of them walked toward the coaching bench together.
"Sanada's just severely drained. But you, Atobe—I suggest you head to the infirmary for a checkup first," Akashi said calmly, not mentioning the match at all, simply signaling for Atobe to go.
Atobe handed Sanada over to the approaching Kirihara and the others, then nodded silently to Akashi. As he was about to leave, Akashi caught a faint murmur.
"Sorry… we couldn't take the first win."
Akashi turned his head and saw Atobe's back moving slowly toward the exit. This loss wouldn't break him, but for today at least, Atobe's heart would be heavy.
In the stands, Hyōtei's team members wanted to rush over to comfort him, but Oshitari and Shishido stopped them. They knew Atobe needed silence to think more than words right now.
"Next will be the second doubles match: Japan Team No. 8 Toono Atsukyou and No. 7 Kimijima Ikuto versus Second String Selection Tachibana Kippei and Chitose Senri! Players, please enter!"
"The first win—we'll take it. I've been wanting to face Toono's execution methods myself," Tachibana said seriously, racket in hand. His golden hair flowed in the wind, giving him a fierce aura.
"Violent tennis, huh? Not a bad experience. But everyone who's stood against us has met a bad end," Chitose said coldly beside him.
In Fudomine, players with violent styles weren't rare—Akutsu, Krauser, Kite, Tachibana—all of them. Even Akashi himself crushed opponents with both mental and physical blows when displeased.
Chitose's own style wasn't particularly violent, but after years of pairing with Tachibana, he had no aversion to it. And since Tezuka never went through what happened in the original story, he didn't hold the same deep hatred for violent tennis either.
Akashi had complete trust in Tachibana and Chitose. Among the First String top ten, Kimijima and Toono weren't exactly outstanding. At best, they were half a step to world-class—Kimijima even a bit weaker. But their style and tactics were tricky, making them a vital weapon on the world stage.
With the umpire's call, the four players entered the court. At the net, Toono ignored the umpire's bow and stared at Tachibana with murderous intent. His lips curled into a sinister smile.
"You're about to be publicly executed, brat! Oh, and by the way, your hairstyle's pathetic."
"Hmph! Bring it on. As for hairstyles, you should look in the mirror before insulting anyone," Tachibana sneered back.
"Hah? You fashionless fool! Perfect, now I've got one more reason to execute you!" Toono's fury spiked at the insult to his 'stylish' hair.
"Now, now, the match is starting soon. Calm yourself, Toono. By the way, Tachibana-kun, wasn't my earlier proposal tempting? Care to reconsider?" Kimijima cut in smoothly, smiling as he addressed Tachibana.
"Thanks for the warning earlier, but I'll walk my own path. No need for your concern," Tachibana answered steadily.
"Is that so? Then I'll consider the negotiation broken," Kimijima's eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze flicked to Chitose, then he shrugged and said nothing more.
With the umpire's prompt, they decided serve order. Toono and Kimijima won the toss, which Tachibana and Chitose didn't mind.
"Best of three sets! Japan Team to serve first!"
Toono stepped to the baseline, his eyes cruel. He had been seething in the stands, watching high schoolers lose so badly to middle schoolers. That humiliation was something he couldn't accept.
"The blood sacrifice begins! Let's start with a greeting—Execution Method No. 13: Beheading!" Toono tossed the ball lightly, then swung his racket down hard.
The tennis ball spun with vicious power, rocketing straight at Tachibana's face. The sudden assault startled him, but his reflexes saved him—he jerked his head aside, barely dodging the strike.
"Fault! Second serve!"
"What's wrong, brat? Don't dodge! Didn't you say you'd go all the way with me?" Toono mocked when Tachibana dodged his Execution Method.
"You bastard! You actually forced a serve fault just to attack your opponent!" Tachibana's temper flared, his aura swelling like a lion ready to tear its prey apart.
"Don't be so naive, brat! To me, the score doesn't matter. As long as I knock down the opponent, the match is mine!" Toono sneered.
"Tachibana, calm down! Watch out for his trap!" Chitose suddenly called out.
By then, Toono had already tossed the ball high and unleashed a blistering serve straight at Tachibana's stomach. Thanks to Chitose's reminder, Tachibana quickly regained his composure. He stepped back, let the ball pass, then swung his racket hard at the rebound.
"Abare Dama!"
Countless ball shadows filled the court, storming toward Toono like a barrage. Tachibana wasn't holding back either—this shot was aimed at the man, not the point.
"As solid as castle walls!" Kimijima intoned strangely as he appeared at the net, calmly blocking Tachibana's Abare Dama. The illusions meant nothing to him.
The ball turned into a blur, streaking past Tachibana toward the baseline. But Chitose flashed to the backcourt, swinging his racket. The ball spun fiercely and vanished the moment it cleared the net.
"Kamikakushi!"
"As gentle as flowing water!" Kimijima again shifted, stepping to midcourt. He swung at thin air, and a ball appeared out of nowhere. With each slice of his racket, the spin was stripped away until it was neutralized.
Seeing Kimijima intercept everything, Toono didn't get angry. He just kept his cold smile—this was their doubles tactic, after all.
"Not bad at all. So Kimijima-san had been holding back too, huh?" Chitose suddenly appeared at the net, smiling.
He swung again. This time, the ball vanished the instant it touched his racket. Kimijima's brows creased. A split-second later, a ball materialized at the corner baseline and bounced out of bounds.
"0-15!"
"Oh? You can stay calm even while your partner gets attacked?" Kimijima adjusted his glasses with one finger, his tone playful.
"Was that supposed to be negotiation, Kimijima-san?" Chitose answered with a smile after scoring.
"So you saw through it? That move just now—an improved Kamikakushi, right? Impressive. Let me experience it again, Chitose-kun!" Kimijima ignored the jab, openly praising his technique.
"Ara, Kimijima's at it again—using Toono's menace as leverage for negotiations," Irie said with amusement from the stands.
Toono quickly launched his second serve. This time, after hitting the ground, the ball shot toward Tachibana's face. It looked like a heavy topspin serve, but with far more power. Toono had even broken an opponent's nose with it before.
For Tachibana, though, it was child's play. He leaned back slightly and slammed down with his racket, sending the ball crashing toward Toono's right knee.
Toono tensed, then relaxed almost instantly—it was aimed at his right side. He flicked his racket upward in a scoop, returning the ball with a crackle of electricity.
"Execution Method No. 12—Electric Chair!" Toono's tone was manic.
Tachibana's aura suddenly flared a deep crimson, wrapping his racket. He swung fiercely, the ball exploding back straight at Toono.
"Roar of the Lion!"
Toono sneered. This brat was clearly set on clashing head-on—just what he wanted. He charged, whipping his racket sideways. But the moment it struck, a deep, feral lion's roar echoed in his mind.
He froze for an instant. His racket flew from his hand. The ball ricocheted at an odd angle, smashing into his jaw. A heavy thud followed. Pain snapped him back, and Toono clutched his chin, staring in disbelief at Tachibana.
"0-30!"
"I told you, I'll go all the way! Violent tennis doesn't belong to you alone!" Tachibana roared, crimson aura surging wildly around him.