Kaji lowered his Boss and slowly walked off the court. He had lost this match completely. Kaji even felt that Tezuka's strength might already be on par with Oni, and he was starting to doubt himself.
Tezuka released the state of Ten'i Muhō, his hairstyle returning to normal, and likewise turned toward the coaches' bench. Just then, from the high school side came Byoudouin's voice:
"Oi! Brat! Catch this~"
With his words, a badge reflecting the sunlight flew toward Tezuka. Tezuka instinctively raised his hand and caught it. On the badge was a large number 4.
Tezuka first glanced at the badge, then turned his Boss toward Byoudouin. But Byoudouin didn't seem to plan on saying anything more. He only stood there with his arms crossed, gaze already shifted away from Tezuka.
Passing by the coaches' bench, Tezuka only gave Akashi a small nod without speaking, then returned to the players' seats. Akashi was already used to Tezuka's style, so he didn't mind at all.
"Then it's my turn, boss!" Duke said to Byoudouin beside him, then immediately left the bench and Bossed for the court. His tall, massive build carried an invisible pressure.
At this moment, Akutsu had already withdrawn the excitement on his face, wearing an unexpectedly serious expression, though the fighting spirit in his eyes was obvious. He might act like he didn't care about anything most of the time, but he actually took Akashi's words to heart.
Since yesterday Akashi had arranged him to face the Destruction King Duke, it meant the opponent's strength couldn't be underestimated. The power Oni had just shown already forced Akutsu to put away his arrogance, because he knew—even if he himself went up—it was uncertain whether he could defeat Oni.
"I won't say much more. Win with all your strength," Akashi said calmly as he looked at Akutsu, full of fighting spirit.
"Hmph! I hope this match won't disappoint me!" Akutsu, unusually, didn't use his catchphrase. He only waved impatiently at Akashi, then carried his racket toward the court.
"The third singles match will now begin! Representing the Japan Team, No. 3 Watanabe Duke versus Second String Selection's Akutsu Jin! Players, please enter!"
With the referee's announcement, both walked onto the court. At the net, though Akutsu seemed annoyed, he still completed the pre-match handshake with Duke. Since there was no connection between them, they didn't say much and immediately went to the coin toss. Duke won the serve.
"Best of three sets! Japan Team to serve first!"
As a half-Japanese, half-French player, Duke had the robust build common among Europeans, though his face leaned more toward Japanese features. Despite the mohawk hairstyle, he gave off a surprisingly gentle impression.
Watanabe Duke
Duke slowly walked to the baseline, thinking about how much strength he should use as a greeting. Though called the Destruction King, that title came only from his destructive ability—it didn't reflect his personality. Normally, Duke was rather good-natured.
After a moment's thought, Duke tossed the ball high, let out a short breath, and swung his racket with force. The ball carried tremendous impact as it shot toward the other side.
Akutsu's eyes flashed as he sprinted toward the landing point in a strange posture, a bit like a ninja running in Naruto. Just as the ball bounced, he swung his racket hard at it.
But the instant his racket met the ball, Akutsu was secretly shocked. The weight traveling through the frame was no weaker than Oni's Black Jack Knife. And this was just an ordinary serve.
Of course, that much power was still nothing to Akutsu. With a strong diagonal stroke, he sent the ball flying straight toward the sideline. Yet Duke, with speed that didn't match his size, was already there on its path.
He swung his racket in a backhand motion. Strangely, the ball didn't shoot away fast but instead floated lightly toward the net. After clearing it, the ball began dropping slowly.
"Duke drop shot!"
Akutsu, who had been ready to trade powerful blows, froze for a second. Then he quickly reacted, dashing toward the ball. Just before it hit the ground, his racket barely slid underneath it.
But Duke had already reached the net. With a simple wind-up, he swung his racket hard at the ball that had just crossed over. A loud crack followed as the ball blasted Akutsu's racket out of his hand, then smashed straight into the wall, leaving a deep dent.
"Duke Homerun!"
"15-0!"
"This much is fine, right, boss?" After scoring, Duke turned toward Byoudouin at the sideline.
"Heh~ play the match the way you think best, Duke!" Byoudouin's lips curved into a smile. He trusted Duke completely.
"Interesting! Looks like you've got real confidence in your strength," Akutsu said as he stared at Duke, a savage aura spilling out from him.
"Mm~ that's right," Duke nodded, then gave Akutsu a small smile.
"You bastard, you looking to die?!" Akutsu's foreBoss veins popped, convinced Duke was mocking him—even though Duke had no such intention.
Duke quickly returned to the baseline and launched a second powerful serve. Akutsu's eyes had already changed. Now, like a beast ready to tear its prey apart, he rushed to the landing spot. His right arm tensed, muscles tight, and he swung full force at the rising ball.
But Duke reacted instantly. With only a simple block, holding his racket in front of him, he cut most of the power from Akutsu's shot. It seemed he wasn't planning to trade blows Boss-on. Though known as a power player, Duke's style was actually rather gentle.
Seeing his ball blocked so easily, Akutsu's eyes narrowed. His left hand suddenly glowed with a surge of golden light. With a heavy swing of his racket, he smashed the incoming ball. In an instant, it turned into a blazing golden sphere, streaking toward the other side.
"Glowing Shot!"
Normally half-closed, Duke's eyes snapped wide open at that ball. He immediately gripped his racket with both hands and braced. The ball slammed into his frame, spinning violently as its power tore cracks into the ground beneath.
Duke held firm, every muscle in his upper body swelling, stretching his uniform tight. With a thunderous roar, he forced Akutsu's Glowing Shot back across the court.
"That was close~ this power's nearly on par with boss," Duke muttered under his breath.
But Akutsu didn't hesitate. His left hand again burst into golden light, and he smashed another Glowing Shot back. In moments, the court roared like a battlefield, each strike exploding like artillery. To those watching, it was tennis. To anyone else, it looked like war.
Dust and smoke rose thick around the court, shrouding the players and blinding the spectators. But the brutal rally didn't last long before a winner emerged.
The glowing golden ball slammed into Duke's racket. Just as he readied to return it, the frame gave out, the ball punching straight through and smashing into the wall behind him. Stones scattered everywhere, cracks splitting across the surface.
"15-15!"
"Still so confident in your strength now?" Akutsu stepped out of the smoke with a cold smile.
"As expected, not so simple~. If that's the case, I won't hold back either. It's about time to cut loose, right, boss?" Duke said after a moment of silence, his voice low.
"Hmph! Then let these brats see for themselves. The real show's about to begin~" Byoudouin answered, a dangerous smile curling his lips.