"Then let's begin, Galos!" Hercules said to Evan before tossing the ball high. His right hand drove the racket down on the falling ball. With a strange spin, it shot across the net and landed deep on the right side.
Chitose moved quickly and reached the spot as the ball bounced, but just as he swung, it suddenly curved to the right, sliding past the tip of his racket and flying out of bounds.
"Apelles' Tail!"
"Ace! 15–0!"
"Yare yare, that curve really is something," Chitose sighed as he glanced at the ball outside the court.
"I'm telling you, take it seriously, Chitose! This is our World Cup debut!" Tachibana Kippei, standing up front, teased him.
"Oh? Such a relaxed mindset? Looks like you two are pretty confident in your own strength," Hercules said as he stared at them, eyes seeming to pierce through.
Without waiting for a reply, Hercules tossed the ball again. With the same strange spin, it flew to the other side. This time Chitose focused hard. As the ball bounced, he spun half a turn to the right and snapped a backhand.
The ball carried heavy spin, crossing the net before vanishing from Hercules and Evan's sight. A moment later, the sound of a bounce came from behind them.
"Kamikakushi!"
"15–15!"
"Interesting technique," Hercules said with a beard-stroking nod.
"Same to you. By the way, your Japanese is pretty good," Chitose replied with a smile.
"It's my hobby. Learning an opponent's language is a way of showing respect," Hercules said with a chuckle as he walked back to the baseline.
After Chitose and Tachibana switched positions, Hercules served again. It was once more the curving Apelles' Tail, but Tachibana had already seen it. He quickly intercepted the ball moving left.
Still, the return didn't go as he'd planned. The ball floated high. In the next second, two figures soared into the air. Their leap stunned the junior high players watching courtside.
They thought only Kintarō could jump like that. Even Atobe, known for smashes, couldn't reach such height. Under the sun, the ball was slammed back so fast Tachibana and Chitose couldn't even see who swung.
"30–15!"
"So this is the world number ten Greece team? We can't let our guard down at all," Tachibana said seriously, watching them land.
"I'm not surprised that middle schooler can jump that high, but their high schooler is huge and still managed it. We'd better avoid lobs as much as possible, Tachibana," Chitose reminded him.
Tachibana nodded firmly, crouching low, waiting for the next serve. Soon, the ball came with that same strange spin toward his right gap. He slid across quickly and struck, sending it straight toward Evan.
Evan rushed forward and hit a baseline passing shot. But as the ball crossed midcourt, Tachibana's figure sprinted in, leaping on one foot. His racket smashed sideways into the ball. At the instant the frame struck, the ball warped out of shape.
Countless shadows of balls rained down toward Hercules and Evan. Hercules blurred, splitting into several afterimages and swinging to deflect. But Evan couldn't do the same. The real ball zipped past him, landed deep on the left baseline, and bounced out.
"Abare Dama!"
"30–30!"
'This is tricky. Galos clearly isn't on the same level as those two junior high kids. Maybe the smart move would've been to forfeit this group match against Japan,' Hercules thought to himself, glancing at Evan.
While Hercules was thinking, he quickly tossed the ball. With a sharp crack, it flew across the court toward the right baseline. But Chitose had already adapted to Apelles' Tail. This time he returned it easily, once again using Kamikakushi.
The ball vanished near the net. Without hesitation, Hercules lunged right and swung hard at empty air. Suddenly, the ball appeared on his strings, then turned into a beam of yellow light shooting across the court.
"So you can see through Chitose's Kamikakushi so easily? Then I'll have to get serious too!" Tachibana Kippei appeared at the net, legs crossed, right hand lifting his racket as he sliced at the ball.
The ball floated softly over the net and dropped toward the ground. Evan sprinted forward and dove, blocking it with his racket just before it landed, sending it back across.
Chitose leapt high behind Tachibana. He didn't jump as high as the Greek pair, but at over 190 centimeters, his racket reached nearly the same height.
He smashed the ball down with force. It vanished the instant it left his racket. Hercules turned and dashed to the baseline, swinging with both hands at thin air.
Another yellow beam of light blasted forward. Tachibana dove right, placing his racket before it. The ball was redirected at a sharp downward angle, while Tachibana's racket flew out of his hands.
The ball struck the sideline and bounced out. Evan, still climbing up, couldn't reach it, and Hercules couldn't get back in time. They could only watch it roll away.
"30–40!"
"That was close! That guy's power is insane. The weight of that shot was way more than I expected!" Tachibana said, picking up his racket, still shaken.
"We've tested enough. Time to get serious," Chitose said grimly. A deep crimson aura rose around him.
Tachibana nodded. Crimson energy also rose from him, and the two auras slowly connected. Their pupils turned pale gold.
"Ability Synchronization—Lion's Roar!"
Hercules, about to serve, froze for a second. His expression hardened. He knew well that doubles pairs who could synchronize weren't ordinary. And their synchronization didn't look like some weak imitation.
"Where the hell did Japan find so many middle schoolers with this level of power?" Hercules muttered, tossing the ball again.
This time he didn't use Apelles' Tail—he knew it was useless against Chitose. The ball flew fast toward the left sideline. Chitose lunged, swung his racket with his left hand, and drove it back.
The ball crossed the net and dropped at Evan's feet. But Evan lightly jumped, pulling his legs back in the air, scooping down with his racket in a strange motion to send it back.
Evan was, after all, a highly regarded Greek junior talent. He hadn't reached world-class yet, but he was already half a step there. Such shots couldn't trouble him.
But Tachibana wasn't giving him a chance to breathe. He dashed forward, leaned in, and slammed down. Dozens of shadows scattered like flower petals.
"Abare Dama!"
"The weakness is the shadow, right? No matter how many fakes you make, it doesn't matter once I find the real one!" Evan laughed, leaping high. He seemed like a flying spirit as he swung at one shadow.
When his racket hit, all the illusions vanished. Twisting midair, he swung with all his strength. The ball streaked like a beam of light, straight toward the court behind Chitose.
"Hmph! Jumping too high isn't always good!" Tachibana suddenly appeared in front of the ball. Before it could land, crimson aura wrapped his racket. He swung hard.
The ball glowed red, streaking under Evan's feet. The next second, Hercules appeared, racket raised, clearly waiting. But as his strings met the ball, a deafening lion's roar exploded in his ears, shaking his mind for a moment.
"Ability Synchronization—Lion's Roar!"
"Game! Japan! 1–0!"
When Hercules came back to his senses, he saw a tennis ball rolling slowly at his feet. He instantly understood what had happened, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Tachibana and Chitose.