At the same time, in the stadium where Spain and the United States were facing off, the first singles match had just ended. Alan Hopkins had unfortunately lost to Mares, and the final score was a humiliating 0–2.
Even so, Hopkins never gave up until the very last moment. He tried every possible way to counter Mares' relentless sniping attacks, even forcing himself to return balls with his less-skilled right hand. But Mares' precision was too overwhelming—Hopkins' resistance was like a caged beast thrashing helplessly against iron bars.
"Next up is the doubles match! Spain—Silva de Bambieri (third-year high school) and Romeo Fernández (third-year middle school)! United States—Dodo Obando (third-year high school) and Kiko Balentien (first-year high school)! Players, please step onto the court!"
When the four players gathered at the net for the handshake, Romeo looked Dodo up and down with clear amusement and asked curiously,
"Dodo Obando, nickname Birdman. Height: 190 cm, weight: 82 kg. One of the best jumpers in this entire tournament, specializing in aerial interceptions and smashes. I wonder if you'll be able to dominate the air later~"
"Oh? Seems like you've done your homework," Dodo replied with a smirk, but his gaze was fixed not on Romeo, but on Bambieri. It was clear he already knew that his true rival in jumping ability was standing across from him.
Bambieri ignored his look completely. He glanced briefly at the timer displayed on the large screen, then turned toward Mares with a hint of impatience. Mares, however, only gave him a playful wink in response.
"Let's stop wasting time and start the match already. If we delay any longer, I'll miss my schedule. Being late is a terrible habit," Bambieri said sharply, cutting off Romeo before he could speak again.
"Fine, fine~ Then I hope I can give you all an unforgettable memory," Romeo sighed, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. He and Bambieri then began the coin toss, which Kiko ultimately won.
"The match will be best of three sets! The United States will serve first!"
"Heh, got the serve, huh? Looks like luck's on my side today. In that case… there's no reason for me to lose!" Kiko muttered to himself as he stepped to the baseline, tossing the ball up quickly.
With a sharp crack, the ball streaked across the net toward Spain's court. Romeo slid gracefully to the landing spot and raised his racket in one smooth motion, catching the ball perfectly as it bounced.
The ball rebounded high into the air toward the American side. Dodo immediately leapt up—his jump so high and fluid it was almost as if wings had sprouted from his back.
Midair, Dodo swung down fiercely, his smash thundering through the stadium. But the next instant, Bambieri appeared in the air as well—his leap soaring even higher than Dodo's.
Hanging upside down midair, Bambieri blocked the trajectory of the oncoming ball. Despite the immense power behind Dodo's smash, it couldn't even shake Bambieri's racket. With a twist of his left hand, Bambieri redirected the ball in a flash—it shot cleanly between Dodo and Kiko and bounced out of bounds.
"0–15!"
"No way!!! That Spanish player… he jumped even higher than Dodo!!!" Don Pacino exclaimed from the U.S. bench, disbelief written across his face.
"Look closely! He's using momentum transfer to reach that height!" Echizen Ryōma said, his sharp dynamic vision catching every detail of Bambieri's movement.
"Don't panic! Dodo's faced plenty of high-jump players before! Up to now, he's never lost an aerial duel! Spain picked the wrong opponent!" Clive Miller shouted confidently, his voice full of fighting spirit.
———
Meanwhile, in the stadium where Germany and Japan were clashing, the crowd erupted in astonishment at the referee's announcement. No one had expected a Japanese middle schooler to push Germany's second-ranked player, Q.P., all the way to a tiebreak in the third set.
But a moment later, the arena burst into thunderous cheers. The first match of the Germany–Japan semifinal had turned out to be an unbelievable battle. Amid the roaring excitement, Q.P. stepped calmly to the baseline. The referee raised a hand, signaling for silence.
As the noise faded, Q.P. tossed the ball into the air. The white radiance around his body flared even brighter. With one smooth, devastating swing, he struck—and the ball vanished completely from sight.
But Tezuka reacted instantly. He lunged sharply to his right, swung his racket in a half-turned stance, and the ball that had vanished a moment ago reappeared in everyone's sight—though only as a streak of yellow light.
The next moment, the sound of another impact echoed. Q.P. had already flashed in front of the ball again, but Tezuka, matching him in speed, caught up within a blink and returned the shot, adding the rotation of the Ultimate Zone at the same time.
Unfortunately, Q.P.'s powerful drive completely tore through the spin, sending the ball straight toward the center of Japan's baseline. Tezuka gripped the racket with both hands, a flash of rainbow light glinting along his arms as he met the ball and sent it flying back.
The ball, empowered by the Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami, rocketed across the net toward the German court. Q.P.'s eyes narrowed, and he, too, braced with both hands as he met the incoming shot. At that moment, faint starlight flickered around Tezuka's head.
"Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami!"
The instant Q.P.'s racket connected with the ball, Tezuka was already gone—his figure appearing at the net in the blink of an eye. Raising his racket behind his head, he gathered all his power into his left arm and slashed down fiercely.
The ball, just crossing the net, lost most of its force from Tezuka's controlled cut and dropped sharply, spinning hard toward the German court. Q.P., acting purely on instinct, rushed forward and lifted the ball up with his racket just before it touched the ground.
But then—light vanished from in front of him. Tezuka was already high in the air, his body soaring above the net. With no hesitation, his left arm swung down again. A beam of golden light tore through the air past Q.P., smashing hard into the backcourt.
Q.P. reacted immediately, his body twisting as he sprinted back, leaving trails of afterimages. He reached the baseline in an instant—but as he looked down, he stopped. The ball was already spinning wildly on the ground before slowing… and gently rolling back toward the net.
"Zero-Style Smash!"
"0–1!"
"After fighting Q.P. through three full sets, Tezuka's Saiki Kanpatsu is now nearly as sharp as a sixth sense," Yukimura said quietly from the Japan bench, a hint of awe in his voice.
"The principle behind Saiki Kanpatsu is actually similar to data tennis," Yanagi explained, voice low and analytical. "The reason Sanada's Unpredictable as Shadow could counter it before was because of false information leading to faulty simulation. But Tezuka used this move only at the final moment, when error becomes nearly impossible."
Sanada snorted lightly but said nothing, his eyes fixed firmly on Tezuka. Whether personally or as a representative of Japan, he had a deep stake in how this match would end.
For the second point, Tezuka served. Using Saiki Kanpatsu to anticipate Q.P.'s rhythm, he disrupted the flow entirely, giving Q.P. no chance to unleash his devastating drives.
"0–2!"
"0–3!"
Just like that, Tezuka took three straight points in a row. The Japan bench erupted with cheers, and even Mifune and Byoudouin allowed faint smiles to slip across their faces.
Only Akashi remained calm—he knew that Tezuka's Saiki Kanpatsu no Kiwami was about to reach its limit.