The doubles result proved to be the complete opposite of Yamabuki's Metropolitan Tournament final against Hyōtei. After a grueling battle, Eiji and Oishi had defeated Marui Bunta and Jackal Kuwahara 7-5, evening the overall score at 1-1.
The victory came down to a crucial difference in physical conditioning. Like Eiji had once been, Marui possessed a fatal weakness—limited stamina that forced him to rely on bubble gum's sugar content for energy restoration during matches. But the crushing defeat against Hyōtei had transformed the Golden Pair completely.
Under the intense pressure of that loss, Eiji and Oishi had finally achieved synchronization, officially joining the ranks of elite middle school doubles teams. More importantly, Eiji's conditioning had improved dramatically during their Bamboo Staff training, allowing them to outlast their opponents in the crucial late games.
With both schools back on equal footing, the tournament organizers called for an extended intermission between the doubles and singles portions. This served dual purposes—allowing the intense atmosphere to cool slightly while giving spectators much-needed bathroom breaks after two marathon matches.
Gustave seized the opportunity to stock up on refreshments, his instincts demanding something to munch during the upcoming singles battles. The popcorn and cola felt essential after developing a peculiar craving for crunchy snacks during tense sporting events—a likely side effect from the sunflower seed experience at the Metropolitan finals.
On his way back from the concession stands, he encountered an unexpected figure wandering the arena corridors.
"Sengoku? What are you doing out here?" Gustave asked with surprise. "Aren't you supposed to be preparing for your singles match?"
"Just feeling a little nervous," Sengoku replied with an uncharacteristically subdued smile.
"Nervous?" Gustave set down his snacks and placed both hands on Sengoku's shoulders. "You're the 'Lucky' Sengoku! I never saw you nervous once during our entire time at the Bamboo Staff."
"Well, there was that one time when you let Eiji talk me into the honey heist with Ace and Luffy..."
The memory brought a genuine grin to Sengoku's face, and Gustave began working his shoulders to help him relax.
"Oh man, that was quite the adventure," Gustave chuckled. "I still can't believe you four actually pulled it off."
"Those were good times," Sengoku said wistfully. "I really miss hanging out with Ace and Luffy like that."
The honey expedition had occurred during their third week of Bamboo Staff training, when Coach Banji had transitioned from pure physical conditioning to technical skill development. The old coach had arranged for bare-handed fish catching in the mountain streams as their first practical exercise, but Sengoku's attention had been captured by something far more tempting.
During the fishing expedition, he'd discovered a massive wild beehive nestled high in an ancient oak tree. The sight of all that potential honey had haunted his thoughts throughout dinner, until he'd finally approached his most likely co-conspirator.
"Eiji," Sengoku had whispered conspiratorially after the evening meal, "want to join me for a little nighttime adventure?"
"Adventure? What kind of adventure?" Eiji's eyes had lit up with immediate interest.
"Keep your voice down!" Sengoku quickly covered his friend's mouth. "Can't let Coach Banji or Tezuka hear about this."
He'd then painted an irresistible picture of the enormous beehive he'd spotted, describing in vivid detail how incredible fresh wild honey would taste. The sensory descriptions had completely won over Eiji's enthusiasm.
But two people wouldn't be sufficient for such an operation. They needed local guides familiar with the terrain—preferably ones young enough to be easily convinced and athletic enough to serve as decoys.
Ace and Luffy had proven perfect candidates.
Sengoku had deployed his natural charisma to convince Luffy that honey gathering was practically a heroic quest, while Ace had reluctantly agreed to participate mainly to keep his impulsive brother out of serious trouble.
After dinner, during their designated free time, the four conspirators had snuck away to the location Sengoku had scouted earlier. Under pale moonlight, they'd gazed up at a honeycomb that easily weighed over a hundred pounds—a treasure trove that made their mouths water.
"Luffy, Ace, you're up!" Sengoku had commanded like a general deploying troops.
"Roger!" Luffy had responded with military enthusiasm, while Ace followed with obvious reluctance.
The brothers had collected stones and hurled them at the hive before adding insult to injury by performing mocking dances beneath the tree. The bee colony's response had been swift and furious—a black cloud of angry insects descending to chase the provocateurs into the forest.
Thanks to their familiarity with the terrain and the enhanced agility gained from Gustave's training regimen, Ace and Luffy had successfully led most of the swarm on a merry chase through the mountains.
Meanwhile, Sengoku had climbed the oak tree while Eiji prepared a bundle of dry grass as a smoking torch. The traditional beekeeping technique had stunned the remaining guard bees, allowing access to their golden prize.
The honeycomb had been even more magnificent up close—thick, amber liquid dripping from hexagonal chambers like liquid sunlight. Sengoku had broken off a small sample, and the taste had been absolutely divine.
"Eiji, hurry with that bucket!" he'd called down urgently.
Working quickly but carefully, Sengoku had harvested about three-fifths of the honeycomb, leaving enough for the colony to rebuild. The four large containers had filled with roughly seventy to eighty kilograms of pure wild honey—more than enough to share with everyone back at the ship.
Their triumphant retreat had been going perfectly until an unexpected complication arose. The sweet aroma had attracted a different kind of attention.
"Sengoku, do you hear that?" Eiji had frozen mid-step, detecting rustling sounds in the underbrush.
"What sound—" Sengoku had begun, just as an enormous black shadow had emerged into the moonlight.
"BEAR! RUN!" Sengoku had roared.
The chase had been terrifying but brief. Survival instinct had granted them superhuman speed despite carrying heavy honey loads, allowing them to initially outpace their pursuer. But bears possessed superior endurance, and the gap had been steadily closing.
Just when the situation seemed hopeless, they'd stumbled across Ace and Luffy, who were still being pursued by their own cloud of angry bees.
In a moment of desperate inspiration, Sengoku had grabbed honey from one of his buckets and hurled it directly at the black bear, covering the animal in sticky sweetness. The bear had immediately stopped to sample this unexpected treat—just as the bee swarm had arrived to discover their stolen treasure.
The result had been beautiful chaos. Enraged bees had swarmed the honey-covered bear, who had quickly decided that discretion was the better part of valor and fled into the depths of the forest with his buzzing entourage in hot pursuit.
Unfortunately, the remaining honey had still attracted a smaller group of bees, forcing all four conspirators to make one final desperate sprint back to the Bamboo Staff.
They'd arrived looking like refugees from a war zone—Ace, Luffy, and Eiji all sporting multiple stings on their heads and faces, while Sengoku had somehow emerged with nothing worse than torn clothing and a few scrapes. His legendary luck had held true even in the middle of a honey heist.
The sacrifice had been worthwhile. Despite losing one full bucket to the bear and additional honey during their chaotic escape, they'd managed to preserve most of their sweet bounty. The wild honey had been a massive hit with everyone aboard the ship, providing a delicious natural treat that had enhanced countless meals.
"Those were definitely some of the best times we had during training," Sengoku admitted, his nervousness visibly melting away as the fond memories took hold. "Just four guys on a ridiculous adventure, working together to pull off something completely crazy."
"And you did pull it off," Gustave reminded him with an encouraging smile. "Just like you're going to pull off your singles match today. You've got that same lucky spirit and determination—plus a lot more skill than you had back then."
Sengoku straightened his shoulders, the confidence returning to his expression. "You're right. If I could outsmart a bear and a whole colony of bees, I can handle whatever Rikkaidai throws at me."
"That's the spirit! Now get back in there and show them why they call you Lucky Sengoku."
As his friend headed back toward the team area with renewed vigor, Gustave smiled to himself. Sometimes the best preparation for a big challenge was simply remembering that you'd already overcome impossible odds before—even if those odds had involved stolen honey and angry wildlife.