As the doubles match ended, the cheers from the crowd grew even louder. Niō and Fuji had given the audience a unique experience—especially with the identity swap at the beginning of the match.
Meanwhile, the Griffey brothers trudged dejectedly back to Richard's bench. Seeing their gloomy faces, many American girls in the audience rushed to comfort them, hearts aching with sympathy.
The brothers had expected a scolding from Richard, but to their surprise, he didn't yell. Instead, he patted each of them on the shoulder in encouragement and told them to go rest.
This was Richard's coaching philosophy: as long as the players won the fans' attention, losing the match didn't matter. For him, tennis was just a tool to make money.
As expected, his actions immediately won over the American girls in the audience, who showered Richard with praise. When it came to manipulating fan sentiment, Richard was undoubtedly a pro.
If this weren't the world of Prince of Tennis, Richard might have become a major entertainment mogul. But here, his fate was destined to end in tragedy.
Gradually, the crowd's cheering calmed. Seizing the moment, the host stepped up to introduce the players for the singles three match, starting with Kantō representative Akutsu Jin.
Hands in his pockets, racket tucked under one arm, Akutsu walked out casually. His cocky attitude and delinquent appearance left the audience unsure whether they should even be cheering.
But with the Fudomine team leading the chants, the crowd eventually erupted into applause. In matches like these, the singles three player often acted as a stabilizing force.
The host was a bit thrown by Akutsu's demeanor but quickly recovered thanks to his professional training and moved on to introduce the West Coast U.S. representative.
From the entrance of the American team's tunnel, a towering, muscular figure appeared. A massive man, who bore some resemblance to the Raikage, strode out brandishing four rackets like a challenge.
Some American fans immediately burst into cheers. Unlike Asian tastes, Americans often saw gorilla-like men as symbols of strength and manliness.
This was the source of Richard's confidence in winning singles three: former American football player—Bobby Max. He had been kicked off the team for his uncontrollable temper, but after meeting Richard, began a new career in tennis.
Bobby Max
With a height of over two meters and a burly, barrel-chested frame, he earned the nickname "Beast Bulldozer." One look told you—he was a power player.
Akutsu sneered at Bobby's constant muscle-flexing. He'd dealt with power types before. Back in his first year, Oni had taught him some painful lessons.
"Next up is the singles three match between Kantō representative Akutsu Jin and West Coast U.S. representative Bobby Max. Players, please enter the court!"
The audience watched as the two arrogant players stepped onto the court together. When they reached the net, Akutsu didn't even bother with a handshake. He clearly had zero respect for this gorilla in front of him.
Bobby looked down at the much shorter Japanese player. Even though Akutsu had a lean frame, he still looked small beside Bobby. Bobby smirked and said in English, "Hey, little guy! I'm gonna teach you a lesson!"
Akutsu's eyes instantly flared with killing intent. But he didn't blow up—he'd matured a lot, especially after spending time with Kintarō. Ignoring Bobby's words, Akutsu turned to look at the umpire.
Seeing Akutsu's gaze, the umpire shivered and quickly called for the coin toss. Akutsu won and chose to serve first.
Bobby shrugged, disappointed by Akutsu's lack of reaction. With a smug expression, he slung his rackets over his shoulder and walked to the backcourt, unaware that this match would soon become the worst nightmare of his life.
Arrogant Bobby Max
"First game! Kantō team to serve!"
Standing at the baseline, Akutsu glared at Bobby, who still wore that cocky grin. A sharp glint flashed in Akutsu's eyes. Suddenly, a red-black aura surged from his body, enveloping him completely in the blink of an eye.
"Beast Mode!"
Akutsu tossed the ball high and swung fiercely. The explosive power at the moment of impact warped the ball instantly.
Like an arrow, the ball shot across the net and slammed into the backcourt. It was so fast that Bobby didn't even react—he just stood there grinning like a fool.
Then Bobby felt a sting in his ear. He heard the ball hit the court, followed by the umpire announcing the score.
"Ace! 15-0!"
Bobby instinctively touched his ear and noticed a trace of blood. Akutsu's serve had ricocheted toward Bobby's head but veered slightly, grazing his ear.
Judging from the cruel expression on Akutsu's face, that definitely wasn't a miss. If he'd landed a direct hit, the match would've ended instantly—and he wouldn't get to enjoy tormenting his opponent.
Realizing he was bleeding, Bobby erupted in rage. He stormed to the net, shaking it furiously and shouted at the umpire in English:
"That point doesn't count! There's no way I lost that!"
The umpire gestured repeatedly for Bobby to return to his position, but it wasn't clear whether Bobby genuinely didn't understand Japanese or was just pretending. Either way, he kept throwing a tantrum. Eventually, the umpire had no choice but to respond in English:
"Return to your position immediately or I'll rule you lost this game!"
Bobby heard the umpire's warning and had no choice but to head back to the baseline, though not before glaring viciously at Akutsu—as if saying, 'You better watch yourself!'
"That was your body-shot technique just now, wasn't it?" Tachibana Kippei in the VIP seats asked the man beside him, Krauser.
Krauser nodded silently. He could tell that Akutsu had used his own technique to torment the opponent—brushing the ball along the ground so it spun like a rotating gear before springing up and striking with force.
Krauser himself barely used that move anymore after mastering Wirbel Taufe, but it was no surprise Akutsu had picked it up. Considering that freakish learning ability of his, Krauser wasn't shocked at all.
Akutsu calmly watched Bobby raging on the other side. Once Bobby reluctantly returned to position, Akutsu tossed the ball up and swung again just like before.
This time, Bobby was more focused—but it didn't matter. He still couldn't follow the trajectory of the serve. A sharp pain shot through his thigh. He'd taken another hit.
"Ace! 30-0!"
That drove Bobby into a fury. He roared and started to charge at the arrogant Japanese kid across from him, but Richard on the sideline quickly stopped him. There was no way he'd let Bobby lose control here.
Akutsu ignored all of it and just served again. His technique now was a world apart from when he first joined Fudomine. Back then, he couldn't have pulled off such refined tennis if he tried.
Bobby had no answers. He couldn't even see Akutsu's fast serves, let alone return them. All he could do was get hit again and again—and keep getting mad.
"Ace! 40-0!"
"Game! Akutsu Jin! 1-0!"
Akutsu's four serves in the first game left four marks on Bobby's body. The hit on his ear was especially obvious. Ears are more fragile than other areas, and now a thin trail of blood had started to run down.
Bobby didn't care much about the wounds. When he played football, getting a little banged up every game was normal. What really pissed him off was not being able to return a single serve.
To Bobby, this skinny little Japanese guy shouldn't be a threat. A few heavy smashes and the kid should be begging for mercy. But reality slapped him in the face—he couldn't even touch his opponent's serves.
Second game: Bobby's serve. His face lit up with excitement. Finally, it was his turn to crush the punk across the net. He was going to pay back that humiliation with interest.
He tossed the ball high and used his full strength to smash it toward Akutsu.
Akutsu snorted and side-stepped casually. He met the ball with a backhand counter, and the return became a streak of light crossing the net, slamming straight into Bobby's gut.
Luckily, Bobby's thick skin took the hit. He instinctively clutched his stomach with his left hand—it didn't seem too serious. But the ball had already landed.
"0-15!"
"You damn yellow-skinned monkey! I'll kill you!" Bobby was on the verge of exploding, but with warnings from both the umpire and Richard, he grudgingly returned to the baseline.
Richard cursed Bobby in his heart. This was Japan, and the idiot had the nerve to say something like "yellow-skinned monkey"? That was blatant racial insult. Thankfully, he'd said it in English—and he was so pissed, his words were slurred. It could be brushed off.
Most of the crowd didn't catch it, but Akutsu had heard every word. He didn't look mad though—just stared at Bobby with a cold, dead gaze.
Bobby tossed the ball again and smashed it with all his might. It rocketed straight at Akutsu's body—he clearly didn't care about playing fair anymore. He just wanted to destroy this guy.
But Akutsu tilted to the side, letting the ball zip past and fly out of bounds. He didn't even bother looking back.
"Out! Service fault!"
Bobby's second serve also aimed for Akutsu, but once again, Akutsu dodged with ease. The ball flew wide.
"Out! Double fault! 0-30!"
Fuming, Bobby stormed up to the umpire's chair and yelled, "Shit! Are you blind!?"
Just as the umpire was about to lose his temper, Richard beat him to it.
"Get back here, Bobby! You want to be abandoned again!?"
Bobby froze. The words sobered him a little. He reluctantly waved his racket and stomped back to the baseline while Richard quickly apologized to the umpire.
Since this was an exhibition match, the umpire let it go but issued a warning: any more behavior like that, and he'd award the win to the Kantō team on the spot.
Richard could only smile and nod, though inside he was cursing both Bobby and the umpire. It was becoming clear that Bobby was just another waste. If they lost this match too, he'd have to come up with a story to fool the sponsors and disappear as soon as the event ended.
Bobby served again. This time, he didn't go for Akutsu's body—but that didn't mean Akutsu wouldn't target him.
Akutsu stepped into the return and locked eyes on Bobby's knee. He unleashed a powerful forehand, sending the ball screaming over the net and slamming into Bobby's right knee, making him drop to the ground.
"0-40!"
At that moment, Richard raised an objection to the umpire, claiming Akutsu was deliberately targeting his player. But the umpire didn't entertain it—anyone could see Bobby was the one who provoked Akutsu first. He got hit? He deserved it. The umpire simply signaled Richard to back off.
Richard had no choice but to return to the coaching area, fuming. He never thought there would come a day when Bobby—the one who always injured others—would be the one on the receiving end, and with no argument to defend himself. It was infuriating.
After resting for a bit, Bobby stood up. Thanks to his physique, he could still manage to withstand that kind of hit. But what really hurt wasn't his body—it was his pride.
The match wasn't over yet. Urged by the umpire, Bobby served again. But Akutsu had no intention of letting up. His next return smashed directly into Bobby's right hand, knocking the racket clean out of his grip.
"Game! Akutsu Jin! 2-0!"
Bobby clutched his wrist, glaring darkly at Akutsu. The last shred of reason in his head was being devoured by rage. But Richard's earlier warning helped him barely hold onto control.
It was Akutsu's serve again in the third game. Standing at the baseline, Akutsu saw how much punishment Bobby could take and couldn't help but grin with excitement.
Without hesitation, he tossed the ball high and swung. This time, the serve wasn't as fast, giving Bobby just enough time to see the ball's path.
He ran toward it. Despite his massive frame, Bobby wasn't as slow as he looked. He barely reached the ball as it was about to go out and struck it hard with a forehand.
But no matter how strong Bobby was, it was useless against Akutsu. Akutsu darted to the net with a strange posture and looked like he was going for a cross-court shot, immediately drawing Bobby's attention to the right.
In the next instant, Akutsu hit a sharp straight shot. The ball flew directly at Bobby and struck his abdomen before he could react. The impact forced him back several steps and knocked the racket out of his hand again.
"15-0!"
Bobby dropped to his knees, holding his stomach. His gut felt like it was twisting in knots, and he could taste blood in his throat.
That was the final blow to his reason. When the pain faded just a bit, Bobby snapped. He grabbed a racket from the ground and hurled it at Akutsu, shouting curses.
Akutsu casually tilted his head to dodge it, and before the umpire could say anything, he tossed up a ball. A red-black aura burst from his body. His right arm swung down with brutal force, slamming the ball into the court.
The ball rebounded at lightning speed and struck Bobby square on the forehead. His vision went black, and he collapsed slowly to the ground. The ball bounced back into the air.
Akutsu appeared at the net in a flash. He leapt high and smashed again. The ball slammed into Bobby's right shoulder with a crack. A scream rang out.
Still not done, Akutsu let the ball bounce up once more and slammed it again. This time, it hit Bobby's left hand. His hand twisted unnaturally on impact.
The brutal blows to both sides made Bobby scream even louder, but Akutsu's attacks didn't stop. His technique now let him keep the ball bouncing back toward him for another hit.
Even if he occasionally missed slightly, Akutsu's wild instincts helped him adjust instantly. In front of the entire audience, Akutsu continued his relentless, vicious assault.
Even the umpire didn't dare intervene. He knew exactly what kind of player Akutsu was. Coincidentally, this was the same umpire who had officiated Akutsu's match against Wakamiya Hiroshi in his first year—the one where Akutsu hit a glowing shot.
So Bobby's fate wasn't a surprise. And since Akutsu was part of Akashi-sama's team, pretending not to notice anything was the safest move.
As Akutsu kept attacking, Bobby's screams grew fainter until they disappeared completely. Finally satisfied, Akutsu delivered one last smash. The ball landed beside Bobby and bounced out of bounds.
"30-0! Match paused!"
Only now did the umpire pretend to come to his senses and called a timeout. The medical staff, already waiting on standby, rushed onto the court to assess Bobby's condition.
Richard stood there stunned, eyes wide with fear as he glanced at Akutsu. Then he hurried to the medics, anxiously asking about Bobby's injuries. He wasn't worried about Bobby himself—he was just thinking that if Bobby was completely wrecked, it would cost him big.
According to the medics' initial assessment, Bobby had multiple injuries, including fractures in his right shoulder and left hand. Fortunately, there was no threat to his life. As for whether he could ever play tennis again, that would depend on his recovery.
"Since player Bobby can no longer continue, this match is now over! Score: 2-0! Winner: Akutsu Jin!"