"Oh? If I remember right, Nakagawa Naoto's total stat score is only 19.5, right? Looks like he's in trouble this match," Tsuge Ryūji said with interest, eyes fixed on the monitor.
"The original plan was to have Nakagawa test the middle schoolers aside from those monsters, but this is what happened instead," Kurobe Yukio said, frowning with clear dissatisfaction at the high schoolers' performance.
"I'm telling you, anyone in the same year as Akashi isn't gonna be ordinary," Tsuge said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Hmph. Seems I'll need to adjust my strategy again. Sometimes having players that strong isn't always a good thing," Kurobe replied with a resigned sigh.
Meanwhile, back on the court, Nakagawa Naoto's body was once again sent flying into the air. His clothes were torn and tattered, and he looked completely wrecked. Even his glasses were cracked.
"Game! Ishida Gin! 2-0!"
Since Ishida Gin activated Arrival of the Myōō, Nakagawa hadn't won a single point. With both strength and speed outmatched, his superior technique was useless. Ishida's style forced you to clash head-on. 'Overwhelming power trumps all technique'—that was exactly it.
"How could I lose to a middle school power player?! No way! I haven't even beaten Oni Juujirou yet!" Nakagawa muttered through clenched teeth as he stood up again.
"As expected of you, Nakagawa-senpai—you've got an unshakable will. In that case, I'll see this through to the end!" Ishida Gin shouted with respectful resolve.
The high schoolers on the sidelines had complicated looks on their faces as they watched Nakagawa get blasted out of bounds over and over. Most of them knew Nakagawa had trained his body just to face off against Oni, able to take Oni's monstrous strength head-on without flinching.
But now they were seeing Nakagawa being completely crushed by a middle schooler—purely through raw power. For the first time, they started to suspect: maybe Oni had never gone all out against Nakagawa at all.
"Game! Ishida Gin! 3-0!"
"Give it up, Nakagawa! At this rate, your body won't hold out! Miyako, say something too!" Matsudaira Chikahiko called out anxiously from the sidelines.
"He won't give in. That's his tennis belief," Miyako Shinobu said calmly, though his right hand was tightly clenched.
And just like Miyako Shinobu had said, Nakagawa gritted his teeth and kept going. To him, if he couldn't even defeat the middle schooler in front of him, there was no way he could ever challenge Oni Juujirou. His beliefs couldn't just crumble here.
"Nakagawa-senpai, are you sure you want to keep going?" Ishida Gin's eyes were serious as he stared at him.
"I'm not so weak that I need a kid to worry about me! Bring it on, Ishida!" Nakagawa barked back.
"I see. In that case, to show my respect… One Hundred and Fiftieth Form—Hadōkyū!" Ishida Gin's eyes flashed red for an instant, and a fearsome pressure radiated from him.
"If I back down now, then my path in tennis ends here. So let's keep going—head-to-head!" Nakagawa gripped his racket with both hands and charged toward the incoming blast without hesitation.
"Nakagawa!" "No!" "Can he take it?!" Voices cried out from the sidelines as Nakagawa was once again sent flying by Ishida's Hadōkyū.
Just as the impact hit, a pair of strong arms caught him firmly. Nakagawa turned and saw it was Miyako Shinobu, standing at the edge of the court. This time, the blast had sent him flying all the way into the spectator's seats.
"Game! Ishida Gin! 4-0!"
"Can you still go on, Nakagawa?" Miyako Shinobu asked with a serious expression.
"Of course. I'm not going down that easy," Nakagawa forced out a weak smile as he answered.
Watching Nakagawa walk step by step back to the court, even Miyako Shinobu couldn't help but sigh. There was nothing he could do. The middle schoolers this year were just too damn strong.
"Let's keep going, Ishida!" Nakagawa called out firmly after returning to the court, showing no signs of backing down.
Ishida Gin silently nodded, saying nothing more. He could already feel how deep Nakagawa's conviction in tennis ran. In a situation like this, the only way to show respect was to keep playing.
"One Hundred and Fifty-First Form—Hadōkyū!"
"Game! Ishida Gin! 5-0!"
"Don't hold back, Ishida! I know you're not using your full strength! Don't you dare look down on a man's resolve, you bastard!" Nakagawa shouted loudly after match point.
"Haa… got it! Then don't die on me, Nakagawa-senpai! Two Hundred and Sixteenth Form—Hadōkyū!" Ishida Gin's expression twisted into a fierce snarl. His pupils turned crimson, and a terrifying pressure surged from his entire body.
To Nakagawa's eyes, the moment Ishida struck the ball, a hazy illusion appeared behind him—it looked like the legendary Fudō Myōō.
Crack! With the sound of a racket shattering, Nakagawa's shirt completely tore apart, and his body was hurled sideways into the air, tracing a parabolic arc before being caught by several third-year players at the edge of the court.
"Game! 6-0! Winner: Ishida Gin!"
"Since Ishida Gin has won the Court Shuffle Match, effective immediately, Ishida Gin will move up to Court No. 5, and Nakagawa Naoto will drop to Court No. 16," came Kurobe Yukio's cold voice from the speakers around the court.
At the same time, a bus pulled up deep in the forest. The ones getting off were none other than the middle schoolers who had just lost their tiebreak matches. As they stepped off—some complaining, some curious—a familiar voice rang out.
"Everyone, even though you lost your matches, there's still one final chance in front of you. If you can climb that mountain behind me and reach the Cliff of the Heart, you might gain something unexpected," Saitō Itaru said as he slowly walked out from the trees.
"That's the place you said would make us stronger?" Ryōma asked, eyes locked on Saitō.
"You'll only know the answer once you get there yourself," Saitō replied with a cryptic smile, turning into a riddle-spewing sage.
Hearing his words, several third-years who had been to the back mountain before fell silent. They knew too well what kind of place it was and what was waiting for them.
But back then, they'd always used a special route arranged by Akashi. This was the first time they were heading there the normal way. Curious, they followed along with the group.
Ryōma and Kintarō took the lead, charging straight toward the mountain without hesitation. They didn't seem concerned about any danger. Honestly, with Kintarō around, the ones in danger were probably the mountain animals.
Meanwhile, on top of the Cliff of the Heart, Mifune was drinking while yelling at the high schoolers who'd been eliminated from the camp. He'd always thought there were too many people in the camp, but since everyone had made it through layer after layer of selection, it wasn't easy to just toss them out.
"Move it, all of you! What, didn't eat breakfast?! Worthless punks!" Mifune barked, still as temperamental and foul-mouthed as ever.
Just then, the phone in the cave rang. Mifune clicked his tongue in irritation, cursed a few more times at the high schoolers, then walked into the cave and grabbed the receiver.
"It's me, Mifune! What is it? Speak up!"
"Head Coach! We've delivered the failed middle schoolers to you. Most of them are from the list Akashi-kun submitted. The few you named are also among them," Saitō's voice came through the line.
"Got it. I've waited long enough. Finally got a few that aren't total trash. That's it, I'm hanging up," Mifune said and immediately slammed the phone down.
Still standing in the forest, Saitō shook his head helplessly, then pocketed his phone. He watched the middle schoolers disappearing into the distance with a sly smile on his face. Whatever he was thinking, it definitely didn't seem like anything good.