"Kirihara-kun… what's going on with you?" Shiraishi looked at the boy standing in front of him, a little stunned.
"Shiraishi-san, I feel amazing right now!" Kirihara said with a smile, eyes glowing bluish-green.
But right after he spoke, the glow in his eyes slowly faded, and his whole presence returned to normal. Both Shiraishi and Kirihara froze in confusion.
"Why do I suddenly feel like I lost all my strength… so weird!" Kirihara mumbled, scratching his head.
Just then, Taira Yoshiyuki and Hara Tetsuya on the other side took off their collar badges and walked to the net. Hara Tetsuya took Taira's badge and spoke up.
"Shiraishi~ Kelp-head, we're giving these two badges to you guys!"
"Don't call me kelp-head, you jerk!" Kirihara stomped over angrily and snatched the badges from Hara's hands.
"Don't forget the Shitenhōji comedy spirit, Shiraishi!" Taira waved at Shiraishi with a grin, then followed Hara off the court.
'A sniper with a comedy act, huh? But if we're talking about real snipers, Spain's cross-dressing monster Mars is probably the scariest one in the future! I still don't get what Nanjirō was thinking—raising all of them like they're Ryōma clones!' Akashi watched Taira leave the court, but his thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
"Hey, should we be running away right now~?" Hara suddenly whispered to Taira after stepping off the court, like something had just occurred to him.
"Hmm~~~ yeah, sounds about right!" Taira nodded seriously.
"You two, get back here already!" Oni's voice suddenly cut through to them. Both of them let out a breath of relief. With Oni around, Byoudouin wouldn't go too far.
Byoudouin glanced at Oni beside him but didn't say anything. Though he was frustrated about the loss, he didn't seem to care much—it was just one of the bottom-ten matches anyway. Besides, that middle schooler named Shiraishi was kind of interesting.
Even though Byoudouin's personality was extreme and his behavior problematic, he could still tolerate things that benefited the Japan Team. In his mind, middle schoolers were just a bunch of weak kids who couldn't help the team on the world stage. That's why he'd never taken them seriously before.
"Losing the first match, huh? Pretty embarrassing~ Let's make some noise in the next one! Rikiya!" Danji Date loosened up his shoulders and turned to Ban Rikiya.
"No problem, partner! Hope those middle schoolers can last a bit!" Ban Rikiya replied with a laugh.
"Chances that Danji Date and Ban Rikiya will be selected for the second doubles match: eighty-seven percent..." Yanagi Renji murmured with half-closed eyes from the player bench.
"Then we should send in Ishida Gin and Kabaji. The probability of victory is seventy-nine percent!" Inui Sadaharu immediately followed up.
"This match—Danji and Ban's win rate is only thirty-two point six percent!" On the spectator side, Mitsuya spoke quietly. Apparently, he had data even Inui and Yanagi didn't.
"Next up, the second doubles match! Representing the U-17 Japan Team: No. twelve Danji Date and No. thirteen Ban Rikiya! Facing the Second Team challengers: Ishida Gin and Kabaji Takahiro! All players, please enter the court!"
The four walked slowly to the net. After a handshake, Danji suddenly turned to Ishida Gin and said:
"So it's you, Ishida-kid! We get along off-court, but don't expect me to hold back here! Rikiya, let's prep two coffins for them!"
"No problem~" Ban Rikiya replied cheerfully.
"Long time no see, Danji-senpai, Ban-senpai! Please go easy on us today!" Ishida Gin clasped his hands together respectfully and bowed.
As for Kabaji, there was nothing to say. Aside from Atobe, almost no one could get any reaction out of him pre-match. He just stood there silently, which made Danji glance curiously in his direction.
The coin toss ended quickly, with Danji winning the right to serve first. Neither Ishida nor Kabaji reacted. Ishida turned around and called out:
"Let's go, Kabaji! We can't lose this match!"
"Fssu!" Kabaji nodded and followed Ishida Gin toward the backcourt.
"Hey~ Danji! I get this weird feeling that Kabaji kid's not normal!" Ban Rikiya leaned over and whispered to Danji Date.
"Heh~ who cares? Restrictions are off now anyway. Let's really give it to them!" Danji replied, completely unfazed.
"Best of three sets! Japan Team serves first!"
With the umpire's announcement, the second doubles match officially began. Danji stepped to the baseline, smirking at the two massive figures across from him. His right arm flexed as the muscle began bulging, and he called out:
"Looks like this is gonna be a battle of strength. I won't hold back then—Springtime of Danji!"
A violent crack echoed. The tennis ball launched with explosive force, blasting toward Ishida Gin. Danji had opened with full power, showing no restraint at all.
Ishida Gin didn't hold back either. His whole body tensed up as he shifted into his Hadōkyū stance. Power gathered in his left hand, and he swung hard at the incoming ball.
"Forgive me, senpai! One Hundredth Form—Hadōkyū!!!"
The ball clashed with his racket for a moment, then got blasted right back. The return was like a shockwave. Danji's eyes lit up in excitement. The muscle in both arms swelled as he charged the ball.
"Now this is what real tennis feels like! This is a man's duel! Summer of Danji!!! Oraaa!"
Danji shouted with laughter and slammed the One Hundredth Form Hadōkyū right back. The power jumped another level. The ball tore across the court, kicking up huge clouds of dust in its path.
"If this is a man's duel, then I've got even less reason to lose! One Hundred and Eighth Form—Hadōkyū!!!" Ishida Gin's eyes widened as a fierce aura erupted from him. His U-17 uniform bulged tight over his swollen muscles.
"That's more like it, Ishida-kid~ Watch closely—this is the real Springtime of Danji!!!" Danji didn't look shocked by the return. Instead, he struck a strange pose.
On the sideline, Kawamura Takashi's face was glowing with excitement. He'd seen Danji's full-power Springtime before—its destructive force rivaled the Glowing Shot. Even among the First String, Danji was easily top five when it came to raw power.
Don't let his lack of screentime fool you. Danji Date had once challenged Byoudouin head-on. After the match, all he had was a cross-shaped scar on his forehead. If he weren't strong enough, he would've been crushed completely.
Ishida Gin stared at the ball barreling toward him, carried on a wild wind. He didn't flinch. His expression twisted into a fierce snarl as a savage aura exploded from his body. His muscles bulged like steel.
"I'm going to be the strongest power-type player in Japan! There's no way I'm losing here! Two Hundredth Form—Hadōkyū!!!"
Ishida roared, pouring all his strength into his left hand as he smashed the ball. The ball clashed hard against his racket, trying to break through, but Ishida held firm. The power burst from his left arm cracked the ground beneath his feet.
A massive yellow shockwave ripped out from his swing, blowing away the dust around them. The ball screamed toward Danji in a straight line. Danji charged it head-on with a laugh, no hesitation.
"Man, that's insanely heavy~ But… I… am… Danji Date!!!" Danji's face twisted. He clenched the racket with both hands, letting the ball slam into it with full force.
But a second later, his racket went flying into the air. The ball rocketed past him and crashed into the wall behind. It embedded itself completely into the surface, leaving only a little bit sticking out, smoke curling from the seams.
"0-15!"
"Hah, I might've underestimated you a little, Ishida-kid! But this match is just getting started!" Danji picked up his racket and grinned wickedly at Ishida.