"It's rare to see you smiling, Tezuka~" Fuji said with a teasing grin as he glanced at Tezuka.
"Kintarō's growth is something we all hoped to see," Tezuka replied calmly, his serious expression already restored.
"Radiance of Strong Heart, huh? That's just like you, Kintarō~" Chitose's face was also lit with joy. Obsessed as he was with the power of Ten'i Muhō, seeing Kintarō's evolution made him sincerely happy from the bottom of his heart.
On the court, Kintarō himself didn't really feel anything different. To him, whether it was Radiance of Love or Radiance of Strong Heart, they were all the same. Right now, all he cared about was beating the opponent in front of him and winning this match.
"Just now, there was this annoying little voice babbling in my head. But it doesn't matter anymore. I'll definitely beat you, glasses-nii!" Kintarō shouted with a wide smile at Mitsuya.
Without hesitation, Kintarō tossed the ball high. After spinning several times in place, he leapt up and swung hard. Flames roared to life around his racket, and with a fierce smash from his right hand, he struck the falling ball.
"Take this! Super Megaton Deluxe Volcano!!!" With his booming cry, the tennis ball turned into a blazing fireball and rocketed toward Mitsuya's side of the court.
But Mitsuya had already predicted the correct landing point. He reached the spot in advance, and just as the ball bounced with sparks flying, he swung to intercept. The next instant his brow furrowed—his racket was blown out of his hand, and the ball flew straight out of bounds.
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Yesss!!! Finally got a point! Now I'm just gonna keep piling them up!" Kintarō cheered, jumping high in delight.
Mitsuya calmly flexed his right wrist, then picked up his racket outside the court and returned to the baseline, crouching slightly to prepare for Kintarō's next serve. Kintarō, still grinning from his point, immediately launched another Volcano Serve.
To everyone's surprise, even though Mitsuya anticipated the ball each time, he couldn't return it successfully. Either his racket was blasted away, or his shot couldn't clear the net.
"Ace! 30-0!"
"Ace! 40-0!"
"Game! Second String Selection! 4-1!"
In the blink of an eye, Kintarō held his serve. Watching from the sidelines, Byōdōin looked displeased. Since Kintarō awakened Radiance of Strong Heart, Mitsuya's performance had dropped drastically, like he was a completely different player.
"Nice one, Kintarō!!!" Momo and the others in the stands shouted their support.
Yanagi and Inui exchanged a look, then both chuckled and shook their heads. Yukimura, too, seemed to notice something, smiling faintly as he turned his eyes toward Mitsuya.
"Game! Second String Selection! 4-2!"
"Game! Second String Selection! 4-3!"
"Game! Second String Selection! 4-4!"
With two Radiances awakened, Kintarō unleashed overwhelming offense. Mitsuya's predictions seemed useless; even when he acted early, he often failed to catch the ball. Gradually, he fell behind, and soon the match was tied.
"What the hell is Mitsuya doing? His movements are getting slower and slower!" Toono complained irritably.
"The limit of Ten'i Muhō. At first Mitsuya could resist with bursts of strength, but now that Toyama has awakened two Radiances, Mitsuya can't withstand the erosion anymore," Ochi said coolly.
"Those consumed by the Radiances move stiffly, their power and speed drop sharply, as if bound by some invisible force. That's exactly what Marui and Jackal described before," Mōri added slowly.
"Tch… that guy…" Byōdōin snorted, clearly dissatisfied with Ochi and Mōri's explanation. Still, after one last glance at Mitsuya, he closed his eyes to rest, his silence proof enough that he'd acknowledged Kintarō's strength.
"Game! 6-4! Second String Selection! First set over, Second String wins! Total score 1-0!"
Mifune looked at Mitsuya, who walked off court smiling as always, and couldn't help muttering, "Looks like that brat managed to meet your expectations after all~"
"Toyama Kintarō will be a key strength for the Japan Team, not just this year's World Cup. If the German Team can pull off nine straight titles, then Japan has hope too. The odds may be less than 1%, but someone's got to work toward it, don't they?" Mitsuya answered with his usual gentle smile.
"Heh~ thinking that far ahead, huh? Let's win this year's World Cup first, our strategist!" Mifune grinned wildly.
"An honor, Head Coach!" Mitsuya bowed slightly toward Mifune.
On the middle school side, everyone crowded around the coach's bench, cheering and encouraging Kintarō. He smiled brightly, chatting back with them. Even Akashi, usually cold and strict, didn't stop it—he just quietly watched.
"Oi~ not bad at all. Once this shuffle match is over, let's have our own game!" Ryōma stepped up to Kintarō with a hint of pride in his tone.
"Hehe! I won't lose to you, Ryōma!" Kintarō agreed without hesitation.
The break ended quickly and the second set began. But the First Court players had already lost interest. Mitsuya seemed completely consumed by the Radiance of Ten'i Muhō, unable to keep up with Kintarō's shots.
Kintarō, on the other hand, was more excited than ever. He leapt and shouted in midair, each strike heavier than the last. The blue light around him shone brighter, and the Radiance of Love and Radiance of Strong Heart began to faintly merge together.
"Game! 6-0! Second String Selection! Match over, Second String wins! Total score 2-0!"
Kintarō cleanly won the second set. While most thought Mitsuya had fallen to Ten'i Muhō, a few realized the truth: Mitsuya had held back. Or rather, once Kintarō met his expectations, Mitsuya had already given up.
"Now it's yours, Kintarō. Take it, and push forward to become the number one tennis player in Japan!" Mitsuya smiled as he removed his No.17 badge and handed it to Kintarō.
"That was fun! Let's play again next time!" Kintarō laughed as he accepted the badge, waving at Mitsuya.
"Fun, huh? You're the first to say that after a match with me," Mitsuya chuckled, ruffling Kintarō's red hair before turning back toward the stands. If one looked closely, they'd notice—there wasn't a drop of sweat on his face.
"I just realized Mitsuya might actually get along well with Kanata~" Tanegashima remarked playfully as he watched him.
"My relationship with Irie-senpai has always been fine, hasn't it, Tanegashima-senpai?" Mitsuya replied warmly.
While Tanegashima and Mitsuya chatted, Tokugawa quietly stood. A sharp, heavy aura spread from him. Byōdōin, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and stared toward Tokugawa.
"You've made some progress, foreign elite~ Looks like Oni hasn't been wasting his time on you," Byōdōin sneered.
"What? You planning to crush Tokugawa again?" Oni shot him a cold glance, his words firm.
"Hmph! Only if he's worthy of being crushed," Byōdōin snorted and said no more.
Meanwhile, at the middle school bench, Ryōma adjusted his cap, crouched to tighten his shoelaces, then held his racket under his left arm as he slowly walked toward the court.
"Didn't expect Yanagi and Inui to put you in the last slot. So, do you have confidence to win this one, Echizen Ryōma?" Akashi asked flatly as Ryōma passed by.
"My goal's to beat you, Akashi-senpai," Ryōma replied, not answering directly but throwing out a challenge instead.
"Against me, your defeat is already decided. Still, keep that confidence when you step on court. For now, Tokugawa may be a very strong opponent for you," Akashi said without much concern. He was already used to Ryōma's provocations.
"The fourth singles match is about to begin! For the Japan Team, No.11 Tokugawa Kazuya, versus Second String Selection, Echizen Ryōma! Players, please enter the court!"
At the referee's announcement, Tokugawa strode onto the court, stern-faced. Just as Ryōma was about to step up too, an orange suddenly flew through the air. He instinctively caught it.
Holding the orange, Ryōma turned. Among the First Court members, a hooded young man looked at him with a playful smile. A No.4 badge gleamed on his collar. Ryōma felt a little puzzled, but didn't dwell on it. He pulled down the brim of his cap and walked onto the court.
Echizen Ryōga.
"What's going on? Why's the little guy acting so cold to me, like I'm a stranger?" Ryōga muttered, baffled by Ryōma's reaction.
His gesture had caught Akashi's eye too. Akashi knew full well that Ryōma had no memory of his older brother. Even though he hadn't gone through the amnesia of the original story, because Fudomine won the Kanto Tournament, Seigaku had never been invited to that luxury cruise ship scam.
Instead, Akashi had received that invitation—and tossed it in the trash. Because of that, Ryōma lost his chance to reunite with his brother. But now that Ryōga had arrived at the training camp, it wouldn't be long before the brothers finally met again.