Thud, thud, thud...
In the real world, the tennis ball struck by Ishikawa flew past the court under the stunned gazes of the spectators. It hit the wall and rolled to a stop.
"Out!"
"0-30!"
"Huh?"
The consecutive mistakes left everyone staring at Ishikawa in confusion. One mistake could be written off as a coincidence, but two in a row? Something was definitely off with Ishikawa.
"Yes! Perfect!"
On the bench, Chitose clenched his fists tightly. He was certain that Ishikawa's hearing—no, all five of his senses—had been stripped away by Yukimura. Remembering how helpless Taneda had been when his senses were taken, the Rikkai team members felt a surge of excitement.
With this, the match was firmly in Yukimura's control.
"Phew..."
At the baseline, Yukimura let out a sigh of relief.
It had been so tough! To maximize the effect of his "Five Senses Deprivation," he had to exert himself with every shot. Even after Ishikawa lost his sense of touch and sight, Yukimura had briefly considered giving up.
But in the end, he succeeded.
With Ishikawa's senses completely gone, even if he managed to regain consciousness like Taneda had, Yukimura would have already closed the gap in points by then.
"So strong! Even Ishikawa is no match for Yukimura's Five Senses Deprivation!"
"This match is ours! Rikkai will win!"
The Rikkai team's morale soared as they excitedly discussed the match.
"Wait, what? Depriving someone of their senses?"
Hearing this, the Hyotei team members were stunned. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock.
"H-how is that even possible? Depriving someone of their senses? Is this still tennis?!"
Koshiro widened his eyes in disbelief. Depriving someone of their senses? Was this even within the realm of tennis?
"Depriving someone of their senses...?"
Atobe and Oshitari turned their wary gazes toward Yukimura.
Especially Atobe. His "Emperor" aura could suppress his opponent's strength, but the stronger the opponent, the weaker the effect. Yet Yukimura could completely strip away his opponent's senses? Even Ishikawa had fallen victim to it. Atobe knew that he wouldn't be able to escape it either.
"Yukimura Seiichi, the 'Child of God'..."
Atobe muttered the nickname under his breath, his eyes filled with deep wariness.
"Hey, referee!"
A Rikkai team member suddenly spoke up. "There's a time limit for serving, right? You can't just let him take forever!"
"Uh..."
The referee was taken aback but nodded. In professional matches, there were indeed time limits for serving to prevent players from exploiting the rules.
But in middle school tournaments, this had never been an issue before. He checked the time and saw that the limit hadn't been exceeded. He was puzzled. From the looks of it, Rikkai was the one being pressured. Shouldn't they be happy to let Ishikawa take his time?
But the Rikkai team was nervous. Ishikawa's strength was so overwhelming that they couldn't help but worry about any potential twists.
Of course, while the regular team members were anxious, Yukimura remained calm.
"Ahem."
The referee, realizing that time was indeed dragging on, turned to the black-haired boy standing motionless on the court. "Ishikawa, please serve soon, or I'll have to penalize you for delaying the game!"
"Heh."
Hearing the referee's words, some Rikkai team members smirked inwardly. "It's useless. His hearing's been taken away. He can't hear you."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
But the next moment, to the Rikkai team's shock, Ishikawa, who had been standing still, suddenly pulled out a tennis ball and started bouncing it.
"N-no way!"
The Rikkai team members were startled. "He broke out of the Five Senses Deprivation that quickly?!"
"No, that's impossible!"
Yanagi shook his head. "Breaking out of the Five Senses Deprivation doesn't look like that. What he's doing now is more like a muscle memory response."
In Yanagi's estimation, Ishikawa, deprived of his senses, must have realized that if he didn't serve, he'd lose the point. The timing with the referee's words was just a coincidence.
Whoosh!
Ishikawa tossed the ball into the air.
Then, he bent his knees, tightened his core, and raised his racket. After locating the ball, he executed a perfect serve, slamming the racket down with precision.
"Impressive."
At the baseline, Yukimura couldn't help but admire Ishikawa's form. Even with his senses stripped away, Ishikawa's serve was textbook-perfect. It seemed like his body had memorized the motion through countless repetitions.
"This match is going in our favor," Yukimura thought. "So, I'll give it my all to defeat you."
Boom!
But before Yukimura could finish his thought, a flash of yellow light exploded on the service line in front of him.
"15-30!"
"W-what?!"
The Rikkai team members stared in disbelief.
"What kind of serve was that?!" Taneda exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.
It was too fast! He hadn't even reacted before the ball landed near Yukimura. And Yukimura himself seemed caught off guard.
"Could it be...?" Yukimura's eyes narrowed. "Is this the true form of Ishikawa's 'Stardust' serve?"
This was bad. Yukimura's heart sank. He hadn't expected that, even with his senses stripped away, Ishikawa's muscle memory would unleash his most powerful serve.
He had outsmarted himself!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
At the baseline, Ishikawa gently bounced the ball.
He was in a state of complete emptiness, his body moving purely on instinct, as if this were just another practice session.
"Uh..."
Oshitari's eyelid twitched. "Yukimura's Five Senses Deprivation has made Ishikawa lose control of his body. Right now, it's his instincts driving him."
"Wait..." Hiyoshi realized. "So, Vice-Captain's instincts are treating this like a regular serve practice?"
The moment he said it, not only were the Hyotei team members stunned, but representatives from other teams also gaped in disbelief.
Whoosh!
Ishikawa tossed the ball into the air again.
He swung his racket as before, while Yukimura, on the other side, focused intensely, ready to receive.
Swish!
But then, everyone was shocked to see Ishikawa suddenly pull his racket back.
Rustle...
A faint rolling sound came from behind Yukimura.
"Gulp."
Everyone looked over and saw a tennis ball slowly rolling behind him.
"W-when did that happen?!"
Yukimura's face paled as he stared at the spot where the ball had landed, almost overlapping with the previous serve. A sense of dread crept into his heart.
"What kind of serve is this?!"
He looked up at Ishikawa, his expression a mix of awe and fear. "What kind of monster have I unleashed...?"
But then, his gaze hardened.
If it weren't for the accidental use of the Five Senses Deprivation, Yukimura might have still been under the illusion that he had the upper hand. Now, with the veil lifted and Ishikawa's true strength revealed, Yukimura felt a surge of determination.
Swish!
He spread his feet, lowered his center of gravity, and prepared to face the next serve.
Boom!
The ball landed, and Yukimura's heightened focus finally allowed him to catch a glimpse of its trajectory.
"40-30!"
"I see it now..."
Yukimura tightened his grip on the racket, taking deep breaths to calm himself.
"Again!"
He repeated his stance, waiting for Ishikawa's next serve.
Boom!
The ball landed, and a flash of yellow light erupted. Yukimura's pupils contracted as he swung his racket with all his speed.
Thud.
The edge of the racket grazed the ball, sending it flying into the net.
"Game!"
"Hyotei, Ishikawa leads 5-0!"
The referee's voice echoed through the silent court.
"He... touched it?"
The Hyotei team stared in shock. Yukimura had actually managed to make contact with Ishikawa's "Stardust" serve!
"Is this the terrifying talent of the 'Child of God'?"
On the bench, Coach Sakaki watched Yukimura with a mix of awe and concern.
Even though Ishikawa had secured the points, Yukimura's improvement was undeniable. If Ishikawa didn't wake up soon and Yukimura managed to break through his serve, Hyotei could still lose this match.
"But now, the question is... how do we switch sides?"
Sakaki frowned, looking at Ishikawa.
After five games, the players were supposed to switch sides. If Ishikawa couldn't do it, the referee might rule that he was unable to continue, resulting in a forfeit.
Sakaki's mind raced. He even considered having Kabaji and Hiyoshi carry Ishikawa to the other side, but that would be too humiliating.
Yukimura, too, realized the problem. If Ishikawa couldn't switch sides, Hyotei would lose by default. While that would mean a win for Rikkai, it didn't sit right with him.
"Hey, Yukimura-senpai."
Just then, a calm voice came from the other side of the court. "You didn't forget to switch sides, did you?"
Everyone looked up to see Ishikawa walking toward Yukimura's side with a smile.
"What?!"
The Rikkai team was stunned.
"He's back to normal?!"
"When did that happen...?"
"Wait, does this mean we have no chance of winning now?"
Seeing Ishikawa moving normally again, the Rikkai team's expressions shifted between shock and despair.
"He broke out of the Five Senses Deprivation?!" Yanagi couldn't believe his eyes.
"It's over," Marui and Jackal muttered in defeat.
Rikkai's last hope was gone.
"..."
On the court, Yukimura's expression shifted several times before he finally calmed down and completed the side switch.
"Sixth game!"
The referee nodded at Yukimura. "Rikkai's Yukimura to serve, final set!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Yukimura bounced the ball slowly, seemingly adjusting his state of mind. His thoughts raced as he prepared for the next serve.
Boom!
He served the ball and quickly moved to the center of the court, ready to defend.
"Yukimura-senpai," Ishikawa said with a smile. "Thank you for showing me a completely different world."
Boom!
With a backhand swing, Ishikawa sent the ball to Yukimura's feet. Yukimura froze, as if under a spell.
"0-15!"
"Y-Yukimura-senpai..."
The Rikkai team was stunned. Before the match, they had imagined various outcomes, but they never expected their captain to be so thoroughly dominated.
Boom!
Another ball landed at Yukimura's feet.
"0-30!"
"This... this isn't even a fair fight anymore," Jackal said, his voice breaking.
Yukimura's current state completely shattered their image of him.
The others fell silent.
It was over. Rikkai had no chance of turning this around.
"Ishikawa..."
On the court, Yukimura stared at his opponent in disbelief. Ishikawa felt even stronger than before the Five Senses Deprivation.
"A different world?"
He recalled Ishikawa's words. What had Ishikawa seen after losing his senses? And what about Taneda?
Yesterday, after losing his senses, Taneda had surged with power, mastering the black aura. Yukimura's heart stirred.
Swish!
When he looked up at Ishikawa again, his eyes were filled with determination.
"If I don't break through, I'll never rise. Let me see what this 'different world' truly is!"
Boom!
He served again.
"A desperate struggle," St. Rudolph's Mitsui muttered from the sidelines. "At this point, Rikkai has no chance of winning. Is the 'Child of God' still hoping to turn this around?"
"Can you blame him?" Akazawa shook his head. "Falling from the top isn't something anyone can accept easily."
But even so, Akazawa believed Yukimura's fate was sealed. He would follow Rikkai into defeat in this national semifinal, while Hyotei would rise as the new national champions, with Ishikawa replacing Yukimura as the strongest middle school player.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On the court, Yukimura, now fully committed, began trading shots with Ishikawa.
But his condition was dire.
Sweat poured down his face as he struggled to keep up with Ishikawa's relentless attacks. There was no sign of hope for a comeback.
As the match progressed, his movements grew sluggish, his eyes dull, and his overall demeanor increasingly grim.
"Wait!!"
Yanagi suddenly noticed something. "Yukimura's pupils... they're unfocused!"
The Five Senses Deprivation?!
The realization hit everyone at once.
On Hyotei's side, Oshitari muttered, "Is Yukimura being consumed by his own technique?!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
But as the match continued, everyone noticed a dark aura beginning to emanate from Yukimura's body, growing stronger with each moment.
"Could it be...?" Taneda's eyes widened. "Is he intentionally depriving himself of his own senses?!"
Hum!
Suddenly, as Yukimura received the next ball, a sharp, menacing aura burst from him.
Boom!
A flash of black light accompanied the ball as it landed on Ishikawa's backhand side. When Ishikawa lobbed it back, Yukimura leaped into the air and smashed it down with a powerful spike.
Bang!
"15-30!"
The referee's voice broke the silence.
Everyone was stunned.
"Y-Yukimura-senpai... he actually scored against Ishikawa?!" Chitose exclaimed in disbelief.