"W-what just happened?!"
Outside the court, the high schoolers exchanged stunned glances.
All they had seen was Ryoma striking back with his own Glow Shot the moment Byoudouin unleashed his. The collision of the two glowing balls sent a shockwave through the court, kicking up a massive dust cloud.
Whoosh!
A moment later, the dust settled, revealing the devastated court—cracked and sunken like a battlefield straight out of hell.
"Uh… this…"
The umpire froze, unsure how to call the point. He hadn't even seen what caused the explosion.
"15-15, Mr. Umpire."
Ryoma looked up, smiling at the flustered official.
"O-oh, right!" The umpire blinked, then nodded gratefully. "Byoudouin's point, 15-15!"
"This guy…!"
The U-17 representatives stared at Ryoma in disbelief. No one had expected him to willingly concede the point.
But those who had seen the exchange clearly—like Duke and Mouri—knew the truth. Ryoma hadn't lost to Byoudouin's Glow Shot. He had deliberately broken the rules by intercepting it.
"Was he testing Byoudouin's Glow Shot?" Duke narrowed his eyes, studying Ryoma. "What's his game?"
Was this a challenge?
Did he even realize who he was playing against?
"Hmph."
On the court, Byoudouin's expression darkened as he surveyed the wreckage. He had seen it clearly—his Glow Shot had been completely neutralized.
This wasn't just skill.
It was a provocation.
And a declaration of Ryoma's own strength.
"Umpire."
A voice cut through the tension—Kurobe, standing on the second-floor platform. "Switch courts."
"Y-yes, sir!"
The relieved official quickly agreed. With the coaches stepping in, the match wouldn't spiral out of control.
During the court change, the players finally had a chance to process what they'd just witnessed.
"That Ryoma… he's insane." One of the representatives muttered. "He countered Byoudouin's Glow Shot head-on!"
"No kidding," another agreed. "Even national-level aces crumble against that shot. Who is this guy?"
During their overseas matches, they had seen Byoudouin dominate every opponent. The strongest—the Philippine team's ace—had been hospitalized after taking a single Glow Shot.
Yet here was Ryoma, not just surviving it but matching it.
"Hey." Ochi turned to Mouri. "He's from overseas, right? There's no way a player this strong flew under the radar in middle school."
The others nodded.
Ryoma had been wearing Ice Middle's jacket yesterday.
All eyes shifted to Mouri, but the tall ace simply shook his head. "I don't know much about him."
"So," Tokugawa pressed, "is he really a transfer?"
The idea made sense. Byoudouin, Ryoma, even Duke—all of them had come from overseas. The only homegrown elites were Oni, Tanegashima, and Mouri himself.
"Ryoma's from overseas?" Marui gaped.
But what other explanation was there?
"Huh?" He noticed his teammate's expression. "Mouri, you look pale."
"It's nothing."
Mouri sighed inwardly.
Aside from himself, no one knew Ryoma's real background.
If they found out…
"Hey, Matsudaira."
Over at Court 3, Ochi and the others frowned at their teammate's odd behavior.
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah." Matsudaira swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously toward Byoudouin.
If he finds out he's playing a middle schooler…
He shuddered and buried the thought deep.
Match Resumes
"Game set, first set! Byoudouin to serve, 15-15!"
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rhythmic bounce of the ball echoed as Byoudouin steadied himself at the baseline.
"If you've mastered the Glow Shot, there's no need for warm-ups." His sharp gaze locked onto Ryoma. "Let's see if you can keep up, brat."
BOOM!
The serve tore through the air before the net, kicking up a dust storm that surged toward Ryoma.
SHING!
But in the next instant, the haze split apart—ripped open by a massive, glowing tennis ball.
The eerie blue-green light illuminated Ryoma's calm expression.
"This is—!"
Mouri's eyes widened.
"Tennis Dimension!"
The other representatives tensed, some even flinching back.
The Tennis Dimension—a realm beyond basic technique, where a player's skill transcended into a higher plane.
Among them, only Duke and Mouri (with his Mach Serve) could touch that level.
But this…
This was something else entirely.
"Finally getting serious?"
Ryoma didn't even blink as the terrifying serve bore down on him.
THUD!
His racket met the ball head-on, stopping it dead.
"He blocked it?!"
Even Duke stared in shock.
ZZZT!
A silver-white aura flared around Ryoma, forcing the spectators to shield their eyes.
WHOOSH!
A streak of light shot across the court—so fast that some players felt their vision lag trying to follow it.
"Huh?"
Byoudouin's eyes narrowed.
"A speed-based dimension?"
The ball moved faster than the eye could track, warping perception itself.
Without hesitation, Byoudouin closed his eyes, relying on instinct to sidestep—
CRACK!
His racket connected, but the impact made his arm tremble.
"Nice shot!"
With a grunt, he whipped the ball back—
"Spanish Bullfight!"
The return wasn't just powerful.
It was alive.
The dust swirled into the shape of a charging bull, the ground shaking beneath its phantom hooves.
Ryoma didn't move.
"Did he freeze?"
"No—he's avoiding a direct hit!"
But then—
WHOOSH!
The "bull" veered off course, yanked sideways as if by an invisible lasso.
Ryoma's racket flashed like a blade.
"Shockwave."
BOOOOM!
A thunderous roar split the air as a violet streak—like a lightning dragon—blasted across the court.
World-Class Technique: Thunderclap!
"Tch."
Byoudouin's instincts screamed danger.
"His swordsmanship… is this refined?!"
This wasn't just a tennis shot.
It was a killing strike.
RRRUMBLE!
A dark aura erupted around Byoudouin, swallowing Ryoma's technique whole.
KABOOM!
The air compressed—then detonated.
"Did he return it?!"
"What was that?!"
Duke and Mouri barely caught the afterimage—
SLAM!
The ball skidded along the baseline, spinning violently against the wall.
"15-30!"
Silence.
Then—
"Byoudouin… just lost a point?!"
The representatives were stunned.
As the dust cleared, Byoudouin stood motionless, his jacket slit open at the side.
"He's… losing?"
Tokugawa, Ochi, and the others stared at Ryoma, their minds reeling.
This wasn't just a match.
It was a battle of kings.
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