At that moment, Tezuka and Chitose on the court were still unaware of anything strange about their Muga aura. They remained in a brilliant state, while Sakata and Fujii across from them were having a miserable time.
After the last game, they'd clearly realized how terrifying these two first-years were. They didn't really understand what "Saiki Kanpatsu" meant, but they had at least heard of the Muga no Kyōchi.
Game three was Chitose's serve. Before serving, he and Tezuka both gave a simultaneous absolute prediction.
"One shot!"
As soon as they made the call, the fluctuation of their Muga aura increased again.
Hearing them say just one shot would decide the game, Sakata and Fujii couldn't stay calm no matter how composed they were. Sakata raised his left hand behind his back, signaling Fujii with a special code. Fujii gave no obvious reaction—they didn't need to speak. Their tacit understanding was enough.
On the sidelines, Minami Kentarō and Higashikata Masami noticed the signal and perked up. In fact, they had learned their coded play strategy from Sakata and Fujii, their upperclassmen.
While the two were fully prepared, Chitose tossed the ball high. With a sharp hit, the tennis ball spun across the net, bounced, then suddenly vanished from Fujii's sight—only to reappear past the baseline.
"Kamikakushi! It works even during serve~" Chitose grinned.
"It really was one shot. What a joke," Fujii said with a bitter smile.
Even with full preparation, they were helpless against absolute strength. Still, neither Sakata nor Fujii planned to give up. As Yamabuki regulars, pride pushed them to fight to the very end.
But sometimes, stubborn resistance can't change reality. Tezuka and Chitose had already predicted their every move with Saiki Kanpatsu.
To be honest, in the original story, Saiki Kanpatsu didn't seem that useful—kind of like Data Tennis—and it got hard countered right after it showed up. But against non-national-level players, this technique was practically unbeatable.
Outside the court, Atobe Keigo watched the match with his fists clenched tight. He hadn't expected the two Fudomine regulars who didn't even play during their match to be this strong. He could clearly feel that they had already surpassed him.
On the other side, Fuji Shūsuke had opened his eyes, staring seriously at Tezuka. Inui Sadaharu was still obsessively collecting data, scribbling in a new notebook—his last one had already been filled up.
"Game! Fudomine! 3-0! Switch courts!"
The umpire quickly announced the score. Tezuka and Chitose had taken another service game. But by the end of this round, the fluctuation in their Muga aura was much more obvious, which caught them by surprise and reminded them of what Akashi had said before the match.
Chitose especially felt his state now was somehow different than before, though he couldn't pinpoint what had changed. He didn't overthink it and just went with the flow.
On Yamabuki's side, during the court change, Mitsuya Akuto gave Sakata and Fujii some advice—try switching roles to disrupt Saiki Kanpatsu's predictions.
Neither objected. First, they were used to Mitsuya's courtside instructions. Second, they knew each other so well that swapping roles was easy.
After the change, the match resumed with Sakata serving. Just when everyone expected another prediction from Tezuka and Chitose, they stayed silent. That's because Sakata and Fujii had made subtle changes in their movements, making it hard for Tezuka and Chitose to simulate the match mentally.
It was a lot like countering Data Tennis. Normally, it's hard for players to change their style mid-match, but doubles gave them a loophole.
As Sakata served the ball, they noticed no prediction came from the other side. Their hearts lifted—Mitsuya's method was working. But sadly, even without Saiki Kanpatsu, Tezuka and Chitose weren't opponents they could handle easily.
As the match went on, Tezuka and Chitose quickly picked up on their patterns. Saiki Kanpatsu kicked in again, and the skill gap couldn't be overcome with simple tricks.
"0-15!"
"0-30!"
"0-40!"
Soon it was game point. Sakata and Fujii felt helpless, but all they could do was grit their teeth and keep playing, even if they knew they had no hope of winning.
Just as Sakata got ready to serve again, Tezuka called out, as expected:
"Eight shots!"
But to everyone's surprise, Chitose said nothing. And then, their Muga auras slowly began to merge.
While the crowd was wondering why Chitose didn't speak, a seven-colored glow gathered in his right hand, erupting like lava. At that moment, the simulation in Tezuka's mind also changed dramatically—his prediction shortened to two shots.
On the sidelines, Akashi stood up. He hadn't expected Chitose to use Hyaku Ren Jitoku right now. He was certain Chitose hadn't mastered that technique before this match. Whether Chitose awakened it during the match or if it was triggered by their ability Synchronization—he still needed to observe further.
What was happening on court didn't faze Sakata at all. He still served the ball quickly. Chitose stepped swiftly to the bounce point, though a closer look would reveal his movement speed had slightly decreased.
As Chitose swung to return, the seven-colored light on his hand spread to the racket. The ball shot back at more than double the speed it came—and vanished midair before even crossing the net. Sakata and Fujii, who were starting to get used to Kamikakushi, froze.
While they were stunned, a thud sounded behind them—the ball had landed. Then the umpire called the score.
"Game! Fudomine! 4-0!"
Even though this shot made Tezuka's prediction miss, Sakata and Fujii couldn't feel happy. It was obvious Chitose had entered a completely new state.
"Opened both gates at once? I really am getting old… Can't keep up with these kids anymore," Banda muttered bitterly from the coach's bench.
When game five started, Tezuka stood at the baseline, watching Chitose's current state and thinking about ability Synchronization. He clearly felt a special connection forming between him and Chitose.
Then suddenly, Tezuka sensed something strange with his Muga power—like it was being pulled. He didn't resist. Instantly, the Muga energy gathered in his left hand, and he automatically entered the Hyaku Ren Jitoku state.
There was something a bit different from his previous Hyaku Ren Jitoku form, but Tezuka couldn't pinpoint it yet. The serve timer was almost up, so he pushed the thought aside and sent the ball flying.
Sakata, ready to receive, noticed Tezuka's serve was much faster than before, though just barely manageable. As the ball hit his racket, the weight in his hand shocked him. 'Even the power's gone up a lot…'
Watching the ball come back, Tezuka instinctively moved toward the bounce point. Then something amazing happened—the Muga power in his left hand instantly transferred to his legs. His movement speed suddenly exploded.
On the sidelines, Akashi could now fully confirm the experiment had worked. Tezuka and Chitose had definitely achieved initial ability Synchronization. It hadn't merged into a new ability yet—likely because their overall strength hadn't hit the level needed—but even so, Hyaku Ren Jitoku had evolved.
He remembered that in the original story, only Echizen Ryōma could freely shift Hyaku Ren Jitoku' power between limbs. Tezuka never managed that and had to rely on the Zone to compensate for his mobility loss.
On court, Tezuka moved with unprecedented speed, arriving near the bounce point even before the ball landed. Just as he prepared to swing, the Muga power in his legs transferred instantly back to his left hand. He hit the ball—its speed far beyond what Sakata and Fujii could react to.
"15-0!"
Chitose watched Tezuka's move and froze for a second. Then he began trying it himself. Sure enough, the Muga power in his own body could also shift at will. That surprised him—he'd been studying the secrets of Muga for a while, and this was a big breakthrough.
Both of them now understood something clearly: what Akashi called ability Synchronization was really happening to them.
As the match continued, Tezuka and Chitose got more and more used to shifting Hyaku Ren Jitoku' energy. But that turned the game into hell for Sakata and Fujii. Their opponents were moving so fast it was like they were leaving afterimages. And every return felt twice as strong and fast—completely beyond anything they could imagine.
"Game! Fudomine! 5-0!"
"Game! 6-0! Match over! Winner, Fudomine Middle School!"
Tezuka and Chitose took the last two games easily, securing the doubles win for Fudomine and putting Yamabuki in a huge disadvantage.
After the match, the two of them walked off court drenched in sweat, gasping for breath. They had kept up Muga nearly the entire match. While it didn't drain stamina like regular Muga, it still wasn't easy.
Akashi watched them return, his expression full of approval. Smiling, he said, "Looks like you've started to feel ability Synchronization. But that power is temporary—try to repeat it later. Hold onto that feeling until it becomes your own strength."
Tezuka and Chitose nodded seriously. This experience was incredibly valuable. It had shown them a brand-new path for doubles.
During the match, Akashi had explained the concept of ability Synchronization to the other regulars. Now Tachibana Kippei looked eager to try it himself after they got back—though figuring out who to partner with would be the tricky part. Still, Akashi could probably give him a good suggestion.
Just then, Akutsu Jin stood up. A dangerous gleam flashed in his eyes. Clearly, Tezuka and Chitose's performance had provoked him. He still remembered how badly Tezuka had crushed him. Now Tezuka had improved again—and that pressure was getting to him.
Meanwhile, over on Yamabuki's bench, Mitsuya checked his racket, found nothing wrong, then slowly stood up and walked toward the court, racket in hand, ready for his turn.