"Tezuka actually got broken? Now that's interesting~" On Fudomine's bench, Kite adjusted his glasses with a curious look.
"He even used Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami and still lost his service game. Looks like Yukimura's stronger than we thought. But judging from Tezuka's calm expression, he's still got something up his sleeve. Don't forget that move of his!" Chitose was confident in Tezuka.
"This is probably the first time Tezuka has ever faced someone in middle school who's truly his equal," Tachibana said clearly. "Even here at Fudomine, only Akutsu's level might be close to his. Of course, Akashi is a different story—no one in middle school matches him. Maybe Byoudouin from U-17 could manage it."
"You should have a solid grasp of Yukimura's strength by now. So what will you do next, Tezuka?" Akashi quietly muttered as he watched the match, ignoring the chatter of his teammates.
Staring at Yukimura, who remained in Zero Senses Tennis mode, Tezuka felt a rare rush of blood. It was something he hadn't even felt when facing Akashi. Just like Tachibana said—this was the first time he'd fought an opponent on equal footing.
The second game was Yukimura's serve. Even though most of his senses were shut off, he still knew how to serve. He slowly walked to the baseline, tossed the ball high, and smashed it with a swift motion. The ball rocketed toward Tezuka's side at high speed.
As soon as Tezuka saw the serve, the pale blue glow around him surged. His whole aura became impenetrable, like a battle-hardened warrior. His figure blurred with afterimages as he dashed to the landing point and swung. At the moment of contact, a giant white tornado burst around him.
"Unyielding Radiance!"
"Ultimate Zone!"
Facing Yukimura's powerful strength, Tezuka went all out. The sheer pressure he released would leave most national-level players completely helpless.
But Yukimura didn't seem fazed at all. He moved toward the ball and used Mirror Mirage to cleverly switch hands, applying reverse spin to the return. After crossing the net, the ball sharply veered toward the sideline and eventually flew out of bounds.
"OUT! 0-15!"
This was the power of the Ultimate Zone. In the original work, Tezuka created it by fusing his zone with the Phantom. No matter how the opponent countered the spin, it would either go out or curve back toward him.
But Akashi had always seen Tezuka's Phantom as a half-finished technique. Without the support of Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami or the burden-reduction from the zone, it did too much damage to the arm—a 'hurt your enemy 1,000, hurt yourself 800' type of move.
"That's not like Yukimura to make that kind of mistake," Sanada said with a deep frown.
"According to the data I've gathered, this should be Tezuka's Ultimate Zone. By layering inside-out compound spins, it breaks through the opponent's control. No matter which spin is countered, the other takes over," Yanagi explained calmly.
"Ultimate Zone, huh..." Niō murmured.
"So when Yukimura applied reverse spin to Tezuka's ball, it actually made it fly out of bounds?" Marui asked in surprise.
"That's the theory," Yanagi nodded.
Over on Fudomine's bench, Chitose nodded knowingly.
"Just what you'd expect from Tezuka's Ultimate Zone. Probably only Akashi can break through that annoying technique."
"Hmph, flashy nonsense," Akutsu scoffed.
"Jin-chan! Did you see that? A tornado! Why don't you use that in our training matches? That's so mean!" Kintarō whined loudly.
"That move was used during our match against Hyōtei. We played doubles together, remember? Kintarō!" Krauser's voice suddenly came from behind, making Kintarō snap upright, stiff as a board.
Meanwhile, the match went on. After Yukimura's second serve, Tezuka again returned using the Ultimate Zone, now backed by Unyielding Radiance. The spin and power were so intense that even Yukimura, in Zero Senses mode, found it tough to handle.
This time, Yukimura didn't just blindly apply reverse spin. Instead, he used his heightened perception to analyze the ball's compound rotation. At the moment of contact, he canceled part of the spin. Just as the ball crossed the net, a massive white cyclone swirled up around Tezuka, pulling the ball toward him.
Tezuka lifted his racket behind his head and gently sliced the ball. With complex spin, it floated oddly and slowly toward the net, dropping just as it crossed over.
"Zero Shiki Drop!"
But Yukimura's ball-sense had reached its peak. He instantly recognized the shot, dashed forward, and swung upward before it bounced. The ball popped high into the air, flying toward Tezuka's side.
Tezuka didn't wait for his zone to pull the ball in. He blinked forward to the center line, leapt high, and smashed down hard. The ball spun rapidly and shot toward the back of Yukimura's court.
Yukimura reacted quickly, spinning around and dashing toward the backcourt. His movement left afterimages as he arrived at the landing point and prepared to return. But when the ball hit the ground, it didn't bounce—instead, it spun fiercely across the court, slowly rolling backward.
"Zero Shiki Smash!"
"0-30!"
A wave of cheers erupted from the crowd. Many spectators were praising themselves for choosing to watch the Fudomine vs. Rikkai match today. Even Mifune nodded in approval and said, "Tezuka Kunimitsu! I didn't expect this kid to refine spin to such a level. He's taken a completely different path from Nanjirō. Boundless potential!"
"Speaking of Echizen Nanjirō, his son Ryōma is playing in the Seigaku vs. Hyōtei match today, right? Don't you want to go check it out, Head Coach?" Mitsuya asked from beside him.
"Nanjirō's son, huh? No wonder I saw him sneaking around earlier and then vanishing. So that's what was going on! But you've already gathered data on his kid, haven't you?" Mifune finally understood what Nanjirō had been up to.
"Of course I've been keeping a close eye on him—he's Nanjirō's son, after all. Right now, Echizen Ryōma is at national level. That's already outstanding for most players. It's just a shame he was born in the same era as Akashi-kun," Mitsuya said with a sigh.
"A first-year at national level, huh? That's not bad at all. Knowing Nanjirō, he's definitely giving his son special training. Let's bring him into the camp after the tournament ends," Mifune replied. But he didn't seem very interested. With the current batch of third-years like Akashi, he no longer had time for typical national-level talents.
While the two were chatting in the stands, the match on court pressed on. Faced with Tezuka going all out, Yukimura was starting to fall behind. Whether it was the boost from Unyielding Radiance or the tricky nature of the Ultimate Zone, Yukimura was finding it hard to keep up.
"0-40!"
"Game! Fudomine! 1-1!"
Yukimura had also lost his service game. But in the last two rallies, he'd started to sense something—he was getting a new feel for Tezuka's Ultimate Zone. It all came down to spin manipulation. And in technical battles, Yukimura Seiichi had never feared anyone—not even Akashi.
Game three was Tezuka's serve. He had completely abandoned the Zero Shiki Serve, realizing it was ineffective and only burdened his arm. Tossing the ball up, he delivered a textbook-perfect high-speed serve.
With the sharp sound of impact, the ball turned into a yellow blur and shot toward Yukimura's court. With heightened awareness, Yukimura reacted instantly, flashing to the drop point and swinging as the ball bounced, imbuing it with powerful mental force.
The ball, carrying Yukimura's mental energy, flew straight toward Tezuka. But once again, a huge white tornado rose from Tezuka's body. He swung hard, completely blocking Yukimura's mental force using the power of Unyielding Radiance.
The ball, now carrying Ultimate Zone's dual-layer spin, flew back at high speed. Yukimura didn't hesitate. He stepped up and sliced it, canceling out the reverse spin on contact.
Compared to the regular zone, the reverse-spin variant that sent the ball out of bounds was far more dangerous. Since he couldn't fully break through the Ultimate Zone yet, Yukimura chose to clash head-on, testing to see who would hold out longer.
From there, the two entered another fierce rally. Tezuka defended with an all-encompassing zone, while Yukimura unleashed a barrage of sharp-angled shots. The intensity of the match surged, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.
But with the Ultimate Zone in play, Tezuka was in an unbeatable position. As the exchanges continued, Yukimura inevitably fell behind. Tezuka found a brief opening and scored.
"15-0!"
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
"Game! Fudomine! 2-1! Change courts!"
With the explosive combo of Ultimate Zone and Unyielding Radiance, Tezuka secured another game. The expressions on the Rikkai team's bench darkened. None of them had expected that Yukimura, even at his current level, still couldn't gain the upper hand.
"Fu~ as expected of Tezuka-kun. But I won't lose this match," Yukimura murmured after Tezuka took the third game, letting out a slow breath.
In the next second, a massive surge of mental force erupted from Yukimura. Even Akashi, watching from Fudomine's coaching bench, raised his eyebrows slightly. Yukimura's spiritual energy now rivaled his own when using Mental Pressure.