"You really broke free from the nightmare in just two points? I guess I underestimated you, Tezuka!" Yukimura was clearly surprised by how quickly Tezuka had regained clarity.
The next two points were Tezuka's service, and he paid no mind to the strain on his arm, once again delivering serves fused with Zero Shiki and Ultimate Zone spin. Even with his Alternate Dimension awakened, Yukimura couldn't counter them right away.
"ACE! 3-3!"
"ACE! 3-4!"
With his sharp serves, Tezuka seized another two points. But the price was his left arm starting to twitch uncontrollably, sharp pain slowly spreading into his mind. Still, his face remained calm and stern as ever.
But Yukimura wasn't in good shape either. Leaving aside the intense physical burden from using so much mental force in a short time, simply maintaining his newly awakened Alternate Dimension was no easy feat. After all, he had only broken through under the erosion of Tezuka's Radiance of Pain.
Even so, there was no way Yukimura would give up now. Without hesitation, he channeled his mental force again, coating the ball and launching an ultra-high-speed serve.
Tezuka met it head-on, not backing down. With his swing, he added complex spin and opened Ultimate Zone. Blue whirlwinds swirled around him, pulling back all of Yukimura's returns to right in front of him.
The match returned to a state of relentless back-and-forth, both players fiercely trading attacks. But from the sidelines, Akashi on the Fudomine bench frowned. He could tell both players were clearly pushing beyond their limits.
A yellow blur shot past Tezuka's foot, sailing past the baseline in the blink of an eye. That very moment had played out countless times in Tezuka's mind already—it was Yukimura's Future Seizure.
"4-4!"
"You can't stop me from seizing the future now, Tezuka!" Yukimura's tone was calm, but his words were broken by faint, rapid breaths.
"Until the very end, no one decides the future! I won't give up on this match, Yukimura!" Tezuka responded evenly, though his left hand continued trembling slightly.
Seeing Tezuka's unwavering resolve, Yukimura said no more. He tossed the ball and unleashed another ultra-fast serve, angled wickedly. But it was of no use—Tezuka slid cleanly to the drop point and intercepted the shot.
Then, in the next instant, Tezuka's vision vanished, plunged into endless darkness. Fortunately, he didn't panic. He was already familiar with this state. His arm, guided by instinct and memory just before losing sight, still infused the ball with Ultimate Zone spin. As he returned the ball, the blue light surged from his body, restoring his sight at once.
Yukimura watched Tezuka pull off Ultimate Zone even in the Five-Sense Nullification state and couldn't help but feel impressed. Ignoring the numbness spreading through his limbs, he poured in another massive wave of mental force. The phantom behind him moved again—Morpheus brought its hands together, as if chanting softly.
"Dream Whisper Incantation!"
As Yukimura struck the ball, countless trajectories he could take flooded Tezuka's mind. His judgment slipped for just a moment. It wasn't enough to lose a point, but Tezuka couldn't attach Ultimate Zone spin to his return this time.
Just as the ball crossed the net, Yukimura had already flashed to the front. In Tezuka's eyes, multiple Yukimuras now existed, and twisted shot paths flashed through his mind, making it impossible to tell which one was real.
This Alternate Dimension technique was like a boosted, spiritual version of Awareness Interference. With a sharp thwack, Yukimura's return flew over the net with blazing speed toward the left sideline. Blue light flared from Tezuka as his body dashed in a blur. At the last second, he managed to intercept the ball.
Although he made the return, the quality of the shot had clearly dropped—it floated upward. Tezuka immediately realized the danger and fell back, bracing for the inevitable smash.
Yukimura looked up at the ball, already high in the air. He sprinted forward, leapt as he neared the net, and swept his racket horizontally. The ball instantly lost all momentum, drifting softly over the net and dropping onto the court.
"5-4!"
Yukimura landed. As his feet touched the ground, he staggered, nearly falling, but caught himself in time. He glanced down at his legs, then squeezed his hands—he could feel the numbness growing worse.
"I knew I was pushing it too far…" Yukimura murmured to himself.
Then it was Tezuka's turn to serve. But this time, he couldn't keep a composed expression. His tightly knit brows and the tremble in his left arm showed the strain he was suppressing.
Even so, Tezuka didn't hesitate. He struck the ball with that exaggerated spin once again. Yukimura, seeing the determined look in Tezuka's eyes, could only brace himself and meet him head-on.
Yukimura dashed to the drop point, scooping up the ball the moment it hit the court. He twisted his wrist sharply, trying everything to cancel the ball's complex spin. The ball didn't quite make it over the net—but it was much higher than before.
"ACE! 5-5!"
'Looks like I'll be able to break that serve soon… no, wait. It's not that I'm breaking Tezuka's serve—it's that his serve is getting weaker. The spin looks the same, but it's actually losing strength. Are you really going to keep pushing yourself, Tezuka Kunimitsu?' Yukimura thought silently after losing the point.
Tezuka didn't give up on the next point either, once again serving with complex spin fused into Zero Shiki. Yukimura, having no other choice, risked everything and countered with a low volley, trying to crack it head-on. Whether it was thanks to his effort or Tezuka's worsening arm condition, this time Yukimura's return finally made it over the net.
But Tezuka was ready. He appeared at the net in a flash, lifted his racket with his left hand, and gently sliced the incoming ball. The tennis ball spun rapidly, crossed the net, landed, and continued to spin in place before slowly rolling backward.
"Zero Shiki Drop Shot!"
"5-6!"
Yukimura silently stared at Tezuka, who stood with a furrowed brow, then sighed quietly. He walked to the baseline, pulled out a ball, and once again flared up his mental force. But just as he was about to toss it, a sudden wave of intense numbness surged through his left hand, and the ball slipped from his grasp and hit the ground.
Seeing this, Akashi's eyes turned cold from the sidelines. He knew both of them too well. This wasn't just a middle school match anymore—they were staking their future careers on the outcome.
Yukimura shook out his left hand to regain some feeling, then tossed the ball again. But this time, he held back, no longer unleashing his mental force so recklessly.
With Yukimura's serve, the match resumed its fierce rallies. Both had their own reasons not to lose. The audience might not have grasped the intensity of what was happening, but they could sense the heavy, unusual atmosphere growing.
"Are those brats insane? It's just a middle school national tournament—do they really need to go this far? If they've got this kind of drive, they should save it for the World Cup!" Mifune said irritably from the bench.
"This is their last shot at nationals. Maybe they just don't want to leave with regrets," Mitsuya said thoughtfully. He could somewhat understand what Yukimura and Tezuka were feeling.
"Of course I know that! But they should also realize what's more important now—it's the upcoming U-17 World Cup, not burning themselves out here!" Mifune wasn't wrong. The will to win was one thing, but knowing when to stop was just as vital.
While Mifune and Mitsuya were talking, Tezuka was once again disrupted by Yukimura's psychological suggestions. That unrelenting Five-Sense Nullification was wearing him down. Sure, the Radiance of Strong Heart helped him recover instantly—but only Tezuka knew how grueling it truly was.
In a split second of distraction, Yukimura seized the chance. He fired a passing shot—a yellow beam that cut across the court, struck just below Tezuka's feet, and then passed between his legs and out of bounds.
"6-6!"
"I told you, you can't stop me from seizing the future anymore. Are you really going to keep going, Tezuka?" Yukimura said in a cold voice after scoring.
"No one can shake my resolve to win. Not even you, Yukimura!" Tezuka replied firmly.
Yukimura gave him a long look. He wanted to say something but held back, letting it fade into a silent sigh. He turned and walked back to the baseline. He knew there was no convincing Tezuka to give up—just as he couldn't give up himself.
The match went on, neither side backing down. They returned each other's shots with everything they had. Yukimura could no longer use his mental force for Alternate Dimension techniques, and Tezuka's serve quality was steadily dropping—at least, from Yukimura's point of view.
"6-7!"
"7-7! Deuce!"
"8-9!"
"11-11! Deuce!"
"23-24!"
"31-31! Deuce!"
"47-48!"
"55-55! Deuce!"
As the match dragged on, neither player could open a 2-point lead. Their conditions worsened. Yukimura's Alternate Dimension shadow had completely vanished, his whole body drenched in sweat. Tezuka's blue radiance had dimmed almost to nothing, and his left arm was visibly red and swollen.
Just as Yukimura was about to serve again, Akashi suddenly addressed the umpire from the bench.
"Umpire, I request a match pause."
The umpire hesitated at first, but seeing it was Akashi, quickly nodded and approved. Akashi gave him a slight nod in return, then walked up to the court. His tone was icy as he addressed Tezuka and Yukimura.
"Are you really planning to keep going like this and throw away your future in tennis? Don't forget—there's a much bigger stage waiting for us!"
Both Yukimura and Tezuka fell silent. They knew continuing would only destroy both of them, but neither could stomach the idea of surrendering either. In the end, under Akashi's intervention, the two came to a mutual decision.
"Since both players are unable to continue, Singles No. 2 ends in a draw!" the umpire announced, bringing this grueling match to a close.