"Again with this kind of ball~ Tezuka, you're really cheating!" Kintarō complained unhappily at Tezuka.
Tezuka only shook his head without comment, then picked up a tennis ball from the side. After testing its bounce, he tossed it up without hesitation and served a Zero Shiki Serve.
Although Kintarō grumbled, his face was full of excitement. Using his usual method, he cracked the Zero Shiki. When Tezuka saw Kintarō return the ball, a white tornado rose around him, giving the ball the spin of the Ultimate Zone.
As Tezuka returned the shot, a bright blue light burst from Kintarō's body—he had also entered the Ten'i Muhō no Kiwami state. What was shocking was that his Wild Instinct power had not disappeared with the activation of Ten'i.
Facing the ball with dual special spins, Kintarō spun in place twice at high speed, then used the momentum to whip the ball hard, shouting loudly at the same time:
"Take this~ Super Delicious Big Wheel Mountain Storm!!!"
With both Wild Instinct and Ten'i boosting it, Kintarō's shot had greatly increased power, directly breaking the ball's spin. Compared to Yukimura, Kintarō's way of facing Tezuka was completely opposite.
Even so, the returned ball still came back to Tezuka. The two then launched into a rapid exchange, with Kintarō continuously hitting tremendously powerful balls to try to break through Tezuka's Ultimate Zone defense.
Tezuka refused to yield, constantly applying strong spin to keep the ball under his control. Watching this exchange made the high school players on the sidelines swallow hard; if it were them, they would either be knocked away or unable to keep the ball in play at all.
"Here it comes again—this time it's the Super Super Delicious Big Wheel Mountain Storm!!!" Kintarō leapt high into the air and smashed down with all his might.
"What's the difference from just now?" Tezuka, for some reason, uncharacteristically asked.
"Of course it's different! Didn't you hear me add the word 'Super' twice in front?" Kintarō replied cheerfully.
"I see. Then I suppose I must also go all out." Tezuka nodded solemnly, and the blue light around him grew even brighter. A hidden wave of emotion spread outward.
Soon, the players watching began to feel changes in their mood. Not only the high schoolers, but even some second-year middle schoolers were affected; some even began muttering to themselves.
"Is my talent really suited for tennis? Those two on the court… I might never catch up to them in my lifetime," one high schooler said quietly.
"2nd Court? Ridiculous. How did I ever believe I deserved to be a 2nd Court player?" another said in deep frustration.
At that moment, Oni Juujirō appeared at the 2nd Court without anyone noticing. Hearing the self-defeating words of these high schoolers, he was about to scold them—but then Kintarō's blue light flared even brighter.
When this light swept across the crowd, those who had been dejected suddenly seemed to snap out of it. One by one, they regained their confidence, and some even smiled without realizing it.
"Radiance of Pain and Radiance of Love… truly terrifying abilities," Oshitari muttered with a frown.
"As long as you can hold firm to your own heart, the chance of your emotions being swayed by those two radiances approaches zero," Yanagi Renji said gravely.
While everyone was still shocked by the two radiance abilities, the match suddenly produced a result. Tezuka's racket was knocked flying by Kintarō's return—constant hard returns against Kintarō's monster-strength shots had pushed Tezuka's wrist to its limit.
"Tōyama Kintarō! 2-2!"
"Yeah! Let's go again, let's go again!" Kintarō grinned happily after scoring.
On the sidelines, Oni's eyes lit up sharply as he watched Kintarō, clearly thinking about something. Tezuka, despite losing the point, remained unnervingly calm. He walked over, picked up his racket, and said sternly to Kintarō:
"Your power has improved again, Kintarō. But if this is all you have, you still won't be able to win this match."
Meanwhile, in the coaches' office, Kurobe and the others were watching through the monitors while the data team worked to fully analyze both players' five-attribute stats. Soon, both sets of numbers appeared on the screen.
"Tōyama Kintarō, first-year regular of Fudomine. Power… unmeasurable, stamina… unmeasurable, speed 5, technique 4, mental 4. Total unknown… are these really the stats of a first-year middle school player?" Tsuge Ryūji was stunned by Kintarō's attributes.
"Tezuka Kunimitsu, third year, vice-captain of Fudomine Tennis Club. Power 5, speed 5.5, stamina 6, technique… unmeasurable, mental 6.5. Total unknown! In both stats and skill, he surpasses many professional players," Kurobe read out Tezuka's five-attribute stats slowly.
"I remember Tezuka isn't known as a mental-type player, but with a mental stat that high, his willpower must be beyond imagination," Saitō Itaru said with a deep look.
On the 2nd Court, Kintarō still tried to win points through relentless offense. When he unleashed a Volcano Serve, the molten-lava-like ball flew straight out of the court, slamming into the fence. Sparks flew, forcing some spectators to back away quickly.
"OUT! Tezuka Kunimitsu! 3-2!"
"Using powerful shots can indeed break part of the Ultimate Zone's spin and push my wrist past its limit. But as long as I increase the degree of spin and put it all in reverse so the ball goes straight out of bounds, those problems disappear on their own. Now, what will you do, Tōyama?" Tezuka said slowly after scoring.
"You're so sneaky~~~ Tezuka! You can even do that!!" Kintarō shouted angrily, cheeks puffed up.
"Tōyama, you have to understand there are all kinds of players in this world. You can't expect everyone to play according to your ideas," Tezuka replied calmly to Kintarō's complaint.
"Hmph~ In that case, I'll push harder and break your move no matter what!" Kintarō said stubbornly, though deep down, as long as there was a match to play, he was still happy.
As soon as Kintarō finished, he fired off a powerful Volcano Serve. Tezuka intercepted it easily and once again gave the ball double reverse spin.
In truth, the move Tezuka was using now was no different from the Phantom in the original, except it was fused with the Ultimate Zone. Not only was its power greater, but the strain on his arm was much less—a refined Tezuka Phantom.
Seeing this, Kintarō didn't hesitate to gather a massive golden light in his left hand, then launched a Glowing Shot. He didn't believe this couldn't break the ball's spin—but the result was completely different from what he expected.
"OUT! Tezuka Kunimitsu! 4-2!"
"Don't just chase raw power. Against an opponent on your level, a straight and simple style is easily countered, Tōyama!" Tezuka spoke again, giving guidance.
"How interesting!!! I still don't believe it!!" Kintarō ignored Tezuka's advice, eyes blazing with heat.
As Kintarō served, Tezuka returned with the refined Phantom again. This time, Kintarō licked his lips as he watched the incoming ball. His aura surged, and the Radiance of Love faintly pressed down on Tezuka's Radiance of Pain. At the same time, his Wild Instinct seemed to fully merge into his body, a phantom of a leopard flickering briefly behind him.
Kintarō leapt forward, arriving right in front of the ball. Golden light shone from his left hand as his right hand swung the racket to intercept. Using the momentum, he let the ball stick to the racket and spun at high speed on the spot.
The next second, a massive vortex of flames shot into the sky, golden light flickering faintly within, making the whole thing dazzling. Then an even larger, blazing fireball than before roared toward Tezuka's court, accompanied by Kintarō's energetic shout:
"This time I'll definitely break your move! Super Cannon Invincible Flame Cyclone Glowing Shot!!!"
The huge fireball crossed the net without any obstruction, not veering out of bounds but blasting straight toward Tezuka at the backcourt. A complex look flashed across Tezuka's face—surprise, relief, and finally a faint smile.
With a massive crash, Tezuka's racket flew high into the air, the frame completely warped and several strings broken. The wall behind him collapsed entirely, sending up clouds of dust.
"Tōyama Kintarō! 4-3!"
"I forfeit! My wrist is temporarily numb now, so there's no point in continuing! I didn't expect you to stick to your own belief until the end. This match is yours, Tōyama!" Tezuka said suddenly, clutching his left wrist as he conceded, though his eyes were full of a smile—a smile almost no one noticed.