The third game began quickly, this time with Mōri serving. He chuckled and shook his head, glancing at Atobe and Sanada across the court with a teasing tone.
"I don't have any amazing serves, you know~"
With that, he tossed the ball and hit a standard high-speed serve. The speed and angle were solid, but against Atobe's sharp insight it was useless. Atobe flashed forward and returned it with ease.
As if expecting it, Mōri lunged to the net, intercepting Atobe's shot smoothly. With a quick twist of his wrist, he sent a sharp crosscourt shot into the far left corner.
But the next instant, a flash of lightning cut across. Sanada, his body crackling with arcs of electricity, appeared at the baseline corner. Raising his racket high with both hands, he slammed down on the ball, twisting it into a streak of surging current.
"Swift as thunder!"
Just as the ball was about to bounce out of play, Ochi sprinted forward in a few long strides and smashed it back with ease. It was clear his strength went far beyond just serving.
Sanada narrowed his eyes, ready to unleash Swift as Thunder again, when Atobe suddenly stepped in front of him. A chilling frost radiated from his gaze, icicles bursting up around Ochi and Mōri.
"Found you! Freeze in place for Ore-sama! World of Ice!" Atobe swung his racket, sending the ball into a dead angle between the two. As the icicles shattered on impact, his lips curled into a proud smirk.
But the next moment, a racket intercepted the ball. Ochi's long arm reached forward, and at the same time all the surrounding icicles shattered into pieces. The ball streaked past Atobe at incredible speed, heading for the backcourt.
Sanada reacted just in time, his body suddenly engulfed in a dark aura. With a fierce swing, he countered, his arm flickering as though leaving afterimages.
"Black Dragon Double Strike!"
The ball shot toward Mōri, who prepared to intercept—but suddenly the ball deflected midair, swerving toward the left baseline. Mōri was caught off guard. He hadn't known Sanada had such a technique.
Ochi's long strides carried him across the court, easily catching up. Strangely, he didn't swing right away. Just then, the ball changed direction again, dropping sharply downward. Ochi snapped it back with a quick flick.
"You didn't ask Mitsuya for opponent data before the match, Mōri?" Ochi said coldly after his return.
"Eh? Seriously? You're that strict, Ochi-senpai~?" Mōri replied, surprised at his seriousness.
While they spoke, the ball soared high. Atobe leapt at the net, annoyance in his voice.
"Daring to get distracted in a match? Rondo Towards Despair!"
He slammed the ball down hard. Mōri rushed for it but was still a step too late. After landing, the ball spun violently, skimming low across the ground.
"0-15!"
"Ore-sama's brilliance shines brighter than the sun! Isn't that right, Kabaji!" Atobe declared smugly.
"Usu!" Kabaji responded from the sideline.
But only Akashi and Yukimura noticed the mental force building around Ochi, as if he were preparing to unleash Mental Assassination. Meanwhile, Mōri ignored Atobe's words, shrugging before stepping back to serve again.
The serve cut across the net, angling toward the right corner. Atobe was already there in a flash, returning it with speed.
Mōri and Ochi had swapped positions seamlessly. Sprinting forward, Mōri tilted his head to avoid the ball, leaving Ochi behind him to return Atobe's shot without effort.
Atobe was about to challenge Ochi directly when he sensed movement at his side. Sanada's black aura surged, blanketing half the court. Atobe snorted coldly and held back.
Sanada dashed at the ball, eyes blazing, and struck hard. His right arm blurred with multiple swings, the ball streaking forward in a dark flash.
"Black Dragon Triple Strike!"
This time, Mōri stayed cautious. As expected, the ball deflected midair, shooting upward. But it was already too late for him to jump, so he turned instead and sprinted toward the baseline.
At that moment, Ochi also reached the ball. Even without jumping, his long reach was enough, yet he didn't swing right away. Instead, his sharp gaze followed the ball closely. As expected, the ball deflected again, shooting toward the lower left.
Ochi lunged left in a long stride, racket perfectly in its path. Just before impact, the ball changed direction again, veering toward the far right baseline.
But Ochi wasn't surprised or shaken. He knew Mōri would already be waiting. Sure enough, Mōri sprinted at full speed, reaching the right corner and smashing the ball back hard, finally countering Sanada's Black Dragon Triple Strike.
Yet while Mōri and Ochi were busy handling Sanada, the cold light in Atobe's eyes grew sharper. Behind him, a castle of ice and snow took shape, and countless shards of frost filled the court.
"Atobe Kingdom!"
In Atobe's eyes, Mōri and Ochi's bodies were reduced to nothing but skeletal frames. Smirking, he swung his racket, sending the ball straight into their absolute blind spot.
Mōri and Ochi tried to move, but suddenly their bodies froze. Alarm bells screamed through their nerves—if they moved now, they'd be injured. In that instant of hesitation, the ball slammed down in the backcourt and bounced out.
"0-30!"
"World of Ice? I made sure to hide my blind spots!" Mōri muttered in confusion.
"That was the evolved form—Atobe Kingdom. Don't underestimate him with just second-year strength, Mōri," Ochi replied coolly.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it~ I knew this match wouldn't be that easy," Mōri said with a wry shake of his head.
"Oh? First using Black Dragon Triple Strike to disrupt Ochi-senpai and Mōri-senpai's formation, then following up with Atobe Kingdom for a decisive strike. Who would've thought the two of them would have such unexpected synergy," Chitose remarked with a smile from the bench.
"Genichirō has worked hard on doubles. All to make sure he doesn't have a glaring weakness," Yukimura answered warmly.
Mōri served again. Atobe swiftly returned, but Ochi reacted just as quickly, sending back a sharp backhand with slight backspin.
Sanada dashed to intercept, his arm leaving afterimages as he struck down. The ball roared forward like a violent storm.
"Swift as a storm!" Sanada bellowed.
"Huh? Even Swift as Wind has evolved? Your growth really is terrifying, Sanada," Mōri said in mild shock before grinning.
The storm dissipated, Ochi steadying himself to intercept. Dust clouds swirled up from the impact as he hammered the ball back.
A flash of lightning engulfed Sanada's body. This time, instead of raising his racket high, he gripped it with both hands and struck forward. Bolts of electricity wrapped around the frame, fusing into the ball until it became a blazing orb of lightning.
"Thunder Strike!"
Mōri closed his eyes, shifting into his sleep mode. Exploding forward, he met the ball head-on. Having mastered the Super Sweetspot, he couldn't yet unleash a Glowing Shot, but handling a strike on this level wasn't beyond him.
The crackling energy jolted against his racket, numbing his hands. But in sleep mode, he couldn't feel the pain. The ball left black scorch marks across the court as he forced it back.
Opening his eyes, Mōri shook out his arms, flexing his fingers with a grimace. "I probably can't return the next few. I'll leave it to you, Ochi!"
Still, the return wasn't perfect. The ball arced high into the air, giving Atobe the opening he wanted.
Atobe leapt, racket raised high, smashing down with fierce topspin. The ball dove hard toward the court, but Ochi appeared at the net in an instant, lifting it with a neat volley.
Atobe was already midair again, a smirk spreading across his face. "I saw that coming. But you won't handle this so easily, former Hyōtei captain! Rondo Towards Lamentation!"
His racket crashed into the ball, the sheer force blasting through Ochi's frame. The shock rattled his grip, and in the next moment his racket was torn from his hands. The ball smashed into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust before spinning out of bounds.
"0-40!"
"You really have fallen behind, Ochi-senpai," Atobe taunted with a satisfied grin as he landed.