"Trying to take on Akashi's Gate of Babylon? Sanada really dares to dream~" Tachibana Kippei said with some emotion from the bench.
"Light of the clouds, unhindered as the void? That's a good name," Fuji's eyes flickered as if he was lost in thought.
"So Genichirō, you've been searching for ways to grow stronger, hoping to defeat Akashi-kun?" Yukimura spoke warmly as he looked at Sanada on court, though deep down he knew that beating Akashi was nearly impossible.
'This move… it shouldn't have been developed at this stage. Looks like Sanada's strength has surpassed the original far more than I expected~' Akashi thought to himself, watching Sanada's new technique.
"Akashi-chan's Gate of Babylon has defensive power on the same level as my nothingness. So is little Sanada planning to rely on this move to break through it?" Tanegashima murmured with an amused look from the bench.
"That's not impossible, Shūji-kun!" Irie, who had returned at some point, appeared beside him with a smile.
"Kanata, you bastard, I was just worrying about you, but turns out you were acting. So, how are you gonna make it up to me?" Tanegashima immediately shifted into his usual banter.
"I'll take that as praise for my acting skills~. Heard there's a new shooter game that launched yesterday afternoon. I already preordered it—let's call that your compensation," Irie said with a grin.
In truth, Tanegashima and Irie were on very good terms, but Tanegashima hated facing Irie in matches. The main reason was Irie's acting—he could never hide anything in front of him.
On court, Atobe watched Sanada's back with deep emotion. He had always wanted to defeat Akashi too, but after arriving at U-17, he hadn't really done much to act on that desire.
By now, Mōri had already changed rackets and moved back to the baseline. Still in his sleep state, he tossed the ball high, swung down with his right hand, and hammered it with his racket. The ball flew at high speed toward Sanada's back-right corner.
Sanada didn't hesitate. Lightning surged around him as he instantly shifted to the corner, his racket whipping into the ball. The shot turned into a thunder serpent, carving a complex trail through the air.
"Swift as thunder!"
Mōri's eyes suddenly opened. The ball flashing wildly in the air reflected in his purple pupils. The next second, he shut his eyes again, his body twisting in a strange, dance-like motion. His racket moved along with the ball's erratic path and intercepted it cleanly.
Sanada was about to react, but Atobe had already activated Atobe Kingdom, reading the absolute blind spot between Mōri and Ochi. With a flash, he moved to the ball and struck it hard.
The shot flew straight toward a patch of ice crystals. Mōri instinctively tried to force a return, but Ochi rushed in and stopped him. The ball slammed into the ground and flew out of court.
"0-30!"
"Mōri! Don't fall asleep for now!" Ochi shook Mōri's shoulders, waking him from his slumber.
"What's wrong, Ochi-senpai?" Mōri asked, blinking in confusion.
"Atobe's technique makes you instinctively use joint skills! The match just started—it's not time yet!" Ochi's voice was cold, but Mōri knew it was concern for his body.
"Got it!" Mōri nodded, unable to reject Ochi's goodwill.
"After you serve, close your eyes. Just don't fall asleep," Ochi said, tapping his racket lightly against Mōri's back.
Mōri froze for a second, then his face turned serious as if realizing something. At the same time, Ochi pushed up all of his bangs, fully exposing both eyes.
Moonlight gleamed in Ochi's uncovered gaze.
Sanada and Atobe both noticed. Their bodies tensed immediately as they avoided his line of sight. Meanwhile, Mōri tossed the ball high and sent out an ultra-fast serve. Without sleep mode, though, it was noticeably slower.
Atobe quickly read the ball's path, moved to the bounce spot, and swung back toward a patch of ice crystals—the blind spot of Mōri and Ochi.
But in the next instant, every ice crystal around Ochi shattered. His tall frame flashed to the ball, racket sweeping hard. The ball blurred into a streak, cutting between Sanada and Atobe before bouncing out of court.
"15-30!"
"Looks like tonight will be a full moon," Ochi said coldly after scoring. At the same time, a pale moon rose slowly within his pupils.
"What?! Ore-sama didn't even react just now?" Atobe turned toward the ball outside court in shock.
Sanada said nothing, but his face darkened. Clearly, he hadn't reacted either. For a brief instant when Ochi struck, both he and Atobe had been caught frozen.
At the baseline, Mōri stood with eyes closed, though not in sleep mode. Using his experience, he tossed the ball high and unleashed another quality ultra-fast serve, then rushed the net.
Atobe wasn't sure what had just happened, but his eyes sharpened further. He sensed Mōri was planning something and shifted most of his focus toward him.
When Atobe caught up to the ball, Mōri was already completely transparent in his eyes, reduced to nothing but a skeleton. Atobe locked onto his absolute blind spot and swung hard, sending the ball across the net toward Mōri's right side.
But the next second, Mōri did something no one expected. He twisted his body and dodged the ball, and Ochi suddenly appeared from behind him. Both Atobe and Sanada instinctively turned their eyes toward him.
The ball once again passed between the two. No matter if it was Atobe or Sanada, it felt like heavy shackles were binding their feet. Their movements slowed drastically, and all they could do was watch the ball bounce out of court.
"30-30!"
"No way! Don't tell me ore-sama has been hit by Mental Assassination too?" Atobe muttered in disbelief, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
"That shouldn't be Mental Assassination. I just used the Asura Path to cancel it. There's no way I'd fall into it again so soon," Sanada replied, his tone low and grim.
"Ochi actually went straight into Full Moon Mode~ this is my first time seeing him get serious so quickly!" Ōmori stroked his beard in surprise from the stands.
"Atobe and Sanada are about to learn just how terrifying Ochi really is. If not for Mōri, the former No. 4 would never have gone to Kirigaya," Kimijima said with a laugh.
Back on court, Mōri served again. Sanada instantly flashed to the bounce spot, his black aura exploding outward. He swung hard, his arm cutting shadows across the air.
"Black Dragon Triple Strike!"
As the ball crossed the net, it refracted midair. But Ochi had been able to intercept this move before, and now in Full Moon Mode, it was even less of a problem. Just as Ochi returned the shot, Atobe and Sanada locked eyes with him for a fleeting instant without realizing it.
This time, Atobe forced himself to focus completely. Power burst from his legs, breaking free from the shackles' grip as he rushed to the ball. His vision sharpened to the extreme, instantly exposing Ochi's absolute blind spot. But just as he swung, Mōri's figure suddenly blocked Ochi.
"What!?" Atobe was caught off guard—Mōri hadn't attacked once until now, only serving.
The ball shot toward Mōri. Just like before, he sidestepped and dodged. But Ochi had already changed his motion, rendering Atobe's read of the blind spot useless.
That split second of distraction dragged Atobe back into the shackles' grip. He couldn't chase Ochi's return, but Sanada flashed forward in a burst of lightning, raising his racket high with both hands and chopping down hard.
"Swift as thunder!"
The ball turned into a bolt of lightning and flew straight across court before sailing out. Ochi didn't even move to return, standing still and calm.
"OUT! 40-30!"
Sanada looked down silently at his hands. He hadn't felt anything wrong when he hit, yet the ball went out anyway. Atobe's face darkened—he was sure Ochi was behind it, but he had no idea how.
Mōri didn't care what Atobe and Sanada were thinking. He fired another ultra-fast serve. Sanada suppressed his doubts and countered with Swift as a Storm.
But the hurricane-like shot was useless against Ochi. His long arm cut it off easily. Atobe refused to believe it. He used Atobe Kingdom again to expose Ochi's absolute blind spot while also keeping track of Mōri's movements.
The ball flew straight for Ochi's blind spot, but this time Ochi himself dodged. From behind his tall frame, Mōri, eyes still closed, shot out suddenly and struck the incoming ball hard.
The timing was so abrupt that it completely caught Atobe and Sanada off guard. Sanada barely reacted in time, flashing to the bounce spot, but he couldn't do more than block it. The ball rebounded high into the air.
A massive shadow loomed over them. Instinctively, both lifted their heads. Ochi had leapt high into the air, his cold gaze locked on them. With a powerful swing, his racket smashed down. The sound of the ball striking the court echoed behind them.
"GAME! Japan Selection! 4-3!"
"Ochi's Mach isn't just for serves, you know~" Mōri opened his eyes after the game, smiling at Atobe and Sanada.