The fourth game was Omagari's serve. By now, his lazy look was gone. His eyes were sharp as blades. Though he still held a racket in each hand, it didn't stop him from tossing the ball high.
He leapt up with the ball, even higher than it, then swung both rackets in the air at once.
"Wild Tiger!"
As the rackets crossed, the ball split in two, blasting into the opposite court with tremendous force. 'Fuji' split into two figures, rushing at the incoming balls.
The instant 'Fuji' made contact, a numbing shock ran through his right hand, almost making him drop the racket. He barely held on, but couldn't control the return.
The ball shot skyward. Omagari darted to the net like a phantom, leaving an afterimage. He leapt again, raising both rackets back and spiking down.
"Double Dragon Stroke Drop!"
A blaze of fire streaked past Fuji, the ball slamming near the center line and bouncing high. In the next moment, the real Fuji flashed to the ball and smashed it back.
"Aoi Fubuki!"
But before it cleared the net, Omagari intercepted, yellow afterimages flashing as he drove the ball onto the left sideline and out.
"15-0!"
"I'm sick of your tricks! Don't think you'll score so easily again! This isn't a nursery!" Omagari barked, left racket resting on his shoulder, right racket pointing at Fuji and Niō.
Behind him, Tanegashima lounged with hands behind his head. Once Omagari got serious, he handled nearly all the offense alone. Tanegashima just needed to defend—his specialty.
From then on, Omagari went all-out on offense. His endless running gave him a massive range. Fuji and Niō looked overwhelmed, steadily losing ground.
"What the hell's Niō doing? Why keep Fuji's phantom instead of switching to break this?" Mukahi shouted impatiently from the stands.
"Against an opponent whose true strength is unknown, keeping Fuji's phantom and Synchronizing with the real Fuji is the safest plan," Inui explained.
"Also, Niō's surely gathering data on Omagari-senpai right now to form a solid plan," Yanagi added.
"You're too impatient, Gakuto. I doubt Fuji-kun will just sit still. He always pulls something unexpected," Oshitari said with a sly smile.
While the middle schoolers discussed, the match tilted sharply. Fuji and Niō couldn't stop Omagari's onslaught and kept losing points—even without Tanegashima doing much.
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
"Game! Japan Team! 3-1!"
"I think that's about enough, right, Niō-kun?" Fuji grinned at the other 'Fuji', unconcerned by the lost game.
"Ah~ no problem now. Thanks for the help, Fuji-kun! Puri~" Niō dropped the phantom and returned to his own form.
"Knowing that little fox, he's definitely planning something. Omagari-senpai and Tanegashima-senpai are in for trouble," Mōri muttered with a shiver in the stands.
"Oh? Really? I'm very curious about Niō's ability. If Shū-kun takes a hit, that might be fun too," Irie smiled even brighter.
"Ara~ looks like I missed something interesting." Kimijima, wrist wrapped in bandages, returned with a bored-looking Tōno beside him.
Byoudouin glanced at them, said nothing, and looked back at the court. He too was intrigued by Niō's phantom power, wondering where his limits lay.
The fifth game was Niō's serve. As expected, he turned into 'Tezuka'. For serving, only Atobe and Ochi could match Tezuka. But Atobe's modified Tannhauser wrecked the wrist, and Ochi's Mach Serve couldn't be perfectly copied.
As for Akashi, Niō wouldn't phantom him again for now. Back in first year, he had tried once, but the feeling of his mental energy being nearly drained left a deep fear. So overall, Tezuka's Zero Shiki Serve was his safest choice.
Omagari's eyes gleamed at the sight of Niō in Tezuka's form. Zero Shiki Serve was indeed considered unreturnable—but only considered. In this world, no technique was truly without a counter.
Standing at the baseline, 'Tezuka' picked up a ball, switched his racket to his left hand, and tossed it high. With a sharp crack, the ball spun fiercely toward the opposite court.
Omagari read the trajectory instantly, flashing to the landing spot ahead of time. After all, Zero Shiki Serve's speed was relatively slow. As the ball hit the ground, he slammed both rackets into the court.
"Three-Inch Oni Tile!"
A strange vibration wave rippled forward from the spot where the rackets struck. The spinning ball was jolted upward briefly. Omagari seized that fleeting chance and cut it back with a half volley.
Fuji and 'Tezuka' froze in shock. The ball flew out of bounds before they recovered. Zero Shiki Serve had been broken before, but never in this way.
"0-15!"
"What now, Niō boy?" Omagari's sharp gaze locked onto 'Tezuka'.
But Niō, still in Tezuka's form, kept the character perfectly. His face didn't twitch. Calmly, he glanced at Omagari. Then his body erupted with a blinding azure glow, arcs of blue particles crackling around him.
"Radiance of Strong Heart!"
"He went straight to Radiance of Strong Heart?! When did Niō master that? On Heart's Cliff?" Even the usually composed Kite was shaken.
"Not only that—he intends to use that move," Tezuka himself said, unusually serious.
Yukimura's brows furrowed. He knew the strain that technique put on the arm. Even Tezuka couldn't use it often—how could Niō while only phantoming?
On court, 'Tezuka' tossed the ball, twisted his left arm at an unnatural angle, and smashed down. The ball spun with impossibly complex rotation as it streaked across. But after the swing, his left hand trembled involuntarily.
Omagari was wary of Radiance of Strong Heart, but his willpower was iron. On overseas expeditions he had faced players wielding similar brilliance. He had ways to resist the erosion.
He targeted the landing point and again unleashed Three-Inch Oni Tile, knocking the ball up. But the instant he half-volleyed, chaotic force spread through his racket. He had no time to adjust.
The ball struck the net and rolled down slowly, bouncing a few times before going still.
"Ace! 15-15!"
"Through matches against senpai, I can grow and strengthen myself! That's why we came here—for victory!" 'Tezuka' said flatly to Tanegashima and Omagari after scoring.
"Niō-kun! Drop Tezuka's phantom for now! Your left arm can't take repeated Zero Shiki Serves!" Fuji suddenly stepped up beside him, face stern.
"Fuji…" 'Tezuka' hesitated, then released the phantom, returning to Niō's form.
"It's not time to gamble yet. Let's just play at our own pace," Fuji smiled again once he saw him change back.
"Got it, Fuji-kun! Then maybe it's time to pick a more interesting opponent~" Niō grinned slyly.
As Omagari and Tanegashima switched positions, Niō's form blurred. Illusory petals scattered across the court. Everyone watching—including Akashi and Byoudouin—stared in surprise at the figure revealed.
Even Duke jumped to his feet, excited. Before their eyes stood none other than the French team's captain—Leopold Camus de Charpentier!