As the referee's voice echoed across the stadium, the crowd finally erupted into thunderous cheers. The excitement in the air was electric—it felt less like a tennis match and more like watching a blockbuster movie in a theater.
When Zeus returned to the bench, Hermes and the others wanted to step forward and comfort him. But Zeus simply smiled, waving his hand lightly before turning to look at Charon beside him. His tone was calm and steady as he spoke.
"You'll play in Singles Two, Charon. Don't be nervous—just play as you always do. Even if you lose, it's fine. I still have confidence in the next two days of the group stage."
"Y-Yes, Captain!" Charon answered, voice tight with nerves. Despite Zeus's reassuring words, he couldn't relax. After all, Greece's fate in the group stage now rested entirely on his shoulders.
"Lord Zeus, is it really wise to entrust such a burden to a young player?" Hermes asked quietly, watching Charon's back as he walked toward the court.
Zeus chuckled softly. "It can't be helped. I lost, after all. Besides, even if I had won, he'd still have to face pressure sooner or later. Perhaps this isn't such a bad thing."
"I just hope tomorrow's group match against England goes smoothly..." murmured Hercules with a sigh.
On the Japan team's side, Coach Saitō Itaru stood up, smiling warmly as he handed a towel to Akashi, who had just come off the court.
"Good work, Akashi. Now we only need one more win to finish today's group matches. You can handle it, right, Fuji?"
Fuji twirled his racket lightly, a small smile curving on his lips. "Looks like it's finally my turn. As for the result... who knows? It's Greece we're facing, after all. Maybe there's some hidden middle school powerhouse waiting for me~"
Saitō and the others just chuckled, not taking Fuji's words seriously. They had reviewed Mitsuya's scouting report—there were no middle school players in the Greek lineup worth special attention this year.
"Up next, the Singles Two match! Representing Greece—Charon Protégoras (Second Year of Middle School)! Representing Japan—Fuji Shūsuke (Third Year of Middle School)! Players, please enter the court!"
As the names appeared on the scoreboard, the crowd's reactions were mixed with amusement and recognition. Japan sending another middle school player into an international match no longer surprised anyone.
The two players walked to the net, shook hands politely, and bowed before the coin toss began. Fuji won the serve and they each turned to take their positions on opposite sides of the court.
"One-set match! Japan to serve first!"
At the baseline, Fuji held the ball in his left hand and spun it lightly, giving it a counterclockwise rotation before releasing it. The ball dropped in a gentle spin, and Fuji's right hand swung his racket upward in one smooth motion, sending the ball slicing toward the opposite side.
"Underhand serve?!" Charon froze, confused by what he was seeing. A world-class tennis match and yet—an underhand serve?
But he didn't think too deeply about it. He ran naturally to the spot where the ball was landing. When it bounced, it began to wobble rapidly in midair. Just as he prepared to swing, the ball vanished.
"That serve disappears, you know~" Fuji said with a calm, teasing smile.
"ACE! 15-0!"
"That's... a fast underhand slice serve," Hermes analyzed instantly from the sidelines. "The moment the ball bounces, it shoots upward sharply, creating an optical illusion for the opponent."
Fuji was already serving again, another disappearing serve. This time, Charon, having learned from the first, managed to return it. But when Fuji saw the clear underspin on the ball, his smile deepened.
He stepped swiftly forward, positioning himself before the incoming ball. Raising his racket vertically, he sliced downward from top to bottom. The spinning ball crossed the net and then began to drop sharply. Seeing that, Charon rushed toward the net—but Hermes, watching from the sidelines, was already shaking his head.
The ball hit the ground, spinning rapidly in place before bouncing slightly and sliding backward with speed. Charon, just reaching the net, could only watch in shock as it rolled straight out of the court.
"First Counter—Tsubame Gaeshi! (Returning Swallow to the Nest!)" Fuji announced with an easy smile.
"30-0!"
On the third serve, Fuji didn't use the disappearing serve again. Instead, he sent out a standard high-speed serve. Charon exhaled in relief, immediately switching to offense—he was determined to win back the points he had just lost.
Fuji immediately noticed his opponent's state of mind and decided to respond in kind. He returned a high lob, and Charon, spotting the opening, felt a rush of excitement. He charged toward the net, leaping high into the air, and smashed the ball down with all his strength.
But in the next instant, Fuji was already there. His racket intercepted the ball's fall point precisely, and using the centrifugal force of his swing, he flicked it backhanded into the air. Charon, still descending from his jump, saw a flash of yellow light streak past his vision—then heard the sharp sound of the ball hitting the court behind him.
"Second Counter—Higuma Otoshi! (Brown Bear Falls into the Net!)," Fuji said softly, his back turned to Charon.
"40-0!"
"A baseliner, huh? His technique is pretty interesting," Zeus remarked with a light chuckle.
"Indeed, though his playstyle feels a bit flashy and impractical. I think Charon will adapt soon enough," Hermes replied, nodding in agreement.
As Fuji launched another high-speed serve, Charon finally steadied his nerves and began to play more focused. The two exchanged rapid rallies for four or five points before Fuji suddenly switched his grip and swung horizontally. Using both sides of his racket, he gave the ball a powerful double-spin, then calmly put his racket down and turned away from the court.
"That ball of yours won't cross the net. Fifth Counter—Hecatoncheires no Monban!" A soft breeze brushed through Fuji's hair as his voice carried gently across the court to Charon's ears.
"GAME! Japan! 1-0!"
Charon stared blankly at the ball that had just rolled to the ground, unable to understand how his return had failed to clear the net. On the sidelines, Hercules sighed quietly. This year, aside from the twin brothers and Evan, the Greek team's middle school players were only barely competent at best.
If not for the tournament committee's strict requirement that every country must field middle school players, players like Charon and Uria would have spent several more years in training. Whether this early exposure to the world stage was a blessing or a curse was hard to say.
"Only national-level strength, huh? Seems the gap between Greece's middle and high school players is still quite large," Saitō Itaru commented with a hint of pity, watching Charon struggle in vain to break through Fuji's Hecatoncheires no Monban defense.
"GAME! Japan! 2-0!"
"GAME! Japan! 3-0!"
Fuji quickly racked up three consecutive games. The skill difference was simply too vast. With just four of his signature counters, he completely overwhelmed his opponent. His last shot, "White Whale," in particular, was both powerful and breathtaking—it was showmanship at its finest.
"Fuji-kun really knows how to hide his strength~ If I recall, the triple counters from the original style were already obsolete for him, weren't they? Puri~" Niō teased with a mischievous grin.
"You're not one to talk either," Kite shot back, giving Niō a sideways glance and a smirk.
On the court, Charon was drenched in sweat. His opponent's strength was far beyond anything he had anticipated. He was certain now—this middle schooler from Japan was easily on par with his own country's high school players.
Across the net, Fuji caught a soft gust of wind brushing past him. Moving swiftly, he reached the landing point of the ball and flicked his racket upward. The ball soared high into the air.
Charon instinctively looked up. In the next moment, countless bursts of dazzling light—like fireworks—filled his vision. Behind him, the tennis ball came crashing down, striking the baseline with precision before bouncing out of bounds.
"The weather's nice today. How about a little fireworks display for you? Sixth Counter—Hoshi Hanabi!" Fuji smiled, his hair swaying gently in the breeze.
"GAME! 6-0! Match over! Winner—Japan Team!"
As the match concluded, Zeus led the Greek team onto the court. Together with the Japanese players, they bowed and exchanged handshakes at the net. After reaffirming his promise to face Akashi again in the finals, Zeus turned with his teammates and left the court. Japan ended the first day of the group stage with a 3-1 victory.
Later that afternoon, when the team returned to the hotel, everyone offered their congratulations to Akashi and the others. But Mifune soon poured a bucket of cold water over the celebration. He had just received shocking news—England had lost to Australia in an upset match.
When the staff handed over the day's Group B results, the players studied the scoreboard in silence. The expressions on their faces turned serious. Mitsuya, Yanagi, and Inui immediately began analyzing the data and statistics from the match.
U-17 World Cup Group B Results.