Kintarō, who had been bouncing around cheerfully, suddenly froze when he heard Krauser's name. His expression turned serious, and he replied to Shiraishi in a heavy tone, "Yeah! I... I think so too!"
Seeing that, Shiraishi couldn't help but sigh. Krauser's name really did work wonders—he didn't know how that guy managed to keep Kintarō so obedient. Even Akashi didn't get that kind of respect from the kid.
Jean and Chris had also heard what Shiraishi said, and the serious looks on their faces grew even heavier. Though they didn't want to admit it, they could no longer deny that the two junior high players from the Japan Team were stronger than them.
When Chris served his fourth ball, Kintarō gave them an unexpected surprise. After Shiraishi returned the shot, Kintarō leapt forward to the frontcourt. Jean aimed his return at him again—but this time, dazzling golden light burst from Kintarō's left hand.
Shiraishi was stunned for a second. He'd only wanted Kintarō to get serious, but he hadn't expected him to unleash a Glowing Shot!
The instant the racket connected, blinding golden light flooded half the court. The tennis ball turned into a massive sphere of light, roaring toward Jean and Chris's side with overwhelming force.
"Glowing Shot! Take this!"
"That's—get out of the way, Chris!" Jean shouted as soon as he saw it coming.
But right after yelling, he charged toward the light head-on, gritting his teeth and gripping his racket with both hands. When he struck the ball, an unimaginable weight shot up his arms, numbing his wrists.
A second later, Chris's racket slammed against the ball as well, and Jean heard his partner's voice beside him:
"Sorry, Captain! But this time, I'm not following your orders!"
Their combined effort, however, failed to turn the tide. With a thunderous impact, both were blasted backward, sent flying across the court. The ball crashed into the wall behind them, leaving a deep, circular crater.
"30–30!"
Jean was the first to stand, coughing amid the dust. He looked down at his bent, misshapen racket and gave a bitter smile. Their so-called tactics—what a joke. The middle schooler across from them was a complete monster. His stamina hadn't even dropped.
Chris soon got up too. Because they'd shared the impact of the Glowing Shot, neither of them was seriously hurt—but their rackets were beyond repair.
They quickly switched to new ones. Even if victory seemed impossible, neither Jean nor Chris intended to give up. The crowd's harsh insults and jeers didn't matter—they still had their pride.
Unfortunately, maybe due to the lingering effect of the Glowing Shot, their next two shots lost precision and power. Under the fierce pressure of Shiraishi and Kintarō's offense, they could only watch as the first match slipped completely from their grasp.
"Game! 6–0! Match over! Winner, Japan Team!"
As Shiraishi and Kintarō stepped off the court, Yukimura smiled warmly at them in approval. Even Oni gave them a heavy pat on the shoulder in encouragement. Then the rest of the team began another round of rock-paper-scissors to decide the next lineup.
On the Australian bench, Jean returned with Chris, guilt written all over his face. But almost immediately, a mocking voice rang out from behind them.
"Useless as expected, Captain! Even with the best tactical setup, you still managed to lose that badly."
J.J. Dorgias.
"You damn loudmouth bastard!" Chris roared, unable to hold it in any longer.
In an instant, Dorgias leapt up from his seat, spinning in midair before swinging his left leg sharply toward Chris's head. Just as the kick was about to land, he stopped.
"Say one more word, and I'll kill you. That kick was just a warning—got it, trash?" Dorgias glared coldly at the pale-faced Chris before slowly lowering his leg and turning away.
"As for you two in doubles," he said, looking at the other Australian pair with a cold smirk, "I assume you won't be a disappointment... right?"
"We only follow Noah's orders," Milky said coldly.
"That's right. Exactly like that," Mac replied with the same indifferent tone.
The exchange on the Australian bench immediately drew the attention of the Japan Team. Sanada frowned and glared toward Dorgias, his voice edged with anger.
"To actually attack his own teammate—what kind of player is that guy supposed to be?"
"Remember this," Oni said calmly. "In the World Cup, nothing should surprise you. Every kind of player exists. Don't forget that Byoudouin was just as rough once. All you need to do now is win the match."
He wasn't wrong—at least Dorgias had held back at the last second. If this had been the old Byoudouin, that kick wouldn't have stopped midair. The opponent would already be lying injured on the ground.
But Byoudouin was still different from Dorgias in one key way. No matter how ruthless or domineering he was, he had never raised a hand against his own teammates, not during the World Cup nor during their overseas expeditions. His cruelty only appeared inside the training camp.
Meanwhile, not far from the arena, inside a small garden house, Noah sat listening to the live radio broadcast. Silence filled the room. His carefully planned setup had completely fallen apart—the Japan Team had shattered Australia's so-called iron wall.
"This is troublesome," Noah muttered, flicking over a black knight piece on the chessboard in front of him. "It seems one of the pieces has broken free of control. I wonder... whose doing this is."
After a long pause, he finally called for his guide dog. He would have to go see it himself—he needed to understand exactly what was happening. As Noah left for the stadium, the doubles match between Japan and Australia was about to begin.
"Next up, the U-17 World Cup Group B doubles match! Representing Australia—Milky Millman, 2nd year of middle school, and Mac McGregor, 3rd year of middle school! Representing Japan—Ochi Tsukimitsu, 3rd year of high school, and Sanada Genichirō, 3rd year of middle school! Players, please enter the court!"
Winning the coin toss, Ochi and Sanada stepped onto the court side by side. After bowing at the net, both sides skipped any extra talk and went straight to deciding the first serve. Milky won the right to serve first.
"One set match! Australia to serve!"
'Don't make Noah's faith in you meaningless. Show everyone your power—let them see your monster serve,' Dorgias thought coldly from the bench, staring at Milky.
Milky stood confidently at the baseline. Looking at the two Japanese players across from him—one tall, one shorter—he had already sentenced them in his mind. He tossed up the ball and declared, full of arrogance, "This match will be over in ten minutes!"
As the ball dropped, Milky swung hard. A streak of light flashed past Sanada's eyes, and a second later, the sound of the ball hitting the ground echoed behind him.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"You can't stop the Superluminal Particle Serve!" Milky shouted proudly, holding his strange follow-through pose.
Milky Millman.
"Oh my~ Australian players are known for their power serves, but a middle schooler matching Ochi's speed? I wonder how Ochi's feeling about that," Irie said with a grin in the player hall, watching the broadcast.
"What are you talking about, Irie-senpai! That kid's serve might be fast, but he's nowhere near Tsukimitsu-sensei's level!" Mōri protested, frowning. In his mind, Ochi's serve was untouchable.
While Irie and Mōri debated whose serve was faster, Milky had already unleashed his second Superluminal Particle. Sanada didn't move an inch. He simply stood calmly, and as the ball struck the court, a faint spark of lightning flickered across his body.
"Ace! 30–0!"
Next, Ochi stepped up to receive. His face remained expressionless as the ball flew past, but under the shadow of his bangs, his hidden eyes glimmered faintly.
"Ace! 40–0!"
Milky fired off his fourth serve. Ochi still didn't move, but as the ball landed, his gaze followed the exact trajectory—quietly calculating the speed.
"Game! Australia! 1–0!"
"Your serve's impressive," Ochi said coolly, lifting his bangs slightly to reveal one sharp eye. "But for us... it's still too slow."