"GAME! Spain leads! 2-0!"
"So this is what you wanted to show me? Chibi~" Echizen Ryōga said to Echizen Ryōma in a flippant tone.
Ryōma, however, acted completely differently from usual. He didn't answer at all and silently walked back to the baseline. The momentum around him stayed extremely high the whole time, which left Ryōga unable to read him for a moment.
The match reached the third game, and it was Ryōma's turn to serve. He took a deep breath first, then a massive milky-white aura burst out of his body. His pupils instantly turned pale gold, and even the cap on his head was blown off by the pressure. His dark green hair began to move on its own without any wind.
"Muga no Kyōchi!"
"Using Muga at a time like this is just wasting stamina. I can't think of any other use for it," Ryōga said, looking at Ryōma with some confusion.
Ryōma still didn't respond. He directly tossed the ball, swung with his left hand, and the ball shot toward Spain's court with intense spin. Ryōga's gaze sharpened as he instantly flashed to the landing point.
After hitting the ground, the ball didn't bounce right away. It spun rapidly in place for a brief moment, then slid forward low along the court. Ryōga didn't expect it at all and could only watch as the ball rushed past the baseline.
"Tannhauser Serve!"
"ACE! 15-0!"
Just as Ryōga was about to say something more, Ryōma had already tossed the ball again. Seeing this, Ryōga could only prepare to receive. Then, after a sudden gust of wind, the ball had already appeared beyond Spain's baseline.
"Swift as a storm!"
"ACE! 30-0!"
"So this kid actually thought of using this method to deal with Ryōga… yeah, this really is the most effective way~" In the stands, Echizen Nanjirō rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.
"But keeping Muga at this level isn't easy at all, shōnen~" Nanjirō added, a playful smile returning to his face.
While Nanjirō was talking to himself, Ryōma had already tossed the ball for the third time. This serve wasn't very fast, but Ryōga's expression changed immediately and he rushed toward the forecourt. Still, after the ball landed, the scene he least wanted to see appeared.
The ball spun briefly at the landing point, then slowly rolled backward and finally stopped against the net. A trace of helplessness flashed through Ryōga's eyes, but he could only accept it.
"Zero Shiki Serve!"
"ACE! 40-0!"
Ryōga slowly raised his head to look at Ryōma across the net. A light breeze passed through, making the other boy's detached, ethereal aura feel even more unreal. Honestly, Ryōga had never thought Ryōma would use Muga no Kyōchi against him.
What shocked Ryōga the most was that the three serves Ryōma had just copied were not weaker than the originals at all. They even felt like they surpassed the source. That wasn't something Muga alone could achieve.
However, Ryōma didn't give Ryōga time to think. He tossed the ball again. As the hit rang out, the ball flew at extreme speed toward Ryōga's left baseline corner. It looked like an ultra-high-speed crosscourt serve.
Ryōga quickly moved sideways and timed his swing to return it. But just before his racket touched the ball, the ball suddenly vanished from his sight. In its place came the sound of impact from behind him.
"Wind technique— critical wind!"
"GAME! USA! 2-1!"
"Taking the whole game with four different powerful serves in a row… and these techniques feel like I've seen them somewhere before…" On the USA team bench, Dodo said in disbelief as he watched Ryōma walk off the court.
"But all of those techniques are about to get swallowed by Ryōga anyway," Alan Hopkins poured cold water from the side.
Since Ryōma entered the match, Ralph Reinhardt had been sitting on the bench the whole time. That also had to do with the fact that the USA team didn't have an official coach. Most team matters were currently handled by Reinhardt.
"That just now should've been the legendary Muga no Kyōchi, right? Can your stamina keep up, Echizen-kun?" Reinhardt asked while looking at Ryōma drinking water.
"No need to worry, Captain! I broke through my stamina limits a long time ago! And Muga is only the first step. If I want to beat nii-san, this alone isn't enough!" Ryōma raised his head, his eyes filled with intense fighting spirit.
"Since you already have your own plan, I won't say more. But there's one thing you must remember. Don't get hurt, Echizen Ryōma," Reinhardt said seriously.
On the Spain coach's bench, the acting coach still sat there smiling, with no intention of giving guidance. Of course, he didn't have the ability to guide Ryōga anyway. In this world, the only one who could truly teach Ryōga was probably Nanjirō.
"I didn't expect you to really see through it~ chibi," Ryōga said softly after grabbing an orange from the side and taking a bite.
"The scariest part of your ability is that it can swallow the self, but right now your younger brother is in Muga no Kyōchi… I guess when Nanjirō-san developed the ultimate Muga back then, he probably never imagined it would become your greatest counter, huh?" Medanoré said calmly as he appeared beside Ryōga at some point.
"That's why the old man's a living legend~ Still, I didn't expect chibi to see through that," Ryōga shrugged, clearly not bothered.
"Enough. A single Muga isn't enough to completely suppress you. End this match quickly. The USA Team's world tournament run should come to an end now," Medanoré said, urging him instead of playing along.
When the timeout ended, the Echizen brothers returned to the court. It was the fourth game, Ryōga's service game. He stared at Ryōma for a short moment before turning and walking to the baseline, while Ryōma continued to maintain Muga no Kyōchi.
"In that case, let's see who's mastered more ball skills, chibi~" Ryōga said softly, then tossed the ball.
As Ryōga swung, the ball shot toward the USA Team's court. Ryōma only stepped one pace to the right, but his body seemed to teleport to the landing area. It was clearly Kite Eishirō's all-direction Shukuchihō.
But when Ryōma tried to return the serve, his racket seemed to get struck by something, throwing off his timing. The ball slammed straight into the net.
"ACE! 15-0!"
"I didn't expect this move to work so well~ If I remember right, that guy called it the Gemini style," Ryōga said with a faint smile after scoring.
"Wasn't that a move used by a British Team member? Did Ryōga play against the British Team before?" Mars asked in surprise from the Spain bench.
"Yeah, the guy was called Peter Ranbiell~ But his condition right now isn't great," Frio replied seriously.
"Huh? Where did you get that info, Roland?" Mars asked again, even more surprised.
"How many times do I have to say it before you remember?! My name is Roman!!! Forget it… Ryōga joined temporarily, but since he's a teammate now, of course I'd look into him and show some concern. I stayed up all night investigating yesterday, with Romeo's help too," Frio said helplessly.
"No need to thank me, Roland-fuku-taichō~ I'm pretty curious about Ryōga myself," Romeo replied with a light laugh, making the helpless look on Frio's face even worse.
While they were talking, Ryōga had already hit his second serve on court. It was still the Gemini style, but Ryōma flipped his racket and cleanly broke it, returning successfully.
Ryōga wasn't surprised. He flashed to the front and reached out to intercept, but the ball suddenly seemed to shrink and slipped right through the gap in his strings.
"Matryoshka of Russia!"
"15-15!"
"Byōdōin's world-class technique, huh? I didn't think you could copy even that. Then let's turn up the intensity~" Ryōga said as he subconsciously adjusted his strings.
As his words fell, Ryōga quickly tossed the ball. A rapid series of impacts followed. At the moment the ball crossed the net, several air masses flew straight at Ryōma's racket, while the ball itself landed and bounced quickly out of bounds.
"ACE! 30-15!"
"Heh~~~~ Not bad at all, nii-san~ But I really hate your underhanded tennis," Ryōma said bluntly, shaking his slightly numb arm.
"Save that talk for when you can actually beat me~ chibi!" Ryōga replied, tossing the ball again. It was still a multi-star serve.
But just before the air masses hit Ryōma's racket, lightning suddenly flashed around him and his body vanished. A massive electric serpent then shot into Spain's court and blasted out of bounds.
"Swift as thunder!"
"30-30!"
Ryōga glanced at the slightly scorched ball behind him, said nothing, and tossed the ball again. His right wrist twisted sharply as he smashed the serve, sending the ball spinning violently into the USA Team's court.
"Zero Shiki Serve (swallowed)!"
Seeing the serve, the milky-white aura around Ryōma instantly turned black. At the moment the ball landed, Ryōma swung through the air, a powerful gust lifting the still-spinning ball. He then stepped forward, appearing at the forecourt in a flash, and swung.
"Black Dragon Single Slash!"
The ball flew straight toward the right sideline. Ryōga chased it down and swung to block, but the ball passed straight through his racket without changing size at all.
"Wind technique—Kitsunebi Ball!"
"30-40!"
Ryōga ignored the lost point and tossed the ball again. With a wide twist of his right wrist, the ball spun violently over the net, bounced lightly, and slid forward along the court.
"Tannhauser Serve (swallowed)!"
Ryōma stayed completely calm. He dragged his racket along the ground with a grating sound, then timed it perfectly and scooped upward.
"Moon Volley!"
The ball traced an extremely high arc through the air, landed precisely on Spain's baseline, and bounced quickly out. Ryōga didn't even try to intercept.
"GAME! USA! 2-2!"
"Hahahahahaha~ This is way too interesting, chibi! Maybe sending you to Japan was the single most correct decision the old man ever made!" Ryōga laughed loudly, his eyes suddenly turning razor sharp.