The match ended.
With their first victory secured, the 200-strong Ice Emperor team erupted into cheers, their voices echoing across the entire court. The deafening roar made Momoshiro and Kaidō, who were retreating from the court, turn even paler.
"Sorry, Coach, everyone... we..."
They had lost the match.
Momoshiro and Kaidō bowed their heads in apology.
"It's alright," Coach Ryūzaki shook her head, comforting them. "It's not that you weren't strong enough. The opponent was just a step ahead."
"But..."
Momoshiro wanted to say that losing meant they weren't strong enough. However, at that moment, a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Momoshiro, don't dwell on it too much," the voice said.
"Vice Captain Ōishi..."
Momoshiro looked up to see Ōishi, with his signature egg-shaped head, and Kikumaru, who had a bandage on his face, standing behind them.
"Ōishi's right," Kikumaru grinned. "It's just one match. If you lose, you just have to win the next one."
Ōishi added reassuringly, "You two take a rest. Leave the next match to us."
"Then we'll leave it to you, senpai," Momoshiro and Kaidō said apologetically as they watched the two walk toward the court.
"Even though we lost the first match," Inui rubbed his temples, regaining his composure, "if Ōishi and Kikumaru can win this one, we still have a chance."
Inui was confident in the Golden Pair. Their doubles performance was consistently solid, and he had put them through intensive training to further enhance their skills.
"So..." he thought, turning his gaze toward the Ice Emperor team. "Their Golden Pair should be making their appearance now, right?"
*Thud!*
At that moment, Yūshi, having finished adjusting his shoelaces, walked to the court with his racket in hand.
"Just as expected," Inui's eyes gleamed with a hint of satisfaction.
The only pair from Ice Emperor capable of rivaling Ōishi and Kikumaru was their own nationally renowned duo.
"Huh?"
But just as Inui assumed Mukahi would be the one to step up, a towering figure appeared in his line of sight.
At the same time, the announcer's voice rang out.
"Next up, the doubles 1 match: Ice Emperor's Yūshi Ōshitari and Kabaji Munehiro versus Seishun Academy's Ōishi Syūichirō and Kikumaru Eiji. Both teams, please prepare!"
"Yūshi and Kabaji?!"
Not only were others shocked, but even Ice Emperor's own team was taken aback by this unexpected lineup.
"Kabaji? In doubles?"
Some rubbed their eyes, wondering if they had misheard. But there he was, standing behind Yūshi—not Mukahi, but Kabaji, who was usually seen shadowing Atobe.
Instantly, everyone's eyes turned toward Coach Gin Tōzō.
A sense of awe and fear spread through the crowd. Mukahi had lost one match with Minami, and now he was benched as a warning.
"Coach Gin is really strict," Inoue remarked. "But with Ice Emperor's current roster, they can afford to do this."
Ice Emperor's depth was arguably the best in the nation, giving them the flexibility to expand their lineup and keep their opponents guessing.
"Could it be," Nanjirō mused, stroking his chin as he observed Mukahi, "that the other Ice Emperor player looks exhausted? Maybe the previous match drained him too much?"
"Ah, you're right!" Inoue realized.
He looked at Mukahi, who did seem worn out. It wasn't just disappointment from not playing; recalling the match against Yamabuki, Mukahi had been targeted and pushed to his limits. Nanjirō's theory made sense.
"However," Inoue frowned, "Kabaji doesn't seem to have any record of playing doubles, does he?"
"True," Shiba nodded. "He's always been following Atobe around. I didn't even think he was a regular player!"
"Yūshi and Kabaji?" Ōishi and Kikumaru frowned as they stepped onto the court.
This was outside their expectations. If it wasn't Mukahi, then the strategy Inui had prepared—focusing on specific players—wouldn't work.
Moreover, Inui had very little data on Kabaji.
All they knew was that he had immense strength, rivaled only by Kaidō in Seishun. But no matter how Ryūzaki and Inui strategized, they wouldn't have put Kaidō in such a crucial doubles position!
"Don't worry, Ōishi," Kikumaru said, sensing his partner's unease. He tapped Ōishi's back with his racket and smiled. "No matter who the opponent is, we'll give it our all!"
"Right," Ōishi nodded firmly.
Soon, the two teams met at the net. Yūshi and Ōishi exchanged a few words, while Kikumaru subtly observed Kabaji.
The towering figure seemed expressionless, almost dull, but Kikumaru didn't let his guard down. If Coach Gin had placed him in doubles 1, there had to be a reason.
"Match begins," the referee announced. "Ice Emperor's Kabaji to serve, first game!"
*Thud!*
Without any hesitation, Kabaji tossed the ball and slammed it with tremendous force.
*Tap tap!*
Kikumaru quickly moved to the baseline, reaching the ball in time. He swung his racket as usual, but the moment the ball connected, an overwhelming force surged through his racket.
"Whoa!"
Kikumaru's expression changed. He quickly brought his other hand to the racket, using both arms to return the shot.
"This guy's strength is insane," Kikumaru muttered, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. He no longer underestimated Kabaji.
"Ōishi," he called out, warning his partner. "This guy's got crazy power. Be careful."
"Got it," Ōishi nodded.
*Thud!*
Kabaji served again, and this time, Ōishi stepped up to take the shot, hoping to relieve some pressure from Kikumaru. But as his racket met Kabaji's strike, his eyes widened in shock.
"This power... Is he really a second-year?" Ōishi thought.
*Tap tap!*
Ōishi's struggle to handle Kabaji's power resulted in a weak return, giving Yūshi the perfect opportunity to rush forward and smash the ball.
*Boom!*
"15-0!" the referee called.
The crowd was stunned, their eyes fixed on Kabaji. The Seishun team, meanwhile, grew increasingly wary.
"This match is going to be tough," Ryūzaki said, her expression serious.
Sure enough, Kabaji's powerful serves and Yūshi's precise plays allowed Ice Emperor to dominate the first game, taking a 1-0 lead.
"How could this happen?"
Seeing Ōishi and Kikumaru lose the first game so quickly, the Seishun team was both shocked and disappointed.
"Sigh," Horio blurted out. "If only we had sent Kaidō-senpai. His strength could've handled this guy!"
Hearing this, Ryūzaki remained silent, and Inui stayed calm.
They didn't explain, not because they had made a mistake in their strategy, but because sending Kaidō would have made winning this match even more impossible.
"It's about time," Inui thought, turning his attention to the court.
Ōishi and Kikumaru stood side by side, forming a straight line when viewed from the opponent's side.
"Is that... the Australian Formation?"
The Seishun team perked up, their eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Oh?"
The match was far from over.
On the Hyotei side.
Shishido exclaimed in surprise, "The Seigaku guys are already pulling out their moves this quickly?"
The Australian Formation.
One of the three fundamental formations in professional doubles.
But in a middle school league, its effectiveness is entirely different. Just last week, Akazawa and Kaneda from St. Rudolph suffered a major setback against this formation.
*Thud!*
At that moment.
Oishi served from the back of the court.
*Tap, tap!*
*Tap, tap!*
Then, both Oishi and Kikumaru quickly moved to the sides of the court.
"It's indeed a solid formation," remarked Oshitari, who was receiving the serve, nodding in approval. "But this can only work as a surprise tactic. By now, the secret of this formation is out!"
*Thud!*
Without hesitation, he sent the ball straight down the middle of the court.
"Huh?"
Seeing this, Oishi's expression changed.
He hadn't expected that the weakness exposed by Kaneda Ichiro from St. Rudolph in the quarterfinals would also be known to Hyotei.
*Tap, tap!*
At that moment, Kikumaru, positioned at the front, spun around and made a diving interception just before the ball flew past, sending it to Kabaji's backhand.
*Thud!*
"15-0!"
"It's here!" shouted Horio and the others excitedly. "Kikumaru-senpai's Dance Play (Trick Shot)!!"
"Whew," Kikumaru said, brushing himself off as he got up from the ground. "That was close, but I made it just in time!"
"Kikumaru?" Oshitari narrowed his eyes.
Compared to last week, Kikumaru's speed had improved again. And with this, the Golden Pair had managed to overcome the weakness of the Australian Formation.
"Ishikawa was right," Oshitari thought to himself. "While we've been improving, Seigaku has been leveling up too."
The match continued.
*Thud!*
Facing the second serve, Kabaji, recalling Kikumaru's quick attack earlier, instinctively played it safe and sent the ball to the backcourt.
*Sizzle...*
At that moment, Oishi suddenly appeared.
Dragging his racket on the ground, sparks flew as he caught up to the ball and swiftly executed a sharp drive, threading the needle to land the ball right on Hyotei's baseline.
"30-0!"
"Here it is, Oishi-senpai's Moon Volley!!!"
The Seigaku cheering squad was ecstatic.
"Interesting," said Nanjiro, watching the seamless coordination between the two Seigaku players.
"I didn't expect that there is such a special player among Japanese junior high school students." "
(End of chapter)