"Senpai says he's not fixated on the Glowing Shot, but to me, it looks like you still care a lot, don't you?" Ryōma spoke as he walked to the sideline, switched to a new racket, then bent low at the baseline. His expression turned completely serious, eyes locked tightly on Tokugawa preparing to serve.
Tokugawa glanced at him but said nothing, tossing the ball and unleashing another Rainbow Serve. Just like before, Ryōma closed his eyes and used his sharp ball sense to return it.
But after hitting back, Ryōma sprinted toward the net. Tokugawa quickly countered with a crosscourt passing shot, but Ryōma leapt into the air, making a sword-draw motion midair.
As the ball came in, Ryōma's left hand powered up, slashing with a fierce backhand. The ball spun violently, shooting straight for the net cord. It rubbed at high speed along the cord before being sliced clean in two, both halves flying off toward Tokugawa's back corners.
"Samurai Drive!"
Tokugawa's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected Ryōma to have such a move—Inui had never mentioned it. But even so, it wasn't enough to trouble him. His figure split into two afterimages, each intercepting one half of the ball and sending them both back.
As Tokugawa returned the halves, Ryōma's entire body gleamed gold. A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he leapt high again, spinning in the air and using centrifugal force to smash both halves down hard. Two roaring whirlwinds blasted past Tokugawa on both sides, sweeping the balls out of court.
"Cyclone Smash!"
The twin gales tore by so fast that even Tokugawa's expression shifted slightly—he hadn't reacted quickly enough to Ryōma's sudden Samurai Drive.
"30-15!"
"Hey! Senpai, aren't you gonna use Black Hole yet?" Ryōma taunted after scoring, still trying to draw out Tokugawa's full power.
"I already told you. I don't need it against you," Tokugawa replied coldly.
Now that Tokugawa was alert, Ryōma's Samurai Drive no longer had the same impact, only forcing a short rally at best. In contrast, Tokugawa kept tightening his offense, the glow of Divine Path of the Asura around him deepening further.
"40-15!"
"Game! Japan Team! 2-1!"
Tokugawa still held his serve, leaving Ryōma no opening. But Ryōma's fighting spirit was blazing higher than ever. He didn't show it on his face, but deep down he was even more excited.
The fourth game was Ryōma's serve. Standing at the baseline, he thought of a technique his father had once taught him during Nationals. Back then he hadn't had time to fully master it, but now was the perfect chance to use it against Tokugawa-senpai.
Ryōma tossed the ball high, leaning slightly to the right before springing upward, arching his back, and swinging his racket upward with the force of his waist and abdomen. The ball spun furiously as it soared leftward over the net, landing deep in Tokugawa's half.
"That's a Twist Serve? But it shouldn't work against Tokugawa-senpai!" Momoshiro said in confusion.
"Maybe Echizen's just unwilling to give it up. After all, the Twist Serve is his trademark move," Oishi analyzed.
Tokugawa instinctively tilted his body right, the best motion to handle a Twist Serve. Sure enough, as the ball bounced, it curved toward his face. Just as he prepared to return it, the ball suddenly bent midair, hooking sharply left and shooting out of court.
"Samurai Twist Serve!"
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Hey~ that Samurai Twist Serve's pretty good, huh, senpai?" Ryōma grinned.
Tokugawa looked at the spirited Ryōma before him, and once again saw a reflection of his younger self. When he first returned to Japan, he too had been brimming with arrogance, believing no one could stand above him.
But then Byoudouin had appeared, crushing his pride with tennis so far beyond his comprehension. Tokugawa finally realized the truth—there's always someone stronger.
Later, after grueling training and even clawing his way back from hell, he thought he had the strength to take revenge on Byoudouin. Yet reality struck again—against Akashi, Tokugawa had felt just like he had on that day, completely overpowered.
'Hold on to that confidence, Ryōma. Just don't end up like me. That path isn't meant for you,' Tokugawa thought silently, saying nothing as he turned back to his baseline, waiting for the next serve.
"Oishi! Oishi! Did you hear that? The little guy just called it Samurai Twist Serve! Doesn't that sound so cool?" Kikumaru exclaimed excitedly, tugging on Oishi's arm from the stands.
"I heard it, Eiji, I heard it. But… Samurai—could that mean his father, Nanjirō-san?" Oishi replied, half-distracted and thoughtful.
'Looks like Nanjirō really did teach Ryōma the true Twist Serve. But doing this will probably make it even harder for Ryōma to find his own tennis path!' Akashi thought to himself as he watched Ryōma on court.
In truth, the so-called Twist Serve Ryōma had used before was actually a sidespin serve, just like Ibu Shinji's. But because he was Nanjirō's son, everyone subconsciously assumed it was the real Twist Serve, since that was Nanjirō's trademark shot.
The true Twist Serve and sidespin serve are completely different. Just like Ryōma had shown just now, the real Twist Serve bounces out of court upon landing, which is why it's called that.
"Not bad, kid! Looks like the old man taught you quite a lot~" Ryōga said with interest as he munched on an orange.
Ryōma stood at the baseline, grabbed another ball from the side, tested its bounce a couple of times, then tossed it high and once again used the Samurai Twist Serve motion.
Tokugawa quickly moved to the landing spot, stepping slightly forward so he'd be ready when the ball curved. But this time the ball shot straight for his face after the bounce.
At the last second, Tokugawa barely dodged. The ball grazed past his nose, making him frown instinctively. No doubt about it—Ryōma had tricked him.
"Ace! 30-0!"
"You think I'd use the Samurai Twist Serve again when you're already on guard? Senpai, you've still got a long way to go!" Ryōma's confidence had fully returned to his face.
"I see. If I can't tell which Twist Serve you're using, then a wrong guess could make me miss the perfect timing for a return," Tokugawa replied seriously, his eyes locked on Ryōma.
"Not bad, senpai! You saw through that quick enough. So, what do you think—next ball, which Twist Serve will I use?" Ryōma asked, deliberately provoking him.
"Whichever it is, I'll return it!" Tokugawa answered firmly, ignoring the provocation.
Ryōma smiled as he stepped to the baseline. Tossing the ball high, he repeated the same motion, but now the blue glow around his body grew brighter.
This time, Tokugawa didn't rush. He positioned himself a bit farther back from the bounce point, eyes fixed on the ball. As it rose, his legs exploded forward and he intercepted just before it curved away.
He managed to return it, but Ryōma was already in place. His backhand swing flowed smoothly, sharper than usual, and even his style felt subtly different.
Tokugawa reacted quickly, and the two clashed in fierce rallies. But he noticed Ryōma's shots had grown more aggressive than before, and his whole rhythm felt slightly changed.
"This is… Nanjirō…" From the coach's bench, Mifune stopped drinking, eyes wide in surprise. In his view, every move Ryōma made seemed overlapped by Nanjirō's shadow, as if he had completely become him.
"Looks like the kid is still under the old man's influence. Maybe he needs to experience a freer style of tennis," Ryōga muttered quietly, a hint of seriousness in his gaze.
Meanwhile, Ryōma grinned wider and wider in the rally, clearly enjoying himself. The people around suddenly realized—it was the same kind of smile they'd just seen on Kintarō's face.
"Hey~ isn't playing tennis really fun, senpai?" Ryōma laughed as he spoke to Tokugawa.
In the next moment, the blue glow around him flared dazzlingly. Those bathed in it felt a rush of joy in their hearts, and the blue particles swirling around him grew even livelier.
"Radiance of Love!"
Even Tokugawa blanked for a moment. He couldn't understand—he had just piled on heavy mental pressure, so why was Ryōma suddenly enjoying the game even more?
"40-0!"
Tokugawa lost the next point while still distracted. Ryōma's smile stayed, but his hands moved fast. Before Tokugawa could recover, Ryōma sent out his fourth serve.
Tokugawa managed to react in time, moving to the bounce spot. It was another Samurai Twist Serve, but now he already had a counter ready and struck it back.
The ball flew to Ryōma's right corner. But Ryōma didn't move right—he stayed dead center. Suddenly, a massive white cyclone rose around him, pulling the ball straight toward his position.
"Zone!"
"W-what!" Tokugawa blurted out in shock. As far as he knew, that was Tezuka Kunimitsu's move—why could Ryōma use it? But the ball had already whizzed past him, hitting the baseline and flying out of court.
"Game! Second String Selection! 2-2!"