"Damn it! Yukimura and Oni-senpai's power gap is way too big. Like this, he won't be able to return anything!" Jackal frowned from the stands.
"Even if he stole Oni-senpai's future, he's being suppressed by sheer power and can't hit back?" Yanagi Renji spoke thoughtfully.
"Look closely at Yukimura's face. He hasn't wavered at all!" Sanada suddenly said to everyone.
Hearing Sanada's words, the others carefully observed Yukimura's expression. Sure enough, just like Sanada said, Yukimura's face was still calm, as if it wasn't him who had just lost two games.
"Actually, ever since I first entered the training camp two years ago, I've been thinking about how to deal with opponents like Oni-senpai who have overwhelming power. Until Akashi-kun gave me some advice—that's when I found a possible path!" Yukimura picked up his racquet from the ground and looked seriously at Oni.
"Hmph! Then let's see you try, Yukimura-kun!" Oni replied as if unconcerned.
At the baseline, Yukimura took a deep breath, restoring himself to peak condition. Lightning flashed in his eyes as he tossed the ball high. With the sound of the strike, the ball shot across the net at incredible speed.
Oni shifted instantly, appearing behind the bouncing ball, and countered with a powerful drive. The rally began again, seemingly no different from before. But Yukimura had already memorized Oni's Golden Jack Knife attack pattern and was running simulations in his mind.
Soon Oni seized another chance and unleashed Golden Jack Knife without hesitation. The giant golden pillar shot toward Yukimura's court. Still calm, Yukimura rushed straight into it.
But this time, instead of gripping his racquet with both hands, he intercepted with a backhand. The audience couldn't make sense of it—until Yukimura's next move shocked them all.
A golden glow surged over his racquet, holding firm against the crushing force. Many could see it: Yukimura was using the Glowing Shot method to block Oni's Golden Jack Knife.
"Glowing Shot? Worthless! Maybe Byoudouin could manage it, but your strength isn't enough, Yukimura!" Oni called out.
Almost as if proving him right, Yukimura's racquet was blasted from his hand again. But just before it flew away, his left hand shot out like lightning and caught it tightly.
The ball still hammered against the racquet, but after that first reduction, its power was much weaker. Blue lightning burst from Yukimura's eyes, and with a powerful left-handed swing, he sent the ball flying back.
"Mirror Mirage!"
Oni stared blankly as the returned ball streaked past him, slammed onto the baseline, and bounced out of bounds.
"15-0!"
"Glowing Shot? Sorry—I never planned on using that to return your ball," Yukimura said calmly after scoring.
"First he used the Super Sweet Spot to greatly reduce the ball's force. Then, the moment his racquet was knocked loose, he switched hands, unleashing Zone's power with full force to send it back! As expected of Yukimura!" Inui Sadaharu muttered as he scribbled data into his notebook.
"To achieve that, you need perfect control of both hands' limits, explosive strength, and ball handling. Only Yukimura's Mirror Mirage can pull it off," Yanagi added gravely.
"Two-sword style, huh? Interesting idea! What do you think, Omagari?" Tanegashima asked with a grin from the high school stands.
"That's not ordinary two-sword style! Impressive—I didn't think Yukimura-kun had trained both hands to this level," Omagari Ryuji said, his interest clearly piqued.
"That technique he just used isn't something a middle schooler should be able to pull off. As expected, none of today's players are simple," Kimijima said with a laugh.
"Now it's Oni's turn to have a headache. Yukimura broke through his Golden Jack Knife, but Oni has no way to counter Yukimura's Future Steal," Irie said, his face serious, though his tone carried no real weight.
The other First String members grew quiet at his words. Only Kaji wasn't worried. He knew Oni hadn't shown everything yet.
Especially last night—the final shot. After Oni unleashed Golden Jack Knife, the fleeting shadow behind him left a deep impression on Kaji. He was certain that wasn't the usual Alternate Dimension Oni God. It was something far more terrifying. But back then, Kaji had already been half-unconscious, so he never figured out exactly what it was.
While everyone was talking, the situation on court shifted again. Ever since Yukimura used Mirror Mirage to return Oni's Golden Jack Knife, visions of losing points reappeared in Oni's mind.
He knew clearly—Yukimura was stealing the future again. But there wasn't much he could do besides desperately returning every shot. Still unwilling to give up, Oni unleashed Golden Jack Knife once more!
Unfortunately, Yukimura returned it again with Mirror Mirage, and even used its deceptive nature to play shots Oni never expected, making his position even worse.
"30-0!"
"40-0!"
"Game! 6-3! First set over! Winner, Second String Selection!"
With his Future Steal, Yukimura took the first set, while also planting a subtle mental suggestion into Oni. But because of Shura's Path, its effect couldn't fully show yet.
"To be pushed this far by a middle school brat… you really are finished, Oni," came Byoudouin's mocking voice from behind Oni as he tried to recover on the bench. At some point, Byoudouin had appeared among the players' seats.
"Hmph! You'd better focus on how you'll handle Akashi, Byoudouin. His strength is far beyond what you imagine!" Oni replied without turning, his tone unyielding.
"Two years ago I already wanted to test that brat. Perfect timing. I'll make him see the World Tournament isn't some child's game," Byoudouin sneered, then stopped paying Oni any attention, casually sitting down.
"Oni! Ten'i Muhō and Divine Path of the Asura aren't necessarily incompatible! But doubt is clouding your heart. If this continues, you won't win this match," Mifune suddenly called out.
"I know. I've tried many times, but in the end it only leaves me trapped in contradiction," Oni frowned, answering.
"Your thinking is too narrow, Oni. Ten'i Muhō or Asura's Path—both are simply the purest desires within your heart. Think carefully about why you first picked up tennis!" After saying that, Mifune gulped down a mouthful of alcohol and went quiet.
"My reason for playing? Yeah… maybe I've forgotten," Oni muttered with his head lowered. Finally, he turned his gaze toward Ryoma Kintarō in the stands.
On the other side, Akashi looked at Yukimura, still panting on the bench, and asked calmly:
"Can you still hold on? Maintaining Zone, even my improved version, still takes a heavy toll on stamina."
"Thanks for your concern, Akashi-kun. The stamina cost isn't too big a problem. What bothers me is that Oni-senpai wasn't using his full power just now, was he?" Yukimura said with a grave look.
"Oni's strength is more than this. Even leaving out this past year's growth—just in our match last year, he was already much stronger than what you just faced, especially with his Alternate Dimension. The next set won't be easy," Akashi nodded. He had a good sense of Oni's level.
Because of Akashi's intervention, Oni's power had shifted greatly from the original path. In last year's match, under Akashi's pseudo-Zone guidance, Oni not only awakened Ten'i Muhō but also touched the depths of his Alternate Dimension. His true strength now wasn't below Byoudouin.
Unfortunately, without Akashi at U-17 this year, Oni's mentality had faltered. His obsession with victory had weakened, even giving rise to thoughts of nurturing a successor—Tokugawa Kazuya.
Akashi didn't know if it was the timeline correcting itself or something else. But the butterfly effect of his presence remained. Oni was stronger than in the original. If his mindset returned, even against QP, he wouldn't lose.
"I see. Then in the next set I'll go all out. I have to win this match for the middle schoolers! Because a fight without victory means nothing!" Yukimura said firmly.
"Good. Hold on to that conviction, Yukimura. One more reminder: real strategy is when you read the flow of the future without your opponent realizing, and set your pieces accordingly," Akashi said. He didn't add anything like 'it's fine if you lose.' That wasn't what the situation demanded, nor what Yukimura needed.
The break ended quickly. When the umpire announced the start of the second set, Yukimura and Oni stepped back onto court at the same time. Both instantly activated their Alternate Dimensions, and the embodiments of their wills slowly appeared behind them.