While both sides were locked in rapid volleys, in a quiet corner of the stands, Medanoré watched Tokugawa with calm, expressionless eyes. The man he once knew was completely gone—what stood before him now was someone entirely different.
"Even your fundamental playstyle has changed, huh? But how long can this suppression last? You and I are the same kind of person, so you can't escape... Tokugawa Kazuya," Medanoré murmured in a cold, low voice.
A second later, he seemed to sense something and turned his gaze toward the Japan team's bench. There, Byoudouin was staring sharply in his direction. Medanoré didn't react—his expression remained calm as he looked away and slowly stood up, leaving the venue.
"That guy… Medanoré from Spain. Why is he here, and why is he watching Tokugawa so intently? Could it be that they've crossed paths before?" Byoudouin muttered thoughtfully under his breath.
Meanwhile, inside France's team room, Camus stared at the screen showing Duke's match, emotions swirling inside him. He hadn't expected that the "King of Destruction" who disappeared two years ago would resurface—wearing Japan's uniform.
'I guess with your personality, you're probably feeling guilty right now, huh, Duke? But tennis has no borders. You don't need to feel sorry,' Camus thought silently.
On court, Ling Xiu launched another high-speed serve. Right after the serve, he sprinted forward. The moment Duke returned the ball, Ling Xiu intercepted it midair. His eyes sharpened as he swung with all his strength, sending the ball flying toward Tokugawa.
Tokugawa immediately deployed several Black Holes before him, and just as expected, the energy orbs collided with them. But then, his pupils contracted—the ball, instead of stopping, shifted course through the gaps between the voids, guided by the four qi spheres surrounding it.
"15–15!"
"So it can be used like that?" Tokugawa muttered, glancing at the ball behind him, his tone growing serious.
After switching positions with Duke, Ling Xiu tossed up another ball. As his racket struck downward, a brilliant blue glow burst out, and the ball shot forward at blinding speed.
This time, Tokugawa didn't use Black Hole to block. He tried relying on premonition to avoid the qi aura instead—but his expression changed instantly. The pressure from the returning force was far heavier than expected. As he clenched his teeth and resisted, his left hand suddenly felt light—his racket had been pierced through, the ball blasting straight through and bouncing out of bounds.
"ACE! 30–15!"
"You bastard! You actually hit that hard with an ordinary ball—like Real Tennis power!" Peter shouted in disbelief.
"That's why I said your control over qi is miles worse than Keith's, Peter," Ling Xiu replied coldly, glancing at him with thinly veiled disdain.
"You damn traitor! What did you just say?!" Peter snapped, fury exploding in his voice.
While the two bickered, Tokugawa quietly walked to the sideline to change rackets. Coach Mifune remained silent in his chair—he had said just yesterday that the players would have to handle this group match on their own.
When Tokugawa returned to the court, his entire aura suddenly surged. A layer of violet light surrounded him, and behind him, a faint shadow flickered briefly.
"Divine Path of the Asura!"
At the same time, Ling Xiu fired another serve identical to the previous one. As the blue glow flared, the qi-enhanced ball shot toward Tokugawa's right baseline. In the next instant, Tokugawa's figure appeared right at the landing spot.
A circular ring of Black Holes surrounded him, and when the ball struck them, it began spinning violently, sparks flickering from the intense collision.
But ultimately, the ball failed to escape the pull of the void—it froze midair. Tokugawa swung with full force, sending the ball flying back as a pale yellow streak of light that tore across the court.
"I don't know what technique you're using," Ling Xiu said as he ran forward, "but I bet it only works if you predict the ball's path ahead of time, right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he reached the ball and swung in a sharp backhand. After crossing the net, the ball made four crisp impacts in quick succession, then suddenly veered in midair—its trajectory shifting as if struck by an invisible force.
"Five-Star Formation!"
Tokugawa frowned deeply. What Ling Xiu said earlier was completely true—Black Hole required precise prediction of the opponent's shot path to set up correctly. If placed randomly, it wouldn't just fail to intercept the ball—it would also drain his stamina for nothing.
Until now, Tokugawa's Premonition had always allowed him to read the ball's course in advance. But this time, it failed. The ball's trajectory had changed midair, something even his half-formed sixth sense couldn't predict. It wasn't as exaggerated as Sanada's Black Dragon Slash, but it was far beyond the reach of mere intuition.
As Tokugawa turned and sprinted toward the ball, Duke suddenly appeared before him—right in the ball's flight path. With only four energy spheres in play, the ball could no longer alter its trajectory.
Duke's right arm bulged with power as he swung his racket down hard. A massive shockwave blasted across the court. Ling Xiu tried to intercept, but it was too late. Peter barely managed to reach the ball, yet the instant his racket touched it, the impact sent it flying from his grip.
"Duke Homerun!"
"30–30!"
"Looks like I can't afford to take it easy anymore. If that's how it is… haah!" Duke let out a powerful roar, his uniform's upper half tearing apart as his muscles swelled and stretched the fabric to shreds. Bits of cloth fluttered to the ground, leaving only the sleeves intact.
Peter stared blankly at the muscle-bound Duke before him, momentarily frozen in shock. He had never seen anything like it—in England's tennis world, players with that kind of raw power were practically unheard of.
Ling Xiu's expression darkened. The situation was turning worse by the minute, and he finally understood why Peter's energy attacks had no effect on Duke earlier. With muscles like that, brute strength alone could nullify the Twin Stars technique.
"You'd better use Black Hole less often. Even if it's brief, it'll still harm your career in the long run. Leave the rest of this match to me," Duke said gently as he walked over to Tokugawa.
Tokugawa blinked in surprise, then shook his head firmly. He knew Duke was trying to protect him, but there was no way he'd let a senior carry him to victory.
'So you're refusing, huh? I really tried to talk you out of it, Captain,' Duke thought with a quiet sigh.
Ling Xiu quickly steadied his breathing, determination flashing in his eyes. Tossing up the ball, he swung down hard. The dull thud of the impact echoed across the court as the ball shot forward like a cannon shell toward Duke and Tokugawa's side.
Duke rushed to the landing point, his eyes flashing with focus. The instant the ball touched his racket, he shattered the surrounding energy spheres with sheer force and sent the ball rocketing back.
Peter stepped forward, his gaze wild with intensity. He gathered a massive surge of qi into his left hand, merging it completely into his racket before swinging down with full power. The ball glowed faintly blue as it shot toward Duke.
Duke tensed his body, muscles swelling as he prepared to counter with another Homerun, but Tokugawa suddenly appeared in front of him. A massive cluster of Black Holes materialized instantly. Peter's three energy spheres struck the voids and dissolved, and the ball itself froze midair.
Golden light surged in Tokugawa's right hand. With a sharp swing of his left, he launched the ball forward in a blinding flash toward Ling Xiu and Peter. Seeing this, Ling Xiu grabbed the dazed Peter and shoved him aside, stepping up to meet the incoming shot with both hands gripping his racket.
The ball spun violently against his racket face, releasing bursts of energy with every rotation. Ling Xiu poured his qi into the racket, holding firm even as he was pushed backward. His shoes screeched against the court, carving two long grooves into the ground.
At last, he managed to return the ball—but it didn't clear the net. Even Tokugawa was taken aback. His Glowing Shot might not be on par with Byoudouin or Akashi, but it was still a world-class-level technique. For someone to block it—even partially—was beyond expectation.
"30–40!"
"Hey, why the hell did you push me just now?!" Peter demanded, his expression a mix of confusion and frustration.
"I told you before, didn't I? This match may be a temporary partnership, but even so, I won't ignore my partner," Ling Xiu replied quietly, clutching his trembling right arm.