Thwack!
With their scoring options drying up, Oshitari and Mukahi were clearly starting to tire. At one point, facing a smash from Renji Yanagi at the net, Oshitari skillfully countered with his Bear Drop, and the score just kept climbing!
"Game, Yanagi-Akiyama pair, 1-2!"
"Game, Oshitari-Mukahi pair, 3-1!"
"Game, Yanagi-Akiyama pair, 2-3!"
"Change sides!"
For the next few games, Yanagi focused his attacks on Oshitari, constantly feeding him aggressive shots, while Akiyama waited at the baseline for his moment to strike. Every one of Yanagi's shots was perfectly weighted, angled, and timed, providing Akiyama with the ideal hitting spot to launch an attack. This is Yanagi Renji's unique approach to doubles; he can analyze his partner's data so thoroughly that he can bring out a performance far beyond their usual capabilities in a match.
On the other side, Oshitari, despite being targeted repeatedly, only had a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. He's a baseline defensive player by nature, so even the most ferocious attacks couldn't break through his defense. This kept Mukahi from being targeted too much, so Mukahi's stamina wasn't too depleted.
"Their attacks are a bit too eager. Oshitari, you need to constantly observe the match's flow and find the key to break through. Mukahi, your speed needs to complement Oshitari's. Remember, sometimes the front player also needs to make sacrifices and actively take on defensive duties."
After observing five games, Kamitaro quickly pointed out the deficiencies in their doubles play. He could also sense the unique dynamic of the Rikkai doubles pair; it seemed like two people playing doubles, but in reality, it was one person dominating and the other assisting. This peculiar doubles style looked strange, but its actual performance far exceeded Kamitaro's expectations. No wonder Rikkai managed to defeat Hyotei in their last practice match.
"It's about to start," Kamikawa said.
"Start?" Atobe's eyes widened. "You mean he's finished collecting data?"
"That's right!"
Kamikawa nodded. While Yanagi Renji controlled his partner, he also created more opportunities to collect his own data. Previously, Oshitari's low presence prevented him from getting complete data on him, but as attacks continued to target Oshitari, all of Oshitari's data began to surface in Yanagi Renji's mind.
Four whole games of rallies didn't last long. But that's the speed at which Yanagi Renji collects information.
Thwack!
Mukahi executed a Moon Surface Reversal, his figure airborne as he raised his racket and unleashed a flawless smash with no reservations.
"Akiyama-senpai, take three and a half steps forward."
As soon as Renji Yanagi spoke, Akiyama moved forward three and a half steps without hesitation.
"A 180 km/h smash, with a faint sidespin. The deviation angle of the ball is—"
Mukahi's smash became a series of data points in Yanagi Renji's eyes, and his gaze sharpened as he instantly calculated the ball's trajectory and related data.
Thump... thump-thump...
The smash landed precisely in front of Akiyama, who returned it cleanly. Yanagi Renji then followed up with a series of defensive maneuvers.
"This position, no good—there's someone there, so it can only be that spot."
As Mukahi landed, he hit a beautiful volley into an open area of the court. The ball had barely reached the opposite court when Yanagi Renji's figure appeared in front of it.
"When did he—"
Mukahi's eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw.
Thwack!
Yanagi Renji leaped lightly, raising his hand to smash the ball in front of him. The ball transformed into a streak of light, landing precisely on the baseline.
"Game, Yanagi-Akiyama pair, 3-3!"
"When Oshitari is hit with an attack, Mukahi will deviate five centimeters in Oshitari's direction, and his returns will also gain a bit more defense."
Yanagi Renji stated calmly. And indeed, Mukahi appeared within the range Yanagi Renji had predicted.
Mukahi lowered his racket, intending to hit an unexpected drop shot. However, Yanagi Renji seized the opportunity, his eyes widening as he took a stance. The ball was rapidly sliced by the angled racket, letting out a whoosh as it swerved sharply in mid-air with incredible speed, so fast that Mukahi, at the net, didn't react in time.
"Gakuto!"
It wasn't until a shout from Oshitari that Mukahi finally snapped out of it, rolling backward and skillfully dodging the slice.
Thwack!
The ball landed precisely on the left side. Oshitari desperately chased after it, reaching out his racket, but he was still ten centimeters short of the ball.
"Game, Yanagi-Akiyama pair, 4-3!"
"They've taken the lead!" Miura's heart leaped with joy.
"Their data has been thoroughly analyzed by Yanagi. This match is a sure win."
Fushimi, too, showed a rare smile. Watching the sweat drip like rain from Mukahi and Oshitari's foreheads on the court, he knew their chances of winning this match were very high.
"If you ask me, Hyotei is just too overconfident, sending out two first-years for doubles number two. Didn't they learn their lesson last time?!" Ishihara couldn't help but scoff.
"Have they been completely analyzed?"
Yukimura frowned slightly. He had a feeling things weren't as simple as he imagined. The aura of the player named Oshitari was changing strangely.
As the eighth game began, Yanagi and Akiyama once again launched their offense, forcing Mukahi and Oshitari into a defensive stance. Mukahi stared at the distant ball, then dove forward, landing awkwardly, barely managing to hit a lob. Yanagi Renji watched the lob in the air and, without hesitation, leaped up and smashed it down.
Thump!
Oshitari's figure suddenly appeared at the smash's landing spot, his arms spread wide. The ball landed precisely on his racket face, rubbing furiously against it, but he managed to return it.
"Even if that smash was returned by Oshitari, the probability of it going out is as high as 99.9%," Yanagi Renji stated. The ball, however, landed perfectly in-bounds, right on the baseline.
"15-0!"
"What?!"
Yanagi Renji sharply turned, looking at where the ball had just landed on the line. Akiyama, too, had a shocked expression, unable to believe his eyes. He had just clearly heard Yanagi Renji's absolute declaration.
"Bear Drop, his wrist strength is better than what we saw earlier."
Fuji narrowed his eyes, seemingly noticing Oshitari's earlier move. Following this, several declarations made by Yanagi Renji were easily deciphered by Oshitari. Even the drop shot, Utsusemi, was timed perfectly by Mukahi and returned with a similar drop shot.
The control of the match slowly shifted towards the Oshitari-Mukahi doubles pair.
"Renji's data can't be wrong. The only possibility is—"
Inui adjusted his glasses slightly. Even the data he had just gathered matched Yanagi Renji's predictions. The only variable was that boy named Oshitari.
"First, he used a method of concealing his presence, blending with the gentle breeze to interfere with Renji's data collection. Then, he actively endured multiple attacks, making it seem like he was giving his all but couldn't return the ball."
"In reality, he only used 70% of his power in the previous match, precisely controlling his strength. Oshitari Yuushi, no wonder he's called Hyotei's genius!"
Inui couldn't help but exclaim. From his perspective, Oshitari's talent was no less than Fuji's. Having him play doubles was a waste of his potential. If Hyotei hadn't had those three monsters, he would have surely secured a singles spot.
"It's not just that; Mukahi also hid some of his strength," Fuji said with a slight smile.
Sure enough, Mukahi on the court also displayed more varied special shots, his jumps gradually increasing in height, and he could flexibly change strategies, even playing defense at the net. He had perfected both offense and defense.
"A fox and a wolf~ Looks like the wolf is still craftier. He bit back."
Kamikawa smiled slightly. He had long anticipated Oshitari reaching that level. Those called geniuses possess a certain talent. He was very similar to Fuji back then. It's just that Fuji always had a small goal: to surpass Tezuka. But Oshitari stayed at Hyotei and never had the thought of surpassing Atobe. This was due to Atobe's unique personal charisma. Because of Atobe, Hyotei became stronger. Similarly, because of Atobe, the other players in the tennis club were destined to be overshadowed by his brilliance.
But it's different now. Now, Tezuka is the captain, and Atobe is the vice-captain. Even if Atobe still shows his astonishing charisma, everyone still has a desire to become stronger, to surpass their predecessors. There are only so many regular spots in the tennis club. Shishido is like a hungry wolf, fiercely eyeing a regular spot. He is constantly waiting for his chance to play, and if he's not careful, he'll be dragged off the court by Jiro. Under this layered pressure, the level of Hyotei's tennis club is constantly improving.
"This is bad—"
Yukimura, seeing the tide turning, looked over at Sanada, and both saw a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
"What he did wasn't concealing his presence and blending with the breeze at all. He sealed off his own inner self, not revealing a single hint of his return methods, and minimized his movements."
"Even during continuous attacks, he kept a little power in reserve. It seems his last match against Renji made him wary, leading to this astounding display."
Sanada said calmly. From this perspective, for Yanagi Renji to collect accurate data on his opponent again in a short period, he would need to waste at least four more rallies. Facing Hyotei's full-on assault, could Yanagi Renji truly hold out until the end?
On the court.
Rikkai, already at a disadvantage, was instantly suppressed by the sudden offensive from Oshitari and Mukahi. Yanagi Renji's various data points all needed to be re-collected and corrected. In the midst of this, Yanagi Renji also tried to return with Kamaitachi.
"That ball, leave it to me, Gakuto!"
Upon hearing this, Mukahi's racket, which was about to swing, stopped mid-air and quickly retracted. Then, Oshitari, standing behind Mukahi, his glasses glinting, raised his racket and, following the high-speed spin of the slice, increased the spin on the slice, returning it as a drop shot.
Whoosh!
The ball arced through the air and swiftly landed on the opposite court.
"Responding to a high-speed slice with a drop shot... this ball—"
Before Yanagi Renji could finish speaking, all he saw was a flash of white light. The ball landed, rubbing violently, stirring up a cloud of smoke on the court. The dust obscured Yanagi Renji's vision, and before he could react, the ball bounced off the ground and slammed into the wall.
The ball spun relentlessly against the wall until the applied rotational force dissipated, and it slowly dropped from the wall. "Game, Oshitari-Mukahi pair, 5-4!"
"Interesting. Facing a high-speed slice, hitting a high-quality drop shot that follows the spin? The ball won't bounce immediately, only to bounce at the moment the spin dissipates?"
Kamikawa only felt at the moment that Oshitari used a drop shot to counter the slice. The drop shot increased the amount of spin used, with the emphasis on the dust cloud to interfere with vision. It must be said that this technique would be even more effective in singles. Without seeing the ball, it would be difficult for most people to judge based on sound alone.
From the tenth game onwards, Yanagi, lacking data support, found his offensive instantly neutralized. His Kamaitachi also became Oshitari's final killing blow, completely dismantling Yanagi Renji's only remaining offensive technique. Yanagi Renji continued to collect and correct data, but Oshitari's every return landed outside his data's scope, and even Mukahi made some attacks that went beyond his predicted range.
"Your tricks, I've seen right through them now."
Oshitari's voice was calm, devoid of joy or sorrow, as he hit the final ball. The ball landed precisely at the boundary between the two players. Yanagi and Akiyama didn't react in time and could only watch as the ball dropped.
"Game, Hyotei's Oshitari-Mukahi pair wins, score 6-4!"
"Doubles number two, won by Hyotei Gakuen, total score 1-0!"
"Hyotei! Hyotei! Hyotei!"
Outside the court, a wave of cheers erupted. Hyotei's cheer squad, at that moment, completely overwhelmed Rikkai's in spirit.
"A cunning wolf is still more terrifying than a cunning fox," Kamikawa said with a slight smile.
Winning the first match, for all of Hyotei, might just be the decisive battle. Now, it's up to the other players to perform.