Under the Seishun Bridge, there was a well-maintained tennis court tucked away—so hidden that it was always empty whenever Yoru came.
Feels familiar… like something from the original series, he mused, though he couldn't quite place it.
Since it was close to their hotel, Yoru and Ralph headed straight there.
Just then, Ryoma eagerly dashed onto the court. "I'll be the referee!"
"No. Stay on the sidelines and watch."
Yoru shut him down instantly, then turned to QP. "You do it."
"Understood."
QP nodded and climbed into the umpire's chair.
"Sorry, kiddo. You're stuck with us."
Hopkins grinned as Ryoma pouted.
Dodo Banjo, curious, nudged Ryoma. "Hey, is your brother really that strong?"
"Super strong! Even Dad says he's an unprecedented genius!"
Chico Hanten's eyes sparkled with interest. "Wow, for Nanjirou-sama to say that…"
Since Ryoma often visited the U.S. U17 camp on weekends (thanks to Ralph), the team had grown fond of the brash little prodigy.
From Ryoma's stories, his entire drive to improve came from chasing his brother's shadow.
Even Ralph had admitted—he'd never taken a single point off Yoru in an official match.
(The one time he did during practice, Yoru—being the perfectionist he is—immediately erased it.)
Given how monstrous their captain was, the fact that Yoru could shut him out completely?
Yeah, they were beyond curious.
Meanwhile, Ralph kept glancing at QP, a nagging sense of familiarity itching at him.
---
Ten minutes later…
"Warmed up. Toss me the ball—I'll serve first!"
Ralph, now loosened up, snatched the serve without hesitation.
Yoru rolled his eyes and walked to the baseline, his jacket fluttering dramatically in the wind.
"Damn, that's cool."
Dodo's eyes gleamed. "I'm gonna wear my jacket like that too."
Ryoma and Hopkins shot him a "Yeah, good luck with that" look.
Chico snorted. "Only works if you're handsome. Otherwise, you'll look like barbecue sauce on burnt meat."
"Chico, that hurt!"
"Sorry."
"…That was too fast!"
---
As the ball bounced, silence fell.
Ralph's expression sharpened.
His growth spurt had boosted his physical stats significantly—but against Yoru?
He never held back.
The more serious he was, the harder Yoru pushed him, exposing weaknesses to refine.
BANG—!
Bullet Serve!
A cannon-like delivery—blazing speed, crushing weight.
In the original series, this was a "jobber special," but in reality, even pros used it to rush opponents.
QP's eyes flickered.
"…Best I've seen in our age group. But against Yoru?"
BANG—!
Before the ball could fully rise, Yoru's racket blurred, smashing it back instantly.
BANG—! BANG—!
The return skidded off the court before Ralph could recover his stance.
Bullet Serves had one flaw—predictable trajectory and long recovery time.
Ryoma gasped. "First blood!?"
"Not yet."
Alan smirked.
Sure enough, Ralph used his momentum to pivot into a full-speed dash, intercepting the ball just before it hit the fence—
BANG—! BANG—! BANG—!
The rally exploded into a high-speed exchange.
Yoru volleyed before the bounce every time, while Ralph scrambled just to keep up.
Dodo, Chico, and Hopkins watched, stunned.
They'd never seen Ralph so thoroughly outmatched from the first point.
"…As expected. You're even stronger now."
Ralph wasn't surprised.
Yoru always adjusted to his level—as if he could see through his entire arsenal.
Twenty exchanges in, Yoru suddenly spoke.
"Warmed up? Time to raise the stakes."
Dodo choked. "He was holding back!?"
"Bring it!" Ralph shouted, returning another drive.
"I've been working on some… little tricks."
Yoru didn't move as the ball flew toward him.
"Zone?" Ralph braced himself.
But he was wrong.
The ball veered sideways mid-air, landing out of bounds.
Silence.
The trio on the sidelines froze. Ralph just stared.
Only Ryoma cheered. "It's here! Reverse Zone—Big Bro's new move!"
"Reverse… Zone?"
Ralph exhaled sharply. "So instead of pulling the ball in, you force it out?"
"Bingo~"
Yoru grinned, resting his racket on his shoulder. "Simple, right? Just Zone in reverse."
"Simple my ass!"
Ralph nearly tore his hair out.
This wasn't "simple"—it required insane spin control and precision, effectively a brand-new technique.
Then it hit him.
"Wait. You said 'some' little tricks?"
Yoru's smile widened.
"'Some'?"
---