Leaving aside Ryōga's confusion for now, Ryōma and Tokugawa slowly stepped onto the court. The two came to the net and exchanged a handshake. Looking at Tokugawa's serious expression, Ryōma spoke confidently.
"I heard you lost to Akashi-senpai not long ago? In this match, let me see your real strength!"
"Echizen Ryōma, I've more or less learned a bit about your ability. You're excellent, but it's still not enough to win this match," Tokugawa replied calmly, unfazed by Ryōma's words.
Hearing that, Ryōma only smiled with confidence and said nothing more. At the umpire's signal, they began the toss. Tokugawa won the right to serve, and Ryōma turned at once to walk toward his baseline.
"Ryōma's strength has increased a lot since returning from the Cliff of the Heart. This match will be hard to predict," Inui Sadaharu pushed up his glasses as he spoke, eyes fixed on the court.
"But the probability of Echizen Ryōma winning is above 50%," Yanagi Renji added in agreement.
"For Ryōma to win, he must find a way to break through Black Hole," Fuji Shūsuke said at this moment.
"Mm~ let ore-sama see just how much this kid has grown!" Atobe Keigo leaned back, watching Ryōma with a casual air as if it didn't matter.
Tokugawa walked to the baseline, picked up a ball, and glanced at Ryōma's confident face across from him. For an instant, it was as if he saw a shadow of his own past self. He shook his head, dismissing the stray thought, then tossed the ball high.
With his left hand gripping the racket, he struck down hard at the falling ball. The tennis ball shot forward trailing rainbow-colored flames. Just as it cleared the net, it suddenly vanished—then reappeared near the center line, only to vanish again. Finally, it smashed down at Ryōma's back-right corner and bounced out of court.
"Rainbow Serve!"
"Ace! 15-0!"
"Not bad at all, senpai!" Ryōma wasn't bothered by losing the point. Instead, he sounded interested.
Tokugawa ignored him, took another ball, and without hesitation sent out another Rainbow Serve. Ryōma watched the ball flash in and out of sight. The corners of his mouth curved slightly. Suddenly, he darted left.
In the next instant, the ball appeared and struck down near the baseline corner. Just as it was about to bounce out, a red racket intercepted it. Ryōma's left hand swung sharply, sending Tokugawa's Rainbow Serve right back.
Tokugawa slid quickly into position. With his left hand, he drove a backhand return, the ball flying back even faster. Ryōma was already charging the net. Suddenly, he dropped low, his body sliding forward on momentum.
Reaching the net, Ryōma leapt high and whipped a topspin lob. The ball climbed steeply, then began to plummet at the center line.
"That's Echizen's Drive B!" Momoshiro Takeshi shouted from the stands, excitement in his voice.
"Go, chibi!" Kikumaru Eiji yelled, cheering loudly for Ryōma.
But Tokugawa saw through Drive B instantly. He retreated to the center line, and as the ball bounced high, he leapt and smashed down with force.
Ryōma wasn't surprised that Drive B was countered. If Tokugawa couldn't handle even that, then the Japan Team's strength would be a joke. As the ball hurtled toward him, Ryōma's eyes flashed. He gripped his racket with both hands and twisted his body back.
Fuji watching from the sidelines blinked, then smiled with amusement. Ryōma intercepted the descending ball, raised his racket with both hands, and used centrifugal force to add heavy underspin.
The ball arced high, soaring above Tokugawa's head, then crashed down on the baseline. To everyone's surprise, it bounced sharply out of court.
"Kirin Otoshi!"
"15-15!"
Tokugawa glanced at the ball outside the lines, said nothing, and walked calmly back to the baseline. In truth, he could have reached it, but he wanted to probe Ryōma's strength further.
"Eh? Since when did chibi learn Fuji's move?" Kikumaru exclaimed in surprise.
"For Echizen, my technique isn't that difficult. It just doesn't fit his style," Fuji explained with a gentle smile.
Sure enough, Ryōma, adjusting his strings with his right hand, muttered with mild annoyance, "Captain Fuji's move is really hard to control~."
But Tokugawa gave him no time. Tossing the ball high, he prepared another serve. This time, he didn't use Rainbow Serve—because he already knew it no longer worked on Ryōma. Ever since his match with Akashi, Tokugawa's mindset on court had unconsciously changed.
With a sharp crack, the ball shot across the court at incredible speed, heading straight toward Ryōma's right foot. It was Tokugawa's ultra–high-speed serve, placed at a tricky angle, but Ryōma easily reached the spot and sent it back quickly.
The two immediately began a rapid rally. They seemed to share a strange unspoken agreement—neither used any special techniques, just pure basic tennis. For a while, the yellow blur of the ball kept flashing back and forth between them.
"He actually wants to compete with Tokugawa in fundamentals? What an arrogant brat," Oni said calmly as he watched.
"Hmph! That guy Tokugawa only has his basics to show off. At the end of the day, he's still just trash," Byoudouin sneered in reply.
Meanwhile, the battle on court continued relentlessly. Ryōma and Tokugawa gave no ground, striking sharp angled shots at each other. Finally, after more than ten rallies, Tokugawa caught a brief opening in Ryōma's movement and scored the point.
"30-15!"
Ryōma, seeing himself lose another point, showed no anger or frustration. Instead, his face carried a spark of excitement. He believed his training at the Cliff of the Heart had improved his fundamentals a lot, yet he was still one step behind.
Tokugawa quickly served again. Ryōma returned without hesitation, and they clashed once more in a fierce exchange. But this time, Ryōma clearly turned up his offense, the ball flying faster and faster.
After seven or eight rallies, Tokugawa lifted the incoming ball with a backhand, sending it high toward Ryōma's side. But Ryōma had already rushed to the net, leapt high, and smashed it down hard.
Tokugawa retreated a few steps, his left hand reaching out to block. The ball spun violently the instant it hit his racket and suddenly ricocheted straight toward his face. Tokugawa tilted his head at the last second to dodge, but still lost the point.
"COOL Drive!"
"30-30!"
"I'm definitely winning this match. Senpai, you're still far off!" Ryōma pointed his racket at Tokugawa after scoring.
Tokugawa only gave him a calm glance and said nothing, as if unfazed by the provocation. From the sidelines, Oni and Akashi could see clearly—Tokugawa still hadn't gotten serious yet. He was only probing.
Right after, Ryōma and Tokugawa clashed again, the rallies kicking up clouds of dust around the court, proof of their fierce exchange. Ryōma had also grown smarter. He no longer stuck only to basics, but mixed in little tricks and variations one after another.
"30-40!"
"Game! Second String Selection! 1-0!"
Ryōma successfully broke serve and took the first game. But Tokugawa remained calm, as though he hadn't lost at all, which made Ryōma drop the thought of taunting him.
"Your personality's changed a lot, chibi! I wonder where that cute little brother from before went~" In the stands, Ryōga muttered to himself while eating an orange.
Byoudouin noticed Ryōga's reaction and suddenly thought of the name of the kid on court. Connecting it with Ryōga's name, his lips curled into a sly grin.
'Brothers, huh? Interesting. That explains that kid's strength pretty well. But it doesn't change the fact you're a dangerous one, Echizen Ryōga,' Byoudouin thought to himself.
The second game was Ryōma's serve. Since his opponent was also left-handed, Ryōma didn't bother with his right hand. Instead, he served with his left, hitting an out-spin serve. But Tokugawa returned it easily.
Ryōma rushed forward, intercepting the return halfway and sending it back. Just when Ryōma thought it would develop into another long rally, Tokugawa's aura suddenly spiked. In the next instant, a yellow afterimage streaked past Ryōma's eyes. Then the umpire's voice rang out.
"0-15!"
"I've already figured out your strength. Warm-up's over, don't you think? Echizen Ryōma," Tokugawa finally spoke after scoring the point.
"Oh? So senpai's finally getting serious?" Ryōma answered with a grin.
"Stop hiding your strength. Come at me with everything you've got, Echizen!" Tokugawa didn't answer directly, only demanding Ryōma's full power.
"Everything, huh? Well, that depends on whether senpai has what it takes to handle it!" Ryōma smiled confidently. Then, with a sudden surge, a seven-colored radiance erupted around him, enveloping his entire body.