Looking at the unconscious Ryōma, Akashi thought to himself, 'Good thing Kintarō didn't use his full strength. If he had, with the way Ryōma charged in like that, he'd probably be lying in the hospital for a while.'
Momoshiro carried Ryōma off the court, while Kintarō walked over to Akashi a little sheepishly and said, "I kinda went overboard… Is Koshimae gonna be okay?"
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. He just collapsed from exhaustion. Luckily you remembered the sixty percent power cap we set before the match," Akashi said, amused.
"That's a relief! Next time, I wanna settle things with Koshimae for real! We're gonna play a full match!" Kintarō's face lit up again with excitement.
Akashi had thought about whether to intervene in Ryōma's growth. But then he remembered that Echizen Nanjirō probably had his own reasons, so Akashi decided to wait and see. No need to meddle unnecessarily.
At that moment, Fuji stepped out from Seigaku's group and approached Fudomine's bench. After greeting everyone, he looked at Tezuka and said, "It's a shame we didn't get a rematch this time."
"There'll be another chance, Fuji," Tezuka replied calmly.
Fuji nodded, then turned to Kintarō with a smile. "You're Tōyama, right? Hello, I'm Fuji Shūsuke, Seigaku's captain. Thanks for going easy on Echizen just now."
"That match was super fun! But who's Echizen?" Kintarō asked with a puzzled face.
"Uh… never mind. Anyway, thanks, kid~" Fuji wasn't sure how to communicate with him anymore.
"No need to thank me. Just buy me takoyaki!" Kintarō's eyes lit up at the thought, practically turning into little takoyaki balls.
"Alright, Kintarō, I'll buy you takoyaki later," Akashi said, a bit exasperated.
"Yay! Takoyaki! Takoyaki! Takoyaki!" Kintarō cheered, bouncing excitedly before running off to gather his stuff, clearly too eager to wait.
"Sorry about that, Fuji. Kintarō's a bit… straightforward," Chitose said with an apologetic smile.
"It's fine. I actually like his personality. By the way, how's Yūta doing?" Fuji didn't mind Kintarō's behavior. He seemed to be just like Kabaji from Hyōtei—a pure-hearted kid, only more outgoing.
"He's doing great. His strength's improving quickly too. Right now, he's a main second-string player at Fudomine," Akashi answered with a smile. He had already noticed earlier that Yūta had quietly left when Fuji walked over—who knows where he went.
"That's good. Let's have a rematch during the Nationals then," Fuji said after hearing about Yūta's situation, then returned to Seigaku's team.
Watching Fuji's back as he left, Akashi felt it was time to talk to Yūta. Staying hung up on his brother like this wouldn't do him any good. If their relationship really broke down, that would be a shame.
During the awards ceremony, neither Kintarō nor Akutsu participated—they had already left to buy takoyaki. In Kintarō's eyes, takoyaki was way more important than any awards.
After the regional tournament ended, everyone went back to daily training. Kintarō, however, gained a bit of fame thanks to Inoue Mamoru's report about Echizen Ryōma. Now lots of people knew that Ryōma was the son of Echizen Nanjirō, and that Kintarō had completely defeated him at regionals.
When Ryōma regained consciousness and found out the result, he stayed quiet for a while, then threw himself even harder into training. Nanjirō learned about the match through Ryūzaki Sumire but didn't think much of it. In his opinion, this might actually be a good thing for Ryōma.
Seeing how hard Ryōma was working, the rest of Seigaku also got fired up. That's when Inui Sadaharu brought out his purple vinegar again. As they looked at that foaming purple liquid, everyone's skin crawled.
Still, a few unlucky souls had to experience the unparalleled flavor of that purple vinegar—and collapsed on the spot. Ryōma was one of them. As he fell, one thought flashed through his mind: 'Japan is terrifying.'
Ever since tasting green vinegar during the first-year training camp, Fuji had never let Inui catch him again. No way he wanted to go through that horror again—and this purple stuff looked even worse.
Kirihara Akaya had a similar experience. During a training match with Sanada, he lost control and went into red-eye mode. After the match, Yanagi Renji made him drink a big cup of punishment tea. Now the seaweed kid couldn't even feel his tongue anymore.
One day, at Seigaku's tennis club, Fuji was leading training when he suddenly noticed Ryōma wasn't around. After asking the trio, he found out Ryōma had taken leave for something. Fuji didn't think much of it and resumed the usual practice.
In front of Fudomine's tennis club building, Ryōma stood silently, staring at the massive facility and its state-of-the-art equipment. Compared to Seigaku's outdated conditions, he couldn't help but wonder—why had his dad insisted on putting him in Seigaku instead of Fudomine?
But Ryōma only thought about it casually. He didn't really care about the environment. He walked right into Fudomine's club and immediately saw several courts. In the distance, even more courts could be seen. Everyone in Fudomine was training with full enthusiasm.
By now, most Fudomine members knew they'd never make the main team, but they still played tennis for fun and fitness. Besides, with facilities this nice, they were happy just to be there. Their passion hadn't faded at all.
As soon as Ryōma stepped into the tennis club, Akashi noticed him from the meeting room. He didn't think much of it but was curious why Ryōma suddenly showed up—was he here to see Kintarō?
Gradually, the surrounding Fudomine members began to notice Ryōma's presence. After all, his Seigaku regular uniform stood out too much. But they figured it was up to the regulars to handle it—they just needed to focus on their training.
Ryōma wandered through Fudomine's tennis club until a blond, blue-eyed foreigner blocked his path. Ryōma looked up and recognized him as one of Fudomine's regulars who had appeared in the regional tournament.
"Echizen Ryōma! This is Fudomine's tennis club. What are you doing here?" Krauser asked coldly.
"I know this is Fudomine. I heard you're the strongest middle school tennis team, so I came today to challenge your leader. His name's Akashi Seijurō, right?" Ryōma stated bluntly.
Krauser's gaze turned even colder. He really didn't understand what this first-year was thinking. If it weren't for the fact that Ryōma was Echizen Nanjirō's son, he would've blasted him off the court already.
"You think you're qualified to challenge Akashi with your current strength?" Krauser said, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Senpai, it's not up to you to decide whether I'm qualified or not, right? Besides, I came to challenge Akashi-senpai. Are you stopping me because you're afraid I'll beat him and embarrass you?" Ryōma shot back without backing down.
Just as Krauser was about to act, a tennis ball glowing with dazzling golden light came crashing straight toward Ryōma. In that instant, Ryōma's eyes were filled with an enormous golden ball, and his mind blanked out.
He suddenly felt a sharp pain on the left side of his face, followed by a thunderous blast behind him. A shockwave surged from behind, making him stumble and knocking his cap off.
Ignoring the pain, Ryōma stiffly turned his neck. Behind him, a huge crater had appeared in the wall, and a deformed tennis ball was embedded dead center in the middle of it.
As Ryōma stood there in disbelief, a voice filled with killing intent reached his ears.
"If you're looking to die, I can help. I won't miss next time," Akutsu said coldly.
Ryōma turned to look again. Akutsu stood there, holding a racket, his face twisted with menace and a beast-like aura radiating from him.
"Koshimae! What are you doing here? Your face is bleeding—are you hurt?" Kintarō had come running after hearing the noise and was surprised to see Ryōma.
"Kintarō, this doesn't concern you. Go back to training," Akutsu said, his tone softening slightly when he saw Kintarō. His expression calmed a bit too.
"You were frozen just by the Glowing Shot. And you still think you can challenge Akashi? I'll let it go this time for Fuji's sake. Now please leave," Krauser said coldly again.
"Alright, Liliadent, Akutsu. He's a guest. Patch up Ryōma's face first," Akashi came out at that moment, signaling a trainer nearby to take Ryōma to the infirmary.
As Ryōma was led away, his mind was still spinning. The Glowing Shot had rattled him completely. He never imagined tennis could actually be deadly.
He had thought the shot Kintarō hit last time was already outrageous. But now it was clear—every Fudomine player was a monster. How were they hitting balls like artillery shells?
Once Ryōma's wound was treated, Kintarō cheerfully led the bandaged Ryōma into the reception room—meant for journalists and media. The main meeting room had too many documents to allow outsiders inside.
Inside the room, all of Fudomine's regulars were present, including Kintarō. That Glowing Shot from Akutsu had made such a racket, there was no way the others hadn't heard it.
"Sit down. No need to be stiff. Akutsu got a bit carried away earlier, but I'm glad you're alright," Akashi said with a smile.
"Tch," Akutsu huffed from the side, clearly still having no goodwill toward Ryōma.
"Thanks, Akashi-senpai. Sorry to bother you," Ryōma replied cautiously. No way he dared act cocky now, even if Akashi seemed easygoing.
"Alright. Liliadent already told me the gist of things. I'm just curious—why did you come to challenge me? Shouldn't you be going after Kintarō instead?" Akashi asked with interest.
"I heard from Kikumaru-senpai that you're the strongest middle school player right now. So I came to get a taste of just how powerful tennis in Japan really is," Ryōma answered seriously.
Akashi finally understood. His involvement must've raised the overall level of middle school tennis far beyond what the original timeline intended. Ryōma couldn't keep up, which is probably why he had this idea.
In the original story, Ryōma had things way too easy. He never lost an official match. Even in Seigaku's internal matches, he usually won—except against Tezuka. That made Ryōma think Japan's tennis scene was no big deal.
But now, Ryōma had been losing ever since he got here. Except for that loser Sasabe, he hadn't beaten anyone. Naturally, he was curious about how strong Japanese tennis really was. And hearing that Akashi was the top player, of course he'd want to find out for himself.
"I see. But with your current ability, it's still too early for you to challenge me. I think you should go back and face your captain, Fuji. He's also one of the top players in the middle school scene," Akashi said, rejecting Ryōma's challenge after figuring things out.
"I know Captain is strong, but I still want to see for myself—how strong is the best player in the Japanese middle school tennis world?" Ryōma insisted.
"Oh? Forget the challenge for a moment. Does your father or older brother know you came to find me?" Akashi asked with interest.
"This was my own decision. Also, I don't have a brother," Ryōma replied, stunned for a second by the question but still answering honestly.
Akashi remembered then—Ryōma hadn't recalled that he had a brother yet. He vaguely recalled a movie where Ryōma finally remembered Ryōga's existence.
"I see. So you're really sure about challenging me? Even if it could destroy your tennis?" Akashi suddenly dropped his smile and stared at Ryōma seriously.
Ryōma paused to think after hearing that, but in the end, he nodded firmly. He didn't back down from Akashi's warning.
Just as Akashi was about to accept, Tezuka, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up.
"Echizen Ryōma! If you want to challenge Akashi, then play a match with me first."
Akashi glanced at Tezuka with a puzzled look. Then something seemed to click—he narrowed his eyes. 'Is this the Will of the World interfering again?'
Ryōma was also caught off guard. He hadn't expected this stern senpai to speak up. Still, he didn't look like he planned to agree right away. Instead, he turned toward Akashi.
Akashi thought for a moment and decided to test whether the Will of the World was really trying to push the world back to its original trajectory.
"Since Ryōma came here to challenge me, I have no reason to refuse. Tezuka," Akashi said calmly.
Tezuka hesitated, then simply nodded without another word. In truth, Akashi was overthinking it—Tezuka simply didn't want to see Ryōma's tennis get crushed.
Akashi then led Ryōma and the other regulars to Court No. 1. News spread that the captain was going to play against a regular from another school, so many Fudomine members started gathering.
On the way there, Kintarō kept trying to talk Ryōma out of it. He'd faced Akashi many times and never came out well. One time, he'd almost spiraled into depression—if not for Akashi holding back just in time.
But Ryōma was stubborn. Once he set his mind on something, not even ten bulls could drag him away—let alone one Kintarō. Seeing Ryōma so determined, Kintarō had no choice but to wish him luck.
Ryōma's courage was undeniable. Even after witnessing the Glowing Shot earlier, he still insisted on challenging the number one middle school player.
Once Ryōma finished warming up, the match was about to begin. Kintarō wanted to volunteer as the umpire, but Krauser stopped him. After Ryōma entered the court, Akashi finally walked on, draped in his jacket.
"Akashi-senpai, aren't you going to warm up?" Ryōma asked politely.
"Warm up? No need," Akashi replied flatly, his eyes cold and fixed on Ryōma.
A huge sense of danger surged within Ryōma. The warm, gentle smile Akashi always wore had vanished—replaced with nothing but icy contempt.
"I'll let you serve first. But this match… you have no chance of winning," Akashi said indifferently, standing casually and waiting for the serve.
Ryōma forced himself to suppress the pressure. He served a kick serve, the ball spinning sharply after bouncing and heading for Akashi's face.
From Ryōma's side, all he saw was Akashi's arm twitch slightly. Then he heard two almost simultaneous sounds—one of the ball being hit, and the other of it landing.
"0–15!"
Ryōma was stunned. He turned to look at the ball still rolling on the court and swallowed hard. Now he understood a little of Akashi's terrifying strength.
"0–30!"
"0–40!"
"Game! Akashi Seijurō! 1–0!"
In the blink of an eye, Ryōma lost his service game—each point falling in a way he couldn't even comprehend. Every time he served, he immediately lost the point.
Then came Akashi's service game. Ryōma couldn't even see the ball. Even with his excellent dynamic vision, it was useless. A creeping sense of helplessness started to consume him.
"Game! Akashi Seijurō! 2–0!"
"Game! Akashi Seijurō! 3–0! Switch sides!"
"Game! Akashi Seijurō! 4–0!"
"Game! Akashi Seijurō! 5–0!"
The rest of the match flew by. Aside from his serves, Ryōma couldn't touch the ball. Akashi didn't use any special techniques—not even his Emperor Eye. He simply collected Ryōma's data as he played.
In the final game, Akashi didn't hold back. He delivered four lightning-fast serves—each clocking over 230 kilometers per hour. Ryōma had no time to react.
"Game! 6–0! Match over! Winner: Akashi Seijurō!"
When the umpire declared the match finished, Akashi walked up to the net and stared at Ryōma, who stood frozen in place.
"With that kind of strength, you dared to challenge me? Echizen Ryōma… you're way too arrogant!"