Inside the tennis club's indoor court, Tenra and Rias faced off against Kiyome Abe and her team of monsters.
"We're four strong on this side, Rias-san. You'll need two more teammates," Kiyome declared, her voice brimming with confidence as she adjusted her athletic shorts. Magic and combat might not be her forte against the likes of Rias and Tenra, but tennis? That was her territory.
"I'll call Akeno and Koneko over," Rias offered.
"No need for reinforcements," Tenra said, snapping his fingers. Wisps of water spun into the air, swirling together until Queen Undine materialized, regal and serene.
"Water spirit Undine…" Kiyome's eyes went wide. "Wait—this aura… That's the Queen of Undines!"
The shock was plain on her face.
"Impressive, Tenra-kun. To have the Queen of Undines as your familiar…"
Kiyome struggled to regain her composure, letting out a slow breath. Ordinary Undines were rare enough; the Queen was practically legendary—even the Abe family didn't have many familiars of that caliber.
"Since you're fielding familiars, I'll let mine join the fun too. No objections?" Tenra grinned.
"Queen Undine is your familiar, so it's fair game. But you're still one short."
Kiyome's confidence didn't waver. Tennis wasn't about brute force—her monsters had been training for this.
Tenra glanced at Rias, but her familiar was off on other business. He turned back to Queen Undine. "Undine."
"Yes, Master."
With a graceful nod, Queen Undine split several streams of water from her trailing ribbons. They coalesced into a perfect duplicate—a second Queen Undine, ready to play.
Creating a water-and-magic double was child's play for her.
"Does this work, Kiyome-san?"
Kiyome sniffed. "A bit of a cheat, but I'll allow it."
"Here are the match rules," she continued. "Four versus four, best two out of three: one doubles, two singles. Magic is off-limits, but anything else goes. Clear?"
Simple enough. Tenra and Rias nodded.
"Let's begin. First match—Christie, you're up!"
A sly smile curled on Kiyome's lips as her first player stepped forward.
Thump, thump, thump…
"ROAAAAR!!"
A snow-white gorilla with a bow tie lumbered onto the court. She looked shy at first, but as soon as she gripped her oversized racket, a wild fire lit in her eyes.
Apparently, Christie was a female Snow Woman—though Tenra's image of a snow maiden didn't involve a gorilla.
"I'll take the first round," Rias said, swinging her racket to get a feel for it before stepping onto the court.
"Oh? Rias-san's going first?" Kiyome called out, lips twitching in amusement. "Christie, show the devil princess what you can do!"
"Roar, roar, roar…" Christie responded, tossing the ball and winding up for a serve.
Despite her massive, awkward frame, her movements were surprisingly nimble. Kiyome had clearly put her monsters through serious training.
The moment her racket hit the ball, the tennis ball ballooned into an ice sphere the size of a human head, whistling toward Rias's side like a cannon shell.
BOOM!
"Ah—!"
A blast of cold mist flooded the court. If the floor hadn't been reinforced with magic beforehand, Rias's half of the court would've been rubble.
"Hey, Kiyome-san, isn't that against the rules?" Tenra called out.
"Oh, the rules forbid magic. Christie's freezing is a natural ability—not cheating," Kiyome replied, her smile all mischief.
Tenra groaned. She had him there.
"So we were set up from the start…"
Rias's eyes flashed. "If you think this is enough to beat me, Rias Gremory, you've got a long way to go!"
She tossed her own ball skyward and smashed it back. No magic, but as a pure-blooded high-class devil, Rias's raw strength rivaled any monster.
BOOM! BOOM BOOM!! BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
This was tennis in name only. Balls flew like artillery shells between Rias and Christie, neither side giving an inch as thunderous impacts rocked the court.
Finally, with a brutal smash, Rias sent the ball ricocheting off Christie's head. The snow gorilla staggered, then collapsed, out cold.
"Christie, are you alright?"
"Wuu wuu wuu…"
"Damn you, Rias! This round's yours!" Kiyome spat, grinding her teeth.
"Hehehe, thanks for the match," Rias replied, bowing with a sly smile.
First round: victory to Rias.
"Harpy, Lamia—your turn!" Kiyome called.
For the doubles match, she sent in her winged Harpy and snake-bodied Lamia, both girls brimming with determination.
"Undine, let's go," Tenra nodded.
"Yes, Master."
Queen Undine and her duplicate strode onto the court.
"We're not afraid of even the Queen of Undines."
"We'll win this for Lady Kiyome!" the Harpy and Lamia declared, eyes blazing.
This round looked less violent—Tenra was relieved. Queen Undine was exceptional in every way, and Tenra trusted her completely. One more win and victory was theirs.
But—
"Master, I lost."
Queen Undine returned, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Magic and combat? She'd crush her opponents. Tennis? She'd been crushed instead.
Raw power meant nothing without knowing the rules. She'd hit the ball into her own court half a dozen times…
"It's my fault—I should've thought this through," Tenra sighed, rubbing his forehead. Rias and Kiyome clutched their sides, tears of laughter streaming down their faces.
Queen Undine's hopeless tennis skills were just too much.
Tenra called Undine back and picked up his racket, stepping onto the court.
One win apiece. The final showdown would be his.
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