Sakaki Tarou's decision to change the lineup before the match hadn't been made on a whim. He had learned a great deal from Banda Kenya during the match against Yamabuki.
As a veteran coach in Japan, Banda Kenya had seen too many exceptionally talented players.
Yet sometimes, the teams those players were on were defeated by Yamabuki's merely average players.
That was because Banda, as their coach, played a huge role.
The same was true of the semifinal match against Hyotei.
According to Sakaki's original plan, Hyotei might lose one game at most—that should have been the only variable. But he hadn't expected the match to go all the way to the deciding game, and they had nearly lost.
If Atobe's strength hadn't improved so dramatically after his match against Muneyoshi, the final outcome would have been hard to predict.
That was exactly why Sakaki had decisively changed the lineup for today's match.
A coach's role was to always know how their players' abilities were changing and what kind of chemistry their different pairings could produce.
The players had finished their pre-match formalities and warmed up a little. The referee began announcing that the match was about to start.
"Next is the Metropolitan Tournament final, the second doubles match. Hyotei Academy's Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo will face Seigaku's Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro."
"It's not Yamazaki Fumio and Mukahi Gakuto playing, but Anahira Ryo instead. Are they trying to catch us off guard?"
Seeing Hyotei suddenly change its usual second-doubles pairing, Inui Sadaharu's expression changed dramatically, his face filling with concern.
Inui had thoroughly researched Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo.
Although they were both first-years, their individual abilities were surpassed among Hyotei's regulars only by Atobe Keigo, Ochi Gekko, acting captain Yano Masatoshi, and Oshitari Yushi.
The two had never played doubles together before, but based on the data, Inui could easily see that their styles were very similar to Kikumaru and Oishi's.
Seeing the two of them take the court, Inui couldn't help suspecting that Hyotei had come up with this tactic specifically to deal with Kikumaru and Oishi. He couldn't help feeling worried about the upcoming second-doubles match.
"Akan, unexpected things always happen in a match. All we can do is believe in Kikumaru and Oishi."
Seeing Inui's expression change, Tezuka's face remained as calm as ever. Fuji, on the other hand, smiled and offered some reassurance.
"Tezuka, Fuji, Akan, and Yamato-senpai, don't worry. This is probably their first time playing together. Oishi and I are confident we can win this match, right, Oishi?"
Kikumaru didn't seem to think there was anything wrong. He simply patted Oishi on the shoulder and smiled.
Kikumaru's optimism lifted everyone's spirits, sweeping away the tension that had filled the air.
"Eiji's right. We won't lose."
Oishi Shuichiro's gaze was calm, and his tone encouraging.
On the other side, in Hyotei's players' area, Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo stood in front of Sakaki Tarou.
"Seigaku's doubles pair works extremely well together and has great chemistry. As a newly formed doubles team, you certainly can't match them in that regard."
"But they also have a very obvious weakness. I've already told you about it. Your individual abilities aren't inferior to theirs—in fact, they're even better. So exploit that weakness and defeat them with your individual strength."
Sakaki had changed the lineup because he feared Seigaku might use the same strategy as Yamabuki and sacrifice their strongest second-doubles pair to take Hyotei's out of the match.
That tactic had already been demonstrated in both of Yamabuki's doubles matches.
So he had changed the lineup at the last minute. Seigaku's doubles team was still quite inexperienced, and the change might prove surprisingly effective.
"Yes, Coach!"
Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo bowed to Sakaki Tarou, then took their rackets and walked onto the court.
A moment later, both teams came to the net to decide who would serve first.
"Heads or tails?"
"Tails."
"Looks like we're in luck today."
Kikumaru Eiji, who had won the first serve, looked across at Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo and smiled happily.
Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo didn't say anything. They went straight to the baseline and quietly waited for Kikumaru Eiji to serve.
Once everything was ready, a thunderous wave of applause erupted throughout the stadium.
Seigaku's first-years against Hyotei's first-years—just thinking about it was exciting!
Seeing both teams ready, the referee's voice rang out again.
"The second-doubles match is underway, one set. Seigaku's Kikumaru Eiji and Oishi Shuichiro will serve first."
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Kikumaru Eiji was already bouncing the ball lightly. He glanced at Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo, who stood at the baseline opposite him, and grumbled, "Oishi, their cheering is so annoying!"
The noisy crowd made Kikumaru purse his lips. Once the match began, the cheers from Hyotei's cheer squad grew louder and louder, and he couldn't help feeling pressured.
"Don't pay them any attention. Serve, Eiji!"
Kikumaru bounced the ball a few times, found his rhythm, then tossed it into the air.
"Here it comes!"
Thwack!
The ball shot straight toward the other side.
Tap, tap, tap!
Kikumaru's serve had never been very fast. Anahira Ryo rushed toward the ball's landing point at the baseline and caught up with it easily.
The instant the ball bounced, he was already in position to hit it.
Thwack!
As soon as the ball bounced, he sent it back with ease.
Half Volley!
It was one of Anahira Ryo's signature techniques, though his Half Volley wasn't as powerful yet as it would be later.
By then, Kikumaru had returned to the net. He moved quickly and caught up to the ball, hitting it back from midair before it could even land.
"Too slow!"
Mukahi Gakuto shouted as he sprinted over and smacked the ball back with a thwack.
Kikumaru's frantic jumping and running at the net let him intercept the ball in midair, but it also threw off his balance, which was bound to affect his response to the next shot.
But then something astonishing happened.
Though he was clearly off balance, Kikumaru Eiji managed to catch up with the ball by throwing himself into a sideways flip.
"Take this—Kikumaru Beam!"
Kikumaru drove the ball straight down onto the sideline!
"Game, Seigaku, 15–0."
"All right!"
Seeing Kikumaru's childlike excitement, Anahira Ryo said in surprise, "He's not quite the same as he seemed in the videos. His athleticism is right up there with yours, Gakuto."
"Hmph! I'm not going to lose to someone like him!" Mukahi Gakuto scoffed dismissively.
But when Anahira Ryo wasn't looking, Mukahi Gakuto's eyes burned with intensity.
Looking at the other first-year in front of him, his desire to win grew even stronger.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The match continued with tense rallies and points won by both sides.
Anahira Ryo moved quickly, catching up with the ball again in the blink of an eye.
As the ball bounced, he glanced at the court ahead. Following Coach Sakaki Tarou's pre-match plan, he swung his racket with all his might without hesitation.
He was targeting Kikumaru Eiji!
Thwack!
The ball flew toward the far corner.
"Hyah!"
Kikumaru was drenched in sweat, but he quickly took off and somehow reached the ball first, sending it back with a thwack.
At the net on the other side, Mukahi Gakuto leapt into the air and swung his racket in a Hawk Flip.
Tap, tap, tap!
Kikumaru's dazzling acrobatic tennis burst into action once more!
With his incredible reflexes and flexibility, he did several flips to catch up with the ball, then flicked his racket and scooped it up.
Thwack!
Mukahi leapt into the air again as soon as he landed, floating like a falling leaf.
Thwack!
Right there at the net, the two engaged in a fierce back-and-forth showdown of acrobatic tennis.
The spectators held their breath, watching this extraordinary, thrilling match with rapt attention.
But Kikumaru's stamina had never been great, and using acrobatic tennis again and again brought that weakness to the surface. He panted heavily, and even moving became difficult.
Thwack!
This time, Kikumaru couldn't reach the ball.
"Game, set, and match. This game goes to Hyotei's Mukahi Gakuto and Anahira Ryo, 6–3."
Sakaki Tarou's sudden change of lineup had broken through Seigaku's doubles team, costing them the first set.
Thanks to Sakura Hunter, reader 20230530214237714, reader 20220111123705701, Daoist Qingxu, reader 1644569443162730496, and all the generous readers for the monthly tickets and tips. This is the extra update I owed you from before. I may have to work overtime today, so the next extra updates might come over the weekend.
Before you continue