Clear Division of Labor

"Come on, big brother Saeki! Go, Tokugawa-senpai!"

On the sidelines, Aoi Kintaro had watched the doubles pair give it their all in the previous game, only for Germany to take the first point. He couldn't help feeling upset.

He loudly cheered them on, as if trying to vent the worry and frustration weighing on his heart.

Meanwhile, among the high schoolers beside the middle schoolers,

Byōdōin narrowed his eyes and watched the two players on the court intently.

He carefully recalled Polk's shot from earlier, as well as the one he'd used to attack Tokugawa at the start.

He understood what Saeki Muneyoshi had meant when he spoke to him before going on court: he wanted Byōdōin to find a way to deal with Polk.

But after Muneyoshi's attempt just now and Tokugawa's two attempts, all they had to show for it was Tokugawa's racket, twisted and mangled.

Muneyoshi's racket had also been knocked right out of his hand.

Byōdōin had replayed the scene in his mind several times,

but he still couldn't spot anything unusual in Polk's technique.

His Vortex Baptism looked no different from an ordinary return. It was nothing more than a simple drive.

Yet that simple drive had been too much for Tokugawa's Black Hole to stop, even after he'd unleashed his Different Dimension technique.

It had also kept Saeki Muneyoshi, with his formidable five dimensions, from holding on to his racket.

As for the other flashy techniques Muneyoshi had just tried, they had been utterly powerless against Vortex Baptism.

"Looks like the training method you came up with was right, Boss."

After seeing Polk's strength, Duke's expression had grown grave. He knew Byōdōin well, though, and still approved of the training he'd undertaken.

During the months the two of them had spent wandering the world