Moon Return!

"Hyotei scores! The score is 40–0!"

With an Outer Spin Serve followed by a Swallow's Return, Oshitari took another point!

"We'll take this game first!" After saying that, Oshitari served another Outer Spin Serve.

The ball flew toward Oishi with a fierce spin, but Oishi didn't seem focused.

"Oishi, what are you doing?" Kikumaru's shout snapped Oishi out of his daze!

But the ball was already spinning on the ground in front of him and was about to bounce. In his haste, Oishi could only manage a weak return, sending the ball high into the air toward Mukahi Gakuto!

It was a lob.

"Gakuto, what a chance!"

"Got it!"

Mukahi Gakuto quickly moved up to the net, then pushed off hard with both legs, launching himself into the air as if he were flying.

He spun downward, then swung his racket hard at the ball.

Moon Return!

Mukahi Gakuto's signature move!

Bang!

Gakuto sent the ball back with an extremely exaggerated motion.

Gakuto's Moon Return is getting faster and faster! How will Seigaku handle it? Oshitari thought as he watched Gakuto in front of him.

"Gakuto may be prone to underestimating his opponents, but he's still very strong. And with the stamina training he's done lately, he can perform the Moon Return without holding back. Seigaku's doubles pair is still too green. There's no suspense left in this game." Atobe watched the match and delivered his verdict.

Gakuto's return had stunned the spectators.

"Moon Return? That move just now was called Moon Return? He jumped so high!"

"How did he do that?"

"I've never seen a return like that before!"

At that moment,

the ball shot toward the gap between Kikumaru and Oishi. Kikumaru gave it everything he had to reach it!

But the ball was too fast, and it was too far from the net. All he could do was watch as it bounced off the ground and flew out of the court!

"Hyotei scores! The score is 1–0!"

The referee announced the score. Hyotei took the first game by winning four points in a row!

Seigaku hadn't scored a single point!

As soon as the referee finished speaking, the crowd erupted.

"As expected of Hyotei! They didn't give up even a single point!"

"Hyotei's doubles team is so strong!"

"So this is Hyotei? They're terrifying!"

"From what I can tell, this player named Mukahi Gakuto has a style similar to Kikumaru's. They're both technical players.

"But Oishi and Kikumaru clearly aren't on the same level as their opponents when it comes to teamwork!

"The opposing pair works together very well, but they don't seem to have much experience. Still, they're more than good enough to deal with Kikumaru and Oishi!

"Sorry, I'm just telling the truth." Inui pinpointed both teams' strengths, but when he noticed the hostile looks around him, he tried to make amends.

Ryuzaki Sumire, seated in the coaches' area, suddenly stood up.

"Oishi, what are you doing? Focus! This is a match!" When Ryuzaki Sumire saw Oishi spacing out during the game, she shouted at him.

Ryuzaki Sumire's words jolted Oishi out of his daze.

He immediately called back loudly,

"I'm sorry, Coach! It won't happen again!"

Why had Oishi suddenly lost focus? It was a mystery.

"Change sides. The match will now begin."

It was Seigaku's turn to serve!

"Oishi, what were you thinking about?" Kikumaru asked curiously.

"Nothing, Eiji. We have to win!" Oishi said with a determined look.

Now that Oishi had come to his senses, his body was tense. He took the ball from his pocket, tossed it into the air, and struck it with all his might, sending it toward Oshitari!

Oshitari was once again waiting where the ball would land, and once again, he hit a Swallow's Return!

Bang!

The same scene played out again. The ball skimmed along the ground and flew out of the court!

"Hyotei scores! The score is 15–0!"

"If Oishi and Kikumaru can't figure out how to counter the Swallow's Return, this match is going to be difficult," even Fuji said, beginning to waver.

"Indeed. Based on the current data, Kikumaru and Oishi have a ten percent chance of winning!" Inui added another blow from the sidelines!

"No way! Kikumaru, Oishi, give it your all!" Ryuzaki called out to them from nearby.

"Oishi-senpai, Kikumaru-senpai, do your best! Seigaku will win!" Momoshiro shouted from the stands, drawing plenty of attention, but he didn't care at all!

"Inoue-senpai, what was that shot just now? The ball skimmed along the ground and flew out. Is it difficult to return?" Shiba Saori asked Inoue Mamoru beside her.

"That shot is called the Swallow's Return. The principle is to use backspin to hit a ball that doesn't bounce, making it skim along the ground and fly out of the court. But it requires a great deal of control. It's not something just anyone can do.

"As far as I know, the only person who can use this move is Seigaku's genius, Fuji Syusuke.

"I never expected a regular player from Hyotei to know it too. As expected of Hyotei—they're full of hidden talent!"

After hearing Inoue Mamoru's explanation, Shiba Saori looked over at Hyotei as well.

The match on the court was now intense.

"Pant, pant... Oishi, hit it toward the front!" Eiji was already panting heavily.

All that running was quickly draining his stamina!

Eiji's stamina was still his weakness. It was only the first game, and he was already out of breath.

Sure enough, Oshitari had noticed Kikumaru's condition. He raised a hand to signal Gakuto.

Attack Kikumaru!

Both teams had come up with the same strategy: target one player!

Thump!

Oishi's serve flew over!

This time, though, Oishi served toward Mukahi Gakuto instead of Oshitari!

It seemed Oishi had already figured out a way to prevent Oshitari from hitting a Swallow's Return.

That was to keep the ball away from Oshitari. If he couldn't touch it, he couldn't hit that shot.

It was a good idea.

After all, this was doubles, not singles!

Chiba Yun Chuan had already realized what Seigaku was planning. As expected of the future Golden Pair!

They'd found a way to deal with the problem so quickly.

But so what?

Did they think Gakuto was that easy to target? How naive.

Mukahi Gakuto tracked the ball flying toward him, found its landing point, and swung hard. He easily returned it.

The ball shot toward Kikumaru's left at tremendous speed.

There was no way Kikumaru could reach it.

"Sorry, I'm taking this point!" Gakuto declared after returning the ball.

But before he could finish speaking, Kikumaru planted one hand on the ground and rolled, somehow managing to reach the ball!

"Heh, got it!" As soon as he said that, the ball flew toward the gap between Oshitari and Gakuto!

"There it is—Kikumaru's acrobatic shot!"

"Could he really reach that ball?"

"What kind of playing style is that? He's so agile!"

The ball was heading for the gap between Oshitari and Gakuto. It struck the court and bounced up, about to fly out of bounds!