An Even Match

"I understand, brother. Coach Baker helped us during our most difficult time, so whatever he says, we just need to do as he says."

Hearing his younger brother say these words with a somewhat dejected tone, Tom felt terrible.

As an athlete, who doesn't want to win a competition?

So, as if they had reached a consensus, the two began the actual performance.

Something's not right...

"What's wrong, Agan? Is something the problem?"

In the audience, Gan seemed to have noticed the problem as well.

"The Griffith Brothers' playing style is wrong. If the opponent is standing at the net and successfully returns the ball when they use that style, it's understandable that they don't have time to return it."

However, it was clear that Kikumaru was standing in the backcourt, or even close to the baseline, just now. This distance gave them enough time to judge the trajectory of the ball.

But they still acted as if they were facing a net shot, making it hard not to have doubts.

"You mean... they deliberately didn't answer?"

"I don't know either, but based on the analysis of the data, their behavior is very abnormal."

When it comes to analysis, Kikumaru on the field has the most direct experience.

"Hey you two, what are you doing? Where did your energy go?"

Kikumaru, who had been smiling the whole time, suddenly became serious. Looking at the somewhat disappointed Griffith Brothers, Kikumaru spoke again.

"Are you really just going to give up like this? Shouldn't you be giving it your all in a match? It seems like you don't really like tennis."

The Griffith Brothers were stunned by Kikumaru's criticism.

"Oh, I never knew you could be so serious. Kikumaru, I never would have guessed."

Seeing Kikumaru's serious and focused demeanor, Oshitari Kikumaru somewhat surprised to see this side of him.

"Kikumaru, you mustn't verbally attack your opponent. Please return to your position."

Kikumaru's words also attracted the referee's attention, and Kikumaru, who was about to say something, was immediately warned to shut up by the referee.

"Brother, are you alright?"

"I understand Terry. He's right. Tennis is all about giving it your all."

We're standing here thanks to Coach Baker, but is this really what we should be doing?

"Elder brother..."

Tom's resolve to lose the game began to waver, and seeing his brother like this, Terry also became confused.

I can't help but recall the time when I was a child, after my parents died, I was adopted by relatives, but I could only live a hard life.

If Coach Baker hadn't pulled them out of that situation, the two of them would still be living like beggars.

Thinking about all this, and then about how her brother had just looked.

Terry's previously dimmed eyes brightened, and his performance in the game returned to what it was before.

Bang...

"West Coast team scores, score 5-5"

"Terry, you..."

"Even if we're going to lose, we can't lose so obviously. Let's turn the game into a tug-of-war, and then lose at the last minute. That way, Coach Baker and the sponsors should be very happy."

Despite smiling at his brother, Terry was also feeling terrible inside.

"Hmph, you're right. No matter how the match goes, as long as we lose in the end, that's fine."

"Kikumaru, be careful, they look like they're getting serious again."

Seeing the change in the Griffith Brothers' condition, Oshitari reminded Kikumaru.

Kikumaru still looked serious; clearly, the Griffith Brothers' passive play had angered Kikumaru greatly.

"I see."

After answering Oshitari, Kikumaru tossed the ball up and swung his racket to hit it.

Having regained their form, the Griffith Brothers once again found themselves in opposition to Kikumaru and his team, and the match took an unpredictable turn.

Kikumaru's pseudo-clone technique, combined with Oshitari's ingenuity and the tacit understanding between Tom and Terry's twins, successfully dragged the match into a tiebreaker.

"The crowd is actually more enthusiastic when we lose. It's unbelievable how much the fans want to see tragic heroes. The sponsors, on the other hand, want to see games that excite the audience."

Coach Baker was very pleased to see the enthusiastic cheers from the audience.

"Very good, now comes the grand finale. You need to deliver the most moving climax and the ultimate tragedy."

"Yes."

Hearing that Coach Baker still hadn't changed his mind, Tom had no choice but to agree, but Terry hesitated.

"It's ironic how the fans feel; on one hand, they want you to win, and on the other hand, they want to cry for your defeat."

This could be considered the aesthetics of the loser; sometimes, a tragic ending is more dramatic than a comedic one.

Actually, it would be best if you guys got injured during the game. Okay, go on and lose the game.

The Griffith Brothers didn't refute Coach Baker's somewhat brainwashing words, but they were shocked when they heard the last sentence.

The two were shocked and dismayed that their respected Coach Baker, would say such a thing, and they found it hard to accept.

"You really are a jerk..."

Coach Baker, who had already envisioned a perfect ending, suddenly heard someone speaking, but the Griffith Brothers had already entered the field, and there was no one around.

Looking around, he saw Horio staring at him.

"That's right, I told you so. You really are a complete bastard. Those two people clearly love tennis, but you used them as tools to gain fame and fortune."

You bastard from the other side of the world, what right do you have to instruct these people who love tennis?

Coach Baker was astonished to see that he could hear Horio speaking from a great distance.

"Referee, why didn't you warn him? He just verbally abused me."

Startled, Coach Baker immediately reported the incident to the referee, but Horio had already used his mental powers to deal with it, and the referee couldn't hear what he was saying at all.

As a result, Coach Baker was warned for interfering with the referee's proper decision and could only sit down dejectedly.

"Just you wait and see. All your little schemes will come to naught. Only you know what the consequences will be."

Horio continued speaking, leaving Coach Baker speechless with frustration.

"Brother, I don't want to lose. If this is how I'm supposed to repay Coach Baker, then what's the point of all this hard work?"

"Terry..."

"Brother, you don't want to lose either, do you? Are we just going to give up all the effort we've put in all this time?"

"Okay... Terry, let's go wild this once. Whatever Coach Baker does to us, we'll face it together."

"Okay! Brother, I've wanted to do this for a long time."

Unwilling to give up, Terry finally managed to change his brother's mind, and their shared love of tennis finally overcame their inner conflict.