A tie? Singles 3 begins.

Yes, of the four players on the court, Kikumaru was in the worst condition, while the two from St. Rudolph were in similar states.

Oishi was in the best condition, as the opponents were mainly targeting Kikumaru.

Combining the Eye of Shattering Delusions with Horio's burst of talent, multiple outcomes were instantly simulated in his mind.

It would be difficult for Seigaku to win this game, but not impossible.

Oishi and Kikumaru on the court also sensed something was wrong, and the two began to discuss tactics.

"Eiji, I'll take all the balls from now on. You focus on recovering your stamina. I'll do my best to wear them down. We absolutely cannot lose."

"Okay, I'm counting on you, Oishi."

After speaking, Kikumaru stood straight at the net, as if he had given up on the match.

Seeing Kikumaru's sudden situation, Akazawa felt an opportunity had arrived.

He glanced at Kaneda, who immediately understood.

Their condition wasn't much better than Seigaku's. The sun wasn't shining only on Kikumaru; if this dragged on, something unexpected might happen.

Therefore, in the following match, the two continued to target Kikumaru. However, Kikumaru remained indifferent to the incoming balls. In contrast, Oishi, from the baseline, ran all over the court.

Anyone unaware of the situation would think Kikumaru had given up, while Oishi seemed unwilling to do so.

"Making the best of a bad situation, there's some truth to calling them the Golden Pair. Perhaps they really can reach that realm..."

Horio looked at the starkly different Kikumaru and Oishi and couldn't help but admire them. While their current strength was lacking, it didn't mean they wouldn't improve in the future.

Bang...

"St. Rudolph scores. The score is 40:0."

"This is the last point. Just hold on a little longer and we'll win. Kaneda, are you okay?"

Akazawa, panting, leaned on his knees and turned his head with difficulty to look at Kaneda, who was equally exhausted at the baseline.

"Captain Akazawa, you don't need to worry about me. I can still go on."

On Seigaku's side, Oishi, who had fallen several times while chasing the ball, was also sweating profusely.

Looking at Kikumaru standing still at the net, Oishi grew anxious.

"Eiji, hurry up."

While he was thinking, St. Rudolph's Kaneda prepared to serve. He tossed the ball up and swung his racket.

Due to his depleted stamina, his first serve hit the net.

"Sorry, Captain Akazawa."

"It's alright, Kaneda. Just play well."

Kaneda refocused his attention. After gathering his strength, he swung his racket again, finally serving successfully.

Oishi, pushing his remaining stamina to its limit, forcefully returned the ball. Akazawa seized the opportunity and aimed for the other side of Oishi.

"It's over, Seigaku. Say goodbye."

He then swung his backhand. Oishi watched the ball fly to his other side. In his eagerness to save the ball, his legs gave out, and he fell to the ground again. Watching the ball he couldn't reach, Oishi was extremely unwilling.

At this moment, Kikumaru, who had been standing still, suddenly leaped backward, spun, and returned the ball.

Caught off guard by Kikumaru's sudden attack, Akazawa and Kaneda were unable to react and lost the point.

"Charging complete, Oishi. I'll take over from here."

"It's all yours, Eiji."

"Let's play another round. We won't let you get away with it."

Kikumaru, spinning his racket, looked at the exhausted Akazawa and Kaneda with fighting spirit, flashing his signature smile.

Under the renewed offensive of Kikumaru, Akazawa and Kaneda could only barely return the shots.

However, the effect was not significant, and they continued to lose points.

Bang...

"Seigaku scores. The score is 4:5."

Bang...

"Seigaku scores. The score is 5:5."

The score was tied again, and both sides were nearing exhaustion.

The eleventh game began, with Seigaku serving. Unlike before, Oishi, who was serving, stood in the middle of the baseline.

Kikumaru also stood in the middle of the net, forming a straight line.

"What kind of formation is this? Wouldn't that leave both sides open? There must be a trick to it. We need to be careful."

Seeing the change in the Golden Pair, Akazawa became even more vigilant. The Seigaku members also showed surprised expressions, as this was clearly the first time the Golden Pair had used such a formation.

Horio smiled upon seeing this, looking somewhat intrigued.

"The Australian formation, huh? You can't use that without perfect coordination. Trying to catch the opponent off guard?"

"Right, now that you mention it, I remember. The Australian formation."

Hearing Horio's words, Inui Sadaharu immediately recalled it, while Katsuro and Katsuo beside him didn't understand. Inui Sadaharu quickly explained.

"The Australian formation is a doubles formation used on serve that requires extreme coordination. When serving, both players stand on a straight line.

After serving, they move in different directions simultaneously to confuse the opponent.

The key is to make it impossible for the opponent to predict which direction you'll move to the net for a volley. If the coordination isn't good enough, it can backfire."

"Senpai Oishi and Senpai Kikumaru are amazing, to be able to use such a difficult formation."

On the court, Oishi swung his racket, sending the ball to the other side, after which both players quickly moved in different directions.

Akazawa, receiving the ball, saw Kikumaru moving to the right, preparing to volley, and hastily changed his shot to the left.

However, Oishi, guarding the baseline, was waiting for this ball. He watched the incoming shot.

He swung his racket-holding arm upwards, executing a mid-air volley.

The tennis ball flew rapidly towards the sky, then dropped sharply as it neared the baseline, landing directly on the line.

"Seigaku scores, 15:0."

"Damn it, they have formations like this too? Seigaku, we really can't underestimate you..."

"Kaneda, I think their stamina is almost depleted. If we just hold on, they can't win."

"Understood, Captain Akazawa."

And so, the two sides resumed their grueling match, with Akazawa and Kaneda's stamina being drained from the start.

Although Kikumaru recovered some energy in the middle, his frequent movements quickly depleted it again.

Oishi, having had to return every ball, was also running out of stamina.

Thus, amidst their back-and-forth rallies, all four players collapsed when the score reached 6:6.

Though they all tried their best to get up, they were relentlessly scorched by the brutal sun, making even breathing difficult.

So, after discussions between Coach Ryuzaki and Mizuki, both sides simultaneously chose to forfeit, ending the first doubles match in a draw.

"We're sorry, everyone. We didn't win this one."

"Yeah, if we had just held on a little longer, we definitely could have won."

Oishi and Kikumaru, helped off the court by Kawamura and Fuji, said apologetically to everyone.

"It's okay, you played very well. Leave the rest to us."

Fuji smiled and comforted them. Due to the extreme heat, the referee was also struggling, so it was decided that the matches would resume in an hour.

The Seigaku team members dispersed to rest. An hour later, when everyone gathered again, Ryoma appeared to be taking the match seriously.

Horio knew it must have been something involving Fuji Yuta, and that Fuji Yuta had said something that ignited Ryoma's fighting spirit.

Ryoma directly walked onto the court with his tennis bag, while on the other side, Fuji Yuta also entered the court with his bag.

He even glanced a few times at Fuji Syusuke, as if telling him to watch closely how he was going to defeat Ryoma.