Yes. Of the four players on the court, Kikumaru was in the worst shape. The two players from St. Rudolph were in about the same condition.
Oishi was in the best shape, after all, since their opponents had mainly been targeting Kikumaru.
With Horio combining the Eye of Shattering Delusions and Radiant Talent, he instantly simulated numerous possible outcomes in his mind.
It would be very difficult for Seigaku to win this game, but they still had a chance.
Oishi and Kikumaru on the court had also sensed that something was wrong, and they began discussing their strategy.
"Eiji, I'll take every ball from now on. Use the time to recover your strength. I'll do my best to wear them down. We can't afford to lose."
"Okay. I'm counting on you, Oishi."
After saying that, Kikumaru stood motionless right at the net, as if he'd given up on the match.
Seeing Kikumaru's sudden change, Akazawa realized their chance had come.
He turned and gave Kaneda a look. Kaneda immediately understood.
They weren't in any better shape than Seigaku. The sun wasn't only beating down on Kikumaru, and if the match dragged on, something might go wrong.
So in the next part of the match, they kept targeting Kikumaru. But he didn't react to the balls flying toward him. Meanwhile, Oishi ran all over the baseline.
Anyone who didn't know what was going on would have thought Kikumaru had given up, while Oishi was the one refusing to admit defeat.
"There's some truth to being called the Golden Pair, even when things are at their worst. Maybe they really can reach that level one day..."
Watching Kikumaru and Oishi act so differently, Horio couldn't help admiring them. Their skills might be lacking right now, but that didn't mean they wouldn't improve.
Thwack...
"Point, St. Rudolph. The score is 40–0."
"One more point. Hang in there and we win. Kaneda, are you all right?"
Panting, Akazawa braced his hands on his knees and looked with some difficulty toward Kaneda, who was also nearly spent at the baseline.
"Captain Akazawa, don't worry about me. I can keep going."
On Seigaku's side, Oishi was also drenched in sweat after falling several times while chasing the ball.
Looking at Kikumaru, who hadn't moved from the net, Oishi grew anxious.
"Eiji, hurry!"
As he was thinking, St. Rudolph's Kaneda prepared to serve. He tossed the ball up and swung.
With so little strength left, his first serve hit the net.
"Sorry, Captain Akazawa."
"It's all right, Kaneda. Keep playing."
Kaneda focused again, gathered his strength, and swung once more. This time, his serve went in.
Using up what little energy he had left, Oishi hit the ball back with all his might. Akazawa seized the chance and aimed for the other side of the court.
"It's over, Seigaku. Say goodbye."
He swung with his backhand. Oishi watched the ball fly toward the other side of the court. Desperate to reach it, he stumbled and fell again. Seeing that he couldn't get to the ball, Oishi felt utterly frustrated.
Just then, Kikumaru, who hadn't moved at all, suddenly jumped backward, spun around, and hit the ball back.
Taken by surprise by Kikumaru's sudden shot, Akazawa and Kaneda couldn't react in time, and Seigaku scored.
"Recharged! Oishi, leave the rest to me."
"I'm counting on you, Eiji."
"Let's start over. You're not getting your way this time."
Kikumaru twirled his racket and looked at the exhausted Akazawa and Kaneda with fighting spirit, flashing his trademark smile.
With Kikumaru back in action, Akazawa and Kaneda could only manage to return his shots.
But it wasn't enough. Seigaku kept closing the gap.
Thwack...
"Point, Seigaku. The score is 4–5."
Thwack...
"Point, Seigaku. The score is 5–5."
The score was tied once again. Both sides were nearly at the end of their strength.
The eleventh game began, with Seigaku serving. Unlike before, Oishi took his place in the middle of the baseline.
Kikumaru also stood in the middle of the net, the two of them forming a straight line.
"What kind of formation is that? Doesn't that leave both sides wide open? There must be a trick to it. We need to be careful."
Seeing the Golden Pair change formations, Akazawa grew more wary. The Seigaku team also looked surprised. Apparently, this was the first time the Golden Pair had used this formation.
Horio smiled when he saw it, clearly intrigued.
"The Australian Formation? You wouldn't dare use that without perfect teamwork. Are they trying to catch their opponents off guard?"
"That's right. Now that you mention it, I remember—the Australian Formation."
Hearing Horio's words, Inui Sadaharu immediately remembered it too. Katsuro and Katsuo, standing nearby, didn't understand, so Inui quickly explained.
"The Australian Formation is a doubles formation used when serving, and it requires extremely precise teamwork. When serving, both players stand in a straight line.
"After the serve, they move in opposite directions at the same time to confuse their opponents.
"The key is to keep the opponents from knowing which direction you'll move in to intercept the ball at the net. If your teamwork isn't good enough, it can backfire."
"Senpai Oishi and Senpai Kikumaru are amazing! They can even use such a difficult formation."
On the court, Oishi swung his racket and hit the ball toward the other side. Then the two of them quickly moved in opposite directions.
Akazawa returned the ball and saw Kikumaru moving to the right to intercept it, so he hurriedly changed his swing and hit it to the left.
But Oishi was waiting at the baseline for just that shot. He watched the incoming ball closely.
He swung the arm holding his racket upward, sending the ball back with a high volley.
The tennis ball shot up into the sky, then dropped quickly as it neared the baseline. It landed right on the line.
"Point, Seigaku. 15–0."
"Damn, they even have a formation like that. Seigaku, I really can't underestimate you..."
"Kaneda, I think they're almost out of stamina too. If we just hold on, they won't be able to win."
"Understood, Captain Akazawa."
And so the two sides began another drawn-out rally. Akazawa and Kaneda had been wearing themselves down from the very start.
Kikumaru had managed to recover a little, but all that running had nearly used up his strength again.
Oishi had been returning the ball the whole time, so he was nearly exhausted too.
As the two sides continued trading shots, all four players collapsed when the score reached 6–6.
They all tried their best to get back up, but under the scorching sun, even breathing was difficult.
After Coach Ryuzaki and Mizuki discussed the matter, both sides chose to forfeit. The second doubles match ended in a tie.
"Sorry, everyone. We couldn't win that match."
"Yeah. If we'd held on a little longer, we definitely could've won."
Oishi and Kikumaru had been helped off the court by Kawamura and Fuji. They apologized to everyone, looking very regretful.
"It's all right. You played well. Leave the rest to us."
Fuji smiled and comforted them. Since the weather was too hot and even the referee was having trouble enduring it, they decided to resume the match an hour later.
The Seigaku players went off to rest. When everyone gathered again an hour later, Ryoma seemed to have become serious about the match.
Horio knew he must have run into Fuji Yuta. Fuji Yuta must have said something to fire Ryoma up.
Ryoma walked onto the court with his tennis bag on his back. On the other side, Fuji Yuta also entered the court with his bag.
He even glanced at Fuji Syusuke a few times, as if telling him to watch closely and see how he would beat Ryoma.
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