An Ideal Doubles Partnership

"The third round of the shuffle battle begins, with Tono serving from the first First String."

"Hmph, it's time for a public execution."

After both sides took their positions, the referee announced the start of the match.

Tono Atsukyo, standing on the baseline, was hitting the tennis ball when Kimijima Ikuto, in the frontcourt, suddenly smiled.

After uttering a seemingly random sentence, Tono Atsukyo was at the baseline, suddenly grabbed the tennis ball.

Execution Method Ten: Beheading.

Instead of tossing the ball up as usual when serving, he placed his hand at shoulder level and let the ball fall naturally.

As the ball was falling, he hit it with a forehand flat drive.

The tennis ball was hit, and the speed of the ball was astonishing.

But what was even more shocking was that the tennis ball flew directly towards Marui in the frontcourt.

This rule-breaking serve caught Marui off guard, and the tennis ball struck him squarely in the face.

Marui, who was chewing gum, was knocked to the ground.

"Bunta!"

"That guy... was aiming there on purpose..."

Marui was attacked without provocation, and his longtime partner Wolf was very worried off the field.

As the Captain, Yukimura saw through Tono Atsukyo's tricks and concluded that he was aiming to attack someone.

"Taking advantage of a service error, he suddenly attacked the defender in the frontcourt, and somehow managed to exploit a loophole in the rules."

"After the reshuffling, he will never appear in the U-17 training camp again."

Irie the field, was also disgusted by Tono Atsukyo's actions, while Horio stood by with a calm expression, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

But his words sent a chill Irie.

"That's... chewing gum?"

On the field, seeing his partner knocked down, Kite was about to take action.

Before he could even move, the chewing gum stuck to the tennis ball caught his attention.

"Hmph, if you're not happy, try hitting me."

At this moment, Marui, who had been knocked down, took out another piece of chewing gum from somewhere, put it in his mouth, and stood up while chewing.

Looking at Tono Atsukyo, Marui provocatively issued a challenge to him.

Provoked, Tono Atsukyo's expression gradually turned ferocious. He tossed the tennis ball up and aimed at the right corner of the Kite to hit the serve.

Kite reacted quickly, running a few steps to reach the landing point.

The tennis ball flew back towards Tono Atsukyo, but Kimijima Ikuto appeared at the net at that moment.

"Idiot, there's a huge empty space on your left."

Facing Marui, Kimijima Ikuto aimed at his left bottom corner and struck.

With his excellent ball control, the tennis ball somehow slipped past Marui's right armpit.

Marui showed no sign of panic, simply turning to watch the tennis ball fly towards the corner.

"What are you looking at there for? He's someone you're responsible for."

Just as the tennis ball was about to reach the bottom corner, the Kite's voice came from the bottom corner, and then his figure appeared.

Kimijima Ikuto's attempt to score by exploiting distance differences was thwarted by Kite's use of the Ground Shrinking Technique.

"How about we try this place?"

After failing to maneuver the ball to the left and right corners, Kimijima Ikuto changed his strategy again, hitting a short ball with a backhand.

"Don't try to use such tricks against me; you're digging your own grave."

Bang...

"Junior high school students score, 15:0"

The Ground Shrinking Technique was used again, and the Kite instantly appeared in front of the net once more.

This time, the Kite aimed at the gap between the two players with a backhand, hitting a curved shot and scoring a point.

"If you're still not giving up, how about we keep trying?"

At the net, after returning the ball, the Kite raises the racket and points it at Kimijima Ikuto.

"Oh? I'd really like to try it."

Kimijima Ikuto was not angry at Kite's attitude; instead, he smiled calmly.

Looking back at Tono Atsukyo, Kimijima Ikuto returned to his position and prepared again.

Want to try it out? Okay, I'll do as you say.

Sensing Kimijima Ikuto's intention, Tono Atsukyo reverted to his previous frenzied state and served.

Both players focused their attacks on the Kite, and no matter which direction they hit the ball, the Kite could always catch it using Ground Shrinking Technique.

Bang!

"Junior high school students score, 30:0"

Bang!

"Junior high school students score, 40:0"

Bang!

"Junior high school student scores, score 1-0"

"The Ground Shrinking Technique is truly amazing; it perfectly defended against the attacks of both opponents."

"I didn't expect to break my opponent's serve so easily, it felt a bit too smooth..."

Although the previous few shots were all thanks to the Kite, and the Ground Shrinking Technique does indeed have a perfect counter-effect against tactics based on distance difference.

However, perhaps because the First String team performed too well in the first two matches, the current overly smooth situation is making Fuji a little worried.

"Hey, Kite, it's my turn to perform now, isn't it?"

"Really? It seems my excellent performance has left you dissatisfied. Well then, I'll give you the stage."

Kite's entire operation rendered Marui virtually helpless; he still remembered the sneak attack from Tono Atsukyo.

So after breaking his opponent's serve, Marui immediately expressed his dissatisfaction to Kite.

Kite also wanted to see how Marui would regain his lost face, so he didn't argue with him.

"Targeting your opponent's body? You should be glad your opponent wasn't that guy, or you wouldn't be in a good position."

Looking at Tono Atsukyo standing in the frontcourt opposite him, Marui said to him in a mocking tone.

Upon hearing Marui's words, Kite immediately understood who he was referring to.

"Looks like you're quite famous among junior high students; even people from other schools know about you."

Upon hearing Irie 'Marui words, Irie immediately turned to look at Horio, who stood to the side, but Horio did not respond.

After adjusting his mindset, Marui hit the ball on the court.

The instant after hitting the ball, he moved to the net, facing Tono Atsukyo directly.

Seeing this, Kite also retreated to the backcourt, and the offensive and defensive positions of the two changed in an instant.

"Now it's a duel between the two of us."

"Tch, kid, think about whether you actually have the ability before you talk big."

Marui looked at Tono Atsukyo with a slight smile, but Tono Atsukyo didn't take Marui seriously.

At that moment, Kimijima Ikuto's return shot arrived, and as if deliberately trying to escalate the conflict between the two, he hit the ball to a position that Marui was better suited to return.

Marui didn't hold back either, seizing the opening on Tono Atsukyo's other side and swinging his racket.

"Can't you come up with anything new? Thirdly, the Execution Method bury someone alive."

Tono Atsukyo used his Execution Method again, and his voice became shrill as well.

"Of course that's not all, I've been waiting for you."

Tono Atsukyo's cunning counterattack was aimed at Marui's abdomen, but it seemed as if he had anticipated it.

Faced with this tricky shot, Marui increased his swing speed and hit a volley.

Bang...

"Junior high school students score, 15:0"

"I have a nickname: Volley Expert."

"Your so- Execution Method poses absolutely no threat to me as long as I concentrate enough."

Because Tono Atsukyo and Kimijima Ikuto were both in the same half of the court, their left half seemed to be deliberately left open, allowing Marui's volley to score without any obstruction.

After scoring, Marui didn't forget to boast to Tono Atsukyo remained silent, but the ferocious expression on his face showed that he was very unhappy.

"Good volley technique, but relying solely on that shouldn't be enough to significantly impact the game."

You must have some amazing moves up your sleeve, right? How about you show them off?

"Is that so? Then I'll have to accept your offer."

Tono Atsukyo remained silent, but Kimijima Ikuto spoke up.

Upon hearing his words, Marui, for some reason, subconsciously agreed.

"Is Kimijima about to begin? As the negotiator?"

In the spectator area where the First String was sitting, the long-haired Ohmeguro Ryuji Omagari was somewhat surprised to see Kimijima Ikuto take the initiative to talk to Marui.

"Secret skill: Tightrope Walk."

Thump...

"Junior high school student scores, score 2-0"

After the tennis ball slid a distance across the net, it landed in the half of the court where the First String two players were positioned, and the junior high school duo held their serve.

"So Marui, you should get your revenge for that guy's ambush on you by now, right?"

"Not bad, making that rude guy make that face makes me feel good now."

"Then we need to get serious about the match. Although we're in the lead right now, their strength is definitely more than that."

"I understand, I'll leave the defense in the backcourt to you."

Seeing that they had scored another point, Kite turned to look at Marui.

Marui was very cooperative, and being a doubles player himself, he understood the meaning of doubles even better.

So, after regaining the face that Tono Atsukyo had lost, he began a real doubles match with Kite.

"I never expected these two to be so compatible in doubles."

"Yeah, I originally thought that a singles player like Kite would be very averse to doubles, but it's obvious that his Ground Shrinking Technique is more effective in doubles."

"As a defender in the backcourt, Kite used his all-around Ground Shrinking Technique to the extreme."

As an attacking player in the frontcourt, Marui was able to find opportunities to launch attacks despite Kite's frequent defensive maneuvers.

The doubles match between these two players can truly be described as a perfect fit.

Compared to others' amazement at the synergy between Kite and Marui, Fuji, who had previously worked with Kite at Wimbledon, offered a more accurate assessment of the two.

"Those two junior high school students are quite suitable for doubles. One has excellent offensive ability, and the other can make the defense watertight."

"There are indeed some promising talents among these junior high school students. I wasn't this good when I was their age."

"That middle school student with the slicked-back hair, his weird gait is really troublesome. No wonder Kimijima started negotiations so quickly."

On the First String side, Tanegashima, who had returned to the First String, Mori Juzaburo, who was only one year older than Kite and Marui, and Ohmeguro Ryuji, all acknowledged the two's abilities to some extent.