With Draco anchoring the baseline, even if Becky occasionally made a small mistake, he could steadily cover for her and ultimately lead Becky to a solid victory in the second round thanks to his superior skills.
With another victory, Becky was even more delighted. After exchanging fist bumps with Draco, she sincerely exclaimed, "Playing with you is so much fun! The rhythm is comfortable, and I don't have to worry about covering for you. If I have the chance in the future, I really want to play with you all the time..."
Becky stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, feeling that cold gaze drifting over her again. She slammed on the brakes, swallowing back any potentially ambiguous words that followed.
With a quick flick of his tongue, he remedied the situation:
"... But I can't, after all, you have Hermione! Haha, Hermione fights even better!" After saying that, he secretly glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye to observe her reaction.
Hermione's expression improved slightly, but she still didn't smile much, accepting Becky's awkward attempt to salvage the situation.
The third game then began. After two games of high-intensity running, Becky's stamina began to decline, her running speed slowed down, her return shots became weaker, and she made frequent connection errors.
On the other hand, Jack and Tom have completely mastered their teamwork, their coordination is becoming increasingly skillful, and their attacks are becoming more and more fierce.
After a back-and-forth, high-intensity battle, Jack and Tom finally capitalized on Becky's exhaustion, securing the crucial points and narrowly winning the third set.
"Yay!" Jack and Tom high-fived excitedly. Jack thought to himself with pride: Sure enough, choosing to team up with Tom was the right decision. Male teams can be quite effective when they work together well!
"We were so close to a stunning comeback and winning this game," Becky, slightly out of breath, with a hint of regret.
"It's alright, just have fun." Draco seemed unconcerned; this was just a game for entertainment.
"But I want to win with you..." As soon as she finished speaking, she felt the air pressure around the referee's chair drop a little.
Startled, Becky quickly shut up.
Upon hearing this, Hermione's face darkened once again. Jealousy surged within her, but since it was just normal conversation between partners, she could only silently suppress her displeasure.
To Hermione, the foreman, everything she said was suspicious!
"It's okay, we haven't lost yet, have we?"
Draco comforted her.
"Okay, keep it up!" Becky was energized again.
The fourth game officially began, and the atmosphere in the arena was electric.
The two sides traded blows back and forth for a long time, fighting tooth and nail for every point, making for a fast-paced and intense match.
Unfortunately, Becky's stamina continued to decline, and in the second half, she completely lost the pace of the game, frequently making mistakes in her landing and running. Even with Draco's best efforts to save the day, it was too late, and she ultimately lost the fourth game.
Jack and Tom won two rounds in a row, and their celebrations grew increasingly grand. Jack felt a growing sense of confidence and secretly thought:
They might very well be able to defeat Draco with ease.
"I'm so sorry, it's all my fault for not having enough stamina and holding you back. If I were in better shape, we definitely could have won," Becky said, feeling guilty and frustrated.
"It's alright," Draco reassured him. "We won't lose. I'll lead you to victory in the next round."
"Really?" Becky's eyes lit up instantly. She looked up at Draco like a fangirl, her eyes full of trust and expectation. She pressed, "Are we sure we'll do well later on?"
"What do you think?" Draco countered.
"Of course I believe you!" Becky nodded vigorously. "You're so amazing! You'll definitely lead me to victory." Her eyes, her tone, were filled with trust and a certain light that Hermione found dazzling.
This seemingly simple, normal interaction made Hermione's mind race with unfounded thoughts. She felt that their every move was a subtle flirtation, and her jealousy was growing stronger.
I've already silently made up my mind:
When we get back, I'm going to settle all the old and new scores with Draco. I won't let him off the hook.
The onlookers clearly saw Hermione's reaction, and seeing the thick, almost tangible black aura behind her, they couldn't help but chuckle to themselves. Mary even secretly mouthed "So sour" to Susan, and the two covered their mouths and giggled.
The decisive fifth game has begun, with Draco and Becky serving first, and the situation on the court is not optimistic.
Although the first four games ended in a 2-2 tie,
However, in order to take care of Becky, whose stamina was clearly declining, Draco took on most of the running and ball-saving tasks, and his own stamina was also being continuously depleted in the high-intensity competition.
As Jack and Tom's teamwork became increasingly adept and their confidence grew, the outcome of this match became unpredictable.
Jack and Tom exchanged a glance, both seeing a glimmer of hope in each other's eyes. If they could continue to wear each other down and find a way to break through Becky's defenses, they would have a chance!
However, everyone forgot that Draco is an unpredictable person, and he has a secret weapon he hasn't used yet.
When it was Draco's turn to serve, he lowered his waist and center of gravity, tossed the ball with force, and swung his racket, unleashing a super powerful topspin serve!
The ball was fast and had a tricky trajectory. Its initial arc was straight towards Jack's position. Jack was ready, but the ball suddenly and strangely deviated the moment it hit the ground, bouncing and turning laterally, and suddenly attacked the unsuspecting Tom.
"What?!" Jack had already moved into position, his racket missed, and Tom was caught completely off guard, never expecting the serve to curve and Accio towards him. He frantically adjusted his stance and swung his racket, but the ball was too fast and the angle was too tricky!
"Thwack!" The tennis ball grazed the edge of Tom's racket and slammed heavily into the net behind him. Not only did neither of them manage to catch the ball, but they also lost their footing and rushed forward, almost colliding violently, making for a comical scene.
The audience was also stunned.
After a brief silence, a huge gasp erupted.
"Score! Draco, you were so cool! I almost forgot you had that kind of weird move!" Becky paused for a second at the net, then reacted and excitedly raised her racket in celebration.
"Calm down, okay?" Draco smirked.
"That's not fair! How can you suddenly use such a tricky serve during a game? That's cheating!" Jack protested loudly.
"Yeah, how do we answer that?" Tom said with a pained expression.
Becky immediately retorted, hands on her hips, righteously asserting, "The court rules have never stipulated that you can't use topspin serves! Why can't you use them? If you're not as skilled, just admit it!"
"What's unfair about it? You didn't stipulate that you can't use serves with strong spin! It's just that you couldn't receive them!" Becky stood with her hands on her hips, defending her temporary superstar.
As she spoke, she didn't forget to seek "justice" from Hermione.
"Is that so, referee?"