Tezuka didn't respond to QP's words. He silently picked up his racket from the ground and rotated his left wrist slightly. It seemed that last rally had put a noticeable strain on it.
QP had already returned to the baseline. The blue radiance around him burned brighter than ever, yet unlike Tezuka's aura—which pulsed gently and released faint energy ripples—QP's Light of Pride clung tightly to his body, glowing sharply without dispersing particles.
Without hesitation, QP tossed the ball high. This time, he didn't use his ultra-fast serve but instead unleashed a full-power shot. The ball streaked forward like a cannon blast, tearing through the air toward Japan's half of the court.
Tezuka instantly reacted, sliding into position. He gripped the racket with both hands and countered the serve, but the heavy impact made his brows knit together. The weight behind QP's shot was immense—he could return it, but there was no way to apply his special spin.
In this game, QP had completely shut down Tezuka's Ultimate Zone from every angle. With the difference in their five attributes now showing clearly, QP's overall dominance grew. If not for his Zero Shiki Serve, Tezuka would have already been struggling badly.
As their rallies dragged on, Tezuka's wrist continued to bear the brutal shock from each of QP's shots. It wouldn't be a problem in the short term, but over time, even he couldn't avoid strain or injury—after all, QP's raw power was on par with Oni's.
After more than ten fierce exchanges, Tezuka finally slipped up. QP seized the chance, blasting a backhand down the baseline to win the fifth game. The tide of the match began to shift.
"Game! Germany! 2–3! Change sides!"
"QP's completely overpowering Tezuka in terms of strength," Oni said grimly from the Japan bench. "If he can't find a way to counter that, he won't be able to hold out for long."
"Seriously, give me a break," Omagari muttered with a frown. "Tezuka's never been a power player. Even if he tries to soften the impact through technique, I don't know how long his body can keep up..."
"At least he's still managing to hold his service games," Kimijima added calmly. "So, overall, Japan still has the upper hand—for now."
When Tezuka returned to the bench, he quietly studied his hands. His calm gaze reflected the faintest flicker of thought. Unbidden, his mind replayed what Akashi had told him the night before. He didn't completely understand why Akashi had said those words, but one thing he knew for sure—Akashi was never wrong about things like this.
"To merge everything into one... the difficulty's higher than I expected," Tezuka murmured softly after a moment of silence.
At the German bench, Ken Lendoll watched QP with a satisfied smile. Aside from the first few serves, everything that had happened so far was unfolding exactly as QP had planned. Even Ken had to admit—QP's ability to strategize and predict the flow of a match was extraordinary.
Then Bertie approached QP and whispered something into his ear. QP gave a small nod, expression unreadable. It was clear that Bertie was fine-tuning the details of QP's plan.
The brief break soon ended, and the sixth game began—Tezuka's serve. Against the nearly unstoppable Zero Shiki Serve, QP stood motionless, simply watching quietly. The passive response caught Tezuka off guard.
"Ace! 15–0!"
"Ace! 30–0!"
"Ace! 40–0!"
"Game! Japan leads! 2–4!"
Tezuka easily took the game with four clean Zero Shiki Serves. But now, even the Japan bench noticed something was wrong. QP's behavior was strange—too strange. Even if the Zero Shiki Serve was nearly unreturnable, no competitor at his level would just give up without even trying.
The seventh game began. Both players once again activated their Light of Pride and Radiance of Love. QP resumed his previous tactic—using sheer power to overwhelm the spin of Tezuka's Zone. Tezuka had no effective countermeasure for now.
Their exchanges were fierce and fast. Although QP's strength dominated, Tezuka's refined technique absorbed and redirected the impact, balancing the duel for a time.
"Tezuka Kunimitsu... what exactly are you hiding?" Volk muttered from the German bench, his sharp eyes fixed on Tezuka.
He wasn't the only one who sensed it. QP knew as well—Tezuka might look like he was fighting with everything he had, but that wasn't the full truth. He was holding something back. That was Japan's trademark—every one of their players hid an ace up their sleeve until the very end. Countless nations had already fallen for that trick.
Just as QP remained cautiously alert, Tezuka suddenly launched a high, looping lob. QP reacted instantly, sprinting toward the baseline. Before the descending ball could hit the ground, he swung his racket hard, driving it straight toward Japan's side of the court.
The ball flew fast, slicing through the air and clearing the net in a blink. But Tezuka was already there at the front—no one even saw when he had moved. Raising his racket behind his head, he swung sharply across, slicing through the ball in a horizontal motion.
In the next instant, the ball crossed the net with rapid spin, then dropped steeply toward the ground. QP's eyes narrowed—he could tell immediately that he wouldn't make it in time to reach the ball. All he could do was stand at the backline and watch silently as the ball fell.
Just as QP expected, once the ball landed, it spun furiously on the spot before rolling backward toward the net. Finally, it slowed and stopped as it touched the mesh. With that Zero Shiki combo shot, Tezuka had successfully taken the point.
"0–15!"
"First using a Zero Shiki Lob to force the opponent to the baseline, then catching him off guard with a Zero Shiki Drop for the finish—looks like Tezuka's changing his strategy!" Chitose said with a long-missed smile appearing on his face.
"Don't celebrate yet," Maki said calmly beside him. "That kind of surprise tactic only works once. Judging by the current pace, QP's still got the upper hand. The key is whether Tezuka can keep holding his serve from here on out."
Akashi didn't join in the discussion. Instead, he focused his Emperor Eye to its utmost, his sharp gaze locked on Tezuka just like Volk's.
'Even using the pseudo-Zone to guide him, he still can't perfectly merge the three Radiances. There's something missing—an essential trigger. Maybe he'll find that answer in this match. But whether he can cross that final threshold… that depends on you, Tezuka,' Akashi thought silently.
Ever since Tezuka had awakened the Radiance of Love during the exhibition match, Akashi had been helping him through controlled pseudo-Zone guidance. It had improved Tezuka's mastery of the ability, but full synchronization of all three Radiances remained impossible. At best, Tezuka could currently merge two at a time.
Akashi had even considered consulting Nanjirō, but since the man was now coaching Spain, it was unlikely he'd help Japan build a stronger rival before the tournament ended. So Akashi dismissed the idea.
Still, he did contact his father back in Japan, and with his advice, Tezuka gained new perspective—though it wasn't nearly enough to reach full fusion.
While Akashi pondered these things, the flow of the match shifted again. After losing the last point, QP quickly adjusted his play. He began using low, high-pressure drives to reduce Tezuka's swing timing, making it nearly impossible for him to perform any of his Zero Shiki variations.
QP had analyzed Tezuka's entire playstyle down to the smallest detail—not only what he'd shown in the exhibition match but even techniques he hadn't displayed yet. No doubt Bertie's data collection had a hand in that.
"15–15!"
Under QP's constant pressure, Tezuka made a small mistake, allowing his opponent to seize another point. Considering their clear gap in all five attributes, the fact that Tezuka had managed to endure this long was impressive in itself.
Now, with both his signature techniques completely sealed off, Tezuka found himself cornered. And from the way QP had been behaving earlier, it was clear—he had a counter prepared for the Zero Shiki Serve as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have simply allowed those earlier aces without reason.
Though Tezuka's expression remained calm, his longtime teammates from Fudomine could see the strain beneath the surface. They had never seen Tezuka struggle this much—not even during his training matches against Akashi.
No matter how tenaciously he fought, the result didn't change. QP's shots landed exactly where Tezuka was most uncomfortable, forcing him to focus just on absorbing the impact. Adding his signature spin was practically impossible under that pressure.
"30–15!"
"40–15!"
"40–30!"
"Game! Germany! 3–4!"
As the match entered another changeover, a small bird suddenly flew into the stadium. QP casually extended his hand, letting it perch on his finger.
For the first time, his expression softened. He looked gently at the bird, a faint smile touching his lips. The sight was unexpectedly peaceful—almost serene.