Hearing Muneyoshi say that luck wasn't on his side, Amadeus didn't seem to care.
He simply walked back behind his own receiving line.
To him, his own strength was the greatest source of luck and confidence.
When both players had taken their positions, the referee above the net raised a hand and announced:
"The second singles match begins. Best of three sets. Japan Team's Saeki Muneyoshi will serve first."
Whoosh!
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Muneyoshi tossed the tennis ball above his head without hesitation.
The immense power hidden within him surged into action as his muscles twisted.
Against a professional player like Amadeus, who had beaten him before, Muneyoshi wasn't about to hold back.
His strongest serve, Light Shadow Fleeting, seemed impossible to handle to anyone facing it for the first time, but Amadeus had already figured it out once.
Muneyoshi knew it wouldn't work on him, so he wasn't going to hand him an easy ball.
Besides, after his match against Polk, Muneyoshi had gained a deep understanding of how professionals played. And after absorbing everything from Echizen Ryoga, he was still improving in every way.
Under these circumstances, even the simplest moves had an almost effortless, back-to-basics quality to them.
Darkness and light churned around the tennis ball before a black-and-red racket smashed it away in a flash.
Thwack!
The impact boomed like thunder!
Amadeus's gaze shifted slightly. Saeki Muneyoshi's serve hadn't caught him off guard.
He had been watching Muneyoshi's every move from the beginning. Since Muneyoshi's match against Polk, he had watched that game hundreds of times.
Even if Muneyoshi used one of his other signature serves, he wouldn't be able to fool him.
Tap, tap...
The professionalism of the game kept Amadeus focused, and his feet moved without the slightest hesitation.
He