He ignored the cheers outside the court and paid no mind to whether Japan had made history.
Muneyoshi put away his racket and walked slowly to the net.
Across from him, Amadeus had suffered a heavy blow to his spirit. After standing silent and dazed for a moment, he, too, slowly walked to the net.
His expression was grave, and sweat kept trickling down his forehead.
Still, Amadeus was a professional. Though he was in pain, he managed to suppress it after taking a moment to recover.
His expression soon returned to calm. He silently watched Muneyoshi, then held out his hand.
"Could you tell me what you call that final move?"
His tone was sincere. He would likely remember forever the move that had dealt such a blow to his spirit.
Muneyoshi was taken aback by the question. He hadn't expected Amadeus to ask, and he didn't have an answer.
He had created the move by absorbing Echizen Ryoga's All Things Are Impermanent and Unrivaled Through Ages, then combining them with his own path. He hadn't had time to give it a name.
After thinking it over, Muneyoshi ventured, "What do you think of 'Heat Haze'?"
Amadeus's eye twitched at that.
Apparently oblivious to his reaction, Muneyoshi continued, "Or maybe 'Ultimate Supreme—Dance of the Heat Haze' would work..."
Amadeus's expression darkened again. He gave Muneyoshi's hand a light shake, then turned and headed straight for his team's resting area.
"I hope we can face each other again on the pro circuit."
Watching Amadeus walk away, Muneyoshi smiled and nodded. "I don't think that day is far off."
After the referee and staff enthusiastically announced the end of the match, Japan once again seemed to have taken on the role of a dark horse, just as they had two