Dai Moroboshi tugged at the corner of his mouth, giving a bitter yet accepting smile. "Losing to a team with a 'monster' like you isn't too embarrassing."
"Keep going, for Aichi too. I hope you go even farther, all the way to the end."
His gaze swept over the Shohoku players, lingering on Kaede Rukawa for a moment as he nodded, before finally settling on Takenori Akagi, who stood at the sideline with someone supporting him. "Akagi, take care of that injury. I look forward to another chance to play against you."
With that, he lingered no longer and turned toward his silent teammates.
His back remained straight, carrying an ace's pride. Even in defeat, his spine had not bent.
Ryota Kudo watched Dai Moroboshi walk away, then looked at his cheering teammates around him-Sakuragi, sprawled on the floor in exhaustion and grinning foolishly; Miyagi, gesturing excitedly at Ayako; Rukawa, silently drinking water with bright eyes; Akagi, surrounded by teammates asking about his injury; and Mitsui and Kogure, hugging each other in excitement...
Deep within his body, waves of stabbing pain and emptiness still lingered from forcing himself to copy and attempting to enter the Zone. Every heartbeat tugged at his exhausted nerves.
Yet another, more powerful force was breaking out of the ruins of that pain-an iron will tempered by blood and fire, proof that he had crushed a formidable opponent with his own hands, the searing brand of a victor.
He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce the arena's clamorous dome and turn toward a more distant, fiercer battlefield.
The fires of the National Tournament had only just been lit.
"Somewhere farther..." Ryota Kudo murmured, the corners of his mouth slowly rising into a sharp curve. Sweat dripped along his jaw and struck the maplewood floor,