After the brief encounter with Ushiwaka, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Aone, Hinata headed toward the court where the Karasuno players were already warming up, with the Karasuno crowd looking pretty big considering it wasn't a semifinal or final match.
"Hinata! Hurry up and start warming up with the others!" Ukai ordered, holding a ball since he was spiking it for the players to practice their receives.
"Got it!" Hinata agreed, jumping into the receiving line.
"Your turn, Hinata!" Ukai said as he spiked the ball toward him.
"No problem!" Hinata replied, flicking his wrist toward the ball and making a clean receive before heading to the back of the line behind Daichi. After a quick glance to the side, he caught a glimpse of Wakutani's spiking warm-ups, with Takeru leaping for an impressive spike given his height
.
"This Little Giant thing is really cool! He manages to be an Ace despite everything…" Hinata said thoughtfully. He figured being tall was better for volleyball for obvious reasons, but being an Ace at a strong school despite a short stature was, in his view, something to admire.
"Well, I don't know much about his skills, but from what Ukai-san said, he's gotta have a lot of technique and a good vertical jump. For me, though, the ideal is having a ton of skill. I think it'd be tricky to set for a Little Giant who only knows how to jump…" Kageyama weighed in, hand on his chin.
"Alright, everyone! This is where our journey to nationals begins. It won't be easy—as you all know, we'll have to get past Shiratorizawa—but that's not the point right now. It's one game at a time, so for now, let's focus on the opponent in front of us. And again, we can't underestimate them. They want to go to nationals just as much as we do. Go out there and win!" Ukai said.
"Yes!" everyone shouted in unison, and right after, the players took their positions.
"Looks like this time, the coach decided to start with Asahi instead of Tsukishima," Akiteru said, sitting with Shimada, Saeko, and Yachi, who couldn't stay on the bench.
"Yeah, Wakutani's known for their solid receives and defense. Maybe he thinks going all out on attack is the best move—though it's debatable since Tsukishima's better than Asahi at blocking, and that Takeru Nakashima could end up being a problem," Shimada analyzed.
The game was about to start when Hanayama, Wakutani's setter, stepped up to serve.
"Whoa! That guy totally gives off a vibe like yours, Asahi. Like you always say, he's got that wild style!" Hinata said, eyeing the opposing setter, who honestly looked older than he probably was.
"At least he doesn't seem like a potato like Asahi-san!" Tanaka said, cracking up.
"Why would I be a potato, and what does that even mean?" Asahi asked, confused.
"Okay, people! Let's focus!" Daichi warned as he watched the ref whistle to start the match, with Hanayama serving toward Karasuno's court.
"It's mine!" Daichi said, receiving it and sending the pass to Kageyama.
"Nice receive!" Kageyama said, glancing to the side and already anticipating what was coming:
Karasuno's synchronized attack. They'd recently gotten into the habit of starting games with these, and after the ball left Kageyama's hands, it went to Hinata, who faked a hit and let it pass to Daichi at the back of the court. It caught Wakutani off guard—they weren't expecting a back-row attack—and as Daichi jumped, he saw the middle blocker's late block, too slow to touch the ball after Daichi's spike hit Shiroishi's arms and went out.
1-0 Karasuno.
"Nice, Daichi-san! That was an awesome back-row attack!" Hinata praised, patting Daichi's shoulders.
"Yeah, but I can only pull off a back-row attack in synchronized plays. They're not like yours," Daichi noted.
"Doesn't matter, Daichi-san! It's another weapon in the arsenal!" Tanaka said, walking by to grab the ball and head to the serving position before sending it toward Wakutani's court.
"It's mine!" Shiroishi said, receiving it for Wakutani's team.
"Great receive! Send it to me!" Takeru called, grinning at Hanayama.
"Go for it!" Hanayama agreed, setting the ball for Takeru, who faced a block from Hinata and Asahi. They tried their best to close off the angle, but Takeru skillfully shifted his spike, hitting the side of Hinata's hands, which couldn't stop it.
1-1 Tie.
"Blocking that kind of attacker is seriously tricky!" Hinata observed.
"Yeah, it's pretty annoying dealing with the angles of his spikes…" Asahi agreed, sighing.
"See that, guys? We can win! Just keep doing this!" Takeru said, hyping up his team and taunting Karasuno's players.
"It's fine! You'll block it eventually! We just need to stay calm, and we'll win!" Daichi countered, then locked eyes with Takeru in a silent staring battle.
"Kageyama… on the next attack, I'd like to try my new skill," Asahi said, stepping closer to Kageyama.
"Sure, Asahi-san!" Kageyama agreed. After Kawatabi's serve was easily received by Nishinoya, Kageyama got under the ball and set it mid-net for Asahi, who delayed his timing by a few seconds. It threw off Wakutani's block, who jumped at the usual pace, leaving the path clear for Asahi to leap and slam the ball down.
2-1 Karasuno.
"Wait! The synchronized attack, and now this weird bearded guy move? Looks like Karasuno's full of new tricks!" a guy in the stands remarked.
"Well, after losing in the finals, they weren't just gonna sit around and wait for another defeat!" another guy replied.