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The Aoba Johsai gym buzzed with a tense, electric silence as both teams stepped onto the court, sneakers squeaking faintly against the polished hardwood.
The gleam of the floor reflected the harsh white lights above, illuminating every movement like a stage.
Karasuno's lineup was solidified after a week of relentless training: front row—Hinata as wing spiker, Tsukishima as middle blocker, Daichi as the second wing spiker; back row—Kageyama as setter, Ennoshita on the left, and Tanaka rotating in as middle blocker. Each player exuded focus. Every breath seemed calculated, every eye sharp.
Across the net stood Aoba Johsai. Their formation had shifted slightly without their star setter, Oikawa, who was absent for reasons only vaguely whispered.
In his place, Yahaba stood tall, trying to mask the weight of expectation. Kindaichi manned the middle, with Kunimi flanking as wing spiker. Matsukawa and Hanamaki filled the middle blocker roles, Iwaizumi holding down the opposite wing, and Watari ready at libero—still a formidable roster despite their missing captain.
The air crackled with anticipation.
"That's their front row?" Yahaba muttered toward Kindaichi, squinting at the orange-haired player. "The short one's… weird. He looks like he shouldn't be here."
Kindaichi frowned, arms crossed. "He's what—170cm? Barely. But… something's off. He moves like he knows more than he lets on."
Kunimi yawned, lazily eyeing the opposing side. "Doesn't matter. We'll crush them quick."
At the baseline, Tanaka bounced the ball with a grin, the rhythmic thud, thud, thud echoing across the court. "Time to show these pretty boys what Karasuno's made of," he muttered.
With a final breath, he tossed it high, , and swung—BOOM—the ball whistled through the air and slammed toward Kunimi.
Smack!
Watari dropped low, arms out, receiving it cleanly with a slide that scraped his knee pads against the floor. Shhhk! The ball arced toward Yahaba.
"High set!" Yahaba called, his fingers flicking a perfect loop to Matsukawa.
Thwack!
Matsukawa spiked hard.
Smack!
Daichi leapt, arms up, but the ball nicked his fingertips and shot past his shoulder.
Boom!
The ball slammed into Karasuno's court.
"Point, Aoba Johsai!" the referee announced. 0-1.
Daichi landed and gave his hands a shake. "My bad. Let's reset. We've got this." His voice was calm, but his eyes burned with intent.
Karasuno regrouped. On the opposite side, Yahaba stepped up, spinning the ball once before serving. He sent a floater across—fwip—low and deceptive.
Smack!
Ennoshita dove, popping it up just enough.
"Left!" Kageyama barked, hands moving in a blur.
He set—a toss to the wing.
Hinata exploded off the floor.
Shoom!
His body seemed to hang in the air for a split second before he torqued his shoulders and spiked.
CRACK!
The ball shot through the narrowest gap between Kindaichi and Matsukawa's block.
Boom! It smacked the floor with brutal force.
Point Karasuno. 1-1.
"YEAAAAHH!!" Tanaka hollered, slapping Hinata on the back. "Threaded the needle, baby!"
Kindaichi stared at the spot where the ball had landed. "How the hell—?"
Yahaba clenched his jaw, thoughts racing. That speed… how does he move like that?
Kageyama stepped to the baseline, spinning the ball with his fingertips. His gaze locked onto Kunimi like a sniper. Flick—the toss went up, and Kageyama smashed it.
BOOM!
The ball flew like a missile.
Thump!
Kunimi flinched, his arms absorbing the blow, but the receive was off. It veered left and out of bounds.
"Service ace! Karasuno leads, 2-1!"
The next rally surged forward—Kageyama served again, a clean, arcing shot.
Thud!
Watari received smoothly this time.
Yahaba pushed a quick set to Hanamaki, who smashed a sharp angle spike.
Wham!
Tsukishima leapt.
Smack!
His fingertips deflected it. The ball popped back over the net.
Skrrt!
Watari dove to save it. Yahaba redirected, this time to Kindaichi.
Hinata read the play, eyes narrowing.
Flick—BOOM! He blocked cleanly, arms tight, the ball dropping on Aoba Johsai's side. 3-1.
"Yeahhh!" Tanaka shouted. "We got a wall and a springboard in one guy!"
But the next serve was off. Kageyama's toss floated too far back—fwump!—and the ball sailed out.
"Out of bounds, point Aoba Johsai!" 3-2.
Aoba Johsai stepped up, snapping a serve at Tanaka's feet.
Thwack!
Tanaka received, a little off-center, but manageable.
Kageyama hustled in, setting clean to Daichi.
WHAM!
Daichi spiked, but Matsukawa's block caught it—CRACK!—sending it straight back. 3-3.
The game tightened like a knot, each point a brutal struggle.
Hinata leapt, BOOM!—4-3, his spike slipping past Kindaichi's hands into the far corner.
CRACK!—6-4, another slam, this time through Hanamaki's delayed jump. Watari dived—too late.
Tsukishima stuffed a spike at 9-6—THWACK!—hands solid above the net.
Daichi pounded another point through, calling out, "Keep the pressure up!" as the score climbed to 11-7.
With the rotation, Karasuno's front row became a beast—Hinata, Tsukishima, Kageyama up front. Tanaka rotated back, eyes gleaming.
Yahaba served , gunning for Ennoshita.
Smack!
The ball bobbled off his arms, but stayed alive.
"Mine!" Kageyama called, diving in to set.
Hinata launched. Swoosh—BOOM! He crushed the spike right past Kindaichi, who didn't even raise his hands. 12-7.
On the sidelines, Sugawara leaned in, murmuring to Kiyoko, "He's unreal. That timing—he's faster than ever."
Kiyoko nodded, scribbling on her clipboard. He's not just fast. He's evolved.
Aoba Johsai answered back.
Crack! Kunimi's feint tipped just over Tanaka's hands, 12-8.
Thud! Matsukawa blocked Tanaka's spike, trimming it to 13-9.
But Karasuno's wall held.
BOOM!
Tsukishima's block at 15-9.
CRACK!
Hinata hammered a triple block, the ball whizzing past their arms—17-10.
Tanaka cheered from the back, fists pumping. "They can't touch us!"
Kageyama served again—FWIP—BOOM! Watari mishandled it, and the ball spun away. 18-10.
Hinata jumped for a block—SLAM!—stopping Kindaichi cold.
Tsukishima scored next, spiking between Yahaba and Watari—22-12.
But Aoba Johsai refused to fold.
Hanamaki's ace clipped the tape—PING!—and dropped just past Ennoshita. 22-13.
Kindaichi's spike broke through Tanaka's block, bouncing off the floor—23-14.
Karasuno rallied.
The scoreboard glared: 24-15. Set point.
Daichi clapped. "One more! Let's finish this!"
Hinata walked to the baseline, spinning the ball slowly in his hand. His breathing was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
On the other side, Aoba Johsai's formation tightened.
Yahaba narrowed his eyes. He's been killing us all game. Can he serve too?
Hinata bounced the ball once. Twice. The gym held its breath.
Whump. Whump.
He inhaled, spotted Kunimi's slightly forward stance—too far right. Weak spot.
Throw.
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Power Stones 💪 ⭐ 🪨