Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

"The first point of this match! A block from Aoba Johsai's ace, Kaedehara Taichi!!"

"Against Nekoma's middle blocker, Haiba Lev, who stands at an impressive 196 cm, first-year ace Taichi has completely shut him down with his height and timing!!!"

"Lev! Don't let it get to you, you just didn't notice him!" Kuroo Tetsurō called out encouragingly.

"Eh?! Eh?!!"

Up in the stands, Haiba Lev's older sister, Alisa, let out a shocked exclamation.

"What was that just now? Amazing!! That guy actually blocked Levochka's (her nickname for Lev) attack at such a height?!!"

"Tch, a bunch of annoying guys…" Elsewhere in the audience, Nohebi's captain, Daishō Suguru, was also watching the match with his girlfriend.

One team was Aoba Johsai, the squad that had eliminated his team at Nationals. The other was Nekoma, the team that had defeated them in the Spring High qualifying rounds.

No matter which side lost, Suguru was eager to see their expressions of frustration.

Yamaka Mika, sitting beside him, noticed his conflicted expression and smiled knowingly. "Suguru, can you explain that play? It looked really impressive."

"Huh? Oh!" Daishō Suguru scratched his head awkwardly.

"Aoba Johsai's No. 1 has an incredible serve, and it's clear he was targeting Nekoma's setter."

"But I didn't expect that laid-back setter, Kozume Kenma, to step up and receive the ball himself. His technique is solid—he read the trajectory of the serve perfectly on the very first play."

"Then their libero sent the ball back toward the net, and that tall middle blocker went up for the attack…Up until that point, Nekoma's response to Oikawa Tōru's serve was practically flawless…"

"But what they didn't expect—" Suguru gaze locked onto the player wearing Aoba Johsai's No. 10 jersey.

"—is that he's gotten even stronger. His ability to read passing routes, predict blocking timing, and jump ahead of the play…He completely shut down Nekoma's counterattack with a solo block."

"There's that much to analyze in just a single play? You're amazing, Suguru!" Mika's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Haha…Well, a lot of it comes from years of training and instincts," Suguru replied, scratching his head shyly.

-----

Aoba Johsai continued their serve.

"Oikawa-senpai, another one!"

Oikawa Tōru strode to the service line, unfazed.

He hadn't noticed it during their previous practice match, but this setter, Kozume Kenma—whom he had mentally categorized alongside Kunimi Akira as lethargic—actually had such solid reception skills.

As expected of Nekoma, huh?

Oikawa tossed the ball into the air.

"Oh—hey!"

BOOM!!—

Adding even more power than before, the serve once again rocketed toward Nekoma's back row.

"I got it!"

Yaku Morisuke swiftly positioned himself.

At the very least, for Nekoma, "one more serve" wasn't an option!

SMACK!

The ball rebounded high into the air.

Kenma jogged toward the centre, quietly waiting for the ball to descend.

"You really can't tell where he's going to set it," Oikawa observed inwardly. Aside from his lack of energy, Kenma was undoubtedly an exceptional setter.

—Whoosh!

The ball flew toward the right side. To avoid facing Kaedehara Taichi head-on, Kenma had chosen not to set to Lev.

Nobuyuki Kai leaped for the spike.

"Double block!" Kindaichi Yūtarō and Kyōtani Kentarō jumped up.

Smack!

"Touch!" Kindaichi shouted.

Wataru Shinji received the ball cleanly.

Without hesitation, Oikawa sent the ball high to the left wing—there was no need for Taichi to avoid anyone.

Boom!

Charging in from the back row, Kaedehara Taichi soared into the air.

"Triple block!" Lev, Yamamoto Taketora, and Nobuyuki lined up against him.

BANG!

Taichi aimed for the outer edge of Lev's hands and smashed the ball down.

So heavy!

Only then did Lev realize—the sheer force behind Taichi's spike was far, far greater than his own!

The ball ricocheted out of bounds, but a figure was already sprinting after it.

Smack! Fukunaga Shōhei dived and sent the ball back toward the setter's zone.

"What a brilliant defensive play! It's as if Nekoma had anticipated the ball would deflect off the block and out of bounds—they were already prepared!" the commentator, Aoi, praised.

Kenma set the ball to the middle. Yamamoto roared as he jumped and slammed the ball down.

Boom!

Smack!

"Aoba Johsai's defence isn't falling behind either—Wataru Shinji with a beautiful dig."

Oikawa leapt, setting once again to the left.

Taichi jumped, Nekoma's defense staying right on him. He glanced at their back-row positioning.

"So cautious, Kenma…"

Taichi spiked a straight shot past Lev's left side.

SMACK!

Kenma received it. But—

The ball veered off toward the sidelines.

Fukunaga dashed out to save it again, but this time, the ball didn't have enough height for him to return it.

Thud, thud, thud…

The ball hit the floor.

[Aoba Johsai 2 – 0 Nekoma]

"So that's the spin of a left-handed hitter?" Kenma mused, feeling out the unique rotation.

After their victory in the first round yesterday, Nekoma had studied Aoba Johsai extensively, with Kaedehara Taichi as their primary research target.

In every available match recording, Kenma had discovered something both fascinating and terrifying—Kaedehara Taichi was constantly evolving.

The stronger his opponents, the more he adapted and grew…

But simply worrying about the unknown wouldn't help them move forward. Kenma had done his best to prepare for Taichi's existing techniques.

He just needed a little time to adjust.

Oikawa served again.

Boom!

Since power serves weren't yielding results, he switched tactics.

A slow-floating jump float serve wobbled toward Haiba Lev.

"Ah…this!" The tension in the air shifted as the spectators noticed Lev's hesitation.

"Lev! Hands up, lift it higher!" Yaku yelled as Kenma had already moved in to cover.

Smack!

As expected, the ball still slipped through Lev's hands, flying backwards.

Kenma lunged forward, crouching low to bump the ball to the centre.

Yamamoto barely managed to spike it over.

Smack!

Oikawa received it effortlessly, sending it high above the right wing.

A sudden quick attack—Kyōtani jumped and hammered the ball down.

Smack!

Yaku reacted swiftly, digging the ball cleanly.

"This guy…He's even more of a menace than Japan's U-19 libero!" Oikawa clicked his tongue in frustration.

Finally, Kenma got a perfect reception—something that should be a common sight for Nekoma.

He took a subtle step to the right, his gaze flickering toward Nobuyuki Kai.

Kindaichi, reading Kenma's eyes, shifted toward the right as well.

"Kindaichi!" Taichi shouted.

Whoosh!—

The ball left Kenma's hands—heading left!

Kenma hardly moved, so even the slightest gesture made defenders react…

Kindaichi's block had been pulled away!

Yamamoto jumped, Taichi blocking in front of him.

But—

This was the second layer of misdirection!

The ball sailed over Yamamoto's head, and a towering figure appeared in midair.

Boom!

Haiba Lev, using his full reach, smashed the ball down—finally scoring Nekoma's first point!

[Aoba Johsai 2 – 1 Nekoma]

"Kenma! Your movements are sharper than usual! Is it just because the game has just started? Is it really just the beginning?!!"

Yamamoto Taketora, fortunate enough to be one of the decoys, shouted excitedly as he 'motivated' Kozume Kenma.

"Shut up…" Kenma replied helplessly.

Kaedehara Taichi landed on the ground, slightly stunned.

Kenma had actually set up two layers of decoys in a single attack, completely clearing the obstacles in front of the spiker.

"Taichi, I never planned to take you on one-on-one," Kenma murmured.

Immediately, a series of gazes locked onto Kaedehara Taichi.

"If I'm treating you as the Boss, then of course I'll gather a party of heroes to challenge you."

"Taichi, your opponent is the entire Nekoma team."

Feeling the attention of Nekoma's entire lineup on him, Kaedehara Taichi grinned.

"What an honour!"

———

Serve switch—Nekoma to serve.

Lev Haiba could only perform a standing float serve.

"Chance ball!" Watari Shinji shouted, easily receiving the serve.

Kaedehara Taichi had already leapt up on the left wing.

Even though Yamamoto Taketora had his eyes locked on Taichi the whole time, he still couldn't keep up with his speed.

Kenma shifted slightly toward the left in defence.

—Whoosh!

The ball was set high to the right wing.

Kyōtani Kentarō sprinted in from the sideline, leaping into the air.

Boom!

Even a double block couldn't stop his cross-court spike.

Kiyotani Kentarō scores.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 1 Nekoma]

"Nekoma's opponent is supposed to be Aoba Johsai, isn't it?" Oikawa Tōru said as he stood beside Kaedehara Taichi.

This was what made Seijoh so difficult to deal with.

Aoba Johsai still had a beast of an attacker, one whose offensive style was simple yet relentless. Even if Nekoma lost just one defender, they would struggle to stop him.

———

Aoba Johsai to serve.

Kyōtani Kentarō unleashed another powerful jump serve.

"I got it!" Yaku Morisuke received the ball.

Kenma set it to the left wing.

Yamamoto Taketora roared as he leapt up and slammed the ball down.

Boom!

"Double block!" Iwaizumi Hajime and Kaedehara Taichi jumped.@@novelbin@@

No matter who was blocking, Yamamoto's sheer power wouldn't be easy to break through.

Smack!

"One touch!"

Kaedehara Taichi shouted, landing and sprinting toward the right wing.

"Again?"

But this time, the one blocking on the right was Kuroo Tetsurō. Nekoma's front line remained composed.

Boom!

A sharp cross-court spike from Iwaizumi Hajime flew past the right side of the blockers.

However, Lev Haiba managed to dig it up!

Still, his reception was unstable—the ball was about to fly over the net—

At that instant!

Kuroo Tetsurō leapt and smashed it back down!

Kaedehara Taichi was right there, waiting to block.

Bang!

Kuroo adjusted mid-air, avoiding the block and spiking the ball past the hands of the defence.

The ball struck Kyōtani Kentarō's arm and ricocheted out.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 2 Nekoma]

"Well? Taichi, do you like that spike of mine?" Kuroo smirked.

"Of course, Kuroo-senpai," Taichi responded with a calm smile.

—"Heh…"

The way the two of them laughed sent a shiver down their teammates' spines.

Kuroo turned back, signalling to his teammates, his expression now serious.

This Aoba Johsai…is way tougher than before.

They were completely different from the team they had faced in practice matches—not just in technique, but in their composure.

Even after conceding a point, not a single player seemed shaken…

———

BOOM!

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a high-contact spike over Yamamoto Taketora and Nobuyuki Kai.

"Although Haiba's technique is still a bit rough, once he rotates to the back row, Nekoma's blocking becomes noticeably weaker!"

[Aoba Johsai 4 – 2 Nekoma]

BOOM!!

"This spike ricocheted off Kuroo's arm and flew far out of bounds!"

"Yamamoto was positioned deep, but he still couldn't save it!"

"Kaedehara Taichi has single-handedly broken through Nekoma's defence!!"

[Aoba Johsai 5 – 2 Nekoma]

"Don't worry! Stay calm!" Kuroo reassured his teammates.

Nekoma had always been a slow-starting team. But today, with Kenma unusually energized, their engine was already running at full speed.

Still, facing this version of Aoba Johsai, they struggled to find their rhythm.

If they let the point gap widen too much before settling in, it would be hard to recover.

———

Kindaichi Yūtarō to serve.

Yamamoto Taketora delivered a perfect first touch.

As a power attacker, he had endured countless drills to improve his receiving skills.

After all, for Nekoma's 'brain' to function smoothly, such sacrifices were necessary.

Kenma's gaze flicked toward the right side—Fukunaga Shōhei.

Aoba Johsai's front line consisted of Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime, and Kaedehara Taichi—three composed players who wouldn't recklessly overcommit.

But then, the ball was actually set to the right side!

"No problem! We can follow it!"

Iwaizumi and Taichi moved in sync, crossing steps as they rushed toward Fukunaga.

Smack!

The ball traced a high arc through the air, dropping behind Kyōtani Kentarō.

"Line shot!"

"A precise and sharp angle from Nekoma's second year, Fukunaga Shōhei!!"

"The ball landed right on Aoba Johsai's baseline—more than half of it outside the court! Impossible to defend!!"

[Aoba Johsai 5 – 3 Nekoma]

"Don't mind it! Don't mind it! That was a total lucky shot," Iwaizumi called out.

Still, despite his words, there was no denying the fact that Kenma had once again fooled their blockers.

Although they hadn't been completely shaken off, even a moment of hesitation was enough to lose the best timing for a block…

_________

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