Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

On the third day of Spring Nationals, the gruelling doubleheader that pushed players to their physical limits had reached its final set. Every athlete on the court had given their all to make it this far.

Win this match, and the victors would advance to the semifinals.

The decisive third set between Aoba Johsai and Fukurōdani Academy was about to begin!

Fukurōdani's lineup:

Front row—Middle Blocker Onaga Wataru, Setter Akaashi Keiji, Outside Hitter Bokuto Kōtarō.

Back row—Outside Hitter Sarukui Yamato, Outside Hitter Konoha Akinori and Middle Blocker Washio Tatsuki (Libero: Komi Haruki).

Aoba Johsai's lineup:

Front row—Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Middle Blocker Kindaichi Yūtarō, Outside Hitter Iwaizumi Hajime.

Back row—Outside Hitter Kunimi Akira, Middle Blocker Matsukawa Issei (Libero: Watari Shinji) and Setter Oikawa Tōru.

"As expected, Aoba Johsai is starting off with their powerhouse server, Oikawa!"

Oikawa tossed the ball into the air—it felt just right.

BOOM!!!

"Right from the start, it's a full-force jump serve! Fukurōdani's reception is disrupted!"

"Just getting the ball up took everything Komi had!"

"Cover!" Komi Haruki shouted.

"I got it!" Konoha Akinori sprinted past the baseline. It was impressive that Komi had even managed to keep the ball in play.

It was the final set of the match. No matter how exhausted they were, these monsters only seemed to be getting sharper.

Matches between evenly matched opponents like this were rare. So forget about everything else—just throw yourself into the game and experience the purest joy of volleyball.

Konoha laughed. Turns out, there were a lot more weirdos like Bokuto out there.

"Bokuto!"

Konoha caught up to the ball's trajectory and leapt, keeping his arms steady. He was enjoying this too.

Whoosh!—

A long pass from beyond the baseline soared perfectly toward the net.

Bokuto Kōtarō sprinted into position and took off.

Boom!!!—

"Triple block!" Kaedehara Taichi, Kindaichi Yūtarō, and Iwaizumi Hajime jumped together.

Smack!

"Touch!" Taichi called out.

"A fantastic touch! Bokuto's usually unstoppable cross-court shot was read perfectly by Kaedehara!"

Kunimi Akira coolly set the ball high to the right wing. Oikawa Tōru launched himself from the back row.

Boom!

"Fukurōdani's blockers didn't react in time—Oikawa goes for a back-row attack!"

Smack!

Konoha, scrambling, barely got his arms under the ball. Komi rushed in to send it back to the front.

"They're still attacking?! Bokuto jumps in the front row..."

"It's a rebound shot!"

"Aoba Johsai's blockers anticipated it, but Bokuto's handwork is incredibly precise!"

The ball deflected back into Fukurōdani's court.

"Chance ball!" Komi's pass was right on target. Akaashi Keiji jumped in the front row.

Would he set it to Bokuto again? Go for a setter dump? Or set to Onaga on the left?

Taichi suddenly halted. Akaashi's form was perfect—there was no way to tell. But if he was going for a dump or a left-side attack, the tempo would be faster. For Bokuto, it would be a high set, giving Aoba Johsai plenty of time to adjust their defence...

Akaashi glanced at Aoba Johsai's formation. It felt like they had already read his mind. If he wanted to play it safe, setting to Bokuto was the best option.

But—

Whoosh!—

Playing it safe wouldn't win them this match.

Akaashi sent the ball leftward. Onaga Wataru jumped immediately.

—Swish!

Taichi's hands shot up in front of him.

He had seen this coming...

Before even jumping, Taichi's presence alone was terrifying. Every spike Onaga had visualized in his mind involved Taichi's blocking looming over him.

—Smack!

Onaga avoided the block and aimed his spike wide—

"Out!"

Onaga's quick attack went out of bounds.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 0 Fukurōdani]

"Onaga, you bailed out way too early!" Konoha shouted from the back row.

"Sorry!!" Onaga's face turned bright red. He had focused too much on avoiding the block and completely lost control of his spike.

"Stay focused. Next point," Washio encouraged.

"Right!"

Oikawa prepared for his second serve.

Boom!—

Another powerful jump serve—Konoha received it.

Akaashi set to the right wing. Bokuto leapt, and Aoba Johsai's blockers followed.

Boom!—

Smack!

Even though the players were getting into a better rhythm, the relentless intensity of the match had taken its toll. Their jumps weren't quite as high as before, and their ball control was beginning to slip.

Perhaps, in this final set, blocking would decide the game.

"Touch!" Kindaichi called out.

Bokuto's spike was still powerful, but he had intentionally aimed for the block. The ball ricocheted far out of bounds.

Watari sprinted after it but couldn't save it in time.

Bokuto scored off the block touch.

[Aoba Johsai 1 – 1 Fukurōdani]

"Oikawa-senpai, you haven't scored a single service ace in this match, have you?" Kaedehara Taichi suddenly turned around and asked.

"Uh…..." Oikawa Tōru stiffened.

Of course, this had to do with the serve rotations, and Fukurōdani had clearly been targeting his and Taichi's serves more aggressively than anyone else's.

However, the fact remained—Kaedehara Taichi had managed to score directly off his serve.

"You haven't even used a jump float in this set. After seeing how good their libero is, you've been fixated on winning points straight from their hands, haven't you?"

"S-stop talking about it…."

"Oikawa-senpai, our goal is to win the championship, isn't it?"

"Ugh…I know…." Oikawa begrudgingly admitted, unable to refute him.

The rest of Aoba Johsai's players listened silently as Taichi lectured Oikawa—none of them spoke up.

Normally, the only person who could rein in Oikawa was Iwaizumi Hajime.

But during matches, as long as Oikawa didn't get carried away, he was undeniably one of the best players on the court. Very few could outperform him, and as a result, no one ever nitpicked over these finer details.

But Kaedehara Taichi could.

With only a few exceptions, everyone in the team could feel his complete immersion in the game. He was one of the rare players who, in some aspects, could surpass even Oikawa Tōru.

And besides—this wasn't just mere 'criticism'.

This was a threat, wrapped in trust.

—I believe you can do better.

There was no way Oikawa could deny that himself.

-----

The serve rotated—Fukurōdani's turn.

Onaga Wataru stepped up to the service line. Throughout this match, he had realized—again and again—that his serve was the weakest among all the players on the court. And that shame would linger until the day his serve became a threat to the opponents across the net.

Bang!

"Chance ball!"

Kunimi Akira's first touch sent the ball straight toward the net. Kaedehara Taichi leaped into the air.

"Double block!" Akaashi Keiji and Bokuto Kōtarō closed in from the left.

Even knowing that Taichi might feint, who in their right mind would dare leave him undefended at the net? Not even a single blocker was safe enough.

BOOM!

The ball flew past Akaashi's left side, striking Onaga's forearm before bouncing out of bounds.

With Komi Haruki out of this rotation, he was enough to handle it alone.

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a powerful spike.

[Aoba Johsai 2 – 1 Fukurōdani]

The serve returned to Aoba Johsai. Iwaizumi Hajime stepped up to the service line.

Boom!

When serving, go all out!

Smack!

Komi Haruki received the ball. His arms were already reddened—after constantly handling Aoba Johsai's powerful jump serves, they were starting to go numb.

Akaashi filled in, setting up a synchronized attack—Fukurōdani's entire offence was in motion!

"Kindaichi! Right side!"

Bang!

Smack!

The ball sailed past Bokuto's reach, heading straight for Washio Tatsuki on the right.

Since Fukurōdani was launching an all-out offensive, Taichi had bet on Akaashi not setting to their ace.

"One touch!" Kindaichi Yūtarō shouted.

Unfortunately, he was a fraction of a second too slow—though he managed to soften the attack, he couldn't fully stop it.

"I got it!" Iwaizumi dove and saved the ball.

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi took off from the middle. Every. Single. Ball. Must be at full power!

"Triple block!" Akaashi, Bokuto, and Washio formed an iron wall in front of him.

They didn't even leave him a small cross-court angle to exploit.

But—

For the first time, Bokuto Kōtarō saw Taichi's contact point above his own block.

BOOM!

The ball slammed into Fukurōdani's court, bouncing high into the air.

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a powerful high-point spike.

[Aoba Johsai 3 – 1 Fukurōdani]

Aoba Johsai was on a scoring streak!

For the first time in all three sets, they had taken the lead at the start!

_________

[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!

Link - /Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]