Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

"Bokuto-senpai, now that the little rookie you were looking after is off the court, can you finally go all out?" Kaedehara Taichi straightened his posture, stepping forward slightly. A glimmer of both provocation and anticipation flickered in his gaze.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing what you've learned in the pros."

Yūki Yōji turned his head in disbelief. "Taichi-senpai, are you saying that Bokuto-senpai wasn't going all out before?" But…he was already that strong?!

"It's not exactly that." A subtle, confident smile tugged at the corner of Kaedehara Taichi's lips. "Of course, every spike Bokuto-senpai hits is at full power. However—"

"When that rookie was still on the court, wasn't Bokuto-senpai constantly feeding him the ball?"

Akaashi Keiji: "???"

Wait…Bokuto-senpai actually thought about something like that? And I didn't even notice?!

"Well, it'd be exhausting for Akaashi to handle all the newcomers alone," Bokuto Kōtarō said with an almost sheepish grin, as if he had been caught secretly doing a good deed. "Since I'm back, I figured I'd help him keep an eye on things! After all, I was Fukurodani's former captain!"

Taichi gave an approving nod. Even Bokuto could consider the team's needs like this…Meanwhile, a certain former captain of Aoba Johsai had bolted overseas before even graduating.

"Taichi! Let's settle this with a one-on-one!"

Bokuto Kōtarō leaned forward slightly, shifting into an all-out offensive stance.

Yūki Yōji felt an invisible pressure surging toward him. For a hitter of Bokuto's calibre, his threat level didn't change much regardless of whether he was in the front or back row…

Kaedehara Taichi's eyes sparkled with excitement. Getting to play against Bokuto Kōtarō had already been an unexpected thrill.

"Bring it on!"

"Tweet!—"

The whistle signalled the serve.

Yahaba Shigeru served once more.

Bang!

Following the previous strategy, the ball floated toward Fukurodani's back row, aiming directly at Bokuto Kōtarō.

Smack!

Just like before, Bokuto received it cleanly, delivering a perfect pass.

But this time—

"Right wing!" Bokuto had already stabilised his footing and began his approach from the back row.

It was only then that Akaashi Keiji realized—throughout this entire match, he hadn't once heard Bokuto call for a set. Up until now, he had been the one dictating the offensive plays.

Whoosh—!

The ball arced toward the right side.

"Yūki, be ready!"

"Double block!" Kaedehara Taichi and Yūki Yōji jumped in unison, positioning themselves right in front of him.

Bokuto's air posture remained incredibly stable. Compared to when he jumped from the front row, the only difference was a slight reduction in height.

BOOM!!!

A powerful gust swept past Yūki Yōji's ears as the ball rocketed past his right side.

"Out—"

Yahaba Shigeru, standing on the sidelines, watched as the ball zipped past him—

Smack!

A last-second deviation sent it straight into the far corner of the court.

"IN!"

Bokuto Kōtarō scored!

[Aoba Johsai 21 – 20 Fukurodani]

The sheer amount of spin allowed the ball to curve mid-air, seamlessly integrating his signature serve technique into his spike.

The serve switched. Fukurodani was up.

Akaashi Keiji launched a float serve.

Smack!

Kyōtani Kentarō received it.

Yahaba stepped in, sending the ball to the left side.

"Triple block!" Nakamura Tomohisa, Takejima Kanjitsu, and Naganohara Yukawa jumped up together.

Since Bokuto was stationed in the crosscourt direction, Fukurodani's blockers sealed off the line completely.

Thud!

Kaedehara Taichi leapt from the left wing.

BOOM!!!

A clean wipe off the block!

The ball shot past the outstretched hands of the newly-substituted Nakamura Tomohisa, crashing into Fukurodani's back row.

Kaedehara Taichi scored!

[Aoba Johsai 22 – 20 Fukurodani]

"You afraid to attack straight-on, Taichi?" Bokuto Kōtarō's sharp gaze locked onto him.

If it had been anyone else saying that, Kaedehara Taichi might have suspected an attempt at psychological warfare. But Bokuto Kōtarō wasn't the type to overthink things—he only wanted a direct battle of strength.

"Alright." Taichi responded without hesitation. "Then, make sure you receive this next one properly."

"Bring it on!"

Their eyes met mid-air, igniting the atmosphere on the court. The tension in the air grew thick with anticipation and excitement.

The serve switched. Aoba Johsai was up.

Yūki Yōji walked to the service line.

"Yūki, give us a good one!" Kaedehara Taichi said with a grin.

"Yes!"

Yūki Yōji clenched his fists. He still regretted his previous service error, but this time—

Control. The key isn't power, but control.

He muttered under his breath as he tossed the ball up.

Boom!—

Even though Yūki wasn't intentionally focusing on power, his natural strength still made his serve formidable.

Smack!

Fujimiya Yoshiro was forced into an underhand pass near the net.

"Cover him!"

Without hesitation, Akaashi Keiji set the ball to the right wing again—Bokuto Kōtarō was already airborne from the back row.

"Triple block!" Kindaichi Yūtarō, Kunimi Akira, and Kaedehara Taichi jumped together.

Boom!—

Smack!—

Bokuto had aimed for the lowest block point—Kunimi Akira's hands—hoping for a wipe-off.

But—

"One touch!" The ball skimmed Kunimi's fingers, deflecting outward.

"Chase it!"

Yūki Yōji sprinted toward the baseline.

Tap, tap, tap...

The ball hit the ground just outside.

Bokuto had targeted the space left open by libero Nakamori Daiki's rotation—tooling the block for a score.

[Aoba Johsai 22 – 21 Fukurodani]

"Sorry!" Yūki Yōji clenched his fists in frustration.

"Don't worry about it. That was a solid serve." Taichi replied calmly.

"Yes! Thank you, Taichi-senpai!"

Nakamori Daiki subbed back in.

The serve switched. Fukurodani was up. Bokuto Kōtarō rotated to the front row.

Nakamura Tomohisa fired off a powerful jump serve.

Nakamori Daiki handled the reception cleanly, sending a perfect pass.

Yahaba Shigeru set the ball to the right wing.

Kaedehara Taichi took to the air—

"Triple block!" Takeshima Kanjitsu, Naganohara Yukawa, and Bokuto Kōtarō jumped simultaneously.

This time, Fukurodani sealed the crosscourt shot completely, leaving the line to Bokuto's block and Akaashi's back-row defence.

BOOM!!!

SMACK!!

Kaedehara Taichi's spike struck Bokuto Kōtarō's hand and bounced high back onto Aoba Johsai's court.

Blocked!!

But—it was Aoba Johsai's chance ball!

Nakamori Daiki easily received it.

"Again! Right wing!" Kaedehara Taichi stepped back and began his approach.

Yahaba Shigeru once again set the ball to the right wing.

"Three-man block!"

Fukurodani's blocking strategy remained unchanged, forming a solid wall in front of Kaedehara Taichi once more.

BOOM!!!

Bokuto Kōtarō noticed that Kaedehara Taichi was aiming at his hand and instinctively moved aside to open up the ball's path.

However, Taichi exerted a second burst of force mid-air.

The volleyball slammed fiercely into Fukurodani's court.

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a spike.

[Aoba Johsai 23 – 21 Fukurodani]

Just two more points, and Aoba Johsai would win the set.

At this moment, the most despairing sight for Fukurodani's players was Kaedehara Taichi walking to the service line.

"Don't be afraid, we're not going to lose!" Bokuto Kōtarō retreated to the back row, ready to receive.

"Tweet!—"

The whistle for the serve rang out.

Kaedehara Taichi tossed the ball into the air, slightly bent his body, took a few quick strides, and leaped up. His arm muscles tensed as he swung.

Bang!—

The tense expressions on Fukurodani's players shifted into shock.

The ball dropped sharply over the net right in front of them!

It wasn't a serve relying purely on power—it was a serve that used variations in trajectory to suppress Fukurodani's defence.

Smack!—

Akaashi Keiji dived forward to save the ball, but it hit the net and began to fall.

Bokuto Kōtarō rushed in and, at the last second, kicked the ball back into play.

Boom!

Kunimi Akira sent the ball over with a quick spike.

"Kunimi, nice spi—"

"Tweet! Over-the-net violation!"

Aoba Johsai was penalised.

Fukurodani gained a point.

[Aoba Johsai 23 – 22 Fukurodani]

Kindaichi Yūtarō's words were stuck in his throat.

"...Looks like I spiked a bit too early," Kunimi muttered apologetically.

Aoba Johsai's attacking mistake gave Fukurodani a slim chance to survive, allowing them to escape the most dangerous serve rotation.

The serve rotated. Fukurodani to serve.

Takeshima Kanjitsu executed a float serve. Nakamori Daiki received it with ease, making a perfect pass.

In the front row, Kyōtani Kentarō and in the back row, Kaedehara Taichi, both initiated an approach on opposite sides.

Whoosh—!

The set flew toward the left side.

Bokuto Kōtarō reacted quickly, forming a double block alongside Naganohara Yukawa.

BOOM!!!—

Kyōtani Kentarō smashed the ball across the entire Fukurodani court with a brutal diagonal shot.

Smack!

Akaashi Keiji barely managed to dive and dig it up.

"Left wing!"

After landing from the block, Bokuto Kōtarō immediately retreated and began his back-row approach.

Nakamura Tomohisa filled in for the set. The ball was slightly closer to the net. Bokuto leaped and spiked.

"Three-man block!"

Kyōtani Kentarō, Kindaichi Yūtarō, and Kunimi Akira jumped in unison.

In the back row, Nakamori Daiki and Kaedehara Taichi locked onto Bokuto's every move.

"There's no opening!"

For the first time, Bokuto felt like he had nowhere to strike.

Boom!—

Smack!

The ball struck Kyōtani Kentarō's forearm and bounced off.

Thud!

The ball landed outside Fukurodani's boundary.

Block out-of-bounds,

Bokuto Kōtarō scored with a spike!

[Aoba Johsai 23 – 23 Fukurodani]

The score was tied!

"That spin again!" Kyōtani Kentarō didn't get frustrated—he simply focused on the feeling of blocking.

Bokuto Kōtarō's spike had inspired him.

Having only one weapon was far from enough.

Kyoutani thought to himself—since his height wasn't an advantage, since his blocking wasn't outstanding, since his receiving and setting were just so-so—then at the very least, he had to perfect his offence!

For the first time, Kyōtani Kentarō seriously looked at Bokuto Kōtarō and thought about learning from him.

"Normal float serves won't work against that little libero anymore..." Akaashi Keiji adjusted the serving strategy. "Let's use powerful jump serves to disrupt their first touch."

"Got it!"

Takeshima Kanjitsu served again—a powerful jump serve.

Nakamori Daiki received it effortlessly. Perfect pass.

"Right wing!"

Kaedehara Taichi called for the ball loudly.

Kunimi Akira, filling in as the setter, sent the ball high to the right.

"Three-man block!"

"Switching to a left-handed spike?!"

Bokuto Kōtarō shifted slightly to the side.

However, Takeshima Kanjitsu and Naganohara Yukawa failed to react in time.

BOOM!!!—

The ball pierced through the uncoordinated three-man block and slammed onto Fukurodani's court.

Kaedehara Taichi scored with a spike.

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 23 Fukurodani]

Aoba Johsai reached set point first.

—"Sorry!"

Takeshima and Naganohara realised their mistake too late.

Kaedehara Taichi had only just switched to using his left hand in the final stretch of the second set—they hadn't anticipated it at all.

It wasn't just Bokuto Kōtarō—Kaedehara Taichi had also stepped up his offensive presence in the back row.

-----

On the sidelines, Sarukui Fūto gradually calmed down, silently watching the showdown between Taichi and Bokuto.

"Frustrating, isn't it?" Coach Takeyuki asked.

This match was supposed to help Sarukui integrate better into high school volleyball.

But instead, he was almost completely shut down by Kaedehara Taichi.

Sarukui Fūto nodded silently.

For the first time, he sat on the bench at crunch time, unable to influence the outcome—only able to watch.

No, whether Fukurodani won or not didn't have much to do with him.

But if they lost—he felt responsible.

"I want to play! I want to play!! I WANT TO PLAY!!!"

BOOM!!!

Kaedehara Taichi scored.

[Aoba Johsai 26 – 24 Fukurodani]

"Tweet—!"

The final whistle blew.

Second set, over.

Winner: Aoba Johsai.

"I never want to sit on the bench and feel this way again!"

Sarukui Fūto lowered his head and quietly wiped his tears.

Even with Bokuto Kōtarō in the lineup, Fukurodani still fell to Aoba Johsai.

"Winning against them is tough, huh?" Bokuto Kōtarō put his hands on his hips, looking at the ceiling. His tone was upbeat, but his frustration was obvious.

"They've improved way faster than we expected, even after Oikawa-senpai and the third-years graduated," Akaashi Keiji sighed.

"Akaaashi, you'll have to step it up. I'm looking forward to Fukurodani's growth."

"Yes!" Akaashi Keiji nodded with conviction.

"We won't lose next time!"

_________

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