The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

While the cheers and noises from the stand were getting louder than ever, a small section of the crowd, grouping in one section of the stand, was busy in the middle of a discussion.

"So, what do you think, Amagi?" One of them asked.

"Oh, it is no question that they have improved so far since the last time we met against each other." The guy with a bob-haired style up to the shoulder said nonchalantly. "It is amazing how much they improved since our game, especially Yuki-kun. I could still remember vividly that he could only do a floater serve, and now, look at him! His name resounded throughout the country as one of the best pinch-servers in the tournament!"

Yeah, as anyone could expect, that small group was the members of the Matsuyama Kita High team. They came here to scout their potential opponent in the tournament's semifinal. Even though there were still two rounds away from that, they had already prepared themselves by scouting all the potential opponents, not wanting to get caught off guard.

As the crowd went ballistic once again from another one of Yuki's powerful serve, Amagi could only shake his head in awe. He could still remember the time he spent together with the boy in the astronomy camp last summer and how determined the boy was to challenge either Konan High or Matsuyama Kita High. At that time, Amagi still laughed it out loud, thinking how naïve Yuki was. However, this time, while Yuki and Tsunemori High were still far from the two best teams in the country, he wouldn't dare to underestimate him and his teammates even for a second in the game.

"Well, at least the semifinal would be played in a neutral zone, so it wouldn't be one -sided match like this." One of the Matsuyama Kita players, Tono, made a comment, referring to the crowd around him. "They sure have one of the craziest home court atmospheres in the tournament. I wouldn't even want us to have to play against them here."

Amagi and some of the Matsuyama Kita players nodded solemnly in agreement. Tsunemori sure had one of the craziest fanbases in the tournament. Hell, even their own school and Konan High had never achieved a full-house game in their own home court since their own supporters would rather wait until the top 8 of the tournament so that they could watch the game in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

That was probably the downside of being the best; the supporters trusted them so much that they were lazy enough to watch the early phases when the opponents were still too easy for the team.

BAM!

The sound of the ball hitting the wall could be heard resounding throughout the building. This time, facing Oyama High's line of blockers, Tsunemori's captain decided to send the ball back with the rebound technique to give his team another chance to attack.

"Nice rebound, Asahi!"

"Come on! Run!"

"Riku! Left! I am here!"

As the supporters rose from their seats, wanting to get a better sight of their team's offense, all the Matsuyama Kita players also did the same, tilting their heads up while also keeping the ball on track. With another chance but lesser option to choose for the second wave of offense, they all were wondering how Tsunemori's setter would handle the ball. To their surprise, though, while jumping in the air, the blonde boy on the court twisted his body to face the other side of the court before changing his stance from tossing the ball into a full power spike.

BAM!

"Holy shit…" Amagi could hear Tondo, his captain breathing heavily. "Is that even real?!" They weren't surprised by the dump spike Riku pulled. No, they had their own amazing setter who had more outrageous flair on the team. What surprised them the most was the person who did it.

After all, the last time they saw Tsunemori High play was against Konan High in the last Inter-high, and during that time, Riku, Tsunemori's setter still didn't have this play in his arsenal. For him to confidently do that in this situation told all the Matsuyama Kita players how much Riku had already improved during that time.

Amagi himself as a setter felt something burning inside him. His eyes were locking into the blonde boy on the court with an intensity that made his teammates step back in fear before he showed a devious smirk. "Riku Agostini, huh? I forget that he exists. But damn, he is another interesting player from Tsunemori High. I cannot wait to play them both in the semifinal!"

-0-

Of course, Riku and Yuki didn't know that they had already entered Matsuyama Kita High's radar. For now, all of their focus was on the game in front of them, and to be more specific, on how to kill this set as quickly as possible. From being down by eight points at the beginning of the game to almost making a comeback now, there were too many ups and downs in this set, and they were tired of it already. They needed to take a breath for a moment, but since they were only two points away from winning this set, they decided to grit their teeth and continued the game.

"Come on, Yuki! Two more!"

"You can do this!"

The one who served the ball was still Yuki, and this was his eighth serve in a row already. He took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure as he was aiming for another ace service. However, after the referee blew the whistle, as he was flying in the air, Yuki could feel his concentration slip for one second, and while he still managed to hit the ball, it didn't spin like he hoped, resulting in a weak ball straight to the net.

Splash!

Fortunately, as if the universe was on his side, the ball rolled over the net, falling gently toward the other side of the court. Oyama High's captain was trying his best to save it, yet he was too late as the ball had already touched the floor first before his foot could reach it.

"YEAH!"

"One more time, Yuki! Come on!"

"Let's kill them straight away!"

While everyone was celebrating, only Riku noticed Yuki's state. He approached his friend and whispered, "You okay?" Looking at the glasses boy with a concerned gaze.

Yui felt warm inside himself as he was glad that at least, his best friend noticed his slip. "Sorry, I am just tripping for a moment. Don't worry, I am okay." He said, trying to reassure the blonde boy.

Riku stared at his eyes for a full three seconds before patting his shoulder, saying, "Don't force yourself to handle all the situations by yourself. Don't forget that you still have me and the other senpai behind your back. If you are tired, just serve casually and let us do the rest." After saying that, Riku left his friend alone with his thoughts.

'Huh… Who are you trying to impress here?' Yuki muttered with a little snort.

However, that didn't mean he didn't appreciate his friend's concern. If anything, Riku's words were just the right fuel for him to do his best in the next turn. With Riku and his senpai having his back, why would he worry about messing things up?

So, having his mind relaxed, Yuki finally tossed the ball in the air, and after gathering power from inside his body, he slammed it as hard as he could, piercing Oyama High's defense sharply.

BAM!