"This is… the true power of one of the top three aces in the country?"
After Ushijima Wakatoshi's spike, silence fell over Karasuno. In that single mont, the pressure radiating from Ushijima was so overwhelming, it felt like their bodies were frozen in place.
BEEP~~~
Ukai Keishin imdiately recognized the issue and quickly called for a tiout.
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"Oh? Karasuno's already calling for a tiout?" Hanamaki Takahiro murmured from the stands, chin resting in his hand, watching as both teams returned to their benches.
"Well, can you bla them? They're going up against Ushiwaka, after all," Matsukawa Issei said, shaking his head lightly.
During their intense sumr training camp, Aoba Johsai had practiced extensively with Shiratorizawa, so they were well aware of Ushijima's terrifying strength.
To be honest…
Even though Aoba Johsai felt stronger than ever, if they were to face Shiratorizawa in the finals, they still wouldn't have full confidence in winning a ticket to Nationals.
The reason? Ushijima Wakatoshi, one of the Big Three Aces in the nation.
"Hey, judging by that look on your face, I'm guessing you just saw sothing that really pissed you off?" Haji Iwaizumi didn't comnt on Karasuno's tiout. Instead, he was more intrigued by the dark expression on Oikawa Tooru's face.
"It's nothing," Oikawa muttered sullenly.
"Really? Because from what I saw, those two sets from Kageyama were seriously good. Feels like he's already caught up to you, huh?"
"Bullshit!"
That hit a nerve. Like a rabbit jolted by electricity, Oikawa leapt up in outrage, face red with irritation.
"That arrogant little punk still has a long way to go before he can catch up to ! So what if he's made so progress? Doesn't an he should be getting cocky!"
"Let him try and beat Shiratorizawa. If he makes it to the finals, I'll crush him so hard he won't know which way is up."
Seeing Oikawa in such a state, the rest of Aoba Johsai couldn't help but chuckle.
But once the amusent faded, everyone's attention shifted to Kageyama Tobio.
Because if soone as prideful as Oikawa was this agitated, it could only an one thing:
Kageyama's progress had completely surpassed Oikawa's expectations.
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Before long, the ga resud.
The score was now 16–17, with Shiratorizawa still in the lead.
Kawanishi Taichi continued his serve.
But this ti, Karasuno was ready. Without the lucky placent from before, his serve landed in a more predictable spot, and Nishinoya Yuu received it with ease.
The pass went cleanly to Kageyama, just as Hinata Shoyo exploded into motion.
With blinding speed, Hinata zipped across the court, using the full breadth of the net to maximize his run.
"Trying to outrun us? Not happening!"
Tendo Satori imdiately followed Hinata, reading the play. He knew it could be a decoy, but his instincts scread otherwise.
And he was right.
This ti, Hinata wasn't a decoy.
Mid-sprint,
A volleyball suddenly streaked across Tendo's peripheral vision, flying not like a normal set, but more like a bullet, aid directly at a strike point.
"Huh?! That's way too fast!"
BOOM!
Even before Tendo could fully process it, the ball had already slamd into the court.
A deafening cheer erupted from the stands like a tidal wave.
"OOOOOHHHHHH!"
"There it is! Karasuno's Freak Quick!"
"Whoa! What just happened?! That pass was insane, and that #10, he actually hit that ball?!"
"Brrr!"
In the front row of the stands, Yahaba Shigeru hugged himself, shuddering. "No matter how many tis I see it, that quick is terrifying. Is Kageyama even human? How does he set that kind of ball?!"
Most spectators were focused on Hinata's spike, but only setters could truly grasp just how insane Kageyama's set had been.
Iwaizumi's expression turned serious. "Is it just … or did that Freak Quick look even faster than before?"
Oikawa shook his head gravely. "It's not just you. That quick was definitely faster. And…"
He paused.
"…it's not just faster. There's sothing different about it. Like it's evolved."
Even from a distance, Oikawa couldn't see all the details of Karasuno's new Freak Quick.
But as a setter, his instincts told him that Kageyama had changed sothing in the set compared to last sester.
17–17.
Karasuno had tied the score.
But in the very next play, Ushijima struck again and effortlessly reclaid the lead for Shiratorizawa.
17–18.
Shiratorizawa served again, and Karasuno went on the attack.
Hinata made another break for it, prompting a flicker of panic among Shiratorizawa's defenders.
For a split second, they weren't sure whether to go for the block or not.
"Leave him to ."
Tendo Satori's voice rang out with confidence.
It was a strategy crafted by Coach Washijo during the previous tiout.
Given Hinata's threat level, they had decided to mark him specifically with a man-to-man defense.
Karasuno's Freak Quick was fast, yes, but one of its flaws, exposed last sester, was that Hinata had difficulty adjusting the direction of his spike.
Aoba Johsai had kept quiet about it, but Washijo had picked it up from the ga footage.
That's why he assigned Tendo to shadow Hinata directly.
But,
That was last sester.
Seeing that only Tendo was marking Hinata, Kageyama made a split-second decision.
He fired the ball toward Hinata, again like a bullet, cutting a sharp line through the air toward the strike zone.
But just before it arrived,
It stopped.
"Ah, I see it!"
Even though he was mid-air and still moving fast, Hinata's eyes locked onto everything in front of him.
The frozen volleyball.
The hand stretched out to block him.
The defensive formation across Shiratorizawa's back row.
He saw everything.
And in that mont,
Hinata swung his arm with full force.
SMACK!
With a sharp crack, the ball carved a diagonal line through the air and slamd down onto Shiratorizawa's court.
Silence.
Then,
Shock spread across the court.
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Completed version available on Patreon/Veltoria
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