Riku was sulking. No amount of cold water he drank was enough to lift his mood, and even though all the players were relatively new to each other, they could all guess the reason why. It had to be because of the humiliating defeat he suffered earlier. After all, not only did he lose to his friend, but Riku's team also couldn't score a single point in that ga. Losing 11 points in a row was honestly a rare achievent, but to lose it all just from the opponent's serves was too much for him. His ego was bruised, and it would take a long ti for him to recover.
"Oi, spiky, move! Can you read his intentions quicker?!"
"Shut up, you bastard! Just follow my lead!"
BAM!
"YOSSHAAAAA!"
Riku glanced for a mont, watching everyone who was excited about the block made by Aizawa. It was an impressive block, especially considering how quickly the two players recovered after the first one. Seeing how Akihiro celebrated, he couldn't help but shudder, rembering the imnse pressure coming from the blocker during their last match against each other.
"What do you think, Agostini-kun?" Ono's question snapped him from his thoughts. "Can your friend survive against those two monsters?"
Riku knew this question was just Ono's attempt to strike up a conversation since he felt guilty for not being able to provide any help earlier. However, Riku still pondered the question thoroughly. He knew firsthand how terrifying Akihiro was as a middle blocker, and while Aizawa was soone he had only heard about today, based on the enthusiasm of the other players, he guessed that Aizawa was equally intimidating, if not more so, than Akihiro.
Still, there was one key word Riku caught in Ono's question that made him believe in his friend. "Yes, he will be able to do that," Riku replied with conviction. "After all, his best skill is not his serve, but his ability to survive. He will adapt quickly and find a hole to exploit in the next play, trust ."
-0-
Unaware of Riku's flattering words, Yuki was talking to Tanaka, discussing their next move. "Don't just spike into an empty space, Tanaka-san. Believe , they will always react quickly enough to stop you. Always assu you don't have an open space and rely on tricks to fool them," he advised his partner.
"Sure. The intensity in the front row is crazy. I swear I'm going to puke if I have to do that all the ti," Tanaka said, nodding and wiping the sweat off his face. "Anyway, sorry if I end up being a liability in the front row. My offensive skills aren't that good."
"Don't worry about it. Just make sure you spike the ball to the opposite area from where they're coming. Although it may not really be a big help, at least it will make them run more," Yuki waved his hand dismissively.
The ga resud with Akihiro still serving the ball. Just like before, Yuki picked up the ball easily, and without wasting too much ti, he rushed to the opposite wing to force his opponent to move.
"Ha! You want to play cat and mouse again?! Let's see if you can do that!" Akihiro grinned, following his movent.
Tanaka bit his lip nervously. Although it was clear that he had to pass the ball to Yuki, the pressure from his opponents was imnse, causing him to freeze for a mont. However, just as the ball was in front of him, Yuki shouted, "TANAKA! WAKE UP!"
It seed Yuki noticed Tanaka's struggle to handle the pressure and decided to snap him back to reality. Fortunately, Tanaka regained his composure after Yuki's words registered in his ears, and he finally passed the ball.
"Nice pass, Tanaka!"
"Ha! Don't think you can beat !"
"Don't forget about , Sparky!"
Honestly, when Yuki saw his two opponents jump together to block his spike, he knew it was his opportunity to strike. After all, with no one guarding the back side, once he managed to get through the wall, it was ga over. However, the question remained: how could he get through that wall?
'Well, the pass is too short; I cannot aim it properly. Let's use a rebound first.'
BAM!
With that thought in mind, Yuki spiked the ball straight into Akihiro's hands. The blocker attempted to redirect it straight to the floor, but he wasn't quick enough. As a result, the ball flew back to Tanaka, giving the pair a second chance to attack.
"Oh! Nice rebound, Kobayashi!"
"Tanaka, run to the left!" Yuki shouted. Even though the ball hadn't yet co in his direction, he knew Tanaka needed to run to attack after this. So, rather than doing it aimlessly, it would be better for him to guide his friend.
"I got it!"
As soon as he picked up the ball, Tanaka sprinted toward the direction Yuki pointed. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough, as Akihiro and Aizawa had already rushed to his side.
"Ha! Don't think you can get away from us that easily!"
"Sparky, you're too fast! Hold on for a second and jump!"
Tanaka gritted his teeth when he saw two formidable blockers jump right in front of him. No matter how talented he was, at best, Tanaka was always a support player, never the main attacker. Having the opponents' eyes on him was pretty intimidating.
Still, he knew he had to move. After their last ga, he hadn't done anything and saved his energy. If he couldn't score right now, it would taint his pride forever. So, he jumped, facing the wall in front of him bravely, without considering the consequences.
However, to everyone's surprise, as the three leaped into the air, the ball they were waiting for didn't co. Instead of passing the ball, Yuki took advantage of the situation, knowing that his opponents would react quickly enough to erect a second wall and used Tanaka as bait to draw their attention. As for himself, the mont the ball ca in his direction, he flicked it gently, letting it fall into the opponent's area.
1 – 1
On the sideline, Riku rely snorted as everyone stared at the court in disbelief. "See? I told you he would survive. He's the trickiest bastard you'll ever know."
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