The Youth National Team's Keisuke Unnan served. It was a jump serve of moderate power, targeting the back row's Hoshiumi Kōrai.
Hoshiumi received it ly, sending the ball directly to Miya Atsumu, who immediately set to the left wing.
Sakusa Kiyoomi approached, took off, and swung for the spike.
"Double block!"
Bokuto Kōtarō and Kiryū Wakatsu jumped, sealing off both the straight and cross-court angles.
Keisuke had already positioned himself along the left sideline, while Ushijima Wakatoshi retreated to the baseline.
Since Sakusa's height wasn't enough to spike over the bloor was his power suffit to bst through it, the Youth National Team focused their defen c for a potential touch-out py.
Bang!
Sakusa adjusted his swing and aimed for a waist-high shot to avoid the blockers. However, statio the sideline was Oikawa Tōru.
Smack!
The ball ricocheted high into the air.
But with Oikawa forced to take the first touch, the Youth National Team cked a setter in this rotation.
Ushijima stepped in ahe ball back up.
Kiryū Wakatsu took flight at the tre.
"Double block!"
Chigaya Eikichi and Kaedehara Taichi sprang up in front of him.
Boom!!!
The ball smmed into Taichi's arms.
"Oouch!"
Hoshiumi quickly reacted, passing the ball ly.
The moment Taided, he sprio the right side, with Washio Tatsuki stig close behind him. But—
He's getting faster!
Washio suddenly realized that he couldn't keep up with Taichi's acceleration!
Taichi pnted his foot just ihe right sideline and soared. Washio, scrambling to react, mistimed his jump, leaving a half-body gap between them!
—"Oikawa!"—"Atsumu!"
Both setters shouted at the same time. Oikawa had already positioned himself in the back row to guard against Taichi's attack.
Atsumu narrowed his eyes and grinned.
"Here it es! Enjoy~"
The ball flew toward the left wing. Fag a solo block from Bokuto Kōtarō, Sakusa fired a straight shot.
The ball struck Keisuke Unnan's arm and deflected out of bounds.
[Reserve Team 25 – 24 Youth National Team]
"That was awesome!!!"
Atsumu revelled in the moment of tearing open the opposing defence.
He finally uood why his quick attack with Osamu never quite had the same devastating impact as the Oikawa-Taichi bination.
Because very few pyers possessed the overwhelming presence of Kaedehara Taichi!
Even if one wasn't paying attention, Taichi's sheer presence pulled iter's instincts.
And on the opposing side, leaving a on like that unguarded was simply not an option!
", Mi-ya-se-npai!" Taichi gritted his teeth.
Not because he was frustrated at being used as a decoy—but because he realized Atsumu hadn't even aimed for a decisive score.
He just wao test if the py in his mind could be executed iy.
"Right back at ya." Atsumu smirked in satisfa.
This was his respoo the st time their quick attack had been tered. The setter was the one who dictated the game.
As possession switched, Taichi stepped onto the service line.
Closing his eyes, he exhaled. When he opehem again, his mind was pletely clear.
The Youth National Team's back row sisted of Tatsuki Washio, Ushijima, and Oikawa. A regur serve wouldn't faze them at all.
Then—
Taichi tossed the ball, took three quick steps, a.
Right hand!
The Youth National Team locked onto his movement, making their first read.
Boom!
A powerful jump serve!
They made their sed read and took a step back, preparing to receive.
—Wait!
"Tatsuki! Front!" Oikawa shouted.
The ball arced through the air, but instead of carrying deep, it curved sharply—
A short serve!
Washio, initially preparing to retreat, suddenly realized his mistake. But in that brief instant, his brain stalled.
His body, however, obeyed Oikawa's and and instinctively dove forward. His mind snapped bato a.
Smack!
Washio barely mao pop the ball up.
Oikawa rushed in and prioritized height over precisioing it toward the middle.
Kiryū Wakatsu took two steps and unched himself skyward.
The Reserve Team's front-row blockers were the most uncoordinated pair—Sakusa cked raw power, and Chigaya cked teical skill.
Boom!!!
Kiryū ruthlessly targeted Sakusa's hands!
Smack!
The ball shot through his block as if pung through paper!
"Mine!"
Hoshiumi lunged forward, keeping the ball alive with a one-handed save just before it hit the floor.
Sakusa and Hoshiumi tumbled to the ground.
With that one spike, Kiryū had simultaneously taken out two of the Reserve Team's attackers!
Atsumu immediately shifted right to cover.
"Left / Right Wing!"
Kageyama Tobio and Kaedehara Taichi both charged from the back row.
—Whoosh!
The ball soared toward the right wing, Taichi beginning his approach from the very bae.
Thud!
Taichi exploded into the air.
"Triple block!"
With the ball set high, the Youth National Team had time to form their most formidable wall.
Bokuto Kōtarō, Kiryū Wakatsu, and Washio Tatsuki aligned, sealing Taichi's path.
"Wrist rotation…"
Taichi targeted the edge of Bokuto's palm and snapped his shot.
Smack!
The ball struck Bokuto's arm, rebounded off the , and tumbled toward the Youth National Team's court.
"Not over yet!!"
Iizuna Tsukasa dashed in from the bad kicked the ball upward before it could touch the ground!
Iizuna's eyes darted to Taichi—he was sure of what he had just seen.
That focus when aiming at the block—it was just like Sakusa's!
The Youth National Team scrambled to recover their formation. Ushijima bumped the ball up, and Oikawa leapt from the back row for a spike.
Kageyama hahe receive.
Sakusa, Hoshiumi, and Taichi all went up for the attack at once!
Atsumu jumped, his hands making a setting motion—
But at the st sed, he tapped the ball over!
A quick setter dump!
"Shit—!"
The Youth National Team was caught off guard! Their focus had beeirely ohree attackers—none of them noticed Atsumu's move!
His trademark fox-like grin spread across his face.
Finishing this rally his way was the perfect clusion to the exge.
Smack!
A foot suddenly slid uhe ball.
"Hey! Hey!! HEY!!!"
Bokuto Kōtarō, at the st possible moment, saved the point!
Kiryū scooped the ball up, and Ushijima hammered it down from the back row!
Boom!
Smack!
Hoshiumi chested the ball to keep it in py, nding hard on his back.
"Damn it! We're still going!!!"
—"Give me the ball!"
For the first time, Sakusa Kiyoomi shouted.
Kageyama immediately fed him a high-middle set.
This is incredible.
To be surrounded by so many strong pyers—
To defeat them all!
The stro, of course, is ME!!!
Sakusa's arm snapped like a whip—
CRACK!
The ball spun violently as it left his fiips.
Across the aichi's eyes widened.
[Ding! Kiryū Wakatsu has entered Burst Mode]
[Kiryū Wakatsu (Burst Mode)—Outside Hitter: Overall Ability Rating: 95Height: 188.3 bsp;| Power: 100 | Jump: 92 | Stamina: 95 | Speed: 90Teique: Serve: 100 | Receive: 98 | Set: 95 | Spike: 100]
Bokuto Kōtarō and Kiryū Wakatsu swiftly pulled back their blog hands. In mid-air, Sakusa Kiyoomi's spike traced a high arc—
And nded out of bounds beyond the Youth National Team's baseline.
Thump
"Out!"
Sakusa Kiyoomi's spike had go. Point to the Youth National Team.
[Reserve Team 25 – 25 Youth National Team]
The game was tied once again. The battle was far from over.
"Hahaha…" Hibarida Fuki let out a hearty ugh. "Looks like Sakusa picked the wrong blockers to go for a touch-out py."
"Kaedehara Taichi's earlier shot already put them on high alert," he added. "By now, they were fully prepared for that move."
Coach Kobayashi nodded slightly. "That, and their sheer core strength is just too much. This kind of manoeuvre isn't something just anyone pull off."
"Yeah. Overall, third-years are just physically strohan first and sed-years," another coach agreed. "And on top of that, these tower-type pyers to begin with."
"This match has been full of surprises from start to finish."
-----
Ushijima Wakatoshi's back-row attack smmed down for a point.
[Reserve Team 25 – 26 Youth National Team]
Sakusa Kiyoomi avoided the blod fired a straight shot—The ball deflected off Ushijima's hands and bounced out of bounds.
[Reserve Team 26 – 26 Youth National Team]
Chigaya Eikichi's serve was received with ease by Iizuna Tuskasa, setting up Kiryu Wakatsu for a devastating diagonal spike—direct kill.
[Reserve Team 26 – 27 Youth National Team]
Kiryu Wakatsu unleashed a powerful jump serve, but Komori Motoya dug it up.
Kageyama Tobio sent the ball to the left wing, and Hoshiumi Korai soared into the air—his spike pierced through the block, smming into the tre of the Youth National Team's court.
[Reserve Team 27 – 27 Youth National Team]
Sakusa Kiyoomi stepped up to serve—
Service Ace!
[Reserve Team 28 – 27 Youth National Team]
Sakusa Kiyoomi's sed serve was met with a thunderous reception from Kiryu Wakatsu, ung the ball high into the air.
Oikawa Tōru adjusted his positioning ahe ball toward the middle—Ushijima Wakatoshi soared over the , spiking straight down past the block!
[Reserve Team 28 – 28 Youth National Team]
"How long is this match going to st…?"
"They're seriously pushing the Youth National Team to their limit?"
"I mean, the sed-years are already impressive, but those two first-years from Miyagi are ridiculous!!!"
Among the murmuring discussions of the bench pyers, one name was vely overlooked—Chigaya Eikichi, who was also a first-year.
Not that he minded.
Even as he stood on the court with them, he couldn't shake the feeling that he simply didn't belong among this group of monsters.
The match had reached a level where the ball seemed to blur from sheer speed. No one could predict who would score —let alone how they would do it.
At that moment, Miya Atsumu stepped onto the service line.
"Please, just don't mess around this time…" Ojiro Aran muttered on the sideline, g his hands together in silent prayer.
He had long since accepted that Miya Atsumu's serving mistakes embarrassed him more than they did Atsumu himself.
Even though—teically—no one could see his face turning red.
Bang!
In this crucial moment, Miya Atsumu went with his most familiar serve—a deadly float serve.
Bokuto Kōtarō was forced to step in and receive—His first touch veered off the court.
Iizuna Tsukasa had already started running before the ball eve Bokuto's arms. His ck of trust in his teammates' reception was, ironically, the greatest form of trust he could give them.
Iizuna reached the ball just in time a it bato py—Washio Tatsuki leapt up for the attack!
Smack!
Miya Atsumu received the ball with ease.
Kageyama Tobio set the ball to the left.
Hoshiumi Korai sprinted ihe three-meter line, preparing to unch—
"Double block!"
Ushijima Wakatoshi and Keisuke Unnan jumped, sealing off his attack route.
But—
Hoshiumi didn't spike.
The ball tis trajectory toward the far left—where Kaedehara Taichi had already taken flight.
"Not a ce!"
Oikawa Tooru sprang up to block him.
Now, the two Aoba Johsai setters stood on opposite sides of the .
Boom!!
Kaedehara Taichi unleashed a devastating diagonal shot, avoiding the blotirely.
[Reserve Team 29 – 28 Youth National Team]
"Oikawa-senpai~" Kaedehara Taichi called down lightly, a grin spreading across his face. "I thought you knew one blocker wouldn't be enough to stop me?"
Oikawa Tōru: "..."
Miya Atsumu prepared his sed serve—Once agaiargeted Bokuto Kōtarō.
"I got it!"
Before Bokuto could move, Kiryū Wakatsu stepped in front of him and received the serve.
Oikawa quickly repositioned, sending a high set to the middle.
Ushijima Wakatoshi accelerated into his approach—his left arm tensed, muscles coiling—before he unleashed a monstrous spike!
BOOM!!
Smack!
"Oouch!"
Kaedehara Taichi and Hoshiumi Korai both pressed down on the ball at the —
One was the pyer most familiar with Ushijima's spikes.
The other was the pyer with the stro blog skills from Kamomedai Academy.
Together, they perfectly read Ushijima's attack trajectory.
Miya Atsumu sprinted backwards, resetting the py.
From the back row, Sakusa Kiyoomi unched into the air—Oikawa and Keisuke Unnan immediately jumped to block!
"Na?ve."
Sakusa didn't go for a power hit—he redirected it.
The ball curved sharply toward Bokuto Kōtarō in the back er!
Bokuto had no time to retreat. He closed his eyes and—
Smack!
Used his head to bouhe ball back up.
"HAH?! That actually worked?!"
"Bokuto-senpai, do you just not like using your hands?!"
Iizuna Tsukasa covered for him ahe py alive.
Ushijima and Kiryū charged toward the —
Obvious tatack!
The Reserve Team locked in owo of them—
Whoosh—
Back set!
The ball sailed toward Bokuto Kōtarō on the left wing!
Even after using his head to receive the ball, Bokuto had immediately repositioned for an attack—
And Iizuna had read his movements perfectly!
Sometimes, he also wao set up something cool.
For the first time, a rare smile appeared on Iizuna Tsukasa's usually rigid face.
Bokuto rose from the back row—Only two blockers could possibly reach him:
Kaedehara Taichi and Hoshiumi Korai.
"Block the diagonal!"
Kaedehara leapt up, angling his body to force Bokuto toward the ope side—Where Komori Motoya was already waiting.
"A single libero thinks he stop a straight shot?!"
Bokuto reared his arm back—his palm enveloping the back of the ball—before he hammered it down.
Ihe three-meter line! Let's see you stop this!!
Smack!
A pair of hands smmed down on the ball from the right side—
The ball ricocheted off Kaedehara Taichi's arms and nded ba the Youth National Team's court.
"Leaving an open ne for you doesn't mean we're giving you a free spike, Bokuto-senpai!"
Smack!
Oikawa Tōru dove, barely keeping the ball in py.
"Too soon to celebrate, Taichi!" he called out, log eyes with Kaedehara from the floor.
Both uood each other's personalities far too well.
Taichi immediately refocused on the game—
Iizuhe ball high—Ushijima Wakatoshi unched—
"Double block!"
Kaedehara and Hoshiumi once again jumped.
"Oouch!"
Hoshiumi shouted.
Taided and nearly lost his footing—but he steadied himself and sprioward the right.
Just a little more! One more block!
Komori dug the ball—Kageyama adjusted—
Kaedehara Taichi was already airborne.
"Kageyama!!!"
Before he could finish speaking, the ball was in his hands.
The opposing blockers reacted instantly—Washio had already jumped, and even Ushijima rushed in—
Kaedehara Taichi smiled.
"Thanks for the lesson, Bokuto-senpai."
He swung—adding a precise wrist flick—
BOOM!!
A perfect replica of Bokuto's previous shot—smming into the er of the court.
Kiryu Wakatsu repared—yet all he could do was watch the ball hit the ground.
Kaedehara Taichi scores!
[Reserve Team 30 – 28 Youth National Team]
"Tweet—!!"
The final whistle blew.
After a long, gruelling battle—
Victory: Reserve Team.
_________
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