[Day Three of the Interaining Camp]
Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm golden glow across the gymnasium floor. Inside, pyers were fully immersed in their warm-up routihe air thick with a te eager anticipation.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!!"
A loud, boisterous voice rang out as the doors to the training gym were flung open.
"Good m, everyone!!"
With his arms raised high and a beaming, fident grin, Bokuto Kōtarō strode into the gym, radiating boundless energy.
"They're here?" Coach Kobayashi goward the entrance.
Led by Japan's national team coach, Fuki Hibarida, the official Youth National Team starters filed in through the doors—
Outside Hitter—Ushijima Wakatoshi, Shiratorizawa Academy, Miyagi.
Setter—Oikawa Tōru, Aoba Johsai High, Miyagi.
Outside Hitter—Kiryū Wakatsu, Mujinazaka High, ōita.
Middle Blocker—Keisuke Unnan, Mujinazaka High, ōita.
Outside Hitter—Bokuto Kōtarō, Fukurōdani Academy, Tokyo.
Middle Blocker—Tatsuki Washio, Fukurōdani Academy, Tokyo.
Outside Hitter—Ojiro Aran, Inarizaki High, Hyōgo.
Setter—Iizuna Tsukasa, Itachiyama Academy, Tokyo.
"They actually came!!!"
"You've got to be kidding me…"
"Holy crap…"
The pyers of the reserve team stared in astonishment as the nationally renowned seniors—who frequently appeared in Volleyball Monthly—walked in.
Beyond the initial shock, an overwhelming pressure settled over them.
Among the top five high school outside hitters in the try, four were right in front of them.
Almost instinctively, their gazes shifted to the only sed-year ranked among the top three—Sakusa Kiyoomi.
Sakusa gave a slight nod. "Good m, senpai."
Iizuna Tsukasa responded with a small nod of aowledgement.
Only then did the others snap out of their daze and hurriedly offer their greetings, the gym momentarily desding into chaotic murmurs.
"As some of the most talented high school pyers in Japan, I'm sure many of you are already familiar with each other," Fuki Hibarida said with a chuckle. "But don't get too caught up reminisg—save it for the match."
While most of the reserve team was visibly shaken, there were a few exceptions.
Pyers like Hoshiumi Kōrai and Kaedehara Taichi remained uhe former because he wasn't particurly close with anyone oarting team, and the tter because, even when faced with teammates, he maintained an aloof demeanour.
"Taichi!" Oikawa Tōru greeted Kaedehara Taichi with his usual bright smile.
"Mm, Oikawa-senpai," Taichi replied calmly.
Oikawa: "???"
After thinking for a moment, Oikawa realized that Taichi always acted this way iherings—cool and distant, as if he naturally slipped into a high-and-mighty mode.
Well, that's fine. Volleyball would get his blood pumping soon enough.
A knowing smirk appeared on Oikawa's face.
It wasn't that the reserve team cked strong personalities, but fag the national youth team's starting members—especially with a match immi—left little room for ease.
For the pyers who were actually going to pete against them, maintaining their fighting spirit aramount. Even Sakusa Kiyoomi, upon spotting Ushijima Wakatoshi, merely cealed his excitemeh a posed gaze.
In thirty mihey would be oppos on the court.
And not a single one of them eaihe thought of losing.
A subtle tensioled betweewo teams, creating an almost tangible distahe match hadn't even begun, but the pressure was already suffog.
Coach Kobayashi exged a gh Coach Hibarida.
Just like that, their goal was half-aplished.
Just as these "geniuses" were getting fortable with the rhythm of the training camp, a sudden surge of iy was introduced to push their limits once more.
A sharp whistle pierced the air.
Hibari Tabuki's voice followed. "Seeing that you're all more than ready, there's no need for further dey. Warm up, and then we'll begich."
"Yes!"
Kaedehara Taichi took a moment to observe the three pyers he had yet to fa a match.
[Bokuto Kōtarō—Outside Hitter: Overall Rating: 93; Height: 185.3 bsp;Strength: 95, Jump: 90, Stamina: 97, Speed: 90; Key Attributes: Serve 92, Receive 92, Spike 94.]
[Iizuna Tsukasa—Setter: Overall Rating: 90; Height: 181.4 bsp;Strength: 92, Jump: 82, Stamina: 90, Speed: 90; Key Attributes: Serve 88, Receive 90, Set 94.]
[Tatsuki Washio—Middle Blocker: Overall Rating: 89; Height: 188 bsp;Strength: 90, Jump: 85, Stamina: 92, Speed: 88; Key Attributes: Serve 88, Spike 90.]
As expected, Bokuto was the most intriguing pyer. His stats were already impressive, but what made him truly uable were his fluctuating in-game states.
Who knew what kind of chaos he would cause during the match?
Meanwhile, Iizuna Tsukasa had increased his strength slightly sihe st time Taichi saw him in the audieachiyama's trainihods were as unventional as ever.
A series of loud Booms rang through the gym—
Boom! Bokuto casually smmed a ball into the ground.
BOOM!! Ushijima, as posed as ever, sent a powerful spike across the court.
BOOM!!! Kiryū, with unwavering focus, struck his ball with all his might.
As he watched the ball rocket toward the ceiling, Chigaya Eikichi trembled where he stood.
These third-years were monsters. Their power was on a pletely different level.
The first and sed years barely had any power-focused pyers to begin with. If this match went on too long, would he even make it out in one piece?!
Chigaya's face paled. Yep, he was the puy who had stumbled into a match between Titans.
Starting Lineups
Japan Youth National Team:
Front row—Outside Hitter Ushijima Wakatoshi, Middle Blocker Keisuke Unnan, Outside Hitter Bokuto Kōtarō.Back row—Outside Hitter Kiryū Wakatsu, Middle Blocker Tatsuki Washio (Libero: Iizuna Tsukasa) aer Oikawa Tōru.
Reserve Team:
Front row—Middle Blocker Chigaya Eikichi, Outside Hitter Kaedehara Taichi, Outside Hitter Hoshiumi Kōrai.Back row—Outside Hitter Sakusa Kiyoomi, Setter Miya Atsumu and Middle Bleyama Tobio (Libero: Komori Motoya).
The match began with the reserve team serving.
Kageyama Tobio stood at the service line.
Despite the excitement of pying against Oikawa, a setter he deeply respected, there was an undeniable frustration in not being in his usual position.
"Tobio-~ Give us a good serve!"
The voice came from across the .
It was Oikawa.
Kaedehara Taichi twitched his lips. This guy was such a menace.
Kageyama took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and cast aside all distras.
This match portunity—no matter the position.
Tossing the ball high, he sprinted forward and unched into his jump.
Bam
And in the instant—
Smack!
BOOM!
Two distinct sounds echoed back-to-back.
Even before Chigaya processed the ball's trajectory, Iizuna Tsukasa had already moved and ly received it.
Sakusa Kiyoomi's sharp gaze flickered—he had already moved in advao the nding point of the ball!
Pa!
He had experiehis kind of spin multiple times when receiving Kaedehara Taichi's spikes. However—
This sheer power!
A powerful impact surged forth like a raging flood, mercilessly knog him off band smming him onto the cold court floor.
The volleyball rebounded violently out of bounds.
Ushijima Wakatoshi scored with a spike.
[Reserve Team 0 - 1 Japan Youth Team]
Chigaya Eikichi turned his head just in time to withe se.
That was Sakusa Kiyoomi, one of the Big Three Aces! Even he couldn't receive it?!
More than that—he himself was a 1.93-meter-tall middle blocker, yet Ushijima Wakatoshi had effortlessly spiked over his hands...
Unbelievable!!!
So this was the kind of oppoaichi had to defeat to reach the national level?
Seeing it with his own eyes made it feel even more unreal.
"Don't worry about it!" Kaedehara Taichi shouted loudly.
He mainly wao reassure Chigaya Eikichi. As for Sakusa Kiyoomi, Kaedehara Taichi could only silently aowledge—as expected, he's incredible.
He had already tracked Ushijima Wakatoshi's spike trajectory on the very first ball.
Ushijima gave Sakusa a calm ghis wasn't their first time fag each other, and in his eyes, Sakusa was a formidable oppo.
Sakusa quickly got ba his feet, his eyes gleaming.
So Wakatoshi has growronger in his third year…just as expected.
The serve rotated, and Ushijima stepped up to the service line.
Chigaya Eikichi's palms had already begun to sweat. This pace is too fast. There was o guess—Ushijima's serve was bound to be just as terrifying.
If they couldn't find a way to receive it, the scap would widen in an instant.
"o panic. The senpai behind us are just as reliable." Kaedehara Taichi fshed him a smile.
Chigaya, affected by Taichi's posure, rexed slightly. He gnced behind him—everyone in the back row was fully focused, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Bring it on!"
No one flihey wanted to receive Ushijima's serve!
Ushijima tossed the ball, took his approach, jumped, and struck—
Boom!!
The ball hurtled toward the seam between Sakusa and Miya Atsumu, slightly closer to the right side where Atsumu ositioned.
"I got it!"
Sakusa called out first.
Receiving alone wasn't enough—they had to vert this into a strong offensive py!
Atsumu took a step back, clearing space for Sakusa.
Sakusa once again positioned himself directly in front of Ushijima's serve.
He lowered his tre of gravity to the minimum and slightly angled his arms to the right to teract the spin.
"I o absorb the force—"
Pa!
The lightning-fast ball smmed into his arms, boung high out of bounds once more.
Still couldn't trol it!
However—
There was still a ce!
"Save it!" Sakusa shouted.
"On it!" Atsumu was already sprinting toward the ball. Wasn't this exactly why I covered the first pass?
With a final stride, Atsumu lunged low, slidih the ball.
A perfect set, for the attacker!
"Enjoy~!"
With both hands, Atsumu pushed the ball upward—it soared toward the right wing.
Boom!
Hoshiumi Kōrai unched himself from the front row.
"Double block!" Reag swiftly, Mujinazaka's Keisuke Unnan and Fukurodani's ace, Bokuto Kōtarō, leapt to block.
So high!
It wasn't just Hoshiumi's jump—Mujinazaka's t Keisuke Unnan and Fukurodani's Bokuto weren't any lower!
Bang!
The volleyball slipped through the narro between the Japan Youth Team's blod the , smming directly into the floor.
A cross-court spike that nded ihe three-meter line!
Despite being only 1.70 meters tall, Hoshiumi Kōrai's most memorable trait wasn't just his unbelievable jumping ability—
He was the seost teically refined wing spiker, just behind Sakusa Kiyoomi!
Hoshiumi scores!
[Reserve Team 1 - 1 Japan Youth Team]
"H-he's amazing…" Chigaya Eikichi muttered.
Everyone was amazing. No one simply "passed" the ball—every step was calcuted and iional.
Kaedehara Taichi hadn't expected it either. They actually mao break Ushijima Wakatoshi's serve rotation in just one py.
pletely immersed ich, he couldn't help but marvel:
"This is incredible…"
It felt like disc a hidden treasure.
"That guy's getting fired up already," Oikawa Tōru muttered, uo stop a wry smile from f. He reized that expression on Taichi's face all too well.
This match was definitely going to be tougher than they imagined.
The serve rotated again, and Hoshiumi Kōrai stepped up to the service line.
Holding the ball in one hand, he poiraight ahead. Earlier, he had mentiohat "a 190cm rookie" wasn't worth his attention—not because of height, but because of teique!
Boom!
A jump serve aimed precisely at the back er—targeting Ushijima Wakatoshi!
Ushijima quickly retreated and received—
Smack!
The ball rebounded high, and Ushijima lost his banentarily from the impact.
"Waka-!" Oikawa once again made a clear call, setting the ball high to the right.
"Such a perfect arc..."
Kiryū Wakatsu sprinted from the back row—oep, two steps, three steps—a textbook Kiryū Wakatsu approach.
"Triple block!" Sakusa Kiyoomi, Chigaya Eikichi, and Kaedehara Taichi leaped together in the front row.
BOOM!!
Taichi squeezed his eyes shut. Seeing Kiryū's fwless approach, all he could do was block with everything he had.
The force that crashed against his arms was immense. Even after all his training, it still stung.
Chigaya only registered a deafening cra his ear—his heart jolted as he instinctively looked to his right.
Kiryū's spike hadn't broken through Taichi's block—
But the ball had deflected off their hands and soared high into the stands.
Off-the-block, out of bounds.
Kiryū Wakatsu scores.
[Reserve Team 1 - 2 Japan Youth Team]
"Taichi, you have been hittihis fortable all along?," Kiryū ented, utterly sincere in his admiration.
However, Oikawa, familiar with Taichi, found this hirious.
"Wow, someone else actually got to trash-talk him first," he snickered.
As expected, Kaedehara Taichi furrowed his brows and responded seriously—
"Kiryū-senpai, even if you bsp;hit such perfect sets…you'll still lose to me."
_________
[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!
Link - (P)atreon./Iseebck [Remove the brackets]
P.S. - you believe it? We are already at 200 chapters! It feels like only yesterday that I published the very first chapter!