The Reserve Team had taken the lead once again!
"Again?"
"He even coordinate like this with Kageyama?"
"But we haven't seen them do that before..."
Even Coach Fuki Hibarida was caught off guard. "Is he trying to influehe team's setters?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Coach Kobayashi asked with i.
Hibarida pondered for a moment before responding slowly, "Kaedehara Taichi is already an outstanding first-year. His physical attributes are solid, and his offensive skills are well-rounded."
"However, pared to those two sed-years, his individual teiques aren't as specialized. His setting and receiving are somewhat g. And most noticeably, when he's without a setter who knows his pystyle, his movements on the court aren't as fluid as they appeared in the footage we watched."
"Is that so?" Kobayashi stroked his . "But from what I see now, that doesn't seem entirely accurate."
Hibarida chuckled. "Of course. There's one key factor—he's incredibly smart. From the momeepped onto the court, he's been thinking non-stop, and that's a rare trait among spikers."
"Perhaps, surrounded by pyers strohan himself, his thoughts were initially limited to his own py and hadn't yet expao the team as a whole. But now, it looks like he's trying to seize trol of the team's and."
Hearing Hibarida's analysis, Kobayashi also ughed.
"A team assembled at the st minute, with pyers of vastly different personalities...uniting them quickly is no easy task."
"But he hasn't been directly instrug his teammates. Maybe it's not because the pyers around him are to—perhaps, he just isn't in the habit of taking and." Hibari gestured toward the Youth National Team's front row.
"After all, his school teammate is Oikawa Tōru. That kid is a natural-born ander."
The stronger his teammates, the stronger he became.
Disc Oikawa Tōru might just be the greatest asset the Youth National Team gaihis time.
-----
Sakusa Kiyoomi served for the third time.
If receiving the ball from below makes it hard to trol the spin, then intercept it before its trajectory ges!
Oikawa Tōru leapt from the front row, reag high to cushion the ball.
Smack!
Oikawa couldn't fully trol it—the force of the serve sent the ball rebounding backwards.
"Iizuna!" Oikawa called out.
With two setters on the court, why not take full advantage?
Before Oikawa even finished speaking, Iizuna Tsukasa had already positioned himself.
—Whoosh!
The ball arced high towards the right wing. When pying with this team of monsters, the pass doesn't o be perfect—it just o be high and stable.
Ushijima Wakatoshi jumped from the front row.
"Triple block!"
The Reserve Team's front-row tri up to block.
Right in front of Ushijima, Sakusa locked dowraight shot. On the diagonal, Kaedehara Taichi was in position. And in the middle, Komori Motoya was stationed, anch the defence.
The eeam was fully focused on defending him!
Boom!!!
A wipe shot!
The ball grazed Kageyama Tobio's fiips and smmed into the back row!
Smack!
Komori reacted immediately, but the impaentarily stunned him. The ball veered right, heading out of bounds.
Sakusa Kiyoomi lunged, managing to send it back over the .
But someone was already waiting there.
Oikawa Tōru jumped effortlessly, smming the ball straight down.
Bang!
The Reserve Team, still reeling from Ushijima's attack, had no time to react.
Oikawa scored.
[Reserve Team 7 - 7 Youth National Team]
"Hey, Ushijima-~ that's two spikes in a row you couldn't score on~" Oikawa grinned smugly.
"Hmm." Ushijima remained expressionless.
The score was tied again, and even the pyers watg from the sidelines held their breath.
It was brutal.
Every single point was hard-fought.
Ae the tie, the Youth National Team exuded an air of trol, whereas the Reserve Team already looked like they were throwing out every trick they had.
Yet the pyers on the court didn't seem pressured or anxious.
Judging by their eyes, they looked like they were enjoying a feast.
The serve switched—Washio Tatsuki stepped up.
Komori Motoya delivered a perfect first touch.
Hoshiumi Kōrai leaped from the middle.
"Double block!"
Ushijima and Fukurodani's Bokuto jumped.
But Hoshiumi faked the spike, setting the ball to the left instead.
Boom!
Kaedehara Taichi drove a sharp cross-court spike.
Smack!
The Youth National Team, just about to transition into defence, suddenly froze.
The ball rebounded right in front of Bokuto Kōtarō, boung off him.
[Reserve Team 8 - 7 Youth National Team]
???
What just happened???
Everyone on the Reserve Team—except Kaedehara Taichi—looked fused. That was way too easy.
The first to recover was Fukurodani's Washio, followed by the teammates who had been training with Bokuto these past few days.
Ah.
Here it es again...
Bokuto Kōtarō's emo mode.
"Beep!" The Youth National Team called for a substitution—Inarizaki's Ojiro Aran IN, Bokuto Kōtarō OUT.
Without his personal owl caretaker, Akaashi Keiji, and with the Youth National Team being different from Fukurodani, Fuki Hibarida didn't hesitate to sub Bokuto out at the first sign of a mood drop.
Washio felt a twinge of sympathy, but he khis was the best decision for the team.
Kaedehara Taichi had noticed the momentary, childlike fusion on Bokuto's face.
He didn't kly why it happeoo many possible reasons.
Maybe he failed to block Hoshiumi's spike.
Maybe he hadn't received enough sets.
Maybe his serve hadn't scored directly.
Maybe the post-spike celebration was too muted.
Hell, maybe no one greeted him warmly when they first ehe gym.
Taichi was slightly curious.
But this was a match.
So he'd tested Bokuto's state the simplest way—by spiking the ball directly in front of him.
And sure enough.
Still, Coach Hibarida's response was ridiculously fast.
Bringing in Ojiro Aran—one of the nation's top five aces.
Unlike Bokuto, Aran wasn't as explosive, but he was far more sistent.
The match remained a deadlock.
The differeweewo teams wasn't as signifit as the watg first and sed-years had assumed.
Even as the game es tter half, her team mao pull ahead.
The battle was nothing short of brutal—uhe relentless bombardment from Ushijima and Kiryu, the younger pyers barely held oering on the edge of colpse.
But then, the pace of the game shifted.
[Reserve Team 17 VS 17 Youth National Team]
-----
Chigaya Eikichi stepped onto the service line. Every time he served, it became a weakness for his team, and through this match, he had deeply realized his shortings.
Bang!
A left-handed jump serve shot straight toward Ushijima Wakatoshi, only for him to receive it with ease.
Oikawa Tōru stepped in smoothly, setting the ball to the left wing.
Against the Bad-Ball-Killer Kiryū, this match had barely seen any truly bad sets.
Taking three fluid approach steps, Kiryū Wakatsu soared into the air. The sheer presence of his body appearing at the exuded an overwhelming sense of dominance.
"Double block!"
Kageyama Tobio and Miya Atsumu jumped up simultaneously.
A twier iron wall! Among the first and sed years, these two were undoubtedly among the best in terms of both power a.
However—
Boom!!!
Kiryū Wakatsu's perfectly timed spike was simply unstoppable!
The volleyball bsted through their block, smming forcefully onto the three-meter line. From the back row, Hoshiumi Kōrai could only watch as the ball crashed onto the court.
[Reserve Team 17 – 18 Youth National Team]
It was exhirating. At this moment, Kiryū Wakatsu felt an obsession simir to Ushijima's—If only Oikawa Tōru had e to Mujinazaka...
—
[Ding! Sakusa Kiyoomi has entered Burst Mode]
[Sakusa Kiyoomi (Burst Mode)—Outside Hitter: Overall Ability Rating: 93.5Height: 189 bsp;| Power: 90 | Jump: 92 | Stamina: 92 | Speed: 95Teique: Serve: 100 | Receive: 100 | Set: 100 | Spike: 100]
Kaedehara Taichi khat a match of this calibre was bound to see multiple pyers eheir peak state oer another.
But still—
He hadn't expected the first oo be him!
The usually reserved Sakusa Kiyoomi, more than anyone, refused to lose!
—
With the serve switg over, Kiryū Wakatsu stepped up to serve.
[Ding! Komori Motoya has entered Burst Mode]
[Sakusa Kiyoomi (Burst Mode)—Libero: Overall Ability Rating: 92Height: 180 bsp;| Power: 90 | Jump: 88 | Stamina: 92 | Speed: 90Teique: Receive: 98 | Set: 95 | Spike: 90]
"Huh?!!"
Kaedehara Taichi whipped his head around in shock. What's going on with these cousins?!
Komori Motoya's usual carefree smile had vanished. His expression was now slightly serious—his normally round eyebrows snted inward at a symmetrical 45-degree angle, giving him an uedly imposing aura.
What Taichi didn't know was that at this very moment, Komori Motoya was experieng an unpreted sense of pressure.
It felt as though he was locked in the sights of a ferocious beast oher side of the court.
The suffog tension forced him into a state of absolute tration. If he let his guard down for even a sed, the instant—
The ball would crush him.
—
Kiryū Wakatsu squeezed the volleyball firmly, feeling its hardness under his fiips. His gaze locked onto Komori Motoya.
Last time, his serve had been received fidently.
This time…he o add even more power.
Kiryū tossed the ball over his right shoulder and took his first approach step.
His arms swung naturally, leading into the sed step.
As the ball reached its peak and began its dest, he took his final third step—
Boom!
Laung himself into the air, he arched his body into a perfect bow. His core engaged, his right arm tensed—
And then—
BOOM!!
A thunderous sound exploded across the court!
Before the deafening impact even fully registered—
The volleyball was already in front of Komori Motoya.
"!!!"
Instinct kicked in.
Komori raised both arms, his feet rooted firmly to the floor.
Pa!
The ball struck his forearms and shot high into the air, s toward the ceiling as if it could break through the stadium's dome.
For a split sed, time seemed to stretfinitely.
Everyoheir breath.
The first to react was Miya Atsumu.
As a setter, handling a ball dropping from such a height was the ultimate challenge.
"Right wing, give me the ball."
Sakusa Kiyoomi's voice was calm as ever.
As the ball desded, Atsumu's heart pounded, but he didn't hesitate.
With a swift motioretched out his arms, abs the impact as he set the ball.
—Whoosh
No double-tact viotion!
The ball shot toward the right wing—though a bit low.
Sakusa Kiyoomi leapt up.
In front of him—Oikawa Tōru and Ushijima Wakatoshi's bloed rge, their hands f an imperable wall over the ball!
Bang!
Sakusa remained posed. He deliberately ahe spike off Oikawa's upper palm—
Smack!
A high-difficulty rebound shot!
"Again!"
Komori Motoya had already repositioned.
Pa!
A pass, lofting the ball high to the left side.
Boom!
Hoshiumi Kōrai's figure appeared in midair.
Washio Tatsuki tracked him closely—
Bang!
A deep cross-court spike nded just past the baseline behind Ojiro Aran.
[Reserve Team 18 – 18 Youth National Team]
Komori exhaled deeply. Thank god—One serve rotation from Kiryū was all it took.
That was terrifying. If he hadn't reflexively raised his arms just now, that serve might have bsted straight into his head—And then he wouldn't o worry about the rest of this training camp.
-----
Now, it was Sakusa Kiyoomi's turn to serve.
Boom!
His first serve targeted Ojiro Aran, curving sharply mid-air before droppiween him and Iizuna Tsukasa.
[Reserve Team 19 – 18 Youth National Team]
Sed serve—
Iizuna Tsukasa stepped up to receive, but the ball deflected off his arms and sailed out of bounds.
[Reserve Team 20 – 18 Youth National Team]
Third serve—
Iizuna finally received it ly.
On the left side, Kiryū Wakatsu oised to attack.
On the right, Ushijima Wakatoshi was ready to strike.
Oikawa Tōru, suppressing his urge to go for a setter dump, set the ball toward Ojiro Aran, who had beeedly targeted.
Boom!
Uedly, Ojiro Aran unched a powerful back-row attack—sg directly!
[Reserve Team 20 – 19 Youth National Team]
As he nded, Oikawa grinned and high-fived Aran.
Ojiro Aran suddenly thought—
Even though he couldn't banter as freely as he did with Miya Atsumu, pying like this—fortably, without pressure—wasn't bad at all.
—
The Japan Youth National Team rotated to serve.
Washio Tatsuki's jump serve was smoothly received by Sakusa Kiyoomi.
Kageyama Tobio—
Faked a set.
A for a setter dump straight at Oikawa Tōru!
[Reserve Team 21 – 19 Youth National Team]
"Ka—ge—ya—ma!" Oikawa ground his teeth. "You're really something, huh?!"
"Thank you, Oikawa-senpai!" Kageyama replied sincerely.
As the two setters tiheir battle—
Another setter stepped onto the service line.
Dual-Wielder Miya Atsumu stepped up to the service line!
This was another showdown against Oikawa.
Though he hadn't had many opportuo shihat was fine.
Last time, the area where he lost to Oikawa was—serving.
Now, he had the perfect ake up for it.
—
Atsumu took six steps back.
"Does that even matter anymore? Everyone already knows..." Ojiro Aran muttered from the other side, internally roasting him.
Atsumu tossed the ball, took his approach, and struck—
BOOM!
"Huh?" Ojiro Aran blinked.
Atsumu's serve—
Flew out of bounds.
[Reserve Team 21 – 20 Youth National Team]
"Tsumu, you idiot!!!" Ojiro roared.
_________
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