[August 11th. The Spring High tour begins]
However, this day had little to do with Aoba Johsai. As the prefectural champions of the Inter-High tour, their Spring High matches wouldn't begin until the representative pyoffs in October.
"Why do I have to spend the first day of vacation scouting Karasuno for that guy, Taichi?"
Oikawa Tōru's pints echoed dowreet as he walked toward the gymnasium with Iwaizumi Hajime.
"The so-called 'vacation' you're whining about is just a break from club training, idiot Oikawa," Iwaizumi retorted, delivering a swift kick to Oikawa's calf.
The situation stemmed from something that had happened in early August.
-----
Kaedehara Taichi had received a call from his parents, asking him to stay in Hawaii for a while.
He hesitated. On one hand, his focus on volleyball training made him relut to disrupt his routine. Oher, he wasn't sure how to reect with his parents after such a long time apart.
In the end, their insistend the promise of passionate volleyball activities on the isnd—vinced him.
His parents even offered te for him to join a local club, which sealed the deal.
The day, Taichi happily set off for Hawaii to begin his overseas adventure.
When he arrived, he was immediately captivated by the isnd's uropical charm: the endless blue of the sea merging with the sky, the salty tang in the breeze, and the rhythmic crashing of waves.
unication with his parents went smoother than expected. After initial versations filled with affe and nostalgia, Taichi turo his main objective—volleyball training.
To his surprise, the volleyball se in Hawaii was even more vibrant than he had imagined.
Volleyball wasn't just a sport here—it was a lifestyle deeply iwined with local culture and energy.
But when Taichi arrived at the club his parents had choseiced something unusual.
It was a beach volleyball club.
The club was situated on aretch of sand, surrounded by palm trees, with the sparkling Pacific O in the background. Taichi stood frozen at the entrance, his thoughts in disarray.
He should've realized it earlier.
The club's name, "Hawaiian Beach Warriors," was a dead giveaway!
With no other option, he relutly accepted his fate.
To his relief, the club turned out to be more professional than he had anticipated. It attracted passionate volleyball enthusiasts of all ages and even boasted several former professional pyers as coaches.
Taichi's arrival drew attention, and a muscur, dark-skinned man approached him with a broad smile and an outstretched arm.
"Aloha! I'm Coach Kuno. Wele to the Beach Warriors. I hear you're a volleyball prodigy from Japan. Looking forward to seeing what you've got!"
Taichi, fumbling slightly, pulled out his phone and opened a transtion app. "Aloha, Coach. I'm Kaedehara Taichi. Uh…I've only ever pyed indoor volleyball before."
"Oh?" Coach Kuno raised an eyebrow but nodded. Uanding that Taichi was a beach volleyball novice, he pced him in the youth training group.
The training area was set up on the expansive beach, with crisp court markings drawn in the sand. A makeshift opy provided shade for rest and gear ste.
Club members wore matg training outfits; some were warming up, while others engaged in practice matches. The backdrop of crashing waves and the rhythmic "thud" of volleyballs striking hands created an atmosphere unlike anything Taichi had experienced.
Training started with basic adaptation exercises. Uhe hard floors of indoor courts, moving and jumping on sand required signifitly more power and teique.
Beach volleyball's two-on-two format also meant that each pyer had to cover aire half of the court. Receiving, setting, spiking—every aspect demanded mastery.
For Taichi, this new enviro highlighted his weaknesses: receiving, setting, and jumping. Initially pnning to tackle these issues one by one, he now found himself forced to face them all head-on.
-----
[Ba Japan, Oikawa and Iwaizumi arrived at the match venue]
Standing by the entrance, Oikawa let out a long sigh. "Taichi better appreciate this. Otherwise, I'm dragging him back from Hawaii myself!"
-----
Training began.
On the first m, Taichi didn't evehe ce to spike. Instead, he spent hours repeating drills focused on quients, jumping, and diving saves in the sand.
The soft sand proved far more troublesome than he had anticipated. Its yielding nature dulled his steps, making even routine saves a struggle. The instability of the terrain demanded greater core strength and quicker reflexes than indoor courts ever had.
Realizing his clumsy movements weren't w, Taichi paused and quietly observed the pyers around him.
After some time, he began to pick up on subtle teiques for sand mobility. Thanks to his solid fuals and adaptability, he soon found the key to moving effitly on the sand.
By the afternoon, when Coach Kuno checked on Taichi, he noticed a dramatic improvement in the young pyer's band movement efficy.
"What a terrifyingly quick learner," Kuno muttered to himself. "His indoor volleyball skills must be exceptional."
Over the few days, Taichi gradually mastered the nuances of beach volleyball. His movement, receiving, aing improved to a level close to his indoor capabilities.
With this foundation ihe coatroduced him to more advaeical drills and team-based exercises.
Beach volleyball presented another set of challehe relentless sun and o winds.
Long hours uhe scorg heat and the stant breeze tested both his stamina and endurance.
Surprisingly, this fresh start reigaichi's passion for volleyball and his hunger frowth. The thrill of tag something new pushed him to train even harder.
As time passed, Taichi's teamwork and ball trol reached a endable level. On his tenth day at the club, he was finally given the opportunity to participate in a match.
His partner for the game was a local boy named Norton.
-----
The match began with Taichi serving.
He tossed the ball slightly lower than usual, took a short run-up, and then dropped his stance suddenly, pnting his feet firmly in the sand before exploding upward. The estic resistance of the sand bined with his raw power unched him into the air.
Mid-air, Taichi elled the strength from his core, whipping his left arm bad snapping it forward.
His wrist flexed sharply, imparting both speed and spin to the ball as he aimed precisely for a difficult spot.
Smack!
The opposing team's No. 1 reacted quickly, but the ball ricocheted off his arms and out of bounds.
No. 1: "???"
Even the spectators were baffled by the ued spin and speed of Taichi's serve.
Without ging his serving hand, Taichi tinued. His training had signifitly enhanced his core strength, and he could now gee even more spin with his left hand.
Three secutive points from serves!
In beach volleyball, the softer, slightly rger ball and the smaller court make powerful serves less effective than in indoor volleyball, meaning the first receive is usually easier to handle.
Yet Taichi's left-handed serves broke that norm, earning him enthusiastic cheers from the onlookers.
Thud!
The oppo's serve came flying in. Taichi stepped in to receive it, sending the ball toward Norton with solid form.
Norton quickly adjusted, setting the ball high into the air.
Siipping the ball is prohibited in beach volleyball, Taichi made the decision to attack with full force every time.
With a strong run-up to the , he repeated the jumping teique he had practised tirelessly.
His body soared into the air, and he unleashed a ferocious spike.
Boom!
The ball smmed into the oppo's court, sending up a plume of sand as it hit the ground.
After the match, the spectators finally uncovered Taichi's secret: the remarkable spin and peed by his left-handed serve.
From that day on, the court buzzed with talk of the Left-Handed Magi from Japan.
-----
This newfouation graaichi opportuo face oppos with a variety of pying styles, from which he gained invaluable match experience.
Taichi gradually settled into the rhythm of volleyball training in Hawaii.
At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight illumihe golden beach, he was already immersed in his m regimen: long-distance runs, beach push-ups, frog jumps, and core-strengthening exercises. He relished the tangible growth in his fitness and power.
On the evening of August 12th, Taichi's phone buzzed with a message from across the Pacific:
"The Spring High has begun. In the preliminaries, Karasuno and Date Tech have advanced."
A ripple of emotion stirred in Taichi's previously calm heart. The Spring High was truly underway.
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