[Yes, that's right, it's us again!]
[Your commentators for this match are still Otada and Otaka!]
[We're now in the final stages of the Spring High School Volleyball Tournament, and today's matches are the semifinals! The two teams who win today will face off tomorrow for the championship title!]
[The four teams competing today are: Itachiyama Institute, representing Tokyo's First District; Fukurodani Academy, from Tokyo's Second District; Kamomedai High from Nagano Prefecture; and Aoba Johsai Private High School from Miyagi Prefecture.]
[Among these four, Aoba Johsai is the only school not traditionally considered a powerhouse, making them the biggest dark horse of this year's tournament.]
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The commentators in the stands spared no praise for Aoba Johsai.
But to be fair, that made sense. Among the four schools, even the one that seemed the least established, Kamomedai High, had already made it to Nationals fifteen times over the past three years.
In contrast, Aoba Johsai was a relatively new school. Including their record from last semester, they had only appeared at Nationals twice.
Sure, they'd made a splash last semester by reaching the quarterfinals in their first-ever Nationals run. But in the eyes of most spectators, the other three established powerhouses still seemed like the more likely contenders for the title.
BEEP~~
With a sharp blast from the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
Court 2 was set for the showdown between Aoba Johsai and Itachiyama Institute. The coin toss decided the serve; Itachiyama Institute called heads and won, immediately choosing to serve first.
After reviewing footage of Aoba Johsai's earlier Spring High matches, Itachiyama knew that when it came to serving power alone, they likely couldn't match up.
That's exactly why they couldn't let Aoba Johsai serve first.
Because according to the current rotation, Aoba Johsai's first server would be none other than Oikawa Tooru. And Itachiyama had already gotten a taste of just how nasty his serves could be during summer training camp.
Itachiyama's first server was their ace spiker, Takada Kaoru.
His serving technique wasn't quite on the same level as Sakusa Kiyoomi, but he had a mean power jump serve that could score directly if the opponent's receive was even slightly off.
But this time, the opponent was Aoba Johsai. The two teams had practically been glued to each other during summer camp for a whole month, they knew each other inside out.
So showing off a flashy but ultimately predictable power jump serve was practically handing Aoba Johsai the right to attack.
Bang!
As the whistle blew, Takada slammed the ball.
The serve was powerful, but its placement was even more telling, it targeted Aoba Johsai's front line. More precisely, it was aimed at Akashi Asuka, positioned up front.
"Heh, knew you'd try that."
Seeing Itachiyama lock onto Akashi, Oikawa didn't look the least bit surprised. In fact, he grinned as if everything was going according to plan.
Akashi stepped aside just in time. At that same moment, Shinji Watari leapt from the backcourt to receive the ball cleanly.
Oikawa rushed into position. Akashi jumped in sync. Sakusa and middle blocker Nakagawa Seishu followed Akashi's movements closely, but then, a sudden sound came from the opposite end of the court.
Boom!
Thud!
Iwaizumi had launched himself into a powerful spike, Aoba Johsai scored the first point.
Itachiyama's captain and setter Tsukasa Iizuna glanced at the rebounding ball behind him and couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth. He called out to Oikawa across the net, "You're still as annoying as ever."
Oikawa gave a smug smile. "Thanks for the compliment."
Double standards?
Yeah, this was the definition of double standards.
When it was setters like Kageyama Tobio or Miya Atsumu, Oikawa would call them "irritating little punks" and rant non-stop.
But when it was his turn?
He looked delighted to be the one pulling the strings.
1:0.
Using Akashi as a decoy, Oikawa had secured Aoba Johsai's first point.
The serve now passed to him. As Oikawa stepped into the service area with a bright smile, every player on Itachiyama instantly tensed.
He might joke around, but they knew full well how dangerous his serves were.
Oikawa and Akashi's serves were so powerful that even Motoya Komori, Japan's number one libero, couldn't always receive them cleanly when taken head-on.
And to make things worse, Oikawa never played by the rules.
BEEP~~
The referee blew the eight-second whistle.
With a subtle cue of his signature background music playing in the background, Oikawa tossed the ball high into the air, ran up, and smashed it with brutal force.
THUD!
A deep sound echoed through the stadium as the volleyball rippled with a shockwave-like aura. In the next instant, it vanished from Oikawa's hand.
By the time it reappeared, the ball had already crashed onto Itachiyama's side of the court.
Boom!
[What a serve!]
[Aoba Johsai's Oikawa Tooru scores again with a blistering jump serve!]
[Who would've thought? Itachiyama, who crushed Aoba Johsai with a massive point lead last year, is now trailing in the opening set of this Spring High rematch!]
[It looks like Aoba Johsai has spent the past six months preparing for revenge!]
Aoba Johsai had taken an early 2:0 lead, something that shocked many in the stands, though it came as no surprise to either team on the court.
This was the power of serving.
A serve was the ultimate form of offense. While there was always a risk involved, a successful serve could quickly tilt the score in your favor.
Even with advanced knowledge, Itachiyama still couldn't stop it.
BEEP~~
Another whistle. Another eight seconds.
Oikawa's second serve was just as fierce, but this time Motoya Komori read it perfectly, moved swiftly into position, and made a clean receive.
Only Komori, the nation's top libero, could pull something like that off.
The last serve had been so vicious that even Nekoma, a team known for its ironclad defense, might not have handled it. Reading Oikawa's serve in a flash, chasing down that speed, and still managing a successful reception?
An almost impossible task.
But Komori made it look doable. Last semester, Aoba Johsai had actually lost to Itachiyama largely due to Komori's incredible ground defense.
Itadakari handled the receive and set the ball to Sakusa Kiyoomi, who jumped for a spike. But just before the ball left his hand—
—a shadow suddenly appeared right in front of him…
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria