"Speaking of which, have you guys researched Senkoku Middle School before?" Hanamaki Takahiro, the White Team's Wing Spiker, suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but ask.
At his words, the others were suddenly startled.
"Now that you mention it, I really haven't looked into them closely. When I first heard the name Senkoku Middle School, the Qualifiers were already over. I learned about the 'dark horse' emerging in this year's National Tournament Qualifiers from a volleyball magazine."
"I went to watch two middle school qualifier matches before, but I didn't see Senkoku Middle School play then. Maybe they had already finished their matches! What about you, Iwaizumi-chan?" Oikawa Toru stroked his chin, turning to ask Iwaizumi Hajime.
Iwaizumi Hajime shook his head: "I learned about them through the volleyball magazine too. But I think the coaches should know more about Senkoku. After all, our school specifically approached their 'Ace' about joining, but I think he was rejected at the time."
"I originally thought he refused us to go to Shiratorizawa, so I didn't keep following up."
Yahaba Shigeru was stunned: "Refused? Then why did he come to Seijoh now?"
"Who knows."
"No way! The opposing team is, after all, a middle school champion team, a title even Oikawa hasn't won before. Yet, none of us know anything about them?"
Oikawa Toru was suddenly stabbed: "!!!∑(Дノ)ノ! Hey, Hanamaki-chan, I didn't need you to specifically remind me that I've never won a championship."
It was a coincidence, but Senkoku Middle School's real fame during the middle school phase came after their defeat of Kitagawa Daiichi.
Before that, although Senkoku was a dark horse, they were far from being a 'major upset.'
As high school players, while the Seijoh team paid some attention to middle school matches, their primary focus was clearly on high school competitions.
The only player with a major interest in middle school matches, Oikawa Toru, was focused primarily on Kageyama Tobio of Kitagawa Daiichi at the time.
Thus, due to these combined circumstances, although all the Seijoh players present knew that Senkoku Middle School were the prefectural champions, they had only learned about it from the magazine and were completely ignorant of the specific skills of Akashi Asuka and Mishita Ryuhei.
Seijoh's coach and manager did research them in order to recruit Akashi, but the problem was...
"So what do we do? Should we call a timeout and ask the coach?"
"Don't be ridiculous. The coach wouldn't guide us right now. That would be too unfair to the rookies," Iwaizumi Hajime refused. "Besides, we don't know anything about them, but they also know nothing about us."
"Since they're opponents we're facing for the first time, should we, as third-years, be afraid of a few first-year rookies? Don't be silly! If word of this got out, the Seijoh Volleyball Club would be disgraced."
By the end of his speech, Iwaizumi Hajime's tone had become stern.
Oikawa Toru: "So cool, Iwaizumi-chan."
After this motivational speech, the third-year players who had been slightly overthinking things suddenly had an epiphany. All hesitation and doubt vanished from their eyes, replaced by the pride and self-respect belonging to third-year upperclassmen.
And as the players' mindset became resolute, the entire team's aura changed...
"Bring it on, first-year rookies! Let us show you the true skill of your third-year upperclassmen!"
...
...
Akashi's Serve
"What's wrong with the opponents? I feel like the atmosphere has changed somehow!" Kindaichi Yutaro sharply noticed the shift in the White Team's morale, instantly feeling his hair stand on end.
"I'm not sure, but we definitely need to be careful now," Watari Shinji's expression also became serious.
Yet, at this moment, Mishita Ryuhei, instead of focusing on defense, clutched the back of his head and moved far away from the center of the court.
"Mishita, what are you doing?" Kindaichi asked in confusion.
"Nothing. Safety first." Mishita Ryuhei didn't offer much explanation, because some things couldn't be explained with words. He looked up at the rising intensity of the White Team and murmured in admiration.
"Wow! What an impressive aura! But unfortunately, this kind of spirit means nothing to a true 'Monster.' My 'Monster' certainly isn't good at encouraging teammates, but when it comes to crushing opponents, I really haven't met anyone worse than him..."
As if responding to Mishita Ryuhei's quiet words, Akashi Asuka, standing beyond the baseline in position one, took a deep breath and slowly tossed the volleyball into the air.
"A jump serve?"
The White Team players were briefly stunned when they saw Akashi's action.
The next second.
BAM!
A thunderous sound of the ball being struck echoed from above. The White Team players only saw a streak in front of their eyes before the volleyball plummeted straight toward their side of the court.
"Damn you, first-year rookie! Don't underestimate your upperclassmen!"
In the critical moment, Iwaizumi Hajime instantly shifted sideways and received Akashi's serve. But before the White Team members could cheer, Iwaizumi Hajime felt a massive force transmit from the volleyball. The astonishing impact gave him no time to cushion the blow.
With a 'smack,' the volleyball rebounded high, flying over everything, and finally CRASHED heavily into the railing on the second floor.
Silence suddenly descended upon the court once more.
This time, not just the White Team, but even Akashi's teammates—Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Watari Shinji—were frozen in place.
After what seemed like an eternity, Kunimi Akira finally muttered: "What a 'Monster.' This guy's serve... can't even be received by a high school player?"
Mishita Ryuhei was also inwardly surprised: "As expected of a high school player. He actually made contact with Akashi's serve on the first try. That's terrifying."
Kindaichi: "So... so scary. If that ball had hit the back of my head... No wonder those guys always covered the back of their heads when playing Senkoku. Why does this serve look even more frightening coming from a teammate's side?"
The three first-year rookies, who had all had some previous experience with Akashi's serve, had various thoughts swirling in their minds.
The Seijoh upperclassmen, who were seeing Akashi's serve for the first time, were now completely dumbfounded.
"You, you, you... you can do a jump serve?"
Watari Shinji stared at Akashi in shock, his fingers trembling, unsure if he was excited or thrilled.
"I could do it in middle school, senpai Watari. Didn't you know?" Akashi asked in confusion.
He was genuinely confused. After all, without wanting to boast, as the champion of the middle school National Qualifiers, he felt he should have a certain level of fame even in high school.
Watari Shinji looked slightly awkward: "Uh... I only knew you were the 'Ace' of the champion team. As for the other specifics, the volleyball magazine didn't report them in detail."
"But even for a champion, the power of your jump serve is way too strong!"
Akashi: "Strong? It's alright. That last one didn't feel great. I'll try to land a better serve next time."
Watari Shinji: "?????????"