Four or five months had passed since the end of the National Tournament.
During this period, although Akashi was unable to 'Over-Achieve' due to the dissolution of the Senkoku Volleyball Club, which reduced his acquisition efficiency of [Over-Achiever Points], he certainly didn't sit idly by.
This period was a crucial time for Akashi's development. Even without dedicated strength training, some basic attributes would naturally increase with the development of his height, bone structure, and muscles.
The [Vertical Jump] attribute was one such example. In these four months, Akashi didn't perform much basic attribute training, yet as his height increased, his [Vertical Jump] data naturally broke the threshold, reaching 80 or above.
Of course, the advantages gained from physical growth did not include the [Power] attribute.
Once physical data surpasses 80, it can generally no longer increase through conventional methods, requiring the consumption of [Over-Achiever Points] for enhancement. This is why the increase in [Power] has been relatively slow over the past few months.
After the National Tournament, Akashi's main focus shifted to various attacking techniques and serving techniques.
Specifically, [Spike] and [Powerful Jump Serve] both broke through to 80 or above after several months of rigorous training. This was the reason Akashi was able to score two consecutive service aces.
As for the 'brutal aura' Mishita Ryuhei sensed, Akashi honestly didn't feel much of it.
After all, in his eyes, he was a top-performing student; how could he be associated with the word 'brute force'?
Mishita Ryuhei: "Heh~~ You must have forgotten you used to be a delinquent!"
...
The Scoreboard
"Hey, Yahaba, are you alright?"
After what seemed like an eternity, someone from the White Team finally remembered to help Yahaba Shigeru up from the floor.
"I'm fine," Yahaba Shigeru rubbed his chest, still shaken. "I'm sorry, I didn't receive that ball well."
"It's okay, it's okay. It's perfectly normal not to receive a ball like that. After all, even Oikawa's serve doesn't have that much power."
"Hey~~ Who said my serve isn't as good as that first-year's?"
"Heh! Isn't it obvious? Your serve only scored one point, and he's already scored two."
Iwaizumi Hajime pointed to the score counter. The score between the Red and White teams had reached 3:1.
Rookies vs. Upperclassmen.
Three minutes into the Initiation Match, the Upperclassmen Team was completely on the defensive.
...
"What an amazing serve!" On the edge of the court, Seijoh's Coach Irihata Nobuteru was delighted by Akashi's performance on the court. "Although his serve was surprising when viewed on video, only by truly witnessing it can you truly appreciate how terrifying that serve is."
"Indeed! He crushed the positive atmosphere the White Team worked hard to build with just two serves. That kind of skill is simply not what a middle schooler should possess. One can only say he's worthy of being this year's Best Middle School Ace Spiker. Seijoh truly struck gold in recruiting Akashi Asuka." An assistant coach chimed in.
"Speaking of which, Coach Irihata. We were rejected when we first approached Akashi Asuka. Why did he come to Seijoh now? Did Shiratorizawa reject him?"
"Haha~~ How could they reject him? It's just that he never intended to enroll through the sports scholarship route from the start."
...
A Turnaround
"Oh dear~~ Things seem to be getting a bit troublesome now, don't they? It looks like the opponent intends to completely overwhelm us with his serve."
Bringing up that point just infuriated Iwaizumi Hajime: "You have the nerve to say that, you trash Oikawa! If you had scored more points with your serve at the start, how would we have fallen into this disadvantage? You're not even as good as a first-year rookie. I think you should just retire!"
Oikawa Toru: "Huh? Wasn't that because you, Iwaizumi-chan, couldn't receive the ball properly?"
Iwaizumi Hajime: "{—})"
POW!
A rock-hard fist slammed into Oikawa Toru's forehead, and the world suddenly fell silent.
Iwaizumi Hajime calmed his heaving chest, then grabbed the now-lumpy-headed Oikawa Toru, gathering the others: "The backcourt defense for the rest of the match will be entirely handled by me and Oikawa. The opponent's serve is different from this bastard Oikawa's—while the power and speed are superior, he lacks control. So, as long as we can find the landing spot and successfully cushion the impact, there's a good chance we can receive the ball."
"Understood!"
Although Iwaizumi Hajime was initially startled by Akashi's serve, as the (Vice) Captain, he quickly discovered the weakness in the opponent's serve.
At that moment, Akashi was also preparing to launch his third serve.
When the data for [Powerful Jump Serve] surpassed 80, what increased was not only the power of the serve but also the success rate.
Since it was a practice match with no timeouts, Akashi still had a good feel for the ball after two consecutive serves. As he tossed the ball into the air, Akashi had a premonition that this serve would be successful as well.
BAM!
Sure enough.
Accompanied by the sound of the ball being struck, the volleyball once again whistled over the net, landing inside the opponent's boundary.
But this time, just as the ball was about to land, a figure suddenly shifted sideways to the ball's direct path. With a simple stretch of his arms, a dull 'thud' was heard, and the volleyball bounced high into the air.
This time, however, the ball did not fly out of bounds.
"Nice, Iwaizumi-chan! Great receive!"
Oikawa Toru praised him, then shifted his feet and executed a back-set parallel to the net, setting up Hanamaki Takahiro for a quick attack. Kindaichi Yutaro's block was a step too slow, and the White Team successfully scored.
"Whoa!"
"Nice job!"
"Did you see that, first-year rookies? That's the power of your upperclassmen! Don't think you can easily defeat us just because you can serve a little. You're still a hundred years too early!"
After scoring, the White Team members were extremely excited, celebrating enthusiastically.
Mishita Ryuhei, standing at the net, watched the joyous celebration opposite him and felt quite bewildered.
That's strange.
You are clearly the upperclassmen, but why are you even more excited than us after scoring a point?
Which one of us is the third-year, exactly?
...