The Immediate Spike
BAM!
The volleyball soared over the crowd, unobstructed, and violently slammed onto the floor.
1:0.
Seijoh scored the first point.
Akashi landed from the air. The Shiratorizawa players looked at him, then at the volleyball rolling on the floor behind them, and were momentarily stunned.
"A direct spike on the first pass?"
"Could he even reach the ball at that height? Since when did Seijoh have a player like that?"
Coach Washijo Tanji, courtside, was furious, roaring: "You idiots! What are you spacing out for? That ball wasn't impossible to block! Tendo, what are you doing?"
Washijo Tanji's roar was more effective than electrotherapy for the Shiratorizawa players.
Hearing his angry shout, the Shiratorizawa players snapped out of it, quickly recovering from the shock of the previous point.
"Honestly, none of you give me a moment's rest..."
Washijo Tanji grumbled as he returned to his seat. The assistant coach looked at Akashi, who was surrounded by his teammates on the Seijoh side of the court, and said with some regret: "Impressive, as expected! Akashi Asuka. With that height and power, a player like him should have come to Shiratorizawa instead of Seijoh. What a shame."
"Hmph, it's no shame. We have Ushiwaka, and that's enough. He won't lose to any other player."
Washijo Tanji snorted coldly, though the way he was staring intently at Akashi suggested he didn't entirely believe his own words.
Absolute height and power.
This has always been the philosophy championed by the Shiratorizawa Volleyball Club.
From this standpoint alone, Akashi's qualifications were indeed highly suited for Shiratorizawa. After the middle school entrance exams, not just Shiratorizawa, but even Seijoh had expected Akashi to join Shiratorizawa.
However, what Washijo Tanji never expected was that Akashi was not only good at volleyball but also had ridiculously high academic results.
So, when he learned that Akashi had chosen Seijoh because of the scholarship, no one knew the complexity of his feelings at the time.
This was no longer just about volleyball; it was the cognitive shock delivered by a top student to a poor one.
"Hmph! I can't control academic results, but in the realm of volleyball, Shiratorizawa will never lose to anyone."
...
The Steel Spear
"Nice job, Akashi!"
"Great spike!"
"You gutsy kid, I can't believe you dared to spike that ball directly!"
The Seijoh team excitedly surrounded Akashi, showering him with praise, and even Oikawa had an excited look on his face.
Come to think of it, this was Oikawa's first time teaming up with Akashi in a match since he joined Seijoh.
His feelings at this moment were quite complex.
How should he put it?
Simply put, because Oikawa is a setter who can bring out 100\% of his teammates' potential, the upper limit of his teammates' ability determines his performance.
Seijoh's main players are certainly not weak, but that depends on who they are being compared to.
To draw a metaphor:
In past matches, Oikawa was like fighting the enemy with a small wooden stick. But now that he has Akashi, Oikawa's weapon has instantly transformed from a small wooden stick into a steel spear.
This terrifying disparity was something Oikawa found difficult to adapt to all at once.
Oikawa hates "geniuses."
In a sense, deep down in Oikawa's heart, he resisted using Akashi's power.
But in reality, his body was completely beyond his mental control, honestly expressing excitement and thrill.
Because the steel spear was too easy to use.
It was so effective that Oikawa was even beginning to feel fear—fear that if he adapted to the steel spear one day, he would never be able to return to the days when a small wooden stick was enough to get by.
"Beep!"
A sharp whistle blew, and Oikawa served the second ball.
The condition of this serve was still quite good, but it wasn't a significant improvement over the first one, so this time the serve was successfully received by Shiratorizawa's Libero.
After the setter was in position, without any hesitation, the volleyball went straight to the Nation's Top Ace, Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Akashi instantly shifted laterally in front of Ushijima Wakatoshi, then jumped with full power to block.
Although Ushijima Wakatoshi's maximum reach, at 345\text{ cm}, exceeds Akashi's, in an official match, unless Ushijima Wakatoshi hits the ball at his absolute highest point, Akashi's block height is sufficient to defend against Ushijima Wakatoshi's spikes.
But... that was only the height of the block.
BAM!
Akashi was mid-air when only an explosion sounded in front of him. In the next second, with a flash of afterimage, the volleyball in the air had already crashed onto the floor behind Akashi.
"So strong!"
Akashi looked at Ushijima Wakatoshi, who was a few centimeters taller than himself across the net, and instantly felt an immense aura washing over him.
If judged by the System's standards, Ushijima Wakatoshi's [Power], [Jump], and [Spike] attributes were all at least 84 or higher.
Moreover, he possessed the "left-handed" advantage, which the system data could not display.
Undoubtedly.
The current Ushijima Wakatoshi already possessed an ultra-high school level of volleyball skill.
What's more terrifying is that he had only just entered his third year of high school, meaning he still had nearly seven or eight months of growth remaining before the end of his high school career.
"Is this the power of one of the Nation's Top Three Aces? It's really... kind of exciting!"
...
The Guess Block
"Beep!"
The score was 1:1, and it was Shiratorizawa's turn to serve.
Aside from Ushijima Wakatoshi, some of Shiratorizawa's players also mastered the jump serve technique, but they only executed ordinary jump serves.
The volleyball flew over the net and was steadily received by Watari Shinji.
In the next second, Akashi, Iwaizumi Hajime, and Kindaichi Yutaro all moved simultaneously.
Seijoh's offensive philosophy is tactical coordination, a fundamental concept for a powerhouse school that wouldn't change even after Akashi joined.
Facing Seijoh's tactical interference, Shiratorizawa's defensive formation was instantly dispersed. By the time they reacted, the volleyball had already reached the space above Akashi's head.
"It won't be that easy to shake me off!"
Suddenly, a figure with dyed, spiky red hair appeared opposite Akashi. Tendo Satori's blocking was completely unpredictable, as he blocked entirely based on intuition. In a sense, this guy was the bane of strategic setters like Oikawa and Kageyama Tobio.
Tendo Satori leaped high to meet Akashi, but the next second, his expression suddenly changed.
Because Akashi didn't jump.
Only when Tendo Satori began his descent did Akashi soar into the air, swinging his arm to strike the ball over Tendo Satori's head...
(End of Chapter)