Relying purely on their own strength, they ended the match without even giving the other side a chance to fight back. By the end of the first set, the score had reached 25:0.
As expected, Hank and Toru Oikawa directly shut Johzenji out.
A result like that was unprecedented even in all of Miyagi Prefecture. No matter how wide the gap between two teams was, it still wasn't guaranteed that a match like this would happen, ending in a complete shutout.
It was simply outrageous, and the entire court began to buzz with discussion.
A lot of the people there felt deep regret over the result. Even if the gap between Johzenji and Aoba Johsai was huge, it still shouldn't have been so bad that they couldn't score even a single point.
"This is just absurd. Aoba Johsai is actually this strong? Johzenji had so much fire at the start, but after that first set... the whole team just looked wilted. There's no life left in them at all."
"Seriously, what is going on with Aoba Johsai this year? They're way too strong. They might even be one of the favorites to win Miyagi this time. I mean, who's ever seen something like this before... They shut them out completely."
"They really are terrifying. I get it now. Aoba Johsai is definitely aiming for the championship this time."
"It looks like only Shiratorizawa can fight them. Aoba Johsai's ace is too strong. He looks like some kind of beast in human form."
...
The spectators in the stands kept talking one after another. The pressure Aoba Johsai brought was absolutely real. Barring any surprises, the second set would also end in a crushing victory. Johzenji and Aoba Johsai simply were not teams on the same level.
The mismatch between the two teams had been obvious from the start. Anyone who saw something like this would be stunned... They had actually been shut out.
"Terrifying... What kind of monster did Aoba Johsai raise? That wing spiker's physical ability and talent are both top-class."
"They just entered the Spring High preliminaries and immediately ran into the strongest Aoba Johsai squad yet. There's nothing they can do about that."
Johzenji's coach felt somewhat helpless. This wasn't what he wanted either, but there was no helping it. The coordination between the players was far too limited, and none of them had any truly outstanding point. They had only come together through raw athletic talent...
Now that they had run into a strong team, all sorts of problems had surfaced. Forget calling a time-out—the match could already be considered over ahead of time...
All he could do now was hope that next year they wouldn't run into Aoba Johsai. Only then would they have a chance to temper themselves in the Spring High preliminaries.
"This is what a gap in pure strength looks like. In all my years as a manager, this is the first time I've ever seen it."
Hana Misaki could no longer erase today's match from her mind. At this point, the impact brought by Hank alone had already filled her whole heart. Barring any surprises... Hank was someone she would remember deeply. It wasn't to the point of falling for him.
But he would absolutely leave a mark in her heart. The impact he brought was simply too great.
One person could change an entire team. In the past, that saying had only ever sounded like something nice to hear. After all, volleyball was a team sport. If someone wanted to change an entire team through the efforts of one person alone, that was undoubtedly just a fool's dream...
But today, she understood that it was not a fool's dream at all. It was something that could truly happen.
.....
"They didn't even have the ability to resist at all..."
"We're probably going to be left with psychological scars after this. Aoba Johsai's ace is way too strong."
When the second set had just begun, Yuji Terushima and the others still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that they could turn things around. But by the time the score reached 20:2 once again, they understood that they were ultimately incapable of comparing with Hank.
The two sides weren't even on the same level. The only reason the two teams had been able to meet at all was because they were in the same prefecture.
If this had been on a bigger stage, they wouldn't even have had the chance to face them.
In the end, the final score was locked in at 25:4.
Together with the first set,
the scores for the two sets were 25:0 and 25:4.
It was a completely overwhelming victory. The other side had already lost this match without even getting the chance to resist.
(End of Chapter)
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