Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

The "numbered shot" was the name Kaedehara Taichi had given to his training over the past two months.

By mentally dividing the opponent's court into a three-by-three grid and numbering each section from 1 to 9, he repeatedly practised spiking the ball into specific areas to refine his control. Over time, this method also sharpened his ability to read the opponent's defence—he could now clearly visualize their positioning, defensive range, and movement patterns in his mind.

"Let's start by going through them in order."

Aoba Johsai served.

Yahaba Shigeru's standard jump serve was received cleanly by Jisuikan, and their setter pushed the ball toward the right wing. Black-haired outside hitter Kuromoto Kōji jumped for the spike.

"Too slow!"

"Double block!" Kaedehara Taichi and Kindaichi Yūtarō leapt up together to form a solid wall.

"Damn it!"

Jisuikan hadn't expected Taichi to be this involved—not just in offense, but also in blocking.

Bang!

Smack!

"Touch!" Kindaichi shouted toward the backline.

"Chance ball!" Watari Shinji rushed forward to receive.

Taichi retreated to the back row, picking up speed for his approach. Yahaba sent the set high into the middle.

BAM!

"Triple block!" Jisuikan's front line jumped with all their might.

"Not even close..." Kamihara Atsushi shook his head.

Bang!

The ball hit the floor—again, behind the blockers, just in front of the three-meter line.

Kaedehara Taichi scores!

[Aoba Johsai 9 – 2 Jisuikan]

"Ohhhhhhh!"

"Now THAT'S what a national-level ace looks like!"

"Incredible! Amazing!"

Taichi landed effortlessly and looked across the net. "Your blocking form isn't bad. Keep it up."

"Damn it..." Kuromoto Kōji clenched his fists. Jisuikan's players were shaken after conceding two points in a row. "Is it even possible to defend against that kind of spike?"

"Nice set, Yahaba-senpai!" Taichi called out, his voice brimming with energy. Now was the time to boost his team's confidence.

Yahaba gave a sheepish smile. He hadn't expected to feel this happy over a compliment from a junior. Man...it feels so good to be on the court.

"Yeah, the sets are decent. But your serves suck." A voice cut through the cheers inside the Aoba Johsai camp.

"Kyōtani, shut up!" Yahaba shot him a glare.

"Hmph." Kyōtani Kentarō turned away with a scoff.

Yahaba knew Kyōtani wasn't wrong. Even without comparing himself to Oikawa-senpai, his serves still weren't up to Aoba Johsai's usual standard.

But these past two months, he'd spent every ounce of energy adjusting to their current offensive lineup. Just syncing with Kaedehara Taichi's spikes had taken up nearly half of his training time.

Even now, aside from completely giving up on the super-quick attack, Yahaba still couldn't consistently set up Taichi's left-handed spikes. What had looked so effortless in Oikawa-senpai's hands turned out to be nearly impossible for him to replicate.

He had mentally prepared for this struggle, but the reality still stung. His lack of confidence in recent weeks stemmed directly from this realization.

"Tweet!—"

The referee's whistle signalled his serve.

"I still have so much to work on. Avoiding it won't solve anything. Step by step—give it my all!"

Bang!

The ball soared toward Jisuikan's back row.

Smack! Jisuikan's first pass was solid.

"Go!"

All four of Jisuikan's front-row players moved into attacking positions.

Taichi and Kindaichi adjusted their stance, slightly splitting their block.

Whoosh—!

The set was sent toward a spot away from Taichi.

Boom!

Smack!

"Touch!" Kindaichi reacted quickly, sticking close to the block.

"They're strong..." Kimura Ryōta muttered. He suddenly realized that if he only focused on Kaedehara Taichi, he'd end up underestimating the rest of Aoba Johsai.

"This ball looks like it could be turned into a quick set for Taichi." Kunimi Akira glanced up at the falling ball, his mind working through the possibilities—before promptly deciding "Too much effort. I'll let them handle it." and staying put.

Watari Shinji delivered a perfect pass. Yahaba sent another high set to the middle.

BAM!

For the third time, Taichi leapt in front of the net.

"Triple block!"

As Jisuikan assembled their wall, their back-row defenders edged forward, closing in on the three-meter line.

"Idiots. That just leaves the back row completely open." Kamihara Atsushi rolled his eyes.

"But...what other choice do they have?" Kimura Ryōta countered. "They have no option but to take him on head-to-head."

Kaedehara Taichi took one look at Jisuikan's formation and nearly laughed.

"They're lining up perfectly for my practice!"

Bang!—

The ball passed through the block and the net, flying toward the right side—landing precisely in what Kaedehara Taichi had marked as "Zone 3" in his mind.

Smack!

The Jisuikan libero dove desperately, barely getting his fingers on Kaedehara Taichi's spike.

But, the ball deflected out of bounds.

Kaedehara Taichi scored again.

[Aoba Johsai 10 – 2 Jisuikan]

"What a precise sharp cross! That angle is insane!" Kimura Ryota's eyes seemed to shine with excitement.

"Wait, those last three spikes..." Kimura Ryota replayed the locations of Kaedehara Taichi's previous attacks in his mind. "No way—did he spike them in sequence?!"

"Ryota, what are you mumbling about?" Kamihara Atsushi asked while tearing open another bag of snacks.

"I'm saying...Taichi-senpai's ball control might be even more ridiculous than we thought…"

As if responding to Kimura Ryota's theory, Kaedehara Taichi's spikes continued landing in different locations, almost like a deliberate pattern.

"Four, five, six…eight, nine—" Kimura Ryota's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "He's dividing the opponent's court into a nine-zone grid?!"

Kamihara Atsushi had no idea what Kimura Ryota was muttering about.

"Forget it. I don't feel like thinking about it," he said with a shrug.

-----

Boom!

Kaedehara Taichi's spike shot toward the deep right corner of Jisuikan's court and slammed into the ground.

[Aoba Johsai 18 – 4 Jisuikan]

Kaedehara Taichi had now scored nine consecutive points!

"Taichi! Taichi! Taichi! Taichi!"

"Rule the court!"

"Rule the court!"

The entire gymnasium erupted into a frenzy.

The fragile composure Jisuikan had been desperately holding onto finally shattered—despair was written all over their faces.

This was nothing like the first set!!!

It felt like they were playing against two completely different opponents in the same match!

-----

"Maybe I overdid it," Kaedehara Taichi muttered, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I'll leave the rest to you guys." He turned to his teammates with a grin.

Kyōtani Kentarō: "…"

After standing on the court for so long without spiking even once, he was starting to feel like he'd freeze to death.

In the following plays, Kaedehara Taichi indeed stopped spiking—but he ended up taking over what should have been Yahaba Shū's job.

"Kunimi!" Kaedehara Taichi called out.

Whoosh!—

A perfectly executed back set flew toward the left side—Kunimi Akira spiked the ball straight down for a clean point.

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 6 Jisuikan]

"Beep—!"

The referee signalled the end of the second set.

Winner: Aoba Johsai.

In the second round of the Prefectural Tournament (Group A), Aoba Johsai easily secured a 2-0 victory.

-----

"He's too strong…It felt like he was in total control the entire time!" Kimura Ryota marvelled as if he had just discovered an entirely new world.

Meanwhile, Kamihara Atsushi had finally finished all the snacks he had brought with him. Throughout Kaedehara Taichi's onslaught, his snacking pace had increased dramatically.

"So…are you planning to go to Aoba Johsai?" Kamihara Atsushi asked lazily.

"No. More than being his teammate, I want to challenge him." Kimura Ryota's tone was unwavering. "Besides, a team doesn't need two aces!"

"What you're really saying is that there's no way you'd ever beat Taichi-senpai for the ace position, huh?"

"Atsushi—!"

"Heh," Kamihara Atsushi let out a mischievous chuckle. "So, where are you heading?"

"Date Tech!" Kimura Ryota's eyes shone with determination. "Don't you think my hair colour matches 'The Golden Iron Wall' perfectly?"

"Ohh~ I see."

"And you, Atsushi?"

"Shiratorizawa," Kamihara Atsushi replied with a sly grin. "Don't you also think my hair colour matches Shiratorizawa's uniform perfectly?"

Kimura Ryota: "…"

"Be serious."

"Shiratorizawa," Kamihara Atsushi repeated as he stood up, his towering frame blocking most of the light above Kimura Ryota's head.

"Shiratorizawa's coach personally invited me. He said he'll turn me into a true powerhouse."

_________

[T/N] - If you guys want to read 50 Chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome!

Link - /Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]