Haikyuu: Zero To Almighty

"The senpais are terrifying..."

"Seriously, my legs are shaking just watching them."

"Focus! This is the last set. We have to maintain our undefeated record against Karasuno today!" Kaedehara Taichi, as energetic as ever, encouraged his teammates.

The sky had begun to darken. For most students, the weekend was a rare chance to relax, but for the players of Aoba Johsai and Karasuno, it was ending in an intense battle.

Their shouts still echoed through the gym, and their sweat-soaked jerseys were proof of their hard-fought day.

"We have to win at least one set!!!" Hinata Shōyō's determination was overwhelming—it was hard to believe he had been playing all day.

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 20 Karasuno]

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 22 Karasuno]

[Aoba Johsai 28 – 26 Karasuno]

[Aoba Johsai 25 – 16 Karasuno]

[Aoba Johsai 26 – 24 Karasuno]

After winning the morning scrimmages 2-0, Coach Irihata suggested playing two more matches. The Karasuno players had a hearty meal in Aoba Johsai's cafeteria before the afternoon session.

In the first set of the afternoon, Karasuno had nearly secured a victory, but in the second set, an unnamed player—who wished to remain anonymous—unleashed his full power, taking the set in record time.

During the third match, Kunimi Akira and Yahaba Shigeru were subbed out, replaced by Yamabuki Yūjin and Tōma Kaoru. On Karasuno's side, Yamaguchi Tadashi took over for Ennoshita Chikara. Despite the fierce competition, Aoba Johsai still claimed the first set.

Now, in the second set of the third match, the scoreboard read:

[Aoba Johsai 23 – 20 Karasuno]

"Aoba Johsai's new players are pretty solid too," Ukai Keishin muttered, rubbing his temples.

Miyagi had finally gotten rid of Ushijima Wakatoshi, only to be faced with an even younger monster—Kaedehara Taichi.

"Tweet!—"

Aoba Johsai requests a substitution—Tsuchichi Arata IN, Tōma Kaoru OUT.

"Tch. So now they even have a designated pinch server?" Ukai grumbled, scratching his head. He swore he had lost a few more hairs today.

Tsuchichi Arata walked nervously to the service line. Unlike most players, he had maxed out his intelligence stat—he recognized nearly every player on the court.

Aoba Johsai's lineup was familiar, of course, but even Karasuno's Nishinoya Yū, Tanaka Ryūnosuke, Kageyama Tobio, and Hinata Shōyō were names he had studied beforehand.

"I never thought I'd get to play against these senpais...I..." His legs trembled, a mix of excitement and anxiety surging within him.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Mizoguchi Sadayuki asked skeptically.

Coach Irihata sighed. Just minutes ago, this kid had been confidently analyzing every player from the sidelines—he had assumed Tsuchichi was eager to play.

"He serves decently in practice. Besides, it's just a scrimmage—he needs to get used to this kind of pressure."

Still, Aoba Johsai's players were worried. Normally, Yahaba and Watari—both good at calming teammates—would step in, but since neither were on the court, the others could only watch.

Tsuchichi gripped the ball tightly, his palms slick with sweat. He forced himself to breathe, trying to steady his pounding heart.

Taking a deep breath, he tossed the volleyball into the air.

"Oh? Surprisingly not bad!" Mizoguchi remarked. His toss and approach looked stable.

Bang!

Smack!

The volleyball smacked directly against Kyōtani Kentarō's head before bouncing upward.

[Aoba Johsai 23 – 21 Karasuno]

"Pfft—haha—cough, cough..." Taichi barely managed to stifle his laughter before coughing.

"I—I'm so sorry, Kyōtani-senpai!!!" Tsuchichi's nerves, which had just settled, were thrown into chaos again.

Thankfully, it was a float serve, so it hadn't been too powerful. Kyōtani caught the rebounded ball, glared at Taichi, then turned to Tsuchichi.

"At least you didn't chicken out. Work on your serve after the match."

Tsuchichi stared at him in disbelief. No scolding?

"Y-Yes, Kyōtani-senpai!" he shouted back.

"HiiHii—" Taichi let out an incomprehensible noise.

Kyōtani ignored him.

"Tweet!—"

Aoba Johsai requests a substitution—Tōma Kaoru IN, Tsuchichi Arata OUT.

Tsuchichi returned to the bench, feeling like he had barely survived.

"Train harder next time. And remember—you're supposed to score points," Yahaba stated calmly.

Tsuchichi froze. He had almost forgotten the real reason Coach Irihata had sent him in.

This wasn't a game. It wasn't just practice.

This was a match.

He was put in to score.

A wave of frustration crashed over him. Finally, he understood what Kyōtani meant when he said he hadn't run away.

"Yes, sir!!!"

Tsuchihi Arata hurried back to the bench—next time, he definitely wouldn't let his seniors down!

The serve rotated to Karasuno.

Boom!!

Tanaka Ryūnosuke's powerful jump serve scored directly.

[Aoba Johsai 23 – 22 Karasuno]

"Karasuno's stamina monsters are insane…Even at this point, their serves are still that powerful," Kaedehara Taichi muttered, glancing at Nakamori Daiki. Compared to Karasuno, Aoba Johsai's libero was already nearing his limit.

That said, for a first-year, Nakamori Daiki's performance today had already impressed both teams.

Tanaka Ryūnosuke launched his second serve.

Boom!

Smack!

Tōma Kaoru received the ball.

Kaedehara Taichi adjusted his position and set to the left wing—Kyōtani Kentarō leapt up for the spike.

"Three-man block!" Kageyama Tobio, Ennoshita Chikara, and Tsukishima Kei all jumped simultaneously.

Boom!!

The ball deflected off Tsukishima's arm and slammed into Karasuno's court.

Kyōtani Kentarō's spike scored.

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 22 Karasuno]

"Nice kill, Kyōtani-senpai!"

Aoba Johsai reached match point, and Kyōtani Kentarō stepped up to serve.

Boom!—

The ball packed an intense force.

Smack!

Nishinoya Yū dug it up, and Kageyama Tobio quickly set to the right wing—Tsukishima Kei went up for the spike.

"Crap!"

Tsukishima swung but missed—the ball veered out of bounds.

Smack!

Yamaguchi Tadashi barely managed to tip it back over the net.

Caught off guard, Yamabuki Yūjin fumbled the ball, sending it out of bounds.

Karasuno recovered a point.

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 23 Karasuno]

"Nishinoya-senpai's reception was perfect, and my set was flawless. What went wrong with you?" Kageyama Tobio questioned Tsukishima bluntly.

Tsukishima, panting, had no intention of responding to such a stupid question.

"He's obviously out of gas..." Ennoshita Chikara debated whether to step in—those two had already bickered enough today.

"Huh? But Tsukishima ate lunch, didn't he?" Hinata Shōyō bounced up and down, perplexed. "Aoba Johsai's food was really good! I still have tons of energy!"

Ennoshita Chikara: "…"

"Hinata, not everyone is built like you."

A similar conversation was happening on the court. After hearing Yamaguchi Tadashi's explanation, Kageyama frowned in confusion.

"But this is only the sixth set?"

Tsukishima felt his vision darken. This was exactly why he'd never fit in with these freaks.

The serve rotated back to Karasuno.

"Tweet!—"

Karasuno substitution—Kinoshita Hisashi IN, Tsukishima Kei OUT.

"Another pinch server?" Kindaichi Yūtarō's eyes widened.

"Tch, they love playing this kind of game," Kyōtani Kentarō scoffed.

Kinoshita Hisashi tossed the ball up.

Boom!—

Smack!

The ball struck Kyōtani Kentarō's arm and deflected out of bounds.

Kyōtani Kentarō: "…"

Kinoshita Hisashi's serve scored.

[Aoba Johsai 24 – 24 Karasuno]

"Kinoshita! That was awesome!"

"Let's end the match with this!"

Kinoshita Hisashi served again.

-----

"Thank you for the match!!!" After the game ended, both teams bowed respectfully.

[Aoba Johsai 32 – 30 Karasuno]

In the end, Karasuno still lost the final set.

"Next time we meet, I swear I'm gonna defeat you!!!" Hinata Shōyō declared with relentless determination.

"Then keep working hard," Kaedehara Taichi grinned. "This year's Interhigh will have an extra spot for Nationals—I'd love to see you guys there."

Kageyama Tobio yanked Hinata back by the collar and stepped forward. "Even if there are two spots, we're still going to beat you!"

"Oh?" Kaedehara Taichi's expression grew serious. "Then you'd better hope we meet in the finals again."

"Otherwise, you won't even get the chance to set foot on the national stage."

_________

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