"That guy won the Best Setter award at the [Junior highschool National Volleyball Championship] when he was in junior high school!"
"His strength is terrifying!"
"Itachiyama..."
"Itachiyama again??"
Hearing this, everyone in Karasuno was stunned.
Since coming to the training camp, this name had echoed in everyone's ears more times than they could count.
"Really... Is this team that strong?"
Sugawara couldn't help but ask.
"Very strong," Yaku replied with a solemn expression.
"Sakusa, who's known as one of the top three aces in the country, alongside the strongest setter and the strongest Libero..."
"Every player is top-tier."
"When such powerful individuals come together... it only pushes them to create even greater power!!"
As soon as Itachiyama was mentioned, the atmosphere shifted.
Most who knew their strength believed this team was nearly unbeatable.
Bokuto and the others, on the other hand, looked fired up—
Because they knew...
The fate of a king is to be constantly challenged!!
Only a king who defeats every challenger can truly remain on the throne!
The moment Itachiyama can no longer fend off those challenges, they'll fall from that pedestal.
"Alright! Alright!"
Outside the gym, the belated Coach Nekomata clapped his hands and raised his voice:
"Now that the schedule is out!"
"We've got just four days before the first round of the Nationals begins!"
"Especially Fukurodani, Karasuno, and Ubugawa!"
"I hope you make the most of these next few days and leave no regrets on your journey!"
"Nekoma and Shinzen, don't slack either! If you didn't make it to Nationals this time, you're already falling behind the other schools!"
"If you keep going easy on yourselves..."
"Then come the Spring High qualifiers in a few months, your loss will only be worse!!"
"Yes!!"
Under Coach Nekomata's words, everyone refocused and straightened up.
The National Tournament was almost here, and even teams that didn't qualify couldn't afford to relax!
And for the ones who had qualified, training became even more intense!!
After that day's training matches, the evening was no longer left as free time.
All participating teams had one more thing to do:
Study their opponents' match videos!!
Nationals were completely different from the prefectural qualifiers.
In prefectural matches, teams generally knew each other already, even if just by reputation.
Most of the top schools in a prefecture were widely known, and once you were up against them, you could prepare mentally and physically.
But Nationals were a different beast!
A team that represented its prefecture this year might not make it next year.
Take Karasuno, for example—they beat Shiratorizawa to make it to Nationals this year!
Which meant...
Any team that had studied Shiratorizawa in preparation for Nationals had wasted their effort!!
Karasuno hadn't been to Nationals in five years.
In that time, every single member of the team had changed!
So their opponents had to re-strategize and develop new countermeasures!
Only schools with a firm grasp on their prefecture year after year—those with overwhelming dominance—were guaranteed a spot at Nationals.
Those were the schools worth studying in advance.
Like Itachiyama, Fukurodani in Tokyo, Izumisaka from Oita Prefecture, Inarizaki from Hyogo Prefecture...
And Shiratorizawa, who used to be such a school from Miyagi Prefecture...
In the past, nobody doubted Shiratorizawa's reign.
Nobody believed any team in Miyagi could dethrone Ushijima's dynasty.
The power of the country's three great aces wasn't exaggerated!!
But what no one saw coming was...
In Ushijima's final year—arguably his strongest—an old, declining team made an unexpected comeback!!
They defeated the powerhouse Shiratorizawa in a stunning 3–0 sweep!
And seized the lone ticket from Miyagi Prefecture!!
That Night — In the Lit-Up Video Room
Karasuno's group sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes focused on the glowing curtain ahead.
"This is our first opponent... Sarukawa Tech from Ishikawa Prefecture!!"
Once the video ended, Ukai turned toward the team seated in front of him.
What they'd just watched was footage from the final match of the Ishikawa Prefecture Qualifying League.
In the video, Sarukawa Tech's opponent was a team called Manren High School.
In the finals, Sarukawa fully displayed their strength and solid form.
With a stable play style and persistent spirit, they took the finals 3–1, earning their spot as Ishikawa's representatives!
After watching, everyone came to a single realization—
There are no weak teams at Nationals.
Every team had fought their way through intense competition to be here!
"Their playstyle... Feels kind of familiar."
At that moment, Nishinoya suddenly spoke.
As the team's ever-sharp Libero, he picked up on a subtle detail that even Ukai hadn't pointed out yet.
"Ahem."
Ukai cleared his throat twice before speaking.
"Now that you mention it, I actually know a bit about Sarukawa Tech's Coach Shikao."
"We're from the same generation."
"Oh? Is he an acquaintance of yours, Coach?"
Everyone leaned forward, interested.
"Haha! I wouldn't go that far!"
Ukai chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
"But the high school he went to... you all definitely know it!"
"His high school?"
"Was it in Miyagi Prefecture?"
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1st Bonus Chapter - 500 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter -900 Power Stones
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