Seeing that everyone was discussing aimlessly, Ukai didn't keep them in suspense any longer.
"It's the school that's also participating in the training camp—Nekoma!"
"Nekoma!!"
Hearing that, Nishinoya suddenly shouted.
"That's right! It's Nekoma!"
"Their style is very similar to Nekoma's! That kind of team that focuses on defense!!"
"Haha!"
"Yes!"
Ukai smiled and said:
"That coach from Sarukawa Tech is also a student of Coach Nekomata, and many of his ideas were learned from him!"
"So, the team he coaches has a very similar style to Nekoma, which makes sense."
"In that case…" Nishinoya's eyes lit up.
"We can use the strategy we used against Nekoma. That might just win us the match!"
"That's still up for debate…" Ukai rubbed his chin, hesitating a little.
"While you were playing training matches during the day, I started watching some of the past competition footage that had circulated in the volleyball scene."
"Even though the style is similar and both are defensively strong... there are still some differences between them!"
"I'll go over that with you in detail later."
Just as the Karasuno players were analyzing their opponents in the video room…
Late at night in Ishikawa Prefecture, a multimedia classroom still had its lights on.
Click!
Yukei Shikao walked to the TV and hit the pause button.
"We've been watching since the afternoon. Any thoughts about our first opponent in a few days?"
Inside the classroom, there was dead silence.
The players who were usually lively and talkative had all gone quiet.
The silence lasted for a long time before team captain Itaru Shiramine finally spoke:
"The other side… seems really strong."
"Ahh…" Shikao let out a subtle sigh. He knew he needed to find a way to redirect the players' thoughts. If they carried this state into the national tournament, it could be dangerous.
"Ahem!"
He cleared his throat to catch their attention.
"I used to play a lot of training matches against that school—Karasuno—when I was in high school."
"Huh?"
Sure enough, the players perked up with interest. This was the first time Coach Shikao had ever talked about his own past.
"Coach, your high school was…"
"Nekoma! Nekoma High School in Tokyo."
"Nekoma…"
"That's a strong school from Tokyo!"
"Though I heard their performance wasn't great in previous years…"
Everyone on Sarukawa Tech began to murmur among themselves.
"Yeah," Shikao nodded. "For a while, Nekoma was going through a slump. But recently, they've been rising again."
"And Karasuno and Nekoma have always been destined rivals!"
"Their matches are known by many as—The Battle at the Garbage Dump!"
" Trashcan Showdown "
Sure enough, once Shikao began telling the story, everyone at Sarukawa Tech was drawn in by the history between Karasuno and Nekoma.
"After the legendary Coach Ukai retired due to illness, Karasuno began to decline."
"But from the video we just watched, I could see their current team lineup."
"And I've had a few encounters with their current coach as well," Shikao added with a smile.
"Oh?" Itaru Shiramine asked curiously. "Could it be… that coach was your old rival?"
"Haha!" Shikao chuckled.
"He was also a former Karasuno player."
"And not just that—he's the grandson of the former Coach Ukai!"
"What??"
Everyone was stunned.
"So… Karasuno's resurgence has something to do with that legendary Coach Ukai too?"
"Maybe," Shikao said as he turned his eyes back to the screen.
"Back when the old Coach Ukai was around, Karasuno was about evenly matched with Shiratorizawa."
"But in the match we just watched… Karasuno beat Shiratorizawa 3-0."
"Yeah! And Shiratorizawa still had Ushiwaka—their ace!"
"He's one of the top three aces in the country!"
Sure enough, after Shikao said that, the tension among the Sarukawa Tech players visibly loosened.
They started chatting animatedly again.
"A team like Shiratorizawa has been in the top eight for years!"
"And this year… they didn't even make it to nationals!"
"How about it?" one of the players joked. "Wanna face Shiratorizawa instead?"
"Haha! Just kidding!"
"Even though Karasuno beat Shiratorizawa, I still think they'll be easier to deal with. They don't have much experience playing at nationals!"
"Exactly!"
Most of the team nodded in agreement.
Shiratorizawa had long built a name for themselves in national tournaments. And Ushiwaka—the top ace in the northeast—was a fearsome opponent no one wanted to face.
By comparison, Karasuno had never even made it to nationals before.
So, to the players of Sarukawa Tech, Karasuno still seemed like the better opponent to face.
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1st Bonus Chapter - 500 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter -900 Power Stones
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