The second set of the match officially began.
Fukurodani was serving first.
Right from the first rally, Aoba Johsai received the serve cleanly, and Oikawa and Akashi Asuka executed a quick set-and-spike attack right in front of the setter, catching their opponents off guard and scoring the opening point.
The serve rotation followed, and Iwaizumi served the second ball of the set.
Fukurodani's libero handled the serve steadily. Akaashi received the first pass and, as always, calmly set the ball to Kotaro Bokuto. The speed of the set wasn't particularly fast, which allowed Akashi Asuka, Oikawa, and Kindaichi to react quickly. They closed in for defense and formed a solid triple block.
A three-man block led by Akashi, Oikawa, and Kindaichi was a formidable wall.
Six arms spread out in a looming formation, it was a sight intimidating enough to make any ace hesitate.
But Kotaro Bokuto didn't flinch. He leapt straight into the wall of arms, his muscular frame tense, as if determined to power through.
Normally, Akashi and the others wouldn't be concerned about a brute-force spike.
But in that moment,
The pressure emanating from Bokuto's presence was so overwhelming that all three instinctively tensed up into a defensive stance.
"Hold steady, block him!" Oikawa called, his expression shifting slightly as he reached out to lead a pressing-style block.
This blocking method slightly reduces jump height but boosts psychological pressure and helps prevent opponents from brute-forcing past.
Kindaichi and Akashi mirrored Oikawa's moves without thinking.
But then,
Just as Bokuto reached the peak of his jump, his tension suddenly dissolved. His muscles relaxed, and he switched from a power spike to a soft tip. With incredible finesse, he gently tapped the ball. It floated just over the triple block, dropped behind them, and plummeted to the floor.
"Damn it... no!"
Aoba Johsai's backline players, Watari and Iwaizumi, immediately recognized the danger and dove for the ball, but they were too late.
Thump!
Flop,
The ball hit the floor, the sound almost overlapping with the sound of the two defenders diving. When they lifted their heads from the floor, the first thing they saw was Bokuto looking down at them from across the net.
["A surprise tip!"]
["Fukurodani's ace, Kotaro Bokuto, faces Aoba Johsai's powerful triple block, and casually tips the ball to outwit the entire defense. A brilliantly clever point!"]
"He can do that kind of play?" Oikawa muttered sourly. The crafty setter, usually the one pulling tricks on others, hadn't expected to get outwitted himself.
It wouldn't have stung so much if it came from someone else.
But that owl-faced guy? He didn't look like the type to play smart…
"Tch! We got baited!" Kindaichi clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
And that made sense. For most blockers, someone like Ushijima's straightforward power spikes felt more respectable.
In contrast, Bokuto's sly tip felt like something they should've seen coming, like they only missed it because they were careless.
But Akashi saw it differently.
He knew that wasn't just some clever play.
As someone who blocks from behind the play, Akashi typically waits to read the set before reacting. While he might not always get the block, he's rarely fooled.
Yet even he was caught off guard by Bokuto.
And it wasn't due to negligence.
It was the presence Bokuto gave off in that split-second. It forced a reaction from Akashi, Oikawa, and Kindaichi. In fact, Akashi suspected that had they not attempted that pressing block, Bokuto might not have tipped the ball at all, he might have gone through with the power spike.
It might sound unlikely…
But at Bokuto's level, switching offensive styles midair was well within reach.
The third rally started with Fukurodani's serve, and now Aoba Johsai launched their attack.
Once again, Akashi and Oikawa combined. Oikawa used his technique to shake off one of Fukurodani's front blockers. Akashi then played bait, drawing the rest of the defenders.
And the final blow was delivered by Kindaichi.
With Fukurodani's side wide open, Kindaichi spiked the ball cleanly, reclaiming the point.
"Those two are a nightmare to deal with…"
The Fukurodani players were visibly rattled by the constant disruption caused by Akashi and Oikawa's coordination.
Oikawa was already a top-tier setter, capable of maximizing every player's strengths, except Akashi, who needed no help. He could command attacks from anywhere on the court.
Normally, just dealing with Oikawa would be enough of a headache.
But now, Aoba Johsai also had Akashi Asuka, a national-level ace whose offensive power was on par with Bokuto himself.
The thing about these top-tier aces like Akashi and Bokuto was that, aside from their immense offensive power, they made perfect decoys.
And the beauty of using such a powerful ace as bait was this:
Even if the opponent knew it was bait, they still had to commit multiple defenders to mark them. One slip-up, just one defender missing, and the ace could easily power through.
On that point, Keiji Akaashi could relate deeply.
He often used his own owl-like ace to pull attention away, creating ideal opportunities for his teammates.
That's why Akaashi knew just how much of an advantage it was for a setter to have someone like Bokuto.
"But still…"
He glanced toward Bokuto, who now brimmed with fighting spirit.
"None of that matters right now. Because this Bokuto-san… is invincible!"
────────── ✦ ──────────
Smack!
By the 5th minute, the score was tied 6–6. Oikawa had just made a service error. Though he missed the point, the fast-moving ball had messed up Fukurodani's formation.
Thanks to an imperfect set by Akaashi, Akashi again managed to anticipate Bokuto's spiking angle. With his current block skill at level 81, even a solo block from Akashi exerted enormous pressure.
In a flash,
Bokuto, originally set to spike at a sharp cross angle, suddenly felt the hairs on his neck stand up. A primal fear surged in his brain, and like a beast reacting to danger, he adjusted at the last second, switching from a sharp spike to a straight, soft shot.
Smack.
The ball gently collided with Akashi's palm and rebounded high over the court.
"Huh?"
Akashi blinked in mild surprise as he tracked the ball.
"He sensed the danger and changed his strike midair?"
As the ball floated back over, Fukurodani regrouped. Akaashi avoided Akashi this time and set the ball again to Bokuto. This time, they pierced through Aoba Johsai's defense and took the point.
────────── ✦ ──────────
9th minute.
The score was 11–12. Fukurodani led by a narrow margin, courtesy of Akashi's earlier serve error.
After a rotation, Akashi was back in the front row.
Aoba Johsai served.
Fukurodani's libero received it, and Akaashi, shaking off Iwaizumi, passed to Bokuto once more. But Bokuto again faced a formidable double block from Akashi and Oikawa.
They weren't the tallest, but in terms of technique, these two were elite.
With just two blockers, they sealed off two-thirds of Bokuto's possible spiking angles. The remaining gap was closely guarded by Watari in the backline.
It looked simple enough, but it had pushed Bokuto into a corner.
Then,
Bokuto swung and aimed right for Oikawa's fingertips. The ball brushed them lightly and zipped out of bounds.
Tweet!
The referee's whistle signaled a point for Fukurodani.
11–13.
At first, the Aoba Johsai players looked confused. They hadn't even realized what happened.
The fingertip deflection was so subtle and perfectly executed that even the referee might have missed it, if not for Oikawa himself admitting the touch.
As the point was confirmed, a few drops of sweat began trickling down Aoba Johsai players' foreheads.
They had no choice but to call a timeout.
────────── ✦ ──────────
"He's too strong!"
"He's like another Ushijima, you can never predict what kind of spike he'll go for next!"
"What is that guy? He was so average in the first set, but now he's suddenly playing like a monster?"
Back on the bench, Aoba Johsai's players let out their frustrations.
They couldn't wrap their heads around Bokuto's transformation. In this second set, he was playing like a superhero, no matter what defense they put up, he always found a way through.
Just in the first half, Bokuto had scored 9 points, more than two-thirds of his team's total.
It was absurd.
While different from Ushijima's brute force style, Bokuto's presence in this set reminded them of how it felt facing Shiratorizawa back then, completely suffocated.
No matter what they tried, they couldn't slow him down.
"Exactly–" coach Irihata Nobuteru nodded, stroking his chin.
"He may not score through sheer power like Ushijima, but Bokuto's offensive arsenal is incredibly complete."
"Plus, his intuition seems razor-sharp. It may not always show, but in critical moments, it helps him choose the perfect attacking method."
"He's definitely one of the toughest opponents we've faced. No wonder he's ranked among the top five aces in the country."
"If we want to beat him, we'll have to break his rhythm somehow, take away that emotional high."
As Aoba Johsai's head coach, Irihata had studied every Fukurodani player before this match.
Naturally, Bokuto was at the top of that list.
Usually,
Bokuto's performance was directly tied to his mood. If he was in a slump, he was almost useless. But if his spirits were high, he could contend with the top three aces in Japan.
Just like now.
So if they wanted to defeat him, they had to knock him out of this emotional peak. Even if they couldn't send him back into a slump, they had to at least cool off his rhythm.
"Looks like we'll have to take a risk."
After a moment's thought, Irihata turned toward the substitutes' bench and said calmly:
"Kyotani, start warming up."
==========
You can find much more on my Patreon: Patreon.com/Veltoria
There are currently 5 active fanfictions on Patreon, with over 514+ advanced chapters available across them!
From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time — Up to Chapter 314
Haikyuu!!: Rise of Sengoku — Up to Chapter 259
Danmachi: Is It Wrong To Aspire to Be An Adventurer? — Up to Chapter 97
Legend of Hogwarts (Harry Potter x League of Legends) — Up to Chapter 156
I Am Luffy: Partner System Online (One Piece) — Up to Chapter 139
Playing Genshin Impact in Danmachi (Danmachi x Genshin Impact) — Up to 69