Twenty-three minutes into the practice match.
The game was nearing its end.
Once both teams had passed the 20-point mark, Aoba Johsai began to fall slightly behind the pace. After all, it was nearing evening, and the Aoba Johsai players had been training all day. Naturally, their stamina couldn't compare to the freshly arrived players from Shiratorizawa.
Left with no choice, Oikawa had to shift the offensive focus to Akashi Asuka in the latter half of the match.
Ever since the match against Nogisaka in the national qualifiers, Oikawa had been consciously working on changing his subconscious attitude toward Akashi Asuka.
While technical adjustments were easier to make, changing deep-rooted subconscious bias wasn't something that could be done overnight.
But what made things even more interesting was that while Oikawa was trying to adapt, Akashi Asuka was also continuing to evolve...
"Akashi-chan!"
Oikawa called out and decisively sent a high toss Akashi's way.
Faced with the high set, Shiratorizawa immediately formed a tight triple block. Their front-row players quickly converged, forming an impenetrable wall.
Thud,
A heavy thump echoed as Akashi launched himself off the ground. His jumping height had reached a point nearly equal to that of Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Even the Shiratorizawa players were visibly shocked by how high Akashi now soared.
That said, the set from Oikawa hadn't been perfect, and the spike point wasn't especially high. With Shiratorizawa's triple block, it should have been enough to shut him down.
Six arms loomed like a mountain before Akashi, casting a heavy shadow that completely blocked his view of Shiratorizawa's backcourt. No matter the angle, left, center, or right, there seemed to be no path through.
Even the Aoba Johsai team held their breath nervously.
But Akashi's expression didn't change. Relying on his powerful hang time, he briefly assessed the situation midair, then decisively swung his arm.
BAM!
A deep, solid sound rang out.
The next moment, a ball like a streaking meteor shot diagonally across the net, slicing into Shiratorizawa's court. The angle was so sharp it was practically parallel to the net.
Everyone was stunned.
They stared, blinking in disbelief.
"He actually landed it?"
Aoba Johsai's players were wide-eyed. It was hard to believe.
This wasn't the first time Akashi had attempted such an incredibly sharp angle spike, but all his previous tries had ended in failure.
Landing back on the court, Akashi looked down at his palm and thought, Still not quite there.
His wrist wasn't flexible enough. To pull off this kind of spike, he had to rely more on shoulder rotation.
And this only worked because of his "cheat-like" physical ability. If an ordinary player attempted this without sufficient training, the risk of injury would be far too high.
22:24.
Aoba Johsai had scored, but they were still trailing.
Next serve went to Akashi Asuka.
Facing Shiratorizawa's tight defense, Akashi stood in the service zone, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled to calm himself.
Then, he launched a banana jump serve.
The ball carried a mild spin, drifting several times midair before finally landing,
Thud.Out of bounds.
Aoba Johsai's players lit up.
"There it is! That's the Akashi Asuka we've been waiting for!"
Tweet,
With the referee's whistle, the practice match between Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa officially ended.
22:25.
Shiratorizawa won.
Although Aoba Johsai had defeated Shiratorizawa in the national qualifiers, it didn't mean they were objectively stronger.
To be precise,
Once teams reach the national top 8, the raw differences in strength become marginal. At that level, victory often hinges on player form, team coordination, and even luck.
Besides, in today's match, Akashi was focused on practicing specific moves, and the Aoba Johsai team was already fatigued after a full day of training. So, none of them were too bothered by the loss.
Well, except for two people.
First was Oikawa Tooru. He could tolerate losing a scrimmage. But losing to Ushijima Wakatoshi or Kageyama Tobio? That was something else entirely.
The second was Coach Irihata Nobuteru.
He hadn't been particularly concerned about the match result, until Washijo Takiji threw down a verbal gauntlet. Then they lost.
For the coach in his forties, this felt like a deep blow to his pride.
And so...
A dark glint flickered in Irihata's eyes as he looked over his players.
Most of Aoba Johsai's team didn't notice.
But Kyotani Kentarou? He felt the dark aura around Coach Irihata deepen like a stormcloud. An ominous sense of dread welled up inside him.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Shiratorizawa left, taking the victory with them.
By the time the match ended, it was already close to 6 PM. Aoba Johsai packed up their gear and boarded the bus back to the city.
On the ride back, Hajime Iwaizumi seemed lost in thought, as if making a serious decision.
────────── ✦ ──────────
The next morning arrived.
Day four of the "hell training" began. For Oikawa and Kyotani, this was their first day joining the special drills, and they were both fired up, just like the others had been on their first day.
8:00 AM.
Everyone gathered by the beach.
This was normally the designated time for Aoba Johsai's training to begin. But just as they were lining up...
A group of energetic athletes ran past them, chanting loudly.
"You're too slow! Get your heads in the game! It's only been two hours of training, if you can't keep up, then go home!"
The familiar yet fierce roar of Washijo Takiji reached their ears.
Everyone instinctively turned to look and saw Washijo himself, dressed in beach shorts, striding over.
"Good morning, Coach Washijo!"
Despite being rivals, everyone, from Aoba Johsai's students to their coaching staff, greeted him out of respect, given his seniority and reputation.
"Hmph! Bunch of slackers–" he grumbled.
Washijo was infamous throughout Miyagi Prefecture for his temper, so no one took offense to his greeting style.
Coach Irihata kept a cordial smile on his face. But the moment Washijo left, that smile vanished in an instant.
Then, with a cold tone, he said, "Everyone get ready. Training starts now."
==========
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