8–5.
With Akashi Asuka scoring five consecutive points, the entire arena erupted into a frenzy.
"Wooooooahhh~~~!"
The Aoba Johsai team roared excitedly, rushing toward Akashi as if swept by a tidal wave.
In the stands, the crowd was equally fired up. Many volleyball players can score several points off consecutive serves, but five in a row? That was truly rare.
"Well done, Aoba Johsai's number 8!"
"Incredible! To suppress Inarizaki like this…"
"One more point! One more point! One more point!"
Someone started the chant, and soon the surrounding spectators joined in unison, shouting "One more point!" The booming cheer surged like a tidal wave crashing into Inarizaki's players, putting immense pressure on them.
The expressions on Inarizaki's players darkened instantly.
They'd competed in countless national tournaments, but when had Inarizaki ever been put under such intense pressure?
The players off the court immediately shouted at their cheering squad, demanding they show those ungrateful spectators what real support looked like.
But this time, the cheering squad members exchanged glances, glanced at the scoreboard, and then looked at Akashi Asuka standing ready to serve, and suddenly fell silent.
And then…
Akashi's sixth serve was a fault.
8–6.
"Uh-oh…"
A flicker of embarrassment flashed across Akashi's eyes. Without the opponent's provocation, he suddenly felt a bit lost.
With Akashi's serve rotation finally over, both Inarizaki and Aoba Johsai players let out a collective sigh of relief.
But Miya Osamu's face remained serious. Only he understood that Akashi's fault wasn't entirely a good thing. Without the cheering squad's roar, Akashi couldn't unleash his true serve power; but once they began cheering again, each of Akashi's serves would become fiercer than the last.
If that impression settled deep into Inarizaki's cheering squad's minds, their morale would be completely shattered.
The match continued.
Inarizaki regained the serve, and this time, Aran Ojiro took the line.
As one of the nation's top six aces, Ojiro wasn't famed for his serving, but among national-level aces, no one had a weak serve.
Ojiro's jump float serve scored a point immediately, no surprise there.
However, after a couple of attempts, Hajime Iwaizumi quickly caught Ojiro's serving rhythm. This was thanks to the ten days of training matches Aoba Johsai had before the tournament against the professional team Tokai Heavy Industries. Without that, both Iwaizumi and Watari Shinji wouldn't have been able to handle a national-level ace's serve so well.
The ball was set in the air toward Akashi Asuka.
This time, the middle blocker assigned to block Akashi was a third-year student nicknamed Big Ear, standing 191 cm tall. Unless Akashi reached his absolute highest contact point, it would be difficult to get the ball over Big Ear's block.
But Akashi was never just about height.
Boom!
A powerful spike smashed through Inarizaki's block as if it weren't there. The ball streaked like a beam of light, crashing heavily to the ground.
The Inarizaki players were stunned. That spike reminded them of another national ace they'd faced before, Wakatsu Kiryu.
That monster, too, crushed every defense not with fancy tricks, but sheer overwhelming power.
The Aoba Johsai players remained calm. After all, Akashi's ability to unleash such ferocious serves and spikes was no mere streak of good form.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Player Profile: Akashi Asuka
Height: 190.1 cm
Weight: 81 kg
Strength: 87.1 (Core 87.1, Arm 87.2)
Speed: 81.1 (Explosive 81.2, Reaction 81)
Stamina: 84.9 (Endurance 85, Cardio 84.8)
Jump: 86 (Leap 87.4, Hang time 84.6)
Basic Skills: 80.9 (Serve 84.3, Dig 80.1, Set 72, Spike 85.6, Block 84.3, Defense 79)
Advanced Skills:
Cross-court spike: 83.9
Line spike: 83.9
Small cross spike: 80.2
Wide cross spike: 79.4
Power jump serve: 85.2
Banana jump serve: 79.1
Tactical hits: 78.4
────────── ✦ ──────────
These are Akashi's latest stats after four months of dedicated training.
Though many attributes improved, the most notable are his Strength and Jump.
At a terrifying 87, Akashi had become the high school powerhouse in strength and vertical leap. Even compared to Wakatsu Kiryu, Akashi's spike power was at least as strong.
This incredible power allowed Akashi to deliver those devastating serves moments ago.
The score reached 9–7.
Both teams' heavy hitters had now taken their turns serving.
The rally resumed with back-and-forth offense until it was Oikawa Tooru's turn again.
Bang!
["Beautiful!"]
["Aoba Johsai's Oikawa takes another point, his third consecutive one!"]
["Without the noisy interference from Inarizaki's cheering squad, Oikawa finally shows his true serving level. With terrifying speed and pinpoint precision, each serve hits Inarizaki's weak spots like a bullet."]
16–11.
Since Inarizaki's cheering squad had been silenced by Akashi's serves, Oikawa seemed to release all the frustration bottled inside.
With an explosive hot streak, Oikawa scored three straight points.
Those three points became the final straw breaking Inarizaki's defense.
Beep!
As the referee's whistle blew, Aoba Johsai took the first set against Inarizaki 25–21.
────────── ✦ ──────────
In Inarizaki's resting area, silence hung heavily.
Since winning runner-up last year, it was their worst defeat so far. Except for the early lead Miya Atsumu secured with his serves, Inarizaki had been overwhelmed the rest of the set.
"Shinsuke Kita, you're up for the second set."
The coach stroked his chin and suddenly called out to a silver-haired player in the crowd with a blank expression.
This player was unusual, wearing the team captain's number 1 jersey, yet hadn't started in the match.
Yet as soon as the coach called his name, every Inarizaki player shivered in unison. Even the tense, stiff atmosphere suddenly vanished with that collective shiver…
=============
Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria