"Karasuno's clutch server really was clutch, huh?"
"Not just clutch, lucky, too."
"I still can't believe their coach dared to sub in someone at that moment. I don't think our coach would've taken that risk."
Would it kill you guys to be a bit more subtle? Do I not deserve even a shred of dignity?
In Aoba Johsai's resting area, the players grumbled freely about how the second set had ended.
Losing a set wasn't the end of the world, they all knew that. Matches could swing either way until the final point. But to lose like that? It was hard to accept.
In the final, most critical moment of the game, Karasuno's coach suddenly swapped in a completely fresh server, someone who hadn't even touched the court before. And then that player somehow managed to land a fluke of a serve that ended the set.
"…Hey, is it possible," Akashi Asuka said cautiously, "that Karasuno's clutch server aimed for the edge of the net on purpose?"
"...Huh?"
"No way. Absolutely not."
"There's no high schooler who can serve that accurately, especially with a float serve. It's the most unpredictable type of serve to control."
"Akashi, you're overthinking it. Yeah. Definitely. Ha… ha ha… ha… huh…"
They tried to laugh it off, but the chuckles slowly faded.
Because then they remembered, Oikawa Tooru had exactly that kind of freakish accuracy when serving. Which meant, maybe… possibly… with enough practice… someone else could, too.
"What the hell is up with Karasuno?! Who are these people?! Why do they all have such ridiculous abilities?" one of the Aoba Johsai players finally exploded, unable to keep his frustration bottled up any longer.
And honestly? He wasn't wrong.
Most high school teams spent their time polishing the basics and minimizing mistakes. If just three or four players on a team had mastered their own signature moves, the team was already considered elite.
But Karasuno? In just the second set alone, they had pulled out over ten new techniques. Even if those were spread out among the starting lineup, it meant each core player had at least two unique skills.
It was absurd.
What was even more absurd, some of those skills weren't even theirs to begin with. They had blatantly copied them from other teams. Using an opponent's move against them? Whether or not it was effective, it was undeniably insulting.
"Alright, alright, calm down," Oikawa Tooru raised a hand, signaling everyone to take a breath. His eyes gleamed with a calculating light. "Honestly, this might not be a bad thing for us. Karasuno has their playstyle… and we have ours."
"Sure, their new techniques can catch us off guard for a bit, but once we adapt to their rhythm, they'll be like crows with clipped wings. And once that happens…"
He paused, then grinned sharply, his smile tinged with menace.
"They'll just become fertilizer for the towering tree we're about to grow."
────────── ✦ ──────────
The third set began quickly.
Aoba Johsai didn't change their lineup much, Kyotani Kentarou still started as an outside hitter.
His first serve was clean and powerful, but Karasuno's captain, Daichi Sawamura, received it with ease. Then, four Karasuno players, excluding the libero and the setter, moved simultaneously, launching a synchronized multi-directional attack.
"Damn it, this play again. Which angle are they going to hit from this time?!"
To Aoba Johsai, Karasuno's Monster Quick Attack might've been the flashiest move. But the most annoying and headache-inducing one? Definitely the multi-directional synchronized attack they'd stolen from Shinzen.
And somehow, Karasuno had taken that stolen move and made it even better.
After all, Shinzen had coordination, but they didn't have a setter like Kageyama Tobio, who could read the court and deliver pin-point sets in a fraction of a second.
"If I were Kageyama… where would I send the ball this time?" Oikawa's mind raced as he tried to place himself in the rival setter's shoes.
"Left front is the shorty, Hinata. On the right front is the bald guy, Tanaka. The back row has both the captain and the ace moving in. The most effective choice would be Hinata. If they land a Monster Quick, that's a 70% chance to score."
"But if that doesn't go off perfectly, the attack's likely to get shut down. So maybe the safer play would be the ace from the back row."
"…No, wait!"
"That's too predictable. 'Kageyama' would know I'd expect that. So he'll go for something no one expects."
"The best option is…"
Suddenly, a spark lit in Oikawa's brain.
"…his own position."
He gasped.
"Kageyama's going to attack himself!"
He shouted a warning, "Watch the setter's attack!" but before he could even finish the word, the sound of a powerful hit rang out.
Smack!
Using all four of his teammates as decoys, Kageyama Tobio delivered a perfect setter dump attack, timed and angled to perfection.
For a moment, every Aoba Johsai player stood frozen, unable to move. They watched the ball sail toward the floor, wishing they could teleport to the net and block it, but their bodies refused to budge, stuck as if glued to the court.
"You damn brat…!" Oikawa's eyes widened, furious and helpless.
But just before the ball hit the ground, a hand appeared, in front of Kageyama. With one swift backhand, it smacked the ball back over the net.
Thud.
The volleyball hit the court with a dull thump.
This time, it was Karasuno who stood stunned.
What had just happened?
Kageyama's eyes snapped up. On the other side of the net, Akashi Asuka slowly straightened his back, his cold gaze fixed on him.
"You seem to have forgotten something," he said calmly.
"Setter attacks don't work on me."
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria