Seijoh defeated Fukurodani, but they did not defeat Motoyasu Kotaro.
Because a man who can accept defeat with his head held high cannot be defeated by an enemy.
In fact, quite the opposite.
After the match, Akashi Asuka found himself being pestered by Motoyasu Kotaro.
"Hehehe~~ Akashi-kun, have you determined your opponent for the next match?" The familiar loud laugh and enthusiasm told Akashi Asukawho it was without even turning his head.
Even Akashi Asuka was quite helpless in the face of such an overly friendly person. He turned around and said, "It's pretty much decided. Are you guys ready to leave?"
Motoyasu Kotaro put his hands on his hips and loudly declared, "Of course! To defeat you next time, we're already prepared for a hellish summer training! Be ready for our next match!"
Motoyasu Kotaro was full of energy, forming a stark contrast with the helpless Akashi Asuka. If one didn't know the inside story, they might have thought Motoyasu Kotaro was the victor.
"In that case, I wish you a smooth journey…"
Akashi Asuka was about to wish Fukurodani a smooth journey, but then he suddenly remembered that these people seemed to live in Tokyo, and the trip to Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium would probably take less than half an hour.
Maybe they would go back today and still be able to come watch Seijoh's match tomorrow.
So Akashi Asuka could only change his words and say, "Good luck with your summer training!"
"Don't worry!"
Motoyasu Kotaro patted his chest heartily, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, by the way, for our Academy Alliance training this time, Nekoma's coach seems to have invited a team from Miyagi Prefecture to join. Do you know them?"
"If you're talking about Karasuno, I think I know them," Akashi Asuka said, stroking his chin.
"Oh! Even you know that team? It seems they are indeed as interesting as Nekoma's coach said!" Motoyasu Kotaro's eyes sparkled, and anticipation gradually grew in his heart.
"Speaking of which, do you guys from Seijoh want to join our practice match this time? If you want to come, I can ask the coach to invite you!"
"Hmm?"
Akashi Asuka was slightly stunned, and then a hint of contemplation appeared in his eyes.
To be honest.
This internal practice match, spearheaded by Fukurodani Academy, was indeed quite valuable. If Seijoh could join, it would be a great benefit to them.
However, in the end, Akashi Asuka still shook his head and refused, saying, "I can't make that decision. It depends on what arrangements our coach makes in the coming days."
"Is that so? That's a real shame."
"Kōtarō Bokuto, we should go. If we're any later, the school bus will leave." Seeing that Motoyasu Kotaro still had the urge to continue chatting with Akashi Asuka, Keiji Akaashi had no choice but to interrupt him early.
Motoyasu Kotaro reluctantly closed his mouth.
The Fukurodani group walked past Akashi Asuka, but they didn't have a good expression towards him. After all, not everyone can be like Motoyasu Kotaro, able to calmly face an opponent who had just dealt them a huge defeat.
But when Keiji Akaashi passed by Akashi Asuka, he suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Your next opponent seems to be Mujinzaka, right? Just a reminder, their playing style is very similar to your current lineup, but they are more mature. In a sense, they might be your biggest bane in this tournament."
They were also top-tier National Tournamentteams, also possessed National-level Aces, and had also entered the National Tournamentdozens of times consecutively within a few years.
Fukurodani Academy and Mujinzaka High School had clashed numerous times in the National Tournament.
Although Keiji Akaashi had not participated in those matches back then, his understanding of strong opponents was by no means small.
And now that Akashi Asuka had gained Motoyasu Kotaro's recognition, Keiji Akaashididn't mind giving Seijoh a little reminder. Of course, it was also possible that he simply wanted to see Seijoh and Mujinzaka fight each other like two tigers.
After all, there were quite a few setters with such mischievous intentions; at least in the Seijoh team, there happened to be one such person.
・・・・・・
Someone in the hotel: "Achoo~ Achoo~~"
Huh!
That's strange, could it be that I caught a cold?
・・・・・・
After the Fukurodani people left, Akashi Asukaalso returned to the hotel.
At this time, everyone in the hotel was discussing tactics, and Irihata Nobuteru, standing in front of the tactical board, was meticulously introducing information about their next opponent.
"Mujinzaka High School, Oita Prefecture representative team, entering the National Tournament for the 29th time in nine consecutive years. From the data alone, Mujinzaka is even stronger than our previous opponent, Fukurodani Academy, and from the facts, this is indeed true."
"From a basic physical standpoint, Mujinzaka High School and Fukurodani Academy are similar. As established top-tier powerhouses in the nation, you must have seen this from the Fukurodani Academy players earlier."
As Irihata Nobuteru spoke, all the Seijoh players in front of the tactical board fell silent.
Although Seijoh won the previous match, they mainly relied on Akashi Asuka and Oikawa Tooru. The role played by other players in that match, while not non-existent, was still a long way off compared to Fukurodani.
Seijoh was also an established powerhouse in Miyagi Prefecture, and all their players' daily training could be considered diligent, so their basic physical abilities were among the best in Miyagi Prefecture.
But once they reached the National Tournament, let alone established powerhouses like Fukurodani Academy, even Morisen High School, whom they eliminated in the first round, could match Seijoh in terms of basic physical abilities.
This was not because the Seijoh team members were not training hard enough, but because they lacked the corresponding training equipment, and their professionalism and scientific approach lagged behind Fukurodani Academy.
And this small gap, seemingly insignificant, actually translates to a difference of about 3 to 5 points per set in a match.
Recall the match between Seijoh and Fukurodani.
It's worth noting.
Seijoh had Akashi Asuka and Oikawa Tooru, two powerful servers. In a single set, these two alone could, on average, establish a 2 to 4 point lead just through their serves.
However, after the second set began, although Motoyasu Kotaro's outburst helped Fukurodaniscore a large number of points.
But he was ultimately only one person. Even if he scored successfully every time he got an attack opportunity, he would only get one point.
Facing the scoring efficiency after Akashi Asukaand Oikawa Tooru's cooperation, it was already quite remarkable for Motoyasu Kotaro to maintain a tie by himself. How could he have possibly overtaken them in the middle of the set?
There is only one answer.
That is, the points by which they were overtaken were not taken by Fukurodani, but were given to them by Seijoh players' errors.
In High School matches, point differences are not only caused by offense and Defense; team stability is also an important criterion for determining victory or defeat.