Score: Itachiyama 15 - 8 Nekoma.
The gap wasn't closing.
Nekoma was known for its defense, for its ability to "connect." But Itachiyama was beating them at their own game.
Yaku was struggling. Sakusa's spikes had a spin that made the ball "crawl" up his arms, spraying off into the stands instead of going to the setter.
"Damn it!" Yaku cursed, diving for a ball that spun away from him. "It's like catching a live rat!"
On offense, Ryuu was trying to adapt.
'Okay, Komori reads my eyes. So I won't look.'
Ryuu jumped for a spike. He stared straight ahead at the blocker, then swung his arm blindly toward the cross.
WHACK.
He hit the ball poorly. Without looking, his hand contact was off. The ball flew out of bounds.
"OUT!"
Itachiyama 16 - 8.
"Don't think so hard!" Yamamoto shouted. "Just hit the damn ball!"
Ryuu ran a hand through his hair. He was sweating now. Not the cool, "I'm barely trying" sweat. The ugly, "I'm working my ass off and losing" sweat.
He looked across the net. Sakusa was calm. Iizuna was calm. Komori was smiling.
They weren't even worried. To them, Ryuu wasn't a Monster. He was just a tall guy with bad form.
Score: Itachiyama 20 - 12.
"Timeout Nekoma."
Coach Nekomata gathered the team. The atmosphere was heavy. They were being dismantled, piece by piece.
"We are drowning," Nekomata said calmly.
Ryuu drank his water aggressively. "Komori is annoying. I hit it hard, he digs it. I try to aim, he's already there. I try not to aim, I miss."
"You are fighting a mirror," Nekomata said. "You rely on your eyes to read the opponent. Komori relies on his intuition to read you. And right now, your 'book' is written in giant, bold letters."
Nekomata looked at Ryuu.
"You have been relying on your stats, Gojou. Speed. Power. Height. Those are Level 1 tools. Itachiyama has dealt with power before."
"So what do I do?" Ryuu asked, his voice low.
"You have to learn to lie," Nekomata said. "Not with your words. With your body. You need to show them one reality, and then execute another."
Ryuu stared at the floor.
Lying with his body. Feints that look like spikes. Spikes that look like passes. Eyes that look left when hitting right.
It sounded easy. But doing it against the best team in the country, at full speed?
"The first set is gone," Nekomata said bluntly. "Use the rest of this set to collect data. Stop trying to score with power. Watch how Komori moves. Watch how Sakusa spins the ball."
"Observe," Nekomata ordered. "Then, in the second set... devour."
The End of Set 1.
The timeout ended.
Ryuu walked back onto the court. He stopped trying to force points. He started watching.
Sakusa spiked. Ryuu watched the wrist snap. 'He drops his shoulder slightly inside. That creates the spin.'
Komori dug a ball. Ryuu watched his feet. 'He takes a split step right when the setter touches the ball. He commits to a direction based on the hitter's hip angle.'
Ryuu didn't score much. He got blocked twice. He hit one out.
But his Emperor's Eyes were recording. He was building a database.
Score: Itachiyama 24 - 15.
Set Point.
Iizuna served. Nekoma received. Kenma tossed to Ryuu.
Ryuu jumped.
He saw the block. He saw Komori waiting in the cross.
Ryuu didn't try to score. He swung normally. Komori dug it easily.
Itachiyama countered. Sakusa hit a wipe off Ryuu's hand.
25 - 15.
Set 1: Itachiyama.
The whistle blew. The teams switched sides.
The crowd murmured. "Nekoma is getting crushed." "That Number 10... he's big, but he's got nothing on Sakusa." "Itachiyama is just on another level."
Ryuu walked to the bench. He sat down. He draped a towel over his head.
"Ryuu?" Kenma asked softly.
Under the towel, in the darkness, Ryuu's eyes were wide open. They were glowing.
He wasn't defeated. He was calibrating.
"Kenma," Ryuu's voice came from under the towel. It was calm. Dangerously calm.
"Yeah?"
"In the next set," Ryuu said. "I'm going to turn off the aim assist."
He pulled the towel off. He wasn't smiling. The playful arrogance was gone. In its place was the cold, terrifying focus of a true Villain who had just finished his training arc.
"Sakusa thinks I'm messy," Ryuu stood up. "I'm going to show him what a real mess looks like."