The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Come on! Don't be so slow, Riku!"

"Shut up! Don't get blocked again, Senpai!"

*BAM!*

"YOSSHA! FINALLY!"

All the Tsunemori players roared as they celebrated another point they got from another long rally. They defended well, keeping the ball in the air for about two minutes before Koji finally pierced the opponent's defense by aiming his spike to get a block out from the opponent's blockers.

Yuki wiped the sweat on his face with the corner of his shirt, glancing sideways at the scoreboard. They had already won the first set with 25 – 22, and now, they were currently on the lead with 23 – 11. If only they could score five more points, they would be able to win the game and take the revenge they desperately wanted during the entire week.

Unlike the first time they faced against each other last week, they dominated the entire game right now. However, that didn't mean it was easy for them to win the game.

There were several occasions where the opponent's hitters were able to pierce their defense easily, showing that no matter how well they prepared themselves to deal with the opponent's offense, sometimes, they could still get overwhelmed by the opponent's raw power.

However, that was the only way the university team managed to keep up with the pace of the game. Other than trying to overwhelm Tsunemori with brute force, they couldn't find a way to deal with them. Hell, the stubbornness put by Tsunemori when defending the ball somehow frustrated them to no end, as it always took a long time for them to get one point.

And now, they all groaned simultaneously when they saw Yuki walk to get the ball for the next serve.

"Come on, Kobayashi!"

"Give us another good serve!"

All the Tsunmeori players encouraged him, starting to get excited. Just in the first set alone, Yuki managed to get seven points from his serve. Even though he didn't have a powerful one in his arsenal, his creativity from behind the baseline was unmatchable, making it impossible for the university team to stop the ball easily.

"Oi, Kobayashi!" Riku suddenly called. "There is no need to hold back at this point. Just show everything you have here and steal the light!"

Yuki grinned, knowing exactly what Riku meant by that. While he managed to score seven points out of his serve, that didn't mean he went all out. In fact, it was more of a testament to how bad the opponent's defense was. He only did a regular serve – albeit playing a lot with the timing and the spot he was targeting, and never went for his floater.

And he also had another one he just learned from Sekine this week that he also wanted to try.

The moment the referee blew his whistle, much to everyone's surprise, Yuki suddenly tossed the ball in the air slightly while doing his run-up. There was a little bit of panic on the other side of the court as they saw him do that.

"Goddamnit! He has a jump serve, now?!"

"Don't be intimidated! Stay focused!"

*BAM!*

Yuki hit the ball straight to its seam with a weird chopping-like movement, aiming to give a spin on his serve. The speed of the ball itself wasn't that impressive. At first, the opponent thought it would be easy to take care of the ball. However, the moment it crossed the net, the ball suddenly moved sideways, not giving the opponent's receiver to react as it went wider, closer to the sideline.

"WHAT?!"

"COVER IT UP!"

"SHIT!"

*Thud!*

"YOSSHAAAA!"

Yuki roared when he saw the ball land in the direction he wanted without anyone could touch it. Then, he was followed by the other players who gave a high-five, excited too about the new serve.

"Goddamnit, Kobayashi! What the hell is that?!"

"Is that your new serve?!"

"You did one hell of a good job, Kobayashi! Keep it up!"

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"One more! Give us one more!"

Basking under such praise, Yuki's cheek flushed as blood rushed into his face with the excitement that rose to the peak. That sidespin serve wasn't like his floater.

Even though the essence was the same, and that was to use the change of movement in the air to mess up with the receiver, he didn't have to use so much power in a floater. His floater service was just a regular service that wobbled in the air, making it hard for the opponent to predict where the ball would go.

As for the sidespin service, it was harder than floater in his opinion since he also had to consider which part of the ball he should hit so it would go in the direction he wanted. Even under Sekine's guidance, it took him almost five days to get it right, and it wasn't that perfect either.

What he didn't know though, was that the others would split their hair if they heard his thought. It was already good to be able to pull up such a hard serve in less than a week, so how could he be not satisfied with the result?

Still, he didn't think about it for now. All he had in mind was how to get another point to seal the deal. Looking at how exhausted the opponent was, Yuki smirked, decided to do the same. He tossed the ball slightly in the air, then hit it when it was at its highest while adding some spins to it.

*BAM!*

"Ryou! It is yours! Save the ball!"

"Goddamnit!"

The libero called Ryou clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw the ball was coming at him. He waited for a while until the effect of the spin appeared before reacting accordingly. However, that didn't mean he could receive it perfectly. The spin made the ball change its speed too while moving, making it harder for him to save the ball like he wanted to do.

*Thud!*

"SHIT! COVER!"

The ball went short to the front side, and the outside hitter of the university team tried to save it by reaching the ball awkwardly. However, he wasn't a good receiver in the first place, so the ball only hit the net and couldn't get through the other side. Seeing that, all the university players tried to cover it up, and one of them managed to do so by kicking it overhead acrobatically.

"OH! Nice, Junya!"

"Keep your eyes on the opponent, you idiot!"

"SHIT!"

As the ball went crossed the net weakly, Riku suddenly appeared, taking advantage of the chaotic position on the other side to slam the ball directly. It wasn't hard for him to score as he just dropped the ball to the floor with all of his power, didn't even have to aim it to a complicated spot.

*BAM!*

One of the opponents tried to save it, just for the ball to bruise his forearms and leave a red mark on it before the ball flew outside of the court. For a moment, the court went silent before Riku raised his fist in his trademark celebration while the others jumped straight into his body, roaring wild in celebration.

"YOSSHAAAAA!"

"WE WIN THE GAME! A SUCCESSFUL REVENGE!"

"COME ON! WHO IS KONAN HIGH?! COME HERE?!"

-0-

As his players celebrated wildly for the win, Akira's smile was ear to ear as he teased his friend. "Is your team really this weak?"

"Hey, don't say it like that!" Kimura protested. "Victory or defeat is a matter of luck too, you know?!"

"Oh?" Akira arched his eyebrows slightly. "Then, shall we have another match?"

The corner of Kimura's mouth twitched in annoyance, especially when he saw the terrible state of his players. They all dropped to the floor immediately as if they had no more energy to do anything again for a day. After a while, the only thing that came across his mind was, "Are you trying to kill my players?"

"COME ON! LET'S DO ONE MORE SET!"

"Sensei, let's do this again! I am in a good condition today. At least, I can still play for another thirty minutes!"

"Yeah!"

Akira nodded in a satisfied manner when he saw his players' condition. If last week, it was them who dropped from exhaustion after the game, now, they still looked fresh after playing for about one hour, showing a significant improvement in the endurance department. This was what he hoped for, and he was happy the team achieved it.

And with that, he felt the team was more than ready to face the next round of the tournament a week later…