The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Damn, you're a crazy bastard, you know that, Kobayashi-kun?" Tanaka grinned, rubbing Yuki's hair playfully. "They couldn't touch your serve even once!"

"It's not that amazing. I could do that because I know Riku pretty well," Yuki tried to be modest. Then, he immediately changed the subject when he saw Hasebe glance at the clock. "So, who will be our next opponent?"

"Them," Tanaka pointed to the two boys who were warming up outside of the court.

Yuki groaned immediately when he saw his next opponent. Takeshita Akihiro was probably the toughest middle blocker he had ever faced. Unlike Haruo from Kyoei Gakuen, who still had a goofy personality, Akihiro had a naturally scowling expression on his face, and the unapproachable air around him only added pressure.

As for the other boy, Yuki didn't know anything about him. The boy was around the same height as Subaru, who had played in the first game, but he had more muscle, suggesting to Yuki that he would be a typical hitter like Nitta from Kyoei Gakuen. However, given how excited everyone was when they saw the boy warming up, Yuki knew this would be troublesome.

"Any idea who he is?" Yuki asked.

"His name is Shina Aizawa," Tanaka answered with a solemn expression. "I don't know how you don't even know him, but he was a sensation in the volleyball world last year. He was the youngest player to sign a contract with a professional team—and that was while he was still in his sophomore year of middle school."

"Really?!" Yuki gasped, not expecting someone with such an incredible resume to be here too.

"But that's not the most impressive thing," Tanaka added. Seeing the curiosity in Yuki's eyes, he explained further, "The team he signed with is from America, the Miami Storm. Rumor has it that they even offered him sponsorship for his education until he graduated from university, which is still seven years from now, to express their goodwill."

Yuki didn't know how to react. While it was impressive to get the attention of a foreign team, he didn't know much about the Miami Storm at all. Regarding the sponsorship, he had also received some from a professional player from Italy, so they were in the same boat there. Still, seeing Tanaka's solemn expression, he decided to keep that information to himself for now.

"Don't worry. While he is amazing, I'm sure we can handle this," Yuki patted Tanaka on the back reassuringly. However, it was clear that Tanaka was not confident about that. For this, Yuki could only say, "Just wait. We will be able to handle it."

-0-

"The third game is about to begin! Team 3, Team 4, get ready!" Hasebe shouted.

Yuki and Tanaka returned to the court, followed by Aizawa and Akihiro. They stared at each other for a moment, trying to gauge each other's abilities in this silent confrontation. It lasted only a second, though, before they got ready in their positions.

Since Yuki's team had won the last game, the privilege of serving first was granted to his opponents, which Akihiro and Aizawa were grateful for. While they were up for any challenge from the coach, facing a troublesome pinch-server would always be a nightmare, especially after what they saw from Riku's team.

"Oi, spiky, don't make a mistake, okay?" Aizawa said.

Akihiro scowled at the nickname, yet he replied, "I should've said the same to you, American boy."

Yuki had a sweat drop on his face at the childish—borderline corny—nickname they threw at each other. Still, it might be beneficial for them. If they had communication problems, it would be something Yuki could exploit during his time behind the service line.

After another round of banter, Akihiro was finally ready to serve. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have any worthy service arsenal to challenge Yuki, as the boy easily picked up the ball.

"Tanaka!" he shouted, immediately recovering his position.

"I got this!" Tanaka responded.

Without hesitation, Yuki rushed to the front line, and when he was one step away from the net, he suddenly turned around, changing his direction sharply in a way that would make everyone cringe at the thought of his poor ankles.

"Tanaka! Give it low!" he shouted.

"Don't think you can do that, bastard!" It seemed Akihiro had already switched positions with Aizawa and followed Yuki's movement.

Yuki grinned, knowing that Akihiro had the ability to keep up with him. But when he was about to spike the ball, his eyes suddenly caught a flash of movement beside Akihiro, and after a moment of surprise, he reacted immediately by spiking the ball straight into Akihiro's hands.

BAM!

"Oh! He spiked it straight to the blocker?! What a stupid idea!" Some players on the sidelines groaned disappointingly.

However, those who understood the situation disagreed. They all saw how quickly Aizawa rushed forward to assist Akihiro as the second blocker, so what Yuki chose was probably the best option available. They all wondered, though, how Yuki was able to see Aizawa's movement while he was in the air like that.

"Second ball! Tanaka, run!" Yuki shouted, unaware of the confusion he had created for the audience.

"I got it!"

After picking up the ball, Tanaka rushed forward immediately. Without hesitation, Yuki tossed the ball straight above Tanaka's head, allowing his partner to spike it effortlessly.

"Nice pass, Kobayashi!"

However, it seemed that Yuki and Tanaka had underestimated their opponents. Right when Tanaka took off from the ground, the two players, who had just landed a second ago, had already recovered, moving quickly and leaping once again to block the shot.

Tanaka widened his eyes when he saw the sudden wall formed in front of him. Unfortunately, he couldn't adjust his body like Yuki did in the last play, so he had no choice but to spike the ball as hard as he could, which proved to be useless a second later.

BAM!

0 – 1

"OH! A clean block by Akihiro!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Damn, they reacted so quickly! I couldn't follow their movement at all!"

"As expected from Konan's blockers and the man who managed to attract American pro clubs! They are different beasts!"

As Akihiro and Aizawa reveled in the praise, they both grinned at Yuki, not even glancing at Tanaka. In response to such provocation, Yuki could only sigh, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "I knew they would both be troublesome," he muttered.