The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Oi, Tomo! What are you doing there?" Fujita Goro, the captain of the team, scolded the player who had failed to receive Yuki's serve earlier. "It was just a floater! Why would you be surprised like that?!"

"Ah, sorry, Captain! It came unexpectedly, and before I could react, the ball was already in front of my eyes," Tomoaki, the opposite hitter, rubbed his head guiltily. "Don't worry; I will keep my eyes on his next serve."

The captain stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Make sure you do that, okay?"

"Be prepared for another serve too," Haruo suddenly chimed in. Both Tomoaki and Goro turned their heads and looked at the blocker questioningly. "Well, I've played against him before, and we were also at the same camp two weeks ago. I know he has more in his arsenal. His spin serve is quite nasty, and he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."

All the Giant Bear players around him looked at the blonde boy as if he had just grown a second head. Finally, it was Goro who broke the silence with a question. "If you know that, why didn't you tell us during the scout class?"

Haruo shrugged innocently as he replied, "Well, I already told Sensei, and he said that we didn't have to worry about two inexperienced rookies like him and the setter. Also, he doesn't like me too much and thinks that any intelligence coming from a rookie is not reliable, so it's not my fault here."

Goro groaned in frustration, knowing exactly how that had turned out. As much as he respected the coach, Goro knew the team's coach was a stubborn old geezer who only believed in experienced players and would never willingly play a rookie. Some even said that Giant Bear was the graveyard for talented youngsters considering how many careers had died here. The only reason Haruo was able to play now was that the coach was being pressured by management since the previous middle blocker was ineffective, and the coach himself wasn't happy about this decision.

"Okay, let's forget about what the coach said. Haruo-kun, if you have more information about those two, please tell us right now."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

All eyes turned to the middle blocker as he put his hand on his chin, pondering for a moment. "Well, even though they are just rookies like me, you need to be extra careful with Kobayashi, the boy with glasses. Just as I said before, his serves are dangerous. Then…"

After a quick explanation, they returned to their positions since the referee had already called them to prepare for the next play. They looked at Yuki in a new light, filled with wariness. Even though it was hard to believe, Haruo had the experience of playing against him, so it would be foolish not to take the middle blocker's words seriously. However, there was one thing that Haruo couldn't explain quickly enough that left them all confused.

"He is a master of mind games. So, when you see the ball coming, never hesitate and move."

The explanation was too vague for their liking. What kind of mind games was Haruo talking about? And why would they hesitate when the ball was right in front of them?

Unfortunately, those silent questions were answered immediately by Yuki himself, as the next serve finally came. Ojiro Senta, who was the closest to the ball, was about to react when he suddenly felt his body freeze. It was just a split second, yet that was still enough for the ball to get past him and fall near the baseline.

Thud!

"Oh! Another ace!"

"Damn, Kobayashi! You are insane!"

"Good job, Brat Two!"

As all the Thunder players celebrated the point, Giant Bear's coach could no longer contain himself and rose from his seat. "Oi, why are you standing there like a fool, Senta?! We aren't paying you to be a wasteful piece of trash! Move, you idiot! Don't just watch the ball go by so easily!" He scolded the team's ace mercilessly.

Meanwhile, his teammates looked at Ojiro Senta with concern, trying to ignore the harsh reprimand from their coach on the bench. "Oi, Ojiro! What's wrong?" Goro asked.

"I… don't know," Ojiro Senta hesitated to answer. "I should've received the ball easily, yet my body froze out of nowhere."

Hearing that, Haruo sighed before muttering, "So he uses that trick, huh?"

Goro, who had heard that, turned to Haruo and asked, "What do you mean, Haruo-kun? Do you know what's going on here?"

Haruo cleared his throat before starting to explain the trick behind Yuki's serve and the technique he used. The more they listened, the more dumbfounded they became about what had happened earlier. While Haruo's explanation was brief and oversimplified, everyone present was a player who aspired to be a professional, and they all knew how difficult it was for Yuki to execute such a complex technique with only limited training.

"Haruo, are you sure he is your age?" Ojiro Senta asked, still with his mouth agape.

"For that, I am sure," Haruo nodded. "Just as I said before, his serve doesn't possess a lot of power, but he compensates for it with intelligence. He is a master of mind games, so be careful not to fall into his traps." Continue your journey with empire

The warning was understood, and when it was time for Yuki to serve the ball again, unfortunately, despite all the information Haruo had shared with his teammates, he forgot to mention one crucial detail: how good Yuki was at taking advantage of a crowded situation and turning it to his favor.

When Yuki saw all of the Giant Bear players heightening their focus on him yet still not changing their basic formation, a subtle smirk formed on his face. When the referee blew the whistle, he waited for a moment to let the tension build among the opposing players before finally tossing the ball, aiming straight at the spot between Goro in the left back and the other player in the middle.

Thud!

'I can get it!' Goro widened his eyes when he saw the easy ball coming toward him.

However, his peripheral vision suddenly caught the middle back player reacting as well, and for a moment, they stared at each other in hesitation, unsure of who should receive the ball. As a result, the ball slipped easily through their defensive area, falling close to the baseline for Yuki's third ace point in a row.

Tokyo Thunder 0 – 11 Tokyo Giant Bear