"Today, I'm going to make you pay. Be ready for it, Ushiwaka."
"Don't call me that, Oikawa."
After defeating Dewaichi High, Aoba Johsai's finals match against Shiratorizawa began that very afternoon.
Whenever these long-time rivals cross paths, Oikawa Tooru simply has to stir the pot. If he doesn't, he's not Oikawa Tooru.
Unlike regular matches, the finals of the qualifiers are played in a best-of-five format.
And the difference was clear, the crowd in the second-floor stands had grown significantly. Although only two teams remained, the gym was packed and buzzing with excitement.
Even the number of reporters had increased noticeably.
"Today, I'm going to prove who the real number one ace in junior high is."
Oikawa and Ushijima locked eyes, their rivalry crackling with tension. On the other side, Shiratorizawa's Tsutomu Goshiki wasn't about to be left out, he threw a heated challenge toward Akashi Asuka.
As everyone knew, Akashi Asuka was a generous guy, so he decided to completely ignore Goshiki's challenge.
Which, naturally, only made Goshiki even more fired up.
Although this was the finals, the match itself didn't have any overly special fanfare. After all, it was still part of the qualifiers. Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa exchanged bows, a few brief greetings, and the match officially began.
Aoba Johsai served first in the opening set.
As usual, their formation opened with Oikawa in position 1 and Akashi Asuka in position 2, a "double cannon opener" setup.
The purpose was simple: take control from the very start.
Anyone who knows volleyball understands how important momentum is, and even top-tier players have their ups and downs. For instance, in the last match against Dewaichi, Akashi lost his edge once the opponent stopped bothering with blocking, it just didn't excite him.
But that was against weaker opponents.
When it comes to Shiratorizawa, Oikawa's energy is always through the roof.
Sure enough, the very first serve was a blazing-fast cannon aimed at the deep corner of Shiratorizawa's court, Oikawa's way of setting the tone.
1–0.
Aoba Johsai strikes first.
Shiratorizawa's back row players were caught off guard, but not completely. After all, they'd faced Oikawa plenty of times before and knew exactly how dangerous his serve was.
To put it bluntly, when it comes to scoring off serves, Oikawa is hands-down the best in the prefecture.
Even Shiratorizawa's "ace" Ushijima Wakatoshi can't match him in that regard.
"This guy... his serve's sharper than ever."
Sure, Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa had played a practice match before, but practice and real competition are two very different beasts. Even if both teams were serious in that scrimmage, nothing compares to the real thing.
Smack!
While Shiratorizawa's players were deep in thought, Oikawa launched a second serve, this time targeting the seam between two of the back-row receivers. The precision was downright chilling.
Thud.
Ball hits the floor. Aoba Johsai scores again.
2–0.
The early lead instantly fired up Aoba Johsai's momentum.
Even the cheers from their supporters became wilder:
"Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go Seijoh! Push it, push it, push it, push it Seijoh!"
"One! Two! Let's go, Seijoh!"
With this being the finals, Aoba Johsai's cheering squad had grown in size too, making the support feel thunderous.
But despite falling behind and facing the noise from the stands, Shiratorizawa's players remained unfazed. Their expressions were calm, composed.
This wasn't their first rodeo.
In previous matches, they had often been pushed back by Oikawa's serves, but in the end, they were usually the ones who came out on top.
Because there's only one Oikawa Tooru.
And in a six-man rotation, no matter how the lineup shifts, Oikawa will only get four chances to serve per set at most.
Smack!
The next serve flew in.
Oikawa was clearly on fire today, three consecutive serves, each showing at least 90% of his full power. And even though Shiratorizawa's libero had read the trajectory, he still failed to handle it.
The ball slammed against Yamagata Hayato's forearm and bounced straight out of bounds.
3–0.
Shiratorizawa's backcourt was being shredded by Oikawa's blazing serves.
Now, Yamagata wasn't weak by any means, but it all depends on comparison. Sure, Karasuno's Nishinoya could handle Oikawa and Akashi's toughest serves in real matches. But that doesn't mean Yamagata can do the same.
To be fair, in the original series, during the match between Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa, Yamagata barely managed to receive even one of Oikawa's full-power serves, and that was at the very end.
Now, with Akashi Asuka joining the team, Shiratorizawa's coach, Tanji Washijo, had made sure to include extra serve-receive training before the qualifiers began. But passing isn't something that improves overnight. Unlike spiking or blocking, it takes long, grueling practice to make noticeable gains.
Unless you're cheating. (Which they're not.)
Oikawa's fourth serve, however, misfired, it hit the net and fell short.
Still, with three out of four landing, that's a 75% success rate. In high school, that's a phenomenal figure.
3–1.
Serve switches to Shiratorizawa.
And stepping up for their first serve, none other than Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Ushijima's serves weren't as precise as Oikawa's, nor as monstrously powerful as Akashi's, but he had one natural advantage: he's a lefty.
That alone gave his serves an opposite spin, something very difficult for right-handed receivers to adapt to.
And let's not forget, Ushijima's raw power was nothing to scoff at. While his serves didn't match Akashi's brute force, his overall physical strength actually surpassed Akashi's.
So when Ushijima found his rhythm, his serves could also become a devastating weapon.
And maybe it was Oikawa's strong opening that lit a fire under him, because today, Ushijima was locked in.
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
Three consecutive serves, each one slamming into libero Watari Shinji's arms and bouncing away, he couldn't receive a single one.
In less than two minutes, Aoba Johsai's 3–0 lead was flipped into a 3–4 deficit.
And the match had only just begun.
Both teams had already ripped open each other's backcourt defenses, leaving both liberos rattled and questioning their life choices.
Then, in a bit of poetic irony, Ushijima overcooked his next serve, it went out of bounds.
He returned the favor.
4–4.
Back to even.
Shiratorizawa's players didn't flinch, they seemed to have expected this.
But the moment Akashi Asuka stepped up to serve from position 1, their calm composure began to waver…
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