Damn you, Aoba Johsai, you guys play dirty!
A bunch of punks who can't handle a fair game!
We agreed this was a server showdown, and now you're bringing in backup?
The players of Shiratorizawa were not okay.
They'd seen Oikawa Tooru and Ushijima Wakatoshi square off more times than they could count. The two of them trying to out-serve each other to mess with the opposing libero's mental game? That was practically tradition. Shiratorizawa had grown numb to it, like something painful at first, but familiar after a while.
But this?
Now Aoba Johsai had the audacity to throw in another heavy hitter?
Two people teaming up to serve?
Shiratorizawa could not abide by this nonsense.
Especially since the new guy was an absolute beast. What did Aoba Johsai think Shiratorizawa was, some pushover team?
The entire squad protested in silent fury, but someone in particular couldn't stay quiet, Yamagata Hayato.
"I mean, sure, I look like a nice guy, but c'mon. You're seriously underestimating me! So what if he's got a powerful serve? He's just a first-year. Power's all he's got. It's not like he can actually match Oikawa Tooru—"
BOOM!
The sound echoed across the gym like a cannon blast.
It was so sudden and loud that several Shiratorizawa players flinched from the shock. Their ears rang. And by the time they realized what had happened…
A volleyball had already landed behind them.
The scoreboard flipped.
5–4.
"One point to Aoba Johsai."
"...What the hell was that? Was that really a serve?"
"You're kidding me."
"That was even more intense than during the practice match. There's no way a high schooler can serve like that…"
Yamagata's confidence took a direct hit.
Before the preliminaries, Shiratorizawa had trained specifically to handle Akashi Asuka's serves. They'd seen his raw power in the practice game and made sure to improve their reception. After all, a powerful serve is beatable, if your technique is solid and you have some luck.
But now?
Before Shiratorizawa could even apply their hard-earned training, Asuka's serve had already leveled up again. The upgraded heavy artillery serve hit them like a freight train.
The whole team was dazed.
The crowd erupted, chanting Asuka's name. The fiery energy he brought reignited the entire arena.
And riding that momentum, Asuka threw up his second serve.
BOOM!
This time, Shiratorizawa had braced themselves and could clearly identify the source of the "explosion."
Asuka soared like a hawk, his body arcing high above the floor. With a whip of his entire frame, he smashed the ball with such force that ripples formed across its surface, his palm compressing the sphere like a bomb going off in midair.
The ball shot forward like a missile, crashing into Shiratorizawa's court in an instant.
Yamagata didn't even have time to react. The ball slammed into his shoulder and ricocheted off into who-knows-where.
6–4.
Third serve. Once again, Asuka showed he was in prime condition, just like Oikawa and Ushijima. The violent spin and sheer speed of his serve overwhelmed Yamagata, making solid contact nearly impossible.
7–4.
Aoba Johsai was up by three again.
For the fourth serve, being the cultured man he was, Akashi Asuka honored the sacred rule of "reciprocating courtesy." He followed the example set earlier and committed a courteous service error, giving Shiratorizawa a free point.
7–5.
The match had only just begun, yet thanks to Oikawa, Ushijima, and now Asuka's ridiculously overpowered serves, neither team's libero had been able to properly enter the game. They were already being mentally shredded.
Yamagata Hayato and Watari Shinji: "Wow. You guys are amazing. Noble even. What, do liberos not have human rights anymore? Is this justice? Is there no law in this game!?"
Turns out, in volleyball, justice and law don't get you very far.
Aside from serving, Asuka hadn't done much else in the first set. Not because he wasn't trying, he simply didn't need to.
Against most teams, it's up for debate, but when it comes to playing Shiratorizawa and Ushijima, Oikawa's experience truly shines.
Even if most of that experience is in losing.
Oikawa Tooru: "You didn't need to include that part, thanks."
Whenever these two meet, it's less like a match and more like a battlefield. From the first serve, the tension was sky-high. And once the rallies began in earnest, their duel became even more intense, every attack a knife, every feint a cut.
Ushijima was a powerhouse with unmatched strength.
Oikawa? Not even close, physically. Anyone could see the difference in their builds.
But Oikawa had tricks.
His sets allowed Aoba Johsai's attackers to launch strikes from any direction, any angle, at any time. While Ushijima could score past triple blocks, Oikawa's ball placement made it nearly impossible for Shiratorizawa's blockers to keep up.
And with two ultra-aggressive aces duking it out, both teams' front-row blockers were being torn apart like wet paper.
As for the liberos? They may as well have been decorative.
Facing a fully fired-up Oikawa and Ushijima, players like Watari and Yamagata, solid but not top-tier talents, could barely keep up.
The result?
The serve rotation flew by at a rapid pace, and the scoreboard kept ticking upward.
Still, Aoba Johsai held a slight edge throughout Set 1.
Because, well… they had two of them.
Asuka hadn't needed to do much on offense, but not because he lacked skill. Oikawa's setting was simply that good, perfect timing, perfect position. All Asuka had to do was jump and spike.
And when the rotations brought Asuka back to the service line, even if his later serves didn't quite match the opening barrage, he still managed to net Aoba Johsai another point.
With that steady lead, Aoba Johsai kept up their momentum, eventually reaching set point, and claiming Set 1 of the championship match.
==========
You can find much more on my Patreon: Patreon.com/Veltoria
There are currently 5 active fanfictions on Patreon, with over 418+ advanced chapters available across them!
From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time — Up to Chapter 275
Haikyuu!!: Rise of Sengoku — Up to Chapter 205
Danmachi: Is It Wrong To Aspire to Be An Adventurer? — Up to Chapter 97
Legend of Hogwarts (Harry Potter x League of Legends) — Up to Chapter 117
I Am Luffy: Partner System Online (One Piece) — Up to Chapter 100