"They… they stopped it!"
"Whoa! Aoba Johsai finally blocks Ushijima Wakatoshi's attack!"
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For a moment, the arena fell into stunned silence.
Then, a thunderous cheer erupted from the stands.
After four and a half grueling sets, Akashi Asuka had finally predicted Ushijima's spike trajectory. The two landed at the same time. Ushijima stared at the composed Asuka, first with surprise, and then, something stirred inside him, something he had never felt before…
13–13.
Aoba Johsai had tied the score.
"Nice one, Akashi!"
"Great block! You're seriously a monster!"
The Aoba Johsai players swarmed around Asuka, cheering ecstatically.
It was just one point, but it meant everything. This was the first time Aoba Johsai had taken a point directly off Ushijima's hands. It wasn't just a block, it was a breakthrough. A moment of defiance that pulled them back from the edge.
They shouted, screamed, letting out every ounce of tension and adrenaline.
But it didn't last long.
Boom!
A powerful spike exploded through the hands of three blockers and slammed into the court with a heavy thud. Aoba Johsai's momentum froze.
The entire gym went quiet again, even the crowd, caught in disbelief.
They stared at the court, at the dent where the ball landed… then looked back at Ushijima, whose presence seemed to tower even larger than before.
"Gulp, no way… how is he still hitting with this much power now?!"
"He really is the national-level ace… Ushijima Wakatoshi lives up to the legend!"
"He's not even human at this point…"
Both players and fans alike were in disbelief. No one had expected Ushijima's spikes to grow stronger the deeper the match went. They had expected fatigue. Weakness.
Instead, they got destroyed.
"Hey, Wakatoshi, you…"
Even his teammates were taken aback. Shirabu walked up to him, about to say something, but froze. Because for the first time ever, he saw a strange expression on Ushijima's face.
It looked like… he was happy. Or maybe, thrilled.
Ushijima looked down at his hand, the corner of his mouth twitching into a rare smile.
"Hm… how did Tendo put it again? Right… I'm starting to feel fired up."
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13–14.
Shiratorizawa reached match point.
Aoba Johsai was back on the brink, and it just so happened that Ushijima was up to serve.
Even spectators in the stands couldn't help holding their breath. The tension was suffocating.
Fatigue. Pressure. Some Aoba Johsai players could barely move their feet. The word "give up" kept creeping into their minds. But the moment the serve rang out,
Bang!
A bullet of a serve tore across the air, spinning violently, plummeting toward Aoba Johsai's side.
"Damn it, that's a gutsy serve!"
Seeing the ball about to hit, Oikawa cursed under his breath and dove full-force.
Duang!
He slammed into the court barrier, drawing gasps from the crowd, but he got the ball up.
Watari Shinji leapt from the backcourt and passed it cleanly to Akashi Asuka.
"You're not scoring this time."
Shiratorizawa set up a massive three-man block, a towering wall looming over Akashi. No visible gap.
The crowd watching from Aoba Johsai's side gasped, fearing the worst.
But Asuka's expression stayed calm. Suspended in the air, his eyes, cold and unmoving, swept across the block in front of him.
The next moment,
Boom!
In a near-impossible trajectory, the ball shot straight down at a 90-degree angle from the net and smashed into the floor near center court, inside the line.
"A super vertical spike?!"
"You've got to be kidding! He hit that now?!"
Roar!
The crowd went wild.
In that instant, everyone looked at Akashi Asuka as if he were a god.
Vertical spikes were rare, but not unheard of. Still, to pull one off against a triple block?
That was something they'd never seen before.
14–14.
Aoba Johsai tied it up again.
And this time, they had the serve.
It was Akashi's turn.
The crowd quickly hushed.
All eyes were locked on him, including the entire Shiratorizawa lineup. Everyone waited to see: Would he go all-in with a power jump serve? Or play it safe with a regular serve?
Boom!
A devastating power jump serve thundered across the court, striking Shiratorizawa's backline like a missile.
The gym went deathly quiet.
Three seconds later,
"Aaahhh, what the hell was that?! Was that even a serve?!"
"That impact, insane!"
"These two monsters… it's the fifth set, how do they still have this power?!"
The crowd erupted again, fully immersed in what had become the match of the tournament.
It was thrilling beyond belief.
But Shiratorizawa? Their mood was dark.
The players on court were stunned. And after that serve, the assistant coach stood up abruptly from the bench.
"Coach!"
"I saw it."
Coach Washijo's hawk-like eyes were locked onto Akashi Asuka.
Even he could no longer stay still.
Not because they were behind in points, but because he had just seen something far more important:
The qualities of a true ace.
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15–14.
Aoba Johsai had taken the lead.
Their bench exploded. Players rushed to Akashi, shouting in joy.
Even Oikawa couldn't hide his excitement. For the first time, he saw a sliver of hope.
"ONE MORE!"
"ONE MORE!"
"ONE MORE!"
The fans screamed in unison, roaring their support for Akashi.
Now, the pressure shifted to Shiratorizawa.
"We can't let them win. Just one more point..."
BOOM!
Another monster serve rocketed toward libero Yamagata Hayato.
In that instant, Yamagata's mind flashed back to Goshiki's broken nose from an earlier play. A flicker of fear crossed his heart.
But only for a moment.
"No… a champion doesn't run."
Smack!
He received the ball cleanly.
Ushijima picked it up from Shirabu's pass and launched a massive cross-court spike, drilling it into Aoba Johsai's far back corner.
15–15.
Shiratorizawa evened the score.
They roared with renewed morale.
Aoba Johsai, though a bit deflated, wasn't crushed. After all, this was Ushijima.
They were used to his insane strength by now.
The game resumed.
Rally 31.
Aoba Johsai had the ball. Oikawa received the pass, but paused.
He had three attackers up front: Kindaichi, Kunimi, and Hanamaki. But all of them were gassed. None had the power to finish it.
Then suddenly,
A shadow soared from the backline, rising like an eagle and blocking the court lights overhead. Instinctively, Oikawa sent the ball his way.
Bang!
Akashi smashed a curved shot that danced just over the triple block and kissed the sideline.
16–15.
Aoba Johsai led again.
Oikawa blinked, staring at Akashi.
"This damn kid… is so cool."
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Rally 32.
Aoba Johsai served. Shiratorizawa attacked.
Ushijima powered through the block to tie again.
16–16.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Rally 33.
Shiratorizawa served. Aoba Johsai took the attack.
Oikawa sent the perfect high ball to Akashi. Akashi soared over the block and scored.
17–16.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Rally 34.
Ushijima delivered a miraculous sharp-angle shot.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Rally 35.
Akashi responded with a diagonal spike that split the court in two.
────────── ✦ ──────────
By now, it was no longer a team match, it was a duel.
Akashi Asuka vs. Ushijima Wakatoshi.
Attack after attack, impossible spike after impossible spike. No matter the defense, the result was always the same:
Point.
The crowd was in awe.
Even Shiratorizawa couldn't believe what they were seeing. Someone was going toe-to-toe with Ushijima, and holding their ground.
True, Ushijima wasn't at full power anymore.
But still, he was Ushijima.
After six straight attacks...
21–20.
It was an unbelievable scoreline.
Fifth sets were supposed to go to 15.
This one had reached extra.
────────── ✦ ──────────
Rally 42.
Aoba Johsai's serve.
Oikawa was up.
He wanted to end it right there with a lightning serve, but his legs wouldn't lift anymore.
Even the monsters, Akashi and Ushijima, had slowed down.
Everyone on Aoba Johsai looked like they could collapse at any second. Oikawa gritted his teeth, squeezing out every drop of energy he had.
"I need to break this stalemate..."
He scanned both sides, their formations, fatigue levels. Then, an idea struck.
He called his teammates in for a huddle. Quietly muttering, they nodded and returned to their spots.
"Watch it, something's up–" Shiratorizawa warned.
Tweet!
The whistle blew.
Oikawa served. A simple overhead float.
But it dropped straight toward Ushijima.
Shiratorizawa thought Oikawa was targeting him to disrupt the next attack, so one of them jumped in to receive.
"We're not letting you mess with Wakatoshi's rhythm!"
Ushijima went up for the hit.
But at that exact moment, Akashi appeared above the net.
For a split second, Ushijima hesitated. The memory of Akashi's previous block weighed on him.
Then, he changed direction midair. Straight spike.
Smack!
It was received.
Shiratorizawa's eyes widened.
As Akashi shifted aside, Ushijima caught a glimpse of Oikawa at the backline, grinning.
That's when Shiratorizawa finally realized,
Akashi had been the only blocker.
The other five? All waiting in the backcourt for the spike.
"We've been baited!"
Oikawa had used Ushijima's hesitation to force a predictable change in direction, and laid the trap.
"Damn it, block him!" Shiratorizawa shouted as they rushed to Akashi.
But just then,
"Iwaizumi-chan! Yours!" Oikawa called.
Panic.
Shiratorizawa turned to Iwaizumi, but he didn't jump. He hadn't even gone for the hit.
They'd been tricked again.
And that single moment of confusion,
Was all it took.
Akashi launched into the air.
Smack. Boom.
The ball slammed into the floor.
Tweet~~~!
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A/N: And that is a cliffhanger. Guess who won? :D
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