[A, A Point!]
[A thunderous serve from Akashi Asuka! The defense from Shinzen High was completely caught off guard… Let's take a look at the speed of that serve.]
[Ohhh~~~ Incredible, unbelievable! 110 kilometers per hour. Based on our most advanced equipment, we can confirm that Akashi Asuka's very first serve in the Nationals clocked in at a stunning 110 km/h!]
[Without a doubt, that's a new record.]
"..."
Whoosh!
"No way!"
"110 km/h?! Is that really a high schooler's serve?!"
"That impact sound scared the hell out of me! It was like a cannon going off!"
The commentator's electrified words stunned the entire audience into silence for three seconds, then the stadium exploded with cheers.
At the same time,
The referee blew the whistle for a timeout.
[We can see it now, Shinzen High's coach has called for an emergency timeout to halt Aoba Johsai's relentless momentum…]
"In the next phase, focus your attention on their number eight." In Shinzen's bench area, the coach got straight to the point with new tactics.
None of the players objected. After all, they had all heard the commentator's announcement, a high schooler whose serve reached 110 km/h? That was someone they couldn't take lightly.
Even in pro leagues, a serve breaking 100 km/h is considered elite.
And now, in a high school match, a player suddenly fires off a 110 km/h missile? Was he trying to kill someone?
Only Shinzen's setter offered a different perspective. "I think their setter's not simple either. We might want to keep an eye on him too."
The coach didn't agree or disagree, resources were already stretched too thin. They couldn't afford to focus on anyone other than the ace, so the suggestion was set aside for now.
Meanwhile,
That monstrous serve from Akashi Asuka hadn't just shocked the opponent, it had caught his teammates and coach off guard, too.
They'd noticed he was in good form today, but none of them had expected that kind of velocity.
"Beautiful shot!"
"Akashi, you damn showoff!"
"Seriously though, aren't you nervous at all? This is being broadcast live across the entire country. I'm sitting on the bench and I'm about to have a heart attack!"
Akashi took a sip of water, glanced at them with a puzzled look, and said, "What's there to be nervous about? It's just Nationals. Not like I haven't played in them before."
Everyone else: "..."
What the hell.
He pulled that off way too smoothly.
The Aoba Johsai squad stared at Akashi's smug expression and found their fists unconsciously clenching.
But just then,
"I owe you one, Akashi–" said Hajime Iwaizumi suddenly. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have gotten such a strong start."
"Carrying the title of 'ace' means I should be doing this."
Iwaizumi spoke with genuine appreciation, but the moment he turned around,
Smack!
A thunderous slap landed square on someone's back.
"Oi, you idiot Oikawa! You should've adjusted to the rhythm by now! Quit making the underclassmen save your ass every time, you trash!"
Only moments ago, Oikawa Tooru had been wearing a thoughtful smile, eyes full of calm confidence, but now he flinched like a startled animal and weakly gave a trembling thumbs-up.
"Haha… Don't worry, Iwa-chan. Everything's under control~"
Iwaizumi snorted. "If that's true, then it's our turn now. Let's show the world what Aoba Johsai is really made of, let's go!"
"Yeah!!"
The team responded in unison, storming back onto the court behind Iwaizumi.
Left behind at the end of the line, Oikawa muttered, "?????"
…Wait, who's the captain again?
────────── ✦ ──────────
Tweet!
The whistle blew, and both teams returned to the court.
The score now stood at 3–2.
Akashi Asuka was up to serve.
However, the timeout had broken his momentum. This time, his serve didn't score directly, it was barely received by one of Shinzen's defenders.
Shinzen launched their signature "Synchronized Multi-Angle Attack", sending four attackers into motion at once.
But Aoba Johsai's defenders stayed calm, unmoving.
Once the actual attacker revealed himself, Issei Matsukawa, stationed at the front, made a quick lateral move, and in the blink of an eye, was right in front of the spiker.
The sudden shadow and Matsukawa's towering block height startled the Shinzen hitter, forcing him to adjust at the last second, changing his spike angle from straight to cross-court.
But at that exact moment, Iwaizumi emerged from behind Matsukawa.
Smack!
The ball was blocked straight back into the air.
Seeing this, the entire Shinzen squad paled.
[There it is, Aoba Johsai's signature "Rotational Defense"! Except for their libero, the rest of the starting players all average over 184 cm in height. That means, no matter how they rotate positions, their front line defense remains like an unbreakable wall.]
[There are no gaps in their blocking. It's like hitting against solid steel. This is Aoba Johsai's other deadly weapon.]
[The one who forced Shinzen's ace to adjust his spike was #2, Issei Matsukawa, standing at 187 cm, the second-tallest on the team.]
Oikawa caught the ball and prepared to set for a fast attack by Akashi Asuka.
But just as he jumped to make contact,
All three of Shinzen's front-line blockers suddenly lunged toward Akashi's position.
Within two seconds, they formed a towering triple block.
[This isn't just anticipation, it's a full triple mark.]
[Shinzen High has chosen to focus entirely on Akashi Asuka. That's a tactic rarely seen, even at Nationals. Usually, teams only use this kind of defense against "national-level aces."]
[Looks like they've made up their minds to treat Akashi as exactly that, and they're fully prepared to shut him down. This could be trouble for him!]
[Let's see what Akashi does when he receives the, ]
[No, wait!]
[It's not Akashi, it's #3, Takahiro Hanamaki!]
The commentator's voice rose sharply, catching both the crowd and the viewers off guard.
And when everyone's eyes returned to the court, they saw something that shocked them all.
Oikawa, who had already jumped and shifted his body weight mid-air, didn't set the ball for Akashi as expected.
Instead, at the last second, he pulled off a back quick set, flawlessly delivering the ball in the opposite direction, right to Hanamaki's hands.
With the court wide open in front of him, Hanamaki scored effortlessly.
In that instant,
Shinzen High froze.
The entire crowd widened their eyes as if witnessing a miracle.
[Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable!]
[Aoba Johsai's #1, Oikawa Tooru, changed his setting direction mid-air, with his weight completely off-balance, and still managed a pinpoint perfect pass that broke the triple block and freed their ace from pressure.]
[Let's introduce him again.]
[Oikawa Tooru, Aoba Johsai's #1. Third-year. Height: 184 cm. Position: Setter and Captain…]
[Maybe before today, you'd never heard of this name, but one thing is certain…]
[The world will eventually know Oikawa Tooru.]
==========
You can find much more on my Patreon: Patreon.com/Veltoria
There are currently 5 active fanfictions on Patreon, with over 490+ advanced chapters available across them!
From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time — Up to Chapter 301
Haikyuu!!: Rise of Sengoku — Up to Chapter 241
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 143
I Am Luffy: Partner System Online (One Piece) — Up to Chapter 126
Playing Genshin Impact in Danmachi (Danmachi x Genshin Impact) — Up to 56