The whistle blew.
The first serve cut through the air like a thrown knife — Date Tech's captain Futakuchi launching it with machine-like precision. Karasuno's receive was clean thanks to Nishinoya, but the moment the ball left his arms, chaos erupted.
"AKIRA! HINATA! SWITCH—NO WAIT—YES—NO!" Daichi's voice cracked as Akira darted across the court with a grin that looked more like a villain's than a teammate's. Hinata, somehow, was running backwards into position.
A single, devastating spike from Akira followed, landing untouched in Date Tech's court. 1–0 Karasuno.
From the crowd, Oikawa groaned. "Why does he look like he's enjoying breaking people?"Izumi, sitting beside him, clapped loudly. "Because it's fun. My precious baby brother is a menace.""I'm your brother too!" Oikawa hissed."Yes, but you're not demon chaos incarnate," she replied, sipping her juice.
The next rally was long — Date Tech's famous "Iron Wall" blocking formation clamped down like a fortress. But Akira's eyes sharpened mid-air, a grin tugging his lips. He tipped the ball with an impossibly delicate flick, sending it just over their fingers.
The ball dropped silently, like a leaf falling to the ground. 2–0 Karasuno.
The Miyagi crowd roared, while in Tokyo, Kuroo's jaw dropped watching the livestream."…That's not volleyball. That's sorcery."Bokuto yelled over him from Fukurodani's training hall, "NO, THAT'S CHAOS VOLLEYBALL! I WANNA PLAY THEM!"
Karasuno's third point was pure slapstick — Hinata and Akira accidentally collided mid-air, the ball ricocheting off Akira's shoulder, then Hinata's head, before Kageyama managed to save it and set it perfectly… right back to Akira.
BOOM. 3–0 Karasuno.
Even Date Tech's stone-faced coach blinked twice.In the stands, an elderly man muttered, "Is this… legal?"From the benches, Tanaka yelled, "IT'S LEGAL IF YOU DON'T GET CAUGHT!" earning a horrified look from Ukai.
Date Tech fought back. Futakuchi delivered a clean cross shot, finally breaking the streak. 3–1 Karasuno. Their blockers adjusted, reading Kageyama's sets better. The rallies got longer.
But Karasuno answered with more… creative solutions.At 5–2, Akira feigned a spike so convincingly that three Date Tech players jumped — only for him to backset to Hinata, who zipped the ball under their arms like a bullet train.At 7–3, Asahi blasted a straight shot so hard it smacked the libero in the chest, knocking him back two steps. The crowd collectively gasped.
8–4 Karasuno. The gym was now split between laughter and awe.
Fukurodani's coach, watching the livestream, scribbled notes."They're not just playing volleyball. They're weaponizing unpredictability."Bokuto: "We can do that too!"Kuroo: "No, Bokuto, you are the unpredictability. They're something worse."
Then came the rally that went viral.
At 9–6, the ball went into Karasuno's back court. Nishinoya dove, flipped mid-air, and passed perfectly — but Hinata was already sprinting past him. Akira yelled, "BONUS ROUND!" and the entire team shifted in some kind of impromptu rotation nobody had practiced.
Kageyama, unfazed, set to Akira who — mid-jump — pointed at Izumi in the crowd before spiking. The ball hit the floor before Date Tech even reacted.
The entire gym went silent for half a second before exploding.
By 12–8, even Date Tech's blockers were getting irritated. They managed to stuff Hinata's quick once — but he landed grinning."Okay, okay… now I know your timing."Futakuchi muttered, "…That's terrifying."
In the stands, Shiratorizawa's Ushijima watched with a rare, faint smile."These players are unusual."Tendō leaned in, grinning. "Unusual? No, Wakatoshi-kun. They're pure chaos energy in human form."
At 15–10, the first half of Set 1 closed with Akira solo-blocking Date Tech's ace so hard the ball ricocheted straight into the scorer's table, making the official flinch.
The crowd's roar was deafening. Social media was already calling it the Chaos Derby 2.0.
Ukai rubbed his temples, muttering, "I can't believe we're winning… but at what cost to my sanity ?"