Haikyuu: Rise of Sengoku

"Beep!!!"

The referee's whistle cut sharply through the tense air on the court.

As the scoreboard flipped the final point, the players on the White Team stared wide-eyed at Akashi Asuka across the net, their faces full of disbelief.

The momentum that Iwaizumi had barely managed to build instantly froze into ice.

Tooru Oikawa took a few heavy breaths, his gaze darkening as he looked at Akashi Asuka, it was like seeing a shadow he desperately didn't want to see.

"That... damn brat."

...

At halftime, the mood on the White Team was heavy.

"Damn it, that annoying first-year can block?"

"He seemed average at blocking earlier in the front row. How did he manage to stop Iwaizumi's attack in the end? Was it just luck? His luck's ridiculous!"

"No, it wasn't luck..." Oikawa shook his head. "That brat was hiding his blocking skills all along. He saved his strongest move for the key moment."

He paused briefly and glanced at Iwaizumi, who hadn't said a word since the break, then continued: "And right now, that move worked perfectly."

"Not only did he score the crucial point to win the set, but he completely dismantled Iwaizumi, had him running around like a mess..."

"Hmm?"

Iwaizumi's expression twitched, especially when he heard that last part. His ears perked up sharply. "Oikawa, what the hell are you saying?"

Oikawa covered his mouth, startled. "Ah! Iwaizumi, can you hear me? Sorry, I shouldn't be bad mouthing you so loudly..."

BANG!

A huge fist crashed into Oikawa's teasing face, instantly cutting off his words.

"Trash Oikawa, don't lump me in with you. I'm not going to lose my mind over some rookie." Iwaizumi snapped, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

After letting out his anger, Iwaizumi calmed down and exhaled sharply. "Thanks... you idiot Oikawa."

Oikawa grinned. "No problem. But next time you say thanks, can you skip the insults?"

Iwaizumi scowled. "What did you say?"

Oikawa waved it off. "Nothing, just saying we need to watch their defense carefully in the next set."

...

"As for the next set, we'll strengthen our blocking defense." Akashi Asuka said, taking a sip of water in the Red Team's rest area. "We caught them off guard in the first set and won it. But they're seniors with at least two more years of training than us, and their basic skills are far superior. For us, there's no third set. We have to decide this in the second."

Attacks and blocks can be developed quickly with good physical ability, but receiving takes time and experience to master.

In the first two sets, the Red Team's backcourt defense could rely on Watari to cover gaps. But in the third set, when everyone's stamina drops, the cracks on the Red Team's side will be far worse than the White Team's.

That's the difference in basic skills.

Not just technique, but stamina, strategy, teamwork...

In short:

If the match reaches a third set, the White Team's strength could easily break through the Red Team twice.

So to avoid exposing weaknesses, the Red Team must unleash their full strength in the still-energetic second set and beat the seniors decisively.

"I'll join the front row blocking defense in the second set. Watari, I'll leave the backcourt defense to you." Asuka said, looking at Watari.

Watari confidently patted his chest. "Leave it to me! Just smash the other team to bits."

...

Beep!

The whistle blew again.

As if by mutual understanding, both teams switched to a formation with three players up front and two in the back.

The Red Team served first to start the second set.

After Ryuhei Sanashita sent the ball over the net, Yahaba Shigeru on the White Team's backcourt received it and quickly set up an attack.

Oikawa sent a slightly high lob toward Hanamaki Takahiro, but Yūtarō Kindaichi on the opposite side jumped swiftly, only to find Hanamaki wasn't at the net.

Just as Kindaichi began his descent, Hanamaki finally jumped to spike the ball...

A perfectly timed one-person delay.

This was one of Aoba Johsai's signature plays.

As Kindaichi landed, the space in front of Hanamaki was completely open. Hanamaki swung with confidence, but suddenly, another pair of arms shot up.

BAM!

THUD!

Two heavy thuds echoed.

The ball was stopped cold by those arms and bounced back onto the White Team's court.

1:0.

The Red Team took the lead right at the start of the second set.

"Hanamaki-senpai, I'm already tired of that time-delay attack from the first set. Don't you have any new tricks?"

Asuka used a Provocation.

In matches, Asuka didn't like pointless taunts. But if it served as a tactic, he didn't mind playing with words.

"Hah?" Hanamaki's mouth twitched angrily.

"First-years, don't get too cocky!"

"We won the first set."

"But that's just one set. We'll turn this around in no time."

"We won the first set."

"It's the final result that counts..."

"We won the first set."

...

Asuka's tone was calm but every word hit Hanamaki straight in the chest, twisting his expression.

After all,

This was a freshman welcome match. By winning the first set, the rookies had already won, no matter how the rest played out.

For someone like Kunimi, who believed in saving energy, this result would have been enough.

But Asuka was greedy, he wanted victory in both spirit and reality.

"Damn first-year brat, just wait. I'll smash you next ball."

Asuka nodded calmly, "Alright, I'm waiting. After all... we already won the first set."

Hanamaki clenched his fists tightly, furious.

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