The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

After recovering from the shock Michael Wang gave, Akira didn't waste his time to take a timeout here, knowing full well that it was what his players needed the most right now. He could see most of them were in a daze as they were still in disbelief, and honestly, he couldn't blame them. Michael Wang's appearance really destroyed all the game plans they set for today, and now, he had to think of a way to get out of this situation.

"So, you are telling me that you cannot reach his highest jump at all?" Akira asked his middle blocker once again to make sure he heard it right.

"Positive, Sir." Hirano nodded solemnly.

"That…. Spells problem for us." Akira grumbled. "What about the strength of his spike? Is it acceptable to handle?"

"Well, I was the closest to receive his spike, and while it was far less powerful compared to Lucas-san or Matsumoto-san's attack from Konan High, the angle created from his towering height is tricky." This time, it was Riku who answered that. "Also, since he could just ignore the existence of our blockers, he has the advantage of aiming the ball to any place he wants, which makes it difficult for us to handle."

For a moment, silence befell them before Ogawa broke it. "Well, thank you for making us realize how screwed we are right now, Riku." He said it wryly.

Akira released a deep sigh as he stared at Michael Wang who was chatting and laughing with his teammates on Tsukiji's bench. It didn't help that the boy's presence managed to make the crowd alive again. Now, they had to face the pressure on and off the court.

"Okay, right now, what I need you the most is to score first and bring Okamura into the court." Akira finally decided. "Honestly, I would feel better if Kaede could join too, but I will not risk him exposing himself in this situation, especially when he hasn't adapted to the hostile atmosphere yet." Kaede bowed his head deep, ashamed as he got called out.

"Um… I don't mean to disrespect, Sensei, but what good bringing more defensive players?" Asahi asked, confused. He voiced the questions almost all of his teammates had.

"Oh, well, that is easy. Listen carefully because I will not repeat it, but this will be our game plan with Michael Wang around."

After that, Akira spent the next minute explaining the new strategy he crafted to face Michael Wang. When it sunk into everyone's head, all of the Tsunemori players had their jaws dropped, looking at their coach in a mix of disbelief and astonishment.

"That…. Is crazily creative, and I am the embodiment of a creative player. I approve, Unc!" Riku gave the coach a thumb-up.

"Don't call me Unc here, you Brat! Call me Sensei!" Akira slapped Riku's head with the notebook in his head. Then, he turned his attention to the players who still couldn't shake away the dumbfounded look on their faces. "So, what do you think?"

They all stared at each other for a second before Yuki finally broke it. "Just like what Riku said, this is one hell of a plan. This would be a big gamble, but if we succeeded, we don't have to worry about his attack anymore. Still, that has to wait until Oka-senpai is on the court, right? For then, we have to score first, and I doubt you forgot to address how to handle his presence on the front line, right, Sensei?"

"Of course, I didn't forget." Akira snorted. "But avoiding him in our offense turn is easier. We have the initiative, so just try your best to confuse him. Run more, all of you! Synchronize with your teammates! Also, Yuki, Riku, use more tricks to fool him! Just move together! If we cannot beat him in quality, we will have to outnumber him! That should give us a chance to fight back."

While it was a crude strategy, Yuki had to admit that it should be effective. Still, he was worried about how his teammates handled it. After all, for an excellent middle blocker like Haruo from Kyoei Gakuen or Akihiro from Konan High, they didn't have to block the attack directly to affect the opponent's offense. Their mere presence alone was enough to intimidate their opponents, and Michael Wang also had the same aura that could do that.

'Well, hopefully, he is not as good as those two beasts, or we will be in deep trouble next…'

-0-

"COME ON, EVERYONE! SAY HIS NAME AGAIN!"

"MICHAEL…."

"WANG!"

SAY IT AGAIN!"

"MICHAEL..."

"WANG!"

It was clear that Michael Wang managed to grab everyone's heart by his performance. Now, his name was shouted from every corner of the building as if he was the next Jesus himself, and by the look of his face, the boy enjoyed every second of it. The interesting part, though, was a hint of jealousy that could be traced in Reiki's face before it disappeared instantly from the captain's expression.

"Oh, someone is not happy that his golden boy title got snatched by the new boy." Ogawa cooed mockingly. Fortunately, they were far from Tsukiji players' range of hearing that no one from the opponent team heard his comment or it would bring them all trouble.

For a second, all the Tsunemori players were confused at what he was saying, and it was Asahi who recognized it first. "Oh, I see what you mean. Poor captain, he is not the public's most beloved player again." He commented.

"How do you both know about that?" Yuki asked in astonishment. Even with his sharp observation, he couldn't see the subtle expression change in Reiki's face, and he wondered how his two senpai could do it.

"Oh, that is easy, my cute kouhai." Ogawa suddenly used an overly sweet tone that sent chills through Yuki's senpai. "We know it because that is basically our expression whenever you or Riku are mentioned by the crowds."

"…. EH?! Really?!" Not just Yuki, but Riku were also dumbfounded by Ogawa's confession.

"Of course, it is real." Ogawa snorted. "What do you think will happen when we, the senior members of the team, are cast aside by the more talented kouhai? Even though we can accept it, that doesn't mean we are less jealous of you."

Yuki and Riku stared at each other, not knowing how to react.

"Oh, don't be a spoilspot!" Asahi slapped Ogawa straight to the back of his head. Then, he turned into the two kouhai in front of him and said, "While it sucks to see the younger players got the spotlight and it would be a lie if I said we are not jealous, we are not bitter old man. We know you are better than us, and we also work hard every day to make sure we can have the chance to show off like you guys, so don't worry about our feelings, okay?"

In the end, both Yuki and Riku could only nod, but saved this topic in the back of their head for the future.

The next one to serve the ball was still Banjo, and just like before, the ball came pretty weakly, which Asahi received with no problem. After that, all four Tsunemori players rushed forward to attack while Yuki and Riku made a move to confuse the opponent. They went for an all-out attack without leaving anyone in the back, and this surprised Tsukiji players for a second.

"WANG, MID, QUICK!" Reiki shouted a simple instruction. It was clear there was a language barrier between those two, but Reiki was still able to relay the message correctly when he saw Riku slip through the crowd and rush forward, letting Yuki handle the ball. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire

However, Michael Wang didn't even move, waiting until Yuki passed the ball before taking an action. It seemed that the boy was confident with his reaction speed to wait for the last second to move.

What Michael Wang didn't expect though, was for Yuki to take action by himself. Instead of passing the ball, he suddenly extended one of his arms high and flicked the ball gently, letting it change direction. Michael Wang was stunned as he saw the ball move slowly in front of his eyes, and when he regained consciousness, it had already fallen on the floor.

Thud!

"Oh! Nice dump, Yuki!"

"That's my move! Good job, Yuki!"

"Damn, you even fool me there!"

As all the Tsunemori players celebrated with each other, Michael Wang suddenly laughed out loud, gaining everyone's attention. "Interesting! I cannot even see the fake at all! I didn't expect I would see someone so bold like him! It seems I can expect more from Japanese volleyball!"

Yuki who understood his monologue just rolled his eyes in exasperation at Michael Wang's arrogance. With how the boy said it, everyone who didn't know better would think Michael Wang was some sort of a big shot even in the States.

"Just ignore him, Yuki. Let's smack his mouth when we are above him later." Riku whispered lowly. Yuki forgot that he wasn't the only one who could understand what Michael Wang said. "For now, we have our new plan waiting to be implemented! Come on, You and Oka-senpai would be vital in this!"

Yuki snapped his head when Riku told him that, looking at the bench just to find out Okamura was ready to play. With the rotation in play, this would mean Hirano would go to the back, and this was usually time for the libero to shine. As he saw Okamura warming up behind the sideline, Yuki couldn't help but grin.

'Oh, this will be glorious.'