The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Now, this should be clear, right?" Ogawa couldn't help but ask as the first set was over. He glanced at the scoreboard on the court and winced, pitying all the Shimo players for having to be in this situation. "I mean, no matter how you look at it, 25 – 7 is a complete blowout, right? After all, in this situation, let alone Shimo High, I doubt even Konan High could recover from such a huge blow."

The other Tsunemori players also looked at each other, unsure about how to answer the question. Even though they were sure Konan High would never be in such a situation, they also thought about this possibility and couldn't help but shudder in fear. Also, speaking of a huge blow, they also had an experience suffering something similar when they lost against Konan High in the last Inter-high. At that time, they also couldn't recover, which made them all believe that it was impossible for Shimo High to initiate a comeback from this situation.

However, Yuki and Riku had a different idea. They knew that things wouldn't be so simple, especially when he remembered what the old man said before.

'They will never be able to come out of their slump until they lose the first set completely.'

This time, they had their eyes on the old man who was snoring quietly, as somehow, he fell asleep on his seat in the middle of the game. Riku could only scratch his hair as this was the first time he had seen something like this. It wasn't like this game was boring, per se. But maybe, after watching such a blood-boiling confrontation in the game between Tsunemori High and Kikugawa High before, the old man somehow felt that this was not good enough for him to watch.

"Uh… Ojiisan?" In the end, Riku patted the old man's shoulder, trying to wake him up gently.

"Oh, uh, what's wrong? What's going on?!" The old man shook his head quickly, trying to recognize his surroundings. When he finally regained his consciousness, the old man laughed out loud, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Hahaha! Please, forgive this old man! I have been playing around with my grandchildren for the last couple of days without taking a rest, so no wonder that I am so sleepy right now! Even my favorite game couldn't keep me awake! Hahaha!"

"Um… Ojiisan, if you are that tired, should you be at home and take a rest?" Yuki couldn't help but ask.

"Bah! A rest is for an old man! Don't treat this old man like an ordinary old man, okay?!" The old man scoffed. Yuki and Riku had a sweat drop on their face when they heard this, having to hold back the urge to roll their eyes in exasperation. "Anyway, what is going on? Why did you wake this old man up?" He asked curiously.

"Well, it is like this…"

This time, all the Tsunemori players also turned their heads toward the old man. After all, at this point, they all had already recognized his wisdom. Now, they were sure that the old man would know or at least have an idea of what would happen next.

After listening to the question and pondering for a moment, the old man nodded his head repeatedly, understanding what was going on here. "So, you want to ask me whether it is possible for Shimo High to get out of their slump or not? Well, I hate to tell you, kids, that if anything, the chance of them winning the second set will be higher."

"Eh?!" All of them were taken aback. "How so?"

"Oh, you cannot see this, maybe because your kids are too young. Okay, let me explain it to you." The old man coughed a little as he was ready to give his lecture. "Well, you see, in volleyball, every set is a different game. It doesn't matter how badly a team loses in one set, because there are not a lot of teams who would bring the negative feeling over that set into the next set. If so, it was clear that those teams are just cannon fodder. For a strong team, they would always have a way to reset their mentality after winning an easy set or losing so badly, because no matter whether it is excitement or depression, having too much of it would also affect the team's state."

Some of the Tsunemori players nodded in agreement, reflecting their experience in the past. Indeed, when the team was in excitement after winning a set easily, they would somehow get sloppy, starting to underestimate their opponent. It wouldn't affect that much if the opponent was one level lower compared to them, but if it was a team like Kikugawa High or Tsukiji High that was at the same level as them, having that kind of state would lead to a disaster. As for depression, well… They didn't have to think of how bad it would affect the team if that feeling lingered inside their heart for too long.

"Also, here is the thing." The old man continued. "If a team that faces an opponent with the same level as them suddenly loses badly, you have to suspect that they did it deliberately."

"Eh?!" Riku widened his eyes, then furrowed his brows instantly. "What do you mean deliberately, Old Man?! Shimo High's depression before the timeout is real, you know? There is no way they could fake it!"

"Oh, you are still too young! Too young!" The old man laughed once again, and honestly, Riku started to get annoyed by him. "You see, young man, while every set matters, when facing a blowout game like this, a lot of head coaches would throw this set away instantly, putting their focus on the next set. After all, no matter how hard they tried, it would be a mission impossible to chase the score and set up a comeback. Rather than wasting energy on something that is not possible, they would rather use the set to test the water, letting their opponent win but also forcing them to reveal all the cards they have. Then, in the next set, that is when they go all out once again! You will see it in this game too! Just wait!"