On the second day of the county sports tournament, Sengoku Junior High faced off against the private Aoba Johsai High.
It was immediately clear that Aoba was on a whole different level compared to their previous opponent, Haneishi. Their defensive stability in particular far exceeded that of Haneishi, making yesterday's strategies ineffective.
Against a triple block, even Akashi Asuka would have difficulty breaking through.
So this time, Sengoku Junior High adapted. They deployed coordinated movement, positional disruption, and multi-player attacks to spread out Aoba's defense.
Because no matter what, Akashi Asuka's offensive power was undeniable.
A triple block could hold him back, but unless all three blockers were focused on him, stopping his spikes effectively was nearly impossible.
Twenty-five minutes into the match.
This match was much tighter than the previous one, with neither side giving an inch.
Following a service error from Akashi Asuka, Aoba regained possession and promptly called a timeout.
"Damn it, who even is that guy? I've never heard of him before," muttered Aoba's libero bitterly, glancing toward the Sengoku side while sipping water.
As the libero, he'd been the one receiving most of Akashi Asuka's spikes.
His hits weren't just powerful, they were fast and precise. The ball would flash past the blockers, and before the libero's body could even react, it would slam into the ground.
Even when he could predict the ball's trajectory, the sheer force behind it made control nearly impossible. The moment it made contact, his arms would be knocked out of alignment, and the ball would ricochet wildly out of bounds.
"No kidding," Aoba's setter added, frowning thoughtfully. "That guy's power and technique have to be top-tier in the county. But it's weird, his name's totally unfamiliar. Even Sengoku Junior High was never on the radar before."
"Coach, have you heard of Akashi Asuka before?" someone asked.
The coach squinted toward Sengoku's bench and nodded slightly. "I've heard the name once, a while back. At the time, people mentioned he had decent power in his spikes, but nothing else really stood out."
"Decent power? Are you kidding me?" the libero snapped, glaring at his now-reddened arms.
"Yeah… his power now is far beyond decent. My guess is he must've made a major breakthrough recently. That would explain this sudden leap in strength."
The coach paused, then gave new orders. "Forget everything else for now. Spiking power can improve quickly with training, but solid fundamentals like passing take time. His basics are still weak, and now he's rotating to the back row. Focus your attacks on him for the rest of the match."
"Understood!" The team responded in unison.
The game resumed with Aoba's serve.
Their opposite hitter launched a straightforward overhand serve straight at Akashi Asuka.
On the sidelines, Coach Shimokawa's eyes narrowed.
"So they've figured it out."
He sighed inwardly. As the coach, he knew better than anyone the strengths, and weaknesses, of his team.
There was no denying it: thanks to Akashi Asuka's breakthrough, Sengoku Junior High's offensive power was now at the county's top level.
But the rest of the team? Completely out of sync.
Whether it was teamwork or individual technique, they were nowhere near the standard of a truly strong team.
To put it simply, Akashi's offensive strength had outgrown the team's overall capability.
Right now, Sengoku Junior High was like a spear with only a tip. That tip might be enough to pierce through weaker teams, but against stronger opponents, the lack of a solid spear shaft, the rest of the team, would be painfully obvious.
Coach Shimokawa's lips curled into a strange smirk.
"Aoba... Even if it's only the tip of a spear, are you sure you can handle it?"
The ball struck Akashi's wrists and bounced high. The angle was off, but it stayed in play.
His passing, specifically, his digging, had nearly reached the level of a passing grade.
He wasn't a reliable first passer yet, but against a weak serve like that, just keeping the ball alive and within his team's zone wasn't much of a problem.
Setter Ryuhei Sanashita called out, dashing beneath the ball.
As he positioned himself, he hesitated for a split second, who should he set it to?
Then a firm, resonant voice echoed from the back row:
He couldn't see who spoke, but he knew the voice. Though rare during games, whenever that voice spoke, Sengoku usually scored a point.
Even before his brain could finish processing the command, Sanashita's body responded.
With a light flick of his fingers, he sent a high but gentle toss toward the back row.
The next moment, a tall, powerful figure soared into the air, and swung.
The explosive sound of the spike rocked the entire court.
Everyone watched as the ball arced through the air, sailed past the fingertips of Aoba's blockers, and slammed into the floor, then bounced high.
The gym fell dead silent.
Several seconds passed.
"No way, is that even something a Junior Higher can do?!"
Akashi Asuka's thunderous back-row spike set the arena ablaze.
Since it wasn't opening day, the stands weren't packed, only a smattering of spectators sat in the upper level, but the atmosphere had been dull and subdued.
That one spike changed everything.
Even casual spectators could feel the sheer violence behind that hit.
While the crowd roared, Aoba's bench remained frozen in stunned silence.
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