The Birth of A Volleyball Legend

"Agostini, give me higher!"

BAM!

"Nice spike!"

"Send it close to the net!"

BAM!

"That's out! Come on, Uehara-senpai! Wake up!"

"Shut up, will you!"

"It's my turn! Agostini, don't be cruel, okay?"

"I got you, senpai!"

BAM!

"Hell yeah!"

Fifteen minutes before the game, all the Thunder players spent that time doing a light warmup. Currently, they were in the middle of spiking training, with them asking for the ball they usually weren't comfortable with and Riku gave them exactly what they asked for. The purpose was simple, to not give any information about their attacking style before the game started. Even if the opponent did their homework well, seeing it from a video would be different compared to watching it directly.

"Oh, that is scary…" A tall and lanky boy with tousled dark hair commented with lazy eyes. "Why do they suddenly look at us as if we just kill their dogs?"

"Oh, maybe because they just got the news that the Steel lost?" A shaved-head boy with a vibrant smile on his face answered. "I mean, they are still in the race for the last playoff spot, right? With the Steel's lose, they would have a chance to overtake the eighth spot if they won against us."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

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"Ah, so that is the case…" The first boy suddenly turned grim at the revelation. "Well, it is unfortunate for them to meet us today."

"Don't act so mighty like that, you bastard!" Suddenly, a boy with a buzzed haircut and athletic build slapped the back of his head. "It is okay if you act like that in front of them, but in private, you know what to do, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, act domineering in front of your opponent, but be paranoid behind their back. I got it." The boy rubbed the spot that the third boy just hit him annoyedly. "You don't need to remind me about that again, Captain! I know that!"

The three boys were the players of Fukushima Phoenix. The first one was their middle blocker, Sannosuke Shigeo. He wasn't the best blocker in the league or even had the quickest reaction, but he made it up with his top-notch game-reading ability. The second boy was Kodai Hachimura, the opposite hitter. He was probably the best support player in the league right now. He was good at everything, but what made him terrifying was his coordination with his teammates, which was able to elevate their performance more during the game. As for the last one, his name was Mirai Takebayashi, the ace and the team's captain.

Together, they made up for more than half the strength of the team, dragging them from the bottom spot of the league to the sixth position they were currently in.

"Okay, everyone, gather." A middle-aged man – about forty years old – raised his voice, attracting everyone's attention. "I know that with Fukuoka's loss today, our spot in the playoff is secured already while our opponent would have a chance to overtake the eighth position. However, I don't want you all to slack off and underestimate your opponent, okay? While for us, this might be just a regular game with no meaning anymore, for the supporters on the stand, this might be something they could use to cheer you up. So, don't just play for me, don't just play for you, but also play for them too! Do you understand?!"

"Yes, Sensei!"

-0-

Yuki winced unconsciously as the unison shout from the opponent bench thundered on the building. He just realized that the sound inside the building created an echo, making it seem louder than reality. Whoever designed the building clearly knew what they were doing since it made the cheers from the stand louder, making it more intimidating for the away team.

"You okay, Yuki?" Riku asked, concerned.

Yuki wanted to reassure his friend. But in the end, all he gave was a weak smile that even he himself wouldn't believe it.

He couldn't help it, though. This game turned out to be far more important than what he initially thought. Not only this would be his first time coming back to Fukushima after the disastrous event, but this was also the first time he was in since the start as one of the main players.

Yeah, after Miyahara's terrible performance against Osaka Gunners – which Yuki managed to make up with his performance – Kawaki decided to experiment with the roster by putting Yuki on the court from the beginning. Of course, he had already asked for Yuki's concern first since the coach knew how important coming here was for Yuki. He didn't want to add more burden to the glasses boy – and didn't want to take unnecessary risk by putting a player who couldn't put his 100 percent focus on the game on the court. However, since Yuki reassured Kawaki that he would be okay, and added the fact that the glasses boy never disappointed his expectations, Kawaki decided to trust the glasses boy.

So, here Yuki was, standing awkwardly on the back row of the court with a stiff posture, trying his best to not look nervous.

"You look like a shit, Kobayashi." Kojima, the outside hitter next to him snorted. "This is not your first game, so don't overthink the situation too much. Just go all out and think of the consequences later!"

"Don't pressure Kobayashi, Kojima!" Shou slapped the back of his head before turning his attention to Yuki. "Hey, take a deep breath. I know you are nervous, but just like Kojima said, this is not your first rodeo. You will be able to get through this alive, so just stay calm and pace yourself. And if you are still nervous, just try to distract yourself by thinking of something or someone who makes you happy, okay?"

Yuki blinked, staring at his captain for a moment. Out of all the advice thrown at him, the last one was probably the most useful for his current situation. His right hand reached the wristband on his left hand unconsciously, and he took a moment to read all the messages written on it.

Good luck, Yuki-nii!

You can do it, Nii-chan!

Bring the win back home!

Don't be afraid of your opponent!

This was the wristband Kato delivered for him when Tsunemori was playing against Kyoei Gakuen in the past. The message there was written by the residents of the orphanage, which explained the sloppiness in it. However, when he thought of their intention at that time, and when he turned around at the stand just to find the girl who always supported him in the last few months, all the nervousness built inside him crumbled instantly.

As Yuki took a deep breath, he nodded with a firmer gaze at his captain. "Thank you, Shou-senpai. I am ready for the game."