"Can you still hold out on your current strategy?" Coach Hondo asked them.
"Just a little bit longer….then we slow it down." Shinya muttered in response. The others eyed him carefully.
Finally, their coach said something. "Fine. But when I feel that the time is right, we begin slowing down by a change in our serves. Suki,"
"Yes, coach." The freshman looked up.
"When it's your turn to serve, do that floater again but aim it at their number 14." Suki nodded. "Moreover, Shiroshikata's setter is still serving the next ball and you already know that it means trouble. Shinya, position yourself near the backcourt line. Jao and Garuma, stay close to him. Make sure you raise that serve and score. We can't risk them getting the lead at this time. In the next side out, Garuma will be serving but I plan to put in a pinch server in his place too. We'll try all possible options so hold out on your defense until then."
The game continued on with Kouen's serving. As he looked across, he noticed the tight formation of Garuma and Jao around Shinya in the back, so he figured that the two will be taking the serve aimed at him. 'Then let's see you try to stop this one.' He moved a few steps back, tossed the ball in the air and released his jump serve aimed not at the setter, but towards Boichi.
'This emo and his bangs' The captain gritted his teeth as he bent down to get a dig under the ball, only to be thrown off his balance and fall down after that receive. "It's up!"
Kouen was impressed that he was able to react in time for that serve.
"I got this!" Komori followed the ball and bumped it over to Suki, who dinked it to Shiroshikata's side. Kakuzo was there for the receive. Kouen got it next and he immediately tossed it to Genji, who wasn't expecting the ball. His jump wasn't enough to avoid the block of Garuma, who cleanly denied him on that one.
Kouen shook his head in frustration and let out an audible sigh. "Sorry, that was on me." Tied at 16 – all.
Itachiyama called in their second year pinch server, Okada Shinki, and Garuma went out of the court. The newly entered player bounced the ball twice on the floor, before he launched his own version of a jump floater. The ball was aimed in between Kakuzo and Genji. Both of them moved to receive it, but upon seeing the other one motion for the take, they got confused as to who will really get it up. As a result, the ball wasn't raised.
"If you want to receive it, communicate! Say, 'mine'!" Coach Soma yelled from the bench. The two rookies looked down after being reprimanded.
"Nice serve, Okada! Another one!" Itachiyama's bench cheered.
Okada served another floater and he aced it again this time, after the ball went off from Gaito's hand. "Guh - Wha -?!" The latter could only say that after the ball flew away and Maki wasn't able to cover for it.
The next floater came but Maki received it successfully and Kouen ran after it. He tossed the ball to Kouha, who attacked from the left. The spike hit Shinya who yelled, "Komori-san!"
"On it!" Three spikers – Okada, Boichi and Suki, jumped for the libero toss. The ball was sent to Boichi's way and his cross was touched by Kakuzo.
"One touch!" Genji's face became the landing spot of the ball so it bounced up. Kouen got a hand under it and called his brother for the finish. Kouha launched another spike but Boichi was there to touch it.
"One touch!" Komori followed after that and the ball made its way to Shinya, who decided to just push the ball over right in front of Kouha. The latter wasn't prepared for that and a point was scored by Itachiyama.
"DAMMMMMIIIT!" Kouha yelled in exasperation after those consecutive blunders he made.
"It's alright, we'll get the next one." Maki tried to reassure him.
"I'll send ya the next toss so ya better clean up yer mess." Kouen said coldly to his brother. Kouha only scoffed at his brother's demanding tone, but deep inside, he's really frustrated. 19 – 16, Itachiyama.
Okada served another one but the ball got a little spin this time, so the receive by Gaito was cleanly passed to Kouen. As promised, he sent the next toss to Kouha, who demolished the block that Boichi and Suki attempted to deflect his spike. "YEAH!"
Kakuzo moved to the service line and Gaito went out for Hiro. For Itachiyama, Okada and Komori went out for Garuma and Toyambi to return on court.
Kakuzo targeted the serve at Shinya, but Suki stepped in to take the ball. Shinya got it up next and tossed to Jao, but his spike was denied by Hiro. 'I hate this blocker!' the outside hitter thought. 19 – 18, Itachiyama.
Unfortunately, Kakuzo's next serve hit the net so Itachiyama served next. This time, its Suki's turn on the line and same as before, he served his floater towards Shiroshikata's side.
Genji pressed his hands together for an underarm dig, but when the ball hit it, the bounce was awkward and it only flew to sides. Maki tried to dive for it but he wasn't able to reach it. 21 – 18, Itachiyama. Suddenly, the whistle was blown. It was Coach Soma called for a break this time.
From the bench, he crossed his arms and eyed his members intently. "Itachiyama is slowing down the game. Expect lesser quick attacks from them and instead, ready yourselves for long rallies. Like the one with Kouha earlier. Most likely, they will return the ball just about everywhere to trigger more movement from you to tire you out. Let's make them regret their strategy and turn it to our advantage. I know you guys won't easily lose to a game of endurance." He finished.
The succeeding rallies that followed seemed like a pattern. The serves by Itachiyama were aimed at the rookie stag and they were almost always successful in disrupting the formation of their opponents. However, when the side out came, it was Genji who served and he can't aim properly at Shinya, so the rallies that proceeded were quite long yet it strangely worked in Shiroshikata's favour. Their floor defense was resilient and the ball just won't easily drop.
Coach Soma was correct when he said the ball was thrown all over the place. Shiroshikata scored clean breaks but through lesser spikes and more on blocks since Hiro was at front to strengthen their wall. By the end of six rallies, the boys were breathing heavily out of exhaustion but the score now reads at 23 – 22, Itachiyama still leading. The last four points was by Shiroshikata so Genji is still serving.
An unfortunate error occurred when the ball hit the net. "WAAAAAH SORRY!! SO SORRY!!" Genji apologized. That tied the noose around the Stags as the Legionnaires were already at match point. Boichi made his way to the service line and launched a full powered jumper still aimed at Genji.
"Guh- Ugh!" Kakuzo slid to get that serve up but it sent him down after it hit him in the chest.
"Yosh, Kakuzo nice. Genji!" Kouen positioned himself under the ball and tossed it to Genji after. The redhead freshman jumped high from the back and launched his spike to the opposite court.
"Eeeeeek –" Jao was luckily in position to raise that super fast ball.
"Nice receive, Jao! Toyambi!" Shinya said as he called Toyambi for the hit.
"One touch!" Hiro was there for the deflection and Maki followed the block. It was Kakuzo who sent the ball over to the other side next. Suki got the first touch and he arced the ball to their setter. Shinya motioned for a toss and three spikers awaited for his set – Boichi, Jao and Toyambi.
Hiro analysed the play before him. Boichi is on the farther right side of the court. Suki who just raised that receive was hindering Toyambi's attack path. Only Jao can cleanly get this spike through….
'Heck, but Shinya's the setter. And he's been annoying the entire game with his signature move since the beginning' Hiro thought. 'So….'
Hiro pulled Kouha's jersey towards him and forced him to change position with him. Kouha trusts him enough to not question his actions and only jumped alongside him. And Hiro's intuition was right again.
Shinya threw a dump, but the two of them were able to deflect him. Itachiyama's setter gritted his teeth after his failure attempt at a two.
[Two: another term used for setter dump]
The ball fell in Itachiyama's side and Suki, who did a flying fall to save it, failed to do so. However, the Legionnaires are still at match point so there wasn't anyone who celebrated for that block. Well, except for Genji.
"HIRO-SENPAI! KOUHA-SENPAI! NICE BLOCK!!
'Crap, did Hiro saw that dump coming from a mile away?' Kouha thought about it. He was, after all, the one who was dragged into that set-up by their moody middle blocker.
Kakuzo went out for Gaito and Kouha made his way to serve his jumper aimed at Shinya. The ball was bumped cleanly by Komori. "It's all yours, Shinya!" The setter tossed to Boichi who was already flying from the right. Everyone braced themselves for a spike, but the captain pushed the ball lightly.
"You ass –" Gaito said as he scrambled to the front the get that ball up. Luckily, his palm got under it and Boichi frowned after witnessing that annoying critical save.
"Gai-san, nice one!" Kouen positioned himself for the ball and both Hiro and Maki waited for his toss. Kouha was at Hiro's back doing a run up. 'I see you, bro.' Kouen gave a look at Hiro which hinted something familiar.
Hiro recognized that look and it got him vexed. 'Again? Why is it always me when it comes to your combos?'
He wasn't able to do anything though when Itachiyama's blockers were baited to block him. When the walls started to fall, the pipe was all set.
Kouen released the ball and Kouha hit it from the back. Another sibling combo, which tied the game at 24 – all. "A bloody deuce, haha this is fun." Coach Hibaraki commented from the stands.