After a few days of rest the team were back in their gym for more practise, Hinata working on perfecting his open eyed quick with Kozume. Eventually it reached the point of the week where Hinata had extra classes. For once in a rare while Hisagawa had returned to the class. "HIIISAAAGAAAWAAA!" Hinata screamed as he ran over to Hisagawa.
"Little Jumper, I've not seen you for a while," Hisagawa replied.
"I can do it with my eyes open!"
"What do you mean?"
"I learnt to spike with my eyes open!"
"Brilliant! Now I can actually help you. So you need to hit the ball with your hand to spike; but to get more power you need to hit it with your sweet spot," Hisagawa touched an area of Hinata's hand, "Here, so lets try that out. I'll toss some slow sets until you get used to it,"
"But there's practise going on," Hinata pointed out.
"Well we'll go practise over in the corner," the two ran to where Hisagawa was pointing to. After the practise ended Hinata had a fair grasp on what part of his hand he should hit the ball with.
That weekend Hinata decided to watch a professional volleyball match, as it turns out the DESSEO Hornets were one of the teams playing, they were up against the MSBY Black Jackals. Unfortunately for Hinata, he had missed the beginning of the match, meaning that he didn't know any of the players' names. Hinata thought he knew how Hisagawa played from watching him in practise, but seeing him play on a pro court along with other pros against other pros really showed off his talent. Well at least his talent in blocking and receiving, Hisagawa had yet to spike, "Why didn't you toss to Hisagawa?" Hinata screamed at his TV, knowing that the setter could not hear him.
Although Hinata had picked up on Hisagawa's serious nature at the start of the match, he had failed to see him become progressively childish. Suddenly out of nowhere Hisagawa ran for a quick and slammed the ball down, "And the Hornets's surprise hitter comes out his shell. Once again his timing is impeccable, the Hornets needed his appearance and the Jackals had completely forgotten about no.14's spikes, and as usual he is cheering himself on," Hinata watched Hisagawa in awe as the match continued, his infamous sweep hit making it's matchly debut.
The match ended with the MSBY Black Jackals winning and Hinata stayed to watch Hisagawa's interview, "It seems like your team is on a losing streak at the moment, what are your thoughts on it?" the interviewer asked.
"Well to win you have to lose at some points too. So after this we'll be on a winning streak. But don't worry, we're all working really hard as well, we aren't leaving everything down to luck," Hisagawa replied.
"To win you have to lose? What do you meant by that?"
"Well to get better at something, first you must be bad at it. To learn means to go from good to bad. There's this player that I'm training, at when I first met him he was a total rookie who relied on instincts, but now he has improved and has got some fundamental skills. He wasn't invited on his team's first training camp - a loss - but then when the first high school tournament came he got to play on the court at times - a win. Simply but, to get better you must first make mistakes and be bad so you have something to improve on," Hinata stared at the screen, Hisagawa was talking about him.
"And this player that you're supposedly training, what do you think of him?"
"He's just like me, I think he'll be a great division 1 player one day,"
"Really?"
"Yep, so Little Jumper, if you're watching this, you better join the DESSEO Hornets after you graduate - you hear me?"
"Little Jumper?"
"Well he's small but he can jump - so the Little Jumper,"
"Okay. And at the beginning of your match, why didn't you spike?"
"I never spike at the beginning of the match, I'm just not in the game,"
"Most would argue that you're most focused then,"
"Exactly! I play terribly when I focus really hard. Once I feel a game I play my best. Besides it all plays into my element of surprise nature,"
"Element of surprise?"
"Well I always appear out of nowhere. I mean I got kicked off my high school team until I learnt to cooperate and gained some skills, and then once I was back on I was our ace - and no-one suspected that so everyone was surprised at my skills. Then I never went to college and instead started on the Hornets. People knew that I had played on the under nineteens back in high school, but I was a reserve and so no-one had seen me play then. There's always been limited information on me and so when I got my starting position people were surprised. Pro players don't check out high school leagues most of the time, and they only pay attention to the top college teams, I flew under their radar until I was up in front of them scoring points. Man, people always have such high expectations of what I can do and what I'm like. Sure I worked hard for this, but I'm still the clumsy idiot that I was when I was fifteen, and.... What was I saying?"
"Why you didn't start off well in today's match?"
"Oh I never start off well, I need to relax into a game. Plus it plays to my advantage, everyone expects me to be attacking them from the get go, and when I don't, they lower their guard. I've never been the best, regardless of my height, but I wouldn't say that I'm that bad anymore. Hmm, I've definitely improved, but when I look around me I see people who are far better than me. I guess I'll just have to get even better then,"
"But you are a starter on a division 1 team, you're not exactly weak,"
"I'm not weak, I never said that. But I'm not strong either. I'm me! I don't make everyone cower when I walk on the court, instead they give me strange looks, but that's just me. I'm neither the best nor the worst, I'm instead Hisagawa Masahiko - the best and worst Hisagawa Masahiko at volleyball,"
"Okay?" the interviewer was clearly confused by Hisagawa's interview, "We'll leave it here,"
"Okie-dokie!" Hisagawa threw a peace sign before skipping off to join his team.
Later that night Hinata re-watched the match, picking up on all the different ways Hisagawa hit the ball, Hinata immediately knew that he was going to ask about that the next time Hisagawa was at a session, soon that opportunity came, "Why do you do all of those different hitty things?" Hinata asked.
"Huh?" Hisagawa asked, not understanding what Hinata meant.
"Your match this weekend, you hit the ball lots of different ways, why?"
"You watched it?"
"Well I decided to watch a pro match, and this was the one that was on,"
"Aw, I thought you wanted to watch me play. To answer your question I have to hit the ball differently so I can score points,"
"So you can score points?"
"Well just hitting the ball doesn't guarantee that it won't be blocked or received, so I have to hit it in different ways to get past those pesky blockers and receivers,"
"That... Makes sense,"
"Exactly, a feint-"
"-That's the shot Bokuto-senpai taught me!"
"So you know it, good. Anyway a feint can be good for getting past blockers, but if you can already get past the blockers then a strong spike will be better. Then say you were doing only cross shots so far and suddenly swapped to a line shot, then you would confuse the other team's defence as they would have adapted their blocks to your cross shots - and vice versa had you only done line shots,"
"Whoa,"
"Exactly, see there's a lot more to volleyball if you open your eyes,"
"I thought that you just had to hit the ball, not all of this,"
"It's as much about how you hit the ball than what speed and power you hit the ball,"
"Really?"
"Yeah, sometimes a slow hit can throw a blocker off. And hit the ball too powerfully and it could go out,"
"So to make my spikes stronger I need to control the ball,"
"Yeah! You've got it Little Jumper!"
"I want to make my fingers stronger!"
"Eh?" Hisagawa scrunched up his face, "I thought that we were talking about changing the direction of your spikes,"
"Well, you could do that really accurately with your fingertips if you got good, right? And I'll need good fingers for blocking,"
"Blocking? You want to pursue blocking? I thought Nekoma only put you on as a blocker to keep you off the back row,"
"Maybe they did, but I still want to be our blocker!"
"O-o-okay! Then let's work on your finger strength first! After your fingers get strong, I can teach you about controlling and aiming the ball!"
"YEAH!"
"YEAH!" The two spent the rest of the session working on Hinata's finger strength, "Soon your blocking will become harder to break. Also, make sure you go to your school practise tomorrow!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Hinata stared at Hisagawa, "Anyway, see you next time Hisagawa! Thank you coach Nishimura!" Hinata ran off to the locker room and soon after that home.
"Kenma!" Hinata called out as he entered the gym for practise, "We're gonna work on the freak quick again! Please! Ooh! What game is this?" Kenma pointed to the title on the loading screen, suddenly the two overheard a conversation that coach Nekomata was having.
"But I'm here now! You might as well accept my coaching!" The other person whined.
"Your twenty-two and I'd hardly call you a qualified coach," coach Nekomata replied.
"But coaching from a pro player - division one as well - does it really matter if I'm qualified or not?"
"Your attitude isn't appropriate either,"
"I think it is, and I mean, I'm skilled,"
"I don't doubt that,"
"Coach! Please! I made the under nineteens, although as a reserve, but still! I was one of the sixteen players they chose for that! Then I made it onto a division one team straight after graduating! I've only ever been on the DESSEO Hornets! I'm clearly skilled!"
"I'm not refuting that, but I'm saying that you're not appropriate to coach a team,"
"It's only for one day,"
"One day is more than enough time for you to wreck havoc, give me a reason to allow you to coach,"
"I know what it's like to be the best but shadowed. I know what it's like to be the worst of the best. I know how to get results quick, I know how to work hard. I know how I can get myself to bring out the best in myself, to work harder to get better - and I roughly know how to do that for others,"
"Shadowed?"
"I don't mind the whole element of surprise thing, but no-one ever remembers me as an ace! I should have been top five in my third year! We got to the nationals semi-finals and quarter-finals that year! And I was playing on the under nineteens, something which one of the top five at the time wasn't doing. I should have got it, but because no-one really knew me I didn't get it. I was always Nekoma's surprise ace, not Nekoma's ace. No-one ever stops to consider my abilities as being stand alone good, everyone thinks that I rely on the element of surprise. You should know best, coach, that that's not the case! You saw how hard I've worked! Each time I move up an age or ability category, I'm always the worst there. I was the worst here during my first year, when I joined the under nineteens I was one of the worst there. It's taken me three years to get a starting spot on my current team. I know what it's like to not make it - not be good enough, I can help,"
"Fine, you can coach, only because I know that you won't give up until you do,"
"Thank-ah-you!"
"Extra coaching," Kenma complained.
"But it's Hisagawa!" Hinata protested, "He's really fun! You'll enjoy it Kenma!"
"Alright everyone," coach Nekomata gathered the team, "We have an alumni visiting today - and only today - who has offered to coach us. He's a pro player for the DESSEO Hornets so please thank him for taking time off of training for this,"
"A division one player? Wow! We're getting training from a proper pro player!" Yamamoto cheered.
"DESSEO Hornets? They had a match last weekend, didn't they lose?" Yaku asked.
"Yaku-paisen, it's still one of the top teams out there!" Kuro protested.
"I didn't know that any of them were Nekoma alumni, which one do you think we'll get?" Fukunaga asked.
"Dunno, I feel like their libero maybe," Yamamoto said, "Whoever it is, they have to be good,"
"I feel proud, being the only one to know who it is," Hinata beamed.
"Tell us Hinata!" Inuoka pouted, "Their setter?"
"Nope!" Hinata laughed, "Their opposite hitter,"
"The one who waits to play?" Haiba asked, "Isn't he the youngest on the team too?"
"Yes and yes!" Hisagawa stepped forward, "Nice to meet you guys!"
"So what are we doing today coach Hisagawa?" Shibayama asked.
"Just call me Hisagawa guys, none of the fancy coach shi-stuff," Hisagawa shrugged, "Eh, I'll let coach here decide what you guys do,"
"He was totally gonna swear," Haiba whispered to Hinata. The team warmed up and began spiking drills with Kozume and Teshiro tossing and Yaku and Shibayama receiving the spikes of everyone else.
"Hinata! Regular speed! Please!" Coach Nekomata shouted to Hinata who was progressively speeding up.
"Lean more on your bent leg," Hisagawa said to Yaku, "And hit the ball more downwards," he said to Yamamoto, "It was close to going out," the rest of the session was spent similarly with the team doing drills and Hisagawa and the other coaches giving them advise, "Now coach, you mentioned a faster speed that the Little Jumper could do, and having seen it myself I know he can. Lemme see it! Pleeeeeeeeaaaaase!"
"Please coach! I wanna do it!" Hinata begged coach Nekomata.
"Fine," coach Nekomata reluctantly agreed. Kozume reluctantly tossed for Hinata who ran quickly and slammed the ball down.
"Definitely need to work on aiming still," Hisagawa said, "Practising against blockers will probably help with that. Well let's call it a day, keep the good work up and I'm sure you'll be going to nationals this time," the team packed up and thanked Hisagawa for his time before leaving.
"I know we don't always agree on stuff Kuroo," Yaku began, "But we've always agreed on winning nationals. I hope that Hisagawa is right, that we will get to nationals, Battle at the Trash Heap or not,"
"We can't slack off yet, he said that we'll get there only if we keep working hard," Kuroo replied, "There's still a final push to get there,"
"I take it you also decided to not retire from the team,"
"Of course not, there's still one more chance, I'm not going to lose it that easily,"