"We're going to nationals regardless," Kuroo sighed, "But it sure would be nice to kick Itachiyama's ass,"
"Didn't they win inter high?" Fukunaga asked.
"Yeah, I think they beat Fukurodani in the finals, at least that's what Bokuto-senpai told me," Hinata asnwered.
"Yes, but didn't they win nationals as well?" Fukunaga rephrased his question.
"Yeah," Kuroo answered.
"Whoa!" Hinata gasped, "So they're like ten times better than Fukurodani, I thought that they were just two point seven six times better than them,"
"That's oddly specific Shouyou," Kozume pointed out.
"Well Fukurodani are bad enough with Bokuto who's a top five ace; Itachiyama have a top three ace - Sakusa Kiyoomi, the only second year ace in the top three, and the top five as well - and the best high school level libero - Komori Motoya," Kuroo explained.
"But we have the best ace, me," Hinata argued, "Sorry Yamamoto, and the best high school level libero, Yaku-senpai,"
"Hinata, your fake confidence is more fake and less confident," Haiba pointed out.
"However, Hinata did not freak out and thus Yamamoto, Inuoka and Shibayama, you all owe me Häagen-Dazs," Yaku grinned.
"Okay, okay, whatever," Yamamoto rolled his eyes, "But I'm betting Häagen-Dazs that Hinata freaks out after meeting Sakusa,"
"Same as Yamamoto, but after seeing him play Hinata does the same thing he did to Bokuto," Inuoka added.
"Once again, I'm going to bet that he doesn't freak out," Yaku said, "Hopeful thinking,"
"I'm not betting this time," Shibayama retreated, "I don't want to end up owing two,"
"I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be back soon!" Hinata called out as he ran to the bathroom, for once it wasn't just for nerves, he did also need to go. Hinata opened the door and was greeted with...
"Get out!" someone snapped, Hinata immediately did as told and closed the door.
"Please don't kill me," Hinata whispered as he left, the next bathroom is all the way on the second floor, what would be quicker, waiting for them to finish up or just go to that one. Hinata decided on going to the second floor only to find that it was closed for cleaning, running back down he waited outside the bathroom waiting for the other person to leave, unless they've already left? I'm not risking it by checking though.
"What're you waiting for?" someone asked Hinata.
"Um... I know this sound really stupid, but there's a scary person in there and they told me to get out and I don't want to be killed," Hinata explained.
"Well I'm sure they're not that scary, I'll go in with you,"
"I'm not a kid,"
"Then go in yourself," the person turned to leave.
"Wait! I'm sorry, can you come with me?"
"Okay," the person opened the door with their free hand, the other one had both of Hinata's hands firmly grabbing it, "Sakusa?" Hinata gulped, upon hearing the name, "How about we don't scare other people,"
"Get out Komori!" the person from the bathroom snapped back. Hinata squeaked as he let go of the hand running away.
"Hinata? What's up?" Kuroo asked as Hinata ran back.
"Demons!" Hinata screamed, "Itachiyama is made up of demons!"
"I think you're overreacting, calm down," Kuroo said, "Kenma, can you help me out here,"
"Can't," Kozume replied, "I'm in the middle of a level,"
"That's strange," Komori replied as the small redhead ran off, "I wonder what's up with him? I feel like I recognise that tracksuit from somewhere,"
After warm ups the two teams were meant to line up, "Hinata! Stop hiding behind Haiba!" Kuroo shouted.
"But they're demons!" Hinata screamed, "I don't want them to steal my soul! Sakusa already tried it!" Kuroo walked around the back of everyone and picked up Hinata, placing him on the line.
"They aren't demons, they are just tall players who you can, probably, out jump. Grab onto Haiba or Teshiro if you're still scared," Kuroo said, letting out a loud sigh as he returned to his space on the line. Haiba tried to bow when everyone was meant to, but that was quite hard when you had a persistent person clinging onto you for dear life, scared that volleyball players were demons trying to steal their soul.
"Yaku, you owe us Häagen-Dazs!" Inuoka shouted across the line.
"Yeah that's right!" Yamamoto added.
"Technically the owing of Häagen-Dazs has just evened," Yaku pointed out.
"Were you guys seriously betting on Shouyou's reaction?" Kozume looked at the two to his right before looking to Inuoka who was on his left.
"What's up with their no.10?" Sakusa asked Komori.
"This is why you need to be kinder to people Sakusa," Komori sighed, "Now we have someone convinced that our team is made up of demons, all because you shouted at them for opening the door to a public toilet,"
"When you put it like that it sound stupid for them to think that I'm a demon,"
"Somehow Hinata's calmed down enough that we can actually play him," coach Nekomata said, "We'll start with our usual order,"
"It's usual?" Hinata asked, "Wait, does that mean that I'm a regular now?"
"Yeah," Kuroo answered.
"YES!" Hinata jumped up.
The whistle blew and the match began. Yaku received the serve, passing the ball to Kozume. Itachiyama's defence prepared for all sorts of possible attacks, but nothing had prepared them for what was about to happen. Hinata ran quickly as he slammed the ball down, none of the middle blockers making it there in time and Komori diving for the ball too late, "I know you said that it was fast," Komori said to Iizuna, "But damn that was fast, but he can't keep it up for a whole game, can he? I mean the Miya twins can't,"
"Hinata, I know it feels great getting a hit past their whole defence but don't get caught up with that success," Kai said, "They'll eventually block or receive it,"
"Yeah yeah, I know," Hinata replied
And so the match continued. Nekoma lost any lead they may have had as it seemed that for every point they scored, Itachiyama scored three. For some it finally sunk in that they were up against the top high school team. Itachiyama were already in the twenties when Nekoma reached the tens, 21:10. Even with some pushes from Nekoma, Itachiyama still won the first set 25:16.
"I think you guys are thinking too much about everything," Hisagawa sighed as he joined the team, "Like who cares if they're the best team. Just play your best, you guys are a good team, you beat Fukurodani! Your best is all you can do, so go out there and give it your all, forget who your up against and just play for the sake of playing, and if you win you win; but if you lose you lose, can't do anything about it. Whining won't get you anywhere, you'll always come up against teams that are better than you, you just have to do your best and hold your head up when you lose,"
"Um, they have a pro player helping them," someone from Itachiyama pointed out.
"Do you think that their no.10 is the Little Jumper that he referred to in his interview?" another asked.
"That would make sense if no.10's been taking extra classes," Sakusa said, "He's small and he can jump,"
Hinata reentered the court, thinking back to other things that Hisagawa had taught him and if he could use them in this match.
"What's a good way to change the momentum of a match in your favour?" Hinata asked Hisagawa.
"Suddenly busting out a powerful move out of nowhere," Hisagawa answered, "Like having the other team think that you're only so good, and then BAM special move,"
"Wow! What's your special move?"
"A feint like sweep to the right,"
"Cool,"
"I mean it's a powerful shot sure, but it's not exactly a special shot either. What makes the impact on it is the timing not the power or skill involved,"
"So it's like how when you spike, how you hit it is more important than the power you hit it at,"
"Exactly. Did I ever teach you my second secret on how to beat blockers?"
"No,"
"Angles,"
"Angles?"
"Blockers are more often than not going to block you face on, leaving very narrow angles either side of them uncovered, with three blockers these angles get super narrow, but it's still a gap. That's why when I'm on the side for a block, I ever so slightly curve myself so I'm at a slight angle, that way I narrow how much space is free. You know your basic cross shot, hit the ball across the court; and you know your basic straight shot, where you send it straight forwards, with some people getting it dead straight. There's what I like to call the narrow shot. When you hit the ball at such a narrow angle it barely crosses the net,"
"So you hit it to the side?"
"Basically. So what I'm telling you to do is hit to the side of the blockers, whether that be with a slight angle or straight to the side. It's pretty hard and requires you to be pretty flexible with your wrists, but there's this ace in your age category - Sakusa Kiyoomi - who can pull it off,"
"Sakusa Kiyoomi? I've never heard of him,"
"You will at some point,"
"So he's really good at moving his wrists?"
"Yeah. Say Little Jumper, do you want to try it out?"
"Yeah!" after trying it out Hinata saw how hard the move was.
"If you twisted your body it would be easier, but it would become telegraphable,"
"Aw, I really wanted a special move,"
"Little Jumper, you ever learnt how to actually jump?"
"Everyone knows how to jump silly!"
"But did you ever learn how to?"
"No, I just can,"
"Then you can jump higher,"
"I can?"
"Yeah, once you learn how to properly jump, come on I'll show you,"
"Are those two just going to jump for the whole session?" Kanda asked.
"333 cm, pretty good," Hisagawa said.
"That's how much I got?" Hinata asked.
"At the start, by the end of this you got 335 cm,"
"That's not much,"
"But we barely did that much practise, like I said you can get higher. Now have you ever used a diagonal jump in a match?"
"Not really, I more just jump up, I let the running cover the distance,"
"You lose some height of your jump, and for you it would probably be slower, but it opens up more moves as you widen the free space, especially if you twist your body a bit,"
"I know! I could do a diagonal jump and then hit the ball straight forward, it would be at an angle too,"
"Blockers would adapt to your jump, but it could work. Work on it Little Jumper and show it to me some time,"
"Kenma! Can we try out a new move?" Hinata went through his plan with Kozume the next day.
"Wouldn't it be more surprising if you hit it behind?" Kozume suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Instead of hitting it in front of you, curve your fingers around the ball and drag it the opposite direction. So if you were attacking down the right, doing your jump you'd be facing the left; currently you would hit it forward to the left, but blockers will predict this, what if you dragged the ball back at hit it to your right? And then if you were attacking down the left, you'd face the right and the regular attack would go to the right, but instead you hit it to the left,"
"You're so smart Kenma! Let's try it out,"
"I think you should first use it with the hit going forward Shouyou," Kozume said after they tried the move out, "That way the blockers won't expect it,"
"Yeah, that's really clever Kenma! This'll be my special move, with the backwards shot being the final attack"
I see what Hisagawa meant by Sakusa being able to pull off a narrow shot, but I'm not going to let that put me off, Hinata thought, I still have some tricks up my sleeve. "Kenma! The special move!" Hinata shouted. Hinata went in for his diagonal jump slamming the ball forwards, for him, diagonally for everyone else.
"And the Little Jumper nails the timing part," Hisagawa commented to coach Nekomata, "He's taken full advantage of my advise on special moves,"
"It is true that this has changed the momentum entering the second set," coach Nekomata said, "Which is what we need,"
The rest of Nekoma were also give it their all in order to try and win the second set and stay in the game, soon they had taken a lead at 10:14. Hinata ran again, using his diagonal jump like Kozume had signalled for him previously, "Shouyou! Make it final!" Kozume said, everyone else in the gym apart from the two had no clue what that meant. Itachiyama's blockers prepared for a more powerful hit as the blocked Hinata, covering his front view, like they had for his previous diagonal hits, although they half expected him to get past them like he had before. Hinata's hand met the ball, all eyes were on him, although most didn't notice the curling of his fingers. Hinata hit the ball behind him, the ball falling to his right not his left like everyone had expected. Itachiyama hadn't learnt, Hinata was unpredictable.
The blockers watched as the ball went to the opposite direction to them, "Don't mind!" Iizuna shouted, "He hasn't used the diagonal shot much and we had no way of knowing that he could and would hit it in the opposite direction to his body,"
"He really is a decoy," Hisagawa laughed.
"What do you mean?" Haiba asked, "He wasn't acting as a decoy just then?"
"Yeah, but all the previous shots going forward instead of backward. He was setting up the trap for Itachiyama to start blocking him from the front instead of at the next, then he had the back all cleared for the true special move, although it sounds like your setter was planning everything,"
"Pudding Head was the one to suggest doing the move in that way," Kuroo said.
"So he was the brains behind the attack," Hisagawa nodded his head.
"He's the brains of the team," Inuoka added, "Plus he and Hinata are close friends, so they have that trust in place,"
"Timing really is the most powerful tool. If you guys time other things well, then this match may lean in your favour for a bit," Hisagawa said, "Only time will tell,"